Pro Combat returns...

During a week that saw two NBA players suspended for bringing guns into their locker rooms, Nike's brand new Pro Combat advertisement featured an image of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, with the following quote:

The word "chamber" is a reference to the part of the gun that holds the bullet before it's fired.  The ad has appeared in recent editions of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine.

We seemed to be left with a choice: either Nike has truly inappropriate and accidental timing, or the advertisement is an example of Nike subtle, and intentional, marketing scheme. (If I'm leaving an option out, let me know).

Nike released a statement yesterday to deal with the increased publicity surrounding the ad:

"The Nike print ad featuring Kobe Bryant was intended to illustrate his all out play and commitment on the basketball court.  It is a commonly used reference for shooting the basketball and no offense was intended."  

Depending on your interpretation of the events, basketball and violent (or least the insinuation of violent) metaphors are natural - and not to be questioned - companions.  As such, James defended the ad and Bryant.  Addressing reporters after a game on Friday, James said,

"[The ad] has nothing, zero, to do with guns.  At all.  At all.  Zero, that's very simple.  For somebody to even say that - that's a basketball term.  To try to highlight Kobe and say that he was referencing guns is totally ridiculous."

Certainly, that statement is credible.  I, too, believe that Kobe wasn't intentionally referencing guns.  It's more that gun and violent and war metaphors are just natural parts of the sporting lexicon.  James revealed as much, just a few sentences later:

"...We say a lot of things as basketball players that make a reference to guns and violence, but it's not really guns and violence."

The problem is that it connotes violence.  Naming a product "Pro Combat" insinuates combat, as in war.  That is, in part, why city officials in Cleveland rejected the LeBron Pro Combat mural in November of last year.  At the time, Cleveland commissioner Tony Coyne said "he felt the 'combat' reference is also inappropriate, at a time when U.S. soldiers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."  Has that situation changed?  Is it now, suddenly in 2010, appropriate to be mixing metaphors without contemplating the ramifications?

To use another example, if, according to James, "it's not really guns and violence," then a team nickname like the "Bullets," would be harmless, no?

The franchise moved from Baltimore to Washington in 1973

The team's logo until 1997

Ownership of the now-Washington franchise changed the name from Bullets to Wizards in 1997, amid concerns of the violent connotation.

Unless he's Lord Voldemort in disguise, 

there's nothing violent about this guy.

Either way, I have a hard time believing this was an accident on behalf of Nike.  The previous "Pro Combat" advertisements suggest that they are fully comfortable portraying sport as violent war.  But regardless of whether it was or not, it's just another example of how violent language is normalized in the world of sport.

Which, as your mom always told you, is all well and good until someone gets hurt...or has a gun drawn on them in an NBA locker room.

Who Cares?!!?

Another installment this week of the Who Cares?!!? segment.  Again, you tell me which sports story you care the absolutely least about.  Here we go.

(1) First up, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres found themselves in an interesting predicament in San Jose last weekend and it had nothing to do with a hockey game.

Turns out that the hotel they were staying at in San Jose was also hosting a Furry Convention (a Fur-Con).  As a result, a number of people dressed as furry animals/mascots got to take some pictures with NHL stars - including this gem with soon-to-be US Olympian (and Sabres goaltender) Ryan Miller:

There are more shots featuring Sabres forward Drew Stafford on his Twitter page.  In the end, the furries may have brought the team some laughs, but not much luck.  The team lost 5-2 the Sharks that night.

(2) Second, after a three years absence, Michael Schumacher is returning to Formula One racing with MercedesGP Racing.  The forty-one year old resumes his career in a sport he dominated from 1994 to 2006 with racing teams Benetton and Ferrari.  During those years he won seven Formula One championships (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and a total of ninety-one races.

Guess who will be riding shotgun.  No, not the man standing.

The German joins the Stuttgart-based GP team with fellow a German, twenty-four year old driver Nic Rosberg, creating what Daimler chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche has labeled as a de-facto "German National Team."

(3) Third, after becoming the school's fifth coach to win a National Championship, Nick Saban is about to become immortalized in bronze by the University of Alabama.  Work has begun on a statue of the University's coach, set to cost approximately $50,000.  With input on the design from Saban's wife, Terry, the school hopes to have the statue in place on Bryant-Denny Stadium's Walk of Champions plaza by the spring game. (Note the spot in the first picture below where Alabama had built a place for the next coach statue...now, those are expectations).

Bear Bryant...

with the other three coaches and soon to include...

current head coach Nick Saban

Saban's statue will join those of Alabama championship coaches Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul "Bear" Bryant, and Gene Stallings.

So, tell me.  What do you care least about this week?




The Who Cares?!!? stories not making the cut this week:

• Roger Federer steamrolling towards another major tennis championship
• Major League Soccer on the brink of a major labor dispute
• MLS' highest paid player, Landon Donovan, scores his first goal in England for Everton
• Chad Ochocinco will have some kicking duties at this weekend's NFL Pro Bowl

Even more updates on Juventus and Phoenix...

Juventus lost yesterday, again in dramatic fashion and again by a score of 2-1.  This time, it was to nemesis Inter Milan in the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup. Appropriately, the winning goal was scored by Mario Balotelli, the target of Juventus fans' racist chants. More importantly, practically every news source reporting on the game made mention of the banning of Juventus fans from yesterday's game in Milan.  So, that was an improvement over last weekend's game.

Inter Milan's San Siro Stadium, sans Juve fans

Inter fans with an creative birthday salute to their head coach, Jose Mourinho

The Yankees of Italian football have now lost nine of its last twelve games and are no longer in the running to win the Champions League, Italian Cup, or the Italian Scudetto (league championship). As a result, the team's head coach was fired today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A second update with an eye on the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. Of course, I've mentioned the bankruptcy and attendance issues, but I caught the following from their shootout victory at home on Thursday:

Note the writing on the dasher boards on the top right

Those are ads for the Coyotes on Facebook and Twitter

So far as I know, Phoenix is the first NHL team to place their Facebook and Twitter pages on their home arena dasher boards.  Most teams do have FB and Twitter accounts, but the Coyotes feature theirs prominently on their home web site:

Credit to the Coyotes as well as the NHL.  Just a couple years ago, the NHL conducted a fan analysis that showed that the NHL fan demographic is the most technologically savvy/connected in all of sports.  As a result, I think the NHL has done such a great job with access through team websites, highlights, and video, that the lack of highlights and information on the World Wide Leader isn't such a big deal.  Frankly, it seems that watching ESPN offers so little valuable information/analysis for any sport these days, that I'd rather use my computer to go straight to the source.

And when you have Coyote players starting flip-cup games in bars on road trips, as they did last Sunday after a game against Washington at Georgetown's Rhino Bar, well you just can't beat that kind of access to NHL players.  As the bar manager, the crowd gathered, and a group of defeated Georgetown undergrads found out, NHL players are some of the coolest athletes in sports.

Updating the Juventus situation in the Stadio Olimpico...

If you read last week's post, you're aware of the racism situation in Turin, Italy.  To quickly recap, one of the world's most successful clubs, Juventus, had its fans in a section of their stadium suspended for a game against Roma this past weekend because of racist chants directed at an Inter Milan player.  So, how was that issue covered in the recaps of the Roma-Juventus game?  Eh.  ESPN's Soccernet game report didn't even mention it.  Neither did Goal.com.

Here are some images from the game showing the Curva Sud, the empty section of the stadium:

The easiest job he'll have all year

The empty section behind Roma's goal in the second half

If you're curious, Roma won the game in dramatic fashion.  A goal in the final minutes from defender John Riise gave the visitors a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory in what was one of the biggest games in Italy - on par with the level of NFL playoffs.  That might explain the excitement of Roma's announcer calling the winning goal in the following clip.  Suggestion: turn the volume on your computer down...

I still maintain that the bigger story was the exclusion of fans from an entire quarter of the stadium.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara celebrates the game's opening goal.

His team went on the lose the game 2-1 and his job is now in jeopardy.

Either way, the punishment against Juventus and its fans has been extended to tomorrow's (Thursday) game in Milan against Inter in the Italian Cup.  If you recall, the racist chants from the Juventus supporters were directed at Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli, so it is understandable that Milan and Italian soccer officials decided to keep Juventus fans from congregating in the stadium.  Typically, visiting fans get their own security-enforced and quartered-off sections in away stadiums, but instead no tickets have been sold for that portion of Milan's San Siro Stadium.  I'm not sure what it will look like on the visitors side, but the home Curva will likely be packed to the gills looking something like this:

There's nothing quite like a soccer game in Milan.  Thankfully, this time around, Juve fans won't be there to spoil the "beautiful game."  I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Lightning...Bolt? (to Canada?)

Another post, another financially-stricken Florida sports franchise.

According to several news sources, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning (Forbes' 18th most valuable NHL franchise) had to ask for an advance on the revenue sharing guaranteed to every team at the end of NHL season in order to pay their players on time.  They weren’t just a few pennies short, either, borrowing approximately $2 million. That happened in April of 2009.

I know what you're thinking...these guys own an NHL franchise?

Now, reports are surfacing that there is still more economic uncertainty lingering after the 2008 sale of the team from Palace Sports - owner of the NBA's Pistons - to OK Hockey.  And by economic uncertainty I mean, of course, OK Hockey potential defaulting on their $100 million loan payments to Palace Sports.

Since the team was sold for $208 million and Palace Sports loaned the new group approximately half the money for the purchase, the contract was written with the stipulation that if OK Hockey defaulted on its loan, the team ownership would return to Palace Sports.  The issue has come to the fore since the Pistons and Palace Sports are up for sale and...well, no one wants to buy a property with a defaulting loan hanging around.  That means OK Hockey - and now, the NHL - is scrambling for new investors or new ownership to rescue the hockey franchise.

The Lightning are getting crunched...financially, too

It seems the problem is twofold. First, the NHL’s minimum salary requirement has strained the team's bottom line.  When the Lightning won the Stanley Cup with a small group of stars and relative unknowns in 2004, the squad payroll was in the neighborhood of $32-$34 million.  With this relatively small number, as well as the increased revenue from sold-out home games (including 13 home playoff games), the team easily turned a profit.  In subsequent years, however, NHL requirements have pushed the Lightning’s salary numbers north to a floor of $40 million.

After just 16 games with team to start the 2008 season, 

this man and his mullet are still being paid not to coach the Lightning

Second, combine those financial requirements with a 10% attendance drop this season to an average of just over 15,000 fans.  That number is down 20% from similar figures two years ago and, as a result, things aren't looking too hot for the Lightning.  If the current situation continues, the team could be returned to Palace Sports by as early as February 15th.

Inside the St. Pete Times Forum...plenty of good seats still available

How are the financial issues effecting the team on the ice? While they sit just 3 points out of a playoff spot, the team is in 13th place (out of 15 in their conference) with a rather pedestrian .500 record (21-20-10; W-L-OTL).

If you don’t follow the NHL very closely, this is the second time in the past year that an NHL team has been beset by financial issues.  In May of 2009, the Phoenix Coyotes declared bankruptcy and were purchased by the NHL (interestingly, the Coyotes also required an advance from the NHL revenue sharing deal in 2009).

When Canadian entrepreneur Jim Balsillie stepped up to buy the team, his plans included relocating to Canada.  Quickly, the NHL moved in to stop the sale and the team was eventually sold to a group of investors willing to keep the team in suburban Phoenix.

Currently, the Coyotes face the same attendance issues as the Lightning, drawing a scant 10,000 per game, but at least their marketing team has put in some creative efforts to bring fans into the JOBing.com Arena, including:

• Free shuttle service to the game in Glendale on the "Coyotes Express" from a variety of Phoenix locations
• Selling tickets in the lower bowl for just $25 (the same seat in other arenas cost over $200)
• "We Win, You Win" Promotion nights where, if you buy a ticket and the team wins the game, you get a free ticket to another game
• "Recession Buster" Promotion where, if you buy tickets for three games, you get the fourth game free
• All-you-can-eat ticket packages

Still, the only tonic for poor attendance is winning and unlike the Lightning, the Coyotes are doing that. Currently, the team - a mix of grizzled veterans and exuberant youth - is defying pre-season expectations and holds the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, good for a playoff spot. Furthermore, even with just 10,000 fans on average in the stands, the team has the 7th best home record in the entire league.

He can't fill JOBing.com Arena, 

but he can get you a discount on any Acme purchases

Overall, are the financial difficulties for these teams a referendum on southern hockey franchises? I’m not sure why there are teams in Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, or Atlanta, but I’m not NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Or am I putting too much blame on hockey since it is merely a fact that teams in areas of the country hit hardest by the recession will, by default, struggle with attendance issues?

I think it remains to be seen whether the Lightning and Coyotes can financially rebound over time. Still, given the passionate fans of hockey north of the border, it seems strange that there are only six Canadian teams (Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa), when cities like Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Quebec City seem desperate for NHL franchises.  This is not to say that there are no hockey fans in Phoenix or Tampa Bay, but these teams had better find them and soon.

WWJD: What Will (the) Jaguars Do? Draft Tebow?

When’s the last time your governor petitioned an NFL team to draft the state university superstar? When’s the last time that superstar was a guy like Tim Tebow? (For a discussion of Tebow's NFL debut in a Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad, look here).

Monday saw the beginning of practices for the Senior Bowl, a college all-star game that offers NFL scouts the opportunity to scrutinize and rank potential draft picks.  One of these potential picks is Tim Tebow, who surprised some this week when he insisted he is practicing to be drafted as an NFL quarterback.

Tebow, long considered to lack the offensive skill set to succeed as an NFL QB, flourished in the University of Florida offensive system, setting records, winning two BCS titles, and exhibiting a leadership so fierce that the athletic department saw fit to canonize a nine month-old post-game Tebow speech and put it on a plaque next to the entrance of the football facility in Gainesville.  No joke.

If you like it then you shoulda put a plaque on it

Whether Tebow will succeed as an NFL QB is pure speculation, left to the scouts and experts like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper.  Yet, his draft status is inexorably tied to the attendance-plagued Jacksonville Jaguars franchise, located just seventy miles from Gainesville.  Rumors even have it that there is a standing, unspoken agreement among NFL owners to let such a scenario happen.

See you in September 2010?

Considering that the Jaguars lost 17,000 season ticket holders after the 2008 season and averaged around  74% stadium capacity for home games, of which all but one was blacked out, Florida governor Charlie Crist - and others - has campaigned for the Jaguars to do the economically savvy thing and draft Tebow, regardless of his actual fit to the team’s needs.  The organization seems to be in step with that notion, albeit inconspicuously. Owner Wayne Weaver is on record saying that the "iconic" Tebow is "compelling" and "would be an asset to any football organization."

Last time I checked, their starting QB, David Garrard, was headed to the NFL Pro-Bowl (as a reserve, but still). Nevertheless, drafting Tebow could be Jacksonville’s last chance at keeping the Jaguars from fleeing to California or Toronto or elsewhere. The situation has become so grave that Jacksonville mayor John Peyton recently said that losing the Jaguars franchise "could devastate our recovery efforts and set Jacksonville back decades."  For the state of Florida, this could be the equivalent of the Cavaliers drafting Lebron James - a revitalizing shot in the arm for a flailing franchise.

Say hello to 49,000 of your closest friends

And while it’s no guarantee that Tebow would start, or even have success for the Jaguars, wouldn't he at least put fans in the seats?  The last four times a Tebow-led Florida team has played in Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium, temporary seats have been added to accommodate upwards of 84,000 fans.

The idea of the local team drafting the local kid also makes for an interesting what-if, as in, what if there was some system in place for professional teams to get dibs on drafting local/regional college/amateur players.  Certainly, it restricts the open market, but if Tebow goes to the Jaguars and does well, consider the impact he will have had on the people of north Florida.

For the Gators and, maybe, the Jaguars...truly a savior.

Understanding sports data...visually

As far as I know, these "infographs" from Craig Robinson's Flip Flop Fly Ball are to scale (click on the images to enlarge)...

It is certainly interesting to see new ways of understanding just how much money athletes (or anybody, for that matter) make.  Contrast that, of course, with how much tickets cost at Major League Baseball parks...

The bottom five of that spectrum: Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs, and (shockingly) the Nationals.  Go figure.  Make your own conclusions on the two graphs juxtaposed above.

In general, drawings like these are wonderful ways of grasping visual data.  Take, for instance, the following infograph:

Using this colored bar graph, Robinson gives us the opportunity to engage the home run debate with perspective.  Should we purge the player numbers represented by the pink, rose, and orange bars from the record books?  The best solution is probably somewhere between erasing the steroid era from history and allowing Bonds, et al. to stand as the legitimate home run leader.  I'm not sure asterisks are necessary, but what about a graph like the one above in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown?

College Hockey mascot, destroying the Universe...again!

I know college hockey is probably not on the front of anyone's mind either, especially college hockey in Alaska. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I should assure you that this post only addresses a very minute element of college hockey.  Perhaps it's more about Alaska than it is about hockey. It is, either way, just plain funny.

However, the following video clips might encourage you to think otherwise.  Taken from the opening montages presented at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks' - the Nanooks - Carlson Center, these are a couple of intro videos that would put the vintage-Jordan-era Chicago Bulls entrance theme to shame...

First, from a matchup in 2006 against the Miami of Ohio Redhawks.  Not only do we get interplanetary Nanook/Polar bear intimidation, but pay special attention to the bird vs. bear beatdown at the 1:15 mark and, of course, the part where the Nanook mascot rips a hole in the Carlson Center ceiling and crashes onto the ice below:



Then, from the 2007-2008 season, our angry bear is at it again.  The roar from Ursa Major destroys half the galaxy and sends our friend, now accompanied by a hockey stick, hurdling through a time-space vortex/wormhole, destroying planets, suns, and even satellites (with a beautiful slapshot, I might add) in its path:



And now, the Bear returns in a montage from the current season.  In perhaps his best performance yet, the hibernating bear is first awoken by and later smashes an ice-breaking ship with his stick. He then calls up two of his buddies to be his wingman as the three pilot some F-14s and bomb Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and then the entire planet into oblivion, leaving only a floating Carlson Center island to hover in space:



Suffice it to say, the UAF Nanooks are now my favorite CCHA hockey team.

Who Cares?!!?

I'm holding off copying the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show's "Who Cares Hindenburg" bit because, let's face it...36 people died in that air disaster.  Although I will admit the show is entertaining - if nothing else - and the following post is similar to the aforementioned LNJF bit.

Therefore, instead of being morbid, let's do a weekly sports-related "Who Cares?!!?" poll that will allow us to decide which recent sports-related story is the one we care the absolute least about?  Is it...

1) That top level hockey leagues in Europe have begun to place advertisements on hockey goalie sticks, as seen in this ad-laden photo below of Ari Ahonen, playing in Finland for KalPa (although I'm sure you knew that).

Gloria Steakhouse, getting their money's worth

2) That this week is the start of the 2010 professional cycling season at the Tour Down Under in Australia.  Not only is the race the season debut for Lance Armstrong, but a display of some of cycling's new teams - including Armstrong's Team Radio Shack/Livestrong and the Rupert Murdoch-backed Team Sky.

Team Sky at the front

The TDU is a warm-up race for LA

3) Finally, that former MLB player turned manager of the Dominican league's Licey Tigers Jose Offerman was kicked out of the Dominican league permanently for throwing (but not connecting) a punch at an umpire during a game last weekend.

Offerman, in 2007, using his bat as a weapon in the minor leagues

It's up to you, dedicated reader, to tell me...who cares?

There's something new in (North) Miami...

It seemed strange to me that the first time I laid eyes upon the stadium home to the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes (as well as home to the Florida Marlins), I was actually no where near Miami.  Hardly downtown, the stadium (B) is actually located about 15 miles north of the city (A):

That pet peeve aside (the NFL Giants/Jets and Redskins are just a few more teams who don't play in the geographical space their name attests), the stadium formerly known as Joe Robbie Stadium has a new corporate partner and, thus, a new name for the upcoming NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.  That means that, tomorrow, this facility will be christened with its 7th name change in just 22 years.

T.I. says you could call it whatever you like

Those names?  Ok, here's the rundown:

• Joe Robbie Stadium (1987-1996)
• Pro Player Park (1996)
• Pro Player Stadium (1996-2005)
• Dolphins Stadium (2005-2006)
• Dolphin Stadium (2006-2009)
• LandShark Stadium (2009)
• Dolphin Stadium (Jan. 1, 2010 to Jan. 19, 2010)
• Sun Life Stadium (Jan. 20, 2010-2015)

Such turnover makes the abstinence from selling naming rights by the Cleveland Browns (Cleveland Browns Stadium), Cincinnati Bengals (Paul Brown Stadium), Kansas City Chiefs (Arrowhead), Buffalo Bills (Ralph Wilson Stadium), New Orleans Saints (Superdome), Atlanta Falcons (Georgia Dome), Green Bay Packers (Lambeau), and Chicago Bears (Soldier Field) seem noble.

It does draw attention, however, about the possibility of a naming rights agreement for the new Cowboys Stadium or New Meadowlands Stadium.  With Dallas set to host the Super Bowl next year (and the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2014), Jerry Jones could maximize the price of an agreement for that kind of premium visibility.  The same goes for the new stadium in the Meadowlands, with a slew of events to take place in the next year.  In an interview with Sports Business Daily, Randy Bernstein with Premier Partnerships, an agency that matches bidders and stadiums for naming rights contracts, said it is only a matter of time before these large stadiums (including nearby Rutgers University's updated football stadium) get new names: "The marketplace is very active again...and you will see some of the largest facilities do deals this year."

In the meantime, Sun Life Financial will pay the Dolphins $7.5 million a year for the next five years.  What are embattled Dolphins fans to do?  I suggest they join the underground swell of the Naming Wrongs Movement.

That t-shirt is available at NoMas-NYC.  The Naming Wrongs movement is a brilliant idea that came to fruition when the venerable Shea Stadium closed and the Mets opened Citi Field.  The idea of the original shirt "I'm Calling It Shea," has since spread to Mile High Stadium (now known as Invesco Field at Mile High), Jacobs Field (Progressive Field), and Comiskey Park (U.S. Cellular Field).  Part of the proceeds go to a local (NYC) food bank.

If it looks like a Joe Robbie, smells like a Joe Robbie...

Since fans are mere pawns in the financial games of far-richer men and women (J-Lo and the Williams sisters became part owners recently), I side with the Naming Wrongs movement and suggest a resistance to accept the name.  Let's just call it what it should be.  Like the shirt above, I'm calling it Joe Robbie.

Racism Persists in International Soccer

Next week's league match between Italian football giants AS Roma and Juventus, to be held in Juventus' Stadio Olimpico in Turin, will be marked by a closure of a part of the stadium not for violence, or hooliganism, but for racist chants directed at Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli.  Last Wednesday, a group of fans seated in the Stadio Olimpico's South End started the chants during halftime of Juventus' home win against Napoli.

Two important elements of context. First,this area of the stadium - called the Curva Sud - is typically where the team's most intense and right-wing fans (called "Ultras") sit for games.  Second, the game where these chants took place was between Juventus and Napoli. Keep in mind Balotelli plays for Inter.

Yet, it was strange for me to see the Huffington Post attempt to contextualize the news with this photo:

The seats aflame have nothing to do with the serious issue of racism in international football. So, why? What is the narrative portrayed by the juxtaposed photograph? "Arsonists likely to be racists"?

But I digress.  Last week, Balotelli voiced his frustrations at the jeers he received when he was substituted in a game played against AC Chievo in Verona, Italy.  In his post-game comments, Balotelli said, "Every time I come to play in Verona, the city disgusts me even more." For that reaction, Balotelli earned a $10,000 fine and later issued an statement on his website apologizing:

"...to those who were innocent and whom I offended through my expressions, which were conditioned by the boos I received during the game.  I should have made it clear that the fans in Verona and around Italy who boo me disgust me...I am tired of always hearing racist chants when I'm on the pitch.  It doesn't happen just at Verona."

Unfortunately for Balotelli, this sort of treatment has indeed become commonplace for him as he has risen in prominence in the top division of Italian football (this season, he has 5 goals in 15 Serie A appearances).  Born in Palermo, Italy, the 19 year-old Balotelli is of Ghanian descent and has made numerous appearances with the under-21 Italian national team.

Inter fans call him "Super Mario"

Just last year, the governing body of Italian football threatened to close Juventus' stadium after a game between Juve and Inter featured the following chants:

• "Non ci sono negri italiani" - "There are no black Italians."
• "Negro di merda" - (roughly) "Sh*tty n*gger."

These, coupled with frequent monkey chants, can be heard in a number of fan-created YouTube videos.  The video below was taken from a game last year between Juventus and Inter Milan.

When the former of the two chants were heard during last week's game at Juventus' Stadio Olimpico, Italian football quickly issued the ban of the "Curva Sud" (South Stand) for the game on the 23rd of January.  Apparently, Juventus will not appeal the ban.

The Ultras at the Stadio delle Alpi (home stadium 1990-2006)

The Ultras at the Stadio Olimpico (2006-current)

Today, considering the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.,  I think it is critical for us to maintain an awareness of racial issues in all walks of life.  When it comes to racism in soccer, the sad thing is that there are still some individuals out there who are ruining the beautiful game.

Which seats in this stadium are Personal Seat License-free?

If you guessed the green ones, you'd be right.  For the following amounts, the Cowboys offered fans the opportunity to pay them upfront or finance the amount for 30 years.  Also, these prices are per seat and do not include the cost of tickets (which, for the Cowboys, are roughly twice the league average) or parking.

• Red seats = $2000 PSL
• Light blue seats = $4000 PSL
• Dark blue seats  = $5000 PSL
• Tan seats = $5000 PSL
• White seats in sections 409-415 and 440-446 = $12,000 PSL
• Founders Club seats (sections C210 and C235) = $150,000 PSL

Regular Club seats (in white above)...detailed here:

• Red club seats = $16,000 PSL
• Green club seats = $35,000 PSL
• Yellow club seats = $50,000 PSL

Of course, these seating plans do not include Cowboys Stadium luxury suites (which includes Field-Level suites that are closest to the action).  Depending on the location, these suites cost between $100k-$500k annually, and contracts require a 20-year lease.

Is a stadium such as this, praised by ESPN/NBC (the latter called it the "Taj Mahal" of sports and a "modern day marvel," while Bob Costas introduced it as "the palace in Dallas"), and the NFL, elitist in that it prices out the common man?  What is troubling is not that there are different prices for different seats in stadiums - I understand that better seats have always cost more money than nosebleeds.  Furthermore, I realize that colleges and universities have recently introduced donation programs where contributions to the athletic fund grant access to the best seats in their stadiums.  What is troubling is that the Cowboys Stadium physically separates the haves from the have-nots and that it is being praised as an archetype - a model for future stadiums.  Is this really a trend that the NFL should be applauding?

In the end, no matter how big of a Cowboys fan you are, if you aren't able to afford these prices, then your only option is to fight for those green nosebleed seats ($59 a ticket) or enjoy your time in the proletariat zone of the stadium, a standing-room only section of the stadium where  "Party Passes" cost just $29.  Party, indeed.

Did I mention that the taxpaying citizens of Arlington are partially funding this Mahal?  To the tune of $325 million?  How 'bout them Cowboys!

The World Cup is Coming to the US, but not Chicago or SF...

The US had to submit its final sites to FIFA for consideration for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.  Of the 18 nominated cities, 21 stadiums were nominated.  Sadly, the qualifications for bid cities and stadiums had very little to do with anything besides stadium size and thus, the ability to sell a boatload of tickets - and at premium prices (the more suites the better - US Soccer thanks you, Jerry Jones!).  The map looks like this.

When If the USA's bid is accepted by FIFA, 9 to 12 venues will make the final cut.  So, which cities are likely to make it?  Here is my guess for the ten cities that will make it:

Seattle (Qwest Field - 68,056)

Los Angeles (Rose Bowl - 89,109)

Denver (INVESCO Field - 75,165)

Phoenix (Univ. of Phoenix Stadium - 71,362)

Dallas (Cowboys Stadium - 91,600)

Miami  (LandShark Stadium - 80,240)

Washington, D.C. (FedEx Field - 89,690)

Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field - 69,111)

New York (New Meadowlands Stadium - 84,046)

Boston (Gillette Stadium - 73,393)

Average stadium seating capacity = 79,177 = $$$$

It's hard to imagine any of the domed/turfed stadiums (Indianapolis, Houston, Atlanta) making the cut, even though several of those are fairly new.  I also ruled out San Diego, Tampa Bay, Nashville, and Kansas City for less-than-ideal and not-so-new stadiums (especially when compared to Phoenix and Dallas).  I was tempted to add Miami to that list since LandShark Stadium will be ancient by the time 2022 comes around, but it seems that Miami will be a sporting mainstay for a long time (see this year's NFL ProBowl and SuperBowl).  I also wished that I could add Baltimore to that list, but I cannot picture any scenario in which the Capital is snubbed.

When FIFA last visited the States in 1994, the tournament featured just 24 teams (now up to 32) and set a total attendance record of 3.6 million - a record that still stands to this day.  Estimates place this future World Cup (the US is favored to be named as host of the 2022 Cup) as breaking all sorts of attendance records (somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 million), as just about all of the stadiums in the above cities can seat 70,000 or more fans.  By contrast, just two of the ten World Cup 2010 venues in South Africa surpass the 70,000 seat mark.

According to US Soccer, these cities and their stadiums offer "unique distinctions for the United States bid...[including] new venues with retractable roofs that offer climate certainty and the newest amenities catering to fan experience and game performance such as Cowboys Stadium."

My, what a big stadium you have...

What's uncertain about the climate in an American summer?  Or, by 2012, will there be such a constant string of tornadoes, hurricanes, mudslides, and any number of natural disasters plaguing the globe that the availability of playing indoors would deliver genuine relief in the form of climate certainty?

Well, at least the US Bid Committee was upfront with their presentation.  There was no hiding the rationale behind these stadium selections, because as most bid countries (whether for the World Cup or Olympics, etc.) have realized about the bidding process with international sports organizations like FIFA or the IOC, it's all about the benjamins, baby.

Let's Go Outdoors

In just the past two weeks, three very successful outdoor hockey events have taken place - two in Boston and one in Sweden.  Check it out.

On December 28th, a European-record 31,144 fans packed the Ullevi Stadium in Sweden to watch the Frolunda Indians play Farjestads BK.

Just a few days later, on January 1st, Fenway Park was sold out to capacity (roughly 40,000) for a regular season matchup between the hometown Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Then, a week later in the same venue, rivals Boston College and Boston University, NCAA champions the past two years, respectively, staged their own outdoor game (another 40,000 fans) and added an incredible new chapter to what is one of the best sports rivalry in America.

The BC-BU tilt (which BU won 3-2) will not be the only outdoor college hockey game this year, however, as the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan will square off at Camp Randall Stadium next month.  Then, later this year, Michigan will host Michigan State at The Big House, in a repeat of of 2001's "Cold War," played at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.  Dubbed "Cold War II," the game should once again be a tremendous success (74,000 fans).  Returning to the pro game,  rumors recently surfaced about the NHL allowing two Canadian teams to play outdoors next year in addition to the now-annual Winter Classic on New Years' Day 2011 (which will likely feature two States-based teams).

BU fans went home happy

That's a lot of outdoor hockey.  But why?  While I've done some extensive research on the subject - notably targeting the nostalgia of these events as well as the savvy marketing schemes that promote these commodified events as "returning to hockey's roots" - a recent documentary entitled "Pond Hockey" does a fine job extolling the magnanimous virtues of playing outdoors.  The documentary has now been released on Hulu, which means if you have a 120 minutes to spend, you can watch it for free.  I highly recommend this star-studded film (Gretzky!), which has received quite a good deal of critical acclaim.