REAL SPORTS DAWGZ

Congratulations….NFL Hall of Fame , class of 2013!!!

sportsfiend — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:15:44 +0000

The finalist list of for the NFL Hall of Fame, class of 2013 had the likes of recent players; Larry Allen (G/T), Jerome Bettis (RB), Tim Brown (WR), Cris Carter (WR), Kevin Greene (L/DE), Charles Haley (DE/L), Jonathan Ogden (T), Andre Reed (WR), Warren Sap (DT), Michael Strahan (DE), and Aeneas Williams (CB/S). Old-timers players like; Wil Shields (G), Dave Robinson (L), and Curley Cup (DT). Coach Bill Parcells(Giants/N.E./N.J./Cowboys) headlined the non-players along with owners Art Model (Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens) and Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr (San Francisco 49ers). A stellar class all worthy but because of the selection process, with the number of possible electees limited to 4-7 who’d be left out? Well the answer came and prior to SB XLVII the class of 2013 was announced;

Larry Allen – Position – Offensive guard/Tackle – Teams – Dallas Cowboys (1994-2005); San Francisco 49ers (2006-07)
14 seasons, 203 games … Selected by Cowboys in 2nd round (46th player overall) of 1994 draft … Versatile, played every position on offensive line except center during 12 seasons with Dallas … Led way in second season for Emmitt Smith who set Cowboys’ franchise record with 1,773 yards … Started at right guard in two NFC championship games and Super Bowl XXX victory … Named NFL Alumni’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1997 and the NFL Players Association NFC Lineman of the Year twice (1996-97) … Named first-team All-Pro seven straight years … First-team All-NFC six times, second-team once … Moved to tackle late in 1997 and entire 1998 season, earned All-Pro honors at position … Signed as free agent with San Francisco in 1996 … First season with 49ers led way for Frank Gore who set team single-season rushing record (1,695 yards) … Elected to 11 Pro Bowls … Named to NFL All-Decade Teams of 1990s and 2000s … Born November 27, 1971 in Los Angeles, Ca

Cris Carter – Position – Wide receiver – Teams – Philadelphia Eagles (1987-1989); Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001); Miami Dolphins (2002)
16 seasons, 234 games … Selected by Philadelphia in the 4th round of the 1987 Supplemental Draft … First reception as a pro was a 22-yard touchdown catch … Durable; he played a full 16-game season in 13 of his 16 seasons … In 2000, became only the second player in NFL history to catch 1,000 career passes … Recorded 1,000 receiving yards in a season eight straight years … Broke the 100-yard receiving plateau 42 times during his career … Ranked second on the NFL’s all-time list for total receptions (1,101) and receiving touchdowns (130) at retirement … His 130 TD receptions came from 13 different passers … Caught 70-plus passes in 10 seasons … His 122 receptions in 1994 was a then-NFL single-season-record … Named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s and received the 1999 NFL Man of the Year Award … In 2002, returned to the field when he joined the Miami Dolphins in midseason when injuries decimated team’s receiving corps … Was first- or second-team All-Pro 1994, 1995, and 1999 … Selected to play in eight Pro Bowls (1994-2001) … Born November 25, 1965, in Troy, Ohio

Curley Cup – Position – Defensive tackle – Teams Kansas City Chiefs (1968-1974); Houston Oilers (1974-1980); Detroit Lions (1980-1981)
14 seasons, 179 games … Selected in 2nd round (31st player overall) in 1968 draft by Denver Broncos … Denver attempted to switch him to offense before trading him to Chiefs during training camp … Fit in perfectly with Chiefs’ dominating defense … Member of team’s Super Bowl IV championship team in second season, … Started at left defensive tackle in Super Bowl win over Vikings and registered three tackles, one assisted tackle … Dealt to Houston Oilers in blockbuster trade during 1974 season … Key veteran leader with 11.5 sacks to help Oilers to 10-4-0 record in his first full season with club … Winning record in ’75 was Oilers first winning season in eight years and just second in 13 seasons …. Named NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year by Newspaper Enterprise Association, 1975 … Culp led defense that helped Oilers earn back-to-back appearances in AFC championship game, 1978-79 … Named All-Pro, 1975 … All-Pro Second Team 1971, 1977, 1978, and 1979 …. First- or second-team All-AFC five times … Elected to six Pro Bowls … Born March 10, 1946 in Yuma, Arizona.

Jonathan Ogden – Position – Offensive tackle – Team – Baltimore Ravens (1996-2007)
Taken in 1st round (4th player overall) in 1996 draft … Won Outland Trophy Award as top lineman in college … Instant starter for Baltimore, earned All-Rookie honors … Leader of offensive line that helped Ravens amass more than 5,000 yards of offense in back-to-back seasons, 1996-97 … Noted as strong pass protector as well as effective run blocker … Led way for running back Jamal Lewis who became fifth player in NFL history to rush for 2000 yards in a season, 2003 … Key blocker for Lewis’ then-record 295 rushing yards versus Cleveland Browns, Sept. 14, 2003 … Started at left tackle in Ravens’ 16-3 win over Oakland Raiders in 2000 AFC Championship Game and 34-7 victory over New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV … NFL Alumni’s NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2002 … Named All-Pro in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2006 … Earned All-AFC honors nine times … Voted to 11 Pro Bowls … Selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of 2000s … Born July 31, 1974 in Washington, D.C.

Bill Parcells – Position – Coach – Teams – New York Giants (1983-1990); New England Patriots (1993-1996), NY Jets (1997-1999); Dallas Cowboys (2003-2006)
19 seasons, 303 games … Regular season record: 172-130-1 … Postseason record: 11-8 … Overall record: 183-138-1 … Parcells reversed the fortunes of four NFL teams … After a 3-12-1 season (1983), he took Giants to playoffs twice as Wild Card … In 1986 led Giants to 14-2 record and defeated Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI … Led Giants to NFC Eastern Division title in 1989 … In 1990 won second world championship with dramatic victory over Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV … Left coaching for two years, returning in 1993 with New England Patriots … Within two years led Patriots to playoffs after seven-year absence … Two years later, 11-5 Patriots were AFC representative in Super Bowl XXXI … In 1997 took over 1-15 New York Jets and led them to 9-7 record in 1997, 12-4 record and AFC championship game in 1998 for the best two-year turnaround of a 1-15 team in NFL history … Coached Dallas Cowboys from 2003 until 2006 … Became first coach to coach four different teams into the playoffs when his 10-6 Cowboys played in the 2003 Wild Card Game … NFL Coach of the Year 1986, 1994 … Born August 22, 1941 in Englewood, New Jersey.

Dave Robinson – Position – Linebacker – Teams – Green Bay Packers (1963-1972); Washington Redskins (1973-1974)
12 seasons, 155 games … Selected in 1st round (14th player overall) by Packers in 1963 NFL Draft … Chosen in 3rd round (17th player overall) by San Diego Chargers in AFL Draft … Signed with Green Bay and quickly built reputation as big-play performer on Vince Lombardi-coached Packers dynasty … Started at left outside linebacker in three straight NFL championship wins, 1965-67 … Starting OLB in Packers victories in Super Bowls I and II … Recorded two tackles, five assisted tackles, one fumble recovery and pass defensed in Green Bay’s 33-14 win over Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl II … Rebounded from Achilles tendon injury in 1970 to regain form as one of game’s finest linebackers … Intercepted 27 passes which he returned for 449 yards in career … Lone interception return for touchdown came in first season with Washington … Named All-Pro second-team in 1968 and 1969 … First-team All-NFL selection three straight seasons, 1967-69 … Elected to three Pro Bowls … Named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s … Born May 3, 1941 in Mt. Holly, New Jersey.

Warren Sapp – Position – Defensive tackle – Teams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995-2003); Oakland Raiders (2004-2007)
13 seasons, 198 games … Selected in first round (12th player overall) by Tampa Bay in 1995 NFL Draft … Instant starter … Named to All-Rookie Team, 1995 … Amassed 96.5 career sacks despite playing on interior of defensive line … Recorded double-digit sack totals four times … Had more than one sack in a game 23 times … Named 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year after helping lead Tampa Bay to first division title in 18 years … Registered 12.5 sacks, 54 tackles, three forced fumbles, and recovered two fumbles, 1999 … Recorded career-high 16.5 sacks, 2000 … Started in two NFC championship games, one Super Bowl … Recorded two tackles, one sack, two passes defensed, and forced fumble in Bucs’ 48-21 win over Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII … Additional career statistics include four interceptions, two touchdown receptions … First-team All-Pro four straight times (1999-2002) … Second-team All-NFL in 1997, 1998 … All-NFC five times … Selected to seven Pro Bowls … Named to NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 1990s, 2000s … Born December 19, 1972 in Orlando, Florida.

Must congratulate the inductees but would be derelict in my responsibilities as NFL fan if I didn’t state how a Haley, Brown, Greene, Model and DeBartolo aren’t in the class. As I heard the great Coach Landry state in part, “Stats are like a two-piece bikini reveals some remarkable areas but what it covers up is vital”. Also stated in that group of sports talk shop, “if an era of NFL play can’t be spoken with mentioning the contributions of a respective inductee then that merits consideration for being in the hall”. I must agree!!!!

MLB Hall of Fame..a shell of its former self?!?

sportsfiend — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:11:35 +0000

It was this time last year after the induction of 2012 MLB HoF inductee Barry Larkin that the anticipation for what was to come made the inevitable happen, the lessening of the process of greatness. The pinnacle of any professional career be it; MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL not to mention all the other sports is being elected to that sports Hall Of Fame! For the first time since 1996 the Baseball Writers Association of America/(BBWAA) (pressed with the choosing of nominees with 75% of the 581+ ballots ) didn’t elect any players to the hall, for 2013 (See MLB Hall of Fame ’13, ESPN, & BBWA). Why you say sports fan? Was it because Barry Bonds 762 home runs, 7x NL MVP didn’t merit it, Roger Clemens a 7x Cy Young winner, 354 wins didn’t pass the mustard, or Sammy Sosa’s multiple 60+ home run hitting seasons wasn’t measurable. Actually they were and normally all would have made a serious push to get 1st ballot election into the hall of fame, definitely more than the 36.2%-Bonds, 37.2%-Clemens, and 12.5%Sosa received as first time nominees. But they like other first timers on the ballot; Piazza and Bagwell or continued considered players McGwire or Palmerio all have been associated with, admitted to, or rumored to have used performance enhancing drugs(PEDs).

My point of contention is this….if Major League Baseball, the Players, the Player’s union, or the BBWAA didn’t curb the use of PEDs, implement a valid testing regiment, or place the users accountable during the so-called “steroid era”, why use the hall of fame voting process as a moral counter? Isn’t Ty Cobb in the hall? How about Gaylord Perry? Users of drugs…subjective moral codes could be found on any plaque currently in the hall of fame! Isn’t it about the play on the field, the numbers, or possibly the championships won during the course of a career!? Maybe the process needs to be re-examined because Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Raphael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell and any others from the marked ‘steroid’ era deserve serious consideration and placement in the hall of fame….Preserving History….Honoring Excellence indeed!

Another example of the escalting economics in the sports industry!!! Where does this leave the recession affected fan?!

sportsfiend — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 01:13:18 +0000

As I read Jim Pelt’z article, $1million man march, I had overwhelming feeling of apprehension towards the sports industry. Where I used to find solace and escape I know find the growing sentiment of how can the professional athlete/league relate, along with how can they not see their fans struggle to follow their favorite team/league? With the billions floating towards the leagues and millions being negotiated in salaries for these athletes on a daily basis the chasm between the professional sports and the average fan grow even father apart given credence to the old adage “haves” and “have nots”. Considering the following;

In 1985 (when I was just a know it all 15 year old):
Average (American) Household Income – $23,618
Disneyland Adult Ticket – $16.50
Gallon of gasoline – $1.12
1st Class Stamp $.22
MLB – Dale Murphy (Outfielder) Atlanta Braves – $1.6 million
NBA – Larry Bird (Forward) Boston Celtics – $1.8 million
NFL – Joe Montana (Quarterback) San Francisco 49ers – $1million

In 1995 :
Average (American) Household Income – $34,076
Disneyland Adult Ticket – $33
Gallon of gasoline – $1.22
1st Class Stamp $.32
MLB – Ken Griffey (Outfielder) Seattle Mariners – $7.6 million
NBA – Hakeem Olajuwon (Center) Houston Rockets – $5.3 million
NFL – Brett Favre (Quarterback) Green Bay Packers – $2.9 million

In 2005 :
Average (American) Household Income – $46,326
Disneyland Adult Ticket – $53
Gallon of gasoline – $2.58
1st Class Stamp $.37
MLB – Mike Piazza (Catcher) New York Mets – $16.1 million
NBA – Kobe Bryant (Guard) Los Angeles Lakers – 16.9 million
NFL – Tiki Barber (Running Back) New York Giants – $6 million

In 2012 :
Average (American) Household Income – $49,777
Disneyland Adult Ticket – $87
Gallon of gasoline – $3.62
1st Class Stamp $.45
MLB – Josh Hamilton (Outfielder) L.A. Angels of Anaheim – $25 million
NBA – LeBron James (Forward) Miami Heat- $16 million
NFL – Peyton Manning (Quarterback) Denver Broncos – $18 million

So good luck getting each side on the same page of how each can be feeling the squeeze of the economic recession, deserves the state of their current revenue bounty and how can they possibly know how the other side lives!?

A chance for a class of Quarterbacks to equal the NFL class of ’83!!!!

sportsfiend — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:27:08 +0000

A lot has changed in the last 30 years of drafting Quarterbacks, no longer is the theory that a rookie has to sit with a clipboard waiting for their chance to run the huddle. The ‘win’ now scenario for most teams has also bumped up the time to get the rookie some run. It’s either that or lose now only to have another coach reap the rewards with a talented signal caller. But oh have time really changed, just look at this year’s crop of rookies; Luck (1st), Griffin III (2nd), Tannehill (8th), Weeden (22nd), and Wilson (75th) – all but Wilson taking in the 1st rd. Note – Osweiler was taken with (57th)/2nd rd. All but Osweiler playing behind Peyton Manning have started as rookies and flourished, bringing to mind the comparisons to the prolific class of 1983. That class had Elway (1st), Blackledge (7th), Kelly (14th), Eason (15th), O’Brien (24th), and Marino (27th) with Elway, Kelly, and Marino do much for the position leading all three to the hall of fame!!!

But if any class, discounting previously matched QB classes of ’99 and ’04 this one has the chance to meet the overwhelming weight of comparison and expectations!!! Notwithstanding the multiple Super Bowls won by both Eli Manning & Ben Roethlisberger this crew has started out the gate and mattered EARLY!!!!

First Year Statistical Comparisons:

1983

G Att-Com % Yds TD Int Rating

John Elway 11 123-259 47.5 1,663 7 14 54.9

T.Blackledge 4 20-34 58.8 259 3 0 112.3

Jim Kelly 16 285-480 59.4 3,593 22 17 83.3

Tony Eason 16 46-95 48.4 557 1 5 48.4

Ken O’Brien DNP

Dan Marino 11 173-296 58.4 2,210 20 6 96.0

2012

G Att-Com % Yds TD Int Rating (Current)

Andrew Luck 13 295-537 54.9 3,792 18 18 74.5

Robert Griffin III 13 233-351 66.4 2,906 18 4 104.2

R.Tannehill 13 227-396 57.3 2,709 8 12 72.5

B.Weeden 13 264-463 57.0 3,037 13 15 72.8

Russell Wilson 13 208-330 63.0 2,492 20 9 94.9

G Att-Com % Yds TD Int Rating (Seasonal Projection)

Andrew Luck 16 363-661 54.9 4,667 22 22 74.5

Robert Griffin III 16 287-432 66.4 3,577 22 5 104.2

R.Tannehill 16 279-487 57.3 3,334 10 15 72.5

B.Weeden 16 324-570 57.0 3,738 16 18 72.8

Russell Wilson 16 256-406 63.0 3,067 25 11 94.9

In time of comparison and what has a position done lately, it looks like these set of rookie QB’s have met the first year challenge of being ready to be the best!!!!

Johnny Manziel bka “Johnny Football”..can now be called “Johnny Heisman”!!!!

sportsfiend — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 02:37:18 +0000

By becoming the first freshman (technically redshirt freshman) Johnny Football (technically Johnny Manziel) has made history in the 70+ years of the presenting of the Heisman Trophy to the best collegiate player. Just 5 years after Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to do so in ’07 the awarding of the honor will again never be the same, unless they stop the defensive/special teams bias!!!! Now comes the extra hype of not only winning the trophy again but the expectations of doing it back-to-back, possibly back-to-back-to-back and topping the feats of Archie Griffin all the while trying to win a national championship in the ultra competitive SEC! Enjoy the trophy Johnny Football and be prepared for the insurmountable scrutiny that comes with it! Hey downtown athletic club only three finalists?..c’mon!!!

The final outcome for the three finalists; Manziel, Te’o, and Klien;

1. Johnny Manziel (QB) – Texas A&M – 474(1st), 252(2nd), 103(3rd) – 2,029
2. Manti Te’o (LB) – Notre Dame – 321, 309, 125 – 1,706
3. Collin Klein (QB) – Kansas State – 60, 197, 320 – 894

Is this the end of talk of Pacman v Money May?..I sure hope so!!!

sportsfiend — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 02:15:10 +0000

So Marquez/Pacquiao 4 went down last night with what most now saying they called it the defeat of the invincible aura of the Pacman!!!(Okay, I for one didn’t call it nor wanted to watch it) The bottom line is out of the four fights had he still has two and Marquez has one but he also has the latest fight and in KNOCKOUT fashion. So now the question is what’s next for both fighters and can their exploits continue to lift boxing? The quick answer is yes and no! Yes both fighters will continue to fight with purses of $23 million (for Pac) and $6 million (for JMM) both will continue to step into the ring for the immediate future. No because who really wanted to see PacMarquez 4? I guess the answer will come full circle in two waves, first the live gate numbers from 16,000+ sell out along with the PPV numbers( if they approach 1 million hits) and if the fight everyone STILL want to see Mayweather/Pacquiao will EVER happen!
After Pacman’s slip and 6th round knockout at the glove of JMM its looking less and less likely the fight that could possibly save boxing will ever happen!

It’s ALL about the Completions in the realm of Quarterbacking!!!!

sportsfiend — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:55:13 +0000

Last week Peyton Manning continued his improbable return to the game…possibly its COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR..when he completed his 5,000 pass over his 15 year career joining Brett Favre as the only two QB’s in the NFL to complete over 5k passes thrown. Nice job by one of the closest to perfection at the QB position there is!

QB’s completing over 5k passes:

1. Brett Favre – 6,300/10,169
2. Peyton Manning – 5,012/7,693

Helmets off to the best of the best doing their dang BEST!!!!…

The mount scoremore of the NBA!!!

sportsfiend — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:53:31 +0000

With his scoring of 22 points in the 3rd quarter of the Hornets vs Lakers on 12/5/12 Kobe Bryant joined the giants of the game; Kareem, Karl, Michael, Wilt & Julius as career 30k pt scorers. The list of five (+1) now goes down as;

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387
2. Karl Malone – 36,928
3. Michael Jordan – 32,292
4. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419
5. Julius Erving – 30,026
6. Kobe Bryant – 30,001 (and counting)

Kobe’s journey to 30,000 points was done as the youngest at 34 years, 104 days (2. Wilt -35y/179d, 3. Karl-36/189, 4. Kareem-36/217, and 5. Michael-38/321). This is surely to be broken with the prolific scoring on display by Lebron J and Kevin D, but for now the spotlight is clearly on ‘the Mamba”!

In games Kobe was able to reach each 10k plateau in number games;
0 to 10,000 in 473 games
10,001 to 20,000 in 338 games
20,001 to 30,000 in 369 games

Congratulations to one the next great of this generation to play the NBA game!

City mates, unwanted rivals and trading places!!!!..the Journey to Bizarro Sports World?!?

sportsfiend — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 09:09:07 +0000

Awoke this morning in what seems sports bizarro world where the perceived underachieving want to be rival little brothers have over taken their big brother counterparts. A quick perusal of the sporticus biblicus (non rukus translation – LA Times Sports Section) and it showed the latest updated standings for both the NCAAF/Pac-12 and the NBA where I found this flip flop so apparently upside down. Let’s start on the so called amateur level where the resurgent UCLA Bruins led by 4th coach since the Donahue days, Jim Mora blasted #22 Arizona 66-10 to head to the lead of the newly christened Pac 12 South Division with a 7-2/4-2. How is this possible when the USC Trojans where the preseason favorite with the golden boy Matt “Matty Trojan” Barkley was the Heisman front-running hopeful?! Now they sit behind their cross-town rival at 6-3/4-3 after a scoreboard crashing 61-54 contest versus #2 Oregon! Has ‘little brother’ arrived?

Sunday AM Sporticus Biblicus Pac 12 Standings (UCLA late game 7-2/4-2)

Then there is the professional stated rivalry of NBA’s LA teams, specifically a rivalry recently anew with the drafting by LA Clippers of Blake Griffith and DeAndre Jordan and the Chris Paul trade allowed by outgoing NBA czar David “Sherriff” Stern providing the ‘little brother’ with not only 40+ games of sell outs but a stronger standing versus 16x NBA champion and perennial contender LA Lakers. But with the addition of All-Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to the Lakers with the coaching of 2^nd year coach Mike Brown the teams are now closer to the same caliber than ever before. Has ‘little brother’ arrived?

Sunday AM Sporticus Biblicus Pacific Division NBA standings (Clippers 2-1/Lakers 0-3)

The answer lies not at the beginning of the seasons but will be answered at the conclusion of both campaigns. The journey for the UCLA Bruins will conclude with games versus Pac 12 members Washington St., USC, and Stanford by the time Thanksgiving turkeys will be served but all winnable. With a 10-2/7-2 record a prominent bowl is assured to be in the immediate future also the turning up the heat on the ‘rivalry’ with a certain school 12 miles down the 10 freeway!

For the rivalry of the NBA’s LA teams the measurement will take a few more months to review. The early first week of season returns tally a complete comeuppance for all the years of mediocrity. But it really doesn’t take much when the vaunted new look Lakers were 0-8 in preseason and 0-3 to start the 2012-13 campaign. They hope to turn it around with a W versus the recently woeful Detroit Pistons but for all mass media 24/7 sports reporting/broadcasting and water cooler talks…..’little brothers’ have arrived!!!

When the game was enjoyed every day, by every fan!!!!

sportsfiend — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:26:50 +0000

As I readied myself for the upcoming seasons of the San Francisco 49ers this season, I remained ultimately optimistic 13-3 last year National Football Conference (NFC) game with a hairline chance at representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. I previewed the schedule for 2012 and found them just about weekly through CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC. No need for the popular and equally expensive DirecTV package (although in recent years the price has gone down approximately $200 from $399 to $200 and with some promotions now included at substantial price reduction, if not free for existing customers) But what about the fans for other NFL teams who weren’t following a resurgent, media darling team like the 49ers? I feel your dilemma fans in Buffalo, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Miami, Oakland, and Tampa Bay. Also how many fans today really have access to the media feeds through satellite operators like Comcast, DirecTv, and Time Warner Cable? A previously researched article showed the National Cable Television Association ((NCTA) claiming they’re able to reach 127.5 million homes in the U.S., with census numbers at 128.2 million they’re actually providing 48.5% that’s a nearly 63 million households, not like the days of 3 major networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) so who’s now being left out?! Recent numbers by NCTA suggest 131.2 million available with 43.7% provided. When it comes to watching my favorite NFL team I’m in the minority it seems. Even more when one provider is able to monopolize the coverage of a particular sport, i.e. – DirecTv with the NFL Sunday Ticket package. The gap becomes ever so more widening and maddening when we switch to the next popular professional sport basketball.

As a fan, I also follow the Los Angeles Lakers, this popular historic team is followed by almost every other non-transplanted Angelino as well recently signed a 20yr (and depending on what source you find) $3.5 – $5 billion dollar television contract. What scored impressively for the Laker organization is currently leaving most non-TWC subscribers on the outside looking in, according to most pundits this is fantasy this is sports reality! So now as a fan I have to wait out the battle in the board rooms instead on the basketball court! But its not just the professionals playing spoiler the collegiate level is following suit as well.

The Pac-12 last year brokered a monster television deal as well creating their own network (Pac-12 Network) but because of the same aversion by major satellite/cable distributors the network has been slow to garner the viewers specifically in its school member area..huh?

So when will the fans get the rewards of being fanatical faithful following beings and not the recipients of the short end of the big time entity that has become sports and media rights!?!

Sports Media Network DMA Map