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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years ago

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What Covid Means for the Athlete’s Heart

For sports fans across the country, the resumption of the regular sports calendar has signaled another step toward post-pandemic normality. But for the athletes participating in professional, collegiate, high school or even recreational sports, significant unanswered questions remain about the aftereffects of a covid infection.

This story also ran on ESPN. It can be republished for free.

Chief among those is whether the coronavirus can damage their hearts, putting them at risk for lifelong complications and death. Preliminary data from early in the pandemic suggested that as many as 1 in 5 people with covid-19 could end up with heart inflammation, known as myocarditis, which has been linked to abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

Screening studies conducted by college athletic programs over the past year have generally found lower numbers. But these studies have been too small to provide an accurate measure of how likely athletes are to develop heart problems after covid, and how serious those heart issues may be.

Without definitive data, concerns arose that returning to play too soon could expose thousands of athletes to serious cardiac complications. On the other hand, if concerns proved overblown, the testing protocols could unfairly keep athletes out of competition and subject them to needless testing and treatment.

“The last thing we want is to miss people that we potentially could have detected, and have that result in bad outcomes — in particular, the sudden death of a young athlete,” said Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology at Atlantic Health’s Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey and an adviser to several professional sports leagues. “But we also need to look at the flip side and the potential negatives of overtesting.”

With millions of Americans playing high school, college, professional or master’s level sports, even a low rate of complications could result in significant numbers of affected athletes. And that could prompt a thorny discussion of how to balance the risk of a small percentage of players who could be in danger against the continuation of sports competition as we know it.

Limited Impact on Pro Sports

Data released from professional sports leagues in early March provided at least some reassurance that the problem may not be as great as initially feared. Pro athletes playing football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, soccer and hockey were screened for heart problems before returning from covid infections. The players underwent an electrical test of their heart rhythms, a blood test that checks for heart damage and an ultrasound exam of their hearts. Out of 789 athletes screened, 30 showed some cardiac abnormality in those initial tests and were referred for a cardiac MRI to provide a better picture of their heart. Five of those, less than 1% of athletes screened, showed inflammation of the heart that sidelined them for the remainder of their seasons.

The researchers compiling the data did not name the players, although some have disclosed their own diagnoses. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez returned to the mound this spring after missing the 2020 season following his covid and myocarditis diagnoses. Similarly, Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney was close to returning from a foot injury when he was diagnosed with myocarditis in November.

In the college ranks, many assumed Keyontae Johnson — a 21-year-old forward on the University of Florida men’s basketball team who collapsed on the court in December, months after contracting covid — might have developed myocarditis. The Gainesville Sun reported that month he had been diagnosed with myocarditis, but his family issued a statement in February saying the incident was not covid-related and declined to release additional details.

Consequences Still Unclear

Doctors still don’t know how significant those MRI findings of myocarditis may be for athletes. Tests looking for rare medical events often generate more false positives than true positives. And without comparing the results with those of athletes who didn’t have covid, it is hard to determine what changes to attribute to the virus — or what may just be an effect of athletic training or other causes.

Training significantly changes athletes’ hearts, and what might look concerning in another patient could be perfectly normal for an elite athlete. Many endurance athletes, for example, have larger than average left ventricles and pump out a lower percentage of blood with each contraction. That would be a warning sign for patients who aren’t highly trained athletes.

“You can definitely have what we call the gray zone, where extreme forms of athletic cardiac remodeling can actually look a little bit like pathology,” said Dr. Jonathan Kim, a sports cardiologist at Emory University in Atlanta. “Covid has introduced a new challenge to this. Is it because they’re a cross-country runner or is it because they just had covid?”

Moreover, myocarditis is generally diagnosed based on symptoms — chest pain, shortness of breath, heart muscle weakness or electrical dysfunction — and then confirmed by MRI. It isn’t clear whether MRI findings that look like myocarditis in the absence of those symptoms are just as concerning.

“They have normal physical exams. They have normal cardiograms. Nothing else is going on,” said Dr. Robert Bonow, a cardiologist at Northwestern University and editor of JAMA Cardiology. “But when you order an MRI as part of a research study, you start seeing very subtle changes, because the MRI is very sensitive.”

Were they finding “abnormalities” simply because they were looking? Even in patients who die of covid, the rate of myocarditis is very low, Bonow said.

“So what’s going on with the athletes? Is it something related to the fact that they had an infection, or is it something which is very nonspecific, related to covid but not damage to the heart?” he said. “There’s still a great deal of uncertainty.”

Sports cardiologists involved in the pro sports data collection and in writing screening guidelines for athletes said the fact that players were able to resume their seasons without serious heart complications suggests the initial concern was overblown. Of the players who had mild or asymptomatic cases of covid, none was ultimately found to have myocarditis, and none experienced ongoing heart complications through 2020. Many completed their 2020 season and have already started their next one.

“We overcalled it,” Martinez said. “It shows what our guidelines reflected: The prevalence of cardiac disease in this condition is unusual in the athletic population.”

Falling Through the Cracks

Those screening guidelines, published by a group of leading sports cardiologists in October, call for cardiac tests only for athletes with moderate or severe covid symptoms. Athletes with asymptomatic cases or those with mild symptoms that have gone away can return to play without the additional testing. The National Federation of State High School Associations and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine have put out similar guidelines for high school athletes.

But that approach would not flag players such as Demi Washington.

Washington, a 19-year old sophomore on Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team, had a rather mild case of covid. She had shared a meal with two teammates, one of whom later turned out to be infected. Seven days into a two-week quarantine in a hotel off campus, Washington also tested positive, and had to isolate with a stuffy nose for an additional 10 days. She waited for her symptoms to get worse, but they never did.

“It felt like allergies,” she said.

But when her symptoms cleared and she returned to practice, the university required her to undergo several tests to ensure the virus had not affected her heart. The initial tests raised no concerns. An MRI, though, showed acute myocarditis.

Her season was over, but, more importantly, Washington, an athlete in prime physical condition, faced the possibility of losing her life. She learned about Hank Gathers, a 23-year-old Loyola Marymount basketball star who collapsed during a game in 1990 and died within hours. His autopsy confirmed an enlarged heart and myocarditis.

“That really put me on the edge of my seat,” Washington said. “I was like, ‘OK, I have to take this seriously, because I don’t want to end up like that.’”

For months, she had to keep her heart rate under 110 beats per minute. Before, she ran 5 miles a day. With the myocarditis diagnosis, she had to wear a heart monitor, and even a brisk walk could push her above that threshold.

“One time I was walking to the gym and I might have been walking a little fast,” Washington recalled. “My chest got really, really tight.”

By mid-January, however, another MRI showed the inflammation had cleared, and she has since resumed working out.

“I’m so grateful that Vanderbilt does the MRI, because without it, there’s no telling what could have happened,” she said.

She wondered how many other athletes have been playing with myocarditis and didn’t know it.

Cases like Washington’s raise questions about how aggressively to screen. Her condition was found only because Vanderbilt took a much more conservative approach than that recommended by current guidelines: It screened all athletes with cardiac MRIs after they had covid, regardless of the severity of their symptoms or their initial cardiac tests.

Of the 59 athletes screened post-covid, the university found two with signs of myocarditis. That’s just over 3%.

“Is the current rate of myocarditis that we’re seeing high enough to warrant ongoing cardiovascular screening?” asked Dr. Daniel Clark, a Vanderbilt sports cardiologist and lead author of an analysis of the school’s screening efforts. “Five percent is too much to ignore, in my opinion, but what is our societal threshold for not screening highly competitive athletes for myocarditis?”

Even though myocarditis is rare, studies have found that noncovid-related myocarditis causes up to 9% of sudden cardiac deaths among athletes, said Dr. Jonathan Drezner, director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology, who advises the NCAA on cardiac issues. Thus covid adds a new risk. The NCAA alone reports more than 480,000 athletes. To provide a sense of scale: If all of them got covid and even 1% were at risk of heart problems, that’s 4,800 athletes.

Waiting for More Data

Doctors are now waiting for the release of data pooled from thousands of college athletes screened after having covid last year. The American Heart Association and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine have created a national registry to track covid cases and heart disease in NCAA athletes, with more than 3,000 athletes enrolled, while the Big Ten conference is running its own registry.

That registry data may eventually help parse who is most at risk for heart complications, target who needs to be screened and improve the reliability of the tests. Doctors may discover that some symptoms are better indicators of risk than others. And down the road, genetic testing or other types of tests could identify who is most vulnerable.

But will smaller schools have the resources and know-how to screen all their athletes?

“How about all the junior colleges, all the Division III programs, the Division II programs?” Martinez said. “A lot of them are saying, ‘Look, forget it. If we have do all this extra testing, we can’t do it.’”

He said the new pro sports data should reassure those colleges and even high schools, because the vast majority of young, healthy athletes who contract covid generally have mild or asymptomatic infections, and won’t need further testing.

The same guidelines apply to recreational athletes. Those with mild or asymptomatic covid can slowly resume exercising once their symptoms resolve without much concern. Those with moderate or severe cases should talk to their doctors before returning to sports.

Concerns for Small Schools

Large, wealthy universities like Vanderbilt have cutting-edge medical facilities with the resources and expertise to properly interpret cardiac MRIs. Smaller schools could struggle to get their athletes screened.

“There’s only a small number of centers around the country that have the true expertise to be able to effectively do cardiac MRIs on athletes,” said Dr. Dermot Phelan, a sports cardiologist with Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. “And the reality is that those systems are already stretched trying to deal with normal clinical data. If we were to add a huge population of athletes on top of that, I think we would stretch the medical system significantly.”

Some schools with limited resources for testing could decide to bench athletes recovering from moderate or severe covid rather than risk a devastating event. Others could allow athletes to resume playing once they’ve recovered, and then monitor them for signs of cardiac complications. Many NCAA schools added automated external defibrillators after Gathers’ death in case an athlete collapses during a game or practice.

“You think about all the 100,000 high school athletes out there whose parents are concerned: Do they even have access to anyone who knows something about this? On the other hand, they’re younger people who don’t get really sick with covid,” said Dr. James Udelson, a cardiologist with Tufts Medical Center in Boston. “There’s a concern about how much we don’t know.”

Legal Issues

Some schools may also worry about the liability of allowing players to return after a covid infection if they can’t get the proper cardiac screening.

“No matter what precautions a college or university takes in that regard, they can always be sued,” said Richard Giller, an attorney with the Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman law firm in Los Angeles. “The real question is, do they have liability? I think that’s going to depend on a number of factors, not the least of which is who recommended that student athletes who contracted covid-19 return to play.”

He recommends that colleges not rely solely on doctors affiliated with the university but have student athletes see their own private physicians to make return-to-play decisions. Teams may also ask players to sign waivers to the effect that if they return to play after a covid infection, they might face cardiac complications.

Some colleges asked students to sign waivers absolving the school if a player contracted covid. But the NCAA ruled that schools couldn’t make those waivers a requirement to play.

Doctors don’t know what might happen over the long run. With barely a year’s worth of experience with covid, it’s not clear whether the myocarditis seen on MRIs will resolve quickly, or whether there might be lingering effects that cause complications years later.

That leaves many concerned about what we still don’t know about covid and the athlete’s heart, as well as the handful of cases that might elude detection.

“You can take a cohort of athletes and put them through every single cardiac test and come out the other end, and one of them will die someday,” Phelan said. “The reality is there’s nothing we can do to be 100% guaranteed.”

ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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stephenmccull · 4 years ago

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What Covid Means for the Athlete’s Heart

This story also ran on ESPN. It can be republished for free.

Limited Impact on Pro Sports

Consequences Still Unclear

Were they finding “abnormalities” simply because they were looking? Even in patients who die of covid, the rate of myocarditis is very low, Bonow said.

“We overcalled it,” Martinez said. “It shows what our guidelines reflected: The prevalence of cardiac disease in this condition is unusual in the athletic population.”

Falling Through the Cracks

But that approach would not flag players such as Demi Washington.

“It felt like allergies,” she said.

“That really put me on the edge of my seat,” Washington said. “I was like, ‘OK, I have to take this seriously, because I don’t want to end up like that.’”

“One time I was walking to the gym and I might have been walking a little fast,” Washington recalled. “My chest got really, really tight.”

By mid-January, however, another MRI showed the inflammation had cleared, and she has since resumed working out.

“I’m so grateful that Vanderbilt does the MRI, because without it, there’s no telling what could have happened,” she said.

She wondered how many other athletes have been playing with myocarditis and didn’t know it.

Of the 59 athletes screened post-covid, the university found two with signs of myocarditis. That’s just over 3%.

Waiting for More Data

But will smaller schools have the resources and know-how to screen all their athletes?

Concerns for Small Schools

Legal Issues

Some schools may also worry about the liability of allowing players to return after a covid infection if they can’t get the proper cardiac screening.

Some colleges asked students to sign waivers absolving the school if a player contracted covid. But the NCAA ruled that schools couldn’t make those waivers a requirement to play.

That leaves many concerned about what we still don’t know about covid and the athlete’s heart, as well as the handful of cases that might elude detection.

ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

What Covid Means for the Athlete’s Heart published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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rickhorrow · 8 years ago

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15 to watch 52217

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, and crossover sponsors are revving their engines in Indianapolis. According to the Indianapolis Star, Pacers guard Jeff Teague is sponsoring driver Buddy Lazier's entry in the 101st Indianapolis 500, which will see Lazier's Chevrolet "sport number 44, a Team Teague sticker and the Factory at D1 Sports decal." D1 is the name of the 33,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art gym Teague is "opening in Indianapolis." Teague's business manager, Jamel Barnes, said "Not many athletes, let alone a hometown kid playing for the hometown team have their own logos and decals on an Indy 500 car." But Teague isn’t the only crossover athlete fronting an IndyCar decal this weekend – Zach Veach will drive the No. 40 Chevrolet IndyCar for AJ Foyt Racing, representing the inaugural LPGA Indy Women in Tech Presented by Guggenheim tournament taking place at the Brickyard Crossing course in September. While estimates vary wildly for what it costs to sponsor a car at the Indianapolis 500, the last study commissioned by Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2000 pegged the Indy 500 economic impact at $336 million. Just call it Motorsports Econ 101 at 230 mph.

As the French Open begins play at Paris’ Roland Garros this week, two things have dropped significantly since 2016: the number of household name players contending on the red clay, and the euro-dollar exchange rate. The currency drop left the French trailing other grand slams by a wide margin in terms of prize money, so French Open authorities announced another 14% hike in the total prize money pool to remain on par with the other grand slams. This year’s 14% increase sees the French right up there with Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, offering a total prize pool of $39.2 million, $2.29 million apiece to the respective men’s and women’s singles champion, and a respectable $39,145 to first round losers. The tournament, however, will be without marquee players Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams, meaning American ratings will likely decline as well. Grand Slam tennis is big business on both sides of the pond, and while the French is the smallest of the bigs, its impact, rich tradition, and place on the annual tennis calendar remains significant, regardless of on-court star power or exchange rate.

Head racquets owner and CEO Johan Eliasch believes that the French Tennis Federation "made the right call" not to hand Maria Sharapova a French Open wild card spot after she finished her doping-related suspension. But Eliasch, according to the London Times, "laid the blame for one of his most prominent clients missing the second grand-slam event of the year at the door" of WADA. Eliasch said, "This issue with Maria and the French Open, that is a consequence of Wada breaching their own rules for a delinquent way of operating." A WADA spokesperson said that the organization had "followed all the required procedures" before including meldonium -- which Sharapova tested positive for -- on their "list of banned substances." WTA CEO Steve Simon told the New York Times he "did not plan on pushing for re-examination of the wild-card rule, but would be open to it." Simon "maintains that the federation went too far." While WADA has no financial stake in a Sharapova-less French Open, the WTA certainly does – especially in a year when fan favorite Serena Williams is on maternity leave. No surprise that Simon is questioning the “letter of the law.”

Kids, apparently, still like the long ball. According to a just-released Sports & Fitness Industry Association report, baseball and softball "combined to rank as the most participated team sport" in 2016. The report said that casual participation showed an average annual growth of 6.5% over five years, 10.7% over three years, and 18.1% from 2015 to 2016. SFIA President & CEO Tom Cove said that the sport "showed growth in both casual and core participation over one-, three- and five-year periods at a time when the trends in other team sports are less encouraging." MLB Senior VP/Youth Programs Tony Reagins said, "To see the numbers where they are, it’s really exciting…We’re going to keep pushing and try to get more kids playing." The participation increase, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, "almost certainly stems from MLB’s 'Play Ball' initiative," which launched in June, 2015 in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, USA Baseball, and USA Softball. From finding funding to build fields to helping grow sports participation, the U.S. Conference of Mayors actively partners with communities nationwide to ensure our kids are healthy and engaged. I am proud to work with the Mayors Professional Sports Alliance to help see these important goals come to fruition.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Goodyear have announced a jersey patch partnership beginning next season. The agreement, according to SportsBusiness Journal, will also involve Turner Sports, which the Cavs hired to help “amplify the deal nationally.” Turner’s in-house agency Ignite Sports will create custom Goodyear-branded content to appear on TNT NBA coverage and provide media services for the Cavs. It is the first such deal for Ignite, which is angling to align itself with other NBA jersey patch deals. Sources have noted that the deal makes good sense because Goodyear is headquartered in nearby Akron, hometown of regional favorite son LeBron James. The deal is reportedly worth upwards of $10 million a year, making it the most lucrative of the six jersey patch deals signed to date. Goodyear’s other sports sponsorships include Ohio’s Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and the College Football Playoff. While the Goodyear deal is reportedly eight figures, none of the jersey patch deals would have been made without the foresight of the 76ers and jersey patch partner StubHub, who pioneered the innovative revenue opportunity for the NBA.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan claims he "wants to keep the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and is willing to talk about investing state money to do so." According to the Baltimore Sun, the governor's office issued a statement after Stronach Group, the owner of Pimlico Race Course, said that the 147-year-old track likely "would have to be rebuilt" at a cost of $300-$500 million to "keep the race there” rather than move it to newer Laurel Park. State House Speaker Michael Busch also "signaled he's open to a state role." Regardless of the top leaders' "willingness to consider a state investment, lawmakers warned that it would be difficult to win General Assembly approval of a sizable investment in a track that survives on the strength of one big day each year." State Senator Edward Kasemeyer "isn't ruling out what he calls a 'three-way partnership' of the state, the city and the company to rebuild Pimlico." Few sports are as tradition-steeped as horse racing, so expect Maryland lawmakers to pull out all the stops to keep the race at Pimlico – especially when this year’s Preakness drew record attendance and race card handle for the third straight year.

The race between Los Angeles and Paris is heating up as both cities are vying to “wow” IOC members before a final decision is made. According to Reuters, LA 2024 “threw down the gauntlet” to its rival Paris with IOC members visiting planned venues and sites. IOC Evaluation Commission Chair Patrick Baumann said that the bid has “no major risks and venues that he described as 'mind-blowing.'" The plan is for sustainability and cost-consciousness to be a center point of the bid, using existing facilities across L.A. and building as few permanent structures as possible. While most cities “shunned the Olympics as too expensive,” L.A. jumped at the opportunity to host the Games again, especially after experiencing a positive economic upswing these past few years. As it wrapped up the Los Angeles tour, the USOC revealed a $78.5 million surplus on $336 million in revenue during the 2016 Rio Games year, including $173 million in broadcast rights fees, benefitting from Games-time boosts in TV and sponsorship revenue, according to its annual IRS filing. The site visits are over, and now Los Angeles and Paris must wait out the IOC’s ultimate decision on who gets the 2024 Games, and likely, who gets the 2028 event. My thinking: look for Paris to prevail in 2024, and L.A. to renegotiate for 2028.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has been rumored to potentially run for office sometime in the near future, leaving uncertainty how much longer he will “keep his grip on the company.” According to the Wall Street Journal, the 66-year-old Iger “simply doesn’t want to retire yet, despite stating repeatedly that he intents to.” Iger has lead Disney for the past 12 years with "such hands-on attention that he and Disney now seem inseparable to many employees and outside partners." Iger's "ever-extending leadership might be just what Disney needs to keep thriving where it is strong and solve problems looming on the horizon, such as declines in viewership at ESPN and the company’s other television networks." Iger has discussed the possibility of serving in a Democratic presidential administration somewhere down the line or even potentially spending time off on his sailboat. Don’t expect Iger to sail away into the sunset until ESPN’s decline is checked – whether that means installing new top management, an Iger-adjusted business model, or both.

The fate of two potential future MLS teams will not be decided until December. According to the Sacramento Business Journal, an announcement of two expansion teams was expected by midyear, but MLS officials “indicated an announcement of which cities are chosen” will not come until the end of the year. The Sac Soccer group in Sacramento is confident it will be one of the two cities selected in seven months, especially after purchasing Sacramento Republic FC, “making the USL club part of a bid for inclusion in MLS.” On paper, Sacramento has "checked all three boxes" with an "ownership team, established soccer market and a build-ready stadium plan." The ownership group behind the bid for Northern California is strong, with San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York and HP Enterprise President & CEO Meg Whitman part of the core. Meanwhile, the David Beckham-Oak View Group- led Miami Beckham United franchise continues to search for a stadium site in Miami, a task that’s proved more difficult than originally anticipated. With a slew of boldface names backing each MLS franchise, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll see MLS matches played in shiny new stadiums in both Sacramento and Miami. Star power usually gets things done.

Vodafone has pulled out of a naming rights deal that would have put its name on London Stadium for the next six years. According to the London Times, the deal was set to be worth $26 million over six years. Sources close to the company note that Vodafone pulled out after reporting an annual loss of $6.7 billion worldwide, “with profits down 31% in the United Kingdom, a downturn blamed largely on the weakness of sterling” amidst Brexit. EPL club West Ham United just finished out its first season at the former Olympic stadium, which was downsized after the 2012 Games. The club is desperate to land a naming rights deal for its home stadium to help cover the costs of annual rent totaling $3.2 million per year. Vodafone has been "noticeably absent" from sports marketing after it ended its seven-year title sponsorship of McLaren’s Formula 1 team in 2013. Even with a solid transition plan, the long term fate of Olympic facilities is never 100% certain because most cities fail to properly estimate ongoing maintenance and other costs. Look for the IOC to reference London Stadium as it chooses between Los Angeles and Paris.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are waiting to receive official confirmation that they will host the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. According to Yahoo Sports, if the game is awarded to Tampa Bay, it would mark the first time it would be hosted by the Lightning since 1999. Owner Jeff Vinik has invested heavily in renovating Amalie Arena instead of building a new facility. Downtown Tampa Bay has also grown considerably, making it a more attractive destination for a mega event. There has been "speculation that the lack of an NHL All-Star Game host announcement meant the NHL was hedging on its vow not to send players" to the 2018 PyeongChang Games. However, holding the All-Star Game was "always part of the contingency plan in case a deal with the IOC couldn’t be struck." As determined as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s owners have been to keep their players away from the Olympics, a winter’s trip to Tampa Bay is looking all the more likely.

Derek Jeter may be retired, but that has not stopped fans from buying his memorabilia. According to SportsBusiness Journal, Topps Now is selling a set of special Jeter baseball cards commemorating the short stop’s retirement ceremony at Yankee Stadium. The cards have become “the top-selling regular-season cards in history of the Topps Now daily on-demand card service.” The company said it sold more than “13,500 cards relating to the Jeter ceremony between two base cards and a limited number of autographed cards and relic cards containing pieces of a base used in the game” on ceremony day. That marker tops the 11,550 cards sold last year for a card commemorating Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki gaining his 3,000th hit. The Jeter set generated more than $150,000 in revenue for Topps since its release. Trading card sales have declined as interest in baseball has waned among younger generations, and Topps and its peers welcome any opportunity to boost revenues tied to MLB special events like the Jeter ceremony.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati could have an unexpected challenger next year in his quest to remain in his role. According to the Washington Post, Boston attorney Steven Gans has begun exploring the option of running for the top spot in U.S. domestic soccer, but has not officially decided on doing so yet. "It’s amazing to me that such a big position, no one has ever run against Sunil,” said Gans. “There needs to be a challenger. He hasn’t demonstrated such a great track record. I don’t think the direction at the pro and youth level is so great. There are a lot of disenchanted people out there.” Gulati is officially allowed to run for one more term under current USSF guidelines; he has not confirmed his intent on running for the spot again, though many close to the organization expect him to run again. Gans has openly critiqued moves by Gulati that has demonstrated “poor judgment and leadership.” With corruption-driven leadership shifts at the FIFA level, it’s only natural that the heads of national federations would receive additional scrutiny. Gulati has had a lock on U.S. Soccer for many years, and as in most organizations, an infusion of new blood is usually a positive thing.

United Airlines is buying the naming rights to L.A. Memorial Coliseum for more than $70 million over 15 years, making it the richest naming-rights deal among college football stadiums. At $4.7 million per year, according to sources, United’s deal will surpass the 10-year, $41 million deal Alaska Airlines signed with the University of Washington for Husky Stadium rights in 2015. The naming-rights revenue is expected to help offset costs of a $270 million Coliseum renovation, slated to be completed in time for the 2019 USC football season. It is thought that “Memorial Coliseum” will be retained in the name. United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz, is a USC grad, and nearby LAX is one of United’s biggest U.S. hubs. Down the road, the Rams' and Chargers' $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood "will be delayed almost a year" from its originally planned opening in 2019 and is "now scheduled to be ready" for the 2020 NFL season, due to record rainfall during critical construction phases this past winter. The Rams will remain at the Coliseum for 2019, while the Chargers will play at StubHub Center. While the rain was a pain, the delay is definitely a silver lining for naming rights holders United and StubHub, which will both benefit from the additional exposure.

Jordan Spieth is the latest athlete to be featured on the Wheaties box. Spieth told media at the AT&T Byron Nelson that he will be on "about four million Wheaties boxes nationwide." Fittingly, Wheaties was "Byron Nelson’s first endorsement." Other golfers who have "had their own limited-edition boxes" include Ben Hogan, Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Wheaties joins a Spieth endorsement portfolio that already includes "deals with AT&T, Coca-Cola, Titleist, and Under Armour. CNBC estimated the Wheaties deal could increase Spieth's brand value by upwards of $3.1 million, while Under Armour, whose logo appears on the shirt Spieth wears on the cereal box, could garner $171,000 worth of brand exposure. Too bad Spieth started the first weekend of his new deal by skipping breakfast – after a quad bogie on Friday, he failed to make the cut.

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ntrending · 5 years ago

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Baseball players outlive most of us, but some positions are better than others

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Baseball players outlive most of us, but some positions are better than others

Not a bad deal. (Pexels/)

Apart from the 81-plus days on the road every year, it’s pretty good to be a baseball player. You make a lot of money, you get to do something you love for a living, and you live significantly longer. But to get the maximum benefits, you’ll want to be a shortstop or a second baseman: As a new study points out, these players have the lowest overall mortality risk. The worst? Catchers, who die of genitourinary tract diseases at 2.5-times the rate of the guys chucking fastballs at their crotches.

Several studies have previously shown this overall decreased mortality amongst baseball players. It’s part of the general phenomenon known as the healthy worker effect, which says that on average, employed folks will be healthier than those out of the workforce. The healthy worker effect is mostly a statistical thing—health problems often make you less able to hold down a job. But some occupations give you an extra boost beyond.

Being an athlete would generally fit with the healthy worker idea. And indeed, those past studies had shown strong evidence for it—one 2005 paper found that players who stayed in MLB for 11 or more years lived 7.4 years longer than the average American male. But mortality is a big, nebulous, fuzzy concept. There are lots of factors that determine when and how someone will die, so simply saying one group tends to live longer than another doesn’t mean much. Some researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health decided to investigate how exactly the deaths of MLB players compared to the deaths of normal Americans. They recently published their results in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Overall, baseball players have a mortality risk that’s just 76 percent of the average American man’s. The pros die of pretty much everything at lower rates than the general population, including cancer and heart disease, though neurodegenerative diseases hit them just as hard.

As the authors point out, this makes a lot of sense. Ball players get regular physical exercise and tend to eat pretty well, if only because they’re fed by the clubhouse a lot, so we’d expect them to die of ailments related to weight and physical fitness less. But while the broad category of cancer has lower death rates, there are a couple specific cancers that MLB pros are more likely to get than average: lip, oral cavity, and pharnyx cancer (that’s all one group), as well as blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Neither of those elevated risks were statistically significant, but both the study and an accompanying commentary speculate that the small increased risk of blood cancers could be due to the environmental toxins players are exposed to on the field. Keeping a perfectly manicured lawn in playable shape requires the use of chemicals, and those chemicals aren’t necessarily dangerous for the average person (MLB has a list of allowable chemicals that are deemed safe). But maybe, over the course of a decade or so spent taking deep breaths on the field, the exposure add up to something dangerous. No one knows for sure.

The uptick in lip, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers is far less mysterious: it’s probably because of chewing tobacco, which has a longstanding cultural association with baseball. MLB is trying to phase out smokeless tobacco from the playing field, but progress has been slow. Given the known causal link between these forms of tobacco and cancers of the mouth and esophagus, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’s an elevated risk amongst ball players (though this particular study can’t prove that association).

Those cancers notwithstanding, the fact that professional athletes live longer, seemingly healthier lives is unsurprising for another reason: they’re rich. Not every MLB player gets a multi-million dollar contract, but even the lower-paid ones make out much better than the average American. Wealth gets you access to better healthcare, and as the commentary on this study notes, so does having a job where well-paid experts constantly work to keep you performing at your peak.

Of course, being a wealthy athlete doesn’t necessarily mean good health. As we’re all too aware now, pro football players—as well as soccer players—have significant health problems that stem directly from their involvement in the sport. Compared to MLB players, those in the NFL have a 26-percent higher mortality, including twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and three times the mortality risk from neurodegenerative diseases.

Strangely, though, the risks for MLB players aren’t spread evenly across all positions. We already mentioned catchers’ elevated risk for genitourinary tract diseases, whereas outfielders were the least likely to die of the same cause. First and third basemen were the most likely of all the positions to die of diabetes, whereas catchers took the lead on cardiovascular disease deaths.

With this kind of observational study, we can’t really say exactly what lead to these differences. It’s easy to imagine why shortstops and second basemen, who have to be light on their feet, might be the healthiest players. Equally, the connection between catchers, who wear heat-trapping protective equipment and have baseballs aimed at their privates for 162 days out of the year, might have higher genitourinary disease issues. But to know more, we’ll have to study baseball players as a demographic in much more detail. We’re guessing plenty of data-loving (and sports-loving) scientists will be happy to do so.

Written By Sara Chodosh

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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Would Jesse Marsch or Gregg Berhalter be a better choice for next US coach?

USA Today Sports

June 6, 20184:30PM EDT

Bobby Warshaw & Matthew Doyle

The US men’s national team now has a general manager in place, representing the first concrete step towards hiring a new coach. U.S. Soccer isn’t about to rush the coaching hire – Earnie Stewart will start his new role as GM on Aug. 1 – and needless to say, it’s an important one.

A long list of names has been mentioned in relation to the job, from experienced international coaches to young, up-and-coming MLS coaches, many of whom we hope Stewart takes a look at. But the latter group is where we’ll focus our discussion, especially given the fact that two of the most prominent names on that list will face each other this weekend when Gregg Berhalter and Columbus Crew SC will welcome the New York Red Bulls, led by Jesse Marsch, to Ohio on Saturday (5 pm ET | ESPN — Full TV & streaming info).

Both coaches have built successful, entertaining teams; both have worn the USMNT jersey; both have honed their craft abroad; and both have shown an ability to work with and develop young American players. Perhaps most importantly, both are known commodities to Stewart. As such, my colleague Matt Doyle and I got together to ask the question: Who would you prefer to take the USMNT job, Berhalter or Marsch?

BOBBY WARSHAW: I’ll start by saying I would be happy with either – I love the way both the Red Bulls and Crew SC play and I’d be ecstatic to see the national team play as intelligently as either of those teams do – but I would go with Jesse Marsch. I like what Berhalter has built in Columbus and the way he wants his team to play, but I’m not sure it’s transferable to the international game. International teams don’t have as much time together on the training field as club teams. They only get two or three days before key games. Berhalter’s system is very dependent on rehearsing specific patterns, both offensively and defensively.

When we watch Crew SC play, we see a fluid, possession team. None of that happens by accident, though. It’s all rehearsed over and over on the training pitch. The principles of the movement and actions have to be pounded into the players. I’m not sure Berhalter would have enough time in the international calendar to build a team with those concepts. And if you try to pass the way Crew SC do but you aren’t good at it, the results can get ugly.

Marsch’s system of pressing, while still intricate and complex, should be easier to ingrain into players in a shorter amount of time. I think it takes less time to teach pressing schemes and offensive transitions than it does to perfect possession movements and passing patterns. It’s not to say it would be easy, just that it would be more doable given the constraints. When you evaluate coaches for a national team, you can’t just think about how good of a coach they are at the club level, but how their skills and preferences would translate to the international game.

MATT DOYLE: I will echo your point about being happy with either. Watching their teams, regardless of what approach they happen to be taking during that particular moment, brings me actual joy. I love watching soccer played with purpose and cohesion and chemistry, and that’s what both give you. That’s coaching plus talent.

That said, I actually think I disagree with your points re: which style is harder to play. To be clear, both a “let’s build from the back and possess” and “let’s press like bloodthirsty maniacs” are high-risk/high-reward propositions. You turn the ball over on one, and you’re giving away a goal. You get your first two lines broken on the other, and you’re risking a breakaway. We’ve seen it happen to both.

But we’re entering a generation in which we’ll have a bunch of players who really, really know how to use the ball, and how to move away from it in order to open up lanes. I believe in Berhalter’s ability to teach this:

Not to say that Marsch’s teams can’t or haven’t done similar to this. They absolutely have.

But force me to choose between one foundation vs. the other for the next four years, and I’m going with the team that more often uses the ball by building from the back.

BOBBY WARSHAW: You set me up perfectly for my second part of the conversation. You mentioned the idea of being a possession team that builds from the back. Here’s my concern: In the arc of American soccer player development, can we compete (yet) with the best in the world at building from the back? I’m a firm believer that you always need to think about how you stack up to the competition and where you can find your competitive advantages. I’d love to see a US national team that plays like Germany and keeps the ball as well as they do; can we realistically do that yet? If we try to go toe-to-toe at possession with Germany, won’t they steamroll us? I’m all about romantic ideals of the game, but we’ve already seen what happens when we don’t think about securing results.

Perhaps more specifically related to the USMNT’s needs: Is it possible to build from the back in Concacaf? Is it fool’s gold to have an ideal of how we want to play when almost half of the games are under circumstances (bad fields, hot climates) that simply don’t allow for that? I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s impossible to always win in Honduras with a clean possession game, but I’d say the bar is raised on the technical demands. I’m not sure we are producing those players yet and it’s possible we won’t do so during the tenure of the next national team coach.

I think we all hope (dare I say, assume) that we will get there one day, but I’m not sure that day is here yet. As such, we need to think close about how we can find our competitive advantage in the international game, and I’d say Marsch’s second-ball, transition-moments approach fits that better than a possession-based coach, and specifically fits that against possession-based systems:

MATT DOYLE: These are all good points, but in the same vein: Can you possibly press teams to death in the heat and humidity of Central America, or the altitude of Mexico City? Every approach has some sort of drawback in our game, in our region, with our player pool, and just me being me, I’m always going to lean towards the one that’s a little bit more about having the ball.

The truth is, though, that whoever the next coach is is going to have to create a synthesis of styles. I love what I see from both Berhalter and Marsch because they both have a foundational approach, so you never have the sort of “What ARE we actually doing?” performances that were oh-so-regular under Jurgen Klinsmann.

But they’re both also more flexible than given credit for. RBNY were hella cagey in that first CCL leg at Guadalajara – a game they didn’t win, but one in which they had a clearly better gameplan that only fell apart for a single second (Tyler Adams hit the one pass he was expressly not supposed to hit). That was, in its way, the most impressive RBNY performance of the year.

And look, we all know what Berhalter’s teams can/will do when they have to:

I also don’t really buy this line: “I’d love to see a US national team that plays like Germany and keeps the ball as well as they do; can we realistically do that yet?”

There’s a lot of daylight between “Good with the ball” and “as good with the ball as Germany or Spain.” If we can progress toward that level it will be a competitive advantage for us, though obviously we’d still have to be situationally aware and completely in tune with our shortcomings.

As we mentioned at the top, there are a bunch of other guys who we hope Earnie Stewart takes a look at as well. From within MLS there’s Tata Martino (Atlanta United), Patrick Vieira (New York City FC), Greg Vanney (Toronto FC), Peter Vermes (Sporting Kansas City). And from outside MLS circles: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Boca Juniors), David Wagner (Huddersfield Town), Christian Streich (Freiburg), John Van de Brom (AZ).

Also bear in mind there will be more good coaches on the market after the World Cup. With the GM search now done, the search for a head coach is just starting. Stewart’s right to cast a wide net, but he’d be smart to look local first.

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Would Jesse Marsch or Gregg Berhalter be a better choice for next US coach? was originally published on 365 Football

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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A Beginner’s Guide to Sports Gambling

For some, the legalization of sports gambling won’t change much. There will be those who abstain from the temptation, those who occasionally dabble, and then there will be those who hate themselves late on a Sunday night as they try to figure out which credit card is going to pay the Comcast bill. Still, the world of sports gambling is foreign to many, and it is likely the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision that allows individual states to govern its legality will bring a significant part of the fan population into the fray.

Why should I bet on sports?

Because it’s awesome, that’s why. Yes, there is a pretty good chance that you may piss away your hard-earned money. Yes, you may ultimately develop a crippling addiction that forces you to irrationally justify your losses by telling yourself lies such as, “I don’t need a savings,” or, “If I just eat Ramen Noodles for next five weeks and buy off-brand toothpaste, it will be like all of this never happened.” Yes, you may also run the risk of alienating yourself from friends and incensing your significant other when you are out to dinner by compulsively checking to see if the Raptors beat the Pistons by six points. But you could also WIN—and winning is fun. Nailing a game to validate your sports acumen while also putting money in your pocket that you didn’t really earn is a magical feeling. I’m not sure that there’s anything better.

From a practical standpoint, a diligent and disciplined bettor who understands trends, traps, and contextual factors can make money, but it’s easier said than done. For the average fan, sports wagering provides a form of convenient entertainment, and it can spice up a rather ordinary sporting event. Don’t care about the Angels and Astros game on Sunday Night Baseball? Now you do!

What can I bet on?

EVERYTHING! Well, almost everything. Bettors have several wagering options at their disposal—point spreads, moneylines, totals, and varying prop bets depending on the sport and the overall significance of the bet. Betting options aren’t limited to the four major American sports leagues. If it’s a regulated and sanctioned athletic event, it is probably on the board. Have a good feeling about Juan Martin del Potro at Wimbledon, or the Minnesota Lynx over the New York Liberty? Hammer that shit.

Uh, what is a point spread?

Typically seen most often in basketball and football betting, a point spread establishes which team is the favorite and which is the underdog in a given contest. They are set by bookmakers to make each side an equally attractive betting option.

Why is this necessary?

Because if a good team plays a shitty team, everybody will pick the good team to win. If the Eagles and Browns play, who are you taking? The Eagles. But if the Eagles have to win the game by at least 15 points, many more bettors will be enticed by the idea that the lesser team just has to keep things within the set number. That rationalization goes something like this, “These guys suck, but that’s A LOT of points. I think they can stay within two touchdowns.” The discrepancy between two teams won’t always be this obvious, but in the majority of contests, there is a favorite and an underdog, and bettors naturally lean towards the favorite.

Let’s look at this in greater detail by examining the point spread for Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs, facing elimination, are a 6.5-point favorite, which is indicated by the “-6.5” on the screen. The “+6.5” means the Celtics are “getting” 6.5 points; therefore, Cleveland must win by seven points or more in order to win/cover the bet. If the Celtics win the game outright, or lose by six points or less, then they win the bet. One more note: Bookmakers usually want an equal amount of money bet on both sides of a contest.

Why do bookmakers want an equal amount of money bet on both sides? Wouldn’t that mean they don’t make any money?

No, it actually guarantees that they make money. Bookmakers charge what is commonly to referred to as “vig” or “juice” on losing bets. That fee is outlined prior to your bet and is typically 10 to 20% of your total wager. Take a look at the line illustration above. See the (-110) next to the point spreads? That indicates the amount a bettor needs to risk in order to win $100 dollars. In this case, a bettor must risk $110 to win $100, $55 to win $50, or $27.50 to win $25. It’s simply a percentage of whatever is at risk. Let’s say that the house takes $100 dollars of action on both sides of a game. This means they are guaranteed to profit on the fees alone. It doesn’t always work out this way, as sometimes books kill it or get crushed on certain games when the majority of money is wagered on one side.

What happens when the majority of bettors takes one side?

Bookmakers have the option of moving the point spread. Using the example above, let’s say the Cavaliers opened as a 6.5-point favorite over the Celtics and bettors jump all over the Cavaliers. In response, bookmakers can move the line in the Celtics favor, giving them more points, to lure bettors to that side. I have seen certain situations in which books say, “Go ahead, public. Have at it,” and hold the line steady because they feel they are on the right side of the proposition. But generally speaking, slanted action will shift lines.

Does a point-spread shift impact my bet?

No. Whatever the point spread is at the time your wager is confirmed is the number that you play with. Subsequent line movement does not change your bet.

This point spread thing isn’t for me. Can I bet without a point spread?

Most of the time, yes. A moneyline bet eliminates the point spread element dynamic and simply requires that the selected team wins. Here’s the catch—if you are betting on the team that is favored, then you will have to risk more money to do it. Here is the point spread and money line for Cavaliers and Celtics game:

Let’s say you want to win $100 and that you want to bet the Cavs. In this case, it will require a $320 bet (indicated by the -320) for a $100 return. Money lines can move in response to public betting tendencies, much the way point spreads do. In simplified terms, betting on favorites to win money line bets can be expensive, but it also provides tremendous value if you have a hunch that an underdog is going to win outright. In this example, a $100 money line bet on the Celtics would pay out $260 (indicated by the +260).

Can you bet with a spread on hockey and baseball?

Yes, sort of. Some books offer more wide-ranging options, but standard bets are moneyline bets. These sports typically allow for “puck line” and “run line” bets. These wagers typically mean a team has to either win or lose by two or more runs/goals. (Soccer allows for a similar proposition, but that process is a bit more complicated and I don’t care about it.) Let’s say you really like the Phillies over the Blue Jays in the first game of their weekend series. Here are the betting lines on this game:

If you have a strong feeling the Phillies will win the game by multiple runs, rather than placing a $115 bet to win $100, you can bet them on the run line to receive a more favorable payout. The +172 indicates that if the Phillies win by two or more runs, the payout will be $172 dollars on a $100 bet. It should be noted, however, that betting the opposite way–for the Blue Jays to stay within two runs–is both expensive and an unwise proposition. “I think they’re going to lose, but only by a run” is not the soundest logic. If say If you think the Blue Jays are going to win, it makes far more sense to take them outright– it’s cheaper. To curtail the risk of betting on heavy favorites, bettors can use a run line bet to cheapen the price. Take a look at the betting options between the Giants and Cubs:

Risking $245 to win $100 on the Cubs is expensive. If you have a ton of confidence in the Cubs, then the run-line option may make some sense because it would only require a $130 bet to win $100.

Damn. That seems like a good deal. Is it a good deal?

It is, until you realize that baseball and hockey contests are often decided by one run/goal. Imagine the Cubs are leading 4-2 in the ninth. The Giants have a runner on third base with one out. The Cubs, having a run to give, play the infield back. A groundball is hit to shortstop, the runner scores, and there are now two outs. A batter later, the third out is made. Cubs win! Cubs! But you don’t. Often in gambling, if something seems too easy, it’s probably a trap.

Is there a way I can risk very little money, but make a lot of it?

Yes, you can accomplish this through a parlay. This is a series of multiple bets that are linked together. If every bet made wins, you win. If even one of the bets lose, you lose. For instance, let’s say you do a four-bet parlay with a $20 risk. Three games of the parlay win and then the fourth game loses—you’re still beat. The parlay payout depends upon how many games are involved and the odds on each individual game. It’s a good betting option if you are looking for action on multiple games and don’t wish to wager much, but still want a chance at hitting for a quality payout.

What if I don’t want to bet on a side to win, but want to bet on other elements of the game?

Let’s go back to the Cavaliers and Celtics game:

You have no idea which side will win or cover, but you have a feeling that scoring is going to be hard to come by. You can bet on what is referred to as the “total,” or “over/under.” In this particular game, the total is set is at 201.5 points. If you have a hunch that it is going to be a low-scoring game, then taking the under makes sense. If you think it is going to be a shootout, then take the over. Game totals are available in all four major American sports, and the same principles apply for betting totals in each of them. This wager exists in soccer, too, but again, that ain’t my game.

Can I bet on other elements of a contest aside from winner/loser and total points/runs/goals scored?

Welcome to the wonderful world of prop betting! Each sport has its own set of traditional props. In baseball, you can bet on whether or not a run will be scored in the first inning and individual player matchups such as who will have more total bases, among other options. In football, you can bet on things like who will score the first touchdown, or if the first score of the game will be a touchdown or a field goal/safety. In basketball, bets can be made on which team will score the first 10 or 20 points of the game, which team will win the opening tip, and individual player matchups. In hockey, who will win the opening face-off, and individual player matchups are commonly bet. Which team will score first is also a popular prop bet in all four major sports. These are just surface level props. Several places offer wagers on other components of the game.

Can I place bets once the game starts?

Yes, you can. There are in-game or “live” betting apps available. If you want to see how the game is playing out in the early going before getting involved, or if you think you have identified an in-game trend and have a feel for what will go down, then this is a good option for you. In-game betting allows for bets to be placed on a contest’s winner/loser, game totals, and individual quarters/periods/innings among other things. Some apps will even allow for bettors to place bets about the outcomes of individual plays.

What happens if I lose more money than I can handle, or I feel my gambling is getting out of control?

I did not post this question to be funny. Gambling makes for great talking points, can spice up a game, and is an exciting form of entertainment, but it can also be dangerous for people with addictive personalities. If you lose more money than you can handle, the worst thing you can do is continue to chase a win in order to score a bailout. If you find yourself firing off bullshit bets on Russian soccer games that you know nothing about because it’s Tuesday afternoon and you’re bored at work, you’re probably in trouble.

Here’s some more pro tips: The worst thing you can do is think your luck HAS to change during a bad streak. No it doesn’t. It can get way worse. Also, if you find yourself covering losses by skipping bill payments, or abstaining from the purchase of necessities, then stop. Don’t get yourself so jammed up by losses that it changes your present and future. Maybe you can handle losing a few hundred dollars every once in a while, then cool. Whatever. But never bet outside your means to the point where you’re flushing entire paychecks as you try to recoup money you couldn’t afford to lose in the first place.

A Beginner’s Guide to Sports Gambling published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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omg-saltycollectionblaze-blog · 7 years ago

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budkingofbeers-blog · 7 years ago

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Post 3

The key differentiator for Budweiser over the years has been the same recipe since the very beginning. The unique flavor of beer separates Budweiser from any other beer in past and present markets. Budweiser’s sustainable competitive advantage from their personal website is something called “dream-people culture.” Somewhat comical that a beer company dream is “to bring people together for a better world.” Tell that to the kids and families of alcoholics and drunk driving accidents. Ironic to say the least but a great goal if this would be true

In my eyes the sustainable competitive advantage has to do mainly with Budweiser main tangible good (beer) and the way they have been able to innovate to the consumers. Budweiser has kept loyal customers but through correctly looking at the market and finding the correct target market. Bud Light grew into another form of product for loyal customers that wanted a beer with basically the same taste but with less carbs and less calories. Budweiser has been able to innovate by analyzing the microenvironment with new products such as mixing michaladas (tomato juice and beer) a classic drink and recently attacked the margarita market to try and give consumers another option at great taste at a great price.

References:

Our Business & Our Strategic Platform For Growth. (2017). Retrieved October 06, 2017, from http://www.ab-inbev.com/investors/our-business.html

Friedersdorf, C. (2015, February 02). The Super Bowl's Riskiest Ad. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/budweiser-super-bowl-commercial-brewed-the-hard-way/385072/

Post 4

Strengths

- Brand recognition gives competitive edge

- Experience in industry since 1876

- Cutting edge manufacturing plants

- Actively involved in sporting sponsorships

Weaknesses

- Lots of competition globally allows for low market growth rate

- Fake Budweiser were being made and distributed from China in 2017 (check source fox news)

Opportunities

- international market is 4x larger than American

- new manufacturing in china and Russia

Threats

- Anti alcohol campaigns

- Grain market which consist of barley and wheat has a growth rate of 5 cents per year which makes production more expensive year after year for beer makers

- Additional cost with overseas production

Recommendations:

1. Figure out a way to set up new manufacturing in China and Russia, which hold huge alcohol target markets. Figure out a deal with each foreign government to regulate the production and distribution of authentic Budweiser products so fake products do not tarnish the real.

2. Keep up the advertising in major sporting events around the world and try to land the official beer of The World Cup, because soccer is the number one sport watched world wide.

References:

Chinese factory busted for making fake Budweiser beer. (n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2017/06/05/chinese-factory-busted-for-making-fake-budweiser-beer.html

Z. (n.d.). Budweiser SWOT Analysis | USP & Competitors | BrandGuide. Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/food-and-beverages/4215-budweiser.html

Post 5

Budweiser uses a slogan “king of beers” which portrays a higher level of self-value to the customers for consuming their product.

Budweiser targets the male gender during sporting advertisements such as football.

As a previous bud user, I know that when watching sport and I hear “This Buds for You”, this slogan Budweiser created grabs my attention and almost make me want to try a bud light at the moment by targeting a certain lifestyle.

Budweiser has started to target a younger generation that doesn’t drink beer but drinks margaritas. This new target market has expanded their line of products and is called bud-mar-Rita.

The self-concept market is the way Budweiser created bud light to target the self-conscious customer looking to watch his or her weight while still enjoying an alcoholic beverage

References:

Lime-A-Rita. (n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://www.limearita.com/

(n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2017, from http://www.budweiser.com/en/our-brand/our-legacy.html

Post 6

Competitors – Biggest single competitor to Budweiser is Heineken Company, which owns roughly 9% of the global market share. (Reports) Budweiser currently holds a 45% market share in America 29% and roughly US globally. (Team,T)

Position – Budweiser became the biggest global company in the beer market by acquiring other companies over the years. The most recent acquisition of SABMiller, was the biggest acquisition by Budweiser and a bit of a financial risk because, of the price Budweiser’s paid at 107 Billion dollars. Budweiser believed their functional need was at par with customers but with this acquisition, Budweiser was able to expand their psychological need for their product and services to a far greater amount of customers.

References:

Reports, T. W. (2015, November 12). Big beer merger leaves future uncertain for competitors. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-big-beer-merger-20151112-story.html

Team, T. (2017, January 26). The Year That Was: Anheuser-Busch InBev. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/01/26/the-year-that-was-anheuser-busch-inbev/#75ee611e1558

Post 7

Budweiser has many different types of packaging for many different products. The packaging does seem to attack the consumer psychological need with providing either loyalty to a sports team the consumer cheers for or simply supporting America itself. Personally, I think the packaging of sports teams is genius and leaves the consumer decision rules pretty much game over. As a big sports fan, if I was unsure of what kind of beer to bring to a party, I would bring the beer with the hometown team. This packaging alone I believe would bring the conversion rate to that portion of the niche market. Budweiser also uses new packaging frequently to try and grab the consumer’s attention by adding a new perception to their products.

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giveuselife-blog · 8 years ago

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Should You As Discern Encourage Your Infant To Play Risky Sports activities?

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Should You As Discern Encourage Your Infant To Play Risky Sports activities?

Must you spur your Toddler to play risky Sports activities with the aim of becoming a professional athlete and making a ship load of money? De la chanson or it relies upon on the child, Determine, expertise, motive, and possibility. The solution is a resounding “no”, in case you ask this Discern of four. I’m able to provide an explanation for extra of my rational later. For a starter, caveat emptor: Sports, like other agencies, have exploitative below-bellies few see or need to look. Being proactive is prudent because of advice is given after damage tantamount to remedy after dying.

There are purposeful talents you may gather from playing numerous Sports activities: teamwork, perseverance, determination, winner and resilient behavior. Also, playing Sports activities may be useful to at least one’s normal fitness.

Weight problems is a world-huge health problem with recognized effects. Some of these consequences are high blood strain, Type II diabetes, heart disorder, sleep apnea, joints disease, various cancers, n’ahuto name some. But do not inform that to many Nigerians (particularly and Africans in popular) who trust that being fats is a wonderful element, a status symbol, proof of good dwelling and wealth. Conducting bodily activities for the duration of one’s lifestyles are worthy habits that promote each the quantity and the fine of life, consistent with health professionals.

However,

there’s a big divide between playing Sports activities recreationally and playing them professionally. No sport is danger-unfastened But some are greater Dangerous than others. The admission expenses to the expert athletes’ club may be too excessive; frankly, might not be really worth it.

In my 20’s I preferred to observe boxing. Sugar Ray and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns II combat involves thoughts. Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Mike Tyson, George Foreman’s second coming had been my favorites. I watched the ones fights each danger I were given. At one Pay-View occasion in 1987 in Oakland, California, I take place to be seated close to a former boxer. As we walked out of the venue after the exciting combat, he made statements that caught in my thoughts whilst a spectator begrudged the thousands and thousands the warring parties earned. He stated, “these combatants will pay dearly for the rest in their lives for the hits they’ve taken these days.” He persisted via saying, “all of the millions they made today will no longer be sufficient to heal the existence-time of pain and suffering.”

Looking returned,

his utterances were instead prophetic due to the fact little have been recognized then about the effects of concussions, hits to the head, overall performance enhancement tablets, Parkinson’s sickness, reminiscence loss and slurred speech issues. Some of the Sports activities we send our kids to play today are equally Risky, don’t allow the hype, cash, fame, and clinical development fool us. Keep in mind that red meat came from a cow or because the Igbos say, “Suya ahO’ahunama”!

Seeing the large cash and fame in those Sports, it was just a be counted of time earlier than Nigerian parents and/or our youngsters themselves started pursuing the trappings of these Sports. a few may additionally want to reap the plain benefits without seeing the latent pitfalls. those parents and children Must adhere to this Einstein quote: “analyze the policies of the sport [first]. And then you definately have to play it better [on and off the court] than all of us else”.

I need to dedicate a paragraph and pay homage to Nigerian, and in deed international’s, athletic heroes. Dick Tiger, Christian Okoye, Hakeem Olajuwon, and current professional players have shown glowing examples on and rancid the level. They continue to be the beacon of the entirety incredible approximately Nigeria and Nigerians. whilst became the final time you heard anything terrible about those heroes? Via their movements, they hold to varnish the picture of our Motherland even as corrupt politicians and 419ers are bent on tarnishing her worldwide photo. Like grateful Nigerians everywhere, I salute those evergreen heroes.

Are these motives compelling enough to allow your Child play Risky Sports activities?

I’m hoping Nigerian parents each at home and, mainly, abroad are not pushing their youngsters into those Sports to coins in. Frequently, we’re human beings with all-out inclinations to make money at all value. some may want to dispel a fable obtainable and end up exposing themselves and their children to hidden risks. In step with one sportswriter, “people are skeptical about Nigerian gamers; they may be gentle, now not tough sufficient and too educated”. It really is a loaded statement! Seeking to “show a terrible” may cost one dearly. You could consider Loyola Marymount basketball big name Eric “Hank” Gathers who died at the court in 1990 during a televised sport. They younger man had a regarded coronary heart situation But he persisted to play with out taking his medicinal drugs that made him too drowsy to carry out up to his megastar caliber.

All Sports activities have inherent risks.

As Italians say, “ogni rosa ha le sue spine” or “every rose has its thorns”. I love to ride bicycles. Masses of cyclists get harm and even killed whilst bicycling. Simply three weeks ago right here in Austin, Texas, a bicycle owner pushing his disabled motorbike changed into killed by way of an inattentive driver much less than 10 miles from my house. Do you know that girls’ football gamers maintain the second maximum number of concussions, after American soccer gamers? Move determine that one.

they’re Dangerous while performed as prescribed. A number of the injuries are cumulative from very young a while (fundamental and center faculties) and the sick-consequences aren’t absolutely felt until after one’s playing days are over.

The chances of creating it to the pros are pretty infinitesimal. As a friend who performed ones of those Sports professionally tells me, “people most effective see the only a few who correctly jumped over to the other facet of the ridge. However appearance down in the abyss to look the multitude that did not make it.” The few that make it to the pros grow to be residing painful lives after their injuries start to manifest and when their coverage blessings are no more. They speedy squander their profits because of negative economic management abilties. Similar to too many Nigerians refuse to plan for retirement, these athletes suppose they will always be in money. People who assist you waste your assets will no longer be there for you while you need them. Wake-maintaining, if that, can simplest bury one after one had died, it might not preserve the dwelling.

I’m now not advocating you or your kids eschew newbie or professional Sports. Neither am I singling out anybody recreation. Like I stated, every rose has its thorns; no sport is danger-free. What I am recommending is for you to behavior your very own research earlier than exposing your circle of relatives to any Sports. If in the end that you nevertheless feel the game is to your Toddler and he or she has the wherewithal to come to be the only-in-a-million victor, Go for it. I wish your own family properly. Please beware all that glitters can be brass, now not gold.

Ask yourself those questions:

How come only a few offspring of seasoned gamers comply with the footsteps in their dad and mom? Did the genes that propelled their parents to stardom “miss avenue”?

Why don’t team owners, coaches, group medical doctors, use their full-size clouts to play their youngsters in these obviously profitable Sports activities? other agencies, which include preachers, educate their children within the circle of relatives enterprise, why no longer as Dangerous Sports gamers? Could it be due to the fact they the reality or, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, society writes accidents in dirt and benefits in marble?

Are Sports activities the handiest way to earn university scholarships? Educational scholarships are better than maximum Sports scholarships. The former graduates greater college students than the latter. Reading will not come up with the aforementioned injuries.

in case you don’t know any ex-expert players in the game your Toddler might be interested in, Google or Facebook seek to locate one to speak with. they may be extraordinarily easy to discover and you will locate them willing to assist you. Pay attention with an open-mind to what they inform you; do not take their feedback as sour ex-players remarks. That is what I did years in the past earlier than my kids were of age to play popular American Sports. As a proactive step, I commenced discouraging my sons from gambling soccer. I was taken aback whilst my center schooler informed me he have been requested to tryout for his faculty team.

My wife and our youngsters had been first jubilant on the information. I went into high gear to talk him out of playing football. while he refused to go into reverse, I blessed him But instructed him I’d not visit any of the games. They stated he turned into appropriate at it. He convinced his mother to visit one of the video games. I must inject here that she’s within the medical area. After looking the sport live and listening to the sounds of struggle… I imply the hits the on the field that day, she lower back home to enroll in me to dissuade our son from gambling that recreation. The sounds of the hits had been now not like whatever she hears from football video games on Tv. My reaction became if she concept the middle school gamers hit hard, she will be able to imagine how harder the high schoolers and university players hit, no longer to talk of professional players. I couldn’t stand watching my Infant play soccer, Just can’t. Call me chicken!

After that first 12 months of soccer, our son introduced to our pleasure that he become giving up the sport. I asked why, he stated none of his group individuals have been in his Boost Placement training, in fact, most of them had been now not doing well in college, partially because of ignored instructions due to accidents and/or Sports activities distractions. That is the case in Africa and some place else. a few excel in each Sports and lecturers.

Thank goodness my son did not get hurt and his grades remain excessive. He pointed out critical injuries different footballers sustained, how they had been Encourage to devour and weight-carry greater to get bigger, stronger and hit harder and run faster. He mentioned sub-par system use and the frenzy to play for university scholarship and pro potentialities. lecturers had been no longer a priority, working towards and wining video games have been! Finally, he said he observed out that we wanted what became first-rate for him each now and ultimately. He found out we did it with and for love. And we can live with that!

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folkfest-blog1 · 8 years ago

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he is 'football's Indiana Jones'

New Post has been published on https://folkfests.org/zlatan-ibrahimovic-says-he-is-footballs-indiana-jones/

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he is 'football's Indiana Jones'

Manchester United’s hat-trick hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he’s football’s, Indiana Jones.

The 35-yr-antique was in incredible shape on Thursday night, banging in all three dreams in United’s 3-0 Europa Cup victory over St Etienne at old Trafford and that they take his aim tally to 23 in all competitions when you consider that his arrival last summer time.The Swede is focused on trophies inside the Europa League and EFL Cup – they play Southampton within the final next week, live on Sky Sports.

He says he succeeds at whichever club he plays, like Harrison Ford’s archaeologist adventurer ‘Indy’ within the famous Steven Spielberg movies.

“Every trophy for me is excellent, everywhere I came I received so if I can win something right here I can be splendid glad,” he said.

“Humans that realize Zlatan Ibrahimovic realize that I play in many clubs and that I try to do my first-class. Anywhere I went I won – so I’m like Indiana Jones.”

Thursday’s hat-trick changed into the 17th of his profession and took his purpose tally against St Etienne by myself to 17, putting a smile on the striker’s face.

“It feels excellent,” Ibrahimovic stated. “I was given Zlatan Ibrahimovic variety of help from my team-associates. We performed an open game today, and it turned into crucial to get an excellent result so that we will take it into the second leg.

“We received three-zero, and I got to score the three desires football, so I’m satisfied for that. We’ve still many games to play, so hopefully, I will retain like I am doing.

“I’ve scored a couple of dreams against them; I don’t think cognizance on precise warring parties, I just try to do my activity, try to do what I am proper at.”

Boss Jose Mourning became now not impressed with United’s first-half of the show, but ultimately his team built up what should be a winning lead heading over to France for the 2nd leg.

“Precisely,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “a terrible result because I know how tough it’s far to play over there.

“They have a high-quality crowd, excellent help, and the stadium football could be breathtaking, so Zlatan Ibrahimovic will see it while we move there. It turned into essential nowadays to get a great result.

“It is a good crew. They always make it hard for Every group they play against and while I used to be at PSG the same component. They did suitably.

“I assume multiple games are new, a couple of games left. However, it is a good crew.”

The Olympics are unlike another wearing opposition on earth. For sixteen days, over three hundred events representing 35 sports and each use in the land compete to take domestic their prized medals, and I have seemed forward to looking the Summer time Olympics each four years because as a long way again as I’m able to don’t forget. However, there is continually something lacking. Zlatan Ibrahimovic One of the United States maximum popular sports, and a top 10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the duration of the world, it seems as even though tackle and flag football may be Olympic sports via the year 2024, However, issue obstacles nevertheless continue to be for that to end up a reality. First, we will stroll via some motives why the Zlatan Ibrahimovic American football protected into the Olympics Zlatan Ibrahimovic now not been an easy adventure, accompanied by way of why we accept as true with flag soccer to be the logical answer and preference as a future Olympic recreation.

WHY Isn’t always AMERICAN football ALREADY AN OLYMPIC game? In step with an editorial through NFL.Com, the biggest logistical troubles going through the game of yank football being included in the Olympics are very much like that of Rugby. With the massive numbers of members of each group, the “gender equality” formats in which both women and men participate in every recreation, and the compressed three-week schedule that Zlatan Ibrahimovic be tough with a football physical game like football and rugby. Moreover, for American soccer, the barrier to access is high because of its fee to equip all games with pads and equipment and therefore has additionally been gradual to adopt in many foreign countries, mainly of the poorer variety.

Understanding all this, it’s hard to look how either game would be an awesome fit for the Summer time Olympics. Rugby is lots like Soccer in that little, or no is football to play the game regarding tools and exercise at it is low level, and has a much football international following. This among st other reasons Indiana Jones these days allowed Indiana Jones to be cleared for the Olympics beginning in 2016 by way of changing the conventional style to a much less traditional “sevens” format that are faster paced with fewer humans, that can help carve a similar path for American soccer, or flag football extra specially.

Tackle Safety Worries Even an increasing number of high college, indiana jones temple of doom university, and pro teams are starting to alabama football reduce the number of touch practices, still carrying the likes of tender-padded headgear zlatan ibrahimovic transfer shoulder pads zlatan manchester united added safety. However what if we ought to restriction the contact players see before excessive school and center school while additionally addressing some of the Issues for the sport associated with it Indiana Jones absolutely regularly occurring into the Olympics?there may be a whole lot of talk recently revolving around the Safety of tackle indiana jones temple of doom soccer, and not just inside the NFL in which concussions are a first-Indiana Jones issue. Beginning as ways returned because the teenager’s football degree, latest evidence has surfaced assisting the concept that even quick of a concussion, repeated head effects and collision can manifest in fantasy football comparable zlatan ibrahimovic’s son Maximilian ibrahimović accidents later in lifestyles for youngsters examined between the ages of eight-13. Many Indiana Jones are suggesting children Indiana Jones not be gambling football in any respect, suggesting that kids’ heads are “a bigger part of their frame, and their necks are not as sturdy indiana jones movies in order as adults’ throats. So kids may be indiana jones cast at a greater risk of head and mind accidents than adults.”

With the recent release of Indiana Jones and the dominion of the Crystal Skull, the Indiana Jones subject matter has to turn out to be a popular birthday party request from children nowadays. There are a few kits you could discover, But this newsletter will provide you greater ideas if you want to throw an Indy celebration.

To provide a subject matter for your celebration for zlatan ibrahimovic to Manchester united, there are a few primary factors: the zlatan ibrahimovic wiki plates/cups/napkins for the table, banners and different decorations, the cake, zlatan ibrahimovic to manchester united balloons, pinatas, video games to play, old past tune, goody bags and birthday celebration hats. Right here are some precise thoughts for an Indiana Jones party.

Plates/cups/napkins: Those can get quite high-priced. If you could discover the subject you want at Goal, they’ll have the quality costs on These items. To do the birthday celebration economically, simply get cake plates with the Indy subject matter, colored plastic Indiana Jones, and brown napkins. Even at a somewhat costly birthday celebration deliver keep, you can get eight cake plates for much less than $4. If you are serving food, use standard plastic or paper Indiana Jones which preserve greater and are plenty less Indiana Jones than subject matter party plates. Celebration delivers websites provide kits which have plates, cups, napkins, balloons, hats, and so on… And that is a useful alternative although not the most low-cost way to move. The most bang for the greenback could football be to use zlatan hair embellished cake plates, However, the entirety else “standard problem” However color coordinated.

Banners: An ordinary Indiana Jones Birthday banner will do, or perhaps you may make one along with your printer if you have banner software program. You may be able to discover a birthday banner for $1.00 on the dollar keep.

Different decorations: One factor you could do to decorate a table is to get a package deal of plastic snakes and scatter them around the desk. The celebration deliver shops (like Diddams) have packs of snakes and different places like Target do as well. You can also find a Indiana Jones (styrofoam) and spray paint it gold for a table decoration. If you are capable of finding some thing ark-like, You could place your goody luggage internal of it.

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giveuselife-blog · 8 years ago

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The Case for Flag Football As an Olympic Recreation

New Post has been published on https://giveuselife.org/the-case-for-flag-football-as-an-olympic-recreation/

The Case for Flag Football As an Olympic Recreation

The Olympics are unlike any other wearing opposition on earth. For 16 days, over 300 activities representing 35 sports activities and each u . S . on this planet compete to take home their prized medals, and I’ve seemed forward to watching the Summer time Olympics every 4 years considering as far lower back as I can consider. However there’s constantly been some thing lacking. One of the Usa maximum popular sports activities, and a top 10 Game at some stage in the arena, it appears as even though tackle and flag Soccer might be Olympic sports activities by using the 12 months 2024, But trouble barriers nevertheless stay for that to come to be a truth. First we will walk thru a few reasons why the road to getting American Football blanketed into the Olympics has not been an smooth journey, observed through why we believe flag Soccer to be the logical solution and choice as a destiny Olympic Game.

WHY Isn’t always AMERICAN Football Flag ALREADY AN OLYMPIC Recreation? In line with a piece of writing by using NFL.Com, the biggest logistical problems dealing with the sport of yankee Soccer being blanketed within the Olympics are very much like that of Rugby. With the massive numbers of individuals on each crew, the “gender equality” formats where both men and women take part in each Sport, and the compressed three week schedule that could be hard with a greater physical game like Football and rugby. Furthermore for American Football, the barrier to entry is excessive because of it is cost to equip all gamers with pads and equipment, and therefor has also been gradual to adopt in lots of foreign countries, particularly of the poorer variety.

Knowing all this, it is tough to see how either Recreation would be a great fit for the Summer time Olympics. Rugby is lots like Soccer in that little or no is wanted to play the sport in phrases of gear and practice at it’s base degree, and has a miles large international following. This among other motives has lately allowed Rugby to be cleared for the Olympics beginning in 2016 by using converting the conventional fashion to a much less conventional “sevens” format which is quicker paced with less human beings, which can help carve a similar route for American Football, or flag Soccer extra specifically.

tackle Safety Issues Even an increasing number of high faculty, university and seasoned teams are starting to lessen the wide variety of touch practices, nevertheless sporting the likes of soft-padded headgear and shoulder pads for introduced protection. However what if we could limit the touch players see before high college and middle college at the same time as also addressing a number of the Issues for the game related to it being fully ordinary into the Olympics?there may be a lot of talk these days revolving across the Protection of address Soccer, and not simply in the NFL in which concussions are a chief challenge. starting as far returned because the children Football degree, current evidence has surfaced assisting the idea that even brief of a concussion, repeated head affects and collision can appear in similar mind accidents later in life for kids tested among the a while of 8-thirteen. Many researchers are suggesting youngsters should not be gambling Football in any respect, suggesting that youngsters’ heads are “a bigger a part of their frame, and their necks are not as robust as adults’ necks. So children may be at a extra risk of head and brain injuries than adults.”

DREW BREES BELIEVES FLAG Soccer CAN Store Football

As of 2015, research display that flag Football is the fastest growing children Recreation within the America, greatly outpacing the boom of traditional address Soccer. Many individual excessive faculties are making the switch to flag Soccer over address, getting other colleges in their areas to follow match creating prepared leagues and divisions. it is even an officially diagnosed varsity Game in many states, and with ladies specifically flag Football is a manner to allow simpler participation versus the physical nature of address.And he’s now not the handiest one. lately Drew Brees become interviewed by using Peter King for NBC’s pregame show and had a few sturdy phrases on why he believes flag Soccer is the solution. “I experience like flag Soccer can Save Soccer,” Brees stated. Brees coaches his son’s flag Football group, and performed flag Soccer himself via junior excessive, never gambling address Football until excessive college. “I feel like (flag Soccer) is a excellent introductory approach for quite a few children into Soccer,” Brees referred to. “Otherwise I feel it is very easy to go in and have a terrible revel in early on after which now not want to ever play it again. I sense like when you placed the pads on there are in order that many other factors to the sport, and you are at the mercy of the instruct in loads of instances too. And to be sincere, I do not suppose enough coaches are properly-versed sufficient regarding the proper fundamentals of the sport particularly whilst the pads cross on at the youth stage.” Many different pro athletes and coaches have expressed comparable sentiments as well, making a song praises for the game of flag Football, and the upward thrust in reputation of the sport echoes that.

Flag Football Is not a fluke or just a leisure development device that feeds into tackle Football, it is a full-fledged motion that has it’s very own identification and purpose and it is time we identified that distinction.

Across the world it is gaining popularity as well, tons quicker it seems than traditional American Soccer in which the barrier to access is a whole lot better with the need for complete pads and gear. In Mexico as an instance, flag Football is booming in popularity, in which most recall it to be the #2 Sport to Football and closing speedy, with and envisioned 2.5 million youngsters taking part simply at the essential faculty level. global groups are starting to make the trip to a number of the extra popular American flag Football tournaments, with illustration from Panama, Indonesia, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada and extra a not unusual occurrence.

Everywhere you appearance, participation and hobby in the game flag Soccer is exploding.

At an person level, it was a record 12 months for the game of flag Football. New principal tournaments are popping up internationally, seeing heaps of groups competing across all age organizations, formats and styles. Coins prizes have been at an all time high, expected to eclipse over $a hundred,000 in team giveaways in the next calendar year. Sponsors have began taking note as properly, with the likes of EA sports, Nerf, Lodges.Com, Purple Bull and other fundamental brands seeing the price and boom from flag Soccer as a way to efficiently reach their target audience in huge numbers. girls’s participation is at an all-time excessive as nicely, mirroring it’s reputation on the youth level, and is the preferred format of play for American Soccer in most Central to South American nations.

So how does this all lead back to the Olympics and getting American Soccer included as an professional Sport? First, allow’s evaluate a touch records on wherein the sport stands nowadays with the global Olympic Committee, or IOC.

Traditionally, As a way to be blanketed into the Olympic video games as an indication Sport, you have to have an worldwide Federation and have held a Global Championship opposition. This need to take region at the least 6 years earlier than a scheduled Olympic games. The worldwide Federation of yankee Soccer, mostly centered on tackle Football But includes flag in it’s event lineup, met this trendy and become approved in 2012, and received provisional reputation in 2014. This could pave the way for American Football to be blanketed as an legitimate Game, and flag Football as in all likelihood a subject of said Sport, however the IFAF has considering confronted setbacks due to alleged scandal, event mismanagement and misappropriation of budget that can not bode well for the sports inclusion quick term. Fortuitously in 2007 the IOC adopted a brand new, more bendy rule set allowing programs to be up for evaluate after each Olympics beginning in 2020, clearing a route for all sports to give their case for being protected by means of prevailing a easy majority vote.

So the possibility is there for American Football to be blanketed inside the most prestigious sporting event round the world, But how can we overcome the barriers offered by the shape of the sport to fit the mould of a successful Olympic carrying occasion?

FLAG Football IS The key TO OLYMPIC INCLUSION For every way tackle Soccer does not fit the mould as a logical preference for the IOC, there’s flag Football. Here are the top 4 motives flag Soccer should be taken into consideration to be blanketed as the following Olympic Game.

1. it is much less Bodily Disturbing than address Soccer

As we have already hooked up, flag Football is a far more secure alternative than address Soccer. less hits and collisions identical fewer accidents, and flag Football is already a tested fulfillment version it is being praised for keeping the sport for destiny generations. But in relation to the Summer season Olympic games, Safety is just one factor of the bodily demands of the sport, considering you’ve got less than a 3 week window to match in all degrees of opposition, and the yr-round hobby needed to practice and qualify. Imagine gambling 6-7 complete contact Football video games with a constrained roster all inside a span of ~16 days, no longer to mention different feasible qualifying activities during the year. For flag Football, it’s now not uncommon to play 6-7 games in a weekend or from time to time even a day, so the game is extra than prepared for this style of tournament play.

2. global Flag Football interest is Exploding

As cited above, this is a first-rate trouble while determining whether a Sport is in shape to be considered, and whilst traditional American fashion tackle Soccer is extraordinarily popular worldwide as well, flag Soccer appeals to greater countries. it’s a lower barrier to entry as some distance as cost and device move, don’t require complete duration and striped Soccer fields to participate, and is simpler to keep larger event competitions and leagues to encourage local interest.

3. It Requires Fewer members

Relying on which format might be used (our guess is either 5v5 or 7v7), flag Soccer Requires a ways fewer contributors than traditional tackle Football. a part of that is due to it being a much less Bodily Traumatic Recreation and the need for much less substitutions, and another part is due to needing much less expert players, along with kickers, punters, special teams, offensive lineman, etc. where each traditional address Football crew could in all likelihood bring 50+ competitors, flag Soccer might need in all likelihood 15 gamers at maximum, slicing that variety to less than a third. this is critical because the Olympics cap their overall participants to 10,500 athletes and coaches. It additionally once more allows more nations to compete, particularly poorer countries, where fielding a smaller and much less financially Disturbing crew coupled with the motives above makes greater sense.

4. it is no longer just a Guys’s Recreation

Gender equality is a prime emphasis for the IOC. The 2012 Summer Olympics marked the first time all sports included competing ladies in their category. these days, any new Game this is brought to the Olympic games have to consist of both male and girl members. For tackle Soccer, there is simply not nearly enough interest from ladies participators for it to make experience. even as there are a few female gamers, or even some girl tackle Soccer leagues and corporations, it just doesn’t suit the mould, specially with the opposite troubles relating to physicality and barrier to access. For flag Football this is not a problem as certain above, with woman participation booming Across the world.

next STEPS FOR FLAG Soccer AND OLYMPIC INCLUSION So how can we take the following steps to ride the momentum of flag Football immediately into the subsequent available Olympic video games? The IFAF has already helped begin the procedure of having the sport of american Soccer in the front of the IOC in current years, However with their public troubles and apparently no movement given that 2014 more desires to be done to preserve moving ahead. What we do realize is that flag Soccer is being taken seriously at all degrees for simply the primary time in history, with foremost companies making actions to get more into the flag Soccer area and the creation of larger and extra worldwide occasions to fuel the sport. We consider that either on it’s own, or as a discipline of tackle Soccer, flag Football Can be included within the Olympics at some degree inside the subsequent 10-two decades.

If that passed off, what do you suspect that might do to enhance the recognition and legitimacy of the game of flag Football long term? Let us realize in the feedback under!

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