Quit Hating and Start Watching

There’s a tendency for us to rain on each other’s parades when a major sporting event captures the attention of many casual fans. This is no more evident when we are discussing significant events in professional hockey, soccer/football and basketball.

Much has been made about the outstanding viewership numbers for yesterday’s Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Final between Canada and the United States. And why not? If someone said that this thrilling game would have garnered ratings akin to a regular season game in the NFL, most would have laughed, sneered, snickered and belittled the sport, its fans and its elite league, the NHL.

The very fact that the game captured almost 28 million viewers* should bode well for the sport overall. That people in the know are pondering what can the NHL and its broadcasting partners do to carry this momentum into league action speaks to how compelling of a product the sport presents.

Yet, there are equally as many people who have started their “who cares?” rants, “when’s the next big event to pretend to care about” comments and my favorite quips of nonchalance; “when does football/baseball season start?”

Photo Credit to the Vancouver Sun

I just wonder why we take this route for some sports and not others. Why must we dissect its potential or lack thereof? Why must we ask those sports to fix themselves in order to appeal to non-fans and passersby? Why must we demand more of those leagues than we do the staples that take their fans for granted more often than not?

It’s funny because Super Bowl XLIV – a fantastic game, without a doubt – wiped off the bad taste the 2009 NFL season left in many mouths. This past season in the league was one of the least entertaining campaigns in years and the postseason initially carried some of that poor play in the first two rounds. If not for the Jets’ very game performance in Indianapolis (they did blow the lead, though) and the fumbling follies of the Vikings in New Orleans, this past season could have easily gone down as the worst since the late 90s.

This is a league with a fair share of problems on its own; a potential labor strike looms large, a steady stream of player arrests, the back-and-forth on overtime, Brett Favre fatigue, the overlooked story of PED/steroid use, an ongoing battle with Time Warner Cable over the NFL Network, etc.

Yet, few dare to ask what’s wrong with the almighty, omnipotent National Football League.

Beyond the Yankees winning the World Series last October, this past baseball season wasn’t exactly one for the ages. Once again, the controversies loomed larger than the games themselves. PEDs for Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Josh Hamilton’s relapse. Milton Bradley’s arrival and dismissal from the Cubs. Allegations of Jim Bowden skimming bonus money from Latin American prospects. Mixed (some scathing) reviews for the new Yankee Stadium. The Mets (via Fred Wilpon) and Bernie Madoff. Mark McGwire, over a decade later.

There had been tremendous action in spurts; great pitching from the game’s young guns like Zack Grienke, Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, the underrated Matt Cain and Jair Jurrjens. The usual great play from players you expect like Joe Mauer, Kevin Youkilis, Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. The strong supporting casts that pushed the Yankees and Phillies into the Fall Classic. The birth of MLB Network (and ratings punch to the gut onto ESPN). All of this is forgotten among casual baseball fans.

Yet, few dare to ask how Major League Baseball can regain its footing on the national stage.

Apparently, the North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s basketball program is going to need help to get into the NCAA Tournament this year. They’ve lost four starters of last year’s title squad to the NBA – Ty Lawson has been outstanding, by the way – and find themselves clawing to keep pace in the ACC. I say apparently because from friends, family & colleagues, last year’s edition of March Madness was one of the least exciting, most anti-climatic and phenomenally unmemorable in recent memory.

The scandals in the NCAA have been mind-numbing within the last decade. Before, it was about point-shaving and a player having ‘extra’ cash in his pocket. This past decade alone gave us testing scandals, coaches exacting physical punishment on players during practice, more testing scandals, even more money passed under the table, an absurd coaching carousel spun by the coaches themselves. And of course, there’s the worst of them all; Patrick Dennehy.

Yet, few dare to ask what can the NCAA do to capture fan interest before March Madness takes over.

Look, I didn’t write this to hate on those sports. In fact, if you read the Blogger profile, you’d see that baseball and football have been near and dear to my heart much of my life. As a once passionate, now bitter observer of college basketball, I pray for the day that the NCAA rights the ship and does right by ALL student-athletes, regardless of gender or sport. Yet, to see the errors in those sports is to almost be a leper of sorts; people want to move on, overlook these issues and pretend that these issues aren't as big, if not bigger than those in the NBA, NHL or soccer/football in the United States.

I wrote this because when we throw shade on each other’s preferences, we tend to forget how imperfect our own favorites are. We tend to think that being a ratings behemoth exonerates these sports from their issues or that being underwhelming according to Nielsen is an indictment.

You don’t have to become a hockey fan after the great play at the Winter Olympics (though you’d be happy if you did). You don’t have to subscribe to NBA League Pass for the remainder of the season to get your stripes (there are only 6 weeks left anyway). You don’t have to call your cable provider to look into FOX Soccer Plus, which just launched today (just try to master FOX Soccer Channel first). What we do need to do, however, is to be fair in how we observe these games. If we’re going to be as scrutinizing of the sports we dislike, give the same treatment to the ones we love.

Otherwise, quit hating and start watching.

Say What?!?!: By the way, with all due respect to Sidney Crosby and his fantastic goal, can someone else in the world give Jarome Igilna (the guy above Crosby in the photo) love for his assist? It was a fantastic set-up by a player who should get far more attention than he gets in the sports world. Maybe it’s gutsy to say it, but if he played for the New York Rangers instead of the Calgary Flames, he’s not only get more attention, but he could be akin to Mark Messier in terms of being a steady, proven veteran leader that could walk the streets of Manhattan with head nod respect from even the most uninterested of puck fans.

*A note about Nielsen ratings; they don’t include out-of-home viewing, which includes sports bars and other public establishments. Since measurement in this space has been modified over the years, these viewers may or may not be counted into the equation, but hockey is as much of a sports bar kind of game as any in North America. This, my friends, is good.

Thanks

2008 presented all sorts of wonderful and astonishing moments in not only the sports arena, but anywhere there was a camera, a voice recorder and an associated media outlet. Yet, the past 365 (soon to be 366) days also gave us head-scratchers, heart-breakers and fist-clenchers that will reverberate into the next twelve months. While it's not necessary to rehash what made us applaud, condemn, wonder and hope, it is necessary to capture the year as a whole to look ahead.

In this year, we've seen our fair share of challenges that may - if they have not already done so - affect our lives in ways that we have not witnessed in quite some time or ever before.

Leaving this year behind, we are well aware of the global recession that threatens the way we consume, produce and entertain going forward. Again, this is not just in the sports realm as the overall economy continues to take Miguel Cotto-like body shots.

This year made it rather clear that no matter how much we clamor for change - and beyond this seminal political moment, many of us do the best we can as individuals day by day - some things (as this, this, this and certainly this) are resistant to actual change.

This year, we were given new faces of realized dreams, vindication and outerworldly triumphs while familiar ones gave us another reason to take notice. Yet, there were new names to file under 'WTF' and the reemergence of people whose singular strength is the ability to tick off the masses.

There was a reason or 55 to fall in love with sports in 2008. There was a reason or likely more than 55 to absolutely abhor the sports realm in 2008.

If anything, the blog has taken a significant part of your sports consumption in 2008 than in the last four years since the medium’s mainstream arrival in 2004. The blogopshere has served your sports sunny-side snarky, scrambled in über-analysis, over-easy fanboy, straight & no-chaser serious and chopped-up speculative. As the folks at Yahoo! Sports put it, this was the year of the sports blog and while few have had the resources and/or success as the folks behind Big League Stew and Puck Daddy, millions of bloggers are doing whatever they can to become famous or more often, infamous.

When I began A Sports Scribe back in May of 2007, the number one goal was to join the realm of the most recognized independent blogs such as Awful Announcing, Kissing Suzy Kolber and the like. Understanding that some of those sites discuss sports in a far different manner than I do, I accepted the challenge of going forward with a less typical media-driven an admitted pro-athlete slant, despite being a member of the most infamous group in the industry, the New York media. This past year, Scribe has found its voice, but not in the way that I expected.

I found that for some people, the allure of the blog is that the content comes from a New York City native that doesn’t exactly kowtow to the stereotypical “Noo Yawk” perspective. For others, the carrot on the stick happens to be the visits to various ballparks in my travels, whether I have attended a game in another city or had the chance to provide construction updates in person. Many appreciate that there isn’t the sarcastic and jaded view of sports that they come to expect from someone who is apparently in-the-know. For all, however, I hope that Scribe has achieved its singular goal; to be a blog that combines the action, discussion, culture, business and politics of sports… without being an ass.

With that said, this long post is my way of saying thank you. The audience isn’t earth-shattering, but there has been a noticeable and steady growth. Some of you are personal connections; family, friends and co-workers who have supported me on this journey to provide the best possible content. Some of you are rediscovered connections; former classmates and colleagues who have wondered if I’m still the kid who made playoff trees and kept index cards of player statistics (before the Internet made that a little bit easier). Others have come to Scribe through the sheer power of randomization or the shameless promotions on Facebook and MySpace, wondering why does this guy have something to say, let alone what. No matter how you found Scribe, I want to thank you for sticking with it and I will do my best to retain your intrigue and trust in this forum.

I want to say a special thanks to Ken Fang and Paul Sen, the respective proprietors of Fang’s Bites and Sports Media Watch. Both gentlemen have not only added me to their blog rolls (which is still unbelievable considering that many on their rolls are well-established writers), but have provided food for thought along with direct and indirect support.

Also, I want to say thanks for the various scribes, talkies and faces of the industry that actually make being a part of the press worthwhile. To those who I have emailed, chatted with and met in person, it’s been a thrill and I hope to approach your levels of talent and experience.

Finally, though they say that they don’t read the papers, watch television, listen to talk radio or check the blogs, I’d like to thank the players that make what I’m doing possible.

To all of you out there, Happy New Year and please celebrate safely. May the challenges, lessons and fortunes of 2008 make us all better in 2009 and beyond. And to bring it back to the college radio show and former blog that helped start it all, take care of your own and they’ll take care of you.

Patriotic

Being that this is the Independence Day holiday Stateside, most of us are preparing our stomachs for burgers, brats, booze and probably more booze (unless you're like me and cracking open a few Sprites). Yet, very few of us take stock in what the United States of America was, is and will become. One of the ways that it can be done is through the progression of sports and the related businesses.



Sports is the ultimate galvanizer in the world, but in many ways, it is also a litmus test of how progressive a sect or whole society really is. When we think of the successes, failures and quandaries of the US, they can be likened to the exploits of athletes



How far have we come with racial and ethnic relations?



Is gender equality a pipe dream or actually an ideal being reached at a snail's pace?



Does civic pride come with an exhorbrant price tag?



Most of all, with our divisive past and present, are we truly One Nation Under God (with apologies to those who share different faiths, if at all)?



With these articles, take stock of what is America as we celebrate or admonish the nation on its 232nd birthday. And enjoy a a long weekend while you're at it.

Apolitical

In the February 25th edition of Advertising Age, the editorial delved into what may arguably become the most controversial issue outside of anything related to the Presidential elections. With the next installment of the Summer Olympics taking place in Beijing these summer, Big Business has either lined up or gearing to push for sponsorship opportunities in the seventeen-day event. As the days wind down, more and more activist groups are calling for these marketers to cease their efforts, suspend their campaigns and boycott the Olympics because of numerous human-rights violations. The most notorious of these violations, in the eyes of many, has been the relationship between the Chinese and Sudanese governments as the War in Darfur rages on.

Since Beijing was awarded the 29th Olympiad in 2001, activist groups have gone on the offensive against the Chinese government in hopes of either forcing it to relent to the global pressures or possibly disrupt the Games with politically-tinged demonstrations (or the most extreme option, terrorism). The Chinese are banking on this with increased monitoring of these groups through intelligence agencies, yet that is only one battle. Some public figures, ranging from politicians to the Washington Post’s editorial board, have called for boycotts. The most damning objection thus far seems to come from famed director Steven Spielberg, who stepped down as the artistic advisor for the Games after his own efforts – with external pressures placed on him – failed to prompt President Hu Jianto to act on the matter.

Spielberg’s statement may hold tremendous weight in Hollywood as talent and executives alike may follow suit. Yet, the world public – or at least the First World public – may view the latest collective of global activism with some skepticism. So you may ask yourself; if Big Business has gone full steam ahead towards the Opening Ceremonies and the Chinese government keeping an eye on dissenters, then what about the participants themselves?

Athletes, for better or worse, have been expected to speak out on what society at-large may feel is an injustice. It’s a daily struggle as even the so-called sacred ground of the field or court houses social discourse just by a ‘harmless’ fan sign. If asked which athlete was defined by a fearlessness to discuss something beyond the game, sports fans Stateside would give you Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Billie Jean King or Charles Barkley. Yet, this isn’t just an American phenomenon, but an international one as well.

Case in point; while Tiger Woods has been both praised and criticized for racial neutrality (or indifference), some of soccer/football’s biggest stars have responded to sickening antics across the globe by speaking out and campaigning for unity around the pitch.

As the days draw near, the expectations will only grow. They will grow not only because nearly every nation will send their best athletes, but because nearly every nation will infuse their dollars into the Chinese economy. The expectations will grow because all of the world’s superpowers are home to the highest-profile athletes; some who will descend onto Beijing for their homelands. The expectations will grow because many of these high-profile athletes are not only the best players, but the best pitchmen of Big Business in the world.

Of all teams headed to Beijing, the USA Men’s Senior Basketball team will have the largest spotlight at the Olympics based on the American clamor for a return to dominance. They will play to represent the States, yet their occupations as NBA players overshadow their national pride. Each of the players has some endorsement deal with a major sneaker company and a handful (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade) had or have deals with consumer brands such as T-Mobile and Sprite. These deals make them some of the most recognizable faces in the world. Yet, as if they won’t face enough scrutiny by American basketball fans and media, these deals also make them targets from activist groups who will impel them to respond and act.

It wasn’t long ago – last May, in fact - when current Seattle SuperSonics forward Ira Newble was gathering signatures for an open letter he wrote to the Chinese government on behalf of pro athletes. He was a teammate of James at the time and he was able to get the signature of almost all of his teammates. Two teammates declined, James and Damon Jones. Jones has a marketing deal with a Chinese shoemaker, Li-Ning Sports Goods Co. Ltd. Though it is a Chinese company, his refusal did not lend to as much criticism as James’ as Cavaliers’ leader is the signature current player on the Nike payroll. The $90 million deal he signed shortly before joining the NBA five years ago gives him a global reach, especially with the one billion pairs of feet in China. Whether it was fear of reprisal or alleged indifference is still difficult to determine nearly a year later. However, because of Nike’s business interest in the country coupled with the NBA’s presence, LeBron, Kobe and other members of Team USA won’t stop hearing the cries to take a stand – preferably a favorable stand for the activists.

Other athletes will receive backlash for an apathetic look towards China’s politics. Those who actually respond may be revered or reviled by fans and might very well be prepared for the tidal wave to hit. Yet, outside of American basketball players, one athlete in particular will feel even more pressure.

Yao Ming.

He is the most famous Chinese athlete in the world and now the world’s largest stage has been set up in his home country. He is also part of two worlds: his native land with its own values and a foreign land with a completely different set of rules. China may be slowly reshaping itself for an open economy, but there is still tremendous resistance within its own borders. Houston isn’t exactly Shanghai. Now that Yao has found a comfort zone in the States, he will certainly find himself in an unenviable position of being the Chinese voice to dissenters. He may not be able to play for his American employer, the Rockets, for the rest of the NBA season, but he hopes to be ready for the Games. Yao’s injury timeout is necessary for his return, but it may also become an opportunity for an increase in unsolicited requests.

Officially, China wants the world to focus on the Games as opposed to their international affairs. However, their government officials cannot and will not dismiss the history of the Olympics as the lone global political arena, rather, they expect it. As calls to compel Sudan into halting their attacks grow louder, it will be hard to ignore the realities surrounding the event. Big Business, for now, will push forward as planned. Politicians, entertainers and media will do their best to make their voices heard. Yet, there is no doubt that athletes as a whole are not as willing to share their opinions publicly out of concerns of losing prestige and respect. Between today and August 8th, an athlete of great standing may break the silence.

Or not.

Say What?!?!: Some have asked about thoughts on all sorts of recent socially-charged moments revolving around sports from the impending investigation regarding Roger Clemens to Kelly Tilghman's comment a short time ago (which only needed this Say What response). Scribe does share opinions on many sports topics, but not delving much on these weighty issues has a simple reason: there are many who articulate their thoughts on those matters and some who are quite masterful at it. There is, however, a desire to hear from those who are ardent fans and folks who marvel at our sports obesssions from afar. Just as every other post on this blog, your comments are always welcome, but in this particular post, your comments, questions and discussions amongst each other are highly recommended. Some of you have a particular insight on the War in Darfur that isn't reflected here and some have intimate knowledge - or at least awareness - of the vast differences between Chinese and American culture. Please forward this entry along to anyone with a particular interest (sports, business, politics, etc.).

Curious

Though we are fifty-one days into 2008, the sports schedule is starting to fill up some dates in the calendar. So, Scribe has a question.

Which sporting events are you looking forward to this year? It doesn't matter what is the sport or which country. It doesn't have to be in your hometown or current location. You could attend it live or sit back and watch it with a beer/soda and an HDTV. It could be major league, minor league, college, amateur, Little League or Beer League... well, maybe not Beer League per se.

Here is one event worth keeping an eye on (of many): the complete annihilation of the world... via the best basketball team assembled since the Dream Team in 1992.