LT...A Tearful Departure

LaDainian Tomlinson was recently released by his one and only employer, the San Diego Chargers. LT, #3 on the all-time touchdown list (behind #2 Jerry Rice, and Emmitt Smith) has been declining in production, and will turn 31 at the start of next season. In December of 2006, LT surpassed the record for the most points by a player in an NFL season. So what's next for the star running back? Well, he is adamant that retirement is not an option. He insists that his main priority, still, is to win a championship. However, finding a successful team with a shot at the championship and one that he will mesh with could be the toughest part of this release. In my opinion, his brand is still intact. When i hear his name associated with his age, it almost seems surprising. Even though running backs statistically decline exponentially after the age of 27, I think Tomlinson still has a few solid years left.

to read more, see http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4943207&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Hook Em' Horns BigTen Bound?

Texas, a dominant presence in many major college sports, is a force to be reckoned with both competitively and economically. Statistically, it seems that Texas has the earning potential to produce revenue the size of the very state they're named after. But after having success in the Big 12 conference especially when it comes to football (2010 title game appearance, 2005 national champions) could they be interested in a move?
The word on the street is that another traditional powerhouse conference, the Big Ten, is looking to add a 12th team to their lineup. Among other contestants like Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and others, Texas oddly enough looks to be a front runner. This boggles my mind in terms of the location. Big Ten conference schools are concentrated primarily in the Midwest, making Texas' location both perfect for their current conference, and strange for the prospective Big Ten addition. In my opinion, Notre Dame should suck it up, drop their seperate broadcasting contract and independant label, and join up with a conference already!

To read this full article, go to:

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/02/11/texas-to-big-ten-rumors-heat-up/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

Disappointment.

Wow. the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest may have been one of the most boring all-star events, much less sporting events, that I have ever seen (and I have recently begun to watch Olympic Curling, so that's saying something). The dunks were extremely lackluster, there was a total absence of hype surrounding the event, and in my opinion, LeBron James removing himself from the contestant list was one of the sole reasons.
Granted, it's not like LeBron needs any marketing help. The guy is a household name at the age of 25 for crying out loud. But when I heard that he was going to participate last year, I immediately checked my calendar to see if I would be able to watch the competition a year later. That's the kind of effect that his star power would have brought. But watching a bunch of no-names compete in an irrelevant shell of what the dunk contest used to be, is not high on my list of priority tv. The lone bright spot, Nate Robinson, had to do with the fact that he became the first ever 3-time slam dunk champion in NBA history. And for a guy who's 5 foot 9 inches tall, that's a pretty tall stat.
For the future, the NBA needs to heavily recruit some of the talent that has been diminishing for this contest to really succeed again.
LeBron 2011!!!

to read this full article, hit up:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/frank_hughes/02/14/dunk.contest/index.html

That was a Brees....

What a game! sort of...

With 2 high-powered offenses, i didn't think it would be any problem for either team to conjure up a cornucopia of razzle dazzle big time plays to wow the crowd. I was mistaken. In my opinion, with a peculiarly low level of hype surrounding the game, it almost seemed to pass by like any other game at first, but of course, the media can put a spin on anything. Peyton vs. Brees. The established, efficient, perennial championship contender vs. The war-torn, flashy, rebuilding organization. It seemed almost like America wanted New Orleans to win, but not crush the blue collar Colts. Even though they were pitted the underdog, everyone knows what kind of players the Saints have.

With a gleeful Tom Benson hoisting the franchises 1st Lombardi trophy, the owner put it best as he chanted "we back!" to the many fans cheering with enthusiasm. Then, handing it off to the man who helped rebuild a once dismal franchise (Most recently, 2005: 3-13) a tearful Brees thanked God, his teammates, and his owner for bringing him in to do a job, and breathed relief as he realized the accomplishment that had been reached.

The commercials! Another interesting aspect of the spectacle that is the superbowl had few gems in this years crown. Personally, I only found a select few to be humorous (Stolen Dorito bag) and I believe the fact that Pepsi is experimenting with social media marketing might be a reason why. Each company will change their entire strategy if this works for Pepsi, so this might be just the beginning for the downward spiral of television ads. Brace yourselves...as if they weren't already dull enough!

Congrats New Orleans!