Above the Rim: Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. This has to be the mindset of the Los Angeles Lakers front office following a first road playoff sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers had grand expectations going into this season after creating a proverbial super-team that brought together a starting lineup of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard. With four potential Hall of Famers on the court, what could go wrong?

Under Further Review: NFL Draft Ratings Rise Despite Lack of Star Power

If there was one thing more uncertain than which offensive lineman's name would be called number one overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Draft this past weekend, it was whether or not the broadcast's television ratings would eclipse last year's marks.  Shown on both ESPN and NFL Network, viewers had the option and spoke with their remotes.

General Body Meeting THURSDAY!

Overshadowed by Reported Death Threats

 Recently in game two of the Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder series, Patrick Beverley had a career night. He posted up numbers that showed his complete game.  Patrick scored 16 points and he added 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Most people have never even heard of this guy but it seems as if he is ready to erupt as a true role player for the Houston Rockets. However, one controversial play has overshadowed his special play in the playoffs.

Leaving Your Mark: Your Career in NFL Draft Terminology

For the last few days, weeks, and months, the so-called experts (Mel Kiper, Todd McShay), coaches, general managers, and scouts were evaluating talent for the NFL Draft.   You would hear words and phrases like “solid measurables/intangibles”, “has good tape/film”, “value”, “huge upside”, “sleeper/stock is rising”, “bust”, and “Mr. Irrelevant”.

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 3 - Kobe Tweets

Will He or Won't He Play?: Adidas’ $250 Million Problem

Back in 2012, Adidas decided to invest a big-time shoe deal in Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose, which was valued by numerous sources at over $200 million dollars. Adidas has been number two in the athletic wear industry behind Nike (and Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony) for decades and they see Rose as the X-Factor that could potentially close the gap on their rivals from Oregon.

Under Further Review: ESPN Takes Bold Step Hiring Lipsyte as Ombudsman

ESPN's near half-year search for their next ombudsman has concluded.  Robert Lipsyte, author and former sports writer for The New York Times, has been named the Poynter Institute's replacement.  A knowledge of sports, a fearless approach to criticism, and a history of looking at ESPN with a critical eye are just a few of the elements that Lipsyte will bring to the table that were unmatched by Poynter.  The hiring is a bold step forward for the World Wide Leader, but can we expect to see any practical changes?

Under Further Review: Extending Steubenville Head Coach Saccoccia

When looking back to see how media and public outcry can shape decisions by educational institutions, you really do not have to look too far.  Florida Atlantic University dropped the GEO Group from the naming rights sponsorship on their football stadium after the public outcry against having a for-profit prison system as the school's most visible sponsor.  Rutgers University fired head basketball coach Mike Rice and athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned after release of a video tape showing Rice acting in abusive ways towards players in practice which caused quite the stir in the public.

Could Steubenville High School football coach Reno Saccoccia be the next in line for a public firing?

The Closer: Is the ACC the next major conference to have it's own TV channel?

Yesterday, it was announced that the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had financially locked in all of its current and future schools. The conference did this through a vote to approve the grant of media rights for the entire conference. This effectively stops any schools from leaving the conference during the entirety of the contract, which runs through the 2026-27 year.

The Man Advantage... Basketball and Loathing in Sacramento (or Seattle)

With the playoffs upon us in both the NBA and NHL (almost), it’s easy to overlook one of the best ongoing story lines in professional sports right now.

Unknown Tip for Career Success

Many of the most successful people in the world of business do something daily without the public knowing it; they work out. Some CEOs wake up extra early simply to head to the gym or go for a run. Others go later at night after a long day of work, but either way, they find time to work out. There have been studies that this relates directly to career success.

Women’s soccer league scores big with FOX Soccer, NBC picks up EPL

Thursday it was announced that the National Women’s Soccer League and FOX Sports Media Group have signed a one-year television agreement. As part of the negotiation, FOX Soccer will broadcast a total of nine NWSL matches. This will include six regular season matches and all three playoff matches. The NWSL semifinals are to take place on August 24^th and 25^th with the championship match slated for August 31^st. The NWSL season will be a length of 22 games.

The Sports Biz Report Podcast - Episode Two

The Sports Biz Report Preview: NFL Draft 2013

This week the Drexel SMTSU’s podcast The Sports Biz Report will spotlight news on the upcoming NFL Draft. With the NFL Draft only a week away collective members of the Drexel SMTSU will share their thoughts on different aspects about the Draft. This weeks podcast will feature Kevin Rossi on Sports Media, Kevin Murray on Sports Law, Mike Proska on Sports Marketing/Business, and Kevin Rossi and myself on the NFL Draft and all that goes into it. 

Water Cooler Talk: Coming Together in Times of Tragedy

This week the sport's world was rocked with the devastating events that happened at the Boston Marathon.  Three people were killed and 176 people were injured some very seriously.  In times like these sports help everyone come together and try to forget about the terrible events that took place.  Here are some of the best examples of this over the past couple days.  

Have we seen the end of Kobe Bryant?

Two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant went down. It looked as if he just slipped but Lakers fans soon found out it was much worse. Kobe rose to his feet and asked Harrison Barnes if he had “kicked” him. Harrison said “no” and Kobe immediately knew he had torn his achilles. This for those of you that have experienced this injury before know how dreading and horrendous this injury actually is. Could this be the end of Kobe’s career?

General Body Meeting: Social Media Scavenger Hunt This THURSDAY

The Masters: What Augusta Can Teach Job Seekers

As an avid fan of the game of golf and an average player myself, I love Masters weekend.  The Masters is the first major of the PGA golf season where the best players in the world come together to play for the green jacket.  Winning this tournament puts you into a class of players that includes the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer, among many greats.  Part of the allure of the Masters is the course it is played on - Augusta National.  The course is as beautiful as it is challenging.  Unlike the other three major tournaments with different locations each year, Augusta National is the only course to hold the Masters.  

The Sports Biz Report Podcast - Episode 1

NBA Taking It Retro

 

Noticed anything different about the NBA recently?

SMTSU Member Spotlight: Ryan Cuttler

Ryan Cuttler is a pre-junior sport management major from Tinton Falls, New Jersey.  Because he hails from North Jersey, it is only fitting that Ryan’s favorite sports teams lie in New York with the New York Knicks being his favorite team.  But seriously, only somebody with their favorite sport being basketball, a true basketball fan, could have New York Knickerbocker Steve Novak as his favorite athlete.

The Closer: Student-Athlete welfare continually put on the back burner

As I watched coverage of the Rutger's Coaching scandal last week, I couldn't help but think about former Athletic Director Tim Pernetti's thought process. He watched 30 minutes of practice video showing constant physical, verbal, and emotional abuse by former head coach Mike Rice and decided that a three-game suspension and a measly $50,000 fine was sufficient?

ESPN National Championship Headline Loaded With Irony

It is not often that my mid-day scan of the internet ends up with me almost rolling on the floor laughing, but today was just one of those days.  I innocently flipped to ESPN.com and, behold, one of the most fantastic headlines that could ever be produced in college sports: "FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR."

What Is Your Favorite Sports Website?

On any given day, a sport management student - or anybody for that matter - could be subjected to dozens if not a hundred or so news stories. Just browsing the homepage of ESPN.com, there links on links on links to sift through and choose from. Of course, we all typically have a mental filter and some sort of end game that we are searching for. But if you are just sitting at your computer and want to get the sports news pulse of the day or just want to read something well-written, which sites do you turn to?

The Empire State of Mind

He once claimed he made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee could; now he is reppin’ them. It was announced on Tuesday that Jay-Z (aka Shawn Carter) has formed his own sports agency, Roc Nation Sports, in conjunction with Creative Artists Agency. It didn’t take long before Mr. Carter found his first client, Yankee standout, Robinson Cano. Cano who had previously been represented by Scott Boras, seized the opportunity to find himself a new representative after some disagreement in their priorities. For Boras it was money, for Cano it was a chance to stay in New York.  

Water Cooler Talk: Case Study on Controversial Sponsorship

Florida Atlantic University was recently in the news for all the wrong reasons.  They had agreed to a naming rights deal for their stadium with GEO Group.  GEO Group has a controversial past and also runs for profit prisons.  This decision caused a lot of backlash not only from the students but also the community.  Even though the company’s founder gave a lot of money to the scholarship programs at the school this was not enough to stop the backlash.  Finally earlier this week after a month and a half of controversy, Florida Atlantic dropped their deal with GEO Group. 

Global Scope: The Lionel Messi Line

Different people have different theories as to why soccer has never "made it" in the United States of America. Some people say that it is because soccer players are great actors, who dive throughout the game urging the referees to call fouls which did not happen. Others say it is because there isn't a strong local league to back the fans who love the game. Whatever theory you may argue, I'm sure that it is a valid one but this isn't exactly what's at hand here.


Knowing that the United States is an important market, even for soccer, Adidas is moving to launch a range of soccer gear inspired on FC Barcelona's player Lionel Messi.

Meeting Thursday: The Business of March Madness

Above the Rim: Utter Dominance

In the wake of Miami’s big three era, greatness was always expected. The hype was undeniable, and the winning seemed like the only possible outcome. In the new team’s first year, a savvy, veteran-lead Mavericks squad ousted them in the Finals. The following year, the Heat found their stride and won the championship, making quick work of the Thunder in six games. This season, Miami has found their groove and are clicking on all cylinders imaginable. As if things couldn’t get any better, their season was recently highlighted by an epic 27-game winning streak, the second longest in NBA history.

MLB Opening Day: Philadelphia Counting on Phillies

It’s finally April, and April doesn’t only bring showers. It beings the beginning of Major League Baseball. It’s been a rough year for Philadelphia sports teams in the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, but the Phillies could be the glimmer of hope for Philadelphia sports fans and the city itself. The Eagles have cleaned house and are picking top five in this years draft, the 76ers are a measly 30-43 right now, and the Flyers are sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia Sports fans have had a rough 2012 and 2013 so far. 

Allen Iverson Bobble Head Night in Philadelphia

It’s been over three years since we have seen Allen Iverson play in the NBA. The Philadelphia Sixers played the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday Night in Allen Iverson Bobble Head Night. The Philadelphia Sixers have struggled selling tickets this year and playing the Bobcats isn’t going to help anyone sell tickets. However, the stands were pact Saturday night as fans came to see on of their heroes one more time.