SMTSU General Body Meeting on Thursday

Full 90: Winter Wonderland in Qatar?

On Wednesday FIFA’s general secretary, Jerome Valcke, reported to a French radio station that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will not be held during the usual months of June and July. Instead, due to extreme summer heat in Qatar, the 2022 tournament will take place in the winter. Valcke admits that he believes the tournament will take place between November 15th and January 15th at the latest. “If you play between November 15 and the end of December that’s the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe.” Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, has since told the media that Valcke’s comments are not conclusive, rather they are the personal opinion of Valcke.

Best Athletes of 2013

Basketball:

The best player in the NBA is clearly LeBron James. After winning back-to-back MVP’s and NBA Championships it seems almost impossible to not label LeBron as the best player in 2013. In the 2012-2013 season, LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. This year he is averaging 25.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. Almost remarkable numbers from a player at his position, but we have all come to expect that from LeBron.

On the women’s side I’d have to say the best player of 2013 was Candace Parker. Parker was the 2013 MVP of the WNBA, so it is hard to really argue that she wasn’t the best player in her league. Parker averaged just below 18 points per game with 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In the playoffs, Parker averaged 25.7 points per game with 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists.  Although Maya Moore also had a great season, Candace was able to edge her out in the race to be MVP, which earns her my pick as the best WNBA player of 2013.

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 2.7 - Blackouts & the NFL Playoffs

Water Cooler Talk: Top 5 Sports Pictures of 2013

 

It is always fun to look back at the past year and remember all of the great moments in sports.  We enjoyed seeing new champions, records being broken and amazing games and plays.  Most of these moments are captured in unforgettable pictures.  These pictures help us to immortalize certain athletes, teams and plays.  In no particular order, I am going to show you my top five favorite pictures from 2013.

Playoff Potential: The End of the BCS era, and the Potential of an Extended NFL Playoff.

The BCS’s Last Hurrah.

With a sad salute farewell we say goodbye to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). R.I.P. BCS, 1998-2014. You and your shenanigans will be missed. The death of the BCS is paving the way for something, that if you know how television contracts work, that will glue more eyeballs to more television screens across the country. More viewers mean more money for all parties involved with the newly named College Football Playoffs (the NCAA is very creative). 

Under Further Review: Phillies Extend TV Deal with Comcast

In 2014, there is no greater flex of the muscle for a Major League Baseball team than the size of their local television contract. The New York Yankees set the bar high with the creation of their very own network in the YES Network. Then this past year, the Los Angeles Dodgers inked a massive deal with Fox Sports for a reported 25 years and $8.5 billion. And that was coming out of bankruptcy (Dodgers get to keep $6 billion under the court agreement) and a new ownership group. The Seattle Mariners and Root Sports set a very solid number for the mid-market teams at $115 million per year.

This time it was the Philadelphia Phillies' turn to step up to the plate and negotiate their local television home run. By the initial looks of it, they may have hit this one out of the park.