Full 90: Mysterious 2018 World Cup Logo Revealed

This week Russia revealed the 2018 World Cup logo. Initially, the logo received much criticism and many laughs on social media, when in actuality the 2018 World Cup logo is thematic and clever. The core of the design is based on upwards movement and space, symbolic for the act of achieving excellence and becoming champions of the world. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station creatively revealed Russia’s logo, which also resembles the World Cup trophy. 

Destiny or Dynasty?

The Oakland Athletics were three outs away from sending the Kansas City Royals home. Now the Royals are going into the World Series against the San Francisco Giants riding an eight game win streak. The Royals took down the Athletics, Angels and Orioles while the Giants took down the Pirates, Nationals and Cardinals. Destiny vs dynasty who takes the World Series? You can say the Giants are a dynasty as they have reached the World Series three of the past five years now winning two of the four before this one.  The Royals haven’t made the postseason since 1985 so is it their time? It sure seems that way. Going undefeated in the first eight games leading up to the World Series is something that has never been done. Will they win four more consecutively? It will be a tough task but I don’t put it past them.

Sport for Thought: Mr. 509 and Counting

Johnny Unitas. Dan Marino. Brett Favre. Tom Brady. All of these men are in the conversation as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. They are Super Bowl Champions, MVP's, record holders, team leaders, and just flat out WINNERS! Their is no denying any of their talent because they have the statistics to prove it. But last night we were all lucky enough to witness history, and perhaps the greatest quarterback of them all. Brand new Mr. 509 himself, Peyton Manning.

Full 90: Heineken Pours Rights with MLS

On Tuesday it was announced that Heineken will become the official beer of Major League Soccer beginning in 2015. This five-year agreement replaces Budweiser’s nearly 20-year sponsorship with the MLS. The agreement is valued at approximately $50 million.

S4SC: Legendary Former Marketing Executive Sonny Vaccaro to Speak at Drexel

Sonny Vaccaro, legendary former Nike marketing executive, will speak at the 2nd annual Sport for Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, the SMTSU announced Wednesday.

The title of Vaccaro’s lecture is “College Sport at a Crossroads: Perspectives on the Demise of NCAA,” which will feature his experiences helping to grow the Nike empire, while fighting for student-athlete rights along the way. He will deliver his lecture from 11-11:50 a.m. on Nov. 14.

S4SC: ESPN and Aspen Institute's Tom Farrey to Speak at Drexel

Tom Farrey, director of the Aspen Institute Sport and Society Program and ESPN reporter, will speak at the 2nd annual Sport for Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, the SMTSU announced Tuesday.

The title of Farrey’s lecture is “The Aspen Institute’s Project Play & Promotion of Physical Literacy,” which will feature his work as the director of the Aspen Institute Sport and Society Program. He will deliver his lecture from 10-10:50 a.m. on Nov. 14.

Durant's Injury Opens Door for New MVP

Reigning MVP Kevin Durant

Over the weekend, troubling news circulated through the basketball world: Kevin Durant had been hurt and expected to miss time. Since the initial reporting, it has since been clarified as a fractured foot. A tenative six to eight week time table for recovery has been given, but the reigning MVP will have to most likely wait through the first month to two months of the season before getting a chance to defend that title. The Thunder still have Russel Westbrook, one of the best players in the NBA, and he might be ready to explode with this opportunity to run the team while Durant gets himself healthy.  More than anything, if you are the Thunder, the most important piece of this to manage and take cautiously is Durant's recovery.

Who to Blame? Fire the GM or the Manager

The baseball playoffs are in full swing, which usually means the teams that ended up in the basement of the standings are starting to make changes to their managerial staffs. Teams this postseason shopping for a new manager include the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, as the Arizona Diamondbacks just hired Chip Hale, who was the Athletics bench coach. Although the Rangers lost manager Ron Washington to personal reasons, the Astros let Bo Porter go for needing someone to lead them in a "new direction." But wouldn't you expect everybody to lead their teams in the same direction, a winning direction?

S4SC: Political Advocate Suzan Shown Harjo to Speak at Drexel

Suzan Shown Harjo, a prominent Native American political advocate, will speak at the 2nd annual Sport for Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, the SMTSU announced Monday.

The title of Harjo’s lecture is “The Washington R-Word: Racial Politics, Legal Challenges & Social Harms,” which will touch on her 40-plus years of work fighting for the rights of Native Americans. She will deliver her lecture from 1-1:50 p.m. on Nov. 14.

S4SC: Drexel SMTSU Announces 2nd Annual Sport for Social Change Conference

The Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) is pleased to announce details for the second annual Sport for Social Change Conference.

Capitalizing on the success of the first edition of the conference last October, the SMTSU will hold the Sport for Social Change Conference on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in the Academic Bistro on the sixth floor of the Paul Peck Problem Solving and Research Center (aka Academic Building) on the corner of 33rd and Race St.

Holding the Sport for Social Change Conference in the Academic Bistro offers a unique opportunity to bring together all of the disciplines housed in the new Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. Students from Drexel’s culinary arts and hospitality programs will be preparing and serving all three of the meals during the event: breakfast, lunch and appetizers.

Just like last year, the event will be FREE and open to all.

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.

New NBA-ESPN/Turner Deal Cuts Cord

On Monday, the NBA struck a massive nine-year, $24 billion media right deal to extend current partners ESPN and Turner through 2024-25. The deal, impressive in its reach and its size, impacts a wide-range of people, including you and I. Kevin Draper summed up the different areas of high impact at Deadspin; it's thorough and well-worth the time to read. One of the major areas of focus in the deal is streaming rights, and the way the deal was negotiated, the NBA is preparing for a future where fans are pulling the plug on their cable televisions and opting for internet and mobile streaming.

NBA Preseason: 5 BOLD Predictions

As the NBA season is set to begin in about a month let’s make five bold predictions. It will be fun to come back at the end of the season and see what a genius I am. No, I’m not going to sit here and tell you the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to make the NBA Finals because if they don’t win it all we can just throw all the blame on LeBron like we always do. Well here goes nothing.

Sport for Thought: Jeter's Next Chapter

Derek Jeter only knew one thing for the last twenty years, and that was playing shortstop and being the leader of the New York Yankees. So when he announced his retirement plans prior to the 2014 season, not only was the sports world shocked, many wondered how he would be able to move on from the game he had become accustomed to playing. Derek's life was a set schedule and now he would have to wake up every morning not knowing what his next venture would be. Yes he always expressed interest in one day owning a team, but how would that really fill the void of no longer playing in America's favorite pastime?

Full 90: Under Heat in Qatar

Last week, in a revealing but not shocking statement, a FIFA Executive Committee member communicated his personal belief that the 2022 World Cup would take place in Qatar. The committee member, Theo Zwanziger, in essence, said what many of us have been thinking: Qatar was wrongly awarded the FIFA World Cup.