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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

As we cruise through 2018, the entertainment, media and sports industry is abuzz about two things: (1) getting content to the consumer quickly and more efficiently, and (2) through various media applications and platforms. The sports world has been somewhat slower to change because sports are generally consumed live as opposed to recording a television show or watching a movie on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime. There is really one simple reason for this:...

Maybe you have never heard of eSports.  Maybe you do not care to know. Simply, it may not be of interest you. Here is the thing though, eSports became relevant to larger society when the industry began to bring in substantial revenues and obtain partnerships and sponsorships from major recognized brands.    First, what is eSports? eSports is a competition between players in a video game. The twist is that what...

Relationships, the idea is to be around people we like and admire.  To be around people and an environment that is conducive to our personality, strengthens our attributes, and forces us to grow in positive ways.  Until now, maybe the thought that the places professional athletes play does not necessarily equate to being a mirror image of the cities...