Hopping on the Bandwagon

As the play-off's near in the National Hockey League its time to see who are the true fans of their respected team, and who is someone that jumps from bandwagon to bandwagon. At the beginning of this season the Winnipeg Jets came back into existence, and immediately you began to see Jet's memorabilia flying off the shelves. Automatically hockey fans from all over became fans of the Jets and my sister is one of them. After it was confirmed that Winnipeg was getting a team again my sister went and bought a jersey, and a hat. As well she requested me to get her a shirt, and blanket for Christmas. She was one of the people who hopped on the Winnipeg bandwagon and ditched cheering for the Calgary Flames (can understand why as the seasons coming to a close). 

There was a scene at the end of the Calgary Flames last home game where fan(s) started throwing their jerseys on the ice. 

Right here is proof that both the fans of the Flames organization have completely given up hope on the season. I personally find it pretty entertaining how the fan is willing to toss a hundred dollar jersey on the ice without hesitation. Although comical it's kind of disappointing to see how fans are willing to jump on and off the bandwagon instead of staying loyal to "their" team. Here's the NHL standings to watch the play-off race heat up.

Bandwagon hopping happens in every sport, this is apparently obvious when it comes to the NFL and the CFL. In the CFL it seems that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are everyone's second team. As soon as your team is out of contention everyone resorts to cheering for the Riders. Ever been to a Calgary versus Saskatchewan game at McMahon Stadium? Well go, and you'll see there is more green than red in the stands. 

Personally I'll always cheer for my teams no matter what! For NHL I cheer for the Calgary Flames and will till the day I die. Although I always root against the Vancouver Canucks. For CFL I've always been a Stamps fan and will remain a stamps fan and for NFL I'm a Ravens fan!

GOON.

 

The most recent sports movie I saw that relates to the blog posting would be Goon with Sean William Scott. It is a semi-biographical movie about a tough guy who learns to skate and earns himself a spot on a semi-pro hockey team as their enforcer. Overall I thought the movie did a very good job of portraying the incredibly difficult task of being a hockey enforcer. The director also did an excellent job of showing the camaraderie that a hockey team can have when going through a rough patch. It also does an excellent job of showing the respect aspect between the tough guys. I thought Sean William Scott showed really good range as an actor, as he played an introvert tough guy. But the true the star of the movie was aging tough guy Ross Rhea played by Liev Schreiber. This character was written and portrayed perfectly. His mannerism were so spot on from the big thick handlebar mustache, to the taped up wrist, his interactions with other players, and his trash talk was perfect. There is also a cameo by former Edmonton Oilers tough guy George Laraque, which I thought was a great casting. Overall the movie was very solid, it did an excellent job of portraying hockey players and tough guys in general. The locker room talk was pretty close to what you would hear at any arena. Overall I would give the movie 3 stars out of a possible five. Defiantly worth seeing in theatres or renting when it comes out. The only thing I would say go on Tuesday as some movie theatres have a half-off day. Also if you keep your large cup and bag don’t throw them away, empty them out and then bring them back for your next movie so you will get free refills on pop and popcorn, I do this all the time saves me about 15$ each movie, never been questioned on it.

History and evolution of fitness (pre 1900s)

                           Retrieved from (http://4amazinglife.com/ancient-sports-nutrition-and-exercise/)

Now that we have entered the 21st century, one of the greatest accomplishments  man has come to know is  our continuous pursuit of fitness. Beginning with early civilizations, the task of hunting and gathering food for survival was the first real example of fitness. Tribes would go on one or two day hunting journeys for food and water. 

pre-10,000 B.C
Later on,  hunting-gathering tribes developed skills that allowed them to obtain vast amounts of food while remaining in the same area. This was known as agriculture and farming era. People became farm workers and mainly developed fitness through this work. 
2500-250 B.C.
Years later in India and China, the philosophical teachings of Confucius and a program similar to Chinese Cong Fu, encouraged participation in regular physical activity. It was recognized that lack of fitness was associated with certain diseases and were preventable with regular exercise. In Greece, physical perfection surrounded ancient Greek civilization. The appreciation for beauty of the body and importance of health and fitness throughout society is the reason they excelled for years. The Greeks believed development of the body was equally as important as development of the mind.
476-1600
Throughout the dark ages and middle ages, farming and war became the staples in physical fitness. The renewed appreciation for human life, which evolved during the Renaissance, created an environment which was ready for the widespread development of physical education throughout Europe.
1700-1776
In America during the colonial period, herding cattle and farm life developed and ensured that regular physical activity continued to be a lifestyle priority, however during this period no organized exercise or fitness programs existed. However, early leaders in the United States were conscious of the need for exercise and fitness. Benjamin Franklin explained how regular physical activity, including running, swimming, and basic forms of resistance training had several benefits and health purposes.
 1700-1850
Years later  in Germany, they invented numerous exercise programs and the equipment upon which they were performed. These programs swept into Sweden , England and Denmark. The evolution of gymnastics also came forth in Germany and France where schools and businesses got involved, and wrestling also developed through this. 


Although they seem out of date, many of these exercises and activities can be found throughout all programs here today. In my program and when I attend the gym I can notice several positions and movements that can be compared to gymnastics and heavy lifting once used is the middle ages.  
 

Greetings around the world

For today's assignment, my topic has nothing to do with sports. Instead, I'll be writing about the various greeting styles in different parts of the world. Luckily, we live in Canada, a very multicultural country, so it's fair to say that most of us have friends or know people that come from different cultures. This being said, most of us have already been in a situation where we've had to greet someone from another country. I'm sure we've all experienced one akward moment when doing so either because it's not something you or the person you were greeting felt comfortable doing.

Courtesy of: Wikipedia

Cultures define the way people greet each other and I believe it's important that we more or less know what is acceptable and what isn't in different countries as a sign of respect and knowledge. To greet one another, some people might shake hands while others kiss, hug or just say hello. So how do you know how people greet each other in other countries? Let take a look at few.

Courtesy of: Wikipedia

In North America, specifically in Canada and in the U.S. people tend to just shake hands formally or informally. In a formal way, you would shake hands firmly and make direct eye contact. Informally, one might give more a palming or tapping hand shake. Montreal is most likely the only city in North America that really stands out when it comes to greeting. They still continue to greet each other in the traditional French way, which consist of two kisses on each cheek.

Courtesy of: Pocket Cultures

In the Middle East, people first salute each other by saying "salam alaykum" which stands for "peace by upon you" in English followed a putting their right hand on their heart. Men will kiss each other on the cheek, 2 or 3 times depending on which country they're from. Women hug among themselves but opposing genders may never come into physical contact as Islam prohibits it.





Courtesy of: Japan Probe

Moving on to Asian countries, it is much more conservative, especially in Japan. Japanese greet each by bowing to one another in all occasions whether it be for business, with friends or family. Asian cultures are known for not being "touchy touchy" so it's important to keep your distance when greeting them or else they will feel very uncomfortable.

History of the Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche is a professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

The franchise was originally founded in Quebec and moved to Colorado in 1995 after Quebec Nordiques became one of the worse teams in the NHL finishing last three consecutive years. They were purchased by the Denver based COMSAT Entertainment Group who organized the franchise under a separate subsidiary and renaming the team Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado played their first game in the McNichols sports arena in Denver on October 6 1995 and became the first franchise to ever win the Stanley Cup in their first year after relocation. Since 1995, The Avalanche have won eight division titles, two conference championships and have won two Stanley cups. They have also gone to playoffs in each of their first ten seasons in Denver with their streak ending in 2007.

Key players in the Avalanche franchise have been Joe Sakic, who was the only captain known to Colorado until his retirement in 2009. He leads the franchise in points as well as other categories. Patrick Roy was also another noteworthy player that played for the team until his retirement and played goaltender for both their Stanley cups.

Retrieved from: Fotopedia

Retrieved from: Fotopedia

Since the retirement of Joe Sakic and Naming Greg Sherman and Joe Sacco general managers and head coach respectively, the Avalanche have gone downhill and have missed the playoffs since. Currently in post rebuilding stages, they are  fighting for a playoff spot and should become a competitive team over the next few years with current young players like Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny leading the way.

The History of the Calgary Flames

So how exactly did Calgary come about getting an NHL team?  What have they gone through since they started in NHL to where they are now?  I'm going to answer these questions for you.  The Calgary Flames were originally the Atlanta Flames.  Due to a lack of hockey poised market in Atlanta, they were forced to relocate.  The thriving Calgary market seemed the perfect place for an NHL team, and so that's where they ended up.  The relocation occurred in 1979 and the Calgary Flames participated in their first NHL season in 1980.

In 1986, the Flames made it to their first Stanley Cup final appearance but lost the best of seven series to the Montreal Canadiens.  Three years later, the Flames bested the same team to win their first and only Stanley Cup so far.  That season the Flames had also finished as the top team in the NHL with 117 points in 80 games.  The cup-winning team was captained by the famous Lanny McDonald, who retired during the following off season.  The team was backstopped by Mike Vernon, the only goalie to have his number retired in the rafters in Calgary.

The Flames would not reach the Stanley Cup finals again until 2004.  By this time, the new face of the franchise was their captain, number 12, Jarome Iginla.  Iginla was a draft pick of the Dallas Stars which was traded to Calgary in a deal which sent former captain Joe Nieuwendyk the opposite way.  The 2003-2004 season was the first year Iginla sported a "C" on his jersey and it led to great success for the team.  After an inspirational run to the cup, the Flames fell one goal short, losing game seven of the finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 2-1.

The Flames were able to carry their success forwards for the following four seasons, making it to the playoffs in each of them.  As of recent, they have not been as lucky, as it seems they are about to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive time.

The Flames have become one of the NHL's most popular teams.  They are right behind the Vancouver Canucks for most consecutive games sold out.  Regardless of the success or failure in Calgary, they have a large and loyal fan base.

History of Football.

Football (soccer and rugby) were all believed to be the byproduct of the Greek game called, "harpaston." Harpaston meant "a very rough and brutal game." In harpaston the objective was to get the ball across the goal line, by either kicking it, running or passing it diagonally to another player. The defending team's objective was to stop the opposing team from scoring by any means necessary.

After harpaston, then came the beginning of football by standardizing certain rules in the early 1800's which separated soccer, football and rugby to their own sports. The game became popular within England/Europe and then eventually made it's way over to America in 1857.  In 1857, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and Rutgers universities sent representatives to adapt the American football rules. These four universities were the first four teams in America. Each of these teams consisted of 20 players. Originally there was 15 players on the field per team, which eventually got reduced down to 11 players per side.

Continuous modifications to the rules happened as the field was stretched to 110 yards in 1882, this is when the system of "downs" was put into affect. Originally each team had 3 downs, to get the ball a total of five yards. In 1906 it was changed from five yards, to ten yards and finally in 1912 players were given an extra down to make it the ten yards. These rules are still affect till today.

In 1905, president Roosevelt saved the demise of football, because numerous universities started to ban football due to the brutality of the game. There was extreme amounts of serious injuries and even deaths to players due to the brutality and lack of limitations to the brutality allowed in football. Theodore Roosevelt prohibited a lot of previously allowed tactics from football to lessen the amounts of injuries in the sport. As well the game times was shortened to 60 minutes, and the forward pass was introduced at the same time.

Football has always been an extremely popular sport in the United States, and has become increasingly popular in Canada. The NFL (National football League) was created in 1895. This game was played in a little town of Latrobe Pennsylvania. As well this was the very first professional game of football to be played in the United States. After this game being played it sparked a fury of other professional teams within America, which resulted in the formation of the NFL.

Canada created their own specialized rules and league after the NFL was created. Canadian Football league was the name of the league Canada created, also known as the CFL. This technically happened in the late 1950's. Previously the Canadian Rugby Football Union (CRFU) competed for trophy, which was eventually called the Grey Cup. Football and (CRFU) started competing for the grey cup from the 1930's to the formation of the CFL in the late 1950's.

Bounties and the NFL

One of the largest controversies in sports right now is the bounty scandal of the New Orleans Saints that is now being dealt with by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. To give some background on what happened the defensive coach and some of the defensive players were putting amounts of money on certain types of plays and hits. They were as innocent as paying out an amount for interceptions and forced fumbles, to things as vicious and specific as a $10000 payout to any player who could injure then Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre. Roger Goodell(the NFL commissioner) has came out and laid down some harsh penalties most notably suspending the Saints head coach Sean Payton, whom is a super bowl winning coach, and one of the best in  the NFL.

Saints Vs. Brett Favre
Photo courtsey of Buisnessinsider.com

                There are a few different views on this issue. First there are people like myself, who see nothing wrong with it and believe that it is good, as it motivates players to play harder.  Football is a contact sport where the whole point of it is to hit the opponent as hard as possible, and anyone who plays should know and consent to that.  As a spectator who enjoys nothing more that drinking beer and watching football, I don’t care how ethical it is when a linebacker lays out a quarterback, I’m usually happy to just see the hard hit. Bounties have been part of football for years and some of the greatest players of all time have admitted to playing for bounties. Football is entertainment and violence entertains the people, therefore I don’t think that there is anything wrong with bounties.

                On the other hand there is a section of the population that thinks that football players will play their hardest not for a paycheque but rather to win games, and championships. They feel that if the NFL allows bounties it is unethical, because intentionally trying to hurt someone in sport is bad. They also feel that seeing as many NFL players are role models to many young athletes worldwide, the issue of bounties may make its way down to minor football, which wouldn’t be good as youth might get concussions, or other sever injuries. A lot of people that argue this side of the case believe that it is best to ban bounties out of the interest for NFL player safety.

NHL

2. provide a thorough definition and description of a topic related to the blog's theme - this should go beyond simple dictionary definitions


Most of my blog posts have revolved around hockey, especially the NHL.

NHL stands for the National Hockey League. The NHL is full of players, coaches, and GM's from numerous countries. Some of the best players and prospects are from over seas. Some say the Russians have started to take over. They produce some of the most amazing, hard-working, driven hockey players in the world. Some of the most entertaining players to watch would include: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and Alex Semin. 


The NHL is compiled of 30 franchised member clubs. 6 of these are Canadian teams, the other 24 are American. Regardless of this, many of the American teams have more Canadian players then their own. 


The Stanley Cup is one of the most recognizable, sought after trophy in North America. It is also the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. Play offs are coming up, and 8 teams from each conference will play a best of 7 games until 1 team is left. 


From a personal point of few, play offs, no matter what team is playing, is one of the most intense, exciting, and passionate games. Nothing gets better the play off hockey. You really see the passion and love for the sport out of these players during this time. 


If you watch enough hockey, you will be able to pick out the style of specific hockey players. Some are enforcers, like Paul Bissonnette. "Biz nasty", as some like to call him, will typically get less then 10 minutes, if that, of ice time. He is played on the ice to protect his team. 


Other players, like Evgeni Malkin, will play up to 25 minutes and will produce goals. 
Mike Green is, well used to be, a very offensive defender. Meaning, he was a defender who produced a lot of goals and assists. 


Some NHL teams have changed. The Hartford Whalers, are now the Carolina Hurricanes. 
The Atlanta Thrashers, are now back being the Winnipeg Jets.
Franchises come and go due to the success of the team, and the fan base. Ticket sales for the Jets, when they returned the Winnipeg were enormous. Rumors have been flying around about the Phoenix Coyotes being moved. They don't have a very large fan base, due to where they live. Most people in Phoenix would rather spent time out in the sun, then stuck inside a hockey arena. 

History of the NHL ( march 29th assignment)

History of Hockey Canada`s Sport

History of Hockey:
Known as the`` ball and stick`` game hockey has been around since the time of ancient Rome, Scotland and Eygpt and South America. The first NHL season was in 1917-1918, but were playing NHL hockey as early as the late 1800`s.
In 1893 Lord Stanley donated a trophy to be given to the best Canadian hockey team each year. It became known as the Stanley Cup.
In 1924 the Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Maroons in the first ever NHL game played in the United States.

Definition of Hockey:
The definition of Hockey by book is a game where two teams play with sticks and a puck, the teams try to shoot the puck into their opponents net. Hockey is also more then a definition it is a way of bringing people together. Hockey is a definition of Canadian identity and has been a part of almsot every Canadaians life.

Controversy:
In today`s NHL players are bigger and faster than they were a long time ago. This results in more head injures happening to our players. In an article in the Globe and Mail it talks about how head injuries are a growing controversy in young hockey players. The deabte is whether they should implement testing to players who have received concussions and only allow them to play once they are well again. Parents argue that they should have tests done to make sure their kids are safe to play again, others may argue that it is simply a part of the game and if the kid feels okay they should be able to play. Most NHL advocates are doing everything they can to get rid of head shots in the NHL by suspending anyone who does an imporper head shot. There are many points of view on this debate, there are those who feel head shots should be done away with completey and the player who does the hitting should be penalizied more, there are also people who beleve that there is no way of avoiding this issue becuse hockey is now such a fast paced hard hitting game.

Goalies today have changed since we have seen them in the past.

Many of the players in the NHL are very large in stature as you can see from the right hand picture and goals are harder to score today than they were in the past.
Shots like this can be quite serious, anytime a palyer is up by the boards it is always a scary moment because you don not know what the impact outcome will be.

International Perspective:
Many player are not jsut from North America or the UNited States many of our favorite players come from Sweden, Russia and Finaland. HOckey also has the junior league where team Canada, the US , Sweden, Russia, and many international teams come to compete. The Olymics are also on an international scale each player gets a chance to play for their country and comepete against some of their own teamates.

What is going on in the NHL!?

What is going on with the standings in the NHL this season!?
Things are just ridiculous.
Teams that haven't been in the top eight in many years are becoming top of the conference!
It is insane.

Last night's game was a big win for the Calgary Flames...
But who are we kidding, it really doesn't make a difference. Flames are in 11th in the West, and have played 77 games. Most of the teams ahead of them have only played 76. Flames are going to need to win ALL of their games, and everyone else ahead of them need to lose in order to move them up in the standings. It's always quite close in the West, many teams only within 1 or 2 points of each other.

I am going to blame the Washington Capitals for letting go of 2 of their star goalies to other teams.
Jose Theodore, goalie for the Florida Panthers has been doing unreal this season. Florida is in 3rd place in the East right now. He was one of the main reasons for the Capitals success a few years ago. Goal tending is key for this team. Another classic Caps mistake, letting go of Semyon Varalmov. He did decent in the 2009-2010 seasons for the Capitals. Then slightly went downhill, so I understand. Still not going to let it go though. Colorado is one place ahead of the Caps.

Capitals have made top of the southeast division champs the last few years, and now are trailing behind The Panthers by at least 3 points. Caps must win their game tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. They are both neck and neck fighting for the 8th place playoff spot.

Also, St. Louis! What is in the water in Missouri!? When was the last time The Blues have been top of the  West. They are even beating The Canucks. Which I'm not complaining about. My only explanation for this sudden increase in wins would be for Halak and Elliot! They seem to have a very well rounded team. Not many "superstars" on there.

Anyways, hopefully things gets back to normal
and happy playoffs.

NFL off-season 2012

This off-season of the NFL has been full of extreme amounts of drama! Usually I hate the off-season as I am unable to watch people smash heads and the game isn't being played. Although this off-season has been the exception, as there is a lot of drama and excitement. All of this excitement is making it really exciting as I can't wait for the season to begin.

Obviously the big news is Peyton Manning. Last year he missed the full season do to numerous neck surgeries. He's been one of the greatest NFL quarterback's since he's started playing in the NFL. After a season of coaching his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, he got traded to the Denver Broncos. After accepting a 5 year 96 million dollar contract, the most highly valued free agent of 2012 was signed.

Much speculation was happening after Manning was signed to the Broncos, because the Broncos faithful were curious about what would happen with former quarterback Tim Tebow. Tim made a huge difference in the NFL last year, with sub-par statistics, but very religious beliefs made him the most loved/hated quarterback in the league. He was able to win games in the 4th quarter, which astonished the league, he lead the Broncos to the first round of the play-off's. The Bronco's fans had mixed emotions as they have arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but also another quarterback who has changed the game!

Tim Tebow ended up getting traded to the New York Jets shortly after Peyton Manning signed with the Denver Bronco's. This lead to a lot of debate because the Jets already have an inconsistent quarterback (Mark Sanchez) but now have another inconsistent quarterback Tim Tebow. Tim was traded to the Jets with a 7th round draft pick, and the Broncos in return received the Jets fourth and sixth round draft picks for the 2012 NFL-draft. This will be an interesting trade to watch throughout the 2012 season.

Finally in reference to the NFL bounties (by Marshall Brady), there has been a lot of drama revolving around the Saint's football organization. Bounties are money being placed by the team/organization for taking certain players out of the game. The Saints have had their head coach suspended for the season without pay, this costing the head coach Sean Payton over 5.8 million dollars. The general manager of the Saints, Mickey Loomis received an eight game suspension. Assistant head coach, and Linebacker coach, Joe Vitt got a six game suspension. As well the defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely for implementing the bounty program since 2009. On top of the suspensions, the Saints have been fined $500,000 and lots their second round draft picks for 2012, and 2013 NFL draft. All of these suspensions, and fines have been a result of an investigation ongoing from 2009.

All of this happening in the NFL has been great for NFL fans, and is adding excitement for the start of the season! I'm really looking forward to seeing how all these trades and suspensions pan out throughout the season.

Schutt(orange) and Riddell (blue) helmets in use
Photo Courtsey of Marshall Brady

Recently in all contact sports we have seen concussions on the rise and an increased paranoia on the behalf of players, coaches and parents alike. Many equipment makes are racing frantically to create the latest so-called “concussion-proof” helmet and players are racing to get them. Recently we have seen some of sports biggest names such as Sidney Crosby, Austin Collie and Reggie Bush all sidelined with concussions.

                First I will explain what concussions are and what some of the symptoms that comes along with them.  Firstly a concussion is in layman’s terms bruising of the brain. This can come anytime the head is hit, or hits something. Contrary to popular belief concussions can be attained from soft hits, not just the bone crushing ones that we see on TV every week. Some of the symptoms are nausea and vomiting, confusions, loss of balance, headache, memory loss and seeing stars.

                Like any other injury, once you have sustained one concussion you are much more likely for a recurrence of the injury, as we have seen with Sidney Crosby in the past two seasons.  Once it becomes sever enough you can get something called post concussion syndrome (PCS) which is horrible for your brain, because it basically means that parts of it have turned to mush. Lately there have been many deaths of ex-NFL players where PCS was suspected to have played a role in; and there is now a brain bank that ex-pro athletes can donate their brains to for post mortem examination, so that more research can be done into the danger or playing contact sports.

                In recent years much has gone into helmet innovation to help protect the heads of players with Riddell creating the innovative Revolution Speed and IQ system which tracks hits to the head and how hard they are and then reports it to a computer, Schutt with the Ion 4D which has a cushioned face mask which is meant to absorb some of the impact of hits before they get to your head, and the supposedly “concussion proof” Xenith helmet which has a state of the art chin strap and a interior padding.

                Hopefully sports can find some definitive solution to the concussion problem because it sucks having to see star athletes with promising futures having their careers ruined because they took one hard hit too many. Through equipment innovation and rule changes though I see a promising future, that will provide for better athlete safety.

NFL Free Agency

NFL free agency is a huge deal every year, and teams restructure their futures, and players have a change to reload their already exploding bank accounts. To the outside world this time of the year may seem like complete chaos, where star players may end up on the other side of the map from where they were playing the previous year, and teams make signings or releases that seem completely out of the blue. However there is a method to this madness and just about every signing is made for a particular reason. In the rest of the essay I will outline some of the common moves made by teams, and give the reasoning behind them.



Defensive Lineman Mario Williams
Photo Courtsey of Celebs101

                One of the most common moves that you will see made during NFL free agency is weak teams in strong divisions paying enormous sums of money for defensive linemen, whom used to be regarded as dime-a-dozen players. Many people wonder how an average defensive lineman will get a 100 million dollar paycheque from a team who is generally offensively weak, and playing against stout opponents. The reason behind this is that they figure that the best way to stop an offensively powerful opponent is by shutting down their quarterback, and the best way to shut down a quarterback is to sack him. Generally it is the defensive linemen who get the most sacks therefore making it smart for them to pick up a defensive lineman.

                The second common trend I will address is the frenzy over backup quarterbacks, most people wonder why backup QB’s are such a hot commodity, seeing as they generally don’t come with that much experience, and were usually a backup for a reason. The reason why backups (usually ones who play behind star QB’s) are such hot commodities is because team’s figure that they work with star players on a daily basis, and with that will acquire some of their traits. So by signing say Tom Brady’s backup, you are signing the closest thing to Tom Brady that you can get.

                The last trend to be addressed in the phenomena of signing players, whether they be friends or ex-teammates of a player they are trying to court. The reason that teams do this is to make their environment more appealing and stable for a large name free agent whom they want to sign with them. By having a wide receiver who a QB you are trying to sign played with you make your team much more appealing, because it gives him some consistency, and he has a player who’s characteristics he knows.

                Hopefully with this insight it makes the signings that have already happened and the upcoming ones easier to understand.

March Madne$$

March is possibly one of the best months for sorts,  NHL teams and NBA teams are fighting for the last few playoff spots, or home bids in the playoffs,  NFL free agency begins ,  college football practices and inter-squad games start up and probably most famously March Madness begins.

                March madness is the given name of the NCAA college basketball playoff, and every year you are guaranteed to see all the drama that a sports addict can handle, from major upsets, to legends in the making. Over the past years we have seen Kansas win the tournament by the skin of their teeth, and a freshman Derrick Rose of Memphis tear up the national stage, and secure the first overall pick in the draft. If you go back even further you can see a young Michael Jordan of North Carolina University nail a last second jump shot to win the tournament for his team, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar take the UCLA Bruins to 3 consecutive national championships.

Austin Rivers
Photo Courtsey of GotSports

                This years tournament holds just as much intrigue as any in the past there are many intriguing underdogs such as Long Beach State University or Murray State whom may come out as a Cinderella story, and knock off a few top ranked teams on their way. There are also the favourites like Kentucky and North Carolina, who seem to have everything going for them and are loaded with future NBA superstars. 

                One player to keep your eyes on is Austin Rivers, the son of legendary Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers. He is the starting point guard for Duke, who is coached by Mike Krzyzewski statistically the best college coach of all time. Austin Rivers is not only extremely well coached, but also possesses a ‘clutch’ gene almost like Michael Jordan. His last second game winning 3 point shot against North Carolina will go down in the history books as one of the most clutch shots in the history of college basketball, and will be replayed for years to come.

                Hopefully this year’s tournament turns out to be one of the best of all time as it is poised to do. And if we’re lucky we may see a few superstars in the making, and some lifetime highlights. After all who knows, we might see the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant take the court this year.

Salary Caps: Why there a Must

The introduction of salary caps have changed everything in terms of managing a team. Previously, teams that were more financially successive had better chances of winning champions and dominating leagues, which has been shown in many soccer leagues in Europe.

A salary cap is an agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. Several sports leagues such as the NHL and NFL have implemented salary caps in order to keep overall costs down and to ensure wealthy teams cannot show their dominance by signing many more top players than their rivals.

 

Why Salary Caps are Beneficial

An effective salary cap prevents wealthy teams from signing a large number of high paid star players, preventing their rivals from accessing talented players and ensuring victory through superior economic power. This can be shown in Soccer leagues such as  La Liga where FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F dominate. Teams such as Villareal CF have salary  of 1,619,088 whereas Barcelona has a salary of 7,910,737. This huge gap makes it hard for Villareal to compete against dominate teams and make matches less exciting since there is already a foregone conclusion. With a salary cap each club has roughly the same economic power to attract players which in turn brings competitiveness to the league

Additionally, A salary cap increases the challenge of a league exponentially. It introduces an prevailing factor that must be considered in every decision. For example in the NHL, trades have become more complicated to execute because owners not only have to match up the talent between the players, they have to keep in mind of the salary cap.

 

Salary caps can be a major issue in negotiations between league management and players unions and has been the focus point of several strikes by players since it affects how much they can earn every year. Athletes have protested cap restrictions causing serious implications for sports, however I think salary caps are a must for leagues to stay competitive as well as protect fans from paying for overpriced tickets and merchandise.