Nike Brings Back Michael Vick

Interesting news from Liz Mullen of Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal, as excerpted here:

Michael Vick has signed an endorsement deal with Nike, according to Mike Principe, managing director for BEST, the agency that represents Vick.

Principe would reveal no other details, but referred other questions to Vick’s personal agent, Joel Segal . . . “Mike has had a great relationship with Nike and is excited to be part of the Nike team again,” said Segal . . .

Vick will wear Nike shoes, gear and apparel. “He has always been a fan of the brand and looks forward to the relationship,” Segal said.

Vick had been a Nike endorser before, but the company dropped him in August 2007, after Vick was indicted on federal dogfighting charges.

For the rest, click here. For previous coverage of Vick and Nike on Sports Law Blog, click here.

Mike Blowers Prediction

Sweet video with Mike Blowers, Seattle Mariners radio color announcer, making a pregame prediction that was eerily accurate. Say Mike, you wouldn't happen to know next month's lottery ticket number, would you?

Bulgarian Training Bag

Bulgarian Bag Training

The Bulgarian Bag is simply a car inner tube filled with sand, a great idea for cheap homemade fitness

Here Steve Maxwell demonstrates a very simple but effective training device that would compliment sandbag training and kettlebell training.

Check out how to make a Bulgarian Training Bag





Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer

2009 NBA Offseason Review: Atlantic Division

Over the past couple of seasons, the Atlantic Division has been dominated by the Boston Celtics. Ever since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen got into town, they have not been challenged in the Atlantic. That doesn't appear to be changing this year at all, as the Celtics have beefed up their team with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, a free agent pickup from the Detroit Pistons. He should add another offensive weapon and veteran presence as Boston looks to get back to the NBA Finals.

The Raptors made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by acquiring Hedo Turkoglu, a free agent from Orlando. He should add a scorer and creator, giving the Raptors a solid trio of Jose Calderon, Turkoglu, and Chris Bosh. After missing the playoffs the last couple of seasons, they look like they should have a good chance of getting back. However, they need to stay healthy, because there is not a lot of depth there.

Philadelphia has made it to the playoffs in back-to-back years and will look to improve on their finish from last season. They did not make the big splash like they did last year with Elton Brand, and had a quiet offseason. The biggest move was not resigning Andre Miller, meaning Lou Williams will slide into the starting point guard role. Williams is young and might not be a true point guard, but he has showed a lot of explosion and scoring ability early on in his career. They also signed sharpshooter Jason Kapono to fight for minutes.

The New Jersey Nets continued their rebuilding efforts by trading away Vince Carter. He was a stud for them last season, but with the struggles of the team, there was no reason to keep him around. The key piece they got back was second year guard Courtney Lee, an important contributor for the Orlando Magic last season. The Nets will look to build around him and Devin Harris.

Last, the New York Knicks did not do much, as they did all they could to preserve cap space for 2010. They made runs at guys like Ramon Sessions and Jason Kidd, but in the end their offseason was a lot of work without much results. They did get Darko Milicic, but mostly they are hoping to build around a young core and then entice a big name free agent (or two) to come to New York next season. Their only goal was not to compromise cap space for next year, and they achieved that.

What do you think of the moves made?

The $500,000 Diet Seems to Work: Glen "Big Baby" Davis shows up to camp in shape

Last month, I blogged about Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis' new two-year, $5 million contract with the Celtics and the contract's inclusion of an annual bonus of $500,000 if Davis can avoid getting too heavy, which in the past has been a major problem for him.

Davis showed up to Celtics' training camp yesterday and it appears that he's in very good shape. Here's Rich Levine of Comcast Sportsnet:

We all have a good time making fun of Big Baby’s weight, but the truth is that it was a serious problem. Sure, he might be one of those naturally big-boned kind of guys, but he also loves to eat, and while the Celtics never voiced this publicly, the potential of Davis eventually eating himself out of the league was something that most definitely crossed their mind.

With this new deal, Davis will earn an additional $500K a year if he meets certain weight clauses, and from the looks of him Monday, Baby’s well on his way to scoring an extra half mil in the bank account.

I know this is hard to believe, but he looks cut. Yeah, there’s still a little of that Big Baby fat lingering around, but the weight loss is significant, and easily apparent.

“I’ve been working hard, man,” Davis said. “I picked up mixed martial arts; jujitsu, wrestling, boxing…. And it’s not only working out. I changed my diet a lot."

It appears that financial incentives--at least very, very lucrative ones--really can encourage people to eat better and exercise etc.

Interestingly, Davis isn't the only Celtic with weight issues, as Jeff Clark of Celtics Blog reports that the team signed former New York Knick and Chicago Bull forward Mike Sweetney to a non-guaranteed contract. Sweetney, who was a phenomenal player at Georgetown University and the ninth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, has been out of the game for the last couple of years due to weight problems.

Sports Law Blog Bowl II: Toledo 41, FIU 31

I am happy to report that the University of Toledo (my school) defeated Florida International University (Howard's school) this weekend, 41-31. This avenges last year's loss.

80kg London Kettlebell Cleans

London Kettlebells 80kg Kettlebell

LKB did a marvelous job of getting me an 80kg kettlebell made. It required making a new mould and all, so thanks to Steve, Ken and the gang for that.

Will post pics soon with dimensions of just how beastly this bell really is

After being ill all week I managed to muster some power from somewhere to hoist it to my shoulders a few times.




I set off the session with 2 hand swings, 2 hand cleans, 1 hand swings, 1 hand high pulls and then some full cleans

Amicus Briefs filed in American Needle v. NFL

Friday was the deadline for the filing of amicus curiae briefs supporting the petitioner, American Needle, in American Needle v. NFL. According to the Supreme Court's docket, only two amicus briefs were filed:

• A joint brief filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, available here.

• A brief by a group of economists including Rodney Fort, Brad Humphreys, Roger Noll, James Quirk, Stefan Szymanski, and Andrew Zimbalist, available here.

Interestingly, unless the Court's docket has not yet processed all amicus briefs filed on Friday, one notable omission from the list is the player's unions from the four major sports. It was previously reported by ESPN.com's Lester Munson that the unions were preparing to file amicus briefs in the case. If the unions are in fact waiting to file their amicus briefs, then they will apparently be filing briefs in favor of the respondent, the NFL. In that case, one would assume the unions will advocate single entity status for the leagues in at least some league functions, but not for purposes of labor disputes.

Update (Tues. Sept. 29, 8:45 am): It turns out that the Supreme Court's docket was just slow in processing all of the amicus briefs filed in support of American Needle. The ABA's website now has the following additional amicus briefs available for download:

• A brief by the players' unions in the four major sports (i.e., the NFLPA, MLBPA, NBAPA, and NHLPA), available here.

• A brief by the American Antitrust Institute and the Consumer Federation of America, available here.

• A brief by the National Football League Coaches Association, available here.

• A brief by the Merchant Trade Association, available here.

Defining sport: An illustration

From Kris Lines, who heads the Sports Law Program at Staffordshire University in the UK, comes this animated video on the issue of defining sport. It pointed out one additional reason for defining something as sport: At least in the UK, financial considerations (lower taxes and subsidies) turn on whether an activity is sport or merely exercise or a pasttime. And we already know the definition may determine things such as tort liability and Title IX compliance. In other words, this may be more than a parlor game--genuine consequences may attach to the answer to "what is sport".

Two quibbles: First, the video suggests that a definitional problem is created because some activities can be done either as sport or as a mere pasttime. For example, if a person rides his bike as fast as he can in a race it's a sport; if he rides leisurely going to school or work, it's not. Fair point, as far as it goes. But I think the key is whether the overall activity would be a sport (however defined) if played in a competitive environment, not whether the activity could be a sport in some environments and not others. Basketball clearly is a sport, even if I am just shooting the ball at home.

Second, the video looks to the IOC definition, which famously (and despite litigation in Canada) excludes women's ski jumping, although men's ski jumping is in the Olympics. But the IOC is not purporting to define sport in the abstract, only those sports that are staged at the Olympics. And determinations are not made based on criteria aimed at the "essence" of sport, but of pragmatic considerations of how to stage a good competition. Ski jumping is a sport, no matter who is participating. The IOC just concluded there is not enough interest in it from the women's side to stage a successful (and well-watched) competition.

Anyway, enjoy.

The Debate Over Commercial Use of College Players' Identities Continues

Nathan Crabbe and Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun wrote some interesting stuff yesterday regarding the profts made by the University of Florida from the commercial use of its players' identities.

Crabbe wrote about how the university aggressively works to stop businesses from profiting off Tim Tebow, except when its own products are involved. (See Profiting Off the Gators: A Fine Line Between What's OK and Not)

Brockway interviewed a handful of Gators' football players as to how they felt about the commercial use of their identities (See Tebow Happy to Let UF Use His Image). According to Brockway, Tebow and his family gave Florida permission to sell the No. 15 jerseys last season. And regarding the money that Florida makes from jersey sales, Tebow said that, if he had a choice, he would "choose to give it to maybe a Boys and Girls Club or something where you could help underprivileged kids."

Tim Tebow Injury

:(

Why PETA Shouldn't Blame Roger Goodell for Michael Vick's Return

This Sunday marks Michael Vick’s official return to the National Football League—an event that has been widely criticized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (“PETA”), as well as some sports writers and doggie bloggers.

What those who criticize NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstating Vick fail to understand, however, is that the NFL may have ultimately lacked any real choice. Had the NFL not reinstated Vick, Vick could have potentially filed an antitrust lawsuit against the 32 NFL clubs for concertedly refusing to deal with him. Even though such a lawsuit would have likely failed in the Second and Seventh Circuits (due to the holdings respectively in the Clarett and American Needle cases), a lawsuit against the NFL clubs would have likely gotten to a jury in the Third, Sixth, Eighth and D.C. Circuits—all places where professional athletes have previously won large antitrust settlements.

As a quick background in antitrust law, Section 1 of the Sherman Act, in pertinent part, states that “[e]very contract, combination … or conspiracy in the restraint of trade or commerce … is declared to be illegal.” Although most Section 1 claims involve restraints of trade related to product markets, the Sherman Act likewise prohibits restraints in labor markets, as long as these restraints occur outside of the proper workings of a collective bargaining agreement (“non-statutory labor exemption”).

Courts in general determine whether a particular restraint violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act in three steps. First, courts will determine whether a particular restraint emerges from a “contract, combination or … conspiracy” among two or more parties. Next, they will determine whether the restraint yields a net anticompetitive effect to consumers. Finally, they will assess whether any antitrust exemption would negate the finding of liability.

With respect to finding a “contract, combination or … conspiracy,” most courts outside of the Seventh Circuit have found that any decision made by a league commissioner is tantamount to an agreement made among each of the individual club-owners, given that club-owners elect the commissioner to act on their behalf. Thus, outside of the Seventh Circuit, Goodell’s original decision to suspend Michael Vick would be viewed no differently under antitrust law than if the 32 NFL owners sat in a room and all agreed to suspend him. (Of course, this could change depending on the Supreme Court’s pending ruling in the case American Needle v. Nat’l Football League).

As to the net effects of indefinitely suspending a player, a court would likely find these effects to weigh heavily in the direction of being anticompetitive because suspending a player from a premier sports league reduces consumers’ ability to attend games that would feature the boycotted player, presuming a team would otherwise choose to play him. Although the 1961 Southern District of New York case Molinas v. Nat’l Basketball Association had upheld the NBA’s indefinite suspension of a player under antitrust law, that case involved a peculiar set of facts (a player gambling on games in which he played) and has since been called into doubt by the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. National Society of Professional Engineers, which explained that defendants may not use a rationale based solely on public policy to offset liability for anticompetitive conduct.

Finally, with respect to potential affirmative defenses, courts in the Third, Sixth, Eighth, and D.C. Circuits would probably not find any of these defenses applicable. While it is true that most terms of good-faith collective bargaining agreements are exempt from antitrust scrutiny under the non-statutory labor exemption, the NFL Personal Conduct Policy (unlike the NFL drug policy and anti-gambling policy) does not appear explicitly in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, thus likely making it fall outside the exemption in these circuits. In addition, even though a group of NFL players purportedly approved the NFL Personal Conduct Policy in 2007, their approval is likely irrelevant because the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement requires any changes or modifications to be signed in writing. There is no public record of such writing.

Thus, even if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had not reinstated Michael Vick into the league, Vick may still have gone to court and litigated his way back. By simply reinstating Vick, the NFL avoided the headache of legal action, minimized the risk of having to pay damages to Vick, and resolved this matter without drawing added attention to Michael Vick’s past misconduct.

Can PETA really blame the NFL for that?

***

(Article originally posted on 9/25 at 10:05 A.M. on Above the Law; for more details on the legality of commissioner suspensions, see my article in the 2009 Catholic University Law Review: Are Commissioner Suspensions Really any Different from Illegal Group Boycotts).

Marcus Martinez 70kg Kettlebell Clean for reps

Marcus Martinez 70kg Kettlebell Clean for reps

Marcus Martinez showing superb technique on the 70kg Ketlebell Clean. Great strength Marcus

Kettlebell provided by John Buckley of Orange Kettlebell Club

NFL Picks Against the Spread 2009: Week 3

Back for the always challenging picking against the spread! When I used to do these in the past, my goal was always .500... so I will stick with that as a goal. Let's just say there is a reason I don't gamble! But picking against the spread is more fun and challenging than picking straight up.

I just got my odds from here, taking the most common line at the time if there are any discrepancies between all of them.

Titans (+3) over Jets
Perhaps no team has been more impressive over 2 weeks than the Jets (#5 in my power rankings), but I think this will be a case of one team desperately needing a win, and the other wanting a win. The Titans, at 0-2, need a win. They have playoff and Super Bowl aspirations, and they are too good to fall to 0-3 and let them die.

Packers (-6.5) over Rams
The Rams are averaging 3.5 PPG over the first two weeks. Nope, that is not a misprint.

Lions (+6.5) over Redskins
A lot of people are saying this is the week the streak ends (including Peter King, though he said that last week too)... I'm not sold, but I think it will be an ugly game. I like the Redskins to win a game that feels like a loss... sorta like last week. Something like 16-13 with a late FG.

Chiefs (+8.5) over Eagles
Without Donovan McNabb, I like the Eagles to struggle for this victory. The defense got shredded last week by the Saints. And while no one will mistake this Chiefs offense for the Saints offense, I think Todd Haley will be able to exploit some things to keep the game at least close.

Patriots (-4) over Falcons
Another desperation game... not that the Patriots are done if they fall to 1-2, but they just need to get some of their mojo back. This would be a good place to start by beating a good Falcons team. Tony Gonzalez has added another dimension to the Falcons offense. New England needs to get better pressure on the QB or else Matt Ryan will pick them apart. I like Bill Belicheck to get it done.

Texans (-3.5) over Jaguars
Jack Del Rio, start updating your resume.

Vikings (-6.5) over 49ers
I know Frank Gore is real good, and the Niners have looked solid going 2-0. But they beat a sleepwalking Cardinals team and a Seahawks team that didn't have Matt Hasselbeck for much of the game. Let's not get too crazy yet. The Vikings need to start getting off to quicker starts, but I still like them by two touchdowns.

Ravens (-13) over Browns
Yep, the Ravens offense is pretty stinkin' good this year too. The Browns lost to Denver by 21 last week... I like the Ravens to do the same thing to them.

Giants (-6.5) over Bucs
The Bucs defenders keep dropping, and the passing game can't get much consistency. Cadillac is a great story, but the Bucs are just not a good football team right now. Meanwhile, the Giants passing game is finding its groove, which should only open things up more for the running game.

Saints (-6) over Bills
Until the Saints prove me wrong, I will assume nobody can stop them. Buffalo has been fairly impressive this year and they look like they could challenge for a playoff spot if things break right. But they still aren't getting TO very involved, and you have to think he won't like that for too much longer. The Saints defense has just been good enough to think the Saints could be contenders this year, and I like that trend to continue against Buffalo.

Bears (-2) over Seahawks
If Matt Hasselbeck plays, he won't be anywhere near 100%. That does not bode well for a very mediocre Seahawks team. Plus, the defense didn't look so good either giving up TD runs of 79 and 80 yards against Frank Gore. Look for Forte to finally get on track running the football this week.

Bengals (+4) over Steelers
I'm not sure the Bengals have enough to upset Pittsburgh, but I think they keep it real close. Pittsburgh has not looked very dominant through 2 games, while the Bengals looked surprisingly solid winning at Lambeau last week. Look for them to try to get Cedric Benson involved again, which will set them up to make just enough plays in the passing game to keep this a tight ballgame.

Dolphins (+6) over Chargers
I am guessing the Dolphins will try a similar strategy that they tried against the Colts... with about the same result.

Raiders (+1.5) over Broncos
Not that JaMarcus Russell and his 35% completion rate (seriously... 35%... no, seriously) is that impressive, I think the Raiders are a better overall team than the Broncos. With the game being played at Oakland, I like them to take a squeaker against their bitter rivals from Denver.

Colts (+2.5) over Cardinals
I know Arizona is at home and played well last week... but the Cardinals are favored? I was a bit surprised, I must admit. I simply think the Colts are a much better team than the Cardinals. They got gouged in the running game last week against Miami, but Arizona is not exactly a team that is going to exploit that weakness.

Panthers (+8.5) over Cowboys
For some reason, the Panthers just bore me. I don't know what it is about them, but I am just not interested at all in them. I think something about Jake Delhomme is just so unenticing to me, that even with the dynamic running backs they have (not to mention Steve Smith), I just don't care to ever see them play. What that has to do with me picking them to cover, I don't know.

What are your thoughts? Which picks do you disagree with?

The Slosh Helmet

The Slosh Helmet

As I haven't been able to train this week due to a viral infection I thought I'd design some serious fitness equipment.

I came up with the revolutionary 'slosh helmet'

The slosh helmet will help you train your neck muscles whilst cycling, running or kettlebell training!

Technically speaking its a mini sloshpipe attached to a bicycle helmet, simple but will give your neck a proper workout.
Inspired by Pat Hodgson's Slosh Vest

Use of College Players' Identities in the Sale of Jerseys

For anybody who questions whether a jersey number constitutes a sufficient indicia of identity for establishing a right of publicity cause of action, check out this snippet from the L.A. Times.

Take Justice Sotomayor Out

Justice Sotomayor will throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium this Saturday, prior to the Red Sox-Yankees game. This fits in with a bunch of themes of the moment: She grew up in the Bronx (presumably as a Yankee fan, although I don't know), she famously "saved baseball" with her decision while on the Southern District of New York, and, as the first Hispanic Justice, is being honored as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

(H/T: My ever-alert colleague Tom Baker)

Review of "Our Boys" by Joe Drape

This isn’t some urban football juggernaut. This isn’t some wealthy suburb. The nearest McDonald’s is ninety miles away and the town has a hard time keeping businesses on Main Street. These players are the hard-working sons of farmers, laborers, teachers and coaches. They don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. They work multiple jobs. Here, teachers are nobility. Parents are heroes. And a football coach is revered.

This is Smith Center, Kansas. The home of the Redmen.

I got the chance to get an early copy of Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen, and it turned out to be one of the best football books I have ever read. The author Joe Drape moved to Smith Center, Kansas, to follow the football team all year, as they worked towards their 5th straight state title and a Kansas record of consecutive victories (they entered the season with 55).

If you didn't know anything about the book, you might think it was like Friday Night Lights, which was surreal in the sense that high school football consumed the town of Odessa, TX, and the success of the team became bigger than the players themselves. With any book about high school football, I wondered if that would be the case here.

However, it was just the opposite. Oh, the town sure loved the football team, and they cheered them on passionately every week. But their lives were not built around Smith Center football. They were able to keep perspective, and focus on the education and maturation of the boys, not just their football success.

Their head coach says, "None of this is really about football. We're going to get scored on eventually, and lose a game, and that doesn't mean anything. What I hope we're doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something." He went on, "Sure, we like our football around here. But we truly believe it takes a whole town to raise a child, and that's worth a whole lot more." The motto of the coach was basically to get a little bit better each day, and football was simply his way of getting the message across.

It was a very heartwarming story about this rural area of Kansas, where it seems the kids are raised right and the people have the right priorities. Football is important, but it's not more important than living life and becoming the best you can be, and sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle. Not in Smith Center. Family and teamwork is valued above all else. To be honest, the book kinda made me want to move to Smith Center. In a world where we hear so much negativity, it is refreshing to read about people that simply care about each other and want the best for each other, and that seemed to be the case in Smith Center.

This book highlights all of the reasons we love sports, and especially high school sports. Players playing simply because they love the game, without letting it overtake their life. Bravo Joe Drape for writing one of the best sports books I have ever read.

At the end of each game, the team would huddle with parents in the locker room, and they would hold hands and the coaches would all say a few words. It was great bonding for the team as well as reinforcing the importance of the family As Drape writes, "I watched Coach Barta listening to his soon. I looked down the rows of fathers holding the hands of their boys. Coach Barta was more than just a helluva football coach."

More on American Needle

For those of you who just can't get enough of the NFL and antitrust law, I have posted on SSRN a draft of my forthcoming piece in the Wisconsin Law Review, titled,
The Puzzling Persistence of the Single Entity Argument for Sports Leagues: American Needle and the Supreme Court's Opportunity to Reject a Flawed Defense.

Here's the abstract:

Later this term, the Supreme Court will hear American Needle v. National Football League, a case that might fundamentally change professional sports and rewrite sports antitrust law. In American Needle, the Seventh Circuit held that the National Football League (NFL) acts as a single entity when licensing its intellectual property and thus is immune from scrutiny under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Although the Seventh Circuit is the first circuit court to hold that a sports league is a single entity, the argument that leagues act as single entities has persisted for decades. Leagues view the single entity defense as the antitrust “holy grail,” because it shields them from Section 1 attack and costly antitrust litigation. Section 1 explicitly requires an agreement, and an agreement requires more than one entity. Thus, as a matter of law, a single entity cannot violate Section 1.

This Article argues that a single entity classification for sports leagues divorces antitrust immunity from the fundamental purpose of the antitrust laws and is theoretically unsupportable. Antitrust law is designed to act as a gatekeeper, filtering out net anticompetitive conduct. The Seventh Circuit’s single entity approach ignores the competitive effects of league conduct and distorts the basic rationale for distinguishing between single and multiple entity conduct. In doing so, it vests sports leagues with virtually free rein to engage in anticompetitive behavior. This Article also brings to light evidence of actual economic competition between NFL teams that proves that the Seventh Circuit’s single entity analysis in American Needle is factually unsupportable. This Article thus concludes that the Supreme Court should definitively put an end to the single entity defense for professional sports leagues. The Article also proposes a model for streamlining the rule of reason analysis and reducing the litigation burden on sports leagues.

Petitioner's Brief in American Needle Now Available

As Marc noted last week, American Needle's opening brief to the United States Supreme Court in American Needle v. NFL was filed on Friday. The brief is now available to be downloaded from the ABA's website. Based on the Supreme Court's docket, it does not appear that any amicus briefs were filed last week. However, under Supreme Court Rule 37, amicus briefs supporting the petitioner, American Needle, are not due until 7 days after the petitioner's brief is filed.

NFL Power Rankings Week 3

With 2 weeks of the NFL season under our belt (after the Monday night game), it is time to take a look at some NFL power rankings. Here are my top 10 in the NFL after 2 weeks of play.

1. Baltimore Ravens
The offense has finally caught up (and perhaps even surpassed) the defense. Joe Flacco looks like a future star in the NFL (he is very close already), and their trio of running backs is making the running game very dangerous. Plus, they still have Ray Lewis leading the defense, and he is still making huge plays.

2. New York Giants
After an impressive victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the first game of their new stadium, the Giants passing game doesn't look like it's missed a beat without Plaxico Burress. The D-Line is still as deep and talented as any in the NFL, and if Eli Manning can play like he did in week 2 the offense will be one of the most balanced in the NFL.

3. New Orleans Saints
As we knew heading into the season, the offense is extremely explosive. Drew Brees nearly broke the single season passing record last season, and he might have another crack at it this year. he already has 9 TD passes through 2 games. The Saints are averaging a whopping 46.5 PPG, and obliterated a pretty good Eagles defense on Sunday. If the Saints D can hold u, they could be Super Bowl contenders.

4. Minnesota Vikings
They have looked good but not great through 2 games. They've struggled out of the gate against both Cleveland and Detroit, trailing by three at halftime each game. But neither was in doubt as the second half closed. Adrian Peterson is looking like an all-time great RB with runs like this, and the defense is playing attacking football.

5. New York Jets
The Jets have been one of the surprise teams of the NFL, going 2-0 while opening up against potential playoff teams in Houston and New England. If you were into NFL betting you probably could have made a lot of money betting that through 2 games the Jets would be allowing 8.0 PPG and no defensive touchdowns allowed (the only TD scored against them was on special teams. Matt Sanchez looks to be carrying on the recent trend of successful, young NFL quarterbacks.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers
Jeff Reed? After making the game-winner in OT the week before, he missed two 4th quarter FGs which could have potentially won the game for Pittsburgh in the Windy City. Instead, he missed wide left on both, and the Steelers lost to drop to 1-1. They have a lot of concerns about the running game and offensive line, but this defense is still pretty special, especially when Troy Polamalu gets back. Obviously we have not heard the last from the defending champions.

7. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts seem to be flying a little more under the radar than usual, which is a little strange. There are a little more question marks at receiver, but Peyton Manning is still the quarterback. If they can get the tandem of Joseph Addai and Donald Brown up and running effectively, the offense will again be one of the best in the NFL.

8. Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan has shown that there will be no sophomore slump, as he's establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game already. The Falcons are 2-0 and looking every bit the playoff team they were a season ago. The revamped defense is looking much improved, turning in good performances against Miami and Carolina, two teams that were very good a season ago.

9. New England Patriots
It is way too soon to panic for a franchise that employs both Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck, but something is not quite right for the Pats. They have no running game, Brady is throwing all day without a ton of success (100 throws in two games), the defense is not pressuring the QB, and they could very easily be 0-2 right now. At the very least, the AFC East will be more of a race than perhaps some people expected heading into the season.

10. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are one of 9 undefeated teams after week 2 (not sure a lot of sports betting was done for that!), which merits inclusion in the top 10, even though I'm not sure they're really better than teams like the Cowboys, Packers, or Bears. At the very least, Frank Gore showed that Adrian Peterson will at least have a challenger in the rushing title race. The 49ers and Vikings play in Week 3's only matchup of undefeated teams.

What are your thoughts? What order would you change?

Strongman Juggler

Markus Strong man Juggler

This is barmy stuff! Great to watch and more than likely a lost art!

Found this on Birdy's Straight To The Bar



Also, related is Valantin Dikul's Circus Strongman act where he juggles steel balls

Weighted Vest|Slosh Pipe Vest

Weighted Vest Slosh Pipe Vest

Pat Hodgson (my bro' in law - yes I am proud of him), has come up with a stonker

The The Slosh Vest

I would patent this baby

See more at

Homemadegymstuff

Tires Hammers and Fitness

Tyre Striking for Fitness

500 strikes in 25 mins with the 16lb sledgehammer
Training for my 1 Hour Sledgehammer Challenge with the 25kg Hammer



Used Tires

The Tax Consequences of the Chicago Cubs Sale

The Tax Prof Blog posts insight from GWU Law Professor Sarah Lawsky on the tax ramifications of the sale of the Chicago Cubs.

NBA Locks Out Referees

Following up on a post from last week, the NBA formally declared today that it would lock out its referees, after renewed talks collapsed on Thursday. According to the New York Times, there are three major sticking points preventing the parties from reaching an agreement. First, the NBA wants to reduce and/or eliminate the severance payments it has traditionally made to referees who retire at age 55 or older. Second, the NBA is seeking to use WNBA and NBA Development League referees in a limited number of NBA regular season games, for training purposes. The Referees' Association had reportedly previously agreed to allow up to 75 such assignments, only to later reject the proposal. Finally, the league wants to switch the referees from a defined-benefit pension plan to a 401(k) system used by other NBA employees.

Unless the two sides are able to resolve these differences shortly, the NBA will use replacement referees when preseason games begin on October 1st.

Sledgehammer Slam

Sledgehammer Slam 2009

I am doing a sledgehammer Slam for the charity Children In Distress in Kirkbymoorside Town Centre on October 17th 2009

This will involve striking a tyre with a 25kg Sledgehammer as many times as possible in 1 hour.

My aim is to achieve at least 600 strikes (that's an average of 10 per minute)

Please support me by giving a small donation at Just Giving - Rob Russell


I will be timing my sledgehammer sets with the GYMBOSS Interval Timer

More Cowbell . . . .

A few summer observations and other commentary:

First, over the summer, I was fortunate to visit for several weeks in Los Angeles and San Diego where I spent my formidable years growing up. I was struck repeatedly by something I had never noticed before. I spent nearly every day of my time in California at the beaches of my youth in San Diego and L.A., primarily Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Moonlight Beach (Cardiff-by-the-Sea), Carlsbad, Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach and Manhattan Beach, and I was shocked at the number of female surfers that now populate the beaches and ocean breaks. Growing up surfing (in the 1980s and 1990s) it was often an anomaly to find a female surfer amongst the boys and men. I remember thinking as a kid that it was bold and brave of the few females that I saw out surfing with us to join in the fray that often exists when grappling for waves. This summer, in 2009, it appeared to me that between 1/3rd and 1/2 of all surfers catching waves and hanging on the beaches were women and girls. I find this remarkable.

This got me to wondering, whether Title IX and the insurgence of female athletic opportunities in the past three decades or so has made it possible/acceptable/cool for young females to take up surfing and to join the boys and men that have dominated the sport (and the sets) for so long. A tremendous step forward I think, and one of the positive influences of Title IX and female athletic acceptability and opportunity. I was also reminded with the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy recently, that he was a staunch advocate of Title IX and the incredible opportunities that this legislation has provided to female athletes across the United States.

Second, while anticipating (and later relishing) the Ohio State vs. USC college football game last week, I watched several Big 10 commercials touting the league and the football programs within. I was struck by the commercial that highlights all eleven of the head football coaches in the Big 10 faux recruiting (see commercial here). I was reminded while watching the commercial, just how disheartening it is that not a single football coach in the Big 10 is a head coach of color. All of the coaches are white. While the Big 10 is purportedly one of the power conferences in the BCS line-up, and while at least 50% of the athletes in that conference are African American, there is not one African American head coach to speak of in the Big 10. As i have written many times in this blog space, it is simply inexcusable for University administrations and athletic directors to continue to recruit African American players in droves to their programs, to reap the significant financial reward on the backs of these players and to continue to refuse to hire African American head coaches to lead these athletes. I found this commercial to be emblematic of the continuing race discrimination in collegiate football coaching.

Third, as highlighted briefly by Professor McCann here, the National Football League, in addressing former race discrimination in its league, pursued an aggressive policy of equality by extending its successful Rooney Rule to all upper level management hires in the NFL. As discussed often on this blog, the Rooney Rule, which requires all NFL owners to meaningfully interview at least one minority candidate for each head football coach opening, has made a significant difference in the league and has provided a welcomed equal opportunity policy for coaches of color that had previously been shut out of head coaching interviews and opportunities. During the summer, Commissioner Roger Goodell extended the Rooney Rule to all front office hiring decisions, requiring NFL owners to meaningfully interview at least one minority candidate for front office hires (General Manager, etc.) going forward. While lightly noticed during a summer of discontent and discord in the NFL (i.e., Vick, labor issues, Stallworth, etc.), this move will ensure a more level playing field for a professional sports league that continues to lead out on this front.

News That Myles Brand Has Passed Away

I just received received an email alert from the Sports Business Daily that NCAA President Myles Brand died from pancreatic cancer at age 67.

Opening Brief in American Needle v. NFL Set for Friday

For those who have been following the Supreme Court case American Needle v. NFL, this Friday clothing manufacturer American Needle Inc. will file its opening brief, arguing that the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong to define the NFL as a single-entity under Section 1 of the Sherman Act.

As many of you know, I have long agreed with American Needle's view that the NFL should be treated as a collection of 32 separate clubs, and not as a single entity. To me, this issue was best resolved by the Second Circuit back in the 1982 case North American Soccer League v. Nat'l Football League, in which it held "the sound and more just procedure is to judge the legality of [sports league] restraints according to well-recognized standards of our antitrust laws rather than permit their exemption."

Michael McCann seems to share my view as well, based on the contents of his forthcoming law review article.

Currently, the Second Circuit's view remains in the overwhelming majority, as seven previous courts have upheld this view and rejected the NFL clubs' single-entity argument. The Seventh Circuit meanwhile remains alone in its iconoclastic position that single-entity status should be determined one league at a time, one function at a time.

25kg Sledgehhammer Training

25kg Sledgehhammer Training for my up and coming Sledghammer Slam - 1 hour to strike the tyre as many times as poosible for my Mum's Charity Children In Distress

Coaches teaching civ pro

I still am trying to get more legally oriented reports and documents, but it appears that the breach-of-contract dispute between the University of Kentucky and former men's basketball coach Billy Gillespie is going to turn into another object lesson in civ pro.

In July, Gillespie sued the University of Kentucky Athletics Association in federal court in Texas (where, presumably, Gillespie moved after he was fired). The Association has moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, as well as (I would guess) improper venue or to transfer venue to the District of Kentucky.

Meanwhile, the University then sued Gillespie in state court in Kentucky and Gillespie has removed the case to federal district court in Kentucky, apparently on diversity grounds. This sets us up for a replay of the jurisdictional dispute between West Virginia University and its former football coach, Rich Rodriguez. WVU sued in state court to collect on a liquidated damages clause and Rodriguez removed; WVU moved to remand, arguing that as a state university, it was an arm of the State of West Virginia and not a citizen of the State for purposes of diversity jurisdiction in federal district court. The federal court agreed and remanded.

This same sequence could be repeated here. The outcome will depend on whether the University or the UK Athletics Association (an adjunct to the University established by the state to govern the university's intercollegiate athletics) is the plaintiff and whether either or both are deemed arms of the state.

Adrian Peterson TD Run vs. Cleveland Browns

Just in case you haven't seen this spectacular run from the best RB in the NFL.

Which is better: Big East or Mountain West?

It is a little known secret in college football... even though the Big East is considered a major conference and its winner receives a BCS bid, the Mountain West, a supposed mid-major conference, is better. This has been debatable in recent years, but in 2009 it seems pretty clear that the Mountain West is a stronger football conference.

At the top of the Mountain West is Brigham Young. BYU is now a top 10 team after knocking off national championship contender Oklahoma. They should have a very decent chance to run the table, in which case they would almost certainly receive an at-large BCS berth and possibly have a chance to play for the national championship. Their QB Max Hall is one of the most explosive in all of college football.
Ads by Google

Next is Utah, which went undefeated last season and is currently ranked inside the top 20. Year after year they are one of the most consistent programs in the country. After pounding Alabama in a BCS bowl last season, they are a team and program that everyone needs to take notice of, because it does not appear to be going away anytime soon. Then there is TCU, who is also a top 20 program and thinks they have a chance to go to a BCS game. They knocked off ACC opponent Virginia on the road in their first game, and look to have one of the best defenses in the country. They won 11 games last year and have established themselves as a great program.

In the Big East, there are no national championship contenders and there would not even be any BCS contenders most likely if it were not for the automatic bid. Cincinnati looks like the best team in the conference, and is the only one ranked as of this writing. Brian Kelly is one of the best coaches in the business and has an explosive offense with QB Tony Pike and WR Marcus Gilyard. They blew out Rutgers in their first game to establish themselves as contenders to win the Big East again.

Elsewhere, West Virginia is talented but doesn't appear to be as good as they were in the prime with Rich Rodriguez. Pittsburgh is talented but they still haven't won much of note under the coaching of Dave Wanstedt. Louisville has dropped off as a program after the departure of Bobby Petrino. South Florida has had a nice run but they don't appear to be much better than an average team. Their is a lot of mediocrity within the conference.

Add it all up, and the Mountain West is the stronger conference, even though most people won't want to admit. With the vaunted trio of BYU, Utah, and TCU at the top of the conference, we could be hearing from them come January, when it is very possible at least one of those teams with get an at-large berth in a BCS game. If they do, hopefully the opponent will be a little more prepared than Alabama was last season.

Native Americans File for Cert in Their Challenge to the Washington Redskins Trademark

ESPN.com is reporting that the group of Native Americans which challenged the Washington Redskins trademark have filed a petition for a writ of certiorari at the United States Supreme Court, seeking a review of the D.C. Circuit's opinion in May rejecting the challenge on laches grounds. Geoff has previously covered the case here, here, and here. The Redskins will now have 30 days to file a brief opposing the petition with the Court.

Having not yet seen a copy of the Native American group's cert petition, it is difficult to gauge the strength of their position, but in general this doesn't seem like the type of case the Supreme Court will elect to hear.

Buy Inch Dumbbells in UK

Buy Inch Dumbbells in UK

The Inch Dumbbell is something I've wanted to get my meat hooks on for ages. I recently bought a set of three from London Kettlebells, a 53, 67 and the 78kg.

The Inch dumbbell is named after Thomas Inch, who was known as the Scarborough Hercules and was born in my home town - Scarborough Yorkshire UK.

So I am training to be the Scarborough Hercules II ;)

The Inch dumbbell replica is 78kg with a handle that is 2 3/8"" Thick (60.3mm)

I am currently training to deadlift to lock out the 78kg Inch dumbbell and working on a clean and press with the 67kg traine


Buy Inch Dumbbells

Check out some interesting information about Thomas Inch on Sandowplus

And Training to Lift the Inch Dumbbell by Jedd Johnson Here

Who is Fedor Emilianenko

Who is Fedor Emilianenko

Fedor Emilianenko is an MMA fighter from the Ukraine, probably the best fighter in the World

Check out his profile on Sherdog and is bio on Wikipedia

Being a massively fit, strong and explosive fighter (some say the best ever) Fedor is no stranger to the old Kettlebells. In fact check out the pic above with Fedor surrounded by a favourite of the MMA champ

Best of Fedor Emelianenko training





Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer

ATLETICO DE MADRID: TEAM LOOKS TO YOUNGSTERS TO FILL GAPS - KEKO

It has been well written that ATLETICO DE MADRID has not doneit´s pre-season homework in signings & covering up positions whichneed urgent attention (creative midfielder & defensive wingers).Now the Team lacks depth on the bench & has to compete in La Liga,Champions & Spanish Cup. However, not everything is bad & in factthis will bring good news to the junior Club Teams as Atletico deMadrid Coach

How to Lose Weight Fast

How to Lose Weight Fast

I'm now upto 142.5kg bodyweight (hooray - i don't think so), it's time to lose some weight methinks!

My wife keeps banging on about it. I get called 'fat bastard' at work! Joking or not there is some truth in it

To be honest I'm not one to do things too fast. As we all know losing weight fast is not a good idea. Gradually over time rules!

Many people lose weight fast only to put it back on again quickly. Pete Lakatos made an interesting comment saying he would like to see John Buckley do a body weight pull up. Now I'm not suggesting he can't but I see Peter's point being very valid. I have gone down the route of strength with some fitness. I need to realign this percentage and bring my fitness up.

I used to regularly row 10,000m, run 10,000m and rep out 15 full pull ups. To be honest I'm naturally a big guy and enjoy being strong but before long my weight will be detrimental to my health.

I'm aiming to knock off 2 stone by knocking out eating crap at work and training fitness daily not bi monthly. It's a start. Nothing to extreme first.

BTW, if you were looking to find how to lose weight real fast. Look elsewhere where you'll be told to starve yourself or eat only meat. Do yourself a favour and make a few lifestyle changes first. Good things come to those who wait.

Inspiration




Time your training perfectly with the GYMBOSS

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009/2010 - ROUND 2 SUNDAY GAMES & RESULTS

Six games played this afternoon/evening of Round 2 of the SpanishLiga. Here is a summary of results & scorersVALLADOLID hosted VALENCIA CF & went down 2-4 in a grand performance from the latter which the former managed to "calm"down towards the end of the clash. Valencia scored first via SILVA in the9th min, but Valladolid equalized in the 29th min via ALEMÁN. However, from here onwards Valencia

One of these days . . .

one of these lawsuits will finally work and hopefully stadiums and owners, especially over-officious guys like this one, will just stop doing stupid things like this.

Three New Jersey high-school students have filed suit in federal court, alleging that they were berated by a team President/Owner and ejected from Newark's Riverfront Stadium for failing to stand during "God Bless America" at a Newark Bears game. According to the lawsuit, the owner went up to the three (one of whose father is a lawyer) and said "Nobody sits during the singing of 'God Bless America' in my stadium," . . . "Now the get the (expletive) out of here." When the students pointed out that they had a right not to stand, he responded that they were underage and he could do whatever he wanted to them. The GM and co-owner met with one kid's father and apologized and offered free tickets, but the owner at the center of the events was not at the meeting and has not apologized.

The story does not indicate the status of Riverfront Stadium, which obviously is key to the First Amendment claim. They also have claims under state public accommodations law; New Jersey actually has a pretty strong one.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009/2010 - ROUND 2 SATURDAY GAMES RESULT ( SEE VIDEOS)

The 4 Clubs participating in Champions League (FC Barcelona, RealMadrid, Sevilla FC & At Madrid) had their games yesterday in Round2 of the Spanish "Liga".FC BARCELONA rested some of its stars against GETAFE but managedto win 0-2 after a hard fought match. Getafe hit the post twice in thefirst half, but with Messi on the field in the second half saw the Barçagame back like clock work. Nice to see

SFS FLASHBACKS: SPAIN 4 - ITALY 2 EURO (PENALTIES) 2008 QUARTER FINAL

It was the “test of fire” that changed things & gave SPAIN thepsychological confidence to eliminate historical ghosts & beginits new future path onto the European Nations Title & now puttheir sights on next years South African World Cup. It was the 22nd of June in The Euro 2008 Q/Final against ITALYfinishing 0-0 in normal/extra-time that went onto the penalties.The outcome & result was the

My American Needle v. NFL Piece in the Yale Law Journal

I'm going to blog more fully on this next week, but I have just posted on SSRN a draft of my forthcoming piece in the Yale Law Journal titled, "American Needle v. NFL: An Opportunity to Reshape Sports Law."

I hope you have a chance to check it out. Have a great weekend.

Buy Heavy Sledgehammers in UK

London Kettlebells Power Hammer



I have been looking for heavy sledgehammers in the UK for ages.

They were right under my nose all along! London Kettlebells do awesome Powerhammers

all the way upto 30kg

I have a challenge for charity next month, 25kg LKB Powerhammer - as many strikes as possible against a tyre in 1 hour.

For my training I will be alternating sessions with the 16lb and 55lb hammers.



This is what the 16lb hammer looks like versus the 55lb (25kg powerhammer.





buy Powerhammers

THE CONVERGENCE OF THE PATHS OF LEO MESSI & CRISTIANO RONALDO: DESTINY?

Two of the World maximum Football stars, LEO MESSI & CRISTIANORONLDO, are going through a physical & mental depression that isattracting the criticism of the media & fans. Rightly or wrongly,these two figures of World & Spanish Football are privilegedsportsmen that earn huge amounts of money that are way beyondthe reach of 99% of humanity & are not immune of criticism. Theirtalents & goals rip

Monkey Bars

Monkey Bars and Climbing from Gubernatrix

Check out Gubernatrix putting in an awesome display using climbing frames and monkey bars in a playground and the stairs at the back of her house to get a fantastic workout, innovative or what!

Gubernatrix also sells kettlebells from her great site here (make sure you check it out, it has some great info you must read up on)

U-20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009: SPANISH U-20 NATIONAL TEAM LIST

The Spanish National U-20 Team Selector & Coach Luis Milla has downin his list of players that will make up the Spanish U-20 Squad forthe upcoming U-20 World Championship to be held in Egyptfrom the 24th of September until the 16th of October.(photo:Bojan Krkic/elmundo.com)Spain debuts against Tahiti on the 25th of September in Cairo, withNigeria on the 28th of Sept. & Venezuela on the 1st of

NBA and Referees' Union Break Off Negotiations

The New York Times reported yesterday that negotiations between the NBA and its Referees' Union have broken off, with the league apparently preparing for a lockout to begin later this month. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with the union expired on September 1st.

The Times report cites sources who state that the primary disagreement between the league and union relates to the amount by which the NBA is proposing to reduce its referee budget. NBA Commissioner David Stern acknowledged that the league is seeking to cut its referee budget in light of the global recession, but denied that it is attempting to cut referee salaries. ESPN.com had previously reported that the NBA was looking to reduce referee travel costs, pension payouts, and health benefits.

If the two sides are unable to agree on a new CBA, the NBA will likely use referees from the NBA Developmental League as replacements. The NBA previously used replacement referees during the first two months of the 1995-96 season.

IFFHS NAMES REAL MADRID THE EUROPEAN & WORLD TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The FIFA endorsed International Federation of Football History &Statistics (IFFHS) has officially declared today REAL MADRID hasthe EUROPEAN & WORLD CLUB OF THE 20th CENTURY.The IFFHS has taken into account the top level games (European &Champions League games giving higher marks), match points &other statistical coefficients & variables to put REAL MADRID intop spot ahead of Juventus FC &

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFIER: SPAIN SECURES ITS TICKET WITH A 3-0 WIN OVER ESTONIA (SEE GOALS - VIDEO)

With Bosnia & Turkey drawing 1-1, SPAIN managed to secure its ticketstraight into next years South African World Cup Finals after defeatingESTONIA 3-0 tonight. Spanish Coach Vicente Del Bosque gave MarcosSenna, Ces Fabregas & Marchena a run tonight & moved CentralDefender Abiol to right –back where he played an extraordinarymatch.(photo: Spanish Defender Albiol/marca.com)Spain dominated the whole

80kg Kettlebell Jerk John Wild IKFF

80kg Kettlebell Jerk John Wild IKFF

John jerks a 32kg and 48kg kettlebell together, awesome strength!

Where is all this crazy strength heading too?

I think a 100kg kettlebell is looming for somebody!




Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer

FC BARCELONA: 14 PLAYERS IN WORLD CUP ACTION PLAYING FOR THEIR NATIONAL TEAM FUTURE

Spanish & Barcelona based daily “Sport” publish today - & proudly– that 14 FC BARCELONA players are involved tonight in WorldCup qualifiers & are playing for their ticket (& some their future)for next years South African World Cup Finals. As the daily adds,they all hope to follow Dani Alves who has already secured histicket after Brazil defeated Argentina 1- 3 last Sunday.Lets see how the Barça

AFC North Predictions

As the division with the reigning Super Bowl champion, the AFC North automatically earns respect. In 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Mike Tomlin, were crowned as Super Bowl champiopions after beating the Arizona Cardinals. They are joined in the division by the always tough Baltimore Ravens and two teams that struggled in 2008, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will once again be the favorite, as they return their key pieces from a 12-4. Their bread and butter is defense, as Mike Tomlin is a defensive coach at heart and has the top shelf talent with guys like James Harrison and Troy Polamalu. They just might be the best defensive team in the NFL. The offense is led by Ben Roethlisberger, owner of two Super Bowl rings. He doesn't always put up huge numbers, but he makes plays when they need to be made, which is what happened in the Super Bowl last season. The running game should get better with a healthy Rashard Mendenhall. Look for the Steelers to be back in the AFC race.

The Baltimore Ravens will challenge them once again. They, like the Steelers, are built on the backs of their defense. They're led by Ray Lewis, one of the best middle linebackers to ever play in the NFL. Flanked by guys like Terrell Suggs, the defense is ferocious and one of the best in the game. The offense is young at key positions, but talented. Both Joe Flacco and Ray Rice started last season as rookies, and both should be even better with the experience. Their growth will determine how far this team will go.

The Cincinnati Bengals look like the third best team, as they have to hope Carson Palmer will remain healthy. He is one of the most talented QBs in the NFL but has struggled with injuries. He should headline a solid offense, also featuring Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles. The defense was very bad last season, and Marvin Lewis will hope some new faces can turn it around. If they do, the Bengals have a chance of reaching .500.

The Cleveland Browns had high hopes heading into last season, but stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. With a QB controversy still going on (looks like Brady Quinn will get the job, but that is not certain), new coach Eric Mangini will look to provide some stability. They have some big names on the offense, lime Braylon Edwards and Jamal Lewis, but they didn't get much production at all out of them last season. .500 would be a major success for Mangini.

What are your thoughts?

REAL MADRID: THE EIGHT COMMANDMENTS

Spanish Sports daily “Marca” today published the 8 rules that REALMADRID & its President Florentino Perez will enforce upon the Teamfrom now onwards. A handbook has been elaborated & will behanded out soon to all the players & staff that explain the 8Commandments that if broken will have serious consequences &financial sanctions :Thou shall not be late to any eventThou shall attend & be close to

New Sports Law Scholarship

Recently published scholarship includes:

Patrick S. Baldwin, Note, Keeping them down on the farm: the possibility of a class action by former minor league baseball players against Major League Baseball for allowing steroid abuse, 43 GEORGIA LAW REVIEW 1195 (2009)

Chris Deubert & Glenn M. Wong, Understanding the Evolution of Signing Bonuses and Guaranteed Money in the National Football League: Preparing for the 2011 Collective Bargaining Negotiations, 16 UCLA ENTERTAINMENT LAW REVIEW 179 (2009)

Ted Fay & Eli Wolff, Disability in sport in the twenty-first century: creating a new sport opportunity spectrum, 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 231 (2009)

Joshua L. Friedman & Gary C. Norman, The Paralympics: yet another missed opportunity for social integration, 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 345 (2009)

Janet E. Lord & Michael Ashley Stein, Social rights and the relational value of the rights to participate in sport, recreation, and play, 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 249 (2009)

Terri Lakowski, Athletes with disabilities in school sports: a critical assessment of the state of sports opportunities for students with disabilities. 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 283 (2009)

David McArdle, Using the Americans with Disabilities Act to inform “access to sporting venues” under the Disabilities Convention, 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 317 (2009)

Blair H. Moses, Comment, Eligibility of athletes receiving necessary gene therapy: the Oscar Pistorius case as procedural precedent, 49 JURIMETRICS JOURNAL 343 (2009)

Katherine Sulentic, Comment, Running backs, recruiting, and remedies: college football coaches, recruits, and the torts of negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, 14 ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 127 (2009)

Patricia J. Zettler, Is it cheating to use Cheetahs?: the implications of technologically innovative prostheses for sports values and rules, 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 367 (2009)

American Record in heavy kettlebell lifting 72kg

Unofficial American Record in heavy kettlebell lifting 72kg bell

via Andy Fitting done on 8-29-09. Valery Fedorenko giving the world a perfect example of why size and strength DO NOT go hand in hand. Valery Fedorenko is a 100% pure unadulterated inhuman kettlebell lifting machine extraordinaire! this is why anyone that takes fitness/workingout serious at all should come and see what we do at the American Kettllebell Club, you just might learn something!!!

EURO U/21 GROUP 5 QUALIFIER: SPAIN 4 - LIECHTENSTEIN 0

SPAIN continues in its course for the U-21 European Championships of 2011 in Denmark with a 4- 0 victory in its Group 5 match againstLIECHTENSTEIN.(photo:as.com)Spain dominated virtually the whole game with goals coming fromPAREJO, JAVI MARTINEZ, DIEGO CAPEL & towards the endAARÓN ÑIGUEZ. Excellent performance that we all hope can be continued for the follwing games.Details:Liechtenstein: Buchel;

SFS FLASHBACKS: EUROPEAN CUP S/FINAL 1989 - AC MILAN 5 - REAL MADRID 0

REAL MADRID & AC MILAN has been put together in Group C of thisyears UEFA Champions League along with Zurich & Olympique deMarsella. The both mentioned & European Giant Clubs are scheduled tomeet the 21.10.2009 at Madrid with the return game at Milan the03.11.2009. SFS would like to take the occasion & recall thereaders of a Historical European Cup clash back in the 19th of Aprilof 1989 when

Catching Up with Links

* I was interviewed on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to discuss Commonwealth of Kentucky v. David Jason Stinson (the trial of the coach who faces criminal charges for reckless homicide for the death of a former player, Max Gilpin, on the practice field)

* Daniel Fitzgerald of Connecticut Sports Law has a really good post on the legislative contributions made by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy to sports law. Dan has a similarly good new series on his blog: Connecticut Sports Recruiting, which looks at various legal issues in recruiting.

* Marquette law professor Gordon Hylton, who also teaches at UVA Law, with a provocative and very engaging essay on the Marquette law faculty blog titled, "Is Michael Vick a Civil Rights Martyr?"

* A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the weight clause in Glen "Big Baby" Davis' new contract with the Boston Celtics. Over on Sports Agent Blog, Dominic Perilli looks at the weight clause in the contract of Cincinnati Bengals' offensive tackle Andre Smith.

* Lots of coverage on the ongoing Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy saga. Geoff Rapp speaks with the National Post; Mark Conrad speaks with Reuters; Gabe Feldman speaks with the Toronto Mail and Globe; Stephen Ross speaks with the Canadian Press; and I speak with The Fan 590 (Toronto) on a couple of occasions (Sept 3) (Aug 27).

* Pete Toms of the Biz of Baseball has a lengthy and thoughtful piece on new calls for increased revenue sharing in Major League Baseball.

* Marc Isenberg of Money Players raises a number of important criticisms of one-and-done college basketball players (guys who spend a year in college in order to satisfy the 19 plus one eligibility rule for the NBA Draft).

* The National Sports and Entertainment Law Society Blog has a number of good posts up, including on its October 16-17 national event and an interview with Vered Yakovee of the Entertainment and Sports Lawyer.

* The International Working Group on Women and Sport is seeking abstracts for its 2010 World Conference, to be held in October 2010 in Sydney, Australia (thanks to my Vermont Law colleague Stephanie Farrior, who blogs for IntLawGrrls, for the link).

* The New England Patriots just traded veteran All-Pro defensive end Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for the Raiders' first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The value of that pick will greatly be impacted by whether the NFL and NFLPA can agree on a new CBA: since there's a chance there will be a work stoppage in 2011, there's a chance there will be no 2011 NFL Draft--the worst case scenario for the Patriots--but there's also a chance there will not only be a draft, but, through a new CBA, one with a team-friendly rookie wage scale, and given the Raiders' recent struggles, the pick could be very high. It's a gamble for the Pats, and maybe it's also a sign of a larger point: given Patriots' owner Bob Kraft's position of influence in the NFL, perhaps the owners believe there will be football in 2011, for otherwise Kraft would have seemed poised to not okay the trade.