The four most popular sports in America are Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. Of these sports Hockey is the least talked about. Many sports fans may not know that the NHL playoffs are a week away. As a big hockey fan, I think that the NHL playoffs is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year and it is not talked about enough.
The overall popularity of Hockey is down right now and I really dont know why. Many people say that Hockey is not exciting and there is not enough scoring, so therefore it is boring. I disagree, I think Hockey is one of the most exciting sports. If you have ever been to Madison Square Garden then you know what I'm talking about. During really good games that place is electric, especially the playoffs. As a New York Ranger fan I have been there many times and it is a great experience. I think for you to really enjoy hockey you have to see it in person. It's one of those sports that's much better to be at the event then to watch it on TV.
I feel that Hockey has been much better since they made some rule changes after the lockout in 2004. The biggest change that the sport made was the elimination of ties. All regular season games now that are still tied after regulation and overtime go to a shootout. When the playoffs began the overtime is continuous till someone scores to break the tie. If you are a big sports fan and have never been to a hockey game, I would recommend going to one. The NHL playoffs began next week on Wednesday.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Baseball Season to Begin in Japan
The start of the Major League Baseball season begins tomorrow in... Japan and at 6 a.m eastern time? The Boston Red Sox will play the Oakland A's in a 2 game series in Tokyo to kick off the baseball season. MLB decided to play the regular season opener in Japan to try and promote their league overseas in Japan where baseball is just as popular over there than it is here. This is not the first time baseball has began a season in Japan. Both the Mets and Yankees have gone overseas to began baseball seasons as well. Baseball is not the first sport to play in another country either. The NFL played a regular season game in London this year and the NHL began their season this year in London as well.
I don't think that it is bad idea that baseball is playing games in Japan I just think the timing of the games is not right. They will play two regular season games Tuesday and Wednesday and then go back to the U.S to play more preseason games before the start of the season on Sunday. I just think that process is not right. If they want to play the games this week they should be preseason games that don't count in the standings because everyone else is still playing preseason baseball. If they want to play regular season games there they should wait to the season officially begans for other teams as well. Either way the season begans tomorrow in Japan. If your a big time baseball fan you will want to set your alarms early if you want to see the first regular season game live.
I don't think that it is bad idea that baseball is playing games in Japan I just think the timing of the games is not right. They will play two regular season games Tuesday and Wednesday and then go back to the U.S to play more preseason games before the start of the season on Sunday. I just think that process is not right. If they want to play the games this week they should be preseason games that don't count in the standings because everyone else is still playing preseason baseball. If they want to play regular season games there they should wait to the season officially begans for other teams as well. Either way the season begans tomorrow in Japan. If your a big time baseball fan you will want to set your alarms early if you want to see the first regular season game live.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Let the Madness Begin
The road to the NCAA basketball championship began ysterday with the selection of the 65 teams for the NCAA tournament. I think college basketball has a perfect tournament system. The NCAA tournament every March is always one of my favorites sporting events of the year. The 65 teams are chosen by a selection committee and given a seed from 1 to 16. All the teams chosen are paired against each other by seeding in a bracket. It is a single elimination event. Win and advance to the next round, lose and you go home. There are four regions and all the games are played on a neutral site.
Every year this tournament generates tons of hype and is extremely popular among all sports fans. I believe that the tournament is so popular because of the way it is setup. It gives smaller basketball schools, more commonly known as mid majors, a chance to win and play for a championship. The college basketball playoff system is played in direct contrast to the college football postseason. Football may be a more popular sport for most fans than basketball, but when it comes to the postseason everyone loves the tournament.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Final Event at Yankee Stadium...Hockey?
The final sporting event at historic Yankee Stadium could be a hockey game featuring the New York Rangers on New Years Day 2009. The New York Yankees are playing their final season this year in Yankee Stadium before moving to the new Yankee Stadium opening up. The old stadium will not be knocked down but it will be left up as a place where fans can go see the field.
Some people have said they feel that a hockey game being played at a Yankee Stadium for the final sporting event is just wrong. I don't see what is wrong with this idea. When I first heard this I thought it was a great idea. This would be great for hockey. If you played this hockey game in Yankee Stadium you would easily sell the game out and have over 50,000 fans there. The NHL has already tried an outdoor hockey game in Buffalo this year and it was a tremendous success. I watched most of the game and thought it was a great atmosphere for hockey. I think the NHL should try to play a couple of games a year outdoors in some cities.
Other people have said that a historic baseball stadium should not have another sport played there. There have been many famous football games and boxing matches that took place at Yankee Stadium. So, why not a hockey game for the final event at Yankee Stadium. It would be a memorable event to close a place that has been home to many great moments in the past.
Some people have said they feel that a hockey game being played at a Yankee Stadium for the final sporting event is just wrong. I don't see what is wrong with this idea. When I first heard this I thought it was a great idea. This would be great for hockey. If you played this hockey game in Yankee Stadium you would easily sell the game out and have over 50,000 fans there. The NHL has already tried an outdoor hockey game in Buffalo this year and it was a tremendous success. I watched most of the game and thought it was a great atmosphere for hockey. I think the NHL should try to play a couple of games a year outdoors in some cities.
Other people have said that a historic baseball stadium should not have another sport played there. There have been many famous football games and boxing matches that took place at Yankee Stadium. So, why not a hockey game for the final event at Yankee Stadium. It would be a memorable event to close a place that has been home to many great moments in the past.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Favre's Swan Song?
After 17 years in the NFL, Brett Favre has retired. Favre announced that he would retire early last week in a shocking decision to many. Favre had talked about retiring the last few years, but what made his decision so suprising was that he decided to call it quits after getting so close to the Super Bowl again this year. Favre played his rookie year in Atlanta and then played his next 16 seasons in Green Bay for the Packers. Favre led the Packers to two Super Bowl apperances and one victory. Favre is also a three-time NFL MVP. Favre has set many NFL records including passing TD's (442), passing yards (61,655), and wins by a starting quaterback (160). Favre also ended his career on an unperecendent 253 consecutive regular season starts.
Since his retirement many people have questioned whether this is really the end for Favre. Many analysts have said that his love of the game will bring him back and that he will not stay retired for long. Favre himself admitted that he felt physically he could still play, but he felt tired mentally and thought it was time to move on. Whatever he decides to do one thing is for sure, Favre is one of the greatest quaterbacks to ever play the game. Favre was one of my favorite football players of all time. The toughness and intensity he played with was hard not to love. Brett Favre is a true legend and he will forever be remembered as one of the greatest competitors ever.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Why Are Sports so Corrupt?
As a big sports fan I have noticed that there has been a lot of cheating and corruption in some of the most popular sports in America over the last couple of years. The three most popular sports in America are the NFL, MLB, and NBA. These sports have all suffered through major cheating scandals that have impacted the integrity of the game. The MLB problems with steriods and HGH use has been the most talked about of these issues. Steriod and HGH use in MLB has led many fans to believe that most of the records and statistics of this era are tainted because so many people have been found taking these illegal drugs. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who were once thought of as the best hitter and pitcher of this generation have both been linked to steriods. While I feel baseball has done a better job trying to clean up steriod use in the sport many fans believe that the game has already been damaged and historic records have been broken unfairly.
While the NFL has suffered through minimal steriod use problems in its sport, the major scandal in football was spygate. The New England Patriots were caught taping the New York Jets signals illegaly in the first game of the regular season. While many people said they felt the taping did not really help the Patriots win the game, they still broke rules. Other fans said that this was only a one time thing and should not effect the way the Patriots dynasty should be viewed winning three Super Bowls in four years. Now I would agree with that if reports had not come out that the Patriots also did some illegal taping in two of those Super Bowl victories. The NFL did penalize the Patriots by fining the team and taking away a first-round draft pick but I think Patriots dynasty has to be looked at with some suspicion. They won each of their three Super Bowls which they gained some illegal advantage by only three points and this year when they were playing by the rules after getting caught they lost the Super Bowl by three points.
The scandal that has affected the NBA is by far the least talked about of these three. Last summer it had been confirmed by the FBI that one NBA referee Tim Donahue was being indicted because of gambling and betting on basketball games he officiated. I felt this was very serious news when it came out because the referee is supposed to be impartial on the court and in a sport where so many players and coaches complain about calls by referees this was definitely shocking news. The thing that was good for the NBA was it had been confirmed that it was only one referee doing this and the league has of course fired and banned the ref from the NBA. Even though it appears that the NBA does not and will not have this problem anymore it still affected all the games that referee officiated in and raised some suspicion about the integrity of their sport.
Popular sports have definitely been affected by cheating scandals in the last few years. As a fan of these sports I am happy that the commissioners in these leagues have taken strides to help improve their sports. As fans of the game I feel we should want to see good and clean competetion regardless of who we root for.
While the NFL has suffered through minimal steriod use problems in its sport, the major scandal in football was spygate. The New England Patriots were caught taping the New York Jets signals illegaly in the first game of the regular season. While many people said they felt the taping did not really help the Patriots win the game, they still broke rules. Other fans said that this was only a one time thing and should not effect the way the Patriots dynasty should be viewed winning three Super Bowls in four years. Now I would agree with that if reports had not come out that the Patriots also did some illegal taping in two of those Super Bowl victories. The NFL did penalize the Patriots by fining the team and taking away a first-round draft pick but I think Patriots dynasty has to be looked at with some suspicion. They won each of their three Super Bowls which they gained some illegal advantage by only three points and this year when they were playing by the rules after getting caught they lost the Super Bowl by three points.
The scandal that has affected the NBA is by far the least talked about of these three. Last summer it had been confirmed by the FBI that one NBA referee Tim Donahue was being indicted because of gambling and betting on basketball games he officiated. I felt this was very serious news when it came out because the referee is supposed to be impartial on the court and in a sport where so many players and coaches complain about calls by referees this was definitely shocking news. The thing that was good for the NBA was it had been confirmed that it was only one referee doing this and the league has of course fired and banned the ref from the NBA. Even though it appears that the NBA does not and will not have this problem anymore it still affected all the games that referee officiated in and raised some suspicion about the integrity of their sport.
Popular sports have definitely been affected by cheating scandals in the last few years. As a fan of these sports I am happy that the commissioners in these leagues have taken strides to help improve their sports. As fans of the game I feel we should want to see good and clean competetion regardless of who we root for.
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