New York Yanks Prices

In what cannot come as a surprise to anybody, the New York Yankees have announced that they will be lowering ticket prices at their new 1.5 billion dollar stadium that sits right across the street from the old stadium, where history was made for over 80 years.

The Yankees struggled to fill seats on the lower levels during their first home stand and it was easy to see that the new stadium was not full as television broadcasts made sure to point it out.

The seats directly behind home plate were empty as well, creating an eyesore that no team wants to deal with in the first weeks of opening a new stadium. The seats right behind home plate were upwards of 2,000 dollars so it cannot come as a surprise to anybody that the Yankees would lower prices, especially given the state of the current economy.

It also wouldn’t come as a surprise to see other stadiums doing the same. Pricing for Major League Baseball games is trickier than other games because there are so many of them. A home season for every team consists of 81 games and the majority of those games come on weekdays against lousy teams. So what is the incentive for fans to pay thousands of dollars to go and see the Yankees play on a chilly Tuesday evening against the Pirates? Exactly.

Season tickets are getting ridiculously expensive as well. At Dodger Stadium, ticket prices have gone up every year since Frank McCourt took over as the owner before the 2004 season. Loge season tickets, then $36 a game, have risen to over $60. For a family of four, over an 81 game season, including parking and food, those prices become ridiculous.

The San Francisco Giants have created a genius way of working the system and making it easier for fans to enjoy and afford every game at the ballpark. This season the Giants are introducing variable pricing, a system where the tickets to each game will vary depending on day of the week, time of day, month of the season, team against which the Giants are playing, and pitchers throwing for the Giants. Meaning that a beautiful Saturday afternoon game in June against the rival Dodgers with Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum on the mount would be more expensive than a chilly April Wednesday night game against the last place Padres.

More teams should consider using variable pricing. It makes things better for all involved, putting fans in the seats when they usually wouldn’t be. As for the league as a whole, teams really need to rethink the cost of ticket prices. They can only go up so high before fans just straight up stop going to the ballpark. Some tickets are more expensive than NFL games and those teams only play eight home games in a season.

For now, the Yankees have somewhat come to their senses. Don’t be surprised to see other prices continue to drop.

The Meat Bracket - Very Funny

One of my favorite columnists Paul Lukas from ESPN.com's Page 2 put together this masterpiece of a column during the NCAA tournament. As you can see, the theme is the same... but the subject is not quite like anything we've seen before.

Paul Lukas' Meat Bracket

Life of Kobe

NBA Playoffs began just a couple days ago. Defending champs lost and the Cavs and Lakers both won. Here is to the start of the longest playoff in pro sports. Cheers!

Check out this Rick Reilly article about the life of Kobe Bryant on ESPN.com. Pretty interesting...

Life of Reilly - "Life of Kobe"

Twitter, Sports' Biggest New Hitter

These days many professional athletes will do just about anything to get attention. Publicly dissing famous ex-girlfriends (Sean Avery), weeping over criticisms of teammates (Terrell Owens), and even shooting themselves in the leg (Plaxico Burress, although that may have been unintentional).

So it should come as no surprise that the world of sports has taken quite a liking to the world of Twitter, the newest up and coming social networking craze to hit our web browsers.

In case you are unfamiliar, Twitter allows users to post, up to 140 characters, describing anything from what they are doing, to how they are feeling, to what kind of sandwich they had for lunch (Shaq enjoys pastrami on rye).

Aside from updating your status, or “tweeting” as it is called, users can read other people’s updates by following their Twitters. Caught on yet? Well if you haven’t, sports stars have.
Pro athletes are following in the footsteps of the Twitter pioneers and jumping at the opportunity to get their thoughts, opinions, and ideas out to the world.

Shaquille O’Neal, possibly sports’ most entertaining athlete, updates his Twitter multiple times daily with his famous “Shaq-isms”, jokes, and jabs. Cyclist Lance Armstrong, has used his Twitter to help raise awareness for his cancer charities. And numerous others are catching on, including coaches like USC’s Pete Carroll, who use the social networking site to discuss player injuries and starting lineups.

But of course, as sports stars crave attention 24/7, some have decided to abuse the quick way to get in touch with fans. Many sports fans were introduced to Twitter recently thanks to an incident that occurred in the Milwaukee Bucks locker room during halftime of their game against the Boston Celtics last month.

Bucks’ forward Charlie Villanueva, after a disappointing first half, decided to get in touch with his fans with a little tweet… “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up."

Despite the fact he did step it up, scoring a team-high 19 points in the win over Boston, he got a talking to from coach Scott Skiles… and rightfully so.

Charlie should know better. As a paid employee of the Milwaukee Bucks, it is his job to be focused on the game and the game only. Even if he was letting fans know he needed to focus better during the second half, his halftime tweeting still shows his main priority was getting attention from fans during the basketball game.

Instead, he should take notes from fellow tweeters like Shaq who has had a great time interacting with fans through Twitter. Just recently, Shaq sent out a tweet informing fans that he would give two tickets to the next Suns home game to the first person in the Phoenix area to touch him in the next five minutes.

This is just another “random act of Shaqness”, as he refers to it on his Twitter bio. But fans are definitely responding. Shaq’s following on Twitter grows everyday and is rising up into the hundreds of thousands.

Twitter is no doubt a great way for these athletes to have some fun and get closer to fans. But just like on the courts and playing fields, athletes must understand how to conduct themselves and network with a team first attitude.

Playoff Format Hurts Thanks to Money

The NHL and NBA seasons are winding down and playoffs are set to get under way over the next couple weeks. And with the end of any professional regular season comes the beginning of the so-called second season. The Playoffs.

Most playoff systems bring the most exciting games and plays of the entire season. Mentally tired players with battered bodies put their physical ability to the test as they head down the stretch run for the most important games of the season and a chance to win and play for the championship.

Unfortunately, over the next couple months we have to deal with hockey and basketball playoffs, the two worst playoff systems in sports (BCS is obviously THE WORST – but you can’t really call it a playoff system since that is what everyone is fighting for in the first place).

The NHL and NBA both have it very wrong. Their playoffs are set up all for money, money, money and as a result, they are watered down by too many games and too many teams, including many that don’t deserve to be there.

The first problem is that 16 teams make the playoffs in both sports. That is over half the teams in the entire sport. The tournaments are comprised of the Eastern and Western Conferences, each with eight teams fighting to come out on top and play the best team from the other Conference in the championship series.

A direct opposite: Major League Baseball. Baseball has only four teams from each League that make the playoffs making it a true accomplishment to be playing in the postseason. And in the NFL, only two teams other than the division champions get the right to play to go to the Super Bowl, making it a more selective bunch. In the NBA and NHL, teams with losing records can sneak into the eighth spot in the playoffs creating lopsided first round series and boring games.

Then comes the scheduling. The road to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals or the NBA Finals (both best-of-7 series) consists of winning three best-of-7 game series. Teams could potentially be playing 28 games in the playoffs, about a third of the amount of games they played in the regular season.

And the schedule is so spread out to accommodate television ratings that there are such large breaks in between games. The Lakers could play Game 1 at home on a Saturday and have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week to play Game 2, which would also be at home.

The playoffs should be an exciting time with tons of wall-to-wall basketball. These guys can play on back-to-back days. They did so all year so why not in the playoffs.

Both systems won’t change because of money, but they should change because of quality.

An April Fools for the Best

Everyone can appreciate a great April Fools joke. There is no doubt. But check this one out from my friend Deford. Absolutely classic.

What began as one man's frustration is slowly turning into a more serious movement that merits our serious attention.

Several months ago, Adam Winter of Saginaw, Mich., grew more and more angry. He is a man who has two loves — pro football and animals — and as the Detroit Lions continued to lose games, Winter became increasingly upset that the magnificent lion should be associated with such a woebegone franchise.

When Detroit — that is, the Lions — finished this past season without a victory, Winter prevailed on his state senator to introduce a bill in the Michigan Legislature that would ban the Detroit franchise from exploiting the nickname of the lion. The rationale: It's unfair to insult a proud beast that is unable to defend its own good name.

In Glen Burnie, Md., Lauren Spencer heard about this and went to her state representative, asking that a similar bill be enacted in Annapolis, preventing the Baltimore baseball team from exploiting the brilliant oriole.

Spencer even wanted the bill to prevent the Baltimore franchise from using the bird's striking orange and black colors for its uniforms, but it was ruled that whereas the oriole itself should be protected from the damage to its reputation, orange and black were colors in the public domain and beyond any statute enforcement.

Similar bills were soon put in the hopper in Tennessee, where the noble grizzly bear has been insulted for years by the Memphis basketball team, and in Arizona, where the beautiful cardinal had become a figure of fun because of the disreputable football franchise. The recent surprise success of the Cardinals did, however, result in that bill's being temporarily bottled up in committee.

Moreover, now some devoted animal defenders from the Humane Society and PETA have formed an organization named STEAM — that's an acronym for Stop Teams Everywhere from Animal Mascots — with the intent of creating federal fish and wildlife legislation to halt all sports franchises from appropriating God's creatures as their nicknames.

As the organization's president, Constance Bloodgood, says, "This year's Detroit Lion is last year's Tampa Bay Devil Ray. No animal deserves to be associated with the potential ignominy of defeat. It's time for human beings to stop insulting all the beasts of the field."

I can only say, hooray. It's about time our animal friends had such protection from gratuitous injustice. And also ... April Fool!

OPENING DAY!

Major League Baseball Opening Day has arrived!

Definitely one of the best days of the year.

The Phillies lost their first game as World Series champs, CC Sabathia is struggling in his first start as a Yankee, K-Rod saved a stellar performance by the Mets' Johan Santana, and the Dodgers are set to start their season in less than an hour.

Here's to another great season.

Lying, Not Steroids Plagued Baseball

It is hard to blame baseball players for using steroids. Just like it’s hard to blame a college student for drinking coffee to stay awake during class or a struggling model from getting plastic surgery. The list could continue. These days, in all walks of life, everybody is using something to help them be the best they can be. That’s why it is now impossible to be surprised when you hear of another player who took steroids.

The 2009 chapter of Major League Baseball begins tomorrow. Naively, I’m going into the new season with the mindset that everybody is clean. And if someone is dumb enough to use steroids, they’ll get caught.

I’m also going into the new season with a new out look on the era that has forever tainted the integrity of the game and will always have fans questioning the legitimacy of statistics.

During the steroid era there were no cheaters, only liars.

Don’t get me wrong. I am adamantly against steroids and so bothered by what the performance enhancers have done to the game. But looking at the issue from both sides, it’s become very clear that without proper preventative measures, the issue was inevitable.

It starts from the moment you step onto a little league field. The moment a child falls in love with the game. The moment becoming the next Derek Jeter or Johan Santana becomes a dream. The moment baseball becomes a passion.

Parents tell their kids, “If you dream it you can achieve it.” Tommy Lasorda once told a young baseball player, “If you work hard enough and do whatever it takes, you will be a pro ball player.” I was only 14 at the time, but if Tommy told me I could do it, then I believed I could do it.

Doing whatever it takes. That could mean anything. Waking up at dawn to run five miles everyday, hitting off a tee, exhausting yourself with countless shoulder exercises, etc. What if you still aren’t good enough? Do you ignore your dream? Do you forget Tommy and stop doing “whatever it takes”?

For many, it took steroids to achieve their dream and get to the Big Leagues. It took steroids to earn hundreds of thousands more than they would of working as a store clerk or deliveryman. It took steroids to leave poverty on some Caribbean island and create a life that others could barely imagine in their dreams.

It’s not that players wanted to take steroids or even enjoyed it. I’d be surprised if I found one player who actually took pleasure in sticking a needle into his butt or a player who was happy with the side effects. The fact is, the drugs were available and players needed to use in order to keep up.

Pundits will point out that Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron put up exceptional numbers without the use of steroids. This argument is naïve and unfair. If steroids existed and were available players would have used them. It’s not as if players back in the day had a higher set of morals than today’s players. Pitchers constantly gave themselves unfair advantages by throwing spitballs and doctoring the ball despite breaking the rules in doing so.

So in an era when almost everybody was “juicing” it is difficult to call these players cheaters. Who exactly were they cheating? Before 2002 there was no penalty for a positive test. And it wasn’t as if they were cheating the “clean” players. Those players had an equal opportunity to use steroids, but simply chose against it.

The demons of the steroid era were the liars. The players who told the media they had never injected. The players who sat in front of Congress and pointed fingers saying they knew nothing. The players who achieved incredible statistics but failed to own up to their secret formula for success. The liars who cheated the fans from the truth.

People were quick to throw Alex Rodriguez (above, right) under the bus after word of his 2002 positive test came out just about a month ago. But A-Rod came right out and admitted he did it. Instead of being condemned, A-Rod should have been applauded. He failed a drug test during a season when there was no penalty for steroids. Since baseball instituted a penalty, he has tested clean time and time again. A baseball player not cheating, but instead, following the rules.

If the likes of Bonds (top), Clemens, Palmeiro (above), and the continuing list of liars had just admitted to their usage from the get go, the baseball world would have been quick to forgive and understand. These players did whatever it took to be the best they could be.

Instead some of the greatest players to play this great and historic game may be left out of the Hall of Fame. Not because they are cheaters… because they are liars.

NFL Making Play for Extra Games

Dear National Football League… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Over the past few weeks, talks of adding additional regular season games have been all the buzz around NFL headquarters and this past week’s owners’ meeting in Dana Point.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has been adamant in his support for raising the amount of regular season games from 16 to 18.

Dear Roger Goodell… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The NFL is the country’s most successful and most popular professional sports entity, raking in billions from advertising and continuing to supply a product that keeps fans dishing out their money for tickets, television packages, and merchandise.

Of course the thought process is… two more games equals more money. But making the switch based on this thinking would be greedy and irresponsible.

Companies pay millions to advertise during NFL games and at stadiums. While the economy has been struggling and advertising money has been low, football seems to have shown immunity. The NFL did exceptionally well this season and figures to do fine next year as well.

But would adding two extra games really be fair to the advertisers? Would there be enough advertising money to support two extra games? All signs in today’s economy lead to no. Plus, auto manufacturers have traditionally been the biggest advertisers for the NFL and there’s no telling when they will be back on their feet and ready to support even a 6-game season.

And if the advertisers struggle, then its obvious the networks won’t be too quick to jump at the idea of more games. CBS, NBC, and Fox, whose contracts cover the next three seasons, would a larger schedule if they believed it would increase ad dollars. But again thinking in terms of the recession, common sense says they won’t.

Plus, adding games to the schedule means more meaningless mid-season games between inept teams. Bad games = nobody cares = nobody watches = BAD ratings.

It doesn’t seem to care that anybody is worried about how the players thoughts regarding the expansion. And it doesn’t seem to be likely that the NFLPA (Player’s Association) will be jumping for joy at the thought. Two more grueling, bone breaking, body bruising, put your life on the line games.

The health of NFL players, both current and retired, is a big issue and the NFL is trying to take new steps to protect its most important asset. Adding more games is sure to increase the wear and tear on players’ bodies and injuries are sure to go up. This would be no way to protect players.

And what about the record books? Does anyone remember when the football season used to be only 14 games? As we add games to the schedule, players have greater chances to boost their numbers and will eventual dwarf the earnings and achievements of those great players who dominated when the seasons were shorter.

Just imagine how angry retired players will be when they hear about how the accomplishments of today’s athletes are more impressive because they were able to compete at such a high level throughout a much longer season.

And as easy as it would be to break records, it would be almost impossible to go undefeated. The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only team to achieve a perfect season and they went 17-0, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Now, teams would be playing more regular season games than the ’72 Dolphins did during that entire season.

The NFL puts a great product on the field week in and week out. More games equals more chances to mess it up.

It’s not broken, so pretty please, don’t fix it.

The 'Mazin Madness

When it comes to sports, is there anything better than March Madness? Absolutely not.

65 teams battling for one title. More than 60 games in a span of three weeks. The best of college basketball on the grandest stage.

It is without a doubt the most wonderful time of the year. (My apologies to Andy Williams and Harry Connick Jr.).

So as this annual sports spectacular inches oh so close, it is time to recognize sports media, who have made March Madness what it is today.

Sure, the basketball is exciting. But sports media has made this event into so much more.

In just a matter of days the madness begins, sure to bring surprising upsets, newborn heroes, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows… not just for the athletes, but for the fans as well.

Thanks to a few marketing geniuses, the NCAA Tournament is just as much a competition for the fans as it is for the players. Come Thursday, the adrenaline will be pumping, the nerves flowing, the mind racing, and the bodies sweating for every fan watching.

Bracket pools, scoreboard watching, wall-to-wall basketball coverage, and a chance to witness some of the most exciting moments and improbable upsets in the history of sports. Just thinking about it is sure to make even the halfhearted sports fan tingle.

The mere setup of the tournament gives college basketball the most ingenious playoff in all of sports.

65 teams from all over the country getting a fair chance to play for the national championship. Each one deserving that chance. Take notes college football.

In no other sport can a fan be as much a part of the action as in college basketball. No matter who is playing, fans pay attention to each game and each team.

How did they get them to care so much? Bracket pools. A chance to compete against peers, not for a national championship, but the ever-important bragging rights. Basketball players compete to show which of them has jump-shot or left-handed dribble, fans compete to prove which of them is the most knowledgeable about sports. This is there chance.

In the days between selection Sunday and the first tip the bracket frenzy takes over. Fans all over the country filling out multiple brackets, changing their selections, second-guessing their picks, flooding sports websites to read and take notes on the expert opinions. As each second passes, college basketball remains deeply engrained in their thoughts.

Then comes Thursday and Friday. Round One.

The action begins with action packed days filled to the brim with college basketball. Multiple games occurring all over the country.

CBS Sports (buying the NCAA Tourney rights was the smartest move they ever made) televises every game, every shot, every rebound, every buzzer=beater. Talk about must-see-TV.

But the great coverage doesn’t stop there. Fans can watch every single game on cbssportsline.com for free. Free!

At work? At school? No problem. Not only can you watch the games with great quality picture and sound but the program also comes equipped with a boss button. Feel the boss or teacher creeping up over your shoulder? Click the button and the game turns into an Excel spreadsheet.

So while you are having the best time of your life watching, following, eating, and breathing this year’s NCAA Tournament don’t forget to give thanks to those who made such an experience possible.

Sports media has come a long way and this tournament is a celebration of not only basketball, but everything sports media has accomplished. A yearning to bring the fans the ultimate experience.

That’s exactly what the NCAA Tournament is… the ultimate experience.

So be sure to join in on the celebration because it’s sure to be filled with heart-pounding excitement, adrenaline packed games, cheers, tears, and most of all… fun.

They don’t call it the Big Dance for nothing.

Phelps Image Tarnished?

Another day and yet another star athlete who has been caught something he shouldn’t be doing. This time, it’s star swimmer Michael Phelps, the American who just broke a record by winning eight gold medals at the Olympics in Beijing.

After the attention from these past Olympic games, it seemed as though Phelps could do no wrong. Now, the country’s “golden boy” may be rusting just a bit.

Apparently these days, Phelps is spending less time swimming laps and more time smoking bowls. Actually, it was a bong to be exact. A British tabloid recently published an image of Phelps smoking what appears to be marijuana and all of a sudden Phelps has dived right into a sticky situation.

Phelps, like any public figure, should know better than to himself into this precarious situation. In this day of the Internet and cell phone cameras, anything and everything can be posted for millions to see in a matter of seconds.

These situations occur all the time and these young athletes just don’t seem to learn from each other’s mistakes. Remember Matt Leinart? The former star USC quarterback who now rides the bench for the Arizona Cardinals found himself with the same problem after a picture surfaced of him using a beer bong with some Arizona college girls. Everybody was quick to determine Leinart was too immature to be an NFL quarterback. Ever since, his field duties have been delegated to kneeling the ball at the end of blowouts.

But the source of the problem comes from the expectations we have for these young athletes. Why would people expect anything more from the 24-year-old Phelps? People obviously don’t remember the DUI Phelps received back in 2004 at the age of 19. And not to be harsh but if you’ve heard the kid talk, he clearly is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Phelps has struggled with learning disabilities and behavior issues his entire life. So why should we expect anything different now?

Phelps’ two main sponsors Kelloggs and Subway were in talks to void their contract with the swimmer. In the end, Subway stuck with him and Kelloggs dropped. But it’s no surprise the cereal company wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to save some money in these tough economic times. Especially when Phelps gets all his attention only once every four years.

America needs to lower their expectations for young athletes. Sure, it would be great for them all to be role models and upstanding citizens, but in the end success on the fields and in the pools is all they are truly responsible for.

Fortunately for Phelps and all the other athletes who have made “questionable” decisions, the public has a short memory. While Phelps gets high from smoking, the public gets their high from hearing stories like these. Fortunately, just like the DUI in 2004, the high will wear off and the memories will fade into the distance.

In 2012, when Phelps is bringing home more gold medals for the U.S., nobody will even remember or care. They shouldn’t care now either.

Revealing Look

Sports Journalism: Surviving the Changes

As we move deeper into the 21st century and technology continues to advance, journalism continues to act like the grandparent who, no matter how many times it is explained, just can’t figure out how to work the DVD player. As new generations crave up-to-the-nanosecond news, information, and media, journalism has lost its identity, struggling to catch up to the demands of tomorrow while stubbornly holding on to its out-dated ways of yesterday. With every bit of new technology at its fingertips, the industry can’t grasp it, fighting to somehow profit in this weak economy. Newspapers shrink by the day, local news broadcasts lose viewers by the hour, and bloggers post news and opinions by the second, diminishing the role of journalists in all fields. Yet while the industry continues to sink, one sector has quietly risen above the rest… sports. If journalism were a high school, sports would be the starting quarterback; popular, confident, well prepared, and poised for a bright future. The other fields of journalism envious of this student’s success while they are left self-conscious, searching for their own identity, desperately trying to achieve popularity, and nervous for what the future will bring.

All ridiculous examples aside, the point I’m trying to make is that sports journalism has been a pioneer in the industry. While others have faltered, sports journalism has thrived, successfully using new advancements to deliver the most in-depth coverage and stunning visuals while transforming sports into a multi-billion dollar industry.

One thing sports has in its favor over, for example weather, is the fan. Not to say people aren’t fans of a 5-day forecast predicting sunny skies and high temperatures, but with sports it goes much, much deeper than that. Sports have cultivated a close-knit community of millions of people around the world who live, breathe, and eat by their sports.

John F. Kennedy once said, “We are inclined that if we watch a football or baseball game, we have taken part in it.” A good point there Mr. President. People don’t just take in sports like they would news about an earthquake in South America or a celebrity volunteering at a homeless shelter. People experience sports. They watch their favorite teams play as if they were part of that team. For the ardent fan, watching a sporting event can be a roller coaster of emotion. High one moment when your team is up, low when a mishap has made things look bleak, and the highest of highs when your team has emerged victorious. For these fans, sports journalism is there for every step of the way as a best friend of sorts, working hard to maximize their sports-loving experience.

Once upon a time, the coverage was limited to game recaps, profiles, and statistics in the morning paper. And while time has brought new media outlets to forefront, sports journalism has seamlessly transitioned into the 21st century, successfully utilizing all mediums into the overall fan experience. The Internet has taken over as the driving force, with constantly updated scores, injury updates, and commentary from a wide range of sports journalists all across the world. Television gives fans game coverage, opinionated sports talk shows, and compilations of breathtaking highlights and news with shows like Sportscenter. Magazines are still going strong. As Gary Andrew Poole writes in a Columbia Journalism Review article: “So far, the magazine industry hasn’t suffered the same kind of economic devastation that has befallen newspapers, and Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, Sporting News, and The New Yorker still, on occasion, publish put-down-your-iPhone-and-read-this articles.” Even newspapers, despite struggling across the board, offer valuable coverage of local teams that can’t be found on ESPNs and Yahoo!s of the world.

Sports journalism has dedicated itself to providing fans with the best possible experience and I believe, it is due to this dedication, that we have experienced such vast advancements in media technology over the last thirty years. If it weren’t for sports, the High Definition Television technology would not have developed so quickly. Think about it… sure watching Lost in high definition is a treat, but does it truly alter our viewing experience? I’d say no. And don’t pretend for a second that HD was established for the NBC Nightly News.

No, the HD technology was established for sports fans that yearn to feel closer to the game when sitting at home. Nowadays, the crisp picture, vibrant color, and mind-blowing detail make for an incredible viewing experience. And what about all the cameras? From watching a primetime football or baseball game on FOX you get the feeling there are hundreds of cameras, capturing every occurrence imaginable. The newest camera during many football telecasts is one that literally glides over the length of the football field attached to a wire stretching from one end to the other resulting in close-up shots directly above the action. Heck, these sports telecasts have become so good, there are many fans who bypass a chance to see a game live in favor of watching it from the comfort of their own sofa. With television’s amazing coverage these days, you can miss so much detail and information by actually being at the game. Other news topics just don’t have the ability to capture an audience the way sports does. Sure, you might want to tune in to receive updates about a big flood in India, but placing a camera in the water so the viewer can get an idea of what it’s like to float through the streets might capture the viewer’s attention for a good 30 seconds.

But beyond the technology and the fanaticism comes something so basic, yet so obvious. The nature of sports. Late Chief Justice Earl Warren once said, “I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people’s accomplishments; the front page nothing but man’s failures.” These days with steroid scandals and DUI arrests, the quote isn’t a 100% accurate depiction of today’s sports headlines, but the basic idea remains the same. Despite the scandal of the day, sports remains one of the true positives in our society. A topic where a story describing an astonishing achievement will always trump negative stories. Kobe’s 81 points, Tiger’s dramatic U.S. Open victory, or the Celtics’ 17th championship. Sports journalism takes the incredible moments and gives them the special attention they deserve, applauding these athletes for their incredible triumph, hard work, and perseverance. Such a buzz is created about these stories, they become etched into the history of sports and are remembered for years to come, thanks to the diligent work of sports journalists. Philip Meyer writes in the Columbia Journalism Review essay Saving Journalism, “The pure news audience is drifting away as old readers die and are replaced by young people hooked on popular culture and amusement.” I won’t go as far to say that sports news is more important than the pure news Meyer speaks of, but I will say that those interested in sports will never grow weary of sports news due to its positive impact on their lives and the enjoyment it brings.

In an article entitled The Forces Threatening Journalism, author Jay Harris says, “The challenges facing news professionals, and threatening journalism in the public interest, are significant and cannot be avoided. The facts of the situation are these: The past cannot be recaptured.” So much is being said these days about how newspapers all across the country are downsizing and going out of business altogether because they can’t figure out how to shift their past success in print, to the new medium of the internet. The blogosphere has caused much of the problem as unpaid bloggers are posting news and opinions at a lightning pace, making some journalist’s work obsolete. The State of the Blogosphere report from August 2006 reported that about 175,000 new blogs were being created each day (about two blogs per second). The report also noted that the blogosphere doubles in size about every 200 days. The statistics are enough to make any newspaper or news entity exec shutter. Yet while they complain, sports journalism seems to be handling the blogosphere just fine, if not thriving off of it. Players, coaches, and fans have created blogs that have received interest from readers but in the end, nothing compares to the inside information and knowledge of the experts. Patrick wrote in his article The 21st-Century Writer, “The Internet is forcing traditional print publishers to innovate or perish.” Yet, it seems as though sports blogs are only giving sportswriters more stories to write about. Just last month San Diego Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson reported on his blog that he would like to remain with the team once his current contract expired. The comment sparked some controversial statements from the team’s general manager, and thus, sportswriters had fuel for news and opinion articles regarding the subject.

And while many journalism outlets attempt to figure out how to succeed on the intent, it seems as though sports news entities were ahead of the game. Sites like ESPN.com and cbssportsline.com have been extremely popular on the web for years, and now, continue to improve on what was already stellar sports coverage.

How about the opportunities the Internet has created for sports? The World Wide Web has fostered an explosion in the Fantasy Sports world. With so many sites providing fantasy gaming and millions of participants, the success of these fantasy sports has garnered magazines, books, and television and radio shows specifically about these games. And as news websites struggle to entice advertising dollars, CBS Sportsline raked in millions by providing free live internet streaming of every game during last year’s NCAA Tournament.

There is no denying that journalism, including sports, has changed over the years. As time changes, so does everything else. But while newspapers and news broadcasts fear that they will be forced into making drastic changes in the near future, sports journalism can hold its head high in knowing that it prepared itself and its followers for the new times ahead. The industry was ahead of the game, always looking to improve itself in order to improve the experience of the fan.

A Championship Strategy: Play-off the Voters

Before putting the BCS to bed, I had one more thought that came to me while thinking about last week’s post National Champion a National Emergency? Don't Think So... Now I must warn you before hand… this thought is somewhat ridiculous and is merely a product of my imagination. In no way, shape, or form do I truly believe it will or should ever become reality. But I still think it’s worth talking about, if only just to stir up some conversation.

The thought is again about politics and the BCS. Now I know this may contradict my last post, but think about this… What if politicians fought for sports issues on the campaign trail? For example: “Coming up on NBC Nightly News… Senator John McCain pushes for education reform, tax cuts, and a government-imposed budget on the Yankees.”

Seems pretty ridiculous I know. But could it actually work? In the case of the BCS, it just might.

Say Barack Obama promised voters that if elected President, he would create a college football playoff. Just think about some of the states that might have gone his way had they known he would put an end to the evil BCS.

Utah’s five electoral votes might have gone blue if they knew their beloved Utes might have a chance to play for the national title every year. Being in the Mountain West (a non-BCS conference), they don’t get much love when it comes to the BCS’ final computer rankings. However, after trouncing SEC powerhouse Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to finish as the only undefeated team in Division I college football, it’s difficult to come up with a reason why this team shouldn’t be considered worthy of a national championship.

The same case could be made for Idaho’s four electoral votes. A Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma in 2007 showed that Boise State can play with the best. Still, their weak Western Athletic Conference gets no respect.

Total electoral votes won so far: 9

Maybe the most compelling case can be made for Alabama. The owner of nine electoral votes, this red state houses two of the nation’s top football programs with two of the nation’s biggest BCS quibbles. Auburn hates the BCS more than anybody. In 2004, after an undefeated regular season, they were left out of the national championship. Instead the nod went to undefeated USC who destroyed also undefeated Oklahoma. Could the Tigers have competed with the Trojans? A playoff could have answered that.

And what about the University of Alabama? The Crimson Tide missed out on the national championship this year after suffering their first and only loss of the season in their last game against Florida. The problem? Florida also finished with the season with one-loss coming at the hands of a weak Ole Miss team.

They hate the BCS so much in Alabama, if Obama had mentioned it while campaigning there, they may have just handed him the electoral votes right then and there bringing the total electoral votes won so far to: 18.

Last, but certainly not least, is Texas. It would be hard to imagine the Longhorn State’s 34 electoral votes going to anybody other than a Republican. But hey, if there is one thing Texans love more than their republicans, it just might be their football… and this year they had a bone to pick with the BCS. One-loss Texas finished just behind one-loss Oklahoma in the final standings, sending the Sooners to the national championship game. The problem… Texas BEAT Oklahoma earlier in the season.

Knowing that Obama could have reversed the fate of their football teams might have just been enough to reverse the votes.

Total electoral votes won: 52


New Obama campaign ad!

National Champion a National Emergency? Don't think so...

It created quite a buzz, that’s for sure. Just days before Election Day, Barack Obama came out and said exactly what millions of Americans wanted to hear. No, not a solution to the nation’s deteriorating economy or new thoughts on foreign policy. In his most powerful and confident tone Obama announced: “I think it’s about time we have playoffs in college football!”

The statement came in an interview with ESPN’s Chris Berman during the halftime show of a Monday Night Football game, and suddenly, it was the talk of the sports world. A politician of that power echoing what all the fans, sportswriters, and coaches have been saying ever since the BCS began spoiling title hopes for title-worthy teams. When the others spoke, it was insignificant… just more of the same hopeless complaining. When Obama spoke, it brought a new light, a new fire… it brought back the hope.

Could our President actually have a say in today’s most heated sports debate? Probably. Should our President actually do anything about it? Eh, probably not.

It’s been a busy 18 days since Obama became President. An 18 days filled with economic stimulus packages, Guantanemo Bay and abortion bills, Wii bowling with the daughters… yet no mention of the BCS. That’s possibly because college football season ended almost a month ago putting the debate to bed until a new season with new controversies. But it’s probably because Obama knows better than to use his power to meddle in the affairs of sports. It’s great to have a President passionate about sports and even better to have one who expressed opinions. But that’s as far it should go and it’s as far as it will go. To start having politicians dictating the rules of our nation’s professional and collegiate sports would start a long journey down a very slippery slope. Where could it go from there? Congressmen vetoing trades because it hurts the team in their district? Basketball players charged with misdemeanors for flagrant fouls or football players charged for helmet to helmet contact? How about a Presidential pardon for the next big-named baseball player to be suspended for steroids?

Obviously these suggestions are extreme and would probably never happen but it helps to prove that problems in sports are trivial when compared to the problems that politicians should really be worrying about.

And if Obama did decide to act… what could he do? Legal experts gave Tim Lemke of the Washington Times some possible options.
1. Obama could impose an executive order on the NCAA to create a playoff. Result: Being a private institution, the NCAA probably would have the upper hand when the bill went to Congress.
2. Obama could have the Justice Department explore whether the NCAA is violating any laws by excluding non-major conferences from BCS games. Result: Most non-major conference schools shouldn’t be in BCS games anyway. Stupid idea.
3. Obama could threaten to remove the NCAA’s tax-exempt status. Result: Not enough money for the NCAA’s smaller sports to survive.

Taking legal action for an issue that is so trivial when looking at the big picture would be a waste of time. But changes DO need to be made in college football. So here’s to hoping that the conference officials and university Presidents in charge of these decisions will listen to their President and will put an end to the BCS before someone else steps out of their place and does it for them.

Let's Be Frank: The Sports Public Intellectual Exists

If public intellectuals exist, then without any doubt Frank Deford is one. He certainly has the resume. After graduating from Princeton, Deford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his respective field, voted writer of the year six times, named magazine writer of the year twice, authored 15 books (two of which became movies and one of which is becoming a Broadway musical), and won an Emmy. Today he works as a correspondent for one of television’s most acclaimed monthly magazine shows, is a senior writer for one of the most acclaimed magazines, has received honors from Northwestern and the University of Missouri, and speaks at universities across the country as a guest lecturer.

His body of work qualifies him as a public intellectual… it can’t be debated. And you can’t argue with awards and honors either as they are society’s way of pointing out which individuals have achieved the highest success for the most groundbreaking and influential work. Yes, Deford is one of America’s public intellectuals and he earned that title for all of his excellence as a sportswriter.

The conversation on public intellectuals is a long one. What is a public intellectual? What role do they play in our society? The answers vary greatly and the conclusions yield few agreements. Arguments have been made that public intellectuals only exist within the realms of politics, science, and other academic areas; that it is the job of these public intellectuals to engage themselves and the public, in critical discourse that is meant to present expert, educated, and resourceful views on relevant issues. If that is the role of a public intellectual, then the status should not be excluded from sports. As Stephen Mack succinctly puts it at the end of his essay The “Decline” of Public Intellectuals, “The measure of public intellectual work is not whether the people are listening, but whether they’re hearing things worth talking about.” Deford made his career talking about sports and in today’s world, sports is definitely something worth talking about. While it may not create new public policy or develop new innovative technologies, sports has etched itself into the fabric of our society. It is one of the largest consumer-driven industries in the country and has helped pave the way for social change throughout its history. Many of its prominent figures are some act as leaders who provide inspiration and have become role models for millions of people all around the world.

So the fact that Deford has been inducted to the National Sportswriters Hall of Fame; voted U.S. Sportswriter of the Year six times; been named the nation’s finest sportswriter by the American Journalism Review; described as the most influential sports voice among members of the print media by The Sporting News; and won an Emmy (for his work at the 1988 Olympic games) prove that he is one of the most influential and prominent intellectuals in an industry that has become so important to the public. Whether it be in his Sports Illustrated columns, his weekly segments on NPR, or his investigative stories for HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Deford provides educated opinions, well-articulated thoughts, and a smooth, conversational yet intelligent writing that can help any reader gain knowledge and formulate their own thoughts on sports. And if public intellectuals do serve to influence the opinions of their readers and change the landscape of their field, then Deford is as qualified as they come. If you don’t trust me, just start from the top and read again.