Posts Tagged ‘Sports Media’

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="174" caption="Some of Slive's Henchmen at Work"][/caption]

Buy evista without prescription, Well, it looks like there are a few teeth to Mike Slive’s new edict that coaches refrain from criticizing the SEC’s finest.  What’s more, and somewhat to my surprise, it appears that the new policy even applies to Urban Meyer.  The basis for these conclusions?  Mike Slive’s decision to fine Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer $30,000 for criticizing the officiating during the Gators’ game against the Georgia Bulldogs, which was announced via an official release earlier today.

I am sure that Jeremy Foley will be lodging a strongly worded protest shortly, demanding that Lane Kiffin apologize for not being fined before Meyer…

So this raises a question: can you get fined for criticizing the fine you got tacked with for criticizing the officials?  I wonder if we will find out?  That could be highly entertaining.

At any rate, I guess we now know that Mike Slive actually meant what he said when he declared himself the High Inquisitor of the SEC.  Of course, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition…

Video: The Spanish Inquisition

Although I am glad to see that Slive brought Meyer to task, I still find it a bit troublesome that Slive would rather focus on penalizing coaches for criticizing bad officiating rather than spending his time finding and/or training better officials.  I find it odd that Slive and, presumably SEC head of football officiating Rogers Redding, feel a few off-handed comments from a coach about how the officiating in a given game was lousy—especially when the media and commentators absolutely love any opportunity they have to make such criticisms—are a threat to the sanctity of the SEC.

Me thinks he doth protest too much…

It seems to me by making an issue of the whole thing it just makes it that much more visible and gives the media and bloggers like yours truly one more thing to talk about.  Likely as not, no one would be even thinking about Meyer’s comments any longer were it not for Slive’s new policy of coaching Newspeak.  But then again, no ever accused Slive of being all that thoughtful…

…except when it comes to revenue.

-- So it goes …

Image(s) Courtesy of:     Family Travel Files ||  Statement on Fair Use

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Unlike Stewart Mandel at SI.com Buy casodex online cheap, , apparently some of the national media agrees with Tennessee fans (and Lil' Wayne) that Lane Kiffin is doing a pretty good job of righting the ship.

Ten deserving candidates for coach of the year

Every conference needs an Eddie Haskell, right?

HT / via: Fox Sports

Nice to see a little cred for the Blackjack General...

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Buy epogen, After living through the unmitigated disaster that was the 2008 football season for the Tennessee Volunteers, I was not so sure I was prepared to take a stroll with Clay Travis down memory lane via his new book “On Rocky Top.”  The 2008 season was the most gut-wrenching experience of my sports-watching life, one which Travis himself likened to having your arm amputated without laudanum.  It was truly painful and not merely because the Vols lost seven games.  Losing comes with competition, I can handle losing.  Watching an entire program, an entire fanbase, an entire state devolve into a constant state of turmoil, however, was the part that made it an experience that I was more than ready to forget.  Even  after nine months of good vibrations—buoyed up by the hopes and energy of new Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin and his band of invincibles—assuming that I was prepared to join Travis’ on his retrospective journey through the 2008 season, I wasn’t really sure I wanted to make that trip into the past.

I suppose, I was just ready to move on.

When first I saw that Clay Travis had written a book on the Vols 2008 football campaign, my reaction was that he picked one hell of a bad year to write about Tennessee.  I knew Clay was a fine writer, having read his work for CBS Sports.com, Michigan MI Mich., Fanhouse, and his book Dixieland Delight.  Still, Köpa arimidex, I remember thinking to myself “Man, that really stinks for Clay—all that work to write a book about a 5-7 season.” After all, who wants to read about a team that loses, and loses a lot?

You do.

Clay Travis’ new book “On Rocky Top” is one of the best sports books I have read in a long time, köpa rabatterade arimidex.

Obviously, “On Rocky Top” focuses on my beloved Vols, Alabama AL Ala., which makes me naturally predisposed to read it, I suppose.  It does not, however, make me predisposed to actually like the book.  In fact, Mississippi MS Miss., to date, I do not believe I have ever managed to finish a book written exclusively about the Vols—which is a bit ironic coming from a person who publishes a sports blog dedicated to the team—yet, Purchase iressa, it is the truth.  In my experience most single team memoirs are either so objective that they read more like a surgical note from a neurologist, are so “rah-rah” as a result of the writer being blinded by his or her passion for their team to the point that they refuse to acknowledge reality, lack any semblance of an understanding of the English language, or are so mind-numbingly focused on minutiae that reading them is like eating sawdust without butter.  Sometimes they are all of the above.

Then there is “On Rocky Top”…

Clay Travis does not try to draft the authoritative history of one of the worst football seasons ever for my alma mater, buy cheap epogen online, he does not attempt to give the clichéd insider's look at what goes on behind closed doors at Tennessee, he does not simply re-visit and re-hash the events of the 2008 football season for Tennessee.  No, Acheter zometa bon marché, in “On Rocky Top” Clay Travis describes every season for every fan of every college football program, and he does it beautifully.

Tennessee is but the lens through which Travis explores not only the comings and goings of life in a big-time college football program, but more importantly takes an honest look at sports and fandom from a perspective that is, at times, New Mexico NM N.Mex., as poignant as it is personal.  He explores a side of the world of sports so often relegated to the back of our minds and that small voice of reason drowned by the noise of a screaming crowd in a raucous stadium.

Travis writes:

I want my team to win more than I want anything on earth right now—even though I know how irrational my desire is, how insignificant this game is in the grand scheme of life.  All of us, Ordering evista online cheap, we fans, always say that we realize there are things more important than sports.  Yet, even still, why do we feel the need to make this claim if we don’t, discount cytoxan, at some times, doubt whether this is actually true?

Deep down in all of our hearts, För capecitabine online, we’re all a bit ashamed, frightened even, by how much we care.

Most examinations of fandom tend to focus on the outward evidence of the passion that fills the heart of the fan.  There are a bevy of books that show the all encompassing mania that some fans exhibit: children named after players their parents never met, cars and houses bedecked in gaudy school colors, cheap arimidex tablet, logos shaved onto heads and mascots tattooed on bodies, and so forth.  Travis avoids these trite expressions of what it means to be a fan—short for “fanatic”—and looks more at the bonds that hold disparate and far-flung groups of individuals with little or nothing in common together as a “family” of fans.  He takes a journey into his own experiences as a fan and as a writer granted access to the inner sanctum of college football.

In the process, Price of iressa, Travis does, in fact, chronicle the exploits of the 2008 Vols, and chronicle them well.  Yet he does so through the eyes of a fan, Kentucky KY Ky., rather than from the dispassionate roost of the pressbox.  In so doing, he explores the reality that fans judge players and coaches—people they’ve never met—by a set of rules that is irrational, Cytoxan, erratic, and wholly unfair.  Travis takes you inside not only the Vols locker room but inside the lives of the players and coaches—humanizing them is ways that are uncommon in the world of “superstar” athletics and modern sports media.

In particular, he looks at the effects of fan anger and outrage on Tennessee center Josh McNeil, former Vol running back Arian Foster, cheap iressa tablet, quarterback Jonathan Crompton, and former coach Phillip Fulmer, Köpa rabatterade epogen, among others.  Travis shows how morally unfair the actions of anonymous fans can be when launching faceless attacks.  Talking with Josh McNeil, Travis writes:

In the wake of games, fan anger now mixes with player frustration.  Junior center Josh McNeil confesses, “I listen to the radio shows on my way home too.  I listen to the fans.  Sometimes I want to call in and talk with them, Kentucky KY Ky.. I want to say, ‘Oh, Evista pedido en línea, yeah, well, you think I suck. Well, kjøpe iressa online, why don’t you come tell me that to my face?  Here’s my address, come meet me here and we’ll talk about it.  Just you and me.’  I wouldn’t ever do it, Wyoming WY Wyo., but I want to.  Sometimes I want to real bad."

Travis’ concludes that oftentimes fans bask in the comfortable anonymity of the stands—noting that no one ever says anything negative to the team on the Vol Walk when they are face-to-face, saving those barbs for the internet and call-in shows.

Finally, Travis takes a long look at the end of the Phillip Fulmer era in a way that, again, North Dakota ND, lifts the objective veil and shows that the players and coaches involved are real people—human beings—and not merely pawns on a chessboard.  He chronicles the measured implosion of Fulmer’s final season, the back-room conversations leading to his ouster, Indiana IN Ind., and Fulmer’s own post-hoc perspectives on his firing.  Travis’ also details Mike Hamilton’s James Bond-esque “operation” to find the Vols new Head Coach Lane Kiffin.  An excerpt of this is available on FanHouse.

Travis book is a joy to read and beautifully covers the gamut of the sports-fan emotional spectrum.  His insights into college football and fans are sometimes laughably hilarious:

I don’t care how Tennessee wins. … If Jonathan Crompton gets under center, steps back from the line of scrimmage, removes his mouthpiece, South Dakota SD, and subsequently shoots Auburn defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks with a poison blow dart, I’m all for it.  Anything to win.

sometimes disturbing:

Arian Foster, seated on the bench, is approached by a UT fan. … The fan, who is wearing orange from head to foot and appears to be in his thirties, dog-cusses Foster to his back. … Foster does not bat an eyelash, pretending not to notice the fan, and eventually a member of the Georgia security staff leads him away from the fence behind the bench.  It’s come to this—Georgia security guards protecting Tennessee players from their own fans.

and sometimes moving:

My dad came to my house and sat next to me on the couch where I was feeding my 5-month-old son a bottle. … Finally, he turned to me and said, “You know, I read an article in the newspaper the other day about a dad’s funeral.  The son said, ‘We never really talked unless it was about sports.’  That’s really sad, isn’t it?”

My dad put his hand on my shoulder.  I continued to feed Fox.  “Yes,” I said, “that really is.”

We were both silent for a long time.  While Fox drank his bottle my dad smiled at him and occasionally made faces.  Finally my dad spoke again.

“I’m not as optimistic about this year’s team as you are,” he said.

He reached out and grabbed Fox’s bare foot.  “One day we’re going to get this little guy to a game too,” he said.

It occurred to me then that fathers and sons talk about a lot more than sports when we’re talking about sports.  And maybe in the end that’s why most of us are sports fans.

Clay Travis paints a vivid picture of the game and team that I love and follow as a fan.  In a broader sense—without pretension—he provides a wonderful image of what I like to describe as the "beautiful agony" that is college football.

In the end, Clay Travis’ “On Rocky Top” is a truly enjoyable book, one which fans of SEC and college football—and definitely all Tennessee fans—should read.

Trust me, you will enjoy the ride.

-- So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of:    Clay Nation

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Somewhere, in front of a chalkboard—his hands coated with chalk dust—Lane Kiffin is smiling…

For the past several months Tennessee fans and the general sports-watching public have heard a near endless discussion about the various secondary infractions which have occurred since Lane Kiffin (a/k/a “the Blackjack General”) took the reins as the head football coach for the Tennessee Volunteers.  Needless to say, some have taken every available opportunity to criticize the University of Tennessee, The UT Athletic Department, Smiling Mike Hamilton, and the Blackjack General himself.  Some of it has amounted to little more than sniping and smack-talk, while others have been decidedly more direct.

Rightly or wrongly, Tennessee has self-reported (or is in the process of investigating with with an eye toward reporting) six secondary violations of NCAA Rules, the most recent coming—as HSH reported just the other day—as a result of the Blackjack General’s recent appearance on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” where he discussed, imagine that, secondary infractions with ESPN’s Bob Ley.

A “secondary violation” is defined in the NCAA Manual as follows:

A secondary violation is a violation that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit.  Multiple secondary violations by a member institution may collectively be considered as a major violation.

•  2008-09 NCAA Division 1 Manual § 19.02.2.1 (emphasis added)

To put this in layman’s terms, secondary violations are the functional equivalent of talking in the NCAA’s rather large and particularly boring class.  Or, perhaps, in Lane Kiffin’s case, they amount to showing-off for all the girls (or in this case, recruits) in the back of class to impress them and passing notes reading:

I like you.  A Lot.

Do you like me?

Check One:  ___Yes  ___No  ___Maybe

— Lane

While this sort of thing—in both Mrs. Elliott’s 6th Period English Class and in the world of NCAA compliance—are annoying, they are largely harmless.  While it is true (again, with both Mrs. Elliott and the NCAA) that enough of these sorts of minor errors along the way can land you in the proverbial Principal’s office, as long as you say you are sorry after each instance (and UT has self-reported all such violations) and space the occurrences out by a day or two, usually there is little punishment to be meted out, aside from being made a spectacle in front of your peers…

… or by having to stay after class and write on the blackboard.

Hence, while Lane Kiffin and the UT Athletic Department are probably getting a little tired of having to deal with the issue of secondary violations, they have been merely a bump in the road thus far.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, on the other hand, is now facing a decidedly more serious situation…

Findings of the NCAA Committee on Infractions

As a result of what the NCAA described as “Impermissible benefits obtained by student-athletes through misuse of the institution's textbook distribution program.” the University of Alabama is staring a real violation dead in the face—the NCAA’s penalty summary leaves little question about this:

Penalty Summary: Public reprimand and censure; three years of probation; vacation of records for all wins in which any of the seven involved football student-athletes competed while ineligible during the 2005-06 and 2007-08 academic years. Further in the sports of men's tennis, men's track and women's track the records of the 15 involved student-athletes shall be vacated and team point totals shall be reconfigured accordingly; the institution shall pay a fine of $43,900; annual compliance reporting required.

•  via: NCAA Legislative Services Database (emphasis added)

This penalty came about as a result of Alabama’s violation of three NCAA regulations: § 15.2.3 (“Books”); § 16.11.2.1 ("General Rules on Extra Benefits"); and § 2.8.1 ("Responsibility of the Institution").  These rules, especially the two latter ones, are not merely fluff in the NCAA Manual, they are major rules, which is why Alabama was slapped—not on the wrist, but across the face—for its major violation of NCAA writ.

Major violations are broadly and somewhat cryptically defined as: “All violations other than secondary violations are major violations, specifically including those that provide an extensive recruiting or competitive advantage.”  (2008-09 NCAA Division 1 Manual § 19.02.2.2)  I am quite sure that Alabama is familiar with this definition, since the athletic programs at Alabama have had five major NCAA violations—four of which occurred since 1995.

While the definition of a “major violation” does, admittedly, leave a little to be desired in terms of clarity, the language of the NCAA’s Infractions Report is far less difficult to understand.  The report cites the involvement of “201 student-student athletes who received impermissible benefits...” from 16 different sports.  That’s right, 201 athletes!  Of that number 22 athletes were cited as being “intentional wrongdoers”. In other words enough people to fill an entire string of both the offensive and defensive squads of a football team.^ (Report, p. 1)

The offenses were first discovered by a university bookstore employee in October of 2007 and totaled approximately $ 40,000 in improperly obtained textbooks.  (Report, pp. 3, 6)  The majority of the violations arose from athletes obtaining non-required textbooks for free, which they in-turn gave to friends and family. (Report, p. 5)

Gee, it’s easy to see how that one didn’t get caught earlier.  I mean, most defensive linemen need three copies of Sandler’s Compendium of Chemical, Biochemical, and Engineering Thermodynamics…

Ignoring the fact that there was a documented 30% spike in textbook costs charged to the Athletic Department—a fact which somehow went unnoticed for almost 3 years—once bookstore officials made the administration aware of the problem, Alabama did self-report the violation.  (Report, pp. 1-2, 5-6)  The NCAA Infractions Report notes this and indicates that, in most circumstances, such violations can be adjudicated without a hearing, in Alabama’s case, however, that was not possible, “because of the institution’s status as a repeat violator.” On this point, the committee made itself abundantly clear:

Although the committee commends the institution for self-discovering, investigating and reporting the textbook violations, it remains troubled, nonetheless, by the scope of the violations in this instance and by the institution's recent history of infractions cases. In fact, not only is the University of Alabama currently a "repeat violator," because of the 2002 case, it was also in a "repeat violator" status when that case was adjudicated and when a 1999 case was decided.

* * * * *

In fact, because of the institution's extensive recent history of infractions cases, the committee strongly considered making a more serious finding of a lack of institutional control, rather than a failure to monitor.

•  NCAA Infractions Report, p. 2 (emphasis added)

In other words: “Don’t even pretend you didn’t know better, and don’t complain about the penalty—you got lucky.”

In the end, the NCAA Committee on Infractions lowered the boom on Alabama and—though not mentioned—likely dodged the death penalty in football once again due to the fact that other sports were involved.

Meanwhile, back in Mr. Brand’s 3rd Period “Recruitin’, Footballin’ and You” Class

At the end of the day, I really take little joy in seeing Alabama hit with penalties.  Does it help Tennessee when recruiting against the Crimson Tide?  Sure it does, but it hurts the SEC as a whole when recruiting against other conferences.  Furthermore, the widespread perception that anything goes in the SEC is only bolstered by this most recent penalty—which increases the number of major violations committed by SEC member schools to a grand total of 49 (two of which belong to Tennessee) since 1953.  As much as I enjoy gigging the Tide for “cheatin’,” I have no desire re-live the whole “Fulmer Lied” fiasco of the decade.  While it would hardly surprise me to start hearing rumors that the Great Punkin was briefly employed as a bookstore cashier in Tuscalsoosa, it seems there is no one to blame but Alabama itself.  As I’ve said in the past, I am not exactly an Alabama hater—I'm not here to gloat over Alabama's shortcomings. Besides, I’d rather focus on what Tennessee does on the field than what the Tide does in the university bookstore.

On the other hand, given the frequency, severity, and seriousness of Alabama’s violations I do have one general question which bothers me.  Alabama has now had three major violations in less than a decade.  Alabama has been stripped of wins on multiple occasions in that time period.  Alabama has built a strong reputation of, at best, poor compliance and, at worst, cheating.

So why exactly is it that everyone keeps pointing their fingers at class-clown Tennessee?

I suppose I should not be bothered by this, given the general tenor of discussions by both mainstream media outlets and New Media (a/k/a “the blogosphere”) providers.  Still, at some level the outcry over Lane Kiffin holding faux-news conferences, letting recruits run through the tunnel in Neyland Stadium “improperly”, for wanton use of  Twitter, and all the other recent oversights by Tennessee that have raised the ire of the NCAA seems a bit overblown in comparison to what has obviously been occurring at Alabama.

Of course, Lane Kiffin is probably feeling pretty good about it though.  Now, Alabama has gotten itself kicked out of class—sent to the principal’s office for cheating.  Meanwhile, there’s Lane, standing at the front of the classroom for being a cut-up—a seemingly forgivable sin.

Sure, he has had to make a few apologies.  Sure, he has had to suffer a bit of embarrassment.  Sure, he has had to endure a few barbs from here and there.

But standing up there at the front of the class—the focal point of every single kid in the class—might not be that bad.  Maybe he's not the best behaved, but he's not really cheating.  What's more, he's now getting all that attention from all those recruits sitting behind him.  Maybe that’s why he takes so much time to carefully copy his sentences on the chalkboard.  Slowly.  Deliberately.  Methodically.

Yes, Lane has chalk all over him.

That and a great big smile…

-- So it goes …

Image(s) Courtesy of:  Textbooks.com ||  Statement on Fair Use

^ Note: The 22 “intentional wrongdoers” cited in the NCAA’s Infractions Report were not identified as being football players, and this is only used as an analogy.

Yes, friends and neighbors the NCAA Tournament is upon us.  Thus, we all get ready for the mayhem that accompanies that grand old tradition.  For what seems like forever, that has included watching endless hours of basketball courtesy of CBS Sports.  Now, generally, I am a huge fan of CBS Sports, and I favor their web presence when it comes to sports content on the internet. **

All that said, last year’s NCAA tournament almost drove me mad.  Actually it wasn’t the tournament, but the way that CBS covered the tournament on television.  That led me to fire off at the mouth a bit.  Since it is that time again, I figured it would only be appropriate to take a stroll down memory lane and look back on what I had to say about CBS’s coverage.  I do this for two reasons.

First, this seems relevant as we all get ready to become couch potatoes for a month.  This may be minimized a little bit due to the fact that CBS will be broadcasting all games online free of charge once again, but the fact remains a big flat screen is infinitely better than even the best computer monitor.

Second, I have been so busy that I haven’t yet gotten a chance to finish up my thoughts on the Oklahoma State Cowboys…

Thus, without further adieu, we go back in time to my post entitled simply:

CBS = Complete Bull Sh*t

The following is an excerpt from an archived post on Gate 21 which originally appeared on 31 March 2008.  To continue reading the original post in its entirety, simply click the title above, or the “Continue Reading” link at the foot of this post

I intentionally waited a few days before airing this complaint, mainly because I didn’t want my vitriol to be mistaken as nothing more than "sour grapes" over the BasketVols loss to the Louisville Cardinals.

For the past ... well, it seems like quite a long time, now ... CBS has been the exclusive home of the NCAA Tournament. I vaguely remember ESPN covering first and second-round games during the 1990s, but CBS is all we have had for a while. Either way, CBS has held a stranglehold on the Final Four since Billy Packer conned James Naismith himself into signing over the rights some time during the 1920s -- back when Billy Packer was in his 50s.

First of all, I do want to applaud CBS Sportsline -- CBS Sports’ internet division -- for their ambitious decision to broadcast every tournament game for free on the web. Similarly, the CBS "Game Center" on the internet for each game -- displaying myriad stats and information in real time -- is amazing. It is as artful as it is impressive. Any fan can get up-to-the-second information on every facet of the game -- including points, fouls, assists, shooting trends, whether a player is taking bribes to throw the game, which boosters the cute little cheerleader next to the basket is sleeping with, and so much more -- via one of the best interfaces I’ve ever seen for statistical information of that kind.

Despite the minor fact that the bandwidth draw for the "March Madness on Demand" service has been so obscenely high that it has -- at times -- nearly crashed massive trunk lines on the web, I salute these efforts of CBS’s internet division. For reasons which will become clear in a second, in the future I may choose this as the only way I’ll watch the tournament -- even if it is in a 5" x 5" low resolution streaming window.

Continue Reading >>

**Disclosure: While lawvol is a voting member of the CBS Sports Football Blog Poll and the CBS Sports BasketBlog Poll, neither this site, its editor, nor publisher receives any payment or other compensation of any type or kind in return for participation. Furthermore, neither Gate 21 nor lawvol received any benefit of any kind for this article, which was neither requested nor solicited by CBS Sports. This article represents the actual opinion of the author (for what that is worth) and was in no way influenced by any other person(s).

This is a bit of an unusual post in that it is a reference to a comment I posted elsewhere on the web, but it seemed fitting...

Rusty over at RTT has offered up 5 theories for Lane Kiffin's (a/k/a the Blackjack General) barb to Urban Meyer yesterday.  They are worth a read.  Rusty's theories started a rather interesting discussion on the subject.

Anyway, here are my two cents worth, which I originally posted over on RTT as a comment (with the addition of the video and image):

The comment on Meyer is simply a comment made to a closed group being taken out of context.  That is, Kiffin said “cheating” in the sense of “man, that’s some slimy stuff” but is was taken as “violation of codified NCAA and SEC rules and regulations.” In other words, he was speaking like a normal person and not like some degenerate lawyer (I can say that, I are one).

In the big picture, I think that there is a method to Kiff’s madness.  I think he realizes that the Tennessee fans need something to help rally them to “the flag,” which a little controversy will accomplish.

Furthermore, I think — rightly or wrongly — he perceives a belief among the fans that Tennessee has been the “nice guy fuddy-duddy” type for a long time and have never really stood its ground the way it could (See Charlie Brown).  I think that there is a definite feeling of this sort among many in the Big Orange fanbase.

I also think he believes that the opposite it true — that other coaches (especially Urban Meyer) have gotten used to walking on Tennessee and now feel an entitlement of sorts.  I think this is also true.  I think Kiff realizes that he has to stop that, and that the fans will gladly support him in this.

I also think — given who he has attacked and who he hasn’t (See Mark Richt, Houston Nutt, Rich Brooks, Les Miles, etc.) — that it is a calculated move to agitate those who simply cannot stand being agitated and love to agitate constantly.  Steve Spurrier was the master of this in the 1990s — and it was very effective.  Kiffin wants to try and begin to get in the heads of others who believe themselves to be mighty, but has notably spared the friendly sorts. (Oh, and for the record, Spurrier can take being agitated. In fact it often seems to make him respect others more. Plus, he was pretty affable in response to the whole recruiting test discourse.)

I think Kiff probably understands that the team might not fare well at first, but he is showing that he’s not willing to be pushed around now.  It’s the proverbial “knock me down, and I’ll get back up and say it again, so you can knock me down, so I can get up and say it again, till I get strong enough that you can no longer knock me down” approach (man what a run-on).

I also think that Kiffin is simply not the kind of guy who shirks from a challenge, and the staff he has assembled bears that out. (Compare Mr. Edward Orgeron and … the World)  Call me crazy, but he almost has me believing that he can pull it off as well.

To be able to win, you have to first believe that you can win.  To take on the invincible, you have to believe you are invincible. (See This is Sparta)

Video:  300 - "This is Sparta"

Of course, I also believe that Elvis Presley is living in Vonore, Tennessee under the assumed name “Leyland T. Vegas” and that Plate Tectonics is all part of some nefarious Communist conspiracy…

[caption id="attachment_2856" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Viva, Baby... Viva!"][/caption] At its basic level, however, Kiffin is accomplishing something — getting the fans and team ready for a fight and getting the media interested enough to show up and document it all.

•  HT to / via:  Five theories about Lane Kiffin's jab at Urban Meyer | Rocky Top Talk

Image Courtesy of:  Elvis Impersonators Blog

This post is part of a continuing series -- "The Cost of Sports" -- examining the impact of current economic changes on the world of major sports.    To see the other posts in this series, click here.

As I discussed in Part 1 of this series on the cost of sports, at Tennessee, the price can be high when it comes to paying your way into Neyland Stadium -- a truth of which Nashville's Thomas Luck is all too aware.  I discussed the issue purely in terms of the experience at Tennessee mainly because it is what I am familiar with.  Tennessee was but a lens -- the reality is largely the same at all schools with a major athletics presence.

The world of professional sports, however, makes the college ranks look like small potatoes in the way it is wed to the almighty dollar.  Given the current uncertain economic times, however, I question whether professional sports in particular can continue in the way it has for so long.

I suppose that sports fans should not be surprised at the notion that professional teams would necessarily focus on money, after all that is what professional athletics are all about: getting paid to play.  I suppose Rod Tidwell (from the movie “Jerry Maguire”) summed it up best with the oft quoted line "Show me the money!"  What I think is a bit surprising is how willingly and uncomplainingly professional sports fans have accepted the "money first" approach of all the teams in all the major leagues.  The increases in costs passed along to professional sports fans over the last generation is really quite staggering.

Video: Show me the Money!!

But don't take my word for it...

Fan Costs in Professional Sports

Sports marketing consultants Team Marketing Report (TMR) is a leading publisher of sports marketing and sponsorship analysis for both collegiate and professional sports.  Since 1988, TMR has been tracking major indicators in the world of sports.  One of the key components of their analysis is an analytical model called the "Fan Cost Index" which is used as a measuring stick for the cost to an actual fan attending a game for various franchises.

More specifically, TMR's exclusive Fan Cost Index (TM) survey,  tracks the cost of attendance for a family of four.

The FCI includes:

• Two adult average price tickets
• Two child average price tickets
• Four small soft drinks
• Two small beers
• Four hot dogs
• Two programs
• Parking
• Two adult-size caps.

Taking all of these factors into account, the analysts at TMR calculate the costs for fans attending games for teams across the country.  The data that TMR has assembled is telling.

For example, let's look at the NFL's presence in my home state: the Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers played their first season in Charlotte in 1996 (they played the 1995 inaugural season in the Clemson Tigers' stadium).  Thus, for Carolina we can see the change over the entire history of the franchise.  Since their first season in their permanent home, Bank of America (formerly Ericsson) Stadium, the Panthers have played in one Super Bowl.

Fan Cost Index: Carolina Panthers

Then there's the just-crowned Super Bowl XLIII Champions: the Pittsburgh Steelers.  During the 10 years covered below, the Steelers have won two Super Bowls and moved into a new stadium, Heinz Field.

Fan Cost Index: Pittsburgh Steelers

On the other hand, there's one of the biggest disappointments of the 2008 season: the New England Patriots.  During the 10 years covered below, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and moved into a new stadium,  Gillette Stadium.

Fan Cost Index: New England Patriots

Key to notes on preceding Tables: b=14oz  c=16oz  e=20oz  g=22oz

• Source data for 1996, 1998, 2008 ( PDF), courtesy of: TMR.

These numbers show that, even in the smaller markets (which definitely includes Carolina and most would say includes Pittsburgh) there have been substantial increases in the cost of attending a game for the average fan.  What these statistics ignore, however, is the increasing impact of Personal Seat Licenses or PSLs on the cost of attending a game for individual fans.  Essentially, a PSL is the professional football equivalent of season ticket rights in college football.  The Average Ticket Price shown above reflects the average cost of a single game ticket available to the public for each team.  The fact is, however, in many of the NFL stadiums the number of generally available seats is wholly insignificant when compared to the number of seats licensed via PSLs.  In many cases, fans are left with only two choices: scalpers or buying a PSL.

PSLs are where the "Premium Ticket" costs referenced above come into play.

Again, let’s look at the Carolina Panthers, this time focusing on the Panther’s PSL program which, according to their website,  includes the following options:

Again, when compared to what you see with some major college sports venues, Panthers PSLs are not that expensive.  The Dallas Cowboys, who are preparing to open a grand new $1.3 billion stadium for the 2009 season, however, will charge as much as $150,000 for seat licenses.  As a point of reference, according to Zillow.com, the median home value for Knoxville, Tennessee is approximately $148,000.  In the modern era, there can be little question, in most markets, that professional sports tickets are aimed less and less at individual fans (or the "Common Fan" as Basilio calls them) and more toward businesses and corporations.  As a result, on gamedays many professional sporting venues are primarily peopled by business people engaged in the schmooze game than it is by fans actively pulling for their teams.

The Flip-side of a Very Big Coin

The cost of gate admissions, however, barely scratches the surface of the cost of operating a professional sports franchise.  In that sense, professional sports depend far less on the ticket-buying fan and more on other streams of revenue than do college athletics.  None of this, however, means that the costs of running professional franchises are not passed on to fans.  It just occurs indirectly.  The "real" money for professional sports lies in corporate affiliations, naming rights, licensing and marketing, government subsidies, and the end-all and be-all: television broadcast rights.

Make no mistake, without these key components, professional sports as we know them do not survive.  The irony is, however, that without the common fan, these components of the professional sports balance sheet evaporate.

Of course, some -- most notably the NFL -- contend that professional sports always have and will continue to be recession-proof. In a recent interview with CNBC’s Mark Koba, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy commented on the effects of the recession by stating: "If we could build a stadium for 300,000 people we would sell out the game. The Super Bowl has always lifted the spirits of America and this year is no different."  Others are far less sanguine.

As the Money Players blog notes, there are already strong indications that "the long-held notion that sports is 'recession proof' is being shattered."  The first signs of this change have already begun to become apparent.  Some minor professional franchises folded early in the onset of the current recession, but now the list of the affected is growing.  For instance:

• In December, the WNBA's most successful franchise, the Houston Comets, officially folded;
• The barely solvent to begin with Arena Football League canceled the 2009 season;
• The PGA publicly acknowledged it could face tough times given the current economic crisis, and the LPGA cut three tour stops and $5 million in prize money from its 2009 tour;
• The NHL officially dropped its revenue projections for 2008-09;
• Neither the New York Giants nor the Dallas Cowboys have managed to find a suitor sufficiently willing to pay for naming rights on their new stadiums;
• The New York Yankees have yet to sell out the luxury boxes in the singularly lavish  New Yankee Stadium, while the secondary market prices of opening day tickets in the new facility have plummeted (most recently selling on the secondary market for $ 534, down from $ 1,101);
• The Washington Redskins recently laid off 20 front-office employees while Roger Goodell laid off 150 of the 1,000 employees at the NFL league offices;
• Both the NBA and NFL have recently offered cuts in ticket prices to bolster flagging attendance;
• Both the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals had difficulties selling out their playoff games this season;
• NASCAR Racing is facing the bleakest season outlook in years due to sponsorship issues; and
• Most notably, the cost of tickets to Super Bowl XLIII on the secondary market was $500 - $800 lower than last year.

These are but a few examples.

These sorts of "adjustments" on the part of major professional sports demonstrate that professional sports are not immune to recession.  That realization has gotten the attention of many sports-business watchers and has started a new conversation about the state of professional sports.

Said Andrew Zimbalist, a noted sports economist and professor of economics at Smith College:

... fans tend to give up other consumption before they cut back their consumption of sports. The present downturn is, however, both much more severe and likely to last considerably longer than the typical post-WWII recession. Moreover, the revenue-generating model in pro sports has been gentrified over the last 20 years, becoming more dependent on the sale of premium seating, corporate sponsorships, and catering — all expenditures likely to be more sensitive to economic conditions.

... What we do know is that the sports industry will reflect, perhaps with some moderation, the vicissitudes of the overall economy.

• via: Freakonomics

Steve Czaban, a syndicated host with Fox Sports Radio (which, along with Sports Illustrated and others, is itself currently clawing to remain solvent) believes that the market for sports will diminish substantially, unless major corporations are able to save themselves from collapse.   In a recent article by Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Last, Czaban noted, "The worst-case scenario, for example, for the NFL, is there's a dozen teams that can no longer sell out their home games."  The article notes that such a loss would create broadcast issues due to the NFL blackout rules for non-sold-out games. Said Czaban, "The U.S. government is buying banks, major retailers are going under, and a half-a-dozen newspapers are folding up shop.  Why is it we think this could never happen to sports?"

As Andrew Zimbalist and others note, however, there is no real historical benchmark aside from the experience of Major League Baseball during the Great Depression.  During the early 1930's fan attendance dropped by as much as 40%, but no teams failed.  That begs two questions: 1) Is it possible that the same attendance drops could be on the horizon for major professional sports in the near future, and 2) if so, can they bear the financial strain of a reduced fanbase?

Of course, in the 1930's there was only one major sports league, college athletics were in their infancy and were largely localized, more importantly there was no television.

Television, in the minds of many, will be the savior of major sports in the current crunch, but there are those who question whether that is true.  In fact some assert that television might actually add to the erosion of revenues for sports -- professional and college alike.

The thought that television could add fuel to the already raging fire is a scary one, especially for professional franchises whose “help me, help you” relationship with television has been a dependable source of revenue during even the most trying times.

Video: Help Me, Help You...

That is what I will look at in the next installment of this series...

-- So it goes …

Images Courtesy of: Panthers.com • Steelers.com • Patriots.com • Wikipedia