We're starting to see more mainstream media coverage of the sport of mixed martial arts, which is good. But a lot of that coverage comes from people who don't know much about the sport, which is bad. So I'd like to offer a few suggestions:
Don't call it "ultimate fighting." The name of the sport is mixed martial arts, or MMA. The most popular organization within MMA is Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. The phrase "ultimate fighting," with those two words lower case, should never appear in your articles. Ultimate Fighting, a phrase that is a registered trademark of the UFC, can appear in your articles, but it should be followed by Championship -- and in general, you can just say UFC.
Know the best fighters, the most famous fighters, and the difference. Any short list of the most famous fighters in MMA would have to include Tito Ortiz , Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar . Those guys are all very popular with the fans, and more power to them for that.
But they're not the best MMA fighters in the world. Ortiz is past his prime and nowhere near as good as the top light heavyweights. Slice and Lesnar are still learning the sport and nowhere near as good as the top heavyweights. They're tough, aggressive brawlers, but they're not great fighters.
So who are the best fighters? For starters, there are the five UFC champions: lightweight B.J. Penn , welterweight Georges St. Pierre , middleweight Anderson Silva , light heavyweight Quinton Rampage Jackson and heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira .
Then there are the two WEC champions who are fighting on Sunday night, featherweight Urijah Faber and bantamweight Miguel Torres . And the two heavyweights everyone is hoping to see square off, Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko .
Once you've learned about those nine fighters, you've got a solid foundation from which to build, and you can move on to learn about guys like Dream's Shinya Aoki , JZ Calvan and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Affliction's Matt Lindland and Josh Barnett , and UFC's Dan Henderson , Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Jon Fitch .
The one MMA fighter who bridges the gap between those popular but unskilled brawlers and the best fighters is Chuck Liddell , who is a little bit past his prime but still a very good fighter, and who is the most popular athlete in the sport. If you're covering MMA and you don't know Liddell, you're in trouble.
Know the facts about the sport's safety . MMA can look brutal, with its sudden knockouts and bloody wounds. But experts are nearly unanimous in saying MMA is safer than boxing . The great danger of boxing is that a fighter who gets punched in the head continuously over the course of a 12-round fight will suffer permanent brain damage or death. In MMA, the fights are shorter and the knockouts are quicker, and that's why, unlike boxing or even the NFL, UFC can say it has never had an athlete maimed or killed.
At the same time, this is a relatively new sport, and as a result, we simply don't know what the long-term health effects of it are. It's possible that we'll some day see a bunch of retired MMA fighters with many of the same health problems that retired NFL players have, and an exploration of that possibility could make for a very good piece of journalism, provided that it's done right.
Learn the submissions. You wouldn't write about football without knowing the difference between a handoff and a Hail Mary, so you shouldn't write about MMA without knowing the difference between a rear-naked choke and a kimura. There's a great series of videos on YouTube called Submissions 101 . Watch them. And in case you don't know, here's what a kimura looks like:
Read the best MMA writers. If you work in the mainstream media, you're probably accustomed to getting most of your information from reading newspapers. But with MMA, most of the best writers are online. So to bone up on the sport you'll want to read the work of writers including, but not limited to, Zach Arnold of FightOpinion.com , Dave Doyle of Yahoo , Josh Gross of SI.com , Rami Genauer of FightMetric.com , Jim Murphy of The Savage Science and Kid Nate of BloodyElbow.com . (If you're the type who absolutely must read ink on paper instead of words on a screen, you could try one of the many books about the sport .)
Know a ring from a cage from an Octagon . Just as there are differences between baseball played at Coors Field and baseball played at Petco Park, and just as there are differences between playing tennis on clay and playing on concrete, there are differences between fighting in a ring and fighting in a cage . When you refer to a cage as a ring, you're making a fundamental error that shows no respect for the finer points of the sport.
Also, the Octagon is a type of cage used only in UFC. You might see an eight-sided cage elsewhere, but don't call it an Octagon if it's not in UFC, and use a capital 'O' -- Octagon is a registered trademark.
Keep an open mind . When you set out to write a hatchet job, it shows. Approach MMA like a student who wants to learn from a good teacher, not like a student who just wants to finish an assignment from a bad teacher. This is an exciting time for the sport, and if you're going to cover it, why not try to enjoy it?
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Friday, June 6, 2008
Fan's injury should force bat policy change
"Your whole life changes," Rhodes says over the phone, and she's not looking for sympathy. Just an explanation as to how Major League Baseball continues to allow maple bats when their danger becomes more obvious by the injurious incident.
The Rockies' Todd Helton breaks his bat on a base hit off Dodgers reliever Cory Wade on April 25 at Dodger Stadium.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
First came Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Don Long getting sliced along the cheek with the splintered end of a bat that snapped at the handle. Ten days later, on April 25, sitting four rows behind the visitor's dugout at Dodger Stadium where Long was hit, Rhodes took the barrel end of a flying bat to the left side of her jaw.
What's next? A fan or player dying?
At the recent owners' meetings, commissioner Bud Selig highlighted maple bats as one of the game's most pressing issues. A decade ago, they were barely in baseball. Since Barry Bonds ' record- breaking season, though, more than 50 percent of players have gone from the traditional ash bats to maple, which the converts claim feel harder.
A study commissioned by the league and the players' union in 2005 showed maple and ash hit the ball equally well. Ash bats tend to crack innocuously, the study found, while maple bats explode, sending huge chunks of wood in every direction. When Todd Helton swung at a 2-1 pitch from Cory Wade in the seventh inning of the Colorado-Los Angeles game Rhodes attended, little did she know the remnants of the bat would reach all the way to her seats.
Rhodes, 50, wasn't much of a baseball fan. Her friend John Andrews invited her and another friend, Gale Banks, to the game. Rhodes is a single mother of two teenaged boys, works in marketing and lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks. It would be a nice time out, she figured.
And it was until Helton's swing. He was borrowing a bat of teammate Troy Tulowitzki . While a Rockies spokesman said Tulowitzki uses both maple and ash, a clubhouse attendant speculated that because of the manner in which the bat snapped, it was almost in all likelihood maple. And a Rawlings spokesman said the last batch of bats made for Tulowitzki was maple.
Susan Rhodes with her son Remy, who was on the way to his prom. before the Dodgers game on April 25.
(Image courtesy Susan Rhodes)
The bat blew up, and Rhodes' eyes followed the ball, which landed in center field for a single. Meanwhile, the bat tomahawked toward her.
When Rhodes recovered consciousness, she kept asking Banks what had happened, the concussion robbing her short-term memory.
"All I remember is feeling this complete slam against my face and pain," Rhodes says. "You know when you're in such shock, you think, 'What the hell happened?' I figured I got hit by a ball. I was very conscious of one flying and thought we aren't in a very safe area. I don't know if I was looking at the ball. I can't remember anything except for the smash and total memory loss."
Dodgers officials summoned paramedics who took Rhodes to an on-site triage center. Once stabilized, she was offered a ride to a nearby emergency room. Instead, she sought care closer to home, where a CAT scan revealed two jaw fractures, one on the upper-left side, where the bat struck, and the other on the lower right, where the force reverberated.
Once the swelling subsided three days later, Rhodes underwent surgery in which doctors inserted four screws and a titanium plate on the right side. For three weeks, Rhodes barely slept. Once, when her nose was clogged, Rhodes says she started panicking that she couldn't breathe. Banks brought Rhodes nasal spray for the stuffiness and a Vicodin for the pain.
Since then, it hasn't improved much. Rhodes subsists on liquid supplements Ensure and Boost and tries to come up with palatable concoctions in the blender. Migraines dig into her skull. Doctors can't say for certain if she will recover fully.
Susan Rhodes recuperating after surgery on her jaw.
(Image courtesy Susan Rhodes)
"I had perfect teeth before," Rhodes says. "They've shifted. My bite is off. The jaw on the left side has atrophied. I don't have the same energy. I've got two kids, and I'm a single mother.
"It's not easy. You just want to sleep. I don't go out anymore. I'm exhausted."
The medical bills have started to come in, and so far, Rhodes says, they're more than $7 ,000. She's not sure how much insurance will cover, so she contacted an attorney, Alan Ghaleb, to inquire about whether the Dodgers would help cover the costs. Ghaleb phoned the team and received a call back from American Specialty Insurance and Risk Services, an Indiana company that offers insurance to professional sports teams. The response shocked him.
"No way, no how, no way would they cover it," Ghaleb says. "The adjuster was professional, but they would never consider helping anybody with their medical bills. It's tough luck and you assume the risk."
There is a reason every team announces before the game that teams are not responsible for flying bats and balls. The same is printed on tickets. Around Dodger Stadium, signs are posted: "Please be alert to bats and balls entering the seating area." There's a Spanish translation, too.
Fans who have brought litigation against baseball clubs for injuries due to batted balls and other projectiles have almost universally seen their cases dropped due to the assumption-of-risk doctrine. Every team that sees an injury at its stadium, no matter how serious, fights helping with medical costs because of the implications throughout the rest of the industry.
Ghaleb says that Rhodes is "considering (lawsuits) both against the Dodgers and the manufacturer." He plans on deciding within 45 days whether cases are worth pursuing, and if he determines they aren't, he will start a letter-writing campaign to Rawlings and the Dodgers on the dangers of maple bats.
"This is an unfortunate incident, and we wish her a speedy and full recovery," Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch says.
Rhodes worries that the warnings aren't enough. The issue of maple bats is so new, only the most ardent fans have heard of the danger. She figured a line drive into foul territory was enough of a threat. Now, having researched the Long incident and seen two or three or sometimes more bats per game breaking, Rhodes wonders why the netting that protects fans behind home plate isn't lengthened to cover the baselines.
"Some child or someone's parent is going to get killed," Rhodes says. "I'm very fortunate this is all that happened. If it was just a few inches higher, it would've hit my temple or poked my eye out.
"Why wouldn't they extend (netting)? I don't get that. Would you like to live or would you like to see the game? If anything comes out of this, I want people to be safe."
MLB and the union, though derelict in reaching an agreement to this point, want that as well. They will meet in June and go through a number of possible solutions, including netting, thickening the handles on bats so they're less likely to snap or banning maple bats outright.
"We're very concerned about this issue," MLB spokesman Rich Levin says. "We are definitely looking into it. I know the commissioner is very concerned."
As much as Rhodes appreciates the concern, it can't return her life before a two-pound wooden club blindsided her. She wonders how a sport can put its players and fans in such precarious positions, prone to assaults with a deadly weapon.
Rhodes won't find out again anytime soon.
"From now on," she says, "I'm going to Lakers games."
Article Source
The Rockies' Todd Helton breaks his bat on a base hit off Dodgers reliever Cory Wade on April 25 at Dodger Stadium.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
First came Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Don Long getting sliced along the cheek with the splintered end of a bat that snapped at the handle. Ten days later, on April 25, sitting four rows behind the visitor's dugout at Dodger Stadium where Long was hit, Rhodes took the barrel end of a flying bat to the left side of her jaw.
What's next? A fan or player dying?
At the recent owners' meetings, commissioner Bud Selig highlighted maple bats as one of the game's most pressing issues. A decade ago, they were barely in baseball. Since Barry Bonds ' record- breaking season, though, more than 50 percent of players have gone from the traditional ash bats to maple, which the converts claim feel harder.
A study commissioned by the league and the players' union in 2005 showed maple and ash hit the ball equally well. Ash bats tend to crack innocuously, the study found, while maple bats explode, sending huge chunks of wood in every direction. When Todd Helton swung at a 2-1 pitch from Cory Wade in the seventh inning of the Colorado-Los Angeles game Rhodes attended, little did she know the remnants of the bat would reach all the way to her seats.
Rhodes, 50, wasn't much of a baseball fan. Her friend John Andrews invited her and another friend, Gale Banks, to the game. Rhodes is a single mother of two teenaged boys, works in marketing and lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks. It would be a nice time out, she figured.
And it was until Helton's swing. He was borrowing a bat of teammate Troy Tulowitzki . While a Rockies spokesman said Tulowitzki uses both maple and ash, a clubhouse attendant speculated that because of the manner in which the bat snapped, it was almost in all likelihood maple. And a Rawlings spokesman said the last batch of bats made for Tulowitzki was maple.
Susan Rhodes with her son Remy, who was on the way to his prom. before the Dodgers game on April 25.
(Image courtesy Susan Rhodes)
The bat blew up, and Rhodes' eyes followed the ball, which landed in center field for a single. Meanwhile, the bat tomahawked toward her.
When Rhodes recovered consciousness, she kept asking Banks what had happened, the concussion robbing her short-term memory.
"All I remember is feeling this complete slam against my face and pain," Rhodes says. "You know when you're in such shock, you think, 'What the hell happened?' I figured I got hit by a ball. I was very conscious of one flying and thought we aren't in a very safe area. I don't know if I was looking at the ball. I can't remember anything except for the smash and total memory loss."
Dodgers officials summoned paramedics who took Rhodes to an on-site triage center. Once stabilized, she was offered a ride to a nearby emergency room. Instead, she sought care closer to home, where a CAT scan revealed two jaw fractures, one on the upper-left side, where the bat struck, and the other on the lower right, where the force reverberated.
Once the swelling subsided three days later, Rhodes underwent surgery in which doctors inserted four screws and a titanium plate on the right side. For three weeks, Rhodes barely slept. Once, when her nose was clogged, Rhodes says she started panicking that she couldn't breathe. Banks brought Rhodes nasal spray for the stuffiness and a Vicodin for the pain.
Since then, it hasn't improved much. Rhodes subsists on liquid supplements Ensure and Boost and tries to come up with palatable concoctions in the blender. Migraines dig into her skull. Doctors can't say for certain if she will recover fully.
Susan Rhodes recuperating after surgery on her jaw.
(Image courtesy Susan Rhodes)
"I had perfect teeth before," Rhodes says. "They've shifted. My bite is off. The jaw on the left side has atrophied. I don't have the same energy. I've got two kids, and I'm a single mother.
"It's not easy. You just want to sleep. I don't go out anymore. I'm exhausted."
The medical bills have started to come in, and so far, Rhodes says, they're more than $7 ,000. She's not sure how much insurance will cover, so she contacted an attorney, Alan Ghaleb, to inquire about whether the Dodgers would help cover the costs. Ghaleb phoned the team and received a call back from American Specialty Insurance and Risk Services, an Indiana company that offers insurance to professional sports teams. The response shocked him.
"No way, no how, no way would they cover it," Ghaleb says. "The adjuster was professional, but they would never consider helping anybody with their medical bills. It's tough luck and you assume the risk."
There is a reason every team announces before the game that teams are not responsible for flying bats and balls. The same is printed on tickets. Around Dodger Stadium, signs are posted: "Please be alert to bats and balls entering the seating area." There's a Spanish translation, too.
Fans who have brought litigation against baseball clubs for injuries due to batted balls and other projectiles have almost universally seen their cases dropped due to the assumption-of-risk doctrine. Every team that sees an injury at its stadium, no matter how serious, fights helping with medical costs because of the implications throughout the rest of the industry.
Ghaleb says that Rhodes is "considering (lawsuits) both against the Dodgers and the manufacturer." He plans on deciding within 45 days whether cases are worth pursuing, and if he determines they aren't, he will start a letter-writing campaign to Rawlings and the Dodgers on the dangers of maple bats.
"This is an unfortunate incident, and we wish her a speedy and full recovery," Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch says.
Rhodes worries that the warnings aren't enough. The issue of maple bats is so new, only the most ardent fans have heard of the danger. She figured a line drive into foul territory was enough of a threat. Now, having researched the Long incident and seen two or three or sometimes more bats per game breaking, Rhodes wonders why the netting that protects fans behind home plate isn't lengthened to cover the baselines.
"Some child or someone's parent is going to get killed," Rhodes says. "I'm very fortunate this is all that happened. If it was just a few inches higher, it would've hit my temple or poked my eye out.
"Why wouldn't they extend (netting)? I don't get that. Would you like to live or would you like to see the game? If anything comes out of this, I want people to be safe."
MLB and the union, though derelict in reaching an agreement to this point, want that as well. They will meet in June and go through a number of possible solutions, including netting, thickening the handles on bats so they're less likely to snap or banning maple bats outright.
"We're very concerned about this issue," MLB spokesman Rich Levin says. "We are definitely looking into it. I know the commissioner is very concerned."
As much as Rhodes appreciates the concern, it can't return her life before a two-pound wooden club blindsided her. She wonders how a sport can put its players and fans in such precarious positions, prone to assaults with a deadly weapon.
Rhodes won't find out again anytime soon.
"From now on," she says, "I'm going to Lakers games."
Article Source
Beckham urges Ronaldo to stay put
Beckham wants Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United star David Beckham has urged Cristiano Ronaldo not to follow in his footsteps by leaving Old Trafford to sign for Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants are tracking the 23-year-old, despite being warned off by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Beckham, who joined Real in 2003, said: "I believe he's at the right club now, a club he should stay at.
"He's only been there a few years. He's got a lot of people around him there who will protect him."
Beckham added: "As much as Real are a great team and one of the biggest clubs in the world, he's only just starting at United."
Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals as his side won the Champions League and the Premier League last season, says he will clarify his future in the next few days.
606: DEBATE
He's priceless. He's not going anywhere
Lux-Aeterna
Ferguson is sure the Portuguese winger will stay, saying: "I'm confident about that. I'm very confident.
"It's a game Real play all the time, In the past they've done it with Beckham, they've done it with Ronaldo, they've done it with my fitness coach last summer when they took him away from us, so we're used to it.
"It's a compliment to the standard of players we have, and we always seem to produce, but I am more than confident Cristiano will be with us next year."
"The Glazer family will not be messed about in this situation.
"We want Cristiano to stay for a long, long time. He is on a fantastic contract and quite rightly so - he's the best player in the world."
Article Source
Former Manchester United star David Beckham has urged Cristiano Ronaldo not to follow in his footsteps by leaving Old Trafford to sign for Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants are tracking the 23-year-old, despite being warned off by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Beckham, who joined Real in 2003, said: "I believe he's at the right club now, a club he should stay at.
"He's only been there a few years. He's got a lot of people around him there who will protect him."
Beckham added: "As much as Real are a great team and one of the biggest clubs in the world, he's only just starting at United."
Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals as his side won the Champions League and the Premier League last season, says he will clarify his future in the next few days.
606: DEBATE
He's priceless. He's not going anywhere
Lux-Aeterna
Ferguson is sure the Portuguese winger will stay, saying: "I'm confident about that. I'm very confident.
"It's a game Real play all the time, In the past they've done it with Beckham, they've done it with Ronaldo, they've done it with my fitness coach last summer when they took him away from us, so we're used to it.
"It's a compliment to the standard of players we have, and we always seem to produce, but I am more than confident Cristiano will be with us next year."
"The Glazer family will not be messed about in this situation.
"We want Cristiano to stay for a long, long time. He is on a fantastic contract and quite rightly so - he's the best player in the world."
Article Source
Is playing for another country's Olympic team treason?
All Becky Hammon wanted to do was play in the Olympics.
The U.S. didn't want her, so she found another market that was interested - Russia .
Hammon, who has no Russian ancestry, and had never even been there until she signed to play professional basketball there last year, will suit up for the Russian team in Beijing.
Is Hammon a traitor?
"This is not life or death," Hammon said. "My patriotism isn't defined by basketball. My patriotism isn't defined in 94 feet of hardwood.
"I don't expect everybody to agree with my decision or understand my decision. But I know where my courage and patriotism lie. So I'm comfortable with it. I'd still do anything for my country."
But is it within the spirit of the Olympics that a country can buy the rights to athletes just to win medals?
Under league rules in Russia, where Hammon signed to play for a team in Moscow last year, a player who has not played for another country in a FIBA- sanctioned event is allowed to become a naturalized citizen. Once a person is a citizen, the Olympic team is an option.
The WNBA MVP runner-up a year ago, who scored 20 points against the Comets last night, was left off USA Basketball's list of players from which the 2008 Olympic team would be chosen.
"I didn't say no to USA Basketball," Hammon said. "The option for me to play for USA Basketball really wasn't an option.
"It was: 'You can go take part in the Olympics or stay at home.'"
Maybe it won't bother you as much because it is women's basketball, but J.R. Holden will suit up for Russian men's team . Holden hit the game-winning shot for Russia in the gold medal game at last year's European Championships. What if he does the same against the U.S. in Beijing?
It is not unusual for American citizens to be on foreign Olympic teams. Typically, though, the loophole for participation is some familial tie. More than half the Greek Olympic softball players in 2004 were Americans who met the special requirement of having at least one great-grandparent from Greece, which had never fielded a softball team in international competition.
Not only might Hammon and Holden further open a door for flimsy participation with other countries, it's Russia we're talking about. Many of us still have "Cold War" feelings about the former communist power.
"I don't think people would be as upset if I was playing for Switzerland," Hammon said. "God loves Russia just as much as God loves America."
What do you think? Is it OK for Americans to compete in the Olympics for other countries? Is it treason?
Or does the "this is basketball, not war" argument win you over?
* * *
Jerry Greene has two words for those of you who think the home crowd really matters: hog and wash .
* * *
Remember sweet little Pebbles from the Flintstones? Well, Ashley Harkleroad , who hails from Flintstone, Ga. Was known as Pebbles back in the day.
Harkleroad has decided to show her pebbles to us all, as she will be the first professional tennis player to pose nude for Playboy .
* * *
Joke of the Day:
From Jay Leno: " A lesbian couple in Seattle claims they were asked to leave a Mariners game for kissing in the stands after a mother and son complained. Well, the mother complained that they were kissing, and the son complained he couldn't see."
Article Source
The U.S. didn't want her, so she found another market that was interested - Russia .
Hammon, who has no Russian ancestry, and had never even been there until she signed to play professional basketball there last year, will suit up for the Russian team in Beijing.
Is Hammon a traitor?
"This is not life or death," Hammon said. "My patriotism isn't defined by basketball. My patriotism isn't defined in 94 feet of hardwood.
"I don't expect everybody to agree with my decision or understand my decision. But I know where my courage and patriotism lie. So I'm comfortable with it. I'd still do anything for my country."
But is it within the spirit of the Olympics that a country can buy the rights to athletes just to win medals?
Under league rules in Russia, where Hammon signed to play for a team in Moscow last year, a player who has not played for another country in a FIBA- sanctioned event is allowed to become a naturalized citizen. Once a person is a citizen, the Olympic team is an option.
The WNBA MVP runner-up a year ago, who scored 20 points against the Comets last night, was left off USA Basketball's list of players from which the 2008 Olympic team would be chosen.
"I didn't say no to USA Basketball," Hammon said. "The option for me to play for USA Basketball really wasn't an option.
"It was: 'You can go take part in the Olympics or stay at home.'"
Maybe it won't bother you as much because it is women's basketball, but J.R. Holden will suit up for Russian men's team . Holden hit the game-winning shot for Russia in the gold medal game at last year's European Championships. What if he does the same against the U.S. in Beijing?
It is not unusual for American citizens to be on foreign Olympic teams. Typically, though, the loophole for participation is some familial tie. More than half the Greek Olympic softball players in 2004 were Americans who met the special requirement of having at least one great-grandparent from Greece, which had never fielded a softball team in international competition.
Not only might Hammon and Holden further open a door for flimsy participation with other countries, it's Russia we're talking about. Many of us still have "Cold War" feelings about the former communist power.
"I don't think people would be as upset if I was playing for Switzerland," Hammon said. "God loves Russia just as much as God loves America."
What do you think? Is it OK for Americans to compete in the Olympics for other countries? Is it treason?
Or does the "this is basketball, not war" argument win you over?
* * *
Jerry Greene has two words for those of you who think the home crowd really matters: hog and wash .
* * *
Remember sweet little Pebbles from the Flintstones? Well, Ashley Harkleroad , who hails from Flintstone, Ga. Was known as Pebbles back in the day.
Harkleroad has decided to show her pebbles to us all, as she will be the first professional tennis player to pose nude for Playboy .
* * *
Joke of the Day:
From Jay Leno: " A lesbian couple in Seattle claims they were asked to leave a Mariners game for kissing in the stands after a mother and son complained. Well, the mother complained that they were kissing, and the son complained he couldn't see."
Article Source
Last play for Hockey Night in Canada theme song?
One of this country's most familiar tunes may have been heard on CBC-TV for the last time Wednesday night when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins and won the 2008 Stanley Cup.
The Toronto agency representing the composer of the theme tune for Hockey Night in Canada says the CBC has declined to enter into a new licensing agreement for the song for next NHL season.
A news release posted on the website of Copyright Music & Visuals quotes company president John Ciccone as saying the CBC's licence agreement for the hockey theme song ended with the Stanley Cup final.
The CBC "has advised the composer, owner and administrator of the musical composition that it is not prepared to enter into a new licence agreement with respect to the use of the theme," the release says.
The CBC had no immediate comment Thursday.
Article Source
The Toronto agency representing the composer of the theme tune for Hockey Night in Canada says the CBC has declined to enter into a new licensing agreement for the song for next NHL season.
A news release posted on the website of Copyright Music & Visuals quotes company president John Ciccone as saying the CBC's licence agreement for the hockey theme song ended with the Stanley Cup final.
The CBC "has advised the composer, owner and administrator of the musical composition that it is not prepared to enter into a new licence agreement with respect to the use of the theme," the release says.
The CBC had no immediate comment Thursday.
Article Source
Why Athletes Go Broke
The " Real Deal" is broke .
It is being reported that former Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is playing the real life game of Deal Or No Deal . It has been reported that his $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta is under foreclosure, the mother of one of his children is suing for unpaid child support, and a Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming the boxer failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping. Just one more high profile athlete having to scale back that lifestyle to the level to which you have I have been accustomed. Why is it that athletes who seem to have everything are often completely unable to control anything relate to finances?
We all played our violins to death when we heard of Latrell Sprewell's financial troubles. On Halloween 2004 , Sprewell, who was in the final season of a $62 - million five-year deal he signed with the New York Knicks, said he was insulted by Minnesota Timberwolve's offer of a contract extension that was reportedly worth between $27 million and $30 million for three seasons. Sprewell stated, " I've got my family to feed ." That quote become a national moniker for the public perception of athletes as greedy out of touch individuals. Apparently Sprewell still can't feed his family. His yacht was recently repossessed and his multi million dollar mansion is about to be foreclosed on .
While there is certainly the stereotype of the financially irresponsible NBA athlete, no professional sport is immune.
Lets take a look at some high profile athlete financial sob stories over the years:
1. Who my age can forget Jack"The Ripper" Clark , star player for the Boston Red Sox who back in 1992 , in the second year of a three-year, $8.7 million contract with Boston filed for bankruptcy and listed $6.7 million in debts. Jack was a master of financial planning and prudent asset acquisition. His bankruptcy petition listed him as having bought 18 automobiles, including a 1990 Ferrari that cost $717 ,000 and three 1992 Mercedes Benz cars costing between $103 ,000 and $ 143 ,000 . He owed money on 17 of the automobiles, was liable for about $400 ,000 in Federal and state taxes. He had also lost about $1 million in the past year in a drag-racing venture. Sounds like Jack would have been more at home in the NBA. You can read about it here
2. Johnny Unitas Hall of Fame quarterback for the Baltimore Colts filed for bankruptcy in 1991 citing numerous failed business ventures in his petition These failed bits included bowling alleys, land deals and restaurants. He filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991.
3. Mike Tyson This speaks for itself. Mike's bankruptcy was highly publicized. Despite earning hundreds of millions during his boxing career, Mike kept it simple. His bankruptcy petition simply stating: " I am unable to pay my bills" which totaled about $27 million, according to federal court records. You can read that story here .
4. Dorothy Hamill The women's figure-skating gold medalist in the 1976 Winter Games, filed for bankruptcy after a series of financial setbacks. Hamill said she has experienced financial setbacks as a result of poor financial investment advice and management.
These are just a few of many athlete tales of woe. It is not a phenomenon limited to professional sports. Just ask M.C Hammer . Prior to his declaring bankruptcy , it was made public that his day to day living expenses far exceeded his 33 million dollar income. If I am going to veer off to celebrities, I certainly have to mention Kim Basinger and Michael Jackson.
When the Toronto Star ran an article alleging that a shocking 60 percent of NBA athletes "go broke" five years after retiring did we not all pull out that very tiny violin we have reserved for such occasions? The NBA players union and the NBA have both disputed that assertion. The article goes on to talk about all the people taking advantage of and "scamming" these athletes. While I have no doubt there is truth to this, I can understand how such a generalization would make the NBA uncomfortable. It leaves you with the impression that 60 percent of NBA players are not only financially inept but idiots in general. This is simply not true. While good business sense is often lacking, I view many of their mistakes as being more mistakes of trust, credibility and lack of life experience than anything else. Smart busy people who can afford to, hire people with targeted expertise to help them. This allows them to focus on their expertise. Sometime mistakes are made and bad judgment is used in who we hire and hang out with. That is not unique to the NBA or professional sports. This happens to everyone. That is life. It happens all the time. It just does not make front page when we screw up. If there is any question at all as to how badly we as the general public screw up, just look at the personal bankruptcy filing statistics.
In order to get a perspective from the inside, I contacted Jordan Woy, a highly respected sports agent and a principal in the sports marketing/management firm of Schlegel Sports . Jordan has represented numerous high profile athletes
Here is what Jordon had to say:
"I think there are several reasons why so many athletes "go broke". First, whether it is a lottery winner, an athlete or a star entertainer, if they are not equipped with the knowledge on how to make and save money they are in trouble. When they didn't earn it through disciplined business practices and they don't have those skills they usually go through it quickly. Most lottery winners or athletes make a great deal of money in a short period of time. They start spending it on things that only go down in value (cars, jewelry, partying, entourage,etc) and start to evaporate the money they do have. They can carry this off until they stop earning big money. This is when the trouble starts. It is hard to believe that MC Hammer, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and now Ed McMahon are broke. These are people who earned hundreds of millions over time and it disappeared. Lavish spending and entourages were probably the downfall for the first three for sure.
Most athletes play for four to ten years if they are lucky. After they pay taxes (can be 40 to 50%), agent fees and buy their first homes, cars, outfits, jewelry and then buy friends and family things they are left with very little. When they first "strike it rich" all of their longtime friends and family expect help. Most athletes feel obligated to help everyone out at first then they wise up. They also want to keep up with their teammates. If someone buys a Bentley they have to buy one, if someone buys a $75 ,000 watch they have to buy one to keep up the appearance. Then of course when the career ends and they are still living in a multi million dollar house, driving 3 expensive cars (and insurance), traveling in private planes and taking Limo's when they go out on the town reality sets in. The money dries up very quickly.
However, if athletes educate themselves and learn money management skills and make smart, safe investments along the way they are usually in very good shape. After representing athletes for over 20 years we call this our "life plan". We take out clients on working vacations in the off season to places like Las Vegas, Cancun and on a cruise to the Bahamas to learn business networking. We have people from industries such as real estate, oil and gas, financial planning, credit repair, asset protection/estate planning, etc come to educate the players and their wives so they can learn about these business and also determine if they are interested in any of these industries for life after sports. One of the financial planners who comes always says most people die coming down from Mt. Everest not going up. The goal is for these athletes to get to their Mt. Everest AND to get down safely. "
So what do you think? Are the financial mistakes athletes make any different than your mistakes or mine? They are certainly mistakes made with a higher downside. When we hear these stories are we just unable to comprehend that someone could have that much money and spend it all? Can we learn lessons in how to live our lives from their highly publicized financial gaffes? Do we even care at all?
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It is being reported that former Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is playing the real life game of Deal Or No Deal . It has been reported that his $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta is under foreclosure, the mother of one of his children is suing for unpaid child support, and a Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming the boxer failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping. Just one more high profile athlete having to scale back that lifestyle to the level to which you have I have been accustomed. Why is it that athletes who seem to have everything are often completely unable to control anything relate to finances?
We all played our violins to death when we heard of Latrell Sprewell's financial troubles. On Halloween 2004 , Sprewell, who was in the final season of a $62 - million five-year deal he signed with the New York Knicks, said he was insulted by Minnesota Timberwolve's offer of a contract extension that was reportedly worth between $27 million and $30 million for three seasons. Sprewell stated, " I've got my family to feed ." That quote become a national moniker for the public perception of athletes as greedy out of touch individuals. Apparently Sprewell still can't feed his family. His yacht was recently repossessed and his multi million dollar mansion is about to be foreclosed on .
While there is certainly the stereotype of the financially irresponsible NBA athlete, no professional sport is immune.
Lets take a look at some high profile athlete financial sob stories over the years:
1. Who my age can forget Jack"The Ripper" Clark , star player for the Boston Red Sox who back in 1992 , in the second year of a three-year, $8.7 million contract with Boston filed for bankruptcy and listed $6.7 million in debts. Jack was a master of financial planning and prudent asset acquisition. His bankruptcy petition listed him as having bought 18 automobiles, including a 1990 Ferrari that cost $717 ,000 and three 1992 Mercedes Benz cars costing between $103 ,000 and $ 143 ,000 . He owed money on 17 of the automobiles, was liable for about $400 ,000 in Federal and state taxes. He had also lost about $1 million in the past year in a drag-racing venture. Sounds like Jack would have been more at home in the NBA. You can read about it here
2. Johnny Unitas Hall of Fame quarterback for the Baltimore Colts filed for bankruptcy in 1991 citing numerous failed business ventures in his petition These failed bits included bowling alleys, land deals and restaurants. He filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991.
3. Mike Tyson This speaks for itself. Mike's bankruptcy was highly publicized. Despite earning hundreds of millions during his boxing career, Mike kept it simple. His bankruptcy petition simply stating: " I am unable to pay my bills" which totaled about $27 million, according to federal court records. You can read that story here .
4. Dorothy Hamill The women's figure-skating gold medalist in the 1976 Winter Games, filed for bankruptcy after a series of financial setbacks. Hamill said she has experienced financial setbacks as a result of poor financial investment advice and management.
These are just a few of many athlete tales of woe. It is not a phenomenon limited to professional sports. Just ask M.C Hammer . Prior to his declaring bankruptcy , it was made public that his day to day living expenses far exceeded his 33 million dollar income. If I am going to veer off to celebrities, I certainly have to mention Kim Basinger and Michael Jackson.
When the Toronto Star ran an article alleging that a shocking 60 percent of NBA athletes "go broke" five years after retiring did we not all pull out that very tiny violin we have reserved for such occasions? The NBA players union and the NBA have both disputed that assertion. The article goes on to talk about all the people taking advantage of and "scamming" these athletes. While I have no doubt there is truth to this, I can understand how such a generalization would make the NBA uncomfortable. It leaves you with the impression that 60 percent of NBA players are not only financially inept but idiots in general. This is simply not true. While good business sense is often lacking, I view many of their mistakes as being more mistakes of trust, credibility and lack of life experience than anything else. Smart busy people who can afford to, hire people with targeted expertise to help them. This allows them to focus on their expertise. Sometime mistakes are made and bad judgment is used in who we hire and hang out with. That is not unique to the NBA or professional sports. This happens to everyone. That is life. It happens all the time. It just does not make front page when we screw up. If there is any question at all as to how badly we as the general public screw up, just look at the personal bankruptcy filing statistics.
In order to get a perspective from the inside, I contacted Jordan Woy, a highly respected sports agent and a principal in the sports marketing/management firm of Schlegel Sports . Jordan has represented numerous high profile athletes
Here is what Jordon had to say:
"I think there are several reasons why so many athletes "go broke". First, whether it is a lottery winner, an athlete or a star entertainer, if they are not equipped with the knowledge on how to make and save money they are in trouble. When they didn't earn it through disciplined business practices and they don't have those skills they usually go through it quickly. Most lottery winners or athletes make a great deal of money in a short period of time. They start spending it on things that only go down in value (cars, jewelry, partying, entourage,etc) and start to evaporate the money they do have. They can carry this off until they stop earning big money. This is when the trouble starts. It is hard to believe that MC Hammer, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and now Ed McMahon are broke. These are people who earned hundreds of millions over time and it disappeared. Lavish spending and entourages were probably the downfall for the first three for sure.
Most athletes play for four to ten years if they are lucky. After they pay taxes (can be 40 to 50%), agent fees and buy their first homes, cars, outfits, jewelry and then buy friends and family things they are left with very little. When they first "strike it rich" all of their longtime friends and family expect help. Most athletes feel obligated to help everyone out at first then they wise up. They also want to keep up with their teammates. If someone buys a Bentley they have to buy one, if someone buys a $75 ,000 watch they have to buy one to keep up the appearance. Then of course when the career ends and they are still living in a multi million dollar house, driving 3 expensive cars (and insurance), traveling in private planes and taking Limo's when they go out on the town reality sets in. The money dries up very quickly.
However, if athletes educate themselves and learn money management skills and make smart, safe investments along the way they are usually in very good shape. After representing athletes for over 20 years we call this our "life plan". We take out clients on working vacations in the off season to places like Las Vegas, Cancun and on a cruise to the Bahamas to learn business networking. We have people from industries such as real estate, oil and gas, financial planning, credit repair, asset protection/estate planning, etc come to educate the players and their wives so they can learn about these business and also determine if they are interested in any of these industries for life after sports. One of the financial planners who comes always says most people die coming down from Mt. Everest not going up. The goal is for these athletes to get to their Mt. Everest AND to get down safely. "
So what do you think? Are the financial mistakes athletes make any different than your mistakes or mine? They are certainly mistakes made with a higher downside. When we hear these stories are we just unable to comprehend that someone could have that much money and spend it all? Can we learn lessons in how to live our lives from their highly publicized financial gaffes? Do we even care at all?
Article Source
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