Last Saturday, my son forwarded a friend’s Tweet to me:
Hmmm.
Started me thinking … Sequester announced on Friday … slow down on Saturday … coincidence?
Then, Obama announces that he’s shutting down White House tours because of the Sequester – the Presidential version of taking his bat & ball and going home.
Wait a second: I’ve seen this play before … bat & ball, Operation Shutdown.
Of course.
It’s the Derek Bell story.
The year was 2002.
According to several sources …
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is set to be the first to offer special seats for obese fans.
It will be the “first time tickets for obese people are offered at a FIFA event.”
FIFA said that to qualify for a ticket, people are required to submit a medical certificate that proves they have a body mass index of 30 or more.
Here’s the kicker …
OK, let’s start with the garden variety doping allegation.
Several news sources reported that Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees was “ensnared in a doping investigation once again when an alternative weekly newspaper reported baseball’s highest-paid star was among a half-dozen players listed in records of a Florida clinic the paper said sold performance-enhancing drugs.”
Technical question: What the heck is an “alternative weekly newspaper”? What is it an alternative to?
The Miami New Times said the three-time AL MVP bought human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances during 2009-12 from Biogenesis of America LLC, a now-closed anti-aging clinic in Coral Cables near Rodriguez’s offseason home.
Another technical question: What the heck is an “anti-aging” clinic? Glad to see it closed.
The New York Yankees third baseman issued a statement denying the allegations.
Now let’s move to the jaw-dropper: Raven’s LB Ray Lewis Accused of Using Performance Enhancing Deer Spray.
Gerald Hall, the director of a youth baseball program in Washington, says:
“Baseball is a game taught by fathers, while basketball and football are more often taught by peers in pickup games.
If you did a survey, I believe you’d find that the one thing average and above-average baseball players have in common is a father.
Baseball is, at heart, a father-and-son sport.
And if you’re a kid that has nobody to throw to, nobody to talk to, nobody to discipline you in the way that baseball demands, you’re not likely to play the game.” Source
Play ball!
* * * * *
Follow on Twitter @KenHoma
Punch line: In the last few years, many companies have worked a sustainability message into their corporate mission and values statement. For many, that’s as far as the initiative goes, but Puma is living up to the promise, and launching a new line of biodegradable shoes and apparel.
* * * * *
Excerpted from psfk.com’s, “Puma Launches Biodegradable Shoes & Apparel”
Puma has announced that it will launch a line of shoes, apparel, and accessories that are biodegradable or recyclable. Available in 2013, consumers will be able to return the products to stores for processing through the brand’s ‘Bring Me Back Program’ when they’re finished with them.
The Puma InCycle collection shows the brand’s commitment to the environment, as it tries to help consumers reduce waste and mitigate their personal environmental footprints.
It includes:
PUMA InCycle will use biodegradable polymers, recycled polyester, and organic cotton in order to eliminate pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and other hazardous chemicals.
Puma’s CEO, Franz Koch, said, “The PUMA InCycle collection is the first step to help reduce the amounts of garbage that consumer products cause at the end of their lives. We feel that we are responsible for the environmental impact our products cause and this innovative concept in sustainability is a first step towards our long-term vision.”
Edit by BJP
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Punch line: After decades of wearing Reebok uniforms, NFL teams switched to Nike jerseys this year. Nike introduced new tighter, sleeker uniforms, claiming enhanced performance, but some of the bigger linemen are asking the question, “Does this make me look fat?”
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Excerpted from WSJ’s, “The NFL’s 300-Pound Fashion Victims”
Pondered in the NFL locker room this season, as some players try on their new tighter, sleeker Nike uniforms, is a question usually reserved for Nordstrom fitting lounges:
Does this make me look fat?
After a decade of wearing Reebok-made jerseys, NFL teams this year switched to Nike, which unveiled a new model that has what it calls a “body-contoured fit.
” While it looks great on Adonis-like players such as Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Miami running back Reggie Bush, it’s a bit less popular among those who are a bit more full-figured.
Tight jerseys are all the fashion in some sports.
How better to show off the sculpted physiques of NBA players?
Adidas even claims its tight Chelsea jersey “stabilizes and focuses the muscles’ energy.”
Outfitting the NFL presents a range of problems—or rather, a problem of range.
Some receivers, running backs and kickers weigh less than 200 pounds. Linemen, meanwhile, routinely top 300.
Making jerseys for lineman has become a bigger challenge in recent years.
The 1966 Green Bay Packers, winners of the first Super Bowl, did not feature an offensive lineman heavier than 250 pounds.
Today, the Packers’ five offensive line starters weigh an average of 312.8.
“We have 40 years of experience in the football business and the idea in our products is for optimal performance and we work with the athletes to find fit and function,” a Nike spokesman said. “The uniforms are available in a variety of sizes and cuts for different players with enhanced performance in mind.”
Edit by BJP
While it may have gotten lost in the “You didn’t build it” melee, new Federal golf rules will be in effect beginning Jan 2013.
Please share with fellow golfers.
By Executive Order, President Obama appointed a Golf Czar and ordered major rule changes in the game of golf,
The rules will become effective January 1, 2013.
The complete rule book is over 1,000 pages.
Here are a few of the changes.
Golfers with handicaps:
- below 10 will have their green fees increased by 35%.
- between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
- above 18 will get a $20 check each time they play.
The term “gimmie” will be changed to “entitlement” and will be used as follows:
- handicaps below 10, no entitlements.
- handicaps from 11 to 17, entitlements for putter length putts.
- handicaps above 18, if golfer’s ball is on the green, no need to putt, just pick it up.
These entitlements are intended to bring about fairness and, most importantly, equality in scoring.
In addition, a golfer will be limited to a maximum of one birdie or six pars in any given 18-hole round.
Any excess must be given to those fellow players who have not yet scored a birdie or par.
Only after all players have received a birdie or par from the player actually making the birdie or par, can the par-birdie player begin to count his pars and birdies again.
The current USGA handicap system will be used for the above purposes, but the term “net score” will be available only for scoring those players with handicaps of 18 and above.
These rule changes are intended to “re-distribute” the success of winning by making sure that in every competition; the above 18 handicap players will post only “net score” against every other player’s “gross score”.
These new Rules are intended to positively change the game of golf.
Golf should be about Fairness.
It should not be about ability, hard work, practice, and responsibility.
Importantly, these rules will not apply to President Obama, Congress or Democratic bundlers.
Thanks to JWC for feeding the lead.
Punch line: Nike has jumped on the Lin band wagon and plans to release the Hyperfuse 2011 Linsanity PE.
Pretty catchy name, right?.
* * * * *
Excerpted from brandchannel.com, “With Jeremy Lin Shoe, Nike Seeks Linsane Asylum”
In case you hadn’t noticed, the world has gone nuts for New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin …
Now Nike is planning to give the people what they want: to be #Linning too.
According to ESPN Radio’s blog, the shoe manufacturer is “set to release the Nike Hyperfuse 2011 Linsanity PE,” a shoe that features New York Knick’s iconic orange and blue with ‘Lin’ written in script, “sweeping across the side of the heel” …
Lin’s new shoe isn’t likely to supplant the Air Jordan in Nike history, of course, but it’s hard to imagine what will happen if Lin keeps leading the Knicks to consecutive victories — and after the inevitable end to the hot streak …
Meanwhile, Lin’s brand keeps getting larger, and not just in the U.S.
Lin — who is the first American-born player in the NBA of Chinese or Taiwanese descent — now has more than 350,000 Twitter followers and, on the Chinese version, 750,000, according to the New Yorker. The publication notes that “last week, Lin rocketed to the number-one most searched item on Baidu, the Chinese search engine.”…
Edit by KJM
TakeAway: New Orleans fortune of having three college bowl football games and a NFL playoff game expects to bring in almost a half of a billion dollars into the economy.
* * * * *
Excerpt from AdAge: “New Orleans Reaps $400M-Plus Football Bonanza”
The last time New Orleans hosted both a Sugar Bowl and college football’s national championship game the economic impact from that week was $400 million.
Throw in the New Orleans Bowl expected to bring in $25 million and the Saints’ playoff game expected to reap another $20 million, and New Orleans will earn $445 million from four football games.
Some economists dismiss the theory that big-time sporting events bring economic benefits to cities, but the football numbers stack up pretty well against Mardi Gras, which brings in about $140 million.
And while it took three football games to see that $420 million economic impact. The Super Bowl alone was worth $292 million to New Orleans in 2002.
Edited by ARK
Punch line: Abby Wambach is one of few women soccer stars to cash in with her endorsements and appearances. Her agent is Dan Levy – MSB MBA 1998. That caught my eye.
When Dan graduated from MSB, he became Mia Hamm’s agent for her charitable endeavors …
The rest is history.
Business Week “Selling Abby Wambach”
Abby Wambach – star of the U.S. women’s soccer team – observed: “We knew our playing resonated ….. but we didn’t know how it would translate into dollars and cents.”
Wambach, who’s been a professional soccer player for nine years and is among the privileged few whose sponsorship deals afford them a comfortable living.
When Wambach joined the women’s league, at age 22, she played on Mia Hamm’s team in Washington, D.C.
At the time, Hamm was among the most famous female athletes in the world.
Wambach took cues from how carefully Hamm managed her numerous endorsement deals.
She got rid of her first agent and signed on with Dan Levy of Wasserman Media Group, Hamm’s agent
From the Athletes for Hope web site:
Dan Levy has been a pioneer in women’s sports marketing, creating some of the most unique marketing opportunities and deals in his field.
Prior to joining WMG, he helped propel Octagon and Bober Associates into the largest agencies devoted solely to the marketing of women’s sports athletes, and assisted in the formation of the Mia Hamm Foundation.
Joining WMG in 2006, Levy currently manages some of the world’s most accomplished female athletes, including Sue Bird, Mia Hamm, Maya Moore and Abby Wambach..
Way to go Dan!
According to the WSJ …
If you want to own a pro-sports franchise, an advanced degree from Harvard or an undergrad degree from Georgetown (plus a few hundred million dollars) is the place to start.
Among the 122 franchises in the four major North American pro leagues, more owners graduated from Harvard’s business or law school (seven) than any other institution.
But, when it comes to undergraduate degrees, Georgetown is No. 1.
Five owners earned their undergraduate degrees there, including embattled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Washington’s Ted Leonsis, who owns the Wizards and Capitals.
Thanks to CS for feeding the lead …
There has always been bad blood between Xavier and Cincinnati. The schools are only 4 miles apart and jockey for position in the city.
Saturday night, an ugly brawl erupted with 9.4 seconds left in their basketball game.
Benches cleared, fists flew.
Lots of mayhem. Lots of blood.
Not your garden variety pushing and shoving.
The post-game explanations were equally as chilling.
Xavier’s senior All-America guard Tu Holloway readily admitted starting the fight by taunting Cincinnati players and coaches … and he defended his actions, and those of his Xavier teammates, for their parts in the fight:
“You gotta understand, we got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room … tough guys.”
When asked why he taunted the Cincinnati bench and incited the fracas, Holloway said that he was disrespected when a Cincinnati player said that he was a better player.
“This is my city … I’m cut from a different cloth.
None of them guys on their team is like me.
We got disrespected.
Maybe it looked bad to you (media), but this is what I’m used to.
This is where I’m from..”
Georgetown connection?
Cincinnati is in the big East … Xavier is “A Jesuit, Catholic University in Cincinnati, Ohio since 1831”.
Yipes.
Punch line: Georgetown’s Big East Conference may be losing its 4th and 5th teams to the ACC … whacking the Big E’s stature and money-making capacity.
Georgetown is caught in a pickle since it’s a ‘major’ in basketball but not in football.
Excerpted from WSJ
The Atlantic Coast Conference has received application letters from Pittsburgh and Syracuse to join the league.
If the move goes forward, Pittsburgh and Syracuse would become the fourth and fifth schools to leave the Big East for the ACC in the past decade. Virginia Tech and Miami joined in 2004, and Boston College followed a year later as the ACC’s 12th member.
Syracuse is a founding member of the Big East, and Pittsburgh joined the league in 1982.
The Big East’s situation is tricky because of seven non-football members such as Georgetown and Villanova that help make it one of the nation’s strongest basketball conferences.
The basketball schools and football schools often have different agendas.
Losing Pitt and Syracuse would be a huge blow to Big East basketball as well as football.
The other football-playing members of the Big East are Rutgers, Connecticut, Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati and West Virginia.
There already has been speculation that West Virginia would be a target for the SEC
According to SI …
A wild brawl broke out between Georgetown and a Chinese men’s basketball team Thursday night, putting an immediate end to a supposed goodwill game that coincided with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the country.
The benches cleared and fights erupted all over the court with about 9½ minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Georgetown is in China on a 10-day trip which has been cited by the U.S. State Department as an example of sports diplomacy that strengthens ties between the two countries.
Question (after viewing the video): With a population of 1.3 Billion (with a “B”), don’t you think the Chinese should be able to fill a high school gym for a game against the Hoyas?
Both have 2 team in the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen.
Ouch.
All of a sudden, the Big East looks more like the Big Easy.
Charles Barkley on TBS: “When you get to the tourney you’ve got to be physical & talented … not just physical. Everybody’s physical. Except for Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, who does the Big East have?”
Double ouch.
Think back to brackets’ day. The pundits (Bilas, Vitale) praised the Big East and said Virginia Commonwealth didn’t belong in the tournament. That there needs to be more “basketball guys” on the selection committee — who know what they’re talking about.
Hmmm. So, who knows what they’re talking about?
Time for baseball. Go Cubbies.
In this case, we’re talking about the top-ranked UConn Huskies women’s basketball team.
Seems that one of their competitive advantages is practicing against men.
The top-ranked Connecticut team is among the two-thirds of Division I women’s basketball programs that practice against male players.
Because men who gravitate to competitive round ball are generally built bigger, stronger, and faster than women, teams use them as a form of overload training.
“It’s like wearing ankle weights when running.”
If it weren’t for the guys, starters would practice against bench players, who, as a rule, are not as good as the first team.
Plus, from a coach’s point of view, the guys are the managerial dream of expendable labor.
“We don’t have to be worried about whether they are going to be ready to play,”
Business Week, Winning Women Practice Versus Men, March 10, 2011
No, not hoops or b-school rankings, we’re talking the Most Gang-Affiliated Hats in Sports.
According to Complex.com, here are the top 10:
#10 Oakland A’s
Adopted by: Almighty Ambrose Nation (Chicago), Orchestra Albany (Chicago), Spanish Cobras (Chicago)
Why: The Ambrose and the Albany share the same first letter as the Athletics, while the Spanish Cobras rock the green A’s caps to represent their primary color.
#9 Georgetown Hoyas
Adopted by: Gangster Disciples (Chicago), Folk Nation (Chicago)
Why: GD members started rocking Georgetown gear to honor founder Larry Hoover, with Hoyas standing for “Hoover’s On Your Ass.”
#8 Minnesota Twins
Adopted by: Maniac Latin Disciples (Chicago)
Why: The M stands for “Maniac Latin Disciples”.
#7 Detroit Tigers
Adopted by: Gangster Disciples (Chicago)
Why: The “D” stands for Disciple and the GD colors are black and blue.
#6 Houston Astros
Adopted by: The Bloods (L.A.), Folk Nation (Chicago)
Why: The red cap is an easy color identifier for the Bloods. For the Folk Nation, the five-point star represents their symbol.
#5 Los Angeles Kings
Adopted by: Latin Kings (Chicago, NYC), People Nation (Chicago)
Why: The word “Kings” makes it easy to identify the largest Hispanic gang in the U.S. For other gangs within the People Nation alliance, the “Kings” stands for “Kill Inglewood Nasty Gangsters.”
#4 Chicago Bulls
Adopted by: Vice Lords (Chicago), Latin Counts (Mexico, Chicago), Mickey Cobras (Chicago), Black P. Stone Nation (Chicago), The Bloods (L.A.)
Why: The Vice Lords, Latin Counts, and Mickey Cobras share the Bulls’ colors of red and black. The P. Stones and the Bloods were a little more creative however: For the former, “Bulls” stands for “Boy U Look Like Stone” and for the Bloods, it stands for “Bloods Usually Live Life Strong/Smart.”
#3 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
Adopted by: People Nation (Chicago), Folk Nation (Chicago)
Why: For the Folk Nation, “Raiders” stands for “Ruthless Ass Insane Disciples Running Shit.” For the People Nation, it stands for “Raggedy Ass Iced Donuts Everywhere Running Scared.” Ha!
#2 Cincinnati Reds
Adopted by: 4 Corner Hustlers (Chicago), The Bloods (L.A.)
Why: The Bloods wear it for color association. The Hustlers put a “4” next to the “C” and an “H” inside the “C.”
#1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Adopted by: The Crips (L.A.), Gangster Disciples (Chicago), Latin Aspects (various)
Why: The Crips use it for color association. For the GDs, the “D” stands for Disciple. For the Aspects, the “LA” stands for Latin Aspects.
Full article:
http://www.complex.com/blogs/2010/07/23/rep-yo-set-the-10-most-gang-affiliated-hats-in-sports/
Talk about having your cake and eating it.
LeBron gets Miami in the winter instead of Ohio, gets a sure-shot at a title and, oh yeah, saves $12.5 in state income taxes … almost enough to cover the first wave of Obama’s tax hikes.
That’s win-win-win.
* * * * *
In a July 1 blog post, the New York Post warned that “dysfunctional lawmakers in Albany” could cost the state a chance to bring the coveted athlete to New York.
“If LeBron James goes to the Miami Heat instead of the [New York] Knicks, blame our dysfunctional lawmakers in Albany, who have saddled top-earning New Yorkers with the highest state and city income taxes in the nation, soon to be 12.85 percent on top of the IRS bite.”
On a five-year contract worth $96 million, LeBron would pay
Note: Professional athletes do have to pay other state taxes for the dates they play in visiting team arenas, but most of Mr. James’s considerable endorsement income would be taxed at Florida rates.
Business & Media Institute, LeBronomics: Could High Taxes Influence James’ Team Decision?, 7/8/2010 http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2010/20100708120415.aspx
* * * * *
From the WSJ:
We feel for Cleveland fans, but maybe they should allocate some of their wrath to the state politicians who keep driving high-income individuals and their businesses to financially sunnier climes.
While LeBron’s departure got extraordinary media attention, it is hardly unique.
WSJ: LeBron’s Tax Holiday, July 10, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704075604575357232023445918.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
The decorum of the annual Coney Island hot dog eating contest was disrupted when a former chanp dog-eater stormed the stage.
Is nothing sacred ?
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ITN: Tsumani storms the stage at hot dog eating contest, Jul 5 2010
Competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut gobbled his way to a fourth consecutive championship un the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Champion Chestnut downed 54 hot dogs in ten minutes to win the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut was disappointed with his performance, despite claiming the bejewelled, mustard-yellow prize belt plus a $20,000 purse.
The 26-year-old from San Jose, California, was aiming for a record 70 dogs in ten minutes, beating his own record of 68 last year.
The event was marred when Chestnut was suddenly upstaged by the surprise appearance of his biggest rival: six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi, who did not compete but crashed the stage after Chestnut’s win and wrestled with police. He has been charged with resisting arrest, trespass and obstructing governmental administration.
“Let him eat! Let him eat!” the crowd chanted as police handcuffed the world’s Number three professional eater, dubbed “The Tsunami.”
32-year-old Kobayashi did not eat this year because he refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating, the fast food equivalent of the NFL.
Full article:
http://itn.co.uk/5249dbb22d318bd642d2288f15577336.html
Pepto-Bismol is joining the list of sponsors for Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
It will be the first stomach remedy product associated with the event.
Held since 1916, the hog-dog eating contest is an iconic summer ritual in which contestants scarf down as many wieners as possible in 10 minutes. Last year’s winner, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., swallowed 68 hot dogs and buns.
Nationwide, nearly 1.5 million households tuned into ESPN’s live television broadcast of the circuslike event last year.
Source: WSJ, JUNE 24, 2010 Famed Hot-Dog Event Gets a New Sponsor
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704911704575327031542864968.html
Thanks to JMH for feeding the lead.
* * * * *
Late Breaking
Major League Eating recently announced a ban on vuvuzelas, the plastic horns whose hums have provided a constant backdrop during FIFA World Cup matches.
No kidding re: the name of the organization or the ban.
Whew, it’s not just me thinking that soccer can be a bit of a bore these days.
You gotta wonder about games that get their oomph from drinking, fighting and incessant loud horns.
Yeah, we American sports watchers like a lot of action – grand slam homers, long TD passes, 3-pointers from downtown, etc.
So, a game where rare scoring comes on fluke plays — ref calls, penalty and corner kicks, goalie muffs –- just doesn’t get the old heart pumping.
But, the rest of the world seems to have World Cup fever.
Must be an explanation …
* * * * *
WSJ: The Fading Art of Goal Scoring, June 14, 2010
With just 18 goals in 11 games, this World Cup is on pace to record a record-low 105 goals, down from 147 in 2006, 161 in 2002 and 171 in 1998.
“Football is more and more about keeping the ball rather than scoring goals.”
This trend could make a sport that many people regard as boring even more so.
The average number of World Cup goals has been declining steadily for the past 60 years, from a high of 5.38 goals per match when West Germany won the trophy so thrillingly in 1954, to 2.3 in Italy’s more phlegmatic triumph in 2006.
There are a number of factors behind this reduction: Defenses are organized better and players are fitter than they were 50 years ago, when the halftime interval would see gasping players reach for the nearest pack of Marlboros.
“Keeping possession is now the most important thing in football.”
“Managers are looking at the game and saying we don’t want goal scorers, we want people to keep hold of the ball.”
“But isn’t scoring the point of football?”
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704324304575306532213696808.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESecondNews
I often say that they make my list as the top 3 inventions ever …
You know all about the first two. Here’s the story of the 3-pointer.
* * * * *
Excerpted from RCP Sports: Top 10 Biggest Rule Changes in Sports, 03.9.10
The three-pointer is arguably one of the most exciting parts of basketball.
It can quickly change a game’s momentum and makes the last minutes of every close game that much more exciting.
But years ago most people in power considered the three-pointer a gimmick.
The idea of the three-point field goal was first tested in a college game between Columbia and Fordham back in 1945.
The rule was used in the American Basketball League during its short lifespan starting in 1961, but became popular when it was used by the American Basketball Association (ABA), which was founded in 1967.
The three-point shot was believed to open up the game and spread the court in a league that had become dominated by big men and inside play.
The rule was not instituted in the NBA until the 1979-80 season, when it was used on a trial basis. One year later, the league adopted the rule permanently.
The NCAA didn’t officially establish the three-point field goal until 1986.
Several conferences had applied the rule in their own manner before, differing on the distance for the shot. The first to do so was the Southern Conference in the 1980-81 season. At the time, Furman coach Eddie Holbrook summed up what most coaches thought with the inception of the rule, “It’s a coach’s nightmare and a spectator’s delight.”
Although the three-point line has changed distances over time in both the NBA and NCAA, no one would argue that it remains a spectator’s delight, and even most of the coaches have come around.
http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/biggest_rule_changes/three_point_field_goal.html?state=stop
Ken’s Take: Nuts. Being a sports freak, I wish I had conjured this analogy.
In posts, I’ve mused that the willy-nilly changes in laws — and their contextual application — are injecting “political risk” into business — corporate and personal.
Bankruptcy laws are ignored (e.g. the UAW cutting the line in front of secured creditors), contracts are ignored (e.g. exec comp pacts), tax laws are changed retroactively, closed legal cases are re-opened when political winds shift.
The question my biz friends are asking: “how can my company commit major investments — human and financial capital — if we’re not sure what the rules will be.”
That’s one of the reasons that the economic recovery will be jobless. Adding payroll just isn’t worth the risk of game-changing shifts in the rules and their interpretation.
* * * * *
Excerpted from WSJ, If Sports Ruled the World, Sept 17, 2009
in the primal world of sports we are all strict constructionists, even as we agree that a discreet judge would have given Serena’s foot fault a pass.
While we all know what the rules are in sports, no one knows anymore what the rules are in real life.
The Austrian novelist Peter Handke reduced the fine line separating freedom from foul to a novel’s title: “The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick.”
This is why we watch sports. Not just to see the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but because it is the one world left with clear rules abided by all.
(Some esthetes would chime in that this is why they listen to classical music where structure rules.)
Compared to sports (and classical music), real life has become constant chaos.
While we all know what the rules are in the sports, no one knows anymore what the rules are in real life.
Not in politics, law, the bureaucracies, commerce, finance or Federal Reserve policy.
Boston lawyer Harvey Silverglate argues in a forthcoming book, “Three Felonies a Day,” that federal law has become such a morass that people in business routinely violate statutes without a clue. Modern law lacks what sports provides lucidity.
The utopia most people want: a rules-based life, with wiggle room.
* * * * *
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574416774102132370.html?mod=djemEditorialPage
* * * * *
Excerpted from WSJ, “College Football Goes Down the Hatch:,
July 7, 2009
Today the Senate antitrust subcommittee will hold hearings on the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Like an earlier hearing in the House, this one will ask whether the system by which college football chooses its national champion is “fair.”
Specifically, the congressional look-see into college football has been led by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) and Rep. Joe Barton (R., Texas). They have not been shy about the menace they see. Mr. Hatch calls the BCS “un-American.” Mr. Barton likens it to “communism.” The Texas Republican has even introduced legislation that would forbid the BCS from holding a “national championship game” unless that game was the result of playoffs.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124692993074303505.html
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Ken;s Take: Now, some may ask: why is the Senate wasting time on this issue instead of working on the economy, healthcare reform, cap & tax … ?
I disagree with those people. This is precisely the kind of issue I want filling Congressional agendas. .I figure that every minute they’re fretting over college football, is a minute that they’re not wastefully spending another $1 trillion of our money.
In fact, isn’t it about time that Congress reopened their baseball steroids investigation? Or, what about hearings on the Designated Hitter rule? I say, keep ‘em distracted as long as possible.
P.S. Since I prefer controversy over clarity, I like the BCS
* * * * *
Excerpted from WSJ, “Anheiser Gets Set to Play a Whole New Game,” By Matthew Futterman, Apr 27, 2009
* * * * *
A group of sports and entertainment marketers is betting ping pong will be the next game to sweep the nation, and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. unit is getting into the action.
Anheuser-Busch … has signed on as the lead sponsor of the Bud Light Hard Bat Ping Pong Tournament, which started last month.
The big brewer is backing Robert Friedman, president of media and entertainment for New York commercial-production company @Radical Media, and several major partners, who think ping pong could be the next Texas Hold ‘Em, the card game featured in the highly successful World Series of Poker.
The nostalgia factor, made keener by the recession, is one reason they are confident of ping pong’s appeal. “This is about the residual goodwill we all feel for the better times we grew up with,” says Mr. Friedman. “This conjures up family.”
As the idea for the new tourney began to jell, Anheuser-Busch was re-evaluating, and even shedding, several longtime deals with athletes and major sports teams … In came ping pong. With exclusive sponsorships for mainstream teams and sports becoming ever more expensive, Anheuser-Busch needed to strike a balance …
The organizers know they have to come up with an innovative approach to televising a game that in the past has been hard to follow because of the speed and the size of the ball. Even if they can, could this really be the next poker?
Poker already had a long-established mystique, built on images of high rollers in deluxe Las Vegas hotel suites, before Internet gambling and the World Series of Poker inspired a wider appreciation of the mental calculations taking place around the table behind low-brimmed caps and sunglasses.
Ping pong, by contrast, is more closely associated with suburban basements and harsh fluorescent lights. Even so, the International Olympic Committee says table tennis is the world’s leading participation sport, with 40 million competitive players world-wide and tens of millions more playing for fun …
Competition started in March, with local Anheuser-Busch distributors supplying Bud Light-branded ping pong tables to some 4,600 bars where regional competitions are under way. Winners can land an invitation to the tournament finals and play for the $100,000 prize in Las Vegas in late June …
That event, which will also include professionals, will be the focus of a two-hour television special that the organizers plan to air on Walt Disney’s ESPN in September.
Mr. Friedman and Jordan Wynn, executive of Mark Gordon Co., say they noticed ping pong re-emerging in popular culture over the past year. The posse on the HBO series “Entourage” played during an episode, for example, and hip-hop star 50 Cent had a ping-pong theme at his birthday party.
“The question was could we take this game out of the basement and the cluttered garages,” says Mr. Friedman. “We think the timing is just right.”
Mr. Wynn goes so far as to suggest ping pong has sex appeal. “It’s taking on this cool cultural space of short-shorts and retro headbands, and it’s kind of goofy, but it’s also got people who take it very seriously,” Mr. Wynn says. “It’s poker eight years ago.”
Edit by SAC
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Full Article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078190514657141.html
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Excerpted from MarketingPower-PR Newswire Oct.1 2008
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Columbus, OH is the number one sports town in the U.S., according to a recent analysis by sports fan research firm Scarborough Sports Marketing.
The analysis aggregated the avid fans* of the 29 sports measured by Scarborough, including the major leagues, motor sports, college sports, minor leagues, the Olympics.
Two-thirds (66%) of adults in Columbus are avid sports fans*. Boston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh round-out the top markets for avid sports fans. Nationally, 56% of all adults are avid sports fans.
“Each of the leading sports towns typically has one or two major teams that carry the market. In Columbus, it is college football. The Ohio State Buckeyes football team commands a more concentrated fan base than any other NCAA team . Additionally, the NHL Blue Jackets and the MLS Crew call Columbus home, and the city is surrounded by other major markets with established histories in professional sports — including Cincinnati and Cleveland.
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Market Area, % Fans Rated “Avid”
Full article: http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/prnewswire/press_releases/national/Pennsylvania/2008/10/01/NY36293
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Excerpted from THR.com “Fox to Change World Series Start Time for Obama”, Paul J. Gough, Oct 15, 2008
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To accommodate a half-hour Obama political advertisement on Fox on Oct. 29, Major League Baseball has agreed to move the start time of World Series Game 6 by about 15 minutes. That would move the start of the game from 8:20 p.m. ET or so to 8:35 p.m.
“Fox will accommodate Senator Obama’s desire … If requested, the network would be willing to make similar time available to Senator McCain’s campaign.”
The blessing from MLB clears the way for Fox to air the promo and collect upward of $1 million in ad revenue for the half hour, more than what either CBS or NBC was charging.
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Full article:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ifa25645bfd6bcf91b52ef4f665b661f5
Thanks to SMH for spotting the story
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Ken’s Take:
(1) If I were McCain, I’d take Fox up on the offer and buy 30 minutes or so before game 7 … good buzz even if the series doesn’t go the full 7 games
(2) When at B&D, we’d buy “end of reel” time during the World Series. It’s kinda like flying standby. Networks sell extra commercial spots (cheap) just in case a game has many pitching changes or goes into extra innings. One year, we hit lotto — game 7 went extra innings and we got several exposures. Mc Cain should do that, too.
* * * * *
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Click link => The Homa Files Blog
Excerpted from THR.com “Fox to Change World Series Start Time for Obama”, Paul J. Gough, Oct 15, 2008
* * * * *
To accommodate a half-hour Obama political advertisement on Fox on Oct. 29, Major League Baseball has agreed to move the start time of World Series Game 6 by about 15 minutes. That would move the start of the game from 8:20 p.m. ET or so to 8:35 p.m.
“Fox will accommodate Senator Obama’s desire … If requested, the network would be willing to make similar time available to Senator McCain’s campaign.”
The blessing from MLB clears the way for Fox to air the promo and collect upward of $1 million in ad revenue for the half hour, more than what either CBS or NBC was charging.
* * * * *
Full article:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ifa25645bfd6bcf91b52ef4f665b661f5
Thanks to SMH for spotting the story
* * * * *
Ken’s Take:
(1) If I were McCain, I’d take Fox up on the offer and buy 30 minutes or so before game 7 … good buzz even if the series doesn’t go the full 7 games
(2) When at B&D, we’d buy “end of reel” time during the World Series. It’s kinda like flying standby. Networks sell extra commercial spots (cheap) just in case a game has many pitching changes or goes into extra innings. One year, we hit lotto — game 7 went extra innings and we got several exposures. Mc Cain should do that, too.
* * * * *
Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link => The Homa Files Blog
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