S4SC with Sonny Vaccaro Day 2 Recap

Sonny Vaccaro presented to us, on day two, on "Life After the O'Bannon Case" and how it will affect the future of collegiate athletics.  Vaccaro gave the audience a solo presentation on his opinions on the result of O'Bannon v. NCAA and life going forward.  Sonny discussed how the NCAA represents control and how it takes control of many individuals, mainly the student-athletes.  Vaccaro used examples like how the NCAA has their own vocabulary.  Words, such as "student-athlete," "true freshman," and "collegiate model" are nowhere to be found in the English dictionary, but are only in the NCAA bylaws year after year.  They use these words to defend themselves against opposition saying the "kids" are athletes first and not students or are treated unfairly.

S4SC with Sonny Vaccaro Day 1 Recap

The 2014 Sport for Social Change Conference started off with a bang Thursday night!  Fans were blessed with a wonderful conversation between ESPN's Tom Farrey and basketball marketing legend, Sonny Vaccaro.  Vaccaro began his basketball marketing career with the Dapper Dan High School All Star Game in Pittsburgh, PA in 1965.  Dapper Dan was the first high school basketball all star game in the country; a groundbreaking idea by Vaccaro to help the public see the young basketball talent in the U.S.

NBA Extends Television Deal

On Monday, October 6, the NBA announced they had extended their television deals with Turner and Disney for nine years through the 2024-25 season.  This deal is said to be worth $24 billion and each team will receive $70 million over that time.  It appears to be a win-win-win for the league, teams, and players.

NBA vs NFL: Punishments on Acts of Violence

Over the past several of weeks, the NFL has been in the spotlight in terms of domestic violence cases with a few star players.  This has been an issue in the league for many years now and has not seemed to get much better and Commissioner Roger Goodell has been very inconsistent in terms of his punishments.  But how does the domestic violence affect the NBA?

For Club or Country?

Every four years, basketball fans from all over turn their televisions on to watch some of the best players in the world compete in the Olympics and the FIBA World Cup.  These players are all seen playing in the NBA and leagues in their own nations across the world, but are now taking off their club uniform and replacing it with their country.  While fans do see some of the world's best athletes, they do not always see the most prominent players.  LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are both not participating in the FIBA World Cup, but will likely compete in Rio in 2016.

Basketball Jersey Sponsors

With millions upon millions of dollars being thrown at teams for sponsorship deals each year, their company names end up on billboards, signs, and videos at stadiums and arenas; hell, stadiums are named after sponsors!  However, the one item in basketball that has yet to be touched is the uniform.  The uniform seems to be the sacred item that will never be touched by an outside sponsor.  The pinstripes of a New York Yankee home uniform, the Bay Bridge logo on the front of the Golden State Warriors' jersey, and the number written loudly and proudly on a football jersey.  It just does not seem appropriate to add 'Toyota' or 'TD Bank' to the front of the jersey.  Yet, that could be a source of more income to an organization.

Year of the Freshman

Another year another NBA Draft.  This year was considered one of the strongest and deepest draft classes since 2003 when LeBron, Melo, Bosh, Wade, and company were selected and given mega-million dollar contracts.  Eleven years later, the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid will each get their time to shine in the spotlight.  Nobody will know for sure how good this draft class is until several years down the road when each gets professional playing experience in the NBA.  But how can we say that this class will make a major impact right away when each of the top ten picks are twenty years old or younger?  Seven of the top ten picks were freshman!  (Dante Exum is eighteen years old and the equivalent to a freshman.)

The Future of the Miami Big 3

Now that the NBA Playoffs have ended and the ageless Spurs have taken the throne from King James and co., we can all relax and await the futures of the "Big 3":  LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.  Each of the three have a player option available to take (one more year with Miami) or they can decline and become an unrestricted free agent.  We all remember what happened the last time James hit the free agent market.  However, are we going to see more decisions to be made?  Is this the end of an era for the Miami Heat?

1.7

1.7 is just a number, a very small number, a number nobody really thinks of because it's so small.  When the number is made into a percentage, it is virtually forgotten:  1.7 percent.  That means, every one or two times out of one hundred tries, this thing will happen.  And on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, the odds were forever in the favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Of the twenty-three total NBA lotteries, the worst team has won only three times (the Magic in 2004, Cleveland in 2003, and New Jersey in 1990).  There is no rhyme or reason for a team winning the lottery, but many believe the system is rigged.  Is it?  Should changes be made to the current NBA Draft Lottery?

Abolishing the 'One and Done'?

For the 2006 NBA Draft, the NBA implemented a new rule adding an age limit to players entering:  19 years of age or one year removed from college.  The term 'one and done' was then coined for this rule as many of the top players played one year in college, only to declare for the NBA draft after the season had ended.  Since its implementation, many college student-athletes have left college for the NBA to (1) become a successful  professional athletes and (2) to earn a payday.  However, it appears that the latter may be considered the commonality.

I'm Happy it is April because March was Mad!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the weather is getting nicer, and everyone's calendar has turned from March to April.  These do not only signify the changing of the seasons, but the end of college basketball.  Once again, March was pure madness as seventh seeded UConn squeaked by eighth seeded Kentucky to claim their first championship in the post-Jim Calhoun era.  What a start to Kevin Ollie's tenure as head coach!  Shabazz Napier's performance and leadership this past month brings back memories of the last time UConn took home the title:  Kemba Walker led the underdog Huskies straight to the championship as one of the greatest runs from the conference tournament to the big show.  While this tournament may have been the most exciting in a long long time, not every fan was able to view it.

Are the 76ers "Tanking" or do they Actually Suck?

Year in and year out, fans witness teams in all leagues appear to "give up" or "not try to win."  With the 2014 NBA Draft appearing to be one of the strongest and deepest in recent times, it appeared from the beginning that some teams would attempt to purposely lose in order to have the opportunity to draft a talent like Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker.  This past week, the Philadelphia 76ers lost a franchise-record, twenty-one straight games.  The question is:  Are they tanking on purpose, or are they actually a bad team?

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 2.14 - Co-Op Panel Recap

NBA Trade Deadline Grades and Analysis

by: Micah Sokolsky

The All-Star break has come and gone and the NBA has resumed its daily schedule….HOLD UP!! Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 3:00 pm EST marked the trade deadline. For the past forty-eight hours, every General Manager of every team has managed to sleep for no more than five minutes in order to try and work a trade to improve their team for a playoff push or has dumped extra salaries to get under the cap for future free agency. Sometimes, fans do not know the story behind many deals: fan favorites are traded, franchise players are dealt, and the blockbuster multi-team deals happen. However, this year did not have any blockbuster deals (no deals similar to Ray Allen for Gary Payton, or Rasheed Wallace going to Detroit), but there were some interesting pieces moving around. Here is a list of some of my winners, losers, surprises, and disappointments from the 2014 trade deadline:
 

How David Stern Helped Build Today's NBA

by: Micah Sokolsky

According to the words of the New York Observer, the NBA’s “annual television revenue was a mere $30 million; drug scandals dominated the headlines; the notion that the league could be a global enterprise was laughable; [and] it seemed more likely that the NBA might go the way of professional boxing or horse racing” (“David Stern’s Legacy”).  In 1984, a young David Stern took the reigns and became the new commissioner of the National Basketball Association. 

Voting Changes for NBA All-Star Game are Needed

By: Micah Sokolsky

The starters have been announced and the 2014 NBA All-Star Game is only a few weeks away; February 16th to be exact.  The fans have spoken and voted to see their favorite players participate in the mid-season classic:  a game filled with dunks, alley-oops, fast breaks, and zero defense always provides entertainment for the viewing audience.  Who doesn't want to watch Blake Griffin jump over everybody or LeBron James soar to the hoop and have every player on the floor watch it happen?  Unlike in baseball, the NBA All-Star Game is for the entertainment of the fans and players alike, and has no real value.  Win or lose, everyone has a great time.