Another group of MLS fans in San Jose...
May 7, 2013
Fan artwork
One Maple Leafs fan in Toronto going for the most tasteless and insensitive sign possible:
Another group of MLS fans in San Jose...
Another group of MLS fans in San Jose...
April 7, 2011
Empty Seats in Baseball's Opening Week
Darren Rovell, sports business reporter for CNBC (and a former ESPN reporter), makes the most of using Twitter. With over 10,000 tweets and over 70,000 followers, his combination of insight and fan interaction makes following his Twitter feed a necessity.
Recently, Rovell asked fans to either send or re-tweet photos from empty MLB stadiums from this past week. Among the usual stadium suspects: Camden Yards (Orioles), Rogers Centre (Blue Jays), Progressive Field (Indians), Sun Life Stadium (Marlins).
The Rogers Centre in Toronto. Just over 11,000 fans showed up
to see the Jays beat the Athletics. The Jays are 4-1 this season.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Less than 13,000 fans showed
as the Orioles lost to the Detroit Tigers. The Orioles are also 4-1 this season.
Empty seats at Cleveland's Progressive Field. Last night, less than
10,000 fans showed up. The team is averaging around 15,000 fans through 5 home games.
Unfortunately for MLB, which predicted an increase in attendance this season, these showings have put a damper on some of the robust ticket sales for teams like the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and the reigning World Series champions San Francisco Giants. Worse yet, even teams like the Chicago Cubs are struggling in their attendance figures during their series against the Diamondbacks. And while some sportswriters have blamed the winter weather and others have blamed technology, namely improvements and availability of TV and Internet broadcasts, Rovell is blaming the teams.
We'll see how the attendance story develops over the course of the season, especially if teams like the Orioles and Blue Jays can keep winning. In the meantime, the following picture, perhaps, sums up the attendance potential lurking in Washington, D.C.
Uniform sighting from the opening series at Nationals Park.
Sorry, Nationals fans. You'll have to wait for #37, the phenom Stephen Strasburg - at least six more months. His impact - "the Strasburg Effect" - could surely come in handy for boosting attendance all by himself.
April 1, 2011
Do sports fans live in caves?
Just yesterday, I found out about a Major League Baseball promotion that will put two fans in a Greenwich, NYC apartment equipped with enough televisions for them to watch every regular season and playoff game for the upcoming season. Of course, they won't technically live in the apartment, but will be there to watch games from 1:05pm start times on the east coast to the 7:35pm starts on the west coast.
The promotion is called "The MLB Fan Cave," which is a reference to the 15,000 square foot, glass-walled apartment space designed by one of the lead designers of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The apartment will not only feature the two fans all season long, but will also house studio space for television interviews and drop-ins from major league players. There will also be set-ups for Internet chats, video games, and fantasy baseball referendums as well as a barbershop, tattoo parlor, pitching alley, batting cage, Pepsi-sponsored 1950s-themed restaurant, DJ booth, MLB store, graffiti wall, Steiner Sports collectibles area, and multiple fan-viewing areas that emulate "Pepsi Porches" installed in various MLB stadiums.
The Apartment Design Layout.
The two fans - a musician from NY and an actor from Baltimore - take in
the first pitch of the 2011 season. The lucky winners were plucked from nearly 10,000 entries.
Both the promotion and the cave have a variety of interesting elements to consider. First, MLB gets on the man-cave bandwagon by channeling the name "cave" to frame the space as a masculine domain. Of course, there are female baseball fans and I wonder whether or not MLB considered their place in a cave, especially since the MLB press release refers to the two winners as "cavemen," and in several videos, the two winners introduce themselves as "caveman" and "wingman."
The two "cavemen" will watch all 2,430 regular season games, as well as
each playoff game. That's slightly less than all the games that
Cal Ripken played consecutively from 1982-1998.
Second, the multi-screen setup is an interesting development in sports viewing that is just about reaching its zenith. Just by having multiple games on at once makes me wonder what kind of watching is happening and what kind of fandom is being cultivated. In other words, is a multi-screen setup indicative of the marriage of sports fandom and fantasy sports leagues - where the investment in watching a single game is less important than catching just the pitching performances or at-bats of your fantasy players in a slew of games.
Finally, from a promotional standpoint, kudos to MLB for extending the spectacle and making fans wonder about which is the superior option: attending the game or sitting in a cave.
January 18, 2011
French football and symbolic killing?
Just a few months removed from their embarrassing qualification win against Ireland and even more embarrassing appearance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, France is headed in some bold new directions.
You may remember that France was only able to advance to the World Cup after a deliberate Thierry Henry handball that went uncalled, led to the game-winning goal in a play-off game against Ireland. Once arriving at the World Cup, the French team tied Uruguay in their first group match, 0-0, and then lost to Mexico 2-0 in their second match. After that game, French forward Nicolas Anelka was kicked off the team for a profanity-laced tirade directed at head coach Raymond Domenech.
What happened next was pure insanity. The next day, Domenech's team refused to take the practice field in support of their banished teammate. The team's general manager/director marched off the field and resigned from the French Football Federation in disgrace.
The bizarre turn of events saw practice cancelled and, unsurprisingly, two days later the team lost their final group stage game to South Africa by a score of 2-1, thus, ending a disastrous World Cup campaign. Subsequently, Domenech was fired and, in order to quell fan uproar, the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy held meetings with a number of players to discuss the team's meltdown in South Africa.
Here's where rhetorical theorist Kenneth Burke steps in. Burke believed that in order to rid ourselves of guilt, we employ two rhetorical processes - victimage and self-mortification. So, in order to work towards repairing its national football image, first, the team - as well as the country of France - needed to find a scapegoat to burden with collective guilt and disappointment. Domenech served as one scapegoat, but to go even further, all 23 players from the World Cup team were suspended from the team's first post-World Cup match against Norway (France lost the away fixture 2-1). Furthermore, four of the more disruptive players from the World Cup were suspended from the French team for multiple games (Anelka was suspended for 18 matches).
The second part of the purification process, self-mortification involves what Burke calls "symbolic killing." Examples of this kind of mortification include things like New Year's resolutions or getting a drastically different hair cut or tattoo. These actions become transformative in some way, where the old persona is shed for a new one. In the case of French Football, their mortification process began just after the World Cup, when former French national team member - and 1998 World Cup winner - Laurent Blanc was introduced as the team's new coach.
But, it continued in today with the unveiling of a new team uniform. And not only is it a new uniform, but a new apparel provider. After 38 years with Adidas, the French Federation signed a 7-year deal worth roughly $56 million per year to wear Nike products.
Stitched on the inside of the jersey, behind the badge, reads the saying "Nos Differences Nous Unissent" (our differences unite us), a subtle reminder against the infighting that took place in South Africa as well as national racial tensions that have surfaced around the team's multicultural composition.
Furthermore, in the press conference announcing the jersey, Blanc spoke to the new persona of the team as a result of the jersey change:
To me, this is both obvious and fascinating. The next question is, will it work? Inevitably, as Kenneth Burke insists, any pursuit for perfection will let ultimately fail and the feeling of guilt will return, thereby initiating the process all over again. Even if France, and it's new philosophy, wins the next World Cup.
The French team in 2010
You may remember that France was only able to advance to the World Cup after a deliberate Thierry Henry handball that went uncalled, led to the game-winning goal in a play-off game against Ireland. Once arriving at the World Cup, the French team tied Uruguay in their first group match, 0-0, and then lost to Mexico 2-0 in their second match. After that game, French forward Nicolas Anelka was kicked off the team for a profanity-laced tirade directed at head coach Raymond Domenech.
What happened next was pure insanity. The next day, Domenech's team refused to take the practice field in support of their banished teammate. The team's general manager/director marched off the field and resigned from the French Football Federation in disgrace.
French players huddled on the sidelines...
...while Domenech (white hair by the corner flag) faced the press.
The bizarre turn of events saw practice cancelled and, unsurprisingly, two days later the team lost their final group stage game to South Africa by a score of 2-1, thus, ending a disastrous World Cup campaign. Subsequently, Domenech was fired and, in order to quell fan uproar, the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy held meetings with a number of players to discuss the team's meltdown in South Africa.
Here's where rhetorical theorist Kenneth Burke steps in. Burke believed that in order to rid ourselves of guilt, we employ two rhetorical processes - victimage and self-mortification. So, in order to work towards repairing its national football image, first, the team - as well as the country of France - needed to find a scapegoat to burden with collective guilt and disappointment. Domenech served as one scapegoat, but to go even further, all 23 players from the World Cup team were suspended from the team's first post-World Cup match against Norway (France lost the away fixture 2-1). Furthermore, four of the more disruptive players from the World Cup were suspended from the French team for multiple games (Anelka was suspended for 18 matches).
The second part of the purification process, self-mortification involves what Burke calls "symbolic killing." Examples of this kind of mortification include things like New Year's resolutions or getting a drastically different hair cut or tattoo. These actions become transformative in some way, where the old persona is shed for a new one. In the case of French Football, their mortification process began just after the World Cup, when former French national team member - and 1998 World Cup winner - Laurent Blanc was introduced as the team's new coach.
But, it continued in today with the unveiling of a new team uniform. And not only is it a new uniform, but a new apparel provider. After 38 years with Adidas, the French Federation signed a 7-year deal worth roughly $56 million per year to wear Nike products.
The new Nike jersey unveiled on Monday is a stark contrast
to the 2010 jersey, at the top of the post.
Stitched on the inside of the jersey, behind the badge, reads the saying "Nos Differences Nous Unissent" (our differences unite us), a subtle reminder against the infighting that took place in South Africa as well as national racial tensions that have surfaced around the team's multicultural composition.
Furthermore, in the press conference announcing the jersey, Blanc spoke to the new persona of the team as a result of the jersey change:
"This jersey represents the spirit of French elegance, something recognized all over the world. The true collar, the new blue, the addition of the red really enhance the new kit. It goes well with the philosophy I want to create: creativity, humbleness, ambition."And, to cement the new kit with meaning, Nike has produced the following video that details not only the new product, but the team's "new philosophy" under coach Laurent Blanc.
To me, this is both obvious and fascinating. The next question is, will it work? Inevitably, as Kenneth Burke insists, any pursuit for perfection will let ultimately fail and the feeling of guilt will return, thereby initiating the process all over again. Even if France, and it's new philosophy, wins the next World Cup.
January 3, 2011
Spectacular
Over the weekend, the NHL staged their latest Winter Classic outdoor game, a matchup that pits two teams outdoors, in the elements, hearkening back to hockey's roots...or at least, that's the nostalgic frame the NHL is selling us. Anyway, the event took place at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and featured the hometown Penguins against the Washington Capitals.
The Caps took the win in the league's 4th annual event, which was postponed to an 8pm start time due to rain, but garnered the highest ratings of any Winter Classic and was the most watched regular season NHL game since 1975.
The lead play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick couldn't resist the word "spectacle" at least 3 or 4 times during the NBC telecast. Here's what he meant by it.
Well, when it comes to spectacle, the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) saw the NHL spectacle and attempted to do it one better. Borrowing the out-of-place playing field notion, with the Penguins and Capitals tussling in an NFL stadium, the ATP put its two top male players - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - on a floating tennis court in the middle of Doha Bay, Qatar, to publicize the start of the 2011 ATP season.
Now, the ATP has been known to pull out all the stops to promote the beginning of the tennis season. The last two New Year's Days in Doha featured Rafa and Federer playing atop a floating magic carpet (2009) and on a platformed boat (2010).
But with the two tennis greats facing each other on a floating court, NHL, consider the stakes for spectacle raised.
The Caps took the win in the league's 4th annual event, which was postponed to an 8pm start time due to rain, but garnered the highest ratings of any Winter Classic and was the most watched regular season NHL game since 1975.
The lead play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick couldn't resist the word "spectacle" at least 3 or 4 times during the NBC telecast. Here's what he meant by it.
The opening faceoff at Heinz Field
The game featured an announced crowd of 68,111
Good luck fetching aces
Federer
New Year's Day 2009 in Doha
New Year's Day 2010 in Doha Bay
But with the two tennis greats facing each other on a floating court, NHL, consider the stakes for spectacle raised.
November 29, 2010
The ludicrous narrative for a Korean World Cup in 2022
The voting for the rights to host upcoming FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022 take place on Thursday, December 2nd. Hardly a transparent process, the voting process is rife with secrecy and corruption, leaving no real clues as to whom the World Cups will be awarded.
The 2018 bids are from Russia, England, Spain/Portugal, and Belgium/Netherlands. The 2022 bids are from Qatar, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United States. An executive summary of those bids, as evaluated by FIFA, is available here.
What's troubling, somewhat, is to hear the extent to which FIFA president Sepp Blatter is pushing a certain political agenda for these two Cups, which he deems as potential "legacy" tournaments, as outlined in this Wall Street Journal article:
All in all, considering recent events in the Korean peninsula, such a pie-in-the-sky scenario for a Korean World Cup in 2022 seems preposterous. But, in truth, no less preposterous than FIFA's back-room-dealing, under-the-desk-note-passing, bribe-inducing, and country-colluding voting process in the first place.
The 2018 bids are from Russia, England, Spain/Portugal, and Belgium/Netherlands. The 2022 bids are from Qatar, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United States. An executive summary of those bids, as evaluated by FIFA, is available here.
What's troubling, somewhat, is to hear the extent to which FIFA president Sepp Blatter is pushing a certain political agenda for these two Cups, which he deems as potential "legacy" tournaments, as outlined in this Wall Street Journal article:
"2018 would open Russia to the rest of the world, banishing the ugliness of the Iron Curtain once and for all. 2022, so the narrative goes, would help unify North and South Korea. Such is the power of soccer that, according to the theory, South Korea would happily share its World Cup with its neighbor to the North. That part's not implausible, but the imagined narrative goes further: North Korea would open up in time for 2022, ridding itself of an authoritarian regime (by that point, Kim Jong Il, the Dear Leader, might have made way for his designated successor, Kim Jong Un) and turning the event into a celebration of soccer-propelled international brotherhood."Woefully optimistic at best and delusional at worst, could the power of Sepp Blatter's narrative - along with the executive committee members willing to do his bidding - deliver the 2022 Cup to South Korea, co-hosts (with Japan) in 2002? Lest we forget, it was also Blatter's doings that delivered a World Cup to Africa, which although deserved for South Africa progress as a nation, did not deliver in reality what FIFA's rhetoric had promised - as noted previously on this blog here, here, and here.
World Cup power broker and FIFA President Sepp Blatter
All in all, considering recent events in the Korean peninsula, such a pie-in-the-sky scenario for a Korean World Cup in 2022 seems preposterous. But, in truth, no less preposterous than FIFA's back-room-dealing, under-the-desk-note-passing, bribe-inducing, and country-colluding voting process in the first place.
November 27, 2010
Euro 2012 Mascots Unveiled
How strange is this video introducing the new mascots for Euro 2012, the European soccer championships, to be held jointly by Poland and the Ukraine?
Seriously. These animatrons, of course, look a whole lot better when manifested in material form:
Yikes. Why international sports organizations insist on giving children nightmares via their mascots is beyond me. At least, however, the new Poland/Ukraine mascots are a tad less creepy than their 2012 Olympic counterparts, Wenlock and Mandeville.
Yowza. Names for the Euro 2012 freaks have yet to be determined, as FIFA holds a fan voting competition to determine whether they will be called one of the following: Slavek and Slavko, Siemko and Strimko, or Klemek and Ladko.
The triviality of the spectacle, does it matter?
Seriously. These animatrons, of course, look a whole lot better when manifested in material form:
Yikes. Why international sports organizations insist on giving children nightmares via their mascots is beyond me. At least, however, the new Poland/Ukraine mascots are a tad less creepy than their 2012 Olympic counterparts, Wenlock and Mandeville.
Yowza. Names for the Euro 2012 freaks have yet to be determined, as FIFA holds a fan voting competition to determine whether they will be called one of the following: Slavek and Slavko, Siemko and Strimko, or Klemek and Ladko.
The triviality of the spectacle, does it matter?
November 22, 2010
HBO's 24/7, aka the 2011 NHL Winter Classic hype machine
In no particular order:
- First, playing hockey outdoors is fundamentally special and, also, returns the game "to its' roots." Except for the fireworks and the overwhelming amount of corporate sponsorship, of course.
- Second, HBO behind-the-scenes shows are awesome.
- Third, these two teams have a rivalry that is concentrated around their two superstars, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. And, both teams are Stanley Cup contenders.
- Fourth, although the third narrative will be prevalent - these teams have other characters that will be interesting to watch.
- Fifth, hockey players are tough.
- Sixth, nobody - apparently - knows what hockey players do off the ice.
November 17, 2010
Absolutely brutal...
What a way to run a club.
Seriously, just a brutal breakdown of how the Glazers have run up the debts on one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world. Amazing, to me, is how overall revenues - including game-day revenue - are going up. Too bad the 16% (!!!) interests on those debts have still shackled the team.
Q&A with Kevin Nelson, author of Operation Bullpen
He put the piece on Autograph Magazine's website, which is here.
I really appreciate his help and I think the Q&A is worth a quick read.
I really appreciate his help and I think the Q&A is worth a quick read.
November 15, 2010
It never ends...
...or the Norwegian curling team/John Daly apparel outfitter strikes again.
This time, it's at Morehead State University, where women's basketball coach Tom Hodges whimsically signed a contract with LoudMouth golf to outfit his coaching staff for the 2010-2011 season. "It's a little outside my comfort zone," he said, "but anything that gets Morehead State in the headlines and puts our great university front and center, I'm all for it."
This is Tom Hodges first season as a head coach. At just 27 years old, he will be the youngest D-I women's basketball coach this year. But he's inheriting a squad that went 22-11 last year - the school's best season in three decades - and finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. That season, however, did not include an NCAA tournament berth.
At the end of the day, this just seems silly. But the media attention Hodges and MSU have received does underscore the issue of women's sports coverage in the media. When less than 5% of all sports coverage (on TV) is devoted to women's sports, this stunt is emblematic of the gimmicks required to get some publicity. Kudos to Hodges for realizing that, certainly there are worse ways to get media publicity. Still, I maintain a fragment of hope that it's his team's play can earn some coverage - and not just his garish garb.
This time, it's at Morehead State University, where women's basketball coach Tom Hodges whimsically signed a contract with LoudMouth golf to outfit his coaching staff for the 2010-2011 season. "It's a little outside my comfort zone," he said, "but anything that gets Morehead State in the headlines and puts our great university front and center, I'm all for it."
This is Tom Hodges first season as a head coach. At just 27 years old, he will be the youngest D-I women's basketball coach this year. But he's inheriting a squad that went 22-11 last year - the school's best season in three decades - and finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. That season, however, did not include an NCAA tournament berth.
At the end of the day, this just seems silly. But the media attention Hodges and MSU have received does underscore the issue of women's sports coverage in the media. When less than 5% of all sports coverage (on TV) is devoted to women's sports, this stunt is emblematic of the gimmicks required to get some publicity. Kudos to Hodges for realizing that, certainly there are worse ways to get media publicity. Still, I maintain a fragment of hope that it's his team's play can earn some coverage - and not just his garish garb.
July 23, 2010
Soccer, Kids, and Nostalgia
Some interesting examples of sports messages aimed towards and/or involving kids today. The first is from the Italian Serie A, where the top flight team Fiorentina (based out of Florence) has decided to forgo corporate jersey sponsorship this season in favor of the phrase "Il calcio e un divertimento," which translates into "football is entertainment/fun."
The team's vice president explained that the message is intended to "encourage young people to approach the game without taking it too seriously." All in all, avoiding a corporate sponsorship - if even just for one season - is a good move in my book. Reminds me of a couple teams who have eschewed corporate sponsorship in order to promote a good cause. The biggest of these, by far, is FC Barcelona. Beginning in 2006, the club has donated about $2 million per year to put the children's charity UNICEF on the front of its shirt. It is the only logo to appear on the front of Barcelona's jersey ever
Another example of charitable sponsorship by a soccer club comes from Aston Villa FC, an English Premiership squad that voluntarily placed the name of British children's hospice Acorns on their jersey the past two seasons. In doing so, the team forfeited about $3 million in potential corporate sponsorship per season.
Unfortunately, while Villa has decided to continue sponsoring the hospice, they've made a change in their jersey sponsorship for the upcoming season. Their jerseys will bear the logo of "FxPro," a foreign currency exchange company. The most unfortunate part of the change is that fellow Premiership club Fulham FC will also bear the FxPro logo on their shirts this season.
Finally, here is Sky Sports new commercial for its 2010-2011 coverage of the English Premier League season. It's both endearing and, simply, good.
I would be more ecstatic if it wasn't an advertisement for SkySports, and thus Rupert Murdoch's ever-expanding fortune, but I think there is something more to think about here. Consider the construction of the sport spectacle and how easily the genre is recreated in any format (or, in this case, parodied, perhaps). Find slugs racing each other down an empty sidewalk and bring in announcers, slow-motion, helicopter cameras, and the like, and there you have it.
Even if that's not your cup of tea, you cannot deny the nostalgia dripping from the SkySports spot, emphasizing the myth of professional sports purity. It's the kind of myth that we are constantly reminded of with regards to baseball in the United States, made especially plain by the Little League World Series, an event that combines America's desire for nostalgia with all of the trappings of a professional, commodified sports spectacle. Thank you, ESPN.
Eerily similar to the SkySports advertisement, no?
The team's nickname is "Viola," in reference to the squad's
primary color - purple - as seen in the shirt above.
The team's vice president explained that the message is intended to "encourage young people to approach the game without taking it too seriously." All in all, avoiding a corporate sponsorship - if even just for one season - is a good move in my book. Reminds me of a couple teams who have eschewed corporate sponsorship in order to promote a good cause. The biggest of these, by far, is FC Barcelona. Beginning in 2006, the club has donated about $2 million per year to put the children's charity UNICEF on the front of its shirt. It is the only logo to appear on the front of Barcelona's jersey ever
Perhaps the world's best player, Lionel Messi, and perhaps the world's best team,
FC Barcelona, have partnered with UNICEF since 2006.
As a UNICEF ambassador, Messi recently visited Port Au Prince, Haiti,
on a goodwill mission.
Another example of charitable sponsorship by a soccer club comes from Aston Villa FC, an English Premiership squad that voluntarily placed the name of British children's hospice Acorns on their jersey the past two seasons. In doing so, the team forfeited about $3 million in potential corporate sponsorship per season.
The British children's hospice Acorns, not to be confused
with the politically-troubled ACORN organization in the U.S.
Unfortunately, while Villa has decided to continue sponsoring the hospice, they've made a change in their jersey sponsorship for the upcoming season. Their jerseys will bear the logo of "FxPro," a foreign currency exchange company. The most unfortunate part of the change is that fellow Premiership club Fulham FC will also bear the FxPro logo on their shirts this season.
For 2010-2011 - Fulham on the left, Aston Villa on the right,
bowl of soup not included. I'm sure it looks good on you, though.
Finally, here is Sky Sports new commercial for its 2010-2011 coverage of the English Premier League season. It's both endearing and, simply, good.
I would be more ecstatic if it wasn't an advertisement for SkySports, and thus Rupert Murdoch's ever-expanding fortune, but I think there is something more to think about here. Consider the construction of the sport spectacle and how easily the genre is recreated in any format (or, in this case, parodied, perhaps). Find slugs racing each other down an empty sidewalk and bring in announcers, slow-motion, helicopter cameras, and the like, and there you have it.
Even if that's not your cup of tea, you cannot deny the nostalgia dripping from the SkySports spot, emphasizing the myth of professional sports purity. It's the kind of myth that we are constantly reminded of with regards to baseball in the United States, made especially plain by the Little League World Series, an event that combines America's desire for nostalgia with all of the trappings of a professional, commodified sports spectacle. Thank you, ESPN.
Eerily similar to the SkySports advertisement, no?
July 8, 2010
New logo video for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
This whole presentation is both interesting and weird at the same time.
And the logo, I guess it looks fine. I'm not as blown away by it as Paulo Coelho but, then again, I'm no Paulo Coelho.
More posts will come. The rigors of schoolwork and dissertation aren't mixing so well right now, but hopefully they'll even out soon.
And the logo, I guess it looks fine. I'm not as blown away by it as Paulo Coelho but, then again, I'm no Paulo Coelho.
More posts will come. The rigors of schoolwork and dissertation aren't mixing so well right now, but hopefully they'll even out soon.
July 1, 2010
June 30, 2010
June 25, 2010
The Daily Show tackles the World Cup
The following is a great piece from Daily Show correspondent John Oliver, who uncovers the commercialization and gentrification of the World Cup in Africa. Just enjoy.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| World Cup 2010: Into Africa - Goal Diggers | ||||
| ||||
June 21, 2010
Is this the new currency in NCAA FB recruiting?
An interesting blog post last week from the excellent college sports blog over at The Chronicle for Higher Education details the success of the University of Oregon's video production department, hailing the athletic department's video coordinator Steve Pohl as "the Speilberg of College Sports." The first video below, from Pohl and UO with the help of digital film production house Pushplay Productions, recently won an award at the 2010 College Sports Video Summit, where it took home the prize for best college sports video of the year.
Big deal, you might say. But considering the video went up against entries from ESPN (promo work for the College Baseball World Series) and CBS (the 2010 NCAA basketball championship game between Butler and Duke), well, it actually is kind of a big deal.
What makes it an even bigger deal is that productions like this and university employees like Steve Pohl are considered unnecessary by the committee charged with helping the NCAA rein in spending, the Knight Commission. Considering these video producers and products do nothing to help the health or mind of the student-athlete, there's no arguing that they are superfluous economically. However, the question is, how important are slick videos like this for satiating both the fans and potential recruits? While I hope an 8-minute season montage won't be the deciding factor for standout high school football athletes, it has become just one more perk in the long list at the University of Oregon, where being the best means having the coolest stuff: the close relationship with Nike founder Phil Knight, the country's wildest athlete academic center, and an almost-innumerable amount of uniform combinations.
Oregon Football 2009 Season Highlights from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.
Watching the video does make me wonder, however, if "the medium is the message" for both recruits and fans. Also, I always love watching videos like this just to see what gets omitted. Where's LeGarrette Blount, the running back who sucker punched a Boise State University player and had to be restrained and escorted off the field by police after a game in Boise last September? Or the team's dreadful graduation rate (49%)?
Anyway, I guess I should be thanking my lucky Title IX stars that the video production team isn't all about football. Here's a slightly-less inspiring video about the Ducks' 2010 Track and Field team.
Oregon Track and Field 2010 from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.
Yeah. Can you believe they (Pushplay Productions/Oregon) have the music rights to Phoenix? I guess after you saw the shattering opponent football players in the first video, you're ready to believe anything. Like, that they spelled "Field" wrong in the Track and Field video.
Um, yeah. What about those graduation rates again?
Big deal, you might say. But considering the video went up against entries from ESPN (promo work for the College Baseball World Series) and CBS (the 2010 NCAA basketball championship game between Butler and Duke), well, it actually is kind of a big deal.
What makes it an even bigger deal is that productions like this and university employees like Steve Pohl are considered unnecessary by the committee charged with helping the NCAA rein in spending, the Knight Commission. Considering these video producers and products do nothing to help the health or mind of the student-athlete, there's no arguing that they are superfluous economically. However, the question is, how important are slick videos like this for satiating both the fans and potential recruits? While I hope an 8-minute season montage won't be the deciding factor for standout high school football athletes, it has become just one more perk in the long list at the University of Oregon, where being the best means having the coolest stuff: the close relationship with Nike founder Phil Knight, the country's wildest athlete academic center, and an almost-innumerable amount of uniform combinations.
Oregon Football 2009 Season Highlights from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.
Watching the video does make me wonder, however, if "the medium is the message" for both recruits and fans. Also, I always love watching videos like this just to see what gets omitted. Where's LeGarrette Blount, the running back who sucker punched a Boise State University player and had to be restrained and escorted off the field by police after a game in Boise last September? Or the team's dreadful graduation rate (49%)?
Anyway, I guess I should be thanking my lucky Title IX stars that the video production team isn't all about football. Here's a slightly-less inspiring video about the Ducks' 2010 Track and Field team.
Oregon Track and Field 2010 from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.
Yeah. Can you believe they (Pushplay Productions/Oregon) have the music rights to Phoenix? I guess after you saw the shattering opponent football players in the first video, you're ready to believe anything. Like, that they spelled "Field" wrong in the Track and Field video.
Um, yeah. What about those graduation rates again?
New York Stadium Documentary
The following is an internet documentary from the blog Internets Celebrities, a tandem of bloggers and a videographer who seek to "expose all sorts of injustice - economic, political, and culinary." Their most recent effort takes aim at the two brand new baseball stadiums that opened to the Yankees and Mets, respectively, last year.
In the film, they talk to noted stadium critic, and author of the excellent blog Field of Schemes, Neil deMause, and make general observations on how crazy it is to spend billions on stadia. Enjoy.
Stadium Status from Internets Celebrities on Vimeo.
In the film, they talk to noted stadium critic, and author of the excellent blog Field of Schemes, Neil deMause, and make general observations on how crazy it is to spend billions on stadia. Enjoy.
Stadium Status from Internets Celebrities on Vimeo.
June 17, 2010
Rough week for South Africa, mega-profits for FIFA
Wednesday, on the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, now commemorated as South African Youth Day, the country had a bit of a rough go of it, to say the least. Not only did their beloved Bafana Bafana fall to Uruguay by an embarrassing 3-0 scoreline, but their team will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, for their next game (against France) after he was shown a straight red card in the 76th minute. The loss means that the team needs something just short of a miracle to progress out of the group stage and make the second round.
The problems for South Africa, however, don't end there. In Durban today, approximately three thousand South Africans showed up outside Moses Mabhida Stadium to protest the government's lucrative spending to stage the World Cup tournament. With 40% of the country's population living on less than $2 per day, much of the criticism in the build up to the World Cup has centered on whether the South African government should have spent money, specifically, on stadiums that will become obsolete after the tournament ends.
The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, for example, a 43,500-seat stadium built specifically for this month's tournament cost the nation's taxpayers about $140 million and will host just four World Cup matches. That's a cost of about $35 million per game! Known as the "Giraffe Stadium," there's no denying the beauty of the facility, but many of the residents in the surrounding areas (just a hundred yards in some cases) suffer from a lack of electricity, paved roads, proper housing, and clean water.
The protest came just days after riot police in Durban used tear gas and rubber bullets to dissipate a protest by local security guards who claimed that they had been underpaid for their services. According to the New York Times, the guards were promised about $200 per day for a 12-hour shift; instead, on their first day of work, they received just $27 for their workday in and around the Mabhida Stadium in Durban. As a result of that protest on Monday, security guards in Durban and at other stadiums throughout South Africa have gone on labor strikes and forced FIFA to ask police to take over security at venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.
Adding to this already-volatile situation, earlier this week, South African energy officials asked their citizens to "reduce their consumption of electricity" to ensure the tournament does not face any energy disruption. Even though each of the country's 8 World Cup stadiums have backup generators, there is still a concern that the country's union of energy workers could strike at the state-owned energy company responsible for producing most of the country's electricity.
At the end of the day, a consistent level of anger has been leveled at FIFA, soccer's governing body, which demanded the South African government spend upwards of $4.3 billion to build new facilities and the infrastructure required for hosting a tournament of this magnitude. And while South Africa will struggle with the lingering financial issues of staging the tournament, FIFA is set to reap profits of up to $2.5 billion from the sale of broadcast rights, marketing, and tickets for the tournament. The best part? As an officially-registered charity in Switzerland, FIFA will pay $0 in taxes on that profit.
The problems for South Africa, however, don't end there. In Durban today, approximately three thousand South Africans showed up outside Moses Mabhida Stadium to protest the government's lucrative spending to stage the World Cup tournament. With 40% of the country's population living on less than $2 per day, much of the criticism in the build up to the World Cup has centered on whether the South African government should have spent money, specifically, on stadiums that will become obsolete after the tournament ends.
The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, for example, a 43,500-seat stadium built specifically for this month's tournament cost the nation's taxpayers about $140 million and will host just four World Cup matches. That's a cost of about $35 million per game! Known as the "Giraffe Stadium," there's no denying the beauty of the facility, but many of the residents in the surrounding areas (just a hundred yards in some cases) suffer from a lack of electricity, paved roads, proper housing, and clean water.
The orange trusses that support the roof of the Mbombela Stadium
were designed to look like giraffes.
The protest came just days after riot police in Durban used tear gas and rubber bullets to dissipate a protest by local security guards who claimed that they had been underpaid for their services. According to the New York Times, the guards were promised about $200 per day for a 12-hour shift; instead, on their first day of work, they received just $27 for their workday in and around the Mabhida Stadium in Durban. As a result of that protest on Monday, security guards in Durban and at other stadiums throughout South Africa have gone on labor strikes and forced FIFA to ask police to take over security at venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.
Adding to this already-volatile situation, earlier this week, South African energy officials asked their citizens to "reduce their consumption of electricity" to ensure the tournament does not face any energy disruption. Even though each of the country's 8 World Cup stadiums have backup generators, there is still a concern that the country's union of energy workers could strike at the state-owned energy company responsible for producing most of the country's electricity.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter illustrating how much he cares about
South Africa's financial situation. About yay-much.
At the end of the day, a consistent level of anger has been leveled at FIFA, soccer's governing body, which demanded the South African government spend upwards of $4.3 billion to build new facilities and the infrastructure required for hosting a tournament of this magnitude. And while South Africa will struggle with the lingering financial issues of staging the tournament, FIFA is set to reap profits of up to $2.5 billion from the sale of broadcast rights, marketing, and tickets for the tournament. The best part? As an officially-registered charity in Switzerland, FIFA will pay $0 in taxes on that profit.
June 14, 2010
Microsoft and ESPN bring media convergence to sport
Beginning in November, if you own an Xbox 360 and subscribe to Xbox Live, you will be able to watch ESPN3 live and on-demand through your magical Microsoft box. The entertainment device already boasts connections to Netflix and other kinds of entertainment content, but it's safe to say that today's announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opens the world of sports broadcasting to an intriguing new medium.
Importantly for both companies, however, this new feature will be exclusive to the Xbox, leaving Microsoft competitors Nintendo and Sony out in the cold. Both console-developing companies, however, have made strides within the past year to make their mark in the streaming sports world. Just a few months ago, Sony made a deal with Major League Baseball to supply a live streaming service through the Playstation.
It also means that there are some new features forthcoming as a result of the convergence. According to their presentation, the Xbox/ESPN experience will also feature "live trivia, polls, and clips from ESPN shows like SportsCenter." For ESPN's Digital Media GM, John Kosner, streaming programming through the Xbox can create a "live even experience" that "reach[es] a group that we don't normally reach."
Two SportsCenter anchors were on hand at E3 today to
show this picture of USC players hugging.
Importantly for both companies, however, this new feature will be exclusive to the Xbox, leaving Microsoft competitors Nintendo and Sony out in the cold. Both console-developing companies, however, have made strides within the past year to make their mark in the streaming sports world. Just a few months ago, Sony made a deal with Major League Baseball to supply a live streaming service through the Playstation.
The kids are going to want to do this, ESPN thinks.
It also means that there are some new features forthcoming as a result of the convergence. According to their presentation, the Xbox/ESPN experience will also feature "live trivia, polls, and clips from ESPN shows like SportsCenter." For ESPN's Digital Media GM, John Kosner, streaming programming through the Xbox can create a "live even experience" that "reach[es] a group that we don't normally reach."
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