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The Role of Social Media in a Professional Sports Controversy

Over the past couple months my blog, The Booth Review, has covered a myriad of athletic competitions and related issues; be it Olympiad competition, the NHL Playoffs, controversial team names, off-field conduct, and the transfer of team ownership. However, I would like to hone in on the role of social media in a specific sports controversy.

Social media empowers all of us to be heard, to contribute to the conversation, and to stay current on the latest developments in a particular story. We can interact with companies, celebrities, journalists, professors, athletes, and politicians that are often deemed to be far bigger than ourselves. Like never before, we are capable of shaping a controversy or an event in how it is unraveled to the public by providing relevant information or by sharing our insight on matters we believe we are knowledgeable in.

One incident that was shaped by social media’s response was the arrest of Jim Irsay, owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Jim Irsay is not your stereotypical NFL owner; he is rock music junkie and likes to party.

According to Forbes, Jim Irsay is the 1,124th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $1.2 billion. Irsay also has a reputation for being erratic and eccentric, which you can get a flavor for from his personal Tweets:

Rain man gave me 2 cues,said just jump right in.1 was Texas Medicine, the other was just railroad gin;like a fool I mixed them!!!!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) December 21, 2013

Ur such a beautiful fish,floppin on the summer sand...lookin 4 the wave u missed...when another 1 was close at hand...ur such a stupid girl.

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) January 8, 2014

Life's the same,except for my shoes/Need xmas merchandise,cash,tics,etc? We don't move in any direction,and we don't make no collections!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) December 17, 2013

I'm allergic to alcohol...I break out in handcuffs,if I drink!!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) December 7, 2013

In my opinion, this is one of the more outrageous ones:

Colts Fans..Your GM Mr Grigson isn't afraid to roll the dice n aggressively improve YOUR Indianapolis Colts..n my check book stands ready!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) August 23, 2012

Late in the evening on March 16th, 2014, Irsay was stopped in Carmel, Indiana under the suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Jim Irsay did in fact have a blood alcohol content higher than 0.08 - the Indiana legal limit and was arrested. On top of that, controlled substances were found in his car as well as $29,000 in cash. The following day, Irsay was released from jail from 1:30 pm on March 17th and has since been charged with four felony counts. Following his release the controversy becomes front and center as media outlets, sports fans, writers, television commentators, NFL players, and owners start to report and weigh in. The Storify below aims to capture the chronology of the Jim Irsay arrest as well as the wide range of reactions throughout social media.

[View the story "Jim Irsay Arrest and Reaction" on Storify]

Now in order to enhance our understanding of this controversy and how it developed in the social media spheres it is critical to dissect it through theory. The first chapter of Spreadable Media by Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green is very applicable to the spreadability of the Irsay controversy. According to the book, spreadability is defined as, “the potential to move content easily from site to site, sometimes with the permission of rights holders, sometimes against their wishes” (Jenkins, Ford, Green 13). As portrayed in the Storify above, a handful of major media outlets jumped on covering the controversy along with tremendous contributions and opinions of those regular social media users (or as Spreadable Media states, “through dispersed grassroots channels”). In a more recent scandal, involving Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, we are seeing similar spreadability characteristics on a national scale. This issue has taken social media by storm because Sterling’s ignorant comments provoke a response in all of us. The alignment between both regular social media users and the media channels is one of the most crucial elements in social media and particularly in the development of this controversy.

In order to address this alignment or “convergence,” I draw upon another one of Henry Jenkins’ literary works, Convergence Culture, which provides tremendous insight as to why this is the case. At the beginning of the introduction, Jenkins powerfully states, “None of us can know everything; each of us knows something; we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills…collective intelligence can be seen as an alternative source of media power” (Jenkins 4). This statement truly embodies the essence of what social media is. Like in the Irsay controversy, corporations, news media outlets, celebrities, and regular social media users all coexist on social media and make unique contributions to the development of the story. Additionally, no one can exert control or fully manipulate how a story or issue develops. In furtherance of this notion that social media is truly uncontrollable, Jenkins claims that, “audiences, empowered by these new technologies… are demanding the right to participate within the culture… producers who fail to make their peace with this new participatory culture will face declining goodwill and diminished revenues” (Jenkins 24). If the news media and social media users cannot put their differences aside and all participate in the unfolding of events, the purpose of social media is defeated.

In the Public Sphere (1964), Jurgen Habermas takes the ideology of this coexistence between media conglomerates and regular people even further. Habermas defines the public sphere as “a realm of our social life in which something approaching public opinion can be formed” (Habermas 49). However, for the public sphere to be prevalent, four prerequisites must be met: a disregard for status, a common concern, inclusivity, and rational public interest. The public sphere creates a medium for us to make contributions and facilitate the development of controversies and stories, but more importantly, the public sphere levels the playing field through its disregard for status. This disregard for status empowers anyone to contribute and bring something to the table.

Through the development of the Jim Irsay controversy, we observe how a story gains critical mass through social media. Every social media user has a unique reaction to a controversy of this nature. While some users supported Irsay’s actions, others condemned him, criticized him, and slandered him. Through studying the development of the Irsay story in the social media spheres, I have been able to closely follow the developments of Donald Sterling’s story, which are similar in some ways but far different in many ways. While both Irsay and Sterling are very affluent sports owners, both their problems differ in a handful of ways. Irsay is known to be a bit reckless and has some bad habits. Sterling on the other hand, is known to be a manipulative racist who has utilized discriminatory business practices in his real estate business. However, the Sterling story has much more of a reactive nature to it through the NBA’s role and its swift condemnation. It has absolutely taken social media by storm and the story is far from over. The most important thing is that these instances provoke a feeling inside each of us and social media provides us with an outlet and a forum for which we can share how we feel and learn how we are different and similar to other users.

References

1. Ford, Sam. Green, Joshua. Jenkins, Henry. Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. 2013. New York University Press. New York & London. 1-47.

2. Habermas, Jurgen. The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article. 1964. New German Critique. 3rd ed. JSTOR. 49-55. Web.

3. Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture. 2006. New York University Press. New York & London. 1-24.

Images from GIF

4. Jim Irsay Blue Hair. Digital image. Black Sports Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://blacksportsonline.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/jim-irsay-blue-hair.jpg

5. Jim Irsay. Digital image. MKALTY.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://mkalty.org/jim-irsay/

6. Jim Irsay1. Digital image. New England Sports Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://nesncom.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/jim-irsay1.jpg?w=400&h=225

7. Jim Irsay. Digital image. Wordpress. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://tombuchheim.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/jimirsay.jpg

8. Jim Irsay. Digital image. America’s White Boy. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://americaswhiteboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Crazy+Jim+Irsay+Colts1.jpg

9. Jim Irsay. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://serve.cdnzoom.com/SportsBlogcom/filewarehouse/37744/2bc6ad00bce517ba53264ba09520ca7d.jpg

10. Jim Irsay. Digital image. Pro Football Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://profootballzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/jim-irsay.jpg

11. Jim Irsay. Digital image. Indianapolis Monthly. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/Pics/Channels/2012/01%20-%20January/Irsay/_MG_4527.jpg

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Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

This video is most certainly NSFW

This past weekend the first round of the NBA playoffs were in full swing, which is always a very exciting time. However, I was left scratching my head prior to the Toronto Raptors/Brooklyn Nets game. During a Raptors’ fan rally outside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto over the past weekend, Raptors’ General Manager, Masai Uriji, decided to take the stage and say a couple words to pump-up the crowd. At the end of his “pump-up” he decided to drop a F-bomb in conjunction with their opponent’s city (Brooklyn) as seen in the video above. While I get that this was a spur of the moment thing that and that Uriji meant no harm by what he said, it was highly inappropriate, particularly for a NBA executive. What I find even more irritating is his luke-warm apology: "Wrong choice of words out there... it is really not about me. It is about the players and the playoffs…Just trying to get the crowd out there rattled -- wrong choice of words. I apologize to kids out there and to the Brooklyn guys. Nothing against them. Just trying to get our fans going. That's it." The NBA has ultimately decided to fine Masai Uriji $25,000 for his actions. While I personally don’t think a $25,000 is meaningful to a NBA executive I think a suspension of a few games or something that would make Uriji think twice about doing so again. Feel free to weigh in below.

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For Sale?

There's a saying that "everyone has their price" for virtually anything or everything. This past week news was released about not one, but two sales of sports teams: the Buffalo Bills and the Milwaukee Bucks. Make no mistake, professional sports teams rarely transfer ownership, but when they do it’s a big deal - but two teams in the same week?! Both of these transactions are particularly interesting for a variety of reasons. First, the Buffalo Bills’ owner, Ralph Wilson, passed away this past March and his wife does not have interest in owning the team without her husband. Rumor has it that a sale could happen as early as October. As of now, Donald Trump appears to be the frontrunner in purchasing the Buffalo Bills. Other interested buyers include the owner of the Boston Bruins, Jeremy Jacobs, and Jon Bon Jovi and a consortium of investors from Toronto, who most likely are interested in moving the Bills to Toronto. However, prospective buyers have attempted to relocate the Bills to Toronto in previous years and the Canadian Football and Canadian Government had shot down the idea of having a NFL team in Canada. However, the Bills have another six years left on the lease of their stadium in Buffalo and chances are that the buyer of the team will be forced to keep the Bills in Buffalo by the Wilson family.

former Bills owner, Ralph Wilson Interestingly, this past Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks were acquired this week by a group led by two hedgefund managers: Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry for $550 million. Former owner and ex-Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, added a condition to the sale that the Bucks must remain in Milwaukee. In recent years, the Bucks have been plagued by poor performance and as a result, sharp decreases in viewership as well as weak financial performance. It will be significantly interesting to see if the new owners can turn the Bucks around.

a photo from a Milwaukee Bucks game

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The Masters – A Tradition Unlike Any Other

As a golf junkie, I believe that The Masters is one of the best sporting events of the year and one of sports greatest traditions. The best of the best play on the Mecca of golf courses (Augusta National). This sarcastic Tweet sums up how well manicured the course is:

Arrived at Augusta National. They’ve let this place go to hell. It’s true - I saw a pine needle that was slightly out of place.

— Jim Souhan (@SouhanStrib) April 8, 2014

While Tiger Woods will not be playing in the tournament due to his impending back surgery (and I’m sure the PGA is not thrilled about it considering how much they will lose in viewership), I still believe that this year’s Masters is bound to be competitive.

The beauty of the Masters is that anyone can win. Obviously, playing the world’s most challenging golf course is not a cakewalk and whoever takes an early lead on Thursday will probably not be in the lead come Sunday morning. Here are my picks for this year’s Masters:

Favorites: Adam Scott and Justin Rose

Americans: Jason Dufner & Steve Stricker

Internationals: Henrik Stenson & Graeme McDowell

Best of the Rest: Luke Donald & Bubba Watson

2 Additional Picks: Patrick Reed & Angel Cabrera

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The NHL Post-Season Picture

While March Madness winds down this upcoming Monday, it's time for me to focus on the NHL playoffs. The majority of sports fans downplay the NHL playoff's significance. Personally, I believe it is one of the best post-season competitions in professional sports. The competitive nature of the NHL and the fierce rivalries always make the NHL playoffs exciting to watch. Numerous series usually come to down to a Game 7 (each round of the NHL playoffs is best of 7, meaning the first team to win 4 games advances). As the NHL regular season culminates next Saturday, the playoff picture continues to get more interesting with each passing day - particularly by conference. The Western Conference has a handful of teams who have solidified playoff slots, such as the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche, the Chicago Blackhawks (the defending champions), the Anaheim Ducks, the San Jose Sharks, and the Los Angeles Kings. This leaves two playoff spots open and three teams that will vie for it (the Minnesota Wild, the Dallas Stars, and the Phoenix Coyotes). The Western Conference appears to be far stronger than the Eastern Conference and it has been this way for the past three years. However, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is far more ambiguous. Only four teams have clinched playoff berths: the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. This leaves four playoff slots open. Teams that appear to be most likely to take these seeds include the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, while it may seem like a long shot, there are three teams that are still in the hunt for a post-season slot which include the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the New Jersey Devils. These three teams are 1-5 points away from the Rangers, Flyers, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets and with 4-6 games remaining per team, anything can happen. I'm predicting that the two teams that will advance to the Western Conference Championship (3rd round) are the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks. Both teams have made immense improvements this year, particularly the St. Louis Blues, who made numerous trades right before the NHL trade deadline to boost their roster. Their biggest move by far was acquiring all-star goalie Ryan Miller - who has added tremendous depth to the team. The St. Louis Blues are the oldest NHL franchise that has not won a Stanley Cup (established in 1967) and I believe that this year may very well be the year they win it all. As for the Eastern Conference Championship, I believe it will be a repeat of last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins playing the Boston Bruins. Both teams have been playing unbelievably, particularly the Boston Bruins who went on a 12 game win streak, which came to an end this past week. Feel free to comment below.

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Bracket Breakers

There is no denying that there has been no shortage of upsets in this year's NCAA Men's March Madness Basketball Tournament. It is absolutely mind-blowing that there are no perfect brackets left in Warren Buffett's Billion Dollar Challenge (poor Brad Binder and there's no surprise that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Eun has a perfect bracket). 

Some of the most epic Cinderella stories have come from the Harvard > Cincinnati, Dayton > Syracuse, Stanford > Kansas, and Baylor > Creighton games. As a Syracuse fan, I have learned time and time again to complete my brackets with my brain and not with my heart. But, even as a 'Cuse fan, I have found the eleventh-seed Dayton Flyers' presence and the level at which that they're playing at to be the most inspiring of any team. While they are far from being the tallest or most physically talented team out there, I respect and admire how they pulled out a thrilling win over Stanford on Thursday night. With that being said, who knows what is in store on Saturday, when the Flyers play the Florida Gators - who continue to break out against every opponent they face in the last 5-10 minutes of the game.  

I added a screenshot of my final four prediction - which I think is certainly in jeopardy this weekend. Feel free to chime in and share your predictions and thoughts. Go Gators!

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GW's NCAA Tournament Run

This past Friday, I drove down to Raleigh, North Carolina for the GW Men's Basketball game against the University of Memphis Tigers. While it certainly was a great game, I left the game scratching my head at some of GW's shortcomings that ultimately resulted in the 71-66 loss. I hate playing the role of the Monday morning quarterback, but I think it is worthwhile to take a closer look at three critical factors that contributed to the Colonials' loss on Friday.

Abysmal Rebounding

One major part of Friday’s loss had to do with offensive rebounds. GW kept giving the Tigers back the ball in our defensive end. This provided the Tigers and their offense with numerous opportunities to score.

Limited 3-Point Shooting

GW’s three point shooting was pretty much nonexistent. GW was 2-12 (27%) at the three-point line where as Memphis was 6-22.

Poor Free-Throw Shooting

Lastly, GW’s free-throw shooting was not up to par. GW was 14 for 24 at the free-throw line which was our Achilles' Heel.

With all this criticism, there is a lot to celebrate about the team’s forward progress. The Colonials made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007 and GW only lost by a couple points to Memphis by a few points. 

  Feel free to weigh in below about the game.

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In a League of Their Own: The Sheer Stupidity of A Select Few of Professional Athletes

Tuesday morning I woke up to some disturbing news. One of my favorite New York Knicks, Raymond Felton, was arrested over night and charged with three felonies for allegedly holding a loaded FNH 28mm semi-automatic hand-gun while arguing with his wife or a girlfriend (appears to be unconfirmed). These charges carry a minimum sentence of three and a half years in prison in one of the strictest jurisdictions (New York City) for possessing a firearm. This story shares many similarities to what happened with Plaxico Burress, the former Giants WR, who Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York decided to make an example out of for illegally carrying a gun and shooting himself in the leg and subsequently spent two years in prison.

Both of these stories make me incredibly angry. Plaxico Burress and Raymond Felton are incredibly talented athletes who play their hearts out and are paid extremely well to do so. For them to behave irresponsibly and disregard everything they have worked hard for and their teammates is absolutely pathetic. So many people would kill to be in either Plaxico’s and Raymond’s positions where they play(ed) for some of the most prominent teams, arguably on one of the best sports markets in the country. Because of their idiocy off the field, it may cost both of them their careers. After Plaxico was released from jail, he signed with the Jets at a fraction of the salary he could have earned before he went to jail. Now it appears as if Raymond Felton may face the same fate. The Knicks were considering trading Felton before the trade deadline, but with this mishap, his contract with the Knicks may very well become voidable and he may very well end up in jail. I certainly will not be surprised if the City of New York tries to make an example out of him and gives him a harsh sentence which he deserves.

Feel free to share your opinion below.

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Is it the Skater or the Gear?

Out of the many scandals/failures that have come out of Sochi, one that caught my eye was the US Speed Skating Team’s issue with their new, sleek Under Armour uniforms. This particularly caught my attention when Under Armour’s (NYSE: UA) stock fell by 2.5% on Friday, February 14th (I own a couple shares and yes, I was not happy).

In past Olympic competitions, the US Speed Skating Team has won numerous medals (in 2010, the US Speed Skating Team won 4 medals). Many speed skaters and US Olympic staff have informally blamed Under Armour for manufacturing uniforms that have been having adverse affects on the skaters’ performance. The biggest design flaw with the controversial uniforms, dubbed “Mach 39,” is a vent on the back of the uniform that was designed to let heat out, but many people familiar with the matter claim the vent only increased drag. The uniforms were also co-developed by Lockheed Martin engineers, who develop and design very aerodynamic aircrafts. Two of the most prominent US speed skaters, Shani Davis and Heather Richardson, are some of the best speed skaters in the world and many spectators believe they performed so terribly because of the uniforms. My first question is that if these uniforms were such an issue, how come no one had a problem with them prior to the competitions? Well according to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. long-track coach Ryan Shimabukuro, said that the skaters did not receive the new suits until training camp opened on January 22, which was just eighteen days before the first long-track events in Sochi.

I have a hard time blaming a manufacturer especially post-competition. If the uniforms had adverse affects, skaters and staff should have addressed it prior to the speed skating competitions. Many skaters switched to the Under Armour uniforms they wore in prior competitions and still failed to make it to the podium.

Feel free to weigh in below.

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What's in the Name "Redskins"

Earlier this week on Twitter, I tweeted about how the Washington Redskins' name controversy has been drawing more and more attention. 

The Redskins' name controversy has been relatively dormant for quite sometime until the 2013 NFL season when it resurfaced at a Smithsonian conference, which was then followed by numerous campaigns against the Redskins by the Oneida of New York.  Washington Redskins owner, Dan Snyder has said numerous times that he will not even consider changing the Redskins name. The latest development in this story occurred this past week when US Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Congressman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell saying that the name "Redskin" is undeniably a racial term and that Congress may remove the NFL's tax-exempt status if they fail to take action and change the team's name.

While this issue continues to get more press by the week, I personally believe that Dan Snyder will lose this battle. Under Commissioner Goodell, the NFL has become more progressive than ever (which I believe is a great thing). Examples include the research and changes to the game the NFL has made to curb concussions, games being played abroad, games being broadcasted in Spanish and other languages, and most recently, embracing the first openly gay player, Michael Sam, in entering the NFL draft.

Although the Redskin's team name has been in place since 1933, there is reason to believe the NFL will force the team to change its name in the coming months because of the mounting pressure from Native Americans and the media as well as the uncertainty regarding their tax exempt status. 

Feel free to comment below and weigh in.

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Why Team USA is Destined to Win the Gold in Men’s Hockey

Now that football season is over, I have found a temporary fix to fill the void for the next few weeks – Men’s Olympic Hockey. Olympic Hockey comes around once every four years and I believe that this year’s Olympic Hockey competition has the potential to be one of the best ever.

In the past Winter Olympics, talent has been extraordinarily concentrated within a few countries: Canada, US, and Russia. Since 1988, NHL players have been allowed to play in the Olympics and it has certainly elevated the level of play in Olympic Hockey as the NHL is more international now than ever.

While no Team USA gold medal win will ever trump the “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid during the 1980 Winter Olympics, there is a very good chance that a win this year would be a great runner up to it. The US hockey team has come up short in the past four Olympic Hockey competitions and I believe that this is Team USA’s year. Not surprisingly, Team Canada is favored to win it all and has won the most Olympic Hockey gold medals. During the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics Team USA lost to Team Canada in the Gold Medal game by very small margins.

This year Sweden, Russia, Finland, and the Czech Republic all pose formidable threats to Team USA, but there is no doubt that Team Canada poses the biggest threat of all to Team USA’s dominance. While Team Canada’s roster is filled with NHL legends, I genuinely believe they are not a lock to win it all. There is no denying that Team Canada’s offense is dynamic and defensively they have tremendous depth. With offensemen such as John Tavares, Sidney Crosby, and Jonathan Toews, they will certainly put as many shots as possible on net. However, Team Canada’s goaltending, which has been their strength in years prior, is somewhat suspect this year. In past Olympic competitions, their goaltending has been their biggest asset and I believe this year it is their biggest liability. Roberto Luongo appears to be Team Canada’s starting goalie and he has been known to falter in the biggest games, most notably the 2011 Stanley Cup. I believe the reverse is true for Team USA – our goaltending is unquestionably our biggest asset. Both Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller have played in multiple Olympic competitions.

Interestingly enough, Team USA will play against Russia, the Olympic host country, on Saturday, February 15th in a preliminary round game. This game is guaranteed to be intense and a true test of Team USA’s capabilities. Russia’s hockey team has effusive offensive talent with all-stars like NHL leading goal-scorer Alex Ovechin and Ilya Kovalchuk coupled with a strong goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov. With the US/Russia match up being one of the first games, I can’t help myself but to include a quote from the movie “Miracle”:

“Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here, tonight. One game. If we play 'em 10 times, they might win 9. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight we skate with them. Tonight we STAY with them...  and we SHUT THEM DOWN because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players, Every one of ya. You were meant to be here tonight. This is your game. THEIR TIME IS DONE! IT'S OVER! I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. SCREW 'EM! This is your time, now go out there and take it!” – Herb Brooks, Miracle

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Will this be the First and the Last Cold Weather Super Bowl?

This Sunday is certainly bittersweet for me as it is the last football Sunday until the fall and I truly do not know what I will do with myself without football until then!

With that being said, this year’s Super Bowl is certainly going to be an interesting one considering it is the first Super Bowl that is being played in a cold weather environment. Super Bowls are always held in warm weather cities (Miami, San Francisco) or enclosed stadiums (Dallas, Indianapolis). This unconventional decision has not been without an overwhelming amount of criticism from the media as well as current and former NFL players. During an interview on ESPN Radio, former NFL player and coach, Don Shula, said, “I certainly believe that when you get to a game of that magnitude, you want to play it in conditions where weather won’t be or might not be something that affects the outcome. So that’s why I think Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, all those warm-weather cities are the best cities for a game of that magnitude…Plus, the fans. You’ve got to give the fans an opportunity to come in ahead of time, enjoy what the town has to offer, enjoy the game and then stay for a couple of days afterwards, and enjoy everything. So if it’s a brutal weather condition in New York, you’re not going to do that” (http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/10351692/super-bowl-xlviii-don-shula-not-fan-super-bowl-metlife-stadium). The majority of NFL players have echoed Shula’s sentiment.

Two weeks ago, ticket prices were breaking records as the most expensive Super Bowl tickets of all time – ranging from $25,000 to $2,500 per ticket. Last weekend, prices plummeted on average by roughly 20%. Many believe that the prices dropped because much of the hype has subsided due to much of the criticism. While I respect the NFL for making an audacious move by having the Super Bowl in a cold weather environment, I do not think there will be another one in the near future. In my humble opinion, the NFL should continue to hold Super Bowls in its conventional environments such as warm weather cities and enclosed stadiums, while also mixing it up every so often. Unconventional ideas include a Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or San Juan, Puerto Rico (even though they neither has a NFL team).

 Next year’s Super Bowl will be in Glendale, AZ, followed by San Francisco and Miami.       

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NHL's 2014 Stadium Series: Original or Overkill?

In 2008, the National Hockey League (NHL) created the "Winter Classic," an annual event where two rival teams would play a regular season game in an outdoor stadium.

In my humble opinion, the Winter Classic has been an exciting game and tradition because it only happens once each year - until now. This year, the NHL decided to commercialize the Winter Classic by creating the "2014 Coors Light Stadium Series." In addition to the annual Winter Classic game, the Coors Light Stadium Series includes four more games that will be held in outdoor stadiums in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago:

Saturday, January 25th - Los Angeles Kings v. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Dodgers Stadium

 Sunday, January 26th - New Jersey Devils v. New York Rangers

Yankee Stadium 

Thursday, January 29th - New York Islanders v. New York Rangers

Yankee Stadium

Saturday, March 1 - Pittsburgh Penguins v. Chicago Blackhawks

Wrigley Field

This year's Winter Classic was a fantastic match-up between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at the Big House at the University of Michigan, the largest sports venues in the nation. Tickets sold out in 24 hours and 110,000 fans attended the game, which broke a record for the highest attendance at a hockey game. HBO also created a show, 24-7 the Road to the NHL Winter Classic, which chronicles both teams’ preparation and performance leading up to the Winter Classic.

So the Winter Class has become a refreshing, annual tradition - why ruin it?

There are a handful of issues that irritate me about the Coors Light Stadium Series. First, this Coors Light Stadium Series takes away from the actual Winter Classic. It truly is something special to watch a NHL game being played outdoors, especially when it happens once a year. Additionally, if the NHL is going to commercialize the Winter Classic by turning it into a "series" then they should at least spread the games out geographically to engage more hockey teams and fans. While I understand that the Coors Light Stadium Series enables the NHL to capitalize on merchandise and ticket sales, I think they are making a grave mistake by diminishing the value of the Winter Classic. I am curious to see how the Stadium Series pans out for the NHL this year and if they replicate it in the coming years. At the moment, the NHL has only confirmed a Winter Classic for 2015, which will be held at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

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Blog Entry #1 - NFL Conference Championships on Sunday

I am having a hard time hiding the fact that I am counting down the hours and minutes for the upcoming NFL conference match-ups this Sunday! At 3pm the AFC Championship Game will start where the Denver Broncos/New England Patriots will face off and at 6pm the NFC Championship Game where San Francisco 49ers/Seattle Seahawks will play. I believe that both these games will be some of the best football we have seen in quite sometime; it would only be better if my team - the Jets were in it!

All four of these teams have proven that they are the best in the NFL and only two teams will advance to play in the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning and the Broncos went 13-3 this year where they offensively outgunned and outscored many formidable opponents. However, the Broncos' Achilles' heel is believed to be their defense, especially in the absence of star Linebacker, Von Miller. It will be interesting to see if the New England Patriots can get their offense going, without the supporting cast of stars they've had in previous Super Bowl runs. Yet, the key to the game will be the Patriots' defense and how effectively they can stop Peyton Manning from completing passes. If they rush Peyton Manning and don't give him ample time to throw, Denver won't be able to score. Personally, I will be interested to see if Tom Brady can play at his best as he was sick this past Wednesday and skipped a practice, which in the world of football is grounds for a five-alarm fire.

I believe the most interesting game this week will be the NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and the Seahawks. These teams have played each other twice this past season and each team won one of the two games. Both the Seahawks and 49ers have Quarterbacks that are very elusive as they are blisteringly fast and can truly throw the ball. I believe the biggest factor in this game will be the 49ers playing at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. CenturyLink Field is believed to be the loudest stadium in the world when their fans gets pumped up and it is believed that the stadium was built to amplify the crowd noise, making it the loudest stadium in the world!

This effect is referred to as the 12th man (as there are 11 players on a football field) and it is believed that the fans have started two earthquakes and one of them was last week. The crowd noise will certainly be one of the most influential factors in the game that has messed with many of the Seahawks opponents. The Seahawks fan-base feels so heavily invested in this game that the Seahawks are not allowing people with California billing zip codes to purchase tickets to this Sunday's game. This rivalry between the fans of the 49ers and Seahawks is one of the most intense in sports. Seattle has one of the best defenses in the NFL and I am excited to see if Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers can put up big numbers.

Here are the NFL Las Vegas Spreads for this weekend. At the time of writing, the Broncos are favored to beat the Patriots by 5.5 points and the Seahawks are favored to beat the 49ers 3.5 points. The spread provides further reason to believe that both games will be extraordinarily close.

As such, my prediction is that the Broncos will beat the Patriots 31-24 and the Seahawks will beat the 49ers 24-20 - meaning that the Broncos and Seahawks would battle in Super Bowl XLVIII!