To all the readers & visitors of Spanish Football Sports Blog, thank you for your support during 2010. My views, manners & ways may not serve & be in accord with everyone but at least I try to keep many people in far away shores & who can´t read Spanish up to date with all the Big Spanish Football & Sports news.
Will keep the stories coming in during 2011 & with your support it will be better. I
Friday, December 31, 2010
SPAIN | 2010 THE BIGGEST HISTORICAL YEAR IN SPANISH SPORTS
2010 has been a spectacular year for SPANISH SPORTS. There has been many moments with great & grand victories in team & individual competitions. For Spanish Football Sports Blog there has been three magical moments that comes immediately to mind: in Football the FIFA World Cup victory & World Championship in South Africa, in Tennis Rafael Nadal with his 3 Grand Slam victories (French, Wimbledon &
Thursday, December 30, 2010
ACB SPANISH BASKETBALL | REGAL BARCELONA 95 - REAL MADRID 75
Big night of ACB SPANISH BASKETBALL action with REAL MADRID travelling to BARCELONA for the big Spanish Basketball Derby. Real Madrid went into this game as ACB Table leader & full of confidence to attempt to win in a traditional doom stadium & thus find revenge for past defeats.
The end result was a FC (REGAL) BARCELONA demolition job with a 95 - 75 win over Real Madrid that puts Barça sharing
The end result was a FC (REGAL) BARCELONA demolition job with a 95 - 75 win over Real Madrid that puts Barça sharing
A Lesson Learned
In what is usually one of the slowest news weeks, a controversy rages over President Obama’s reported conversation with Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, praising the franchise for giving Michael Vick a chance to perform after serving a twenty-three month prison sentence for dog fighting and related charges.Peter King of Sports Illustrated, who had reported the conversation, is amazed at the reaction, tweeting recently (and inappropriately hilarious) that “this story has longer legs than Giselle,” referring to Giselle Bundeschen, the wife of Tom Brady, Vick’s main rival for this year’s MVP vote.
Fox News, the new standard-bearer for right wing craziness, spent much of Tuesday berating the President for his support of Vick. Tucker Carlson, filling in for Sean Hannity, actually opined that Vick “should have been executed” for his crimes. This from the Sarah Palin Network in love with the candidate who gloried in the shooting of a caribou for no other purpose than higher television ratings.
Michael Vick’s story is well known. Perhaps less publicized are the appalling facts about imprisonment in America. Currently, more than 7 million people are either in prison, on probation or on parole in the United States, which amounts to 1 in 18 adult males, more than four times the per capita rate in England, eleven times in a country like Norway. Of these, 70 % are people of color. Of those released from prison, about one third end up accused of another crime within three years.
Whatever one thinks of Michael Vick’s crime and punishment, his rehabilitation and maturation following his release can be a lesson in ethics. It should be a source of inspiration for the idea that people can change for the better and make much of their lives even after serving time. As a society, we can learn how to forgive those who have confronted their past and paid for their sins. The President was right to applaud the Eagles for their offer to Michael Vick and those who have criticized the President are wrong.
ATLETICO DE MADRID PRESENTS NEW SIGNING ELIAS
Thought our Brazilian readers & global ATLETICO DE MADRID fans may be interested in seeing the new signing ELIAS MENDES from Corinthians with the Atletico shirt on. Although the players is already training with the squad the Club presented their new midfielder to the national media this afternoon.
Elias presented as Atletico player
One wonders if Elias has a sense of humour when he commented
Elias presented as Atletico player
One wonders if Elias has a sense of humour when he commented
REAL MADRID | DANI PAREJO TO RETURN NEXT SEASON
DANI PAREJO was literally born, raised & educated at REAL MADRID. A young promise that has risen through all the junior sides of the Spanish National Team the player simply had too many "A" Internationals ahead of him at Madrid. The solution was to transfer the young man to GETAFE with a first buy-back option, to allow their promise to continue playing & gaining experience in the Spanish League.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
SPANISH TENNIS | RAFAEL NADAL NAMED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR BY "L´EQUIPE"
Spanish Sports has had an incredible 2010 & now the individual Spanish Sportsman involved in the various disciplines are being recognized for their efforts. French media network "L´Equipe" ( web, magazine & TV ) has named 24 year old Spanish Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL "Champion of Champions" - "Best Sportsman of the Year" - for 2010. This is in recognition for his three Tennis Grand Slam
FC BARCELONA WINS THE XV FOOTBALL 7 - U/12 - INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
FC Barcelona Champions U -12
FC BARCELONA proclaimed itself Champions of the XV Football 7 International Youth Tournament (12 year olds) after defeating REAL MADRID CF in the FINAL & in the penalty shoot-out. The Tournament was played in the Canary Islands & grouped the finest Youth Clubs from Spain & Europe.
Real Madrid U-12 Runners Up
Real Madrid played better during the 40 mins (two
REAL MADRID - INTER MILAN | KAKA IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE
Did not wish to get into this but the persistent rumours have made it that I would like to inform the global REAL MADRID fans that KAKA is NOT going anywhere fast. Yes, there has been news from Italy that INTER MILAN wanted the Brazilian on loan for the rest of the season & even a transfer was mentioned at some point by some Italian media source. Yes, the rumours are that Inter was sending "spies
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
VIDEO | BENJAMIN AGUERO MARADONA SHOWS HE HAS FOOTBALL IN HIS DNA
Seeing we are in the Christmas festive season. Here is a human story that is related to Spanish Football & Atletico de Madrid. Argentine star SERGIO AGUERO has placed on his official web site a video of his son BENJAMIN AGUERO MARADONA in action.
Benjamin with dad Sergio Aguero
As you can see clearly in the video young Benjamin has the DNA of grandfather DIEGO MARADONA & his dads from the
Benjamin with dad Sergio Aguero
As you can see clearly in the video young Benjamin has the DNA of grandfather DIEGO MARADONA & his dads from the
UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY NAMES DAVID VILLA SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Interesting news from the United States where the US Sports Academy has awarded FC BARCELONA forward & Spanish International DAVID VILLA the "Best Sportsman in the World" for 2010, tipping in second place Spanish Tennis ace RAFAEL NADAL
David Villa
The votes came in via the webs of NBC Sports & USA Today which prized the performance of David Villa during this years World Cup with his goals &
David Villa
The votes came in via the webs of NBC Sports & USA Today which prized the performance of David Villa during this years World Cup with his goals &
Monday, December 27, 2010
FIU wins Sports Law Blog Bowl
That was quite a game, with a lot of everything--multiple comebacks and apparent game-changing plays by all units on both teams, gutsy coaching (major props to Toledo Coach Tim Beckman for going for two and the win rather than playing for overtime), a hook-and-ladder to convert a 4th-and-17, and a game-winning-as-time-expired field goal. Oh, and too much instant-replay. I still am not sure that a commitment to an FBS football program is the best use of resources for a small, cash-strapped public university. But I watched the game very much as a fan--frustrated and mumbling about what-if when I thought we had blown the game, exultant when the kick split the uprights.
And again, I love Tony Packo's.
And again, I love Tony Packo's.
SPANISH FOOTBALL | WINTER TRANSFER MARKET 2011
Back posting after a brief Christmas Break were I hope that you have had some wonderful days of relax, family warmth & lots of presents. The Spanish Football scene is relatively quiet as the Spanish League is enjoying their Xmas Break with news being generated by the rumours of new incorporations as of January 2011
Affeley presented as new Barça player
The winter “Transfer Market” kicks in
Affeley presented as new Barça player
The winter “Transfer Market” kicks in
Friday, December 24, 2010
Golf and the Law
The New York Times published an interesting story a couple of days ago exploring the relationship between golf and the law. The story comes on the heels of a recent decision by the New York Court of Appeals holding that golfers assume the risk of injury from errant golf shots. Here is a snippet:
Ever since people have trod meadows and moors intent on striking hard white balls with bottom-weighted clubs, people have been suing one another for shots gone awry. Golf has evolved into the perfect litigation machine, beloved by lawyers, perhaps because so many are making a good living filing suits, defending suits and providing advice on injuries, course and product design, environmental damage, discrimination and almost anything that could conceivably find its way into a courtroom.
The entire story is available here.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I would have gone with "F-E-E-T, Feet, Feet, Feet"
Alan beat me to the punch. What struck me was the potential for some very interesting cheering-speech issues at this game; this is the sort of thing that fans will be unable to resist. How are the Bears and the NFL going to handle the inevitable signs, t-shirts, chants, etc. that are going to be about feet, foot fetishes, FOOTball, "Can I smell them," and everything else that this type makes possible for obnoxious and possibly drunk fans? What if (as one blogger suggested) the PA folks plays "Footloose" when the Jets take the field?
Is getting a tattoo a "benefit"?
As if 10% unemployment and the loss of two Congressional seats weren't enough, Ohio-ans now have to deal with the news that some of "the" Ohio State University's star football players, including last year's Rose Bowl MVP Terrelle Pryor, may miss this year's bowl showdown with Arkansas. According to the Columbus Dispatch, a number of players, including Pryor, are under investigation for receiving free tattoos.NCAA Bylaw 16.02.3 prohibits student-athletes from receiving "extra benefits" not offered to the general public from university employees and boosters:
“An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletic interests to provide a student-athlete...a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes...is not a violation of NCAA legislation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution’s students...on a basis unrelated to athletics ability."Here, the athletes' tattoos were supposedly provided by Columbus parlor "Fine Line Ink." Presumably, the expansive definition of booster would sweep in the shop in question.
Although it seems these players will get to watch the game from the hotel, there are two possible lines of defense. First, is getting a tattoo, which one will surely regret years from now, really a benefit? (OK, probably). But is it a benefit not available to the general public. According to Fine Line Ink's myspace page, free tattoos are available to anyone willing to host a tattoo party:
Call and ask us how you can get a free tattoo for hosting a party at our place or yours! Invite all your friends, for food, drinks, and Tattoos & Piercings! Some restrictions apply call shop for details.So maybe this was a "party"?
Coach Jim Tressel no doubt regrets being so sanguine the last time Terrelle's ink made the news.
SPANISH CUP 2010 - 2011 | WEDNESDAY NIGHT GAMES RESULTS | BIG SCORES HAT-TRICKS FROM BENZEMA CRISTIANO RONALDO ULLOA
Big night of SPANISH CUP action with the remaining five games scheduled with goals galore, multiple hat-tricks & a grand way for Spanish Soccer to go on its Xmas break. Here are quick summaries of the games, the results & the scorers.
Benzema hat-trick man
REAL MADRID won 8 - 0 LEVANTE to assure its pass to the next stage of the Spanish Cup & calm the waters at the Club after a tense couple
Benzema hat-trick man
REAL MADRID won 8 - 0 LEVANTE to assure its pass to the next stage of the Spanish Cup & calm the waters at the Club after a tense couple
T-O-E-S Toes Toes Toes
Let me first confess I am an old Baltimore Colts fan (Diner era) and still hate the Jets for embarrassing us in 1969. But this is just too much to hold in.
First we saw Strength Team Coach Sal Alosi and the Gang of Four, standing toe to toe, trying to keep the Punt team’s gunner from returning to the field of play and then tripping him. Such behavior eclipsed Spygate as the worst case of sportsmanship in recent NFL history.
Now we have Toegate with the Head Coach of those same Jets supposedly starring in a series of YouTube videos demonstrating deep admiration for his wife’s extremities. What next? I know I always write about the need to judge professional athletes by their work on the field, accepting that they are as flawed as the rest of us outside the lines. But for the life of me, I never expected to see something like this. It’s not exactly unethical. In fact, I don’t know what to call it. Let’s just say it gives new meaning to what Football is all about.
First we saw Strength Team Coach Sal Alosi and the Gang of Four, standing toe to toe, trying to keep the Punt team’s gunner from returning to the field of play and then tripping him. Such behavior eclipsed Spygate as the worst case of sportsmanship in recent NFL history.
Now we have Toegate with the Head Coach of those same Jets supposedly starring in a series of YouTube videos demonstrating deep admiration for his wife’s extremities. What next? I know I always write about the need to judge professional athletes by their work on the field, accepting that they are as flawed as the rest of us outside the lines. But for the life of me, I never expected to see something like this. It’s not exactly unethical. In fact, I don’t know what to call it. Let’s just say it gives new meaning to what Football is all about.
No Country For Old Football Coaches?
Are older college football coaches being fired, or not hired, in part because of age? This is a topic that Stewart Mandel writes about in an SI.com column. Here is an excerpt:* * *
* * *
To add to Stewart's discussion, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects people 40 and up from discrimination due to age. I would be interesting in knowing 1) if coaches' termination settlements (fired coaches usually get about half of their remaining salary) include release of age discrimination claims in exchange for payment; 2) whether there is any empirical support for a finding of age discrimination; and 3) whether the EEOC has looked into this subject. Might not be a bad topic for a student looking for a law review/journal note topic.
MALAGA FC | BAYERN MUNICH DEFENDER MARTIN DEMICHELIS ON LOAN UNTIL JUNE 2011
Having a look today through Spanish Sports daily "AS" I was taken back to see that BAYERN MUNICH & Argentine International defender MARTIN DEMICHELIS will be a MALAGA player after Christmas. The 30 year old come as a LOAN until the end of June 2011 & then Malaga has a 3M€ option to keep the defender with a buy if they choose to exercise the option.
Demichelis for Bayern Munich
The player is
Demichelis for Bayern Munich
The player is
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
SPANISH CUP 2010 - 2011 | TUESDAY NIGHT GAMES RESULTS | FC BARCELONA AT BILBAO VALENCIA CF VILLAREAL DEPOR CORDOBA
SPANISH CUP action tonight with three matches that all gave the same result. Here is a quick summary of the away leg games, the results & scorers.
Mata hits the wood-work
VALENCIA held out an "unrecognizable" VILLAREAL & threw everything at them in attack but only managed to finish with a 0 - 0 draw result. Valencia was the better team & even hit the "wood-work" apart from "suffocating" the
Mata hits the wood-work
VALENCIA held out an "unrecognizable" VILLAREAL & threw everything at them in attack but only managed to finish with a 0 - 0 draw result. Valencia was the better team & even hit the "wood-work" apart from "suffocating" the
AALS Section on Law and Sports Panel Discussion
For those attending the 2011 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Conference in San Francisco next month, the Chair of the Section on Law and Sports, Ed Edmonds, has announced this year's panel discussion:
January 8, 2011
3:30-5:15 PM
Section on Law and Sports
Yosemite C, Ballroom Level, Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Moderator:
Edmund P. Edmonds, Notre Dame Law School
Speakers:
Gabriel A. Feldman, Tulane University School of Law
- Author of The Puzzling Persistence of the Single Entity Argument for Sports Leagues: American Needle and the Supreme Court's Opportunity to Reject a Flawed Defense, 2010 WISCONSIN LAW REVIEW (2010)
Michael A. McCann, Vermont Law School
- Author of American Needle v. NFL: An Opportunity to Reshape Sports Law, 119 YALE LAW JOURNAL 726 (2010)
- Author of The NBA and the Single Entity Defense: A Better Case? 1 HARVARD JOURNAL OF SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW 40 (2010)
On May 24, 2010, the United States Supreme Court issued its eagerly anticipated decision in American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League, 130 S. Ct. 2201 (2010). In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Stevens, the Court reversed and remanded the Seventh Circuit's opinion regarding the licensing of the NFL's intellectual property. The case involves a fundamental question of whether or not the National Football League is a single entity, and, as such, exempt from attack under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Court held that the league, through its separate corporation NFL Properties, was involved in concerted action when it granted an exclusive license to one vendor, and, thus, not categorically insulated from a Section 1 challenge. The case presented the Supreme Court with an opportunity to clarify its decision in Copperweld Corp. v. Independence Tube Corporation, 467 U.S. 752 (1984).
American Needle v. NFL and the Single Entity Defense:
A New Frontier for Sports and Antitrust Law
A New Frontier for Sports and Antitrust Law
January 8, 2011
3:30-5:15 PM
Section on Law and Sports
Yosemite C, Ballroom Level, Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Moderator:
Edmund P. Edmonds, Notre Dame Law School
Speakers:
Gabriel A. Feldman, Tulane University School of Law
- Author of The Puzzling Persistence of the Single Entity Argument for Sports Leagues: American Needle and the Supreme Court's Opportunity to Reject a Flawed Defense, 2010 WISCONSIN LAW REVIEW (2010)
Michael A. McCann, Vermont Law School
- Author of American Needle v. NFL: An Opportunity to Reshape Sports Law, 119 YALE LAW JOURNAL 726 (2010)
- Author of The NBA and the Single Entity Defense: A Better Case? 1 HARVARD JOURNAL OF SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW 40 (2010)
On May 24, 2010, the United States Supreme Court issued its eagerly anticipated decision in American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League, 130 S. Ct. 2201 (2010). In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Stevens, the Court reversed and remanded the Seventh Circuit's opinion regarding the licensing of the NFL's intellectual property. The case involves a fundamental question of whether or not the National Football League is a single entity, and, as such, exempt from attack under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Court held that the league, through its separate corporation NFL Properties, was involved in concerted action when it granted an exclusive license to one vendor, and, thus, not categorically insulated from a Section 1 challenge. The case presented the Supreme Court with an opportunity to clarify its decision in Copperweld Corp. v. Independence Tube Corporation, 467 U.S. 752 (1984).
Sports Law Blog honored as Top 50 Business Professor Blog
Bschool.com, a leading online resource for MBA programs, has named Sports Law Blog one of the 50 Best Business Professor Blogs. We appreciate the recognition!
REAL MADRID CF | MOURINHO vs VALDANO | THE AFTER SHOCKS OF A 5 - 0 DEFEAT AT BARCELONA
Hi guys. I realize that the apparent big story in SPANISH FOOTBALL is the José Mourinho Press Confrenece outburst last Sunday & that you maybe expecting a comment on this Blog.
The Real Madrid Coach slammed the Club for not "defending" the team & himself against what he sees as blatant bias from the Spanish referees & Football Authorities. He stated that he doesn´t feel backed by the Club
The Real Madrid Coach slammed the Club for not "defending" the team & himself against what he sees as blatant bias from the Spanish referees & Football Authorities. He stated that he doesn´t feel backed by the Club
Monday, December 20, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | 2010 - 2011 SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA | ROUND 16 | MONDAY NIGHT RESULT | RACING 0 HERCULES 0
The Spanish League concluded Round 16 & 2010 with the Monday night game between RACING DE SANTANDER & HERCULES FC with a final result of 0 - 0. Not much to add here except two sides relatively conservative with a balanced spread of chances that both didn´t take adavantage of & take the full 3 points. In fact, the draw was the just result.
Racing - Hercules conclude the Spanish League
for 2010.
Racing - Hercules conclude the Spanish League
for 2010.
VILLAREAL FC 2010 CHRISTMAS VIDEO
Did you know that Santa Claus was a VILLAREAL FC fan? The Father of Christmas also knows how to play a mean lounge Football.
This is a VIDEO whipped up by Villareal FC to wish everyone a Merry Christman with Rossi ( Pizzaman), Cazorla, Capdevila, Diego Lopez & Gonzalo.
This is a VIDEO whipped up by Villareal FC to wish everyone a Merry Christman with Rossi ( Pizzaman), Cazorla, Capdevila, Diego Lopez & Gonzalo.
Catching up with Links
* Ropes and Gray's Fall/Winter issue of Sports Law Today has an excellent feature article by Andrew Hohenstein on the recent Boston College Law Review symposium that delved into legal issues as the NCAA turns 100 years old. The issue has similarly impressive articles by David Mindell and Joseph Polniak on California's Student-Athletes' Right to Know Act; Daniel Adams and Matthew Bryon on rouge agents; and Christopher Conniff and Ned Sebelius on minimizing the impact of off-field activities.
* I also recommend reading Proskauer and Rose's recent issue of Three Point Shot, which includes an article on Jim Brown suing Electronic Arts for misappropriation in the Madden football game, which features "historic" teams. Rick Karcher has blogged about the Jim Brown litigation.
* Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press has an interesting piece on the NFLPA telling its members to save payments because a lockout seems likely. Jimmy raises a particularly compelling point that hasn't received a lot of attention, but could becoome hugely important considering how many injuries NFL players suffer: NFL owners are threatening to discontinue the players' health care during a lockout. Keep in mind, though, Article XLIX of the league-union's CBA says that benefits should be continued through the plan year. "Period of Benefits: Subject to the extension provided in Section 2, players will continue to receive the benefits provided in this article through the end of the Plan Year in which they are released or otherwise sever employment."
* Brian Baxter of AM Law Daily has an insightful read on various sports law issues, including a lawsuit over ownership of the phrase "ultimate fighting":
* Justin Ross (Indiana University) and Robert Dunn (West Virginia University) have posted on SSRN a piece from a few years back that is still quite relevant and interesting: "The Income Tax Responsiveness of the Rich: Evidence from Free Agent Major League Baseball All-Stars". Their key conclusion: there is "evidence that the wages of this subset of players do adjust to offset the burden of state income taxes, specifically a 1% decrease in net-of-tax rate leads to a 3.3% increase in salary."
* Jeff Levine and Bram Maravent have posted on SSRN a copy of their article "Fumbling Away the Season: Will the Expiration of the NFL-NFLPA CBA Result in the Loss of the 2011 Season?"
* Libby Sander of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a good piece on the NCAA considering a national pro-sports counseling panel. The NCAA is drawing heavily on research and analysis found in"Going Pro in Sports: Improving Guidance to Student-Athletes in a Complicated Legal & Regulatory Environment ", an article recently published in the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal and authored by Warren Zola (Boston College Assistant Dean, Sports Business Professor/Sports Attorney, and Chair of BC's Professional Sports Counseling Panel), Glenn Wong (UMass Isenberg School of Management sports business professor), and Chris Deubert (Associate at Ginsberg & Burgos).
* Not sports law, but if I'm an NFLPA agent, I think I'd be less inclined to direct one of my clients to play for Tom Coughlin after he berated his punter, Matt Dodge -- who admittedly made a terrible mistake by not kicking the ball out of bounds -- at mid-field following yesterday's Giants historic collapse at the hands of DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick and the Eagles.
Obviously, Dodge made a mistake, but there were many mistakes by other Giants players and Giants coaches that contributed to yesterday's loss (for instance, why did no one tackle Jackson?). I think coaches should try to avoid further embarrassing players who are already very embarrassed - the game was over and everything Coughlin said to Dodge could have been said in the locker room. Lecturing an NFL player like he's 12-years old, in front of tens of thousands of people, just makes a coach look bad.
* I also recommend reading Proskauer and Rose's recent issue of Three Point Shot, which includes an article on Jim Brown suing Electronic Arts for misappropriation in the Madden football game, which features "historic" teams. Rick Karcher has blogged about the Jim Brown litigation.
* Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press has an interesting piece on the NFLPA telling its members to save payments because a lockout seems likely. Jimmy raises a particularly compelling point that hasn't received a lot of attention, but could becoome hugely important considering how many injuries NFL players suffer: NFL owners are threatening to discontinue the players' health care during a lockout. Keep in mind, though, Article XLIX of the league-union's CBA says that benefits should be continued through the plan year. "Period of Benefits: Subject to the extension provided in Section 2, players will continue to receive the benefits provided in this article through the end of the Plan Year in which they are released or otherwise sever employment."
* Brian Baxter of AM Law Daily has an insightful read on various sports law issues, including a lawsuit over ownership of the phrase "ultimate fighting":
Enter Ubisoft Entertainment, one of the world's largest video game companies. In November, the French company stepped into the octagon with its latest offering--Fighters Uncaged, which allows players to become the "ultimate fighting weapon" in a world of underground street fighting. Ubisoft now faces a lawsuit filed by UFC over the use of the words "ultimate fighting," . . .*A former student of mine, Andrew Delaney, has helped launch the Supreme Court of Vermont Law Blog, which is already providing solid analysis of Vermont legal issues. Andrew is co-founder of the National Sports and Entertainment Law Society and recently posted on SSRN a copy of his article "Taking a Sack: The NFL and its Undeserved Tax-Exempt Status".
* Justin Ross (Indiana University) and Robert Dunn (West Virginia University) have posted on SSRN a piece from a few years back that is still quite relevant and interesting: "The Income Tax Responsiveness of the Rich: Evidence from Free Agent Major League Baseball All-Stars". Their key conclusion: there is "evidence that the wages of this subset of players do adjust to offset the burden of state income taxes, specifically a 1% decrease in net-of-tax rate leads to a 3.3% increase in salary."
* Jeff Levine and Bram Maravent have posted on SSRN a copy of their article "Fumbling Away the Season: Will the Expiration of the NFL-NFLPA CBA Result in the Loss of the 2011 Season?"
* Libby Sander of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a good piece on the NCAA considering a national pro-sports counseling panel. The NCAA is drawing heavily on research and analysis found in"Going Pro in Sports: Improving Guidance to Student-Athletes in a Complicated Legal & Regulatory Environment ", an article recently published in the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal and authored by Warren Zola (Boston College Assistant Dean, Sports Business Professor/Sports Attorney, and Chair of BC's Professional Sports Counseling Panel), Glenn Wong (UMass Isenberg School of Management sports business professor), and Chris Deubert (Associate at Ginsberg & Burgos).
* Not sports law, but if I'm an NFLPA agent, I think I'd be less inclined to direct one of my clients to play for Tom Coughlin after he berated his punter, Matt Dodge -- who admittedly made a terrible mistake by not kicking the ball out of bounds -- at mid-field following yesterday's Giants historic collapse at the hands of DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick and the Eagles.
Obviously, Dodge made a mistake, but there were many mistakes by other Giants players and Giants coaches that contributed to yesterday's loss (for instance, why did no one tackle Jackson?). I think coaches should try to avoid further embarrassing players who are already very embarrassed - the game was over and everything Coughlin said to Dodge could have been said in the locker room. Lecturing an NFL player like he's 12-years old, in front of tens of thousands of people, just makes a coach look bad.
SPANISH HANDBALL | CIUDAD REAL 34 FC BARCELONA 31 | ASOBAL CUP 2010 FINAL
I agree SPANISH HANDBALL doesn´t get the exposure it should, I am the first to criticise, but Football is so big & dominates so much the local scene that this happens. Plus the blog is a personal "hobby" with limited time in my hands & unfortunately for Handball fans I have to sway to what the majority wish to read. But Spanish has the strongest League & most of the Best Players in Europe
Sunday, December 19, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | 2010 - 2011 SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA | ROUND 16 | SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL & Round 16 Spanish League - La Liga action continued tonight with four intense games. Here is the habitual quick review of all four encounters with the results & the scorers.
Big game from Tiago tonight for Atletico
ATLETICO DE MADRID visited MALAGA & managed to get away with a 0 - 3 victory. A night of strategy & dead ball situtations which Atletico managed to exploit to the
Big game from Tiago tonight for Atletico
ATLETICO DE MADRID visited MALAGA & managed to get away with a 0 - 3 victory. A night of strategy & dead ball situtations which Atletico managed to exploit to the
Saturday, December 18, 2010
LA LIGA - SPANISH LEAGUE - SPANISH FOOTBALL 2010 - 2011 | ROUND 16 | SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS
Spanish Football celebrated five Spanish League - La Liga matches tonight as part of the Round 16 schedule with plenty of goals & action. Here is a quick snap-shot view of the games played, results & scorers.
Nilmar back scoring
VILLAREAL shook off their surprise defeat last week to Getafe & got back into the winning groove with a comfortable 3 - 1 victory over MALORCA. It was CAZORLA who got
Nilmar back scoring
VILLAREAL shook off their surprise defeat last week to Getafe & got back into the winning groove with a comfortable 3 - 1 victory over MALORCA. It was CAZORLA who got
Sports Lawyers in Action: How Katten Muchin Rosenmann Counsel Assisted White Sox in Internal Kickback Probe
My good friend and former law school classmate, Bryan Stroh, is among several Katten Muchin Rosenmann lawyers profiled by the American Lawyer and Law.com for their legal counsel to an internal investigation by the Chicago White Sox into kickbacks for Latin American agents who directed clients to the White Sox. Tim Epstein blogged about this emerging scandal last month.Here's an excerpt from Brian Baxter's Law.com article:
* * *
The ChiSox probably hope the splashy signings overshadow some less-positive recent news about the franchise: the decision by federal prosecutors in the Windy City to charge former senior director of player personnel Dave Wilder and two scouts with fraud.To read the rest of this excellent article, click here.Wilder and scouts Jorge Oquendo Rivera and Victor Mateo are alleged to have taken kickbacks from young Latin American players in the team's minor league system. A 17-page indictment accuses the trio of illegally defrauding 23 prospects out of $400,000 between December 2004 and February 2008.
It was in the summer of 2008 — after the White Sox fired Wilder, Mateo, and another scout in the wake of an internal investigation into the team's Latin American operations — that reports first surfaced of possible fraud in the signing of Dominican players.
* * *
Assisting [Sheldon Zenner, the co-chair of Katten Muchin Rosenman's white-collar criminal and civil litigation practice] was Katten litigation associate Bryan Stroh, a former baseball player at Princeton. The two worked closely with White Sox executive vice president and Katten alum Howard Pizer, team general counsel John Corvino, and staff on the baseball side in arranging interviews at the team's home at U.S. Cellular Field."It seemed a lot easier to do those interviews here rather than [in the Dominican]," Zenner said. "To be frank, lawyers' time can be expensive, and that doesn't even include travel time and translation issues. One major challenge was getting them in an environment where they felt comfortable."
Given that most of those being interviewed were low-level minor league players — some of whom had been in the U.S. for only a short time — Zenner said that being questioned in a major league ballpark by many of the team's top brass left the young Dominican players terrified.
"A lot of these kids were scared stiff and had no idea why there were being called in," Zenner said. "It took a little while to assure them that there weren't being fired and had not done anything wrong, but that we needed them to be truthful with us. Like low-level folks in any organization, they were worried about the potential ramifications of implicating someone higher up in that organization."
Stroh added that many of the players had no idea that something was even wrong until they started talking with their colleagues elsewhere in the White Sox organization.
"They were just going about their business of playing baseball," he said. "It took awhile for some of them to realize that they weren't the only ones that didn't have all their money. Many of these guys were largely uneducated because they had spent most of their lives training to play baseball because that's the best chance to make money and provide for their families."
THE REAL MADRID CHRISTMAS PRESENT | KAKÁ
Kaka running today with group at
Real Madrid training.
KAKÁ is the Christmas present that Santa Claus has brought to REAL MADRID CF. The Brazilian is back training with the team & running. The training is light & no risks will be taken as the Club & the Brazilian star wish to come back in 100% conditions. If things keep going as scheduled Kaká will be able to sit on the Real Madrid bench end
Friday, December 17, 2010
More on the Legality of the BCS: The Consumer Welfare Issue
Following up on last week's discussion regarding the legality of the BCS under antitrust law, there is one additional defense that can be asserted by the BCS that warrants some consideration. Specifically, in recent weeks BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock has argued that the BCS does not violate antitrust law because it does not harm consumers. In other words, the BCS alleges that it, at most, results in the six major BCS Conferences harming their rivals (i.e., the non-automatically qualifying, so-called non-BCS Conferences), but does not diminish competition overall. As a result, because consumers have not themselves been harmed, the BCS argues that it does not violate federal antitrust law.
This defense draws on a line of antitrust precedent dating back to the Supreme Court's 1962 decision in Brown Shoe Co. v. United States, in which the Court famously stated "it is competition, not competitors, which the [Sherman] Act protects." Following Brown Shoe, courts have increasingly required antitrust plaintiffs to establish that a challenged restraint harm consumers, rather than simply hurt a competing firm in the larger competitive marketplace.
This consumer welfare argument is probably the BCS's strongest defense in response to a group boycott claim focusing on harm to the non-BCS Conferences. While the BCS's ultimate chances of success on this argument are uncertain, the defense is not as foolproof as the BCS would have people believe. Indeed, as I discuss in my forthcoming article "Antitrust & The Bowl Championship Series," there are several significant counter-arguments that can be asserted against the BCS on the consumer welfare issue.
As an initial matter, the Supreme Court has never considered whether a showing of harm to consumer welfare is necessary in a group boycott claim. While the Court could of course ultimately hold that consumer welfare must be implicated in group boycott cases, that outcome is not necessarily certain, given that a classic group boycott claim is - at its root - premised on harm to a competing firm.
More significantly, though, a plaintiff challenging the BCS under antitrust law can point to analogous case precedent to argue that the BCS does in fact harm consumers in a way that is cognizable under antitrust law. Specifically, in the 2004 case of Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Ass'n v. National Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, 339 F.Supp.2d 545 (S.D.N.Y. 2004), the promoters of college basketball's National Invitational Tournament (NIT) sued the NCAA, alleging that an NCAA rule requiring that all teams selected for the NCAA's post-season college basketball tournament exclusively play in that tournament unfairly harmed the competing NIT, preventing the NIT from assembling the best possible field of teams for its own tournament. In response, the NCAA -- like the BCS -- argued that its regulation did not harm consumers, but instead at most only harmed a competitor to the NCAA, and therefore did not violate antitrust law. The Southern District of New York rejected this argument, finding that it could not distinguish harm to the competing NIT from harm to competition itself. Specifically, the court held that because the NCAA's rule prevented the NIT from offering consumers the most competitive basketball possible, consumer welfare had been sufficiently implicated to allow the NIT to proceed with its antitrust case.
A plaintiff challenging the BCS can rely on this precedent to argue that the BCS similarly implicates consumer welfare. For example, this year both Virginia Tech and UConn received automatic bids to BCS bowl games by virtue of winning the ACC and Big East, respectively. Those invitations came at the expense of higher-ranked teams left out of BCS bowl games, such as tenth-ranked Boise State, who was relegated to the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. As a result, one could argue that football fans have been harmed by not being able to watch the most competitive BCS games possible, such as one featuring Boise State against ninth-ranked Michigan State, another highly regarded team left without a BCS bid. Similarly, a plaintiff could also argue that the BCS harms consumer welfare when it distributes a disproportionately lower share of revenue to participating non-BCS Conference schools, insofar as these financial discrepancies help foster competitive disparities throughout college athletics. In other words, because the six BCS Conferences receive twice as much revenue for their participation in a BCS bowl game as does a participating, non-BCS Conference, the BCS schools are able to use this revenue advantage to field stronger teams not only on the gridiron, but across a number of different sports. As a result, consumers are thus deprived of the most competitive college athletics events possible at the non-BCS Conference level.
Third, a plaintiff could also point to recent surveys showing that anywhere from 63 percent to 90 percent of college football fans have an unfavorable opinion of the BCS as further evidence that the BCS generally harms consumer welfare.
Finally, the consumer welfare defense likely would not protect the BCS from a potential price fixing claim, which could be alleged insofar as the BCS enables (i) formerly independent, competing entities (the participating conferences and bowl games) to collectively determine the amount of revenue to be distributed to BCS participants, and (ii) various BCS bowls to forgo competition by collectively selling their broadcast rights to television networks. In either case, harm to consumers could be established by pointing to the fact that both ticket prices and television fees rose significantly following the formation of the BCS, costs that have ultimately been shouldered by consumers. While some of these increases can undoubtedly be attributed to higher demand resulting from the BCS's creation of a national championship game, at least some portion is almost certainly the result of the elimination of competition between the formerly competing entities.
Therefore, contrary to the recent statements of the BCS's Executive Director, I do not believe that the consumer welfare defense would necessarily save the BCS from an antitrust suit. While the defense may ultimately enable the BCS to prevail in a group boycott case, there are strong arguments to the contrary available to a plaintiff challenging the system under such a theory. Even then, the defense likely would not offer the BCS protection against a possible price fixing claim. As a result, I believe that the BCS currently remains vulnerable to an antitrust attack.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - EUROPA LEAGUE 2010-2011 DRAW | 5 SPANISH CLUBS Know their NEXT RIVAL
The last 16 Top European Clubs know their next opponent & their next match in the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. The competition enters the "knock-out" stage & the draw has paired some very interesting clashes that begin with the away leg the 15-16 Feb 2011.
The three Spanish Football Teams have a "relative" easier draw than the other Clubs, with the exception of FC Barcelona who will meet a difficult
The three Spanish Football Teams have a "relative" easier draw than the other Clubs, with the exception of FC Barcelona who will meet a difficult
XAVI HERNANDEZ - JOSE MOURINHO - SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM PRIZED BY "WORLD SOCCER" BEST OF 2010
Spanish Interenational & FC BARCELONA midfielder XAVI HERNANDEZ has been chosen by Soccer online Magazine "World Soccer" as the "World Player of the Year". He is joined by REAL MADRID Coach JOSE MOURINHO as the "Manager of The Year" & the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM as the "Team of the Year"
Xavi Hernandez
Here are the final standings:
World Player of the Year
% of votes
1 Xavi (
Xavi Hernandez
Here are the final standings:
World Player of the Year
% of votes
1 Xavi (
Thursday, December 16, 2010
EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 GROUP H RESULT | GETAFE 1 YOUNG BOYS 0
SPANISH FOOTBALL Team GETAFE had already said goodbye to the EUROPA LEAGUE before tonights Group H match against YOUNG BOYS. The Madrid Club utilized the game to give a run to four youngsters from the B team & the result was impressive with a 1 - 0 victory. The goal came in the 14th min via ADRIAN SARDINERO & the win at least smooth somewhat the disappointing exit from Europe for Getafe.
Getafe
Getafe
Kettlebell Corrections by Jordan Vezina
RKC Team Leader Jordan Vezina of
Average to Elite has released his Kettlebell Corrections DVD on youtube free for everyone to see and gain knowledge.
Check out the playlist of these videos
Jordan has also released an updated new version of Kettlebell Corrections on
Average to Elite
Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer
Average to Elite has released his Kettlebell Corrections DVD on youtube free for everyone to see and gain knowledge.
Check out the playlist of these videos
Jordan has also released an updated new version of Kettlebell Corrections on
Average to Elite
Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer
EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 GROUP B RESULT | BAYERN LEVERKUSEN 1 ATLETICO DE MADRID 1 | ATLETICO SAY GOODBYE TO EUROPE
A miracle was needed if ATLETICO DE MADRID was to continue in this seasons EUROPA LEAGUE. The current Champions needed to win at BAYERN LEVERKUSEN & have Greek team Aris Salonika draw or lose their clash against Rosenborg. In the end the Group B Bayern Leverkusen game with Atletico de Madrid finished in a 1 - 1 draw, while Aris Salonika defeated Rosenborg 2 - 0 thus knocking out the Spanish Club.
Institutional Failures: Duke Lacrosse
I am happy to announce publication of Institutional Failures: Duke Lacrosse, Universities, the News Media, and the Legal System, a collection of essays on the Duke controversy just published by Ashgate (and available on Amazon and in supermarket check-out aisles). Contributors include Angela Davis (American), Sam Kamin (Denver and a former GuestPrawf), Robert O'Neil (Virginia), KC Johnson (Brooklyn College, History), Ellen Staurowsky (Ithaca College, Sports Management and Media), Jane Kirtley (Minnesota, Journalism and Law), Craig LaMay (Northwestern, Journalism), and Rachel Smolkin (USA Today).
Doing this book was a great experience, as well as an educational one. I learned that editing chapters is, in some ways, harder than writing things yourself, because you have to balance and preserve multiple voices. I also learned a lot about organizing an edited volume, in particular the need to over-solicit chapters and to see the big picture in advance when finding contributors and seeking chapters on particular issues. I do think the final product tells the full story of the Duke mess from a number of different perspectives and a number of different disciplines, which is what I was hoping to do.
And hey, just in time for holiday shopping.
Doing this book was a great experience, as well as an educational one. I learned that editing chapters is, in some ways, harder than writing things yourself, because you have to balance and preserve multiple voices. I also learned a lot about organizing an edited volume, in particular the need to over-solicit chapters and to see the big picture in advance when finding contributors and seeking chapters on particular issues. I do think the final product tells the full story of the Duke mess from a number of different perspectives and a number of different disciplines, which is what I was hoping to do.
And hey, just in time for holiday shopping.
Will the NBA Players' Association Decertify?
Maggie Gray of Sports Illustrated Video interviews Ian Thomsen and me about the possibility of the NBPA decertifying.
New Book Publication: Reversing Field: Examining Commercialization, Labor, Gender, and Race in 21st Century Sports Law
Congratulations to West Virginia University College of Law Professors andré douglas pond cummings and Anne Marie Lofaso on publication of their new book Reversing Field: Examining Commercialization, Labor, Gender, and Race in 21st Century Sports Law.Here's a description:
Reversing Field invites students, professionals, and enthusiasts of sport – whether law, management and marketing, or the game itself – to explore the legal issues and regulations surrounding collegiate and professional athletics in the United States. This theoretical and methodological interrogation of sports law openly addresses race, labor, gender, and the commercialization of sports, while offering solutions to the disruptions that threaten its very foundation during an era of increased media scrutiny and consumerism. In over thirty chapters, academics, practitioners, and critics vigorously confront and debate matters such as the Arms Race, gender bias, racism, the Rooney Rule, and steroid use, offering new thought and resolution to the vexing legal issues that confront sports in the 21st century.I contributed a chapter to the book and it was titled Using Social Psychology to Evaluate Race and Law in Sports. Other contributors include: Ronald Althouse, Dr. Julian Bailes, Deborah Brake, Dana D. Brooks, Sherri Burr, Todd J. Clark, David Cornwell, andré douglas pond cummings, Timothy Davis, N. Jeremi Duru, Leonard J. Elmore, Stacey B. Evans, John Fisher, Bernard Franklin, William B. Gould IV, David C. Hardesty Jr., Jeffrey Hirsch, Floyd Keith, Marlon LeBlanc, Anne Marie Lofaso, Alfred Mathewson, Cyrus Mehri, Barbara Osborne, Andre L. Smith, Bethany Swaton, Kenneth Shropshire, and Dennis Walsh.
Here are some additional related links:
Watch the 2007 Symposium that inspired this book.
Watch a Vidcast about this book.
Watch an Interview with andré douglas pond cummings about this book.
Watch an Interview with Anne Marie Lofaso about this book.
Congrats again to dre and Anne Marie!
REAL MADRID TENSIONS 2010 | THE QUANTUM PHYSICS OF WINNING - "THE IRON LAW" OF FOOTBALL
We mentioned here that the 5 – 0 defeat of REAL MADRID at the hands of FC BARCELONA would have lasting “after-shocks” & lingering effects. Not only was the loss a setback classification wise, but a heavy blow on the Clubs moral & psychological levels, along with the coming to the surface of some in-house tensions that have been the talk of the press the last few days.
The Club has some
The Club has some
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 GROUP RESULTS | BRUGAS 1 VILLAREAL 2 SEVILLA FC 2 BORRUSIA DORTMUND 2
Two Spanish Clubs participated tonight in their respective EUROPA LEAGUE Groups with good news coming out of both. Here is a quick summary of the games, the results & the goal scorers.
Rossi scores for Villareal
Belgium Club BRUGAS lost their Group D match against VILLAREAL 1 - 2. The Spanish Club with this victory finishes Top of the Group & assures its place in next Fridays UEFA draw for
Rossi scores for Villareal
Belgium Club BRUGAS lost their Group D match against VILLAREAL 1 - 2. The Spanish Club with this victory finishes Top of the Group & assures its place in next Fridays UEFA draw for
VIDEO | ZINEDINE ZIDANE SKILLS | OLYMPIAKOS 2 ALL STARS 2
REAL MADRID CF Presidential Advisor, Ambassador & First Team "Consultant" ZINEDINE ZIDANE was in action last night alongside with ex Real Madrid team-mate RONALDO (side-lined) to play a fund-raiser against Greek team OLYMPIAKOS. The "All Star" Team raised funds against Hunger & finished 2 - 2 against the local side.
Here is a video piece of Zidane & his super skills. He did say he retired too
Here is a video piece of Zidane & his super skills. He did say he retired too
FIFA RANKING 2010 | SPAIN "TEAM OF THE YEAR" | 3RD YEAR IN A ROW
FIFA has handed in its final World Team Rankings for 2010 with SPAIN still Nº1 & finishing 2010 with the “National Football Team of the Year” title. That´s not the news, the highlight is that this honour goes to Spain for the third year running.
Spanish National Football Team 2010
Here are the Top 20 National Teams for 2010 according to FIFA:
1. Spain 1887 Pts
2. Holland 1723
3. Germany 1485
Spanish National Football Team 2010
Here are the Top 20 National Teams for 2010 according to FIFA:
1. Spain 1887 Pts
2. Holland 1723
3. Germany 1485
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sports Ethics
In the flotsam and jetsam of the world of sports, and sports law, ethical issues arise more and more frequently. Any particular sport is by definition governed by the rule of law or, more precisely, the rules of the game. But we know as lawyers that ethics -- a moral code of what is right or permitted and what is wrong or forbidden -- and rules or laws are not always the same thing. While our system of laws is ideally based on what we as a society believe is right and just, not all moral precepts find their way into statute books. To cite but one example: only three of the Ten Commandments are actually against the law.
Similarly, the rules in our games don’t always include what we know to be moral or righteous behavior, or good sportsmanship. Competitive sports at the highest level seem to favor the Lombardian view that “winning is the only thing” throwing aside the old adage that what matters is “how you play the game.”
In just the last few year or so, we have borne witness to a variety of events tinged with ethical implications: the life stories and travails of Reggie Bush, Michael Vick, Maurice Clarett, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Cam Newton, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemmons, the whole performance enhancing drug mess, Tim Donaghy’s confessions about reffing in the NBA, Derek Jeter’s overly dramatic tomfoolery at the plate, Belicheck’s spygate, Armando Galarraga’s perfect behavior in the perfect game that wasn’t, the feigning injury ploy used by more than one opponent of the fast moving Ducks of Oregon, Jason Werth’s money is all that matters choice to play for the lowly Nationals, Cliff Lee’s money is not everything choice to come home to the Phils, and most recently the outrageous behavior of Sal Alosi on the sideline of the J E T S Jets.
In some sports like baseball, a certain amount of cheating is tolerated, even encouraged, in basketball athletes seemingly on every play claim they were fouled or never fouled. In golf, of course, sportsmen still police themselves, readily admit to wrongdoing, keep their own score and assess penalties on themselves when the rules require it. Yet only in football, sometimes the most brutal of games, is there actually a penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
What do we want to see from these folks inside and outside the lines? Must they show us honor and integrity or should they “just win, baby”? Most professional athletes, after all, fit the description Rick Blaine gave in Casablanca when asked what kind of man Captain Renault was: “Just like any other man, only more so.” All as human as humans can be.
Similarly, the rules in our games don’t always include what we know to be moral or righteous behavior, or good sportsmanship. Competitive sports at the highest level seem to favor the Lombardian view that “winning is the only thing” throwing aside the old adage that what matters is “how you play the game.”
In just the last few year or so, we have borne witness to a variety of events tinged with ethical implications: the life stories and travails of Reggie Bush, Michael Vick, Maurice Clarett, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Cam Newton, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemmons, the whole performance enhancing drug mess, Tim Donaghy’s confessions about reffing in the NBA, Derek Jeter’s overly dramatic tomfoolery at the plate, Belicheck’s spygate, Armando Galarraga’s perfect behavior in the perfect game that wasn’t, the feigning injury ploy used by more than one opponent of the fast moving Ducks of Oregon, Jason Werth’s money is all that matters choice to play for the lowly Nationals, Cliff Lee’s money is not everything choice to come home to the Phils, and most recently the outrageous behavior of Sal Alosi on the sideline of the J E T S Jets.
In some sports like baseball, a certain amount of cheating is tolerated, even encouraged, in basketball athletes seemingly on every play claim they were fouled or never fouled. In golf, of course, sportsmen still police themselves, readily admit to wrongdoing, keep their own score and assess penalties on themselves when the rules require it. Yet only in football, sometimes the most brutal of games, is there actually a penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
What do we want to see from these folks inside and outside the lines? Must they show us honor and integrity or should they “just win, baby”? Most professional athletes, after all, fit the description Rick Blaine gave in Casablanca when asked what kind of man Captain Renault was: “Just like any other man, only more so.” All as human as humans can be.
IKER CASILLAS - DIEGO FORLAN RECEIVE THEIR WORLD CUP 2010 AWARDS WITH MULLER
Spanish National Football Team International & Goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS was today awarded the “Golden Glove Award” as the “Best Goalkeeper in the World” after his impressive & decisive 2010 World Cup performance. At the same ceremony Uruguayian International Forward DIEGO FORLAN received his “Best Player of the World Cup 2010 Tournament” & German International THOMAS MULLER received his “Golden
Professor Edward Zelinsky on Tax Considerations and Cliff Lee's deal with the Phillies
Professor Edward Zelinsky, a distinguished tax law expert at Cardozo Law School, checks in with some thoughts on Cliff Lee's decision to sign with the Phillies for 5-year, guaranteed $120 million (instead of signing with the Yankees for 6-years, guaranteed $132 million, or the Rangers for 6-years, guaranteed $138 million -- both the Yankees and Rangers offered 7th year vesting options, too):
Cliff Lee's decision to go to Philadelphia is interesting from a state and local tax perspective. It had appeared that Lee's choice was between the Yankees (in a state with some of the nation's highest state income tax rates) and the Rangers (in a state with no state income tax). Presumably, the Yankees' bid was designed to offset some or all of the tax disadvantages of playing in New York.
The Phillies confronted essentially the same tax competition with the Rangers as did the Yankees. Pennsylvania is a high tax state in which to live and work. The City of Philadelphia has been among the most aggressive municipalities taxing nonresident athletes for the days they play in Philadelphia.
The obvious lesson is that taxes aren't everything. The sublter lesson is that the Phillies likely paid more for Lee than they would have had they been located in a low tax state and think they will recoup in ticket sales or other revenue streams the extra amounts they pay Lee because of the Pennsylvania tax burden. Thus, in the final analysis, that burden likely falls on the fans.
* * *
Cliff Lee's decision to go to Philadelphia is interesting from a state and local tax perspective. It had appeared that Lee's choice was between the Yankees (in a state with some of the nation's highest state income tax rates) and the Rangers (in a state with no state income tax). Presumably, the Yankees' bid was designed to offset some or all of the tax disadvantages of playing in New York.
The Phillies confronted essentially the same tax competition with the Rangers as did the Yankees. Pennsylvania is a high tax state in which to live and work. The City of Philadelphia has been among the most aggressive municipalities taxing nonresident athletes for the days they play in Philadelphia.
The obvious lesson is that taxes aren't everything. The sublter lesson is that the Phillies likely paid more for Lee than they would have had they been located in a low tax state and think they will recoup in ticket sales or other revenue streams the extra amounts they pay Lee because of the Pennsylvania tax burden. Thus, in the final analysis, that burden likely falls on the fans.
VIDEO | THE 150 GOALS BY LIONEL MESSI FOR FC BARCELONA
A “YouTube” user from Argentina with the nik “youtuveXD3” has set up his channel & has posted so far only 3 videos. Two of those are part 1 & 2 of LIONEL MESSI scoring all his 150 goals for FC BARECLONA so far with the exception of last week. Here are both those videos for you.
If you have 30 minutes (difficult) you can see all the goals. Excellent goals most of them & a real good indicator of
If you have 30 minutes (difficult) you can see all the goals. Excellent goals most of them & a real good indicator of
Monday, December 13, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 - 2011 | ROUND 15 | MONDAY GAME RESULT | VALENCIA 3 OSASUNA 3
One of the best games of Round 15 occurred tonight with the last scheduled match of the Spanish League - La Liga down between VALENCIA CF - OSASUNA with a total of 6 goals seen & a superb match to watch.
Stankevius scores for Valencia
The first half was all Valencia CF who started strong dominating affairs & opening the score line in the 24th min by SOLDADO from a Mata pass. Things were
Stankevius scores for Valencia
The first half was all Valencia CF who started strong dominating affairs & opening the score line in the 24th min by SOLDADO from a Mata pass. Things were
VIDEO | FC BARCELONA 5 REAL SOCIEDAD 0 | LESSON: THE ART OF FOOTBALL
Please use this video to teach future Football-Soccer players the "art of the game". The match was yesterdays FC Barcelona 5 Real Sociedad 0. The commentator is close - if he has not already - to cuming...& I understand him perfectly. It´s possibly the highest level of Football-Soccer at this moment in the World & perhaps in History. Call the kids...
If "YouTube" takes this off, they don´t
If "YouTube" takes this off, they don´t
ATLETICO DE MADRID | SIMAO LEAVES FOR BESIKTAS IN 2011 WINTER TRANSFER MARKET
Turkish Club BESIKTAS have announce & made official via their Web the Winter Market Transfer of ATLETICO DE MADRID player SIMAO. The charismatic midfielder finishes contract & Atletico wished to make some cash before Simao became a free agent at of the 1st of January. The economic details have not been made available & the Portuguese player will join ex Real Madrid player Guti & Coach Schuster.
VIDEO | CRISTIANO RONALDO FREE KICK GOAL AGAINST ZARAGOZA REACHES 105 KM/HR
Here is the VIDEO of the CRISTIANO RONALDO direct free-kick goal that put REAL MADRID two goals ahead against ZARAGOZA last night.
Spanish press has estimated the speed of the ball, a rapid 105 Km/ Hr. No wonder Zaragoza keeper Franco did not move, few would have & for what purpose.
Spanish press has estimated the speed of the ball, a rapid 105 Km/ Hr. No wonder Zaragoza keeper Franco did not move, few would have & for what purpose.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Legal Consequences of Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi tripping Miami Dolphins DB Nolan Carroll
If you were watching the Jets-Dolphins game this afternoon with 3:11 left in the 3rd quarter, you witnessed a disturbing incident that speaks terribly of the Jets organization and could lead to fines and possibly even legal action. While on punt coverage, Dolphins rookie corner back Nolan Carroll was intentionally tripped by Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi. Here's the video:
After the game, the 33-year-old Alosi owned up to intentionally tripping Carroll: "I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment. My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for."
What will happen? A few things:
1) Alosi will likely be fined and suspended by the NFL under the league's Personal Conduct Policy, which though normally associated with NFL players, actually covers NFL team employees, as well. Expect the suspension to last the remainder of the season. Not only was Alosi's move a complete cheap shot, it was also dangerous: he could have seriously injured Carroll, who seemingly had no way of knowing that a Jets coach would try to trip him. Sure, Carroll was on notice that he might be tackled by a Jets player on the field, but since when do assistant coaches try to trip you while you're running near the sideline? Alosi was also really cowardly - it would be one thing if a Jets player dished out a cheap shot, because he would do so knowing that there could be retribution. But a Jets coach who does so is safely on the sideline, away from any harm.
2) The Jets may also be fined by the NFL. Like respondeat superior/vicarious liablity with an employer and employee, the Jets are responsible for their coaches. Was this a one-time stupid decision by an assistant coach, or was head coach Rex Ryan aware that Alosi might do something like this?
3) Alosi could be fired by the Jets, though his apology probably helps him there. If he has a pattern of misconduct, though, then a firing may be more justifiable.
4) Carroll suffered a knee injury from the tripping; he limped off the field. If the injury proves serious, he could sue Alosi for battery (intentional harmful contact) and also the Jets under a vicarious liability claim. There's a famous case usually taught in sports law classes called Hackbart v. Cincinnati Bengals, the take-away from which is that while NFL players assume the risk of on-field injuries by playing NFL football, they don't assume all risks, including those for clear cheap shots. If Alosi's move wasn't a cheap shot, I don't know what is.
Update: Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch examines "Who Ordered the Jets 'Sideline Wall?'". Here's an excerpt:
After the game, the 33-year-old Alosi owned up to intentionally tripping Carroll: "I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment. My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for."
What will happen? A few things:
1) Alosi will likely be fined and suspended by the NFL under the league's Personal Conduct Policy, which though normally associated with NFL players, actually covers NFL team employees, as well. Expect the suspension to last the remainder of the season. Not only was Alosi's move a complete cheap shot, it was also dangerous: he could have seriously injured Carroll, who seemingly had no way of knowing that a Jets coach would try to trip him. Sure, Carroll was on notice that he might be tackled by a Jets player on the field, but since when do assistant coaches try to trip you while you're running near the sideline? Alosi was also really cowardly - it would be one thing if a Jets player dished out a cheap shot, because he would do so knowing that there could be retribution. But a Jets coach who does so is safely on the sideline, away from any harm.
2) The Jets may also be fined by the NFL. Like respondeat superior/vicarious liablity with an employer and employee, the Jets are responsible for their coaches. Was this a one-time stupid decision by an assistant coach, or was head coach Rex Ryan aware that Alosi might do something like this?
3) Alosi could be fired by the Jets, though his apology probably helps him there. If he has a pattern of misconduct, though, then a firing may be more justifiable.
4) Carroll suffered a knee injury from the tripping; he limped off the field. If the injury proves serious, he could sue Alosi for battery (intentional harmful contact) and also the Jets under a vicarious liability claim. There's a famous case usually taught in sports law classes called Hackbart v. Cincinnati Bengals, the take-away from which is that while NFL players assume the risk of on-field injuries by playing NFL football, they don't assume all risks, including those for clear cheap shots. If Alosi's move wasn't a cheap shot, I don't know what is.
Update: Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch examines "Who Ordered the Jets 'Sideline Wall?'". Here's an excerpt:
Bruce may be on to something and I have a feeling this controversy won't be going away quickly. Keep in mind, if the Jets broke rules in ways that endangered the safety of opposing players, the penalty could be worse than what the Patriots received for "Spygate" (where they engaged in some videotaping that broke rules -- Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots had to forfeit a 1st round pick). Endangering player safety seems worse than taping other team's signals.I heard a WFAN caller (the infamous incarcerated bob) claim that two Jets players said that the Jets were angry that the Dolphins gunner had been going out of bounds during kickoffs, and that this formation was done to stop that. . . .
So, Jets strength coach Sal Alosi and [practice squad players] were standing the zone marked for “Coaches and substitution players only” and they were lined up as close to the edge – both to the playing field and edge of the bench area zone as humanly possible.
Definitely a planned lineup, no? Who had them do this?
I don’t think the plan was for Alosi to stick his knee out and knock the player down, but he was put into that position. By whom?
After the game, Rex Ryan professed to be unaware of the situation until the team’s director of media operations informed him.
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 - 2011 | ROUND 15 | SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL Sunday Round 15 action with six games , & as Saturday, with some surprise results that keeps the Spanish League - La Liga bubbling with anticipation & talk. Here is a brief run down of events with the results & the scorers.
At. Bilbao stops the Espanyol run of wins
Playing a match at ATHLETIC DE BILBAO is always a difficult affair as the "Lions" roar with the support of their
At. Bilbao stops the Espanyol run of wins
Playing a match at ATHLETIC DE BILBAO is always a difficult affair as the "Lions" roar with the support of their
Saturday, December 11, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 15 | SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS
Saturday night Round 15 Spanish League - La Liga action with three games & some eye lifting surprises. Here is a brief summary of the games, results & the scorers.
Almeria "knock out" Sevilla FC
Big surprise result at Sevilla with the local team going down 1 - 3 to lower table survivor ALMERIA. SEVILLA FC confirmed their "downward spiral" as tonights match was one of their worst to date.
Almeria "knock out" Sevilla FC
Big surprise result at Sevilla with the local team going down 1 - 3 to lower table survivor ALMERIA. SEVILLA FC confirmed their "downward spiral" as tonights match was one of their worst to date.
FC BARCELONA HISTORICAL - RECORD BREAKING SPONSORSHIP DEAL | WHERE DO I PLACE UNICEF NOW?
Not much "great impact" news today in reference to SPANISH FOOTBALL to transfer onto you, except with the news of Spanish Sports being "rocked" by the presumed "doping ring" with well known Athletic Sportsman being apparently involved with trafficking & doping. While an important issue & a news generator I don´t wish to get into details here as I follow the "presume innocent until proven guilty"
Friday, December 10, 2010
REAL MADRID CF ALSO HAS YOUTH TEAMS & PROGRAMME
REAL MADRID has reacted to the comments & criticisms that they have left aside their youth teams & programme. The announcements that this years FIFA Golden Ball 2010 candidates are all FC Barcelona players – Iniesta, Xavi & Messi – of which all three were nourished in the Barça youth teams (La Masia) has lead to comments that puts in doubt Real Madrid capacity to breed new talent. Long missed are
A Different Take on the Legality of the BCS
In the spirit of a little good-natured debate, and because I ultimately come out differently on the merits of the issue, I thought I'd take the time to offer a few counter-arguments to Mike's thoughtful commentary yesterday regarding the legality of the Bowl Championship Series.To begin, though, I agree with a lot of what Mike wrote. For instance, I agree that the BCS can credibly argue that it has created several pro-competitive benefits, such as the creation of a national championship game. I also agree that an antitrust suit against the BCS would itself be unlikely to directly result in the creation of a playoff (although I do believe that a verdict against the BCS would ultimately pave the way to the NCAA adopting a playoff).
However, where I differ from Mike is that I do not think that the pro-competitive benefits created by the BCS would necessarily save the system under antitrust law. Specifically, as Gabe Feldman's excellent 2009 law review article illustrates, when applying the rule of reason most courts would not only balance the system's pro- and anti-competitive effects, but would also (for better or worse) consider whether the BCS's pro-competitive benefits could be similarly achieved via less restrictive, alternative means. In other words, courts would ask whether the BCS could create the same pro-competitive benefits in another way, one that doesn't carry the same anti-competitive ramifications.
For example, I have previously argued that the BCS can be accused of violating antitrust law by unequally distributing its revenue to the disadvantage of the non-automatically qualifying, so-called "non-BCS Conferences." Notably, following last season, the BCS distributed at least $18 million in revenues to each of the six BCS Conferences, while the five non-BCS Conferences collectively received a total of only $24 million, despite two non-BCS schools (Boise State and TCU) having been selected to participate in BCS bowl games. Should a group boycott claim be asserted against the BCS on this basis, the creation of a national championship game is unlikely to save the BCS under the rule of reason, because a plaintiff could easily argue that this same pro-competitive benefit could be obtained in a less restrictive system, one where all BCS participants are rewarded equally (or, at least, more fairly) for their participation, regardless of their membership in a BCS Conference. Therefore, because I believe that the BCS is unable to point to a pro-competitive benefit that could not likewise be obtained via less restrictive, alternative means, I believe that it fails to satisfy the rule of reason.
Also, while I agree with Mike that the use of computer ranking systems in the BCS would normally support the legality of the current system, in this case I think that that benefit is mitigated by the questionable reliability of the BCS's computer systems. In particular, as Jeff Passan and Dan Wetzel (authors of the must-read "Death to the BCS") have pointed out, the BCS's computer rankings fail to account for margin of victory, an omission that renders them of highly questionable merit, and has actually resulted in several prominent statisticians calling for a formal boycott of the BCS. The omission of margin of victory most directly impacts schools from the non-BCS Conferences, who generally have to rely on beating lesser competition by significant margins as evidence of their competitive strength. Moreover, just this week several errors resulting from computer miscalculations were discovered in the final BCS Standings, highlighting the lack of safeguards and transparency in the present system.
Similarly, while I also agree that maintaining the significance of the regular season in theory provides a strong pro-competitive argument in favor of the BCS, one can argue that the BCS on balance actually detracts from the regular season for several reasons. First, in the BCS-era major conference teams have become increasingly less likely to schedule challenging regular season, non-conference games, for fear of sustaining a crippling early season defeat. More significantly, though, the BCS renders the vast majority of Division I football games irrelevant to the national championship race, including any late-season games not featuring one of the handful of teams still in the title race.
Finally, Mike also notes that the BCS could defend itself from a claim that it unfairly discriminates against the non-BCS Conference teams by arguing that the current selection process and revenue distribution policies simply reflect the current competitive landscape, in which demand is higher for games involving BCS Conference schools. Indeed, University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman has himself made this very argument in defense of the BCS. The problem with this argument is that over the last few years BCS bowl games involving schools from non-BCS conferences have actually generated higher television ratings and stadium attendance than some BCS games involving only BCS Conference schools. Most notably, the TV ratings for last year's showdown between non-BCS schools Boise State and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl outdrew the Orange Bowl (featuring two BCS Conference schools) by a significant margin. In any event, this defense by the BCS would also likely succumb to the less restrictive alternatives inquiry, in that the BCS could obtain all of its current pro-competitive benefits under a system in which each conference is rewarded for its own individual contributions. In other words, rather than categorically awarding each of the six BCS Conferences one large sum of money, while giving the non-BCS Conferences a significantly smaller sum, the BCS could instead individually assess the respective contributions of the various participating conferences when deciding how to distribute its revenue. This year, such a system would undoubtedly award a greater share of the pie to third-ranked TCU and its Mountain West Conference than unranked UConn and the Big East Conference. Under the BCS's current revenue distribution policies, though, the Big East will likely take home more than twice as much revenue from the BCS as will the Mountain West Conference.
Therefore, while reasonable minds can of course differ, I believe that on balance the current BCS does in fact violate antitrust law. That having been said, given the unpredictable nature of the jury trial process, I admit that the outcome of an antitrust suit against the BCS would be far from certain.
For more on these (in my mind) fascinating issues, be sure to check out Mike's forthcoming law review article "Antitrust, Governance, and Postseason College Football," and my own "Antitrust & The Bowl Championship Series."
SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS BLOG SURPASSES 1.500.000 UNIQUE VISITS
SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS BLOG has surpassed the 1.500.000 unique visitors. The readership stats show that it is popular in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Africa & bigger than big in Asia: THANK YOU!!!
I would never have imagined this "hobby" would get so far. There are people who dislike the blog - naturally, would not expect anything else - but the majority show their
I would never have imagined this "hobby" would get so far. There are people who dislike the blog - naturally, would not expect anything else - but the majority show their
FOOTBALL FINANCE | FC BARCELONA TO ACCEPT RECORD UNIFORM SPONSORSHIP DEAL
Money makes the World go around & in this case the Football World. FC Barcelona President was advised by his economic team that the Club was sacrificing 25M€ approx. per year for not accepting sponsorship on their uniform. The current “UNICEF” is a goodwill act that doesn’t report any cash inflow to the Club.
With the Barça balance sheet “dry” on the left side, Barcelona has decided to accept
With the Barça balance sheet “dry” on the left side, Barcelona has decided to accept
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Is the BCS Legal? New SI.com column
I have a new SI column on the legality of the Bowl Championship series. Here's an excerpt:* * *
The BCS also arguably enhances competition through its use of empirically-influenced rankings. Each team's BCS ranking is a composite of three equally-weighted components -- the USA Today Coaches Poll, Harris Interactive College Football Poll (which comprises 114 voters, including former coaches, players, and journalists) and an average of six computer-based rankings that incorporate largely objective measurements, such as won-loss record and strength of schedule. To be sure, this arrangement is complex and partially opaque -- private companies that run each computer rating can shield their formulas from public scrutiny. Nonetheless, the use of factual criteria to complement the subjective impressions of coaches and journalists can be viewed as a positive: they are designed to improve accuracy and fairness.
ITALIAN SPORTS PAPER GIVES SPANISH COACH VICENTE DEL BOSQUE 2010 FIFA "BEST COACH" AWARD
Italian Sports daily “La Gazzetta dello Sport” picked beforehand & rightly the three candidates of the FIFA Golden Ball (Iniesta, Xavi & Messi) announcing that Wesley Sneijder would be left out. They have even published that due to “inside” information the winner of the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball would be Andres Iniesta.
Today the same Italian Sports paper publishes via their “inside” informer that
Today the same Italian Sports paper publishes via their “inside” informer that
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 | THE LAST 16 TEAMS
Champions League is now down to the last 16 teams & UEFA will celebrate the team match - up draw at Lyon (France) the 17th of December. The procedure is fairly simple: Top Group Clubs in one bowl & second Group placed teams in the other, with Clubs from the same country avoiding each other, ie neither Real Madrid nor Barça can play against Valencia CF
For the three Spanish Clubs (Real Madrid,
For the three Spanish Clubs (Real Madrid,
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
MMAdness - Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in NY
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Location: New York County Lawyers Association Building, 14 Vesey Street, New York, New York
Time: 6:00pm
Confirmed Speakers: Kurt Emhoff, Esq., attorney, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman and licensed boxing manager, and Paul Haberman, Esq., licensed boxing manager and Chair, Entertainment, Media, Intellectual Property and Sports Law Committee's (EMIPS) Sports Law Subcommittee. More speakers to come from both sides of the debate, stay tuned!
Panelists will discuss the legal and regulatory issues relating to the legalization of mixed martial arts in New York, as well as its potential economic impact if it were legalized.
Sponsor: EMIPS Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association
FREE
RSVP: dlamb@nycla.org
Location: New York County Lawyers Association Building, 14 Vesey Street, New York, New York
Time: 6:00pm
Confirmed Speakers: Kurt Emhoff, Esq., attorney, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman and licensed boxing manager, and Paul Haberman, Esq., licensed boxing manager and Chair, Entertainment, Media, Intellectual Property and Sports Law Committee's (EMIPS) Sports Law Subcommittee. More speakers to come from both sides of the debate, stay tuned!
Panelists will discuss the legal and regulatory issues relating to the legalization of mixed martial arts in New York, as well as its potential economic impact if it were legalized.
Sponsor: EMIPS Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association
FREE
RSVP: dlamb@nycla.org
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP G 2010 - 2011 RESULT | REAL MADRID 4 AUXERRE 0 | BENZEMA HAT-TRICK
The last Spanish Club with CHAMPIONS LEAGUE duties tonight was REAL MADRID hosting French team AUXERRE in their Group G match. The Spanish side lined up an "alternative team" to give some of the substitutes a run while Xabi & Ramos served suspensions & Casillas, Ozil, Di Maria & Khedira had a rest. The opening 11 were:
Dudek; Arbeloa, Albiol, Carvalho, Marcelo; Lass, Granero, Diarra; Pedro León
Dudek; Arbeloa, Albiol, Carvalho, Marcelo; Lass, Granero, Diarra; Pedro León
NBPA Calls for End to Age Requirement
This afternoon ESPN.com reported that the National Basketball Players Association has called for an end to the league's age requirement. This is an interesting development on a few fronts:First, as we know from the case Clarett v. Nat'l Football League, some courts have found that sports leagues' age requirements are immune to antitrust challenge as long as they are collectively bargained with the union. Thus, if the NBPA no longer consents to an age requirement, it will become easier for a prospective NBA player to challenge the age requirement under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. (For more on this point, see Michael McCann's article on the legality of age restrictions in the NBA and NFL, and my article on the same general point under both U.S. and EU law).
Second, as I have suggested in a forthcoming law review article, sports unions that agree to an age requirement may face some risk of a lawsuit under labor law's duty of fair representation. By seeking to remove this age requirement, the NBPA reduces their risk.
Finally, the NBPA's change of position on an age requirement signals it may play hardball in the upcoming round of labor negotiations with the league.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Kenneth Faried the best big man in college basketball?
This was originally posted over at Veteran Leadership.
If I had to choose one big man for my college basketball team this season, I would take Kenneth Faried of Morehead St. He is not the most well-known player (how many people even know where Morehead St. is?), and he's not the guy with the most pro potential, but he just so happens to be the best big man in college basketball.
Physically, he is like a man among boys in the post. This is obviously especially true against mid and low-majors, but he has also been excellent against some of the top teams in college basketball. He is very strong, and very quick for a man of his size. He just looks bigger.
He is the best rebounder in college basketball (he is tied for the rebounding lead right now with over 14 per game, he was second in the NCAA last year with 13 per game, and third 2 years ago with 13). He is very, very good at using his body to seal the defender to get into position, and he certainly has a nose for the ball. Also, it doesn't show up in the stat sheet, but he is great at tipping the ball to keep it alive for his team. He certainly projects, in my mind, to be an elite rebounder at the pro level.
As of today he is 6th in offensive rebounding percentage and 2nd in defensive rebounding percentage in the country.
He is also very good defensively, using that quickness and athleticism to erase shots at the rim. He is the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year (and Player of the Year, for that matter) and he looks poised to defend his crown. The Eagles often use him as the base man in a 2-3 zone, and he really takes away a lot of opportunities for driving to the hoop and finishing at the rim. I have noticed that sometimes he relies a little too much on his athleticism, and does not get into proper position because he thinks he can recover, but overall, there is very little to complain about defensively. So far this year he is averaging over 2 blocks and 2 steals per game. That is Hakeem Olajuwon-esque.
On the offensive side of the ball, he certainly does not project to be a dominant low-post scorer in the NBA, but he is not without skill. He is surprisingly adept with his left and right hand, and is a solid ballhandler for a true post man. He is also a solid passer, and finds the open guys on the perimeter. Putbacks are a big part of the game, as it is perfect for his elite rebounding skills, and his ability to finish with power at the rim. Free throw shooting is a definite chink in his armor, but on the college level he can simply overpower a lot of guys.
Kenneth Faried is not a perfect player, and he will not be the top pick in the NBA Draft come next June... but for my money, I'd take him as the best big man in college basketball right now. He is one of the top rebounders and defenders down low in the land, and he's more than capable of putting 20 points per night on the board. You can't ask for too much more than that from your big man. He averaged 17 PPG last year on 56% shooting, and both of those numbers have improved this year.
What are your thoughts? Would you rather have another big man instead of Faried?
If I had to choose one big man for my college basketball team this season, I would take Kenneth Faried of Morehead St. He is not the most well-known player (how many people even know where Morehead St. is?), and he's not the guy with the most pro potential, but he just so happens to be the best big man in college basketball.
Physically, he is like a man among boys in the post. This is obviously especially true against mid and low-majors, but he has also been excellent against some of the top teams in college basketball. He is very strong, and very quick for a man of his size. He just looks bigger.
He is the best rebounder in college basketball (he is tied for the rebounding lead right now with over 14 per game, he was second in the NCAA last year with 13 per game, and third 2 years ago with 13). He is very, very good at using his body to seal the defender to get into position, and he certainly has a nose for the ball. Also, it doesn't show up in the stat sheet, but he is great at tipping the ball to keep it alive for his team. He certainly projects, in my mind, to be an elite rebounder at the pro level.
As of today he is 6th in offensive rebounding percentage and 2nd in defensive rebounding percentage in the country.
He is also very good defensively, using that quickness and athleticism to erase shots at the rim. He is the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year (and Player of the Year, for that matter) and he looks poised to defend his crown. The Eagles often use him as the base man in a 2-3 zone, and he really takes away a lot of opportunities for driving to the hoop and finishing at the rim. I have noticed that sometimes he relies a little too much on his athleticism, and does not get into proper position because he thinks he can recover, but overall, there is very little to complain about defensively. So far this year he is averaging over 2 blocks and 2 steals per game. That is Hakeem Olajuwon-esque.
On the offensive side of the ball, he certainly does not project to be a dominant low-post scorer in the NBA, but he is not without skill. He is surprisingly adept with his left and right hand, and is a solid ballhandler for a true post man. He is also a solid passer, and finds the open guys on the perimeter. Putbacks are a big part of the game, as it is perfect for his elite rebounding skills, and his ability to finish with power at the rim. Free throw shooting is a definite chink in his armor, but on the college level he can simply overpower a lot of guys.
Kenneth Faried is not a perfect player, and he will not be the top pick in the NBA Draft come next June... but for my money, I'd take him as the best big man in college basketball right now. He is one of the top rebounders and defenders down low in the land, and he's more than capable of putting 20 points per night on the board. You can't ask for too much more than that from your big man. He averaged 17 PPG last year on 56% shooting, and both of those numbers have improved this year.
What are your thoughts? Would you rather have another big man instead of Faried?
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP C D RESULTS | MANCHESTER UNITED 1 VALENCIA CF 1 - FC BARCELONA 2 RUBIN KAZIN 0
Two Spanish Clubs participated in their respective Champions League Group matches with relative good results. Both teams assured their presence in the next phase of the competition & will be in the draw on the 17th of December at Lyon (France) to match up the teams for the knock-out home & away legs/stages.
Pablo Hernandez scores
VALENCIA CF was looking for a victory in their Group C match
Pablo Hernandez scores
VALENCIA CF was looking for a victory in their Group C match
REAL MADRID 2010 | HIGUAIN TO AVOID SURGERY ON HIS BACK
Good news for the REAL MADRID Club, their many fans & for GONZALO HIGUAIN. The Argentine International will avoid surgery on his back & will recovery from a disc hernia with a more "conservative" treatment. After visiting medical specialists it has been decided that surgery can be discarded & thus reduce radically the recovery time. Higuain has began treatment & could be out of action as long as
FERNANDO TORRES A FATHER AGAIN - NAME OF SON IS LEO | 2010
Spanish Football International & Liverpool FC player FERNANDO TORRES is again Father. His wife Olalla gave birth to a healthy boy during the Liverpool Premier League match against Aston Villa.
The name of the new "Torres" is LEO. Torres already has a daughter named Nora which came into the "World" a year & half ago.
The Torres Family
From Spanish Football Sports Blog a huge congratulations
The name of the new "Torres" is LEO. Torres already has a daughter named Nora which came into the "World" a year & half ago.
The Torres Family
From Spanish Football Sports Blog a huge congratulations
Monday, December 6, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 14 | DEPORTIVO 1 HERCULES 0
The last match of Round 14 of the Spanish League - La Liga Football was played tonight between DEPORTIVO - HERCULES. A very tactical game which looked more like a chess match with each side moving & countering their set pieces in a dsiciplined fashion. The Goalkeepers were both busy tonight & their interventions were important.
However, it was a Deportivo strategic piece that gave them the
However, it was a Deportivo strategic piece that gave them the
FIFA GOLDEN BALL 2010 | ANDRES INIESTA XAVI HERNANDEZ LIONEL MESSI THE THREE CANDIDATES
Now its official. FIFA has announced today the three candidates for the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball Award. All three currently play for FC BARCELONA, Andres Iniesta - Xavi Hernandez - Lionel Messi - with the winner to be announced on the 10th of Janaury 2011 in Zurich.
Messi, Iniesta & Xavi
The big surprise was the non-inclusion of Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder whos place was taken by Messi.
Messi, Iniesta & Xavi
The big surprise was the non-inclusion of Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder whos place was taken by Messi.
VIDEO | ELIAS - NEW ATLETICO DE MADRID SIGNING
Brazilian & Corinthians 25 year old midfielder ELIAS is headed to Atletico de Madrid & will arrive in the "Winter Market" this Juanuary 2011. Here is a taste of what the man can do & hoping he can transfer it to Atletico:
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Bowl Battle for Sports Law Blog
The Golden Panthers of FIU, Sun Belt Conference champions, will play the University of Toledo Rockets in the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit on December 26. As you know, I teach at FIU; my co-editor, Geoff Rapp, teaches at Toledo.
Is another food wager in the offing? May I propose stone crabs and key lime pie as the food of South Florida.
Is another food wager in the offing? May I propose stone crabs and key lime pie as the food of South Florida.
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 14 | SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
Big Sunday of Spanish Football with six games played of Round 14 in the Spanish League - La Liga. Here are all the results, a brief summary & the scorers.
Luis Garcia scores the winner for Espanyol
RCD ESPANYOL keep up their winning run & stay undefeated at home after winning 1 - 0 REAL SPORTING DE GIJON. It was a "controversial" match as a clear penalty to Gijon was not called. Espanyol
Luis Garcia scores the winner for Espanyol
RCD ESPANYOL keep up their winning run & stay undefeated at home after winning 1 - 0 REAL SPORTING DE GIJON. It was a "controversial" match as a clear penalty to Gijon was not called. Espanyol
WINTER TRANSFER MARKET 2011 | ATLETICO DE MADRID CLOSE TO SIGNING CORINTHIANS MIDFIELDER ELIAS
According to Spanish Sports paper "AS", ATLETICO DE MADRID is on the verge of signing 25 year old Brazilian & CORINTHIANS midfielder ELIAS MENDES TRINIDADE for a price of around 7M€. The player has Portugueses Club Benfica asking & interested as well but it seems that the player will end up in Atletico as of this January 2011.
Elias for Corinthians
Corinthians is fighting with Fluminense for
Elias for Corinthians
Corinthians is fighting with Fluminense for
ITALIAN PRESS GIVES FC BARCELONA PLAYER ANDRES INIESTA THE FIFA GOLDEN BALL 2010
Last Friday I posted ( see below ) news from Barcelona Sports paper "Mundo Deportivo" that mentioned that FC Barcelona midfielder XAVI HERNANDEZ would be the winner of the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball Award according to a survey done to 75 Football personalities. The second place was for team-mates Andres Iniesta & third place for Lionel Messi. The interesting news was that Inter Milan player Wesley
Saturday, December 4, 2010
SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 14 | SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS
The SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA celebrated three games tonight as part of Round 14. Here are all the results, a brief summary of each match & the scorers.
Out of place Atletico de Madrid
ATLETICO DE MADRID have entered a worrying downward spiral that saw them visit LEVANTE & lose 2 - 0. Something is not right at Atletico & proof is that they did not get to the opposition goal until the 46th min
Out of place Atletico de Madrid
ATLETICO DE MADRID have entered a worrying downward spiral that saw them visit LEVANTE & lose 2 - 0. Something is not right at Atletico & proof is that they did not get to the opposition goal until the 46th min
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