NBAing Abroad

Every single person that I’ve known to go abroad to some European hillside bourgeoisie town wants to make their gallant return back as soon as possible. Their experiences were so undeniably unbelievable that dreaming about their time there only startles them awake at night.

NBA players aren’t this way.

Many of them want to sign these huge, million dollar European contract to go play while the American league is in lockout. They want to continue to earn money, and play basketball.

Brandon Jennings was so happy to come back to the NBA after a year overseas that his hair started growing straight up. Manute Bol came to America and actually shrank a whole inch, because he was going to play in the league. And James Naismith originally wanted to pronounce his game “basketball” [bas-kit-by-YA) like his European counterparts. (ALL are jokes.)

Once the NBA lockout ends (if that be in 2011 or 2012, the latter is more likely) the east coast airports are going to look like a mix ‘Coming to America’ and ‘Snakes on a Plane’.

There will be euphoria by the NBA players.

The talent overseas is widely overrated. The money abroad teams are rumored offering an American superstar is illogical. The European franchises checkbooks may have more hopz than the athletes themselves; expect a bounced check or two.

NBA players will venture across the Atlantic looking for games. But when, and if, the NBA lockout is lifted these players will be hurrying back home.  

University of Colorado 32nd Most Profitable School

                In a recent poll published by ‘The Business of College Sports’ the University of Colorado ranks as the 32rd most profitable athletic department in the nation. The Buffaloes pocketed over $13.6 million last year.

This successful collegiate program is also an extremely helpful tool for academics at those same schools. The money the athletic department raises in ticket sales, merchandise and other forms does not remain in the department; rather it is filtered through the universities landscape like a large bag of mulch.

And that amount, that bag of cedar, is only going to get bigger moving into the newly formed PAC-12. The conference signed a network television deal with FOX and ESPN worth $3 billion over the next 12 years. (That’s $250 million a year, split 12 very equal ways.)

Making this type of money is all well in good only if it is put to work. If they update the University, with a strong emphasis on the athletic department, it’s more than worthwhile. Of all the PAC-12 schools CU is the 2^nd most profitable, only Washington is ahead. But, of all the schools again, CU spent the 3^rd least. Only Washington State and Oregon State invested less.

This is a new chapter in the long and historic lineage of the University of Colorado-Boulder. This new foothold, new West-coast perspective, spring-fresh start should make the school want to evolve, expand and push boundaries. CU could look a lot differently in the next decade, both athletically and academically.

http://businessofcollegesports.com/2011/06/20/which-football-and-basketball-programs-produce-the-largest-profits/

MLB (Major Lessons about Baseball)

I never thought I’d say this… Tropicana is going to look empty in 2011.

Carl Crawford; gone. Carlos Pena; gone. And once again, the Rays may be in the cellar of the AL East. Joe Madden is just a crazy old man who can’t do math and Dick Vitale is just the old guy in the front of you trying to make your section do the wave in the 3^rd.

And nobody has learned yet…

The San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions and have 4 of the strongest rotations, some of the weakest lineups in the MLB and are nonexistent among the teams looking to wheel-and-deal.

So the names you hear most about during the winter months are: Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn, Mark Reynolds, Crawford and Pena?

….or maybe I haven’t learned a thing.

[IRONY: I wrote this at the library. Back to studying I go.]