Conclusion

It has been a pleasure to blog for Sports History class. When I first realized I had to take this course I thought it would be boring. I actually really enjoyed learning about the history of sports because I learned how sport developed into the spectacle it is today. Blogging is a fun and creative way to express my opinions on issues in the world of sports. I loved learning about the rise of intercollegiate athletics, the Black Sox scandal, the formation of baseball, and many ethical issues that were presented in class. My favorite ethical issue I blogged about was Pete Rose. I enjoyed hearing this issue from a different perspective because I believe Rose should be in the Hall of Fame as a player but not coach. My favorite issue in class wasn't in a reading or presentation but was actually a debate we had in class. The class we spoke about LeBron leaving Cleveland really made think. After the class I blogged about the issue. I enjoyed hearing other peoples opinion about this issue in class and I realized how big this issue is. LeBron's upcoming decision in the summer of 2010 not only affects the Cavaliers, but also affects the NBA and the city of Cleveland. I believe if LeBron leaves Cleveland the franchise will soon follow. I liked the feedback I received on my post because it really made me think for the first time LeBron actually might leave Cleveland. Overall I enjoyed blogging because it let me communicate with classmates outside of class. I hope to blog more in the future. I believe on day blogging will take place of newspapers, and will only grow as a form of media.

Ohhhhh the pain to be an Cleveland Indians fan....

There is one thing in life that I currently am not proud to say.....I am a fan of the Cleveland Indians. It has killed me the past few weeks watching Sports Center and seeing many MLB teams especially teams in the American League improving. Today players such as Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, John Lackey, Hideki Matsui, and others switched teams. The World Champion New York Yankees even improved this off season by acquiring All-Star Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers. The big news for the Indians...nothing. All the Tribe has done is trade away more players and mention how they need to trim payroll. The Indians also hired former Nationals coach Manny Acta who had an impressive resume with Washington (NOT). Just a few seasons ago the Indians were one game away from the World Series. The Indians chose not to spend money the following off-season and have since fallen apart. MLB is a sport where money= success. The New York Yankees spent a ton of it last off season and won the World Series. My question for the Indians is what are they doing? The Central Division is a division we can contend in and anything goes in the playoffs. Instead of spending money we are watching other teams around us improve. The Indians have traded away the past two Cy Young winners in the AL and All Star Victor Martinez to Boston. As an employee of the Indians I believe the franchise is in turmoil. I believe for the Indians to succeed we need new ownership and a different philosophy on how to build a winning franchise. The only thing the Cleveland Indians have going for them is the success we had in the 1990's. The only reason fans still go to games is to try and recapture the memory's they experienced over a decade ago. There is one thing the Cleveland Indians have a common bond with....the Cleveland Browns. I love being a Cleveland sports fan..........

The Circus That is The Dallas Cowboys

When most people think about the Dallas Cowboys they think America's Team. When I think about the Cowboys I think of one thing....Jerry Jones. The last thing I should be thinking about is the team owner but after watching another Cowboys loss Sunday vs the Chargers I had to write about this. The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in over a decade and our in the midst of another December collapse and missing out on the playoffs for the second straight season. During these losses Fox Sports continuously shows footage of Jones pacing throughout his expensive suite. My issue with the Cowboys is I believe they are all glitz and glamour and an average football team. During Sundays game vs the Chargers fans could watch the game wearing 3-D glasses. The fans are also sitting in a brand new ultra expensive stadium in which there are dancers on every level of the place. The new Cowboys stadium is awesome I will give it that, but completely unnecessary. Does there need to be a giant TV screen when people are already at the game. In my opinion the new Cowboys stadium is more like Cedar Point. The Cowboys and Jerry Jones need to worry about winning actual football games and not playing in an amusement park. I think its a joke that the Cowboys are considered Americas Team. What about the Patriots, Colts, or Steelers?

Will He or Wont He?

The biggest question arguably looming in the world of sports is centered around the NBA's free agent class of 2010. The list features many prominent NBA stars including Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, and Chris Bosh. The one major prize of the free agent class includes the reigning NBA MVP LeBron James. The debate is whether James will stay with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers or bolt to another franchise possibly the New York Knicks. Many argue LeBron's best chance for a championship is staying in Cleveland. Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry has done his best to surround LeBron with the necessary talent to win an NBA title. After the Cavs disappointing finish in last year Eastern Conference Finals the Cavaliers improved their team by acquiring future NBA Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neil to try and help LeBron bring a title to Cleveland. Some believe that the Cavaliers must at least make it to the NBA Finals for LeBron to stay in Cleveland. My big question is why would Lebron leave Cleveland. Many people believe LeBron wants to go to New York to maximize his financial opportunities. LeBron would also love the spotlight and playing in Madison Square Garden over 40 times a year. LeBron also has close ties with Jay-Z who wants Lebron to come to New York. My opinion is LeBron would be nuts to leave Cleveland. Cleveland is close to a championship and is only a few players away from being the best team in the NBA. The Knicks are a team with zero talent and have been one of the worst teams in the league the past few seasons. Even though New York could afford to bring another superstar along with James, I think that move would set LeBron back years in his effort to win a championship. If LeBron was smart he would stay home in Cleveland and fulfill his promise of bringing the city a championship. Cleveland has been through hell with the Browns and Indians and if LeBron were to leave the franchise would shortly follow in my mind. All we can do as Cavaliers fans is hope and pray James stays in Cleveland and brings the city what it deserves.

The Media In Sports

I am doing this blog in response to Nick and Shaun's presentation on if the media should be allowed to intrude the personal life of an athlete. I have always believed that the media should leave athletes alone and how they are just normal human beings like the rest of us. I wonder how the media would feel if people we following them around with cameras and writing stuff about them. Recently after thought I have changed my stance. I believe that athletes take on a much bigger responsibility in life when they become professional and make the amount of money they do. I believe if you are always in the spotlight and make all that money then you should be subject the media. Athletes are no different then movie stars and rock stars. When you're famous and make all that money the media wants to know what you're doing at all times. The fans and society love gossip and crave to know what athletes are doing in their personal life. It feels like every other day we here about another girlfriend for A-Rod. I believe it does cross the line when the media can affect the game but if you are nice to the media cooperative with them chances are they may return the favor. If you are a rich athlete do your job the best you can, and try to hide things going on in your personal life. No matter what professional athletes think the media will always be watching them, but if you're making all the money then who really cares? My advice to athletes....SUCK IT UP.

Head Man In Charge

The other day in class we were talking about who the best commissioner in sports is. I believe the best commissioner out of the three major sports is NFL commissioner Roger Godell. Since Godell has taken control I believe he has brought a much better sense of professionalism to the game of football. Godell has installed a sense of no tolerance for inappropriate actions on and off the field. If somebody messes up legally or runs into trouble off the field they will hear about it. Roger Godell has made a system which hefty suspensions and fines are given out for violations. A good example of how this has helped players change for the better is Bengals RB Cedric Benson. Benson was involved in a few off field incidents with the Chicago Bears, but has cleaned up his act and become a Pro Bowl caliber player with the Bengals. The NFL has started to clean up its image and the players off the field behaviors are improving. David Stern is also a good commissioner in the NBA and really loves the game and its players. Bud Selig is arguably the worst owner because of how he let steroids ruin baseball, and how he lets the All-Star game decide home field in the World Series unlike any other sport.

Disaster in Cleveland

The other day in class we were talking about how Art Model moved the Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore, who are now known as the Baltimore Ravens. This move set the Browns back over a decade, and the Ravens have since won a Super Bowl. Cleveland got its team back in 1999 but now in 2009 resemble a franchise far worse than any expansion team. Since the Browns have been back in the league they have only had one playoff appearance and one 10 win season. This season the Browns have hit a new low. The team is arguably now one of the worst if not worst in NFL history, and the ownership and front office is in disarray. The Browns just recently embarrassed themselves and the city of Cleveland with their 16-0 shutout loss on Monday Night Football when they hosted the Baltimore Ravens. ESPN analysts Trent Dilfer and Steve Young ripped the team and franchise after the game, with Dilfer saying the Browns were the worst offense he has ever seen in football. The Browns problem all starts with the ownership. Randy Lerner inherited this team and has no idea what he is doing. Lerner hired former Jets coach Eric Mangini after he was fired and gave him control of the ship. Mangini hand picked the Browns General Manager who only lasted the first half of the season. The new front office and coaching staff also traded away playmakers Kellen Winslow Jr., and Braylon Edwards, along with draft picks in questionable trades while receiving little back in compensation. The Browns have won a game this season and won't have the worst record of all time, but the Browns are clearly the worst team and franchise in the history of the NFL. The Browns not only can't score a touchdown, they make it look impossible to get first downs and throw the football down the field. With this organization having no direction, no talent, no General Manager, no head coach, a clueless owner, and playing a game of musical chairs at quarterback they will continue to embarrass the city of Cleveland. The people of Cleveland support the Browns through it all and I demand we deserve better. If the Browns don't figure things out and get the right people in control of the organization I wouldn't care if we move again.

Sucker Punch

I would like to give my opinion on the LeGarrette Blount presentation that was given today in class by Dustin. As we all know LeGarrette Blount who is a running back for the Oregon Ducks punched Boise State player Byron Hout in the face following Oregon's tough opening week loss this season. The next day Blount was immediately suspended for the rest of his senior season by new coach Chip Kelly. Going into the season Blount was considered an NFL prospect. I believe his actions were wrong and he negatively represented the University of Oregon. I believe once a decision is made it should stay that way. In this case Oregon recently reinstated Blount and his is eligible to play the remainder of the season. Even though I don't agree about changing the original decision I do believe Blount deserves another chance. Everybody makes mistakes and the last thing Blount deserves is his future ruined. Blount should be able to finish the season so he can salvage whats left of his NFL draft stock. Blount apologized for the incident and deserves a second chance. Ron Artest had a similar incident in the NBA and was suspended the entire season. The difference is Artest got to play again the next season. In this case this was Blount's last year at the University of Oregon. I am happy he can now prove to NFL scouts that he can play in the NFL and hopefully he will get drafted. I just think in the future if a similar incident happens again, the punishment stays in tact the whole season and not changed.

Sportsmanship

One topic that attracted my interest was a presentation done in class a few weeks ago. The topic was sportsmanship. The group who presented posed the question was LeBron James in the wrong when he walked off the court in the Eastern Conference Finals without shaking hands and congratulating the Orlando Magic. I believe he was right and wrong to walk off the court. Being the face of the NBA and the league MVP LeBron should have demonstrated good sportsmanship and congratulated Dwight Howard and the Magic. Instead, LeBron walked off the floor and didn't speak to the media following the game. The thing about sports is that when everything is on the line you become emotionally drained. LeBron is a competitor and like all competitors, he despises losing. LeBron was frustrated and embarrassed following the loss so I understand why he bolted off the court. There have been instances where I have congratulated my opponent and ignored them following a game. The other topic of the presentation was shaking hands before a college football game. I don't like this concept because if anything it makes sense to shake hands following a game. Emotions are high before a game and it doesn't make sense for opponents to communicate and wish each other luck before a game. If anything I believe it is good to show sportsmanship in youth sports to teach young teenagers good values but when it comes to professional sports athletes are mature and old enough to make their own decisions on whether to display good sportsmanship. Most athletes are role models and should represent the game well and display sportsmanship. Sports are very unique because so many emotions are expressed and when caught up in the moment it may be difficult to do the right thing.

Is Baseball Irrelevant?

Despite the dramatic increase in television ratings for the 200 9 World Series, many believe baseball is losing its swagger. Last week in class we discussed how the demographic of males from the ages 18-35 consider baseball irrelevant. I agree with this statement and believe the NFL and NBA are now more popular within my demographic. Much of this can be linked to the steroid problem in baseball. I believe many fans don't care about the sport anymore because so many all-star players have been caught cheating, so who knows who is taking steroids. Another reason for this is the scarcity of parity in baseball. Only a few teams in all of the MLB can afford to spend money on free agents so the same teams are always in the playoffs contending for a championship despite some success stories such as the Florida Marlins and most recently the Tampa Bay Rays. I think the main reason baseball is irrelevant is because of the long 162 game season. Baseball is irrelevant because there are so many irrelevant games being played, considering many teams are out of contention with months to play such as the Cleveland Indians. Being an employee for the Cleveland Indians I witnessed this first hand when fan attendance and support dramatically decreased as the season moved on. Baseball needs to shorten the season so more relevant games are played, but with owners main concern being money that remains doubtful. With so many teams out of contention with months to play in the season, the sports becomes uninteresting and boring with so many useless games being played.

Is Hockey to violent?

Rei's presentation in class the other week made me think about the sport of hockey. Rei explained his opinion that punishments should be more strict for fighting in hockey and how fighting sets a bad example for young teenagers who play the sport. Rei's video clip heavily supported his opinion because it was sad to see young teens resorting to violence. I agreed and disagreed with the presentation. I think that fighting in hockey does set a bad example for young teens and acts as a bad role model. When kids see there favorite athletes throwing punches, what does that influence them to do? The problem with this is that fighting keeps hockey popular. Hockey is losing popularity and already struggling to keep a steady fan base. If fighting were taken away from hockey the sport in my opinion would fold. Many people I know only watch hockey for the fights, and that is the only reason I have ever watched it. A few years back two players in the NHL were in a fight, causing the one player involved to sustain serious injury's that threatened the players career and long term health. Even though fighting makes the sport entertaining is it worth sending bad messages and risking the health of the players?

Native American Mascots in Sport

One of the biggest ethical issues in all of sports is whether or not its appropriate to have mascots that represent Native Americans. Honestly I am getting tired of this debate myself because we have discusses this topic in numerous classes since I have been to Bowling Green State University. My personal opinion is that Native Americans should just get over it and worry about more important things in their lives. If my race or culture were represented by a sports team as a mascot or logo I would be honored. I believe that it is a form of respect and representation. The one special case I do agree with the critics on is the Washington Redskins. I believe this logo is derogatory but at the same time don't believe it should be changed. The fact of the matter is the logo will not be changed because it represents one of the most powerful and historical franchises in all of the NFL. As a fan of the Cleveland Indians, I know of the debate over our team name as well. I believe the Cleveland Indians is a positive representation especially in the mid to late 90's when the team was successful. The Atlanta Braves face criticism over the tomahawk chop but they won 14 consecutive division titles. Many college teams have gone away from Native American mascots including Illinois and Miami of Ohio. In the SI article 81% of the Native Americans interviewed believed they should continue using mascots in High School and 83% said the same thing for professional teams. Over half the population interviewed on reservations said that it was fine to keep using the mascots. I believe Native American mascots convey courage, leadership, and dignity and this debate should be forgotten.

The Cheaters Hall of Fame?

Last week in class we had an interesting conversation about ethics in sports. In this case we were talking about Major League Baseball and Pete Rose. Dr. Spencer asked the class whether Pete Rose should be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame or not. Most of the class raised their hand and I think I may have been the only person to keep my hand down in favor of keeping Pete Rose out of the Hall of Fame. When I was younger I agreed with most of the class. I always believed Pete Rose should be honored by being accepted into the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose's statistics and accomplishments certainly cannot be ignored. Usually when a player hits for over 3,000 hits in their professional career they're usually guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose shattered the 3,000 hit mark and is baseball's all time hit leader with over 4,200 hits. Rose also is the all time leader in games played and at bats. Some other historic accomplishments Rose achieved throughout his career are three world series rings, three batting titles, one MVP award, two gold gloves, Rookie of The Year, and an impressive 17 all star game appearances at 5 different positions. So I do agree with most of the class, sure Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Those statistics and accomplishments are incredible and we may never see a player have success like Rose ever again. The issue with Rose is he embarrassed and disrespected the game of baseball. Rose gambled on baseball both as a player and manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Even though Rose denies betting against the Reds, he did bet on the Reds and we never will truly know if he bet against his own team which wouldn't surprise me. Rose denied these claims for 15 years. I believe Rose shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame because he gambled on baseball and denied it for years. A major issue with baseball today is steroids. Prominent MLB players such as Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmero, Rogers Clemens, and Barry Bonds are surrounded by the black cloud of steroids. Steroids along with gambling on baseball can tarnish a sport and has definitely giving Americas greatest past-time a huge black eye. If some of the best players ever to play the game such as Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens can't be elected into the Hall of Fame because questions over steroids then why should Pete Rose be elected into the Hall of Fame when he to disrespected the game of baseball. Pete Rose should be in the Hall because of his statitsics but what example do you show to baseball fans, players, and young kids when you lets cheaters and gamblers into the Hall of Fame of a sport that they disrecpeted and broke the rules of. This topic of debate is one that can go on all day long. The fact of the matter is it doesn't even matter until Pete Rose is even reinstated which may never happen. Even if Rose is reinstated his Hall of Fame eligibility is nearly up. It is sad to say but one of the all time greats will most likely never be accepted into the Hall of Fame.

Sports fact of the week: The 2009/10 NFL season kicks off this week on Thursday with the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers taking on the Titans.

Introduction

Hey Everyone my name is Nick Malkin and this is my first blog. I am one of the biggest sports fans you will ever meet. Unfortunately I am from Cleveland so my favorite sports teams are the Cavaliers, Browns, and Indians. Even though the Cavaliers are amazing and will hopefully win the NBA Championship this year with Shaq, the Browns and Indians are pretty much terrible. I'm a junior here at Bowling Green State University and my major is Sports Management and my minor is Marketing. My dream job would be to work in the offices for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I actually am planning on interning with the Cavaliers next summer. Currently I work as a Premium Seat Attendant for the Cleveland Indians. This summer I also worked as a Night Time Ticket Sales Representative for the Lake Erie Monsters. I appreciate the opportunity I had to work for the Monsters because it gave me a unique experience and prepared me for the future. This job was the toughest I ever had because it was extremely difficult to sell tickets to the people of Cleveland because Cleveland isn't a hockey town. Other difficulties I had to face selling tickets was the time of year and the economy. I didn't play sports in high school a decision which I now regret. I have played recreation sports and intramural sports and in my spare time I enjoy playing basketball and football with my friends. If I could go back in time and play one sport it would definitely be football because I think its a very fun sport to play.
My favorite athlete to watch is LeBron James. If you have ever been to any Cleveland Cavaliers games you know that LeBron can pump up the whole stadium in a split second with a slam dunk, three pointer, or a blocked shot. The one sporting event I wish I could go back in time and attend would be either the 1995 or 1997 Cleveland Indians World Series. Those two seasons really got me into sports and I miss the days when the Cleveland Indians were actually good along with every other Cleveland fan in the world. I'm looking forward to this class and I hope to learn more about sports history. Thanks for reading my blog and every time I blog I want to leave it with something going on in sports.

This Thursday is Bowling Greens home opener against Troy and everyone should make it out so we can all make history and set a new attendance record at the DOYT.