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Mayweather vs McGregor: The Hype Was Long, the Fight Will Not Be

When Floyd “Money” Mayweather faces Conor McGregor in the ring tomorrow night at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the boxing world anticipates all box-office records to be broken, with 50 million people expected to watch the fight and as much as $700 million to be grossed by the contest. With both fighters’ obtaining purses well into the nine figures, Mayweather and McGregor figures to be the fight of the century. It’s unlike any fight we’ve seen before, with the greatest boxer of his generation and perhaps of all-time in Mayweather, going up against someone who has never thrown a punch in a professional boxing match in McGregor. It’s bad guy versus bad guy, with Mayweather being criticized for domestic abuse and McGregor being knocked for his racism.

“Pretty Boy Floyd” or “Money Mayweather” boasts a perfect 49-0 record with 26 knockouts, as he attempts to overtake former heavyweight legend, Rocky Marciano, who retired at Mayweather’s current record of 49-0. Mayweather is widely regarded as the best defensive boxer of all time, with quick, evasive movements and tactful strategy that has given him his perfect record at the age of 40. His net worth is estimated at $350 million, while this fight projects for him to more than double that net worth, with a $400 million dollar pay day.

Conor McGregor is the natural fan favorite as the underdog who grew up in the slums of Ireland and has maintained the persistence to overcome many obstacles. He started boxing at the age of 12, before quickly transitioning to MMA at the age of 15. However, he has never fought in a professional boxing match. In the UFC, he has boasted an impressive 21-3 record, with 18 of those 21 victories coming by knockout. He is known as a quick and violent striker who prefers to end fights quickly with his punching ability. This vastly contrasting style to Mayweather has caused confusion among the betting world.

This will be the most bet boxing match in Nevada when the fight happens on Saturday, August 26th. But even the Las Vegas oddsmakers, with decades of experience, have been surprised by the betting patterns and where the lines may still go. After McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez at the UFC 205 in November, and speculation of the Mayweather/McGregor fight started, most books had Mayweather starting as a -2250 favorite with McGregor coming back at +950. When the fight became official, Mayweather dropped down to a -800 favorite, with McGregor coming back at +500. On Thursday, multiple 7 figure bets landed in Vegas on Mayweather which now, on Friday morning, has the fight at Mayweather -570 and McGregor at around +400.

Well, what does McGregor have going for him? To start, he’s younger, he’s bigger, and he’s fresher. It will have been 714 days for Mayweather between his last fight and this one against McGregor. McGregor is in his prime at 28 years young, with Mayweather being 12 years his senior at 40 years old. During their “World Tour,” McGregor thoroughly verbally abused Mayweather in attacking his age. Talented in his own right at promotion, McGregor talked a big game in predicting a huge victory for himself, and seemingly won over the majority of the world in rooting for the Irishman.

Mayweather vs McGregor — Defense versus Offense. Experience versus Youth. Black versus White. America versus Ireland. Boxing versus MMA. Mayweather – McGregor is the most anticipated boxing match of all-time.

At the end of the day however, you cannot overlook the fact that the best boxer of his generation and arguably of all-time, is facing someone who has never competed in the sport. Is Conor McGregor a great athlete, an unrelenting competitor, and one of the best “fighters” the world has ever seen … yes. Does that mean he can quickly transition into the sport of boxing and beat the best in the sport … absolutely not. Boxing is a sport that requires finesse, skill, and experience. If you look at the training videos between the two fighters and listen to the boxing experts, Mayweather and McGregor are in two different hemispheres and I anticipate that to be exposed on Saturday night.

While Money Mayweather is not a knockout boxer, the discrepancy of skill between these two in the sport of boxing simply cannot be overlooked, and I believe point to a very one-sided affair. One in which will result in a quick end to the fight. The rich get richer, and Pretty Boy Floyd knocks out McGregor to capture the coveted perfect record of 50-0.

August 25, 2017 0

The Greatest Dynasty of All Time

A sports dynasty is defined very concisely as a “team or individual that dominates their sport or league for an extended length of time.” Or more broadly defined by Merriam’s Webster Dictionary “a powerful group that maintains its position for a considerable time.”

The very nature of a dynasty evokes a physiological sense of envy. If you’re looking up from the bottom, “they’re cheaters!” … and if you’re at the top looking down, “they hate us cuz they ain’t us.” This lofty term could not ring any more true than it does with what now can be considered as one of the greatest professional sports dynasties in the modern sports era … the New England Patriots.

Their story is one from a fairy tale … their star QB Drew Bledsoe going down against their hated rival (the New York Jets) in 2001, only for their 2^ndyear, 6^th round draft pick QB Tom Brady to survive a snowstorm and invent the “Tuck Rule” against Oakland and go on to lead his team to their first ever Super Bowl win in 2001 as a -14 point underdog to the St Louis Rams. Since then, they have not had one losing season, they’ve won 15 divisional titles and played in 12 AFC Championship games, been to 7 Super Bowls, and are attempting to win their 5^th Super Bowl title next Sunday. They’ve won 196 times (average of 13.75 wins per season) in the regular season since 2001 (next closest is the Colts with 166). In the playoffs, they have 24 victories (9 more than the next closest in the Steelers).

brady-tuck-rule — Brady celebrates after defeating Oakland. The birth of the “Tuck Rule” allowed the Pats to maintain the football on a critical drive, setting the stage for Adam Vinatieri and the Patriots to win their first ever Super Bowl Title.

Undoubtedly, there has been controversy … whether it was “Spygate” in 2007 where Head Coach Bill Belichick was disciplined by the league for videotaping the Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals from an unauthorized location, or it was “Deflategate” in 2015 where Tom Brady was accused of tampering with footballs in the AFC Title game against the Colts. $1 million dollar fines, loss of draft picks, and the suspension of their superstar players. Most recently, there was a rule change surrounding Belichick’s deceptive offensive substitution methods which “unfairly” confused defenses. Oh and mixed in there, one of their star players was charged with murder and sentenced to life.

Before we digress any further, what this conversation should naturally lend itself to is the discussion of whether this Patriots franchise is truly the greatest dynasty in the history of sports or, perhaps more specifically, of the modern sports era?

Comparing dynasties is hard because you’re not comparing apples to apples … and thus there is some wiggle room based on how you evaluate league structure, salary cap constraints, league competitiveness and a number of other variables relative to the number of titles won over a period of time.

spursdynasty — Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs are probably the most comparable modern sports dynasty (5 Titles in 17 years from 1999-2014) to the New England Patriots.

Let’s start with the NBA. You have the Boston Celtics who won 11 NBA Championships in the span of 13 years from 1957-69 led by Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. You have MJ’s Chicago Bulls who won 6 titles in 8 years (1991 – 98). And most recently the San Antonio Spurs, who have taken 5 NBA Championships in the last 17 years (’99, ’03, ’05, ’07 and ’14) under Tim Duncan. The difference between basketball and football is there are 5 players playing at one time for a team versus 11 in football. Historically it has been a sport that has catered to superstars being able to carry their team and thus much easier to dominate, just ask Lebron, MJ, Russell or Magic.

boston-celtics-banners — Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics won 11 NBA Championships in 13 years from 1957-1969.

The MLB of course belongs to the Bronx Bombers, where the New York Yankees rattled off 16 World Series from 1936-64 in what started with the rise of Joe DiMaggio and ended with the twilight of Mickey Mantle. The caveat here was there weren’t any playoffs back then; rather, it was simply the team with the best record who went right to the World Series.

dimaggioandmantle — Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees won 16 World Series titles from 1936-64.

The NHL’s best dynasty was the Montreal Canadians who won 16 Stanley Cup Finals from 1951-1979 … although at the time there were only 6 teams in the league and thus simply not comparable.

Two of the greatest dynasties in sports came from college basketball. John Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to 13 Final Four appearances and won 10 national titles from 1962-76, and on the women’s side, Geno Aueriemma has led the UConn Lady Huskies to win 11 of the last 21 national championships. The Lady Huskies have been to nine straight Final Fours and have two separate win streaks of 90 or more games. While these are respectable in their own right, college athletics is simply not comparable to professional sports. The NCAA actually lends itself to “dynasties” by its very structure. There is no draft or salary cap, and so when a team wins a championship, they’re able to attract the best recruits in the country and consequently you see “rich get richer” phenomena … look at John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats and Nick Saban’s Alabama Tide.

The salary cap, the draft, numerous penalties (loss of draft picks, fines, suspensions), countless personnel changes … and through it all Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have built, what should be considered the greatest sports dynasty of the modern era.

If you live outside New England you hate them – the star QB is a little too perfectly polished, he’s a little too pretty, he has the supermodel wife, and has been accused of facilitating the deflation of footballs in one game; while the mastermind coach wears ragged hoodies, says absolutely nothing to the media, and has been accused of filming opposing coaches to gain a strategic advantage.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, one cannot ignore the magnitude of what this New England Patriots team has accomplished over the last 16 years. An empire, a dictatorship, a dynasty … you can call them whatever you want. They win.

And while their diehard fan-base loves coining commandments like “Do your job”, “In Belichick, We Trust” and “The GOAT” … if in fact this Patriots team does beat the Atlanta Falcons and Roger Goodell has to hand them their 5th Super Bowl trophy in 16 years next Sunday, there will be little doubt that this dynasty is the “Greatest of All Time.”

January 26, 2017 0

Best Opening Weekend of College Football Ever?

While many Americans prepare for their fantasy football drafts this weekend before the NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 8^th, Christmas has come a week early for football fans with what ESPN is calling the “greatest opening weekend in college football history.”

When you look at these opening weekend match-ups, you’ll understand the hype. #1 Alabama vs #20 USC (Arlington, TX), #18 Georgia vs #22 North Carolina (Atlanta), #2 Clemson at Auburn, #5 LSU at Wisconsin (Green Bay, WI), #10 Notre Dame at Texas, #3 Oklahoma vs #15 Houston, #11 Mississippi vs #4 Florida State (Orlando, FL), #16 UCLA at Texas A&M, and Kansas State at #8 Stanford. Just a half decade ago, this would have seemed like an impossible dream as virtually no coach in the top 25 (or near the top 25) would gamble so early in the season. Traditionally, the opening weeks of the college football season have been riddled with blowout after blowout as coaches of top teams would schedule “cupcake games” to prepare their teams for their tougher conference schedule.

Leonard Fournette is one of the preseason favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Fournette and the LSU Tigers rumble with the Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field this weekend.

Not anymore. The college football playoff selection committee has made it very clear that the strength of schedule will play a major role in the selection process for the four-team playoff. Scheduling philosophies changed seemingly overnight as athletic directors and coaches shifted focus.

In the old Bowl Championship Series that relied purely on mathematical formulas that favored undefeated records, teams had little incentive to schedule tough non-conference games. The key was getting to 12-0 or 13-0 with little consideration for fans, players or entertainment value. The tables have turned for the better.

To get a better picture of how incredible this opening weekend is; consider that this weekend has four non-conference games between preseason ranked teams; now consider that in 2009 there were four of those … the entire season. In the 2010 season there were only 5.

Another unique factor of the first weekend of college football is the simple economics of big neutral site games with USC and Alabama playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX; Georgia and UNC playing in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA; LSU and Wisconsin playing at Lambeu Field in Green Bay, WI; and Ole Miss taking on Florida State in the Orlando Citrus Bowl. The big, professional venues provide huge opportunities for both teams and conferences to cash in on these Labor Day Weekend matchups.

The most watched game of the weekend should be the USC-Alabama matchup Saturday night at 8pm on ABC, which should challenge the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech season opener a decade ago as the most watched Saturday Night college football opener ever. While the best matchup of the weekend on paper will come on Monday night with #4 FSU and #11 Ole Miss.

Undoubtedly, the best opening weekend in college football in quite some time … if not, all time.

September 2, 2016 0

Historic Month of April Basketball

On Wednesday, the nation witnessed the most historic last day of the NBA regular season in its 70^th year of existence. Not only did Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors break an NBA best regular season record with its 73^rd win to top the 95-96 Chicago Bulls 72 win season, but Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in his last ever basketball game. Oh and if that wasn’t enough action, the Boston Celtics overcame a 26-point deficit in a playoff-impacting game against the Miami Heat.

Not many people believed that the Golden State Warriors were going to top the season they had last year … well that’s exactly what they did. They added the exclamation mark on Wednesday by surpassing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls with the best ever regular season record of 73-9. Steph Curry hit yet another milestone, hitting 10 three-pointers to cross the 400 mark … the first player to ever do that. While Curry is the engine that makes the Warriors go, the other half of the “Splash Brothers” duo, Klay Thompson, finished the year with 276 of his own threes, giving them the best two shooters in the league.

There is a saying that goes “records are meant to be broken.” Well, many experts thought that 72-10 record held by the ’95-’96 Bulls was one of those records that never was going to be broken. The fact that the Warriors did it in their last game, at home, made it all that much more special. Any sport fan, basketball fan or not, should appreciate the level of which Steph Curry and the Warriors are performing … it has never been done before and may very well, never happen again.

On the very same night, Kobe Bryant, the Black Mamba, ended his career in historic fashion, dropping 60 points on the Utah Jazz. Easily considered one of the best ever to play the game, Kobe played 20 great seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. Announcing his retirement prior to the season, every game was a farewell to Kobe when he travelled to opposing arenas. Wednesday was the epic finale to the season-long Kobe farewell in true LA / Hollywood fashion. Twitter blew up with Kobe appreciation tweets, SnapChat had a geo-filter announcing it Black Mamba day … StubHub was selling tickets at $27,500 (and $900 to just get into the stadium).

Kobe’s career was eventful to say the least. From being one of the first players to be drafted right out of high school, to being accused of sexual assault, to winning 3 consecutive NBA championships, to being named an 18-time NBA All-Star … Kobe Bryant made a name for himself. He certainly had his critics who spoke out against his sexual assault allegations, to the way he conducted his retirement announcement, and even saying his 22-50 shooting performance in his last game was average. No matter what your view of Kobe Bryant is, what cannot be disputed is his impact on this generation of basketball fans, as he will forever be remembered as one of the best to ever play the game.

Kobe Bryant said good bye to the Los Angeles faithful, after completing his 20th and final NBA season on Wednesday night. He went on to score 60 points on 22-50 shooting. — Kobe Bryant said good-bye to the Los Angeles faithful, after completing his 20th and final NBA season on Wednesday night. He went on to score 60 points on 22-50 shooting.

Needless to say it’s been a very exciting month for basketball fans everywhere, as the college basketball season ended in dramatic fashion on April 4^th, when Villanova upset UNC on a buzzer beater 77-74 in what was considered one of the best NCAA Championship finals ever. And today, the highly anticipated NBA playoffs begin.

While it is hard to imagine the NFL being replaced as the most popular league in this country, the NBA is certainly on its heels.

April 16, 2016 0

Why America Loves Steph Curry

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting in my college dorm room at Georgetown, watching this slender, baby-faced sophomore put a cinderella #10 seeded Davidson team on his back and upset my #2 seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the 2^nd round of the NCAA tournament in 2008. Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and rallied little Davidson from 17 points behind, past the Hoyas. While this upset would start a trend of early NCAA tournament heartbreak exits for the Hoyas, never would it be done in single-handed fashion as Curry managed to do it against JT III’s group in 2008.

A star was born.

Davidson's Curry celebrates after a three-pointer against Wisconsin during their NCAA basketball game in Detroit — Overlooked by each ACC school, Curry was given a shot by Davidson and he went on to break virtually every single NCAA 3-point record while leading Davidson to the Elite 8 in 2008.

Stephen Curry was overlooked by just about every power conference school in the country. Many ACC schools would not even invite him to walk on to their rosters, and Virginia Tech (where both of Steph’s parents excelled as student-athletes) didn’t even take a look at him. The beanpole guard out of Charlotte Christian School (NC) went on to Davidson, who took a chance on him. He proceeded to become the all-time leading scorer in Davidson basketball history (in just 3 years), was the 2009 NCAA Division 1 scoring leader, and the year before, broke the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals in a single season with 162.

People finally knew who Stephen Curry was.

StephCurry1 — Steph Curry ended a 40 year NBA championship drought for Golden State after having an MVP season for the Warriors in 2014-15.

Taken 7^th by the Golden State Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft, Curry has electrified the NBA. Obviously his MVP and title-winning season last year followed up with unworldly 24-0 winning streak to begin this 2015-16 NBA season has highlighted his unprecedented NBA career. Yesterday, Steph Curry was named the 2015 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, beating double major winner Jordan Spieth and Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah.

PicPlayPostPhoto — American Pharoah (top) and Jordan Spieth (bottom), were the runner-ups in the 2015 AP Male Athlete of the Year voting after their own respective record breaking years.

While his stats, records and awards document his greatness, his immense popularity is far less tangible. Unlike most NBA greats (Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James) who commonly rely on their height and athletic ability, Curry’s game relies on skills that he has developed: shooting, dribbling, and passing. His underdog story of not receiving any major scholarship offers coming out high school, being the third point guard taken in the 2009 draft, and a below-market contract extension three years ago, speaks to his perseverance and grit.

America likes rooting for the underdog.

His jersey is now the bestseller in the league. His team’s games get record television ratings at home and in opposing markets. He has built Under Armour into a $3 billion sportswear company. His 3-year-old daughter, Riley, has become a star in news conferences. As ESPN analyst Jalen Rose puts it, “Steph allows us into his living room. [America] is watching him on a national stage be a son, a dad, a husband, a father, a brother. And he does all of it while continuing to improve.”

StephCurryAndRiley — Steph Curry and his 3-year old daughter, Riley, at a playoff postgame press conference.

Steph Curry is human and that is why America loves him.

December 27, 2015 0

Signs Support Super Bowl Showdown in Santa Clara

I really do not like to hype up major sporting events, but when I do, there is usually a good reason. I understand it’s only the day after Christmas, but it’s not too early to start looking at Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. And if everything goes as planned in the AFC and NFC playoffs in January and the best teams in the NFL “hold serve”, the biggest sporting event in America will pit the undefeated Carolina Panthers against the defending champions, New England Patriots.

Super Bowl 50 will be the first Super Bowl logo not to have roman numerals in it. It will also be played in the league’s newest, most technologically advanced venue, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

The storylines would be innumerable. On what will be the 50^th anniversary of the Super Bowl, you would have the NFL’s biggest surprise (and quite likely undefeated) in the Carolina Panthers against the team who has owned the NFL for the last 15 years in the New England Patriots. You would have the League’s two best quarterbacks and front-runners to win the MVP in Cam Newton and Tom Brady. The cocky “Dabbin’ Superman” versus the humble “Golden Boy.” You would have a rematch of Super Bowl 38, in which the Patriots narrowly won 32-29. You would have the northeast part of the country rooting for the Patriots to win their 5^th super bowl in 15 years, while just about everyone else (including Roger Goodell and the NFL) rooting for the Panthers, who have not won a Super Bowl in their twenty seasons as an NFL franchise.

Cam Newton, and his infamous "Dab", has taken the NFL by storm this season by leading the Panthers to an undefeated record. — Cam Newton, and his infamous “Dab”, has taken the NFL by storm this season by leading the Panthers to an undefeated record.

Of course, many people will say “it’s way to early to predict a Panthers and Patriots Super Bowl.” First, you have the Pittsburgh Steelers who are coming off impressive wins over both the Bengals and the Broncos. The red hot Steelers will likely get their chance at a rematch of their season opener against the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round. In the NFC, the Seahawks currently look better than when they won the NFC the last two years. If the Panthers manage to get past them in the NFC Divisional Round, they’ll likely have a very good Arizona Cardinals team in the NFC Conference Championship. Moreover the Panthers have been miraculously holding on in games against the Packers, Saints and most recently the Giants, which suggest an eventual fourth quarter collapse is inevitable. The Patriots, meanwhile, have been devastated by injuries to Danny Amendola, Patrick Chung, Dion Lewis, Rob Gronkowski and Dont’a Hightower, not to mention Julian Edelman. A major question mark remains whether or not this team will be healthy in the playoffs.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have won 4 Super Bowls in the last 14 years ... they will be going for number 5 in the next 6 weeks. — Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have won 4 Super Bowls in the last 14 years … they will be going for number 5 in the next 6 weeks.

Having said all that, Vegas still favors the Patriots and the Panthers to win Super Bowl 50, with the Patriots at +333 odds of winning it all and the Panthers at +400. The next most likely team to win the whole thing is the Arizona Cardinals with odds of +650. At least at the moment, all signs point to a showdown in Santa Clara, CA (where Tom Brady grew up) between the perfect Panthers and the despised Pats.

The NFL season started with Brady and Goodell butting heads in “Deflategate” and it could very well end with Goodell handing Brady and the Patriots the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Brady’s hometown. Needless to say, the very confident Cam Newton will undoubtedly have something to say about that. It is only December, but all signs point to Super Bowl 50 being one of the best ever.

December 26, 2015 0

Social Media & Sports

Professional athletes in today’s world are in the public eye more than ever given the incredible impact of social media. This week Johnny Manziel was demoted from the Cleveland Brown’s starting quarterback position to a third string option when a video surfaced of him partying in Austin, TX during the Browns bye week. On Wednesday night, a video surfaced of the Philadelphia 76ers star rookie, Jahlil Okafor, getting into a street fight in Boston and knocking a person to the ground.

By this point, understanding the impact social media can play should not be considered earth shattering news to anyone. As pictures that surface on Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram can have harmful effects for any professional whether it be in finance, law, medicine, education … you name the career field. In this day in age, people can very quickly snap a picture or video and send it out to the world that could have ramifying effects.

After the 76ers lost their 16^th straight game, you can understand why the likely Rookie-of-the-Year winner, Jahlil Okafor, was frustrated. A source close to Okafor said someone on the street mentioned, “the 76ers suck and you guys are all losers. You’ll never win a game …” This evoked the following reaction from Okafor:

Obviously, an incredibly immature and irresponsible reaction on Okafor’s part that probably should have resulted in an arrest for assault. Time will tell what sort of punishment he will face from the 76ers but hopefully this will serve as a wakeup call for the young 19 year-old as to do’s and dont’s as a professional.

Johnny Manziel or “Johnny Football”, on the other hand, has been involved in numerous off-the field incidents involving partying that stems back to his time at Texas A&M. Coming from a family of substantial wealth, Manziel has done what he has wanted since the beginning and is now quickly learning how its effecting his professional career.

One week after being named the team’s starter, Manziel was demoted to third string for Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after this video surfaced showing Manziel holding a bottle a champagne in a club during the team’s bye week.

Professional athletes are celebrities who are constantly in the limelight. Just as they’re expected to keep their composure on the field or court, they are expected to do the same off it as well. They are commodities that are paid millions of dollars a year to represent their organization. Today, there is a growing trend of more and more GM’s putting considerably more stock into researching players’ off the field habits and lifestyle, before investing that amount of money into them. It stems down to the collegiate level as well, where you see more and more college coaches checking their high school recruits’ social media profiles before offering them a scholarship.

The days of simply being “good enough” or “not having the rules apply” are over. Athletes, at all levels, are in the public eye to a certain degree, so making smart decisions off the field has become more important than ever with the increasing accessibility of social media.

November 27, 2015 0

Jurgen Klinsmann & US Soccer in the Perpetual Hot Seat

There are several high-pressured positions in the vast world of sports; however, few are surrounded by more scrutiny than that of the Head Coach of the US Men’s National Soccer Team. Jurgen Klinsmann was the highly sought after man from Germany that the U.S. had to wait for but eventually got, back in 2011.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann was the coveted man for the US Men's National Team head coaching job. — Coach Jurgen Klinsmann was the coveted man for the US Men’s National Team head coaching job.

This past summer Jurgen and the Yanks saw the highest of highs (beating the #1 and #3 teams in the world in Germany and the Netherlands) simultaneously with the lowest of lows (a penalty-kick defeat to Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 3^rd place game). Things only got worse a few weeks ago when the US suffered an agonizing 3-2 overtime defeat to their arch-rival Mexico eliminating any hope of them qualifying for the Confederations Cup in 2017.

The US U17 MNT failed to record a win in the qualifying round of the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile.

Moreover the youth National teams have not faired much better recently. The U17 Men’s National Team did not record a single win in their three games in the U17 World Cup this October in Chile (2-0 loss to Nigeria, 4-1 loss to Chile and a 2-2 draw to Croatia). The U20 Team is winless in their last three contests, including an 8-1 drubbing in Germany.

And yet many think Klinsmann’s job is safe. Sunil Gulati, the President of the US Soccer Federation, hired him and extended his contract through 2018 after his performance in the 2014 World Cup. He is the highest paid coach in U.S. soccer coaching history by a wide margin. His salary is rumored to have surpassed the $3 million mark after getting a hefty raise following the 2014 World Cup.

In looking at the US Men’s National Team’s body of work over the last 6 years it’s hard to argue with their consistent presence. Only 9 countries have been to 4 out of the last 6 World Cup knockout rounds, and only 8 have been to 3 out of the last 4 knockout rounds… the US are in both of these groups. The US can also boast being one of only 7 countries to qualify for each of the last 7 World Cups. A third place 1999 Confederations Cup finish, a 2^nd place 2009 Confederations Cup placing and several Gold Cups, it is actually relatively easy to argue that the US is in that upper tier of countries.

But it is difficult to say much more than that … as the US still has yet to cross that threshold into the elite that Americans have come to expect from their national teams. You still cannot mention US soccer in the same breath as Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. And until that day comes, the position Jurgen Klinsmann holds as Head Coach of the US Men’s National Soccer Team will continue to be a tumultuous one.

The US loss to Jamaica in the Semi-Finals of the Gold Cup was the beginning of a very disappointing stretch of results for the US Men's National Team. — The US loss to Jamaica in the Semi-Finals of the Gold Cup was the beginning of a very disappointing stretch of results for the US Men’s National Team.

Combine the summer’s Gold Cup debacle with their most recent 3-2 loss to Mexico, and a second straight failure in CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, and it’s clear that Klinsmann is in the most tumultuous part of his four-year era.

October 29, 2015 0

How the NFL is Doing One Quarter into the 2015 Season

So what have we learned after the first quarter of the NFL season? Well first and foremost, the NFL continues its dominance amongst American professional sports as the premier league, not only in this country but also the world.

In 2014, the average NFL game drew 68,776 fans, more than 25,000 fans per game than the next-highest league (the German Bundesliga with 43,500). The English Premier League was third at 36,695 and Major League Baseball was fifth at 30,346. So far this year the NFL is right on par as last year at 68,000 fans a game in attendance per game.

In terms of television, the league continues to do extremely well. The opening game between the Patriots and the Steelers was the highest ever TV rating for an NFL opening game. The game tied the Vikings and Saints from 2010 with a 17.7 rating, which was up five percent from last season’s opening tilt between the Packers and the Seahawks. Given all the media coverage surrounding Tom Brady and Commissioner Rodger Goodell’s prior to the game, the record high TV ratings prove that scandal didn’t drive fans from the NFL, rather, it brought them in.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots unveiled their 2014 Super Bowl banner prior to the 2015 NFL season opener against the Pittsburg Steelers.

The NFL continued their tradition of playing games across the pond in London this past week when the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets played in the famous Wembley Stadium. This season’s international NFL matchup was the second-fastest selling game in the eight year history of the professional football league’s International Series. In fact, only the inaugural 2007 matchup that pitted the Dolphins against the New York Giants sold out quicker than this year’s game. The tickets to the game ranged from $26.53 to $241.08 according to the NFL UK website as 90% of the ticket holders were reported to be from the UK. These have been extremely lucrative to the league, as last year’s three matchups generated an estimated $30 million in revenue. This game was the first of three games to be held at Wembley Stadium this year, with the Bills playing the Jaguars on October 25^th, and the Lions playing the Chiefs on November 1^st . Both of these games are expected to sell out.

The Miami Dolphins played the New York Jets in front of a sold out Wembley Stadium in London, England in Week 4.

On the field there are still several, six to be exact, undefeated teams including the Bengals, Packers, Falcons, Panthers, Broncos and of course the Patariots. The New England Patriots Power Rating Index actually ranks this year’s team even higher than the 2007 undefeated team. Perhaps the two biggest surprises of those 6 undefeated teams come from the same division, the NFL South with the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers both remaining perfect through four games.

A big talking point among the sports gambling world is the amount of buzz around Draft Kings and Fan Duel. These two startup gambling sites have made a killing from fan to fan wagering surrounding NFL games. DraftKings, a $1.2 billion, Boston-based startup, has raised $375 million in venture capital funding from investors like MLB’s venture arm, Melo7 Tech partners, the NHL, and Redpoint Ventures.

The two multi-billion dollar online sports gambling companies, Draft Kings and Fan Duel, have stolen the show with the amount of marketing dollars they've poured into the first quarter of the NFL season. — The two multi-billion dollar online sports gambling companies, Draft Kings and Fan Duel, have stolen the show with the amount of marketing dollars they’ve poured into the first quarter of the NFL season.

Since August 1, Draft Kings has spent $81 million on 22,000 ad spots, while Fan-Duel (another billion dollar fantasy sports startup), has spent $20 million on 7,500 advertisement airings according to the Wall Street Journal. The front-end heavy marketing strategy has paid off for DraftKings as they have grown their users from 3 million to 4.5 million over the course of the last month.

All the media coverage on the recent surge of both of these sports wagering startups has triggered lots of discussion of legislation changes and other policies being put in place. Both companies have temporarily banned employees from wagering on sports. Meanwhile, much state legislation has been discussed with politicians engaging in conversation about policies of banning online gambling.

Regardless, the NFL continues to soar as the world’s most successful sports league across the vast majority of key performance indicators.

October 7, 2015 0

Ben_Slingerland

The Business of Sports

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