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Giants Keep Their Ace
Now that football season and the Winter Olympics are officially over, sports fans across the country are revving up for the MLB season. Admittedly, there is a marked lack of parity in professional baseball, and even the casual fan can fairly accurately handicap the various division champions. When spring rolls around, however, baseball will inevitably be at the fore of sporting news.
During the offseason, there have been the typical free agent signings and trades that occur every year, but none were bigger than the Giants retention of Tim Lincecum. The 25-year-old two-time Cy Young award winner signed a $23 million deal that will keep him in San Francisco for two years and successfully avoided arbitration. This may sound like an exorbitant amount of money, but SF will more than likely recoup the costs through increased sales of Giants jerseys, tickets and other merchandise.
The Honor of Retiring Numbers
All teams at the professional and collegiate levels have ways of honoring the great players in their history. For some of the most fabled organizations, however, developing a system to properly memorializing all of their legends can be a complicated endeavor. While this is a problem that any team would love to have, it is a problem nonetheless. For some teams, simply using subjective criteria is satisfactory, but for those teams with dozens of worthy players, a more objective approach is often taken.
One example of this is the North Carolina basketball team. With so many prodigies having hit the hardwood at Chapel Hill, the school has instituted a systematic process for honoring and retiring their college basketball jerseys. Even with the exacting standards of this process, there are still 43 players who have had their jerseys honored and eight that have been retired.
The Stage is Set
Although it may seem like common sense that the two top seeds should meet in the penultimate game of the NFL season, it is actually a rare occurrence that hasn’t happened in over a decade. That being said, the Colt and the Saints dominated during the regular season, both building unprecedented 14-0 records before suffering their first loss. The Super Bowl game should be an offensive showcase, as two of the league’s premier offenses and signal callers square off.
Now that the two teams who will be vying for the Super Bowl championship have been decided, fans have two weeks to decide where to place their allegiances for the big game. For natives of Indianapolis and New Orleans, however, the decision is quite simple. Both of the cities devoutly follow their home town team—with Colts fans enthralled with the history of their squad and Saints faithful donning custom NFL jerseys with their catchphrase “Who Dat?”
Building for the Future
As the 2009 NFL regular season comes to a close, it is time for teams to start prepping for the playoffs, while the less fortunate will begin rebuilding for next year. While most teams who missed the playoffs will be looking to rebuild and start from scratch, others have more reason to be optimistic for the future. One of these teams that may be poised to make a run next season is the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns have already made several moves throughout the course of the year, including trading Braylon Edwards and hiring Mike Holgrem as the President of Football Operations, in an effort to prep for next season. Despite their mediocre record, the Browns showed signs of life at the end of the season, reeling off a string of wins to closeout the season. There are ample reasons for Cleveland fans to begin investing in Browns jerseys for next season, including a top five pick.
The Sports Purity Test
For as long as spectators have been enjoying sports, there has been an ongoing debate as to which stratum reigns supreme: collegiate athletics or the pros. Proponents of collegiate athletics will assert that the games at the college level are more pure; athletes don’t “play for the money” and there isn’t the rampant gambling that is experienced at the pro level—for the most part. In today’s day-in-age, however, many of these claims don’t hold water.
Many college athletes simply treat the NCAA as the “minor leagues,” biding their time until they are eligible for the pros. Even when athletes stay for their full tenure, it is often only long enough for the most devout fans to learn their name. This is why you so often see collegiate fans donning personalized college jerseys instead of the name and number of the favorite player.
NFL Celebrates AFL Anniversary
This season the NFL is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the American Football League by having the eight original teams don their throwback NFL jerseys. Periodically throughout the season, these teams will return to their original uniforms to commemorate the defunct league. While this is a thoughtful tribute, it has caused some confusion for fans.
Some of the original teams no longer sport their same mascots or have relocated from their original locales. This means that the Kansas City Chiefs have the state of Texas on their helmets, and the Tennessee Titans are wearing their Oilers jerseys. Despite these complications, the anniversary jerseys have been interesting to see, not to mention the hilarious getups that the refs wear as well.
Buccaneers Struggling to Stay Afloat
I have always agreed with the famous Herm Edwards quote “you play to win the game,” but when your team is 1-10, it is difficult not to be eyeing the number one pick in next year’s draft. It is hard to believe that just last season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a legitimate playoff contender before they tanked it in the final month and a half. After some house cleaning, the Bucs are an aberration of their old self.
Although some fair-weather fans have hung up their Buccaneers jerseys for the year, I am staying loyal to the team. Since Josh Freeman began starting a few weeks ago, the Bucs have had some signs of life. Building towards the future, they also have a solid o-line and a hard-running tailback in Cadillac Williams. With a potential number one pick, the Bucs could be a contender again in a couple of seasons.
The Audacity of Hope in the Capital
The last few seasons there has been little to nothing to cheer about as far as sports are concerned in the nation’s capital. Sure the Washington Capitals have seen a resurgence thanks to superstar Alexander Ovechkin, but who really cares about hockey in the US anymore? The Wizards have been plagued by the injuries of Gilbert Arenas, and the Redskins haven’t been a serious threat in the NFL since Daniel Snyder bought the team.
Although the Nationals have been the worst team in MLB the last few years, there is now hope and a reason for fans to buy Nationals jerseys again. Their horrendous record has finally paid dividends by landing the Nationals acclaimed pitcher Stephen Strasburg. He is touted as being the best pitching prospect in decades and hailed as the savior for the Washington sports community.
Hop on the Bandwagon
Everyone has heard the stories about fair-weather and bandwagon fans, but there are a few teams that boast faithful fans throughout the country. Some teams even have monikers for their coast-to-coast fan base, such as “Raider Nation” and “Red Sox Nation”—they aren’t too original. Although these fans label themselves as “loyal,” I have a hard time buying into the steadfastness of their commitment.
One of the newest editions to his fraternity of professional organizations with a widespread fan base is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now I know, the Steelers are one of the oldest teams and people have nostalgic memories of the classic teams from the 70’s, but there seems to be a lost of people jumping on the bandwagon in recent years. Turn on any Steelers road game and you are sure to see a high density of Steelers jerseys in the crowd. I’m sure this trend won’t last long though, as it appears there will be a new Superbowl Champion this year and a new bandwagon for people to chase.
Saturdays at the Sports Bar
I graduated from a Big Ten university several years ago and promptly moved across the country to the West Coast. It’s been virtually impossible to watch my alma mater’s football team on a regular basis without paying exorbitant fees for a cable package. Luckily I found a bar downtown that’s owned by a fellow graduate from my old school. The whole place is decorated in college football jerseys, and he’s just as crazy about the game as I am.
It’s been a down year for the Michigan State Spartans; they lost an embarrassing early game to lowly Central Michigan and then fell short in the annual rivalry matchup against Notre Dame. Despite the team’s brutal mediocrity, it’s comforting to have found a kindred spirit out West who has shared many of my college experiences. Besides, there’s always next year.
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