Ruffled feathers: Eagles join list of teams to decline White House visit
President Trump “called-off” a scheduled, June 5 visit from the Philadelphia Eagles, champions of Super Bowl LII. Called off is quoted because it’s sort of like when an elementary school kid invites everyone in his or her class to their birthday party, discovers only a couple intend to come, then cancels the gala. Many of the Eagles said they would not participate in the visit, prompting Trump to host a patriotism event instead.
Trump has been very outspoken...
Turnabout is fair play: SEC changes its transfer rule
Recently, the Southeastern Conference meetings in Destin, Fla. made a big splash in the lives of college athlete transfers. In the past, players had to get a waiver from the school they’re transferring from to be eligible immediately. And, for the most part, no coach would sign that waiver; even if the student already received their degree.
Recently, Nick Saban caught a lot of flak for not allowing graduate transfer center Brandon Kennedy to handover freely to either Tennessee...
Sports Gambling: The Noble Experiment II
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By now you have heard of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to allow individual States in the Union to pursue gambling legislation and regulatory schemes within their borders. The prospect for gambling in 49 States not named Nevada was made possible by the Court declaring that a 1992 law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), was unconstitutional. The 6-3 majority wrote in their opinion: “Congress...
The West’s Top Performers: Pitchers, Part 2
This is the final part of our two part series. Last week we discussed the hitters. This week we are looking at the ten best pitchers in the National League (“NL”) and American League (“AL”) West Divisions. In alphabetical order, by team.
Patrick Corbin, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks, NL West
4 wins, no losses, a 2.12 earned run average (“ERA”), 13 walks (base on balls/“BB”), 67 strikeouts (“SO”), a .167 batting average against (“AVG”) and a 0.82...
The West’s Top Performers: Hitters, Part 1
This is part one of a two-part series. Next week, we will look at the ten best pitchers in the National League (“NL”) and American League (“AL”) West Divisions. This week, we stay in those Divisions, but we are looking at the ten best hitters, statistically speaking. In alphabetical order, by team:
A.J. Pollock, CF, Arizona Diamondbacks, NL West
It is fair to say that Pollock is back...
Where will your favorite sports team play next?
The Jacksonville-London Jaguars, Montreal Expos, Mexico City Montañas and Portland Greens might know!
International sports expansion is upon us
The Jaguars got married and took a second last name in London, baseball is back in French-speaking Canada, the Mexico City Montañas fight high altitude baseballs, but not in the Rockies, and the Portland Greens have beer and “going green” night. Despite this author making up those team names, they might be the...
Will “ShoTime” follow “The Great Bambino” into the batter’s box?
Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s 23-year-old pitching and hitting phenom, is not the first athlete to woo the American public. Babe Ruth also once captured America’s collective hearts when he burst onto the scene for 14 years in the 20th century. In terms of the rules, the game of baseball has not changed much and because of those rules, Shoehei “ShoTime” Ohtani may soon...
What Disney, ESPN+ and Hulu means for Sports Television
You should know four important things in 2018 when it comes to live sports television broadcasting.
Disney owns a 30% stake in Hulu
When Disney and Fox came to a $66 billion dollar agreement (including a portion of Fox’s debt), it included Fox’s 30% ownership stake in the Hulu platform. If the United States Department of Justice approves the Disney-Fox deal, Disney,...
A Golden Age: The business of content creation, distribution and consumption
There was a time when entertainment meant film, television, stage acting and the music business. It was also a time when media meant the five o’clock news, anchors and Nielsen ratings. There was a time when sports meant Sunday night football, the national baseball game of the week and an occasional tournament or sports special.
Today, we, the consumers, have so many more options at our fingertips. We...