Global Sports Buzz

Carmelo Droppin' Dimes

2010-03-10T19:49:07Z

Yes that's right; Carmelo is literally dropping 300,000 dimes which is equivalent to 3 million dollars! You might ask, what is this money going too? That would be the new Carmelo K. Anthony Center where Syracuse University men's and women's basketball tea ms will practice. The Melo' Center will consist of 54,000 square feet of space with 13,750 square feet of basketball court. This mind-blowing piece or architecture will also feature state of the art weight training facilities along with a hall of fame and athletic staff offices.

This $19 million dollar facility is not only an incredible piece of art, it is also considered to be an incredibly green building. Some key aspects that make this building meet the green criteria consist of; it uses 20% less energy than a standard newly built building along with 20% less water usage. The structure also consists of mainly recycled material. Now all that's left to be added in completion of the building is another National Championship trophy.

So just how far is too far?

2010-03-10T13:17:09Z

With the recent decline in popularity, NASCAR President Mike Helton told the drivers at the beginning of this season to "have at it". He believes that letting the drivers police themselves, without NASCAR officials stepping in all the time, will generate more attention to the sport. Well, the sport got the attention this past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but not the kind of attention the sport needs and/or wants.

Carl Edwards and Brad Keslowski have had a heated feud between them, dating back to this incident, where Keslowski bumped Edwards and sent him flipping into the wall, injuring spectators. This past weekend, Edwards took retaliation with this bump. Luckily, no fan or driver was injured.

NASCAR parked Edwards for the rest of the race, which was only 3 laps away from finishing, and put him on 3 weeks probation. A mere slap on the wrist for Edwards. NASCAR has stood by its "have at it policy", but this incident is not just a "racing deal". Spectators, let alone Keslowski himself, could have been seriously injured. By not suspending Edwards, NASCAR has left the door wide open. What will it take for NASCAR to realize that retaliations, such as Edwards', need to be dealt with? Hoopefully the cost is not the life of a driver or an innocent spectator.

Several Basketball Conferences Eliminate Student-Athlete Gifts

2010-03-10T04:16:31Z

Student-athlete gifts are a large expense for Universities and Conferences. That is why three men's and women's basketball conferences are eliminating the gifts their athletes recieve. The three conferences are the Big Ten, the PAC-10, and the Mid-American Conferences. The Big Ten and the PAC-10 are expecting to save up to $300,000 by eliminating the gifts given to all their student-athletes. The Mid-American Conference is expecting to save up to $40,000. The athletes in the three conferences are losing a significant gift. Some examples of other conferences that are still providing gifts are the Big East, ACC, and SEC. Both the Big East and ACC are provide a Nintendo Wii package for all their players. The SEC is providing a choice of a GPS, camera, Ipod, or watch for their players. The total amount of gifts that players can recieve is approximately $3,000 worth, which includes gifts from their school and conferences. It is also possible to recieve gifts from the NCAA if the athletes participate in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.

The biggest expense in terms of gifts is for men's and women's basketball programs. Of the money that is budgeted for gifts, 75% of it is spent on the men's and women's basketball tournaments. As you can see a lot if money will be saved for those three conferences. The large expense comes because each conference must providing each team with up to 25 gifts. With approximately 10-12 teams in each conference that estimates each conference having to provide 500-600 gifts for both the men's and women's basketball teams.

NHL Head Injuries on The Rise

2010-03-09T21:30:40Z

Lately in the NHL, the main issue at hand has been the topic of head injuries.
This week during the general manager's meetings, they will try to decide what is
a legal and illegal hit, and if it is illegal what the punishment should be. Although
big hits in the NHL is one big way in which the sport separates itself from the other
mainstream sports, it has recently been getting out of hand. For example on October
24th, 2009 Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers went head hunting on David Booth of
the Florida Panthers. Booth was not able to get up on his own power and was taken off
of the ice on a stretcher. He suffered a concussion and had to be monitored by medical
staff for days after. While the speed of the game continues to increase, so do the number
of head injuries. Right now at this moment, there are three NHL players out with a concussion, with one of those three, Marc Savard maybe missing the rest of the season with a grade 2 concussion. While Marc lay momentarily unconscious on the ice, the Boston Bruins realized that they may have lost their top scorer for the rest of the season. At the end of these next few days, hopefully the NHL will have a more clear interpretation of legal and illegal hits, but only time will tell.

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Why Release a 1400 Yard Rusher For a Miniscule Amount of Money That Was Owed to Him For His Performance?

2010-03-05T04:17:21Z

As of now, I have an issue with the New York Jets releasing Thomas Jones. It does not seem like the right decision at all. Leaving a majority of the teams to a second year player, Shonn Greene, seems a bit risky. He did show promise in the regular season, as well as the playoffs, but with the Jets' only backbone at the moment in the running back position being Leon Washington; I am feeling pessimistic about this decision wholly. Jones had a career year eclipsing the 1400 yard mark. It seems cheap of the Jets not to give him the "performance bonus" he solemnly deserves. With him being the catalyst of the offense and the proven veteran/mentor, the Jets not only lose a great presence on the field, but the lose a ten year veteran with unmatched presence in the locker room.

"I can tell you, it's not going to be a popular move in the locker room," said one player, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "We loved T.J. The man loved the game and put it all on the line only to get dumped after his best season. I think you should reward players for performance. You dump him but give Vernon (Gholston) another shot? Doesn't make sense."

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CBA Agreement Disputes Threaten To Lockout 2011 NFL Season

2010-03-03T04:22:09Z

To the average fan of the National Football League the letters, "CBA" may not phase them. But even the average fan should be worried about these three letters.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement is the documentation which determines what percentage of revenue shares go to the players/union and to the owners/league. Within the last few weeks, talks have stalled to agree on a new "treaty", more or less. As a result of this stall in talks, as many people may have heard, the 2010 NFL season will become an "un-capped" year. What this means is that there is no limit to the amount of money teams can shell into acquiring Free Agents in the off-season. This may sound normal to some fans, especially those of baseball, and even more so, those of the New York Yankees. However, this brings about an interesting situation in which the NFL has never found itself. Due to the lack of a salary cap, something the NFL has had since its inception, there are new restrictions to the "Final Eight" teams; teams that advanced to the Divisional Championship rounds in the playoffs.

The "Final Eight" teams are the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Arizona Cardinals. These teams may not sign Free Agents until one of their Free Agents signs with another team. On top of that, they may only sign Free Agents whose salaries from the previous year do not exceed that of the Free Agent that the team lost.

Sounds Complicated doesn't it?

For an In-Depth look at the intricacies of the Debates and their effects Tim Graham, the AFC East Blogger for ESPN.com, has written an article explaining all the little details that even I may not still know.

Harsh Reality: Labor Pains Ahead

About the 2011 season however. The lack of a CBA agreement may mean a lockout. What this means is that the owners won't allow the players to play. It's very reminiscent of the 2004 National Hockey League lockout. What is the cause of the lockout you may ask? Graham's article can explain better than I can but to simplify, the percentage of revenue shares going to the owners isn't nearly as much as it is going to the players. In even shorter, the owners feel as though they got the short end of the stick.

So enjoy this un-capped 2010 season sports fans, because unless a new agreement can be made, 2011 should be one interesting year.

Does the NBA need the Knicks to be Good Again?

2010-03-01T22:19:41Z

Does the NBA need the Knicks to be good again? Well, Celizic, writer for the Journal News, sure does think so. I certainly agree. Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, is known as the mecca of basketball. It is proven that the sport is way better off when all of the major markets are contending teams. New York is one of, if not the biggest sports city in the nation. It is very ironic that a team in arguably the biggest market in the country struggles to break 30 wins every year.

As Celizic said, it is perfectly fine for any team to be in a rebuilding stage. It is however not okay for a team in a market such as New York City to stink up the place every year. As Celizic also stated, Madison Square Garden needs to return to old form. Madison Square Garden needs to once again be sold out for home games, with a team that competes for a championship; or at least in the playoffs. It needs to have celebrities other than Spike Lee there every game. It need to once again be a place where rocking concerts and top ticket boxing matches take place.

This offseason will be crucial for the Knicks. Arguable the best free agent class will be available, and the Knicks will need to cash in. They will also need to draft well to get a nucleus of strong, cheap young players to play alongside whoever they acquire. Madison Square has lost its swagger. The Knicks have lost their swagger. It's time for them to get it back.

Virtual Olympics

2010-02-19T16:51:46Z

The Winter Olympics is a great tradition that brings people from around the world to one specific place. Even if you are not a participant, a family member supporting your loved one, or one of the lucky towns people in Vancouver that get to be apart it, you still want to experience the 2010 Winter Olympics. Many well known websites have given people the chance to virtually experience the Olympics. Google, Bing, Yahoo/Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter have given people different opportunities to be updated about the progress of the Olympics.

On Google, you can take a virtual tour of the Olympics. Bing has created a Winter Olympics app for people to receive updated news. On this app, people can also see the medal count, the different venues, and photos. Yahoo has a site directly for the games. This site gives users live results, photos, news, and many more. On Yahoo's Flickr people get post their pictures from the 2010 Winter Olympics. The very popular Facebook has an official page for the Olympics. Besides just looking at news, people can share their own experiences about the Olympics. Users can even become fans of Olympic athletes and teams. Lastly, Twitter has some athletes participating updating their pages for the fans. With all this options and many more, becoming a part of the 2010 Winter Olympics is just a click away.

Jeff Gordon Leaves IMG

2010-02-19T13:38:39Z

Jeff Gordon leaves IMG and explores new opportunties by just marekting internationally. He is getting involved with a motorsports marketing agency in Indianapolis, which has not been represented any NASCAR driver before. Jeff is seeking a new direction in his career and is tried of the traditional deal.

Gordon had spent more than 10 years with IMG, and during most of that time he was the only NASCAR driver in the agency's talent stable. But as Gordon, 38, approaches the twilight of his driving career, he's looking for a deeper selection of business opportunities within motorsports that extend beyond endorsements.

Could a Nike Deal Mean More Nigerian Basketball Players?

2010-02-19T04:23:16Z

The Nigerian Basketball Federation, also known as the NBBF just signed a long term deal with Nike, a company well known for international manufacturing. In doing so, the NBBF has also secured their partnership with the NBA. This could mean the development of more basketball players from Nigeria, and other African countries for that matter. According to reports, the president of the NBBF, Tijjani Umar has also confirmed that Nike will begin to hold summer camps and other training programs, which ultimately means the development of NIgerian basketball.

There is no doubt that basketball is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Throughout the years, we have seen the number of International players from areas such as Asia and Europe drastically increasing. The skill level and competitve nature of these players are also greatly improving. The NBA's efforts to spread the great game of basketball throughout the world has been very frutiful thus far. It won't be long before we see a lot of great players coming from the continent of Africa, the likes of Nigeria's own Hakeem Olajuwon.

More Troubles Plague 2010 Olympics

2010-02-19T04:04:44Z

The 2010 Winter Olympics have not been running as smoothly as planned. The weather has been causing problems outdoors and as of Monday February, 15 the problem shifted indoors. To promote "Going Green" the Olympic Committee chose to use a battery powered Zamboni(the machine that smooths the surface of the ice). Unfortunately, there were mechanical difficulties with the battery powered Zamboni. The event staff at the arena was forced to use a propane fuled Zamboni. The difficulties occured halfway through the first of two races for the men's 500-meter speedskating event. Because of the time stopage, American speedskater Shani Davis withdrew from the event. Eventually, the problems were fixed and medals were awarded. Hopefully, this is the end of the problems that have plagued the Olympic Games thusfar.

Hockey Technology Continues to Improve

2010-02-19T03:59:29Z

Just when you think that your hockey stick is going to be top of the top, other hockey brands such as Easton come out with brand new and improved hockey sticks. About a year ago a brand new hockey stick titled the Easton S17 was the
biggest hit and many hockey players rushed out to the store to get one.
After a couple of months the S17 became white noise. Everyone thought that the S17 was as good as hockey technology was going to get. They were sorrily mistaken.
A couple of months ago Easton came out with a brand new stick titled the S19.
This stick once again opened the eyes of many hockey players. The Easton S19 improved characteristics like a more accurate flex of the stick,and the stick became
lighter while increasing its durability. This just goes to show that when you think techonology is at the best it can be, you are only deceiving yourself.

Technology In The 2010 Vancouver Olympics

2010-02-19T03:57:51Z

Communication is a significant factor when it comes to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Vancouver. Not only is it vital to have the communication system up and running successfully with no problems, but to have the adequate amount of technology and equipment to run the system. With tens of thousands of participants using the network, the network has to have large enough capacity to handle the amount of information being transmitted; weather it is being sent or received by phone, email, fax, internet or any other connection. Because of this, VANOC (Communications team) had to work very diligently at creating a system to make sure that this was possible. The only way to ensure that there will be no flaws is to test the system numerous times and to have workers readily available to take on any situation if problems do arise.

Mark McGwire:From Prolific Hitter to Poster Boy of Steroids to Hitting Coach of the Cardinals.

2010-02-19T03:45:12Z

With Major League Baseball trying to bypass the issue of steroids and clean its reputation up, McGwire a known steroid user, reveals himself after a long hiatus from the world. He fessed up via a press conference admitting his steroid use throughout his playing days, where he fraudulently slugged 583 home runs. McGwire was recently hired as the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals by Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals Manager. La Russa felt it would be beneficial for Mcgwire if he were to admit his steroid abuse and to be honest not only with himself, but also with the fans. La Russa felt confident he would be the best fit for this position and it is all just a matter of time until the media puts this controversy of McGwire to rest. Some feel this will be a major distraction to the Cardinals because he will be the main focus of attention, rather than the team itself, but we will have to wait and see how everything falls into place.

"I definitely was not unaware that some people have already judged that we can't win because he's going to be a distraction. We take that challenge like other challenges. As far as I'm concerned, the question is, is he a good enough hitting coach to help us? And that's part of, are we a good enough team to win? [That is] to be answered. But we're not going to be distracted. We're either going to be good enough or we're not. There will be no excuses."

Elite Jerseys For An Elite Team

2010-02-19T01:22:41Z

On February 10th the UConn men's basketball team entered the Carrier Dome along with newly designed Syracuse Basketball jerseys. Nike recently developed the Nike Hyper Elite jerseys for elite basketball teams in the NCAA. These jerseys not only become more breathable for the players but, they reduced weight and cut off almost 13 inches of fabric from the jersey.

Another key feature of the newly designed jerseys is the customized back panel, featured in the picture to the right. The back panel now consists of outlines of key places on the Syracuse University campus such as, the Carrier Dome and Carnegie Hall.