The ludicrous narrative for a Korean World Cup in 2022

The voting for the rights to host upcoming FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022 take place on Thursday, December 2nd. Hardly a transparent process, the voting process is rife with secrecy and corruption, leaving no real clues as to whom the World Cups will be awarded.

The 2018 bids are from Russia, England, Spain/Portugal, and Belgium/Netherlands. The 2022 bids are from Qatar, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United States. An executive summary of those bids, as evaluated by FIFA, is available here.

What's troubling, somewhat, is to hear the extent to which FIFA president Sepp Blatter is pushing a certain political agenda for these two Cups, which he deems as potential "legacy" tournaments, as outlined in this Wall Street Journal article:

"2018 would open Russia to the rest of the world, banishing the ugliness of the Iron Curtain once and for all. 2022, so the narrative goes, would help unify North and South Korea. Such is the power of soccer that, according to the theory, South Korea would happily share its World Cup with its neighbor to the North. That part's not implausible, but the imagined narrative goes further: North Korea would open up in time for 2022, ridding itself of an authoritarian regime (by that point, Kim Jong Il, the Dear Leader, might have made way for his designated successor, Kim Jong Un) and turning the event into a celebration of soccer-propelled international brotherhood."

Woefully optimistic at best and delusional at worst, could the power of Sepp Blatter's narrative - along with the executive committee members willing to do his bidding - deliver the 2022 Cup to South Korea, co-hosts (with Japan) in 2002? Lest we forget, it was also Blatter's doings that delivered a World Cup to Africa, which although deserved for South Africa progress as a nation, did not deliver in reality what FIFA's rhetoric had promised - as noted previously on this blog here, here, and here.

World Cup power broker and FIFA President Sepp Blatter

All in all, considering recent events in the Korean peninsula, such a pie-in-the-sky scenario for a Korean World Cup in 2022 seems preposterous. But, in truth, no less preposterous than FIFA's back-room-dealing, under-the-desk-note-passing, bribe-inducing, and country-colluding voting process in the first place.

Euro 2012 Mascots Unveiled

How strange is this video introducing the new mascots for Euro 2012, the European soccer championships, to be held jointly by Poland and the Ukraine?

Seriously. These animatrons, of course, look a whole lot better when manifested in material form:

Yikes. Why international sports organizations insist on giving children nightmares via their mascots is beyond me.  At least, however, the new Poland/Ukraine mascots are a tad less creepy than their 2012 Olympic counterparts, Wenlock and Mandeville.

Yowza. Names for the Euro 2012 freaks have yet to be determined, as FIFA holds a fan voting competition to determine whether they will be called one of the following: Slavek and Slavko, Siemko and Strimko, or Klemek and Ladko.

The triviality of the spectacle, does it matter?

HBO's 24/7, aka the 2011 NHL Winter Classic hype machine

A couple of story lines previewed in this 12 minute clip from HBO's production of 24/7, a series about the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins matchup in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic.

In no particular order:

• First, playing hockey outdoors is fundamentally special and, also, returns the game "to its' roots." Except for the fireworks and the overwhelming amount of corporate sponsorship, of course.
• Second, HBO behind-the-scenes shows are awesome.
• Third, these two teams have a rivalry that is concentrated around their two superstars, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. And, both teams are Stanley Cup contenders.
• Fourth, although the third narrative will be prevalent - these teams have other characters that will be interesting to watch.
• Fifth, hockey players are tough.
• Sixth, nobody - apparently - knows what hockey players do off the ice.

Should be an interesting series, especially as an "innovative" extension of the sports/media spectacle.

Absolutely brutal...

What a way to run a club.

Seriously, just a brutal breakdown of how the Glazers have run up the debts on one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world. Amazing, to me, is how overall revenues - including game-day revenue - are going up.  Too bad the 16% (!!!) interests on those debts have still shackled the team.

Q&A with Kevin Nelson, author of Operation Bullpen

He put the piece on Autograph Magazine's website, which is here.

I really appreciate his help and I think the Q&A is worth a quick read.

It never ends...

...or the Norwegian curling team/John Daly apparel outfitter strikes again.

This time, it's at Morehead State University, where women's basketball coach Tom Hodges whimsically signed a contract with LoudMouth golf to outfit his coaching staff for the 2010-2011 season. "It's a little outside my comfort zone," he said, "but anything that gets Morehead State in the headlines and puts our great university front and center, I'm all for it."

This is Tom Hodges first season as a head coach. At just 27 years old, he will be the youngest D-I women's basketball coach this year. But he's inheriting a squad that went 22-11 last year - the school's best season in three decades - and finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. That season, however, did not include an NCAA tournament berth.

At the end of the day, this just seems silly. But the media attention Hodges and MSU have received does underscore the issue of women's sports coverage in the media. When less than 5% of all sports coverage (on TV) is devoted to women's sports, this stunt is emblematic of the gimmicks required to get some publicity. Kudos to Hodges for realizing that, certainly there are worse ways to get media publicity. Still, I maintain a fragment of hope that it's his team's play can earn some coverage - and not just his garish garb.

Soccer, Kids, and Nostalgia

Some interesting examples of sports messages aimed towards and/or involving kids today.  The first is from the Italian Serie A, where the top flight team Fiorentina (based out of Florence) has decided to forgo corporate jersey sponsorship this season in favor of the phrase "Il calcio e un divertimento," which translates into "football is entertainment/fun."

The team's nickname is "Viola," in reference to the squad's 

primary color - purple - as seen in the shirt above.

The team's vice president explained that the message is intended to "encourage young people to approach the game without taking it too seriously."  All in all, avoiding a corporate sponsorship - if even just for one season - is a good move in my book.  Reminds me of a couple teams who have eschewed corporate sponsorship in order to promote a good cause.  The biggest of these, by far, is FC Barcelona.  Beginning in 2006, the club has donated about $2 million per year to put the children's charity UNICEF on the front of its shirt.  It is the only logo to appear on the front of Barcelona's jersey ever

Perhaps the world's best player, Lionel Messi, and perhaps the world's best team, 

FC Barcelona, have partnered with UNICEF since 2006.

As a UNICEF ambassador, Messi recently visited Port Au Prince, Haiti,

on a goodwill mission.

Another example of charitable sponsorship by a soccer club comes from Aston Villa FC, an English Premiership squad that voluntarily placed the name of British children's hospice Acorns on their jersey the past two seasons.  In doing so, the team forfeited about $3 million in potential corporate sponsorship per season.

The British children's hospice Acorns, not to be confused

with the politically-troubled ACORN organization in the U.S.

Unfortunately, while Villa has decided to continue sponsoring the hospice, they've made a change in their jersey sponsorship for the upcoming season.  Their jerseys will bear the logo of "FxPro," a foreign currency exchange company.  The most unfortunate part of the change is that fellow Premiership club Fulham FC will also bear the FxPro logo on their shirts this season.

For 2010-2011 - Fulham on the left, Aston Villa on the right, 

bowl of soup not included.  I'm sure it looks good on you, though.

Finally, here is Sky Sports new commercial for its 2010-2011 coverage of the English Premier League season.  It's both endearing and, simply, good.

I would be more ecstatic if it wasn't an advertisement for SkySports, and thus Rupert Murdoch's ever-expanding fortune, but I think there is something more to think about here.  Consider the construction of the sport spectacle and how easily the genre is recreated in any format (or, in this case, parodied, perhaps).  Find slugs racing each other down an empty sidewalk and bring in announcers, slow-motion, helicopter cameras, and the like, and there you have it.

Even if that's not your cup of tea, you cannot deny the nostalgia dripping from the SkySports spot, emphasizing the myth of professional sports purity.  It's the kind of myth that we are constantly reminded of with regards to baseball in the United States, made especially plain by the Little League World Series, an event that combines America's desire for nostalgia with all of the trappings of a professional, commodified sports spectacle.  Thank you, ESPN.

Eerily similar to the SkySports advertisement, no?

New logo video for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

This whole presentation is both interesting and weird at the same time.

And the logo, I guess it looks fine.  I'm not as blown away by it as Paulo Coelho but, then again, I'm no Paulo Coelho.

More posts will come.  The rigors of schoolwork and dissertation aren't mixing so well right now, but hopefully they'll even out soon.

Nike really goes for it...

Is Jurgen Klinsmann right?

The Daily Show tackles the World Cup

The following is a great piece from Daily Show correspondent John Oliver, who uncovers the commercialization and gentrification of the World Cup in Africa.  Just enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
World Cup 2010: Into Africa - Goal Diggers
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Is this the new currency in NCAA FB recruiting?

An interesting blog post last week from the excellent college sports blog over at The Chronicle for Higher Education details the success of the University of Oregon's video production department, hailing the athletic department's video coordinator Steve Pohl as "the Speilberg of College Sports."  The first video below, from Pohl and UO with the help of digital film production house Pushplay Productions, recently won an award at the 2010 College Sports Video Summit, where it took home the prize for best college sports video of the year.

Big deal, you might say.  But considering the video went up against entries from ESPN (promo work for the College Baseball World Series) and CBS (the 2010 NCAA basketball championship game between Butler and Duke), well, it actually is kind of a big deal.

What makes it an even bigger deal is that productions like this and university employees like Steve Pohl are considered unnecessary by the committee charged with helping the NCAA rein in spending, the Knight Commission.  Considering these video producers and products do nothing to help the health or mind of the student-athlete, there's no arguing that they are superfluous economically.  However, the question is, how important are slick videos like this for satiating both the fans and potential recruits?  While I hope an 8-minute season montage won't be the deciding factor for standout high school football athletes, it has become just one more perk in the long list at the University of Oregon, where being the best means having the coolest stuff: the close relationship with Nike founder Phil Knight, the country's wildest athlete academic center, and an almost-innumerable amount of uniform combinations.

Oregon Football 2009 Season Highlights from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.

Watching the video does make me wonder, however, if "the medium is the message" for both recruits and fans.  Also, I always love watching videos like this just to see what gets omitted.  Where's LeGarrette Blount, the running back who sucker punched a Boise State University player and had to be restrained and escorted off the field by police after a game in Boise last September?  Or the team's dreadful graduation rate (49%)?

Anyway, I guess I should be thanking my lucky Title IX stars that the video production team isn't all about football.  Here's a slightly-less inspiring video about the Ducks' 2010 Track and Field team.

Oregon Track and Field 2010 from Pushplay Productions on Vimeo.

Yeah.  Can you believe they (Pushplay Productions/Oregon) have the music rights to Phoenix?  I guess after you saw the shattering opponent football players in the first video, you're ready to believe anything. Like, that they spelled "Field" wrong in the Track and Field video.

Um, yeah. What about those graduation rates again?

New York Stadium Documentary

The following is an internet documentary from the blog Internets Celebrities, a tandem of bloggers and a videographer who seek to "expose all sorts of injustice - economic, political, and culinary."  Their most recent effort takes aim at the two brand new baseball stadiums that opened to the Yankees and Mets, respectively, last year.

In the film, they talk to noted stadium critic, and author of the excellent blog Field of Schemes, Neil deMause, and make general observations on how crazy it is to spend billions on stadia.  Enjoy.

Stadium Status from Internets Celebrities on Vimeo.

Rough week for South Africa, mega-profits for FIFA

Wednesday, on the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, now commemorated as South African Youth Day, the country had a bit of a rough go of it, to say the least.  Not only did their beloved Bafana Bafana fall to Uruguay by an embarrassing 3-0 scoreline, but their team will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, for their next game (against France) after he was shown a straight red card in the 76th minute.  The loss means that the team needs something just short of a miracle to progress out of the group stage and make the second round.

The problems for South Africa, however, don't end there.  In Durban today, approximately three thousand South Africans showed up outside Moses Mabhida Stadium to protest the government's lucrative spending to stage the World Cup tournament.  With 40% of the country's population living on less than $2 per day, much of the criticism in the build up to the World Cup has centered on whether the South African government should have spent money, specifically, on stadiums that will become obsolete after the tournament ends.

The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, for example, a 43,500-seat stadium built specifically for this month's tournament cost the nation's taxpayers about $140 million and will host just four World Cup matches.  That's a cost of about $35 million per game!  Known as the "Giraffe Stadium," there's no denying the beauty of the facility, but many of the residents in the surrounding areas (just a hundred yards in some cases) suffer from a lack of electricity, paved roads, proper housing, and clean water.

The orange trusses that support the roof of the Mbombela Stadium

were designed to look like giraffes.

The protest came just days after riot police in Durban used tear gas and rubber bullets to dissipate a protest by local security guards who claimed that they had been underpaid for their services.  According to the New York Times, the guards were promised about $200 per day for a 12-hour shift; instead, on their first day of work, they received just $27 for their workday in and around the Mabhida Stadium in Durban.  As a result of that protest on Monday, security guards in Durban and at other stadiums throughout South Africa have gone on labor strikes and forced FIFA to ask police to take over security at venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.

Adding to this already-volatile situation, earlier this week, South African energy officials asked their citizens to "reduce their consumption of electricity" to ensure the tournament does not face any energy disruption.  Even though each of the country's 8 World Cup stadiums have backup generators, there is still a concern that the country's union of energy workers could strike at the state-owned energy company responsible for producing most of the country's electricity.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter illustrating how much he cares about

South Africa's financial situation.  About yay-much.

At the end of the day, a consistent level of anger has been leveled at FIFA, soccer's governing body, which demanded the South African government spend upwards of $4.3 billion to build new facilities and the infrastructure required for hosting a tournament of this magnitude.  And while South Africa will struggle with the lingering financial issues of staging the tournament, FIFA is set to reap profits of up to $2.5 billion from the sale of broadcast rights, marketing, and tickets for the tournament.  The best part? As an officially-registered charity in Switzerland, FIFA will pay $0 in taxes on that profit.

Microsoft and ESPN bring media convergence to sport

Beginning in November, if you own an Xbox 360 and subscribe to Xbox Live, you will be able to watch ESPN3 live and on-demand through your magical Microsoft box.  The entertainment device already boasts connections to Netflix and other kinds of entertainment content, but it's safe to say that today's announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opens the world of sports broadcasting to an intriguing new medium.

Two SportsCenter anchors were on hand at E3 today to

show this picture of USC players hugging.

Importantly for both companies, however, this new feature will be exclusive to the Xbox, leaving Microsoft competitors Nintendo and Sony out in the cold.  Both console-developing companies, however, have made strides within the past year to make their mark in the streaming sports world.  Just a few months ago, Sony made a deal with Major League Baseball to supply a live streaming service through the Playstation.

The kids are going to want to do this, ESPN thinks.

It also means that there are some new features forthcoming as a result of the convergence.  According to their presentation, the Xbox/ESPN experience will also feature "live trivia, polls, and clips from ESPN shows  like SportsCenter."  For ESPN's Digital Media GM, John Kosner, streaming programming through the Xbox can create a "live even experience" that "reach[es] a group that we don't normally reach."

The new Marlins Stadium officially goes off the deep end

The soon-to-be Miami Marlins are installing two custom-built saltwater aquariums in the facade of their field level wall, to the right and left of each team's dugout.  For protection, the aquariums will be constructed with bullet-proof glass, so there's no chance of a Dan Uggla foul ball destroying any precious Florida-area marine life.  Plus, destroying Florida-area marine life is BP's job.

Why watch the Marlins when you can watch smaller fish just swim around?

The new $515 million stadium will also feature lounging and pool areas in left-centerfield, a water feature in straight-away centerfield, and a some kind of $2.5 million art feature that will be used to celebrate the team's home runs.

Currently unnamed and unknown centerfield water feature.

It's an arcade-like design and the marlins will, purportedly,

jump after each Marlins' home run.

While it doesn't justify the price tag, there is no doubt that projects like these will make the new stadium one of the most intriguing facilities in Major League Baseball.  Aquariums in the field of play...what will they think of next?

The Most Watched Nationals Game Ever?

ESPN started its Stephen Strasburg coverage this morning and will begin pre-game coverage of the pitching sensation's (and top pick in the 2009 draft) MLB debut at 3.30pm this afternoon on a special edition of Baseball Tonight.  Local cable network MASN will also deliver additional pre-game coverage with a special one hour edition of Nats Xtra.  That show begins at 6pm.

ESPN is giddy.

Considering that Nationals Park sold out within two hours of the team announcement of Strasburg's first MLB start and that over 200 media credentials have been passed out (three times more than normal), it is safe to say that tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates is - by far - the biggest game ever in Washington Nationals history.

Tonight's game will be just the second sellout for the Nationals this season - a fact made more special because weeknight games are usually tough draws for any MLB home game.  Currently the Nationals are 24th (out of 30 teams) in the league in home game attendance.  

Nationals Park will, undoubtedly, not look like this tonight.

The only other game to sellout at Nationals Park this year?  Opening day, when current U.S. president Barack Obama threw out the first pitch.

ESPN Rolls Out its WC Coverage

This is an impressive start.  Mike Tirico handling the on-location studio-hosting duties for ESPN's World Cup coverage, a first for World Cup coverage in the U.S.

With pre-match shows and post-match shows, as well as a daily evening show to recap and analyze the day's action - all broadcast from South Africa - it's like soccer finally getting its due from the Worldwide Leader.

I don't get this new Adidas ad......

 ...I mean, did they make this just because they could?  And what more random collection of folks than Daft, Punk, David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Jay Baruchel, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Franz Beckenbauer, and a host of crazy aliens in a remake of a scene from Star Wars that takes place in a Mos Eisley cantina.

Well done, Adidas. I guess.

Huge Boondoggle on Tap for MLB

On Wednesday night, Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was set to make history against the Cleveland Indians.  Through 8 and 2/3 innings, Galarraga had pitched a perfect game.  He was just one out away from recording the third perfect game in the last month in MLB (following Dallas Braden of the Athletics on May 9th and Roy Halladay of the Phillies on May 29th).  Then this happened:

Here's the image up close.  You make the call.

And now, let the media siege - and those who scream for instant replay - begin.

Yikes.  Count this as just another in the many, many, many number of times I wouldn't want to wake up as Bud Selig tomorrow.

Canada's Stanley Cup Coverage puts NBC to shame

As in many things hockey, the Canadian Broadcasting Company is putting NBC's lackluster approach to the Stanley Cup Finals to shame.

Time to admit that yes, even with these guys, Canada does it better.

Evidence?  Exhibit A and B, from the CBC, below.  From the opening night (Saturday) of the Stanley Cup Finals...

Sinatra, the history of both franchises, and one of the wildest arenas in all of sport? Well done.  And from last night's coverage of game two of the Stanley Cup Finals...

My favorite part?  About 1:10 in, where you can see Patrick Sharp yelling from the bench at pulled Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton.  The production firepower for NBC's Stanley Cup Finals broadcasts don't even come close.  This is all I could find online from Game 1, and I can assure you that Game 2's intro video was just as short and lame.

I guess that should be expected, considering how low hockey is on the totem pole in the United States, but still - if the Stanley Cup is your property, NBC, wouldn't you give it half the consideration and production power of that overblown, completely out-of-touch venture you call Sunday Night Football?

Well, remember, this is NBC we're talking about.  Still, NBC network executives are probably ecstatic with the Stanley Cup Finals, considering their coverage on Saturday night produced the highest overnight ratings for the opening game of Stanley Cup Finals in 11 years and a 12% jump over last year's opening game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.  While national viewership figures won't be available until tomorrow (Wednesday), we already know that the overnight figures for game 2 produced the highest-rated game 2 numbers in 35 years and a 21% jump from last year's game.

Still, couldn't they put a bit more effort into their production?  As it stands, CBC's coverage is all the more interesting because they are formulating an actual narrative.  A narrative - with all of the dramas, twists and turns, and so on - sells the broadcast.  Seems like common sense.

Tom Rinaldi goes Emmy-hunting

ESPN's long feature master Tom Rinaldi, a 2007 Sports Emmy winner in that category, goes hunting again (like he does every week).  This time, the piece tells the story of the hero of the 1950 US men's national soccer team, Joe Gaetjens, who scored the lone goal in the US' 1-0 miracle win over England.

Touching, as always, from Rinaldi.

Creating the bond between city identity and team

Exhibit A, regarding the new logo for the Portland Timbers, set to join Major League Soccer in 2011:

Creating that bond is, obviously, crucial to ensuring the team's viability.  Considering that the city of Portland has given $31 million to upgrade the Timbers' PGE Stadium, one might suggest that there is a lot of (local) vested interest in the new MLS franchise's success.

The redeveloped PGE Stadium won't be brand new, but it will have 

character, charm, and a downtown location.

Turns out that PGE Stadium - in its various incarnations - is an 85-year-old facility whose eccentricity lies in the fact that it has been used as a football, baseball, and soccer stadium during its lifetime.  Rather than redevelop the stadium to mirror the likes of Red Bull Arena or Toyota Park, the J-shaped, downtown PGE Stadium will rely on a quirkiness that the team hopes will draw on the familiarity of older stadiums and, thus, become the MLS-version of Fenway Park or Lambeau Field.

In soccer, as in any sport, pretty girls = good ratings

While it may be the oldest TV broadcasting maxim in the book, it is still interesting for me to hear it so prominently proclaimed.  In this short behind-the-scenes video from Fox Soccer Channel's Football Fone-In, we see male co-hosts Eric Wynalda and Nick Webster tout the addition of former Arizona State University soccer standout Temryss Lane (twitter) for boosting their show's ratings.  Again, it's an obvious connection, but it's almost flaunted by her male counterparts in the vid below.

The boost in ratings, furthermore, has not gone overlooked by Major League Soccer and their website - which produced an article on Lane's rise, put together a photo gallery of Lane that dates to her playing days at ASU, and featured her - along with the rest of the Football Fone-In cast - on yesterday's MLS video podcast.

What is Lane's role on the Fox Soccer Channel's prime call-in show, you might ask?  She is charged with breaking down highlights for the WPS as well as responding to e-mails and Tweets - not altogether unlike the role currently held by another female in the realm of cable sportsdom...that is, the role that Jenn Sterger plays on Versus' The Daily Line, a nightly sports talk show where Jenn blogs, conducts a live chat, and reads Tweets during the telecast.

The Daily Line hosts. And I ask, why is Jenn's head 

so disproportionately tilted?

I guess these women are just another pair in the long line of women relegated to the sidelines of sports broadcasting, seeing as both are typically shown (by themselves) to the fair right or left of the show's main desks.  But in the digital age, it's interesting to see that the sideline - for these two shows at least - is now the Internet...a place where both Lane and Sterger - as aspiring models - have their own followings.

New Nike World Cup Commercial

Deadspin called it meta-referential.  Why else would they include Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer?  I'd say that applies, as does hyperbolic.

The following is a result of Nike's tireless effort to make the grandest statements in their commercials.  Though, in the case of an England victory in the World Cup, I dare say you'd see plenty of Wayne-babies in England in the coming months.  So, perhaps that's not an exaggeration.  One mistake that's made, however, is the inclusion of Brazilian star Ronaldinho, who did not make Brazil's World Cup roster.

In the end, Nike just doing it like only they can.

New Philadelphia-area MLS Stadium almost ready

The stadium, located 15 miles from the center of Philly in Chester, Pennsylvania, is getting close to being completed.

You know what they say about waterfront property.

Even better news according to the MLS Insider blog and the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Philadelphia Union - who will make the new facility, dubbed PPL Park, their home - have sold out their limited allotment of 12,000 season ticket plans for the 2010 season.  I'm certain that a large number of those season tickets have been sold to the fan support group, the Sons of Ben (as in, Franklin), which already boasts over 5,000 members.

The stadium will apparently have a special entrance for the Sons of Ben.

 
The team decided to cap the number of season tickets in the 18,500-seat stadium so that single-game and walk-up tickets could be sold for home matches.  The stadium is slated to debut on Sunday, June 27th, when the Union take on the Seattle Sounders at 5 pm on ESPN2.

And both MLS and the team expect the new building to be filled to capacity throughout the remainder of the home schedule.  Why?  Because the Union - in their two home matches in Lincoln Financial Field - have drawn 34,870 (for the franchise debut) and 25,038 (for a game against FC Dallas last week) fans.

The team has already had good support at cavernous

Lincoln Financial Field.

Seems like a good start for MLS in Philadelphia, but it remains to be seen whether the new stadium will be the locus of job creation and neighborhood revitalization that both the league and team promised.

Want to Buy Michael Jordan's (Slightly Used) McLaren?

It's only $449,000, currently listed at auction on eBay.  Actually kind of a steal since Mercedes only built 150 of these, at a price (in 2007) of around $480,000 and since Jordan put it up for sale on eBay last year for $599,480.  The current price, therefore, is a sweet $150k discount.

As GM for the Wizards and Bobcats, Jordan was adept at 

running the team into the ground.  With just 951 miles on the odometer, 
thankfully, this car was spared that fate.

More good news, besides a Michael Jordan signed title, is that the car is actually a "722 Special Edition" 2007 Mercedes McLaren SLR, which means it can go from 0-60 in a paltry 3.6 seconds.

Better yet, because the top speed is 210 mph, you should be back from the grocery store in no time.  So put your Ford Fiesta in the garage and get to bidding!  Just five days left!

How sad is this?

In the most picturesque stadium in all of baseball, just under 9,300 fans managed to show up to watch MLB's two lamest teams duke it out on a Monday night.  The Kansas City Royals won 4-3, but the telling story of the game is this shot from Jen Royle of MASN.

The small gathering in the 2nd inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Sad, indeed.

Horse Racing fans in Baltimore "Get their Preak On"

Last year, Preakness officials, eager to put an end to the "Freakness" party in the track's infield, banned patrons from bringing in their own coolers and beverages (read: alcohol).  The result?  A 30% drop in attendance for the 2009 race compared to 2008, the biggest one-year drop in Preakness history (from 112,222 to 77,850).

Fast-forward to Saturday's race, where Preakness officials launched a massive ad campaign to bring those patrons (and their money) back to the track by publicizing the return of the drunkenness and debauchery to the infield at Pimlico.  Entitled "Get Your Preak On," the campaign was met with more than its fair share of controversy.  One columnist from the Baltimore Sun called it an "embarrassment," "sleazy," and "pathetic."  On the opposite side, Baltimore sportscaster Scott Garceau called it edgy and well-targeted at 20 year-old, potential horse racing fans.  Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas insisted that the campaign's volatility was a great marketing tool in and of itself:

"Let's look at it real simple.  People like it.  People don't like it.  One thing's for sure, (the media) is doing a lot of stories and a lot of articles about it, which keeps the Preakness and racing at the front of everybody's minds."

Controversial ad campaigns for sports and sports figures help to get people talking - no matter where they stand - as the old saying goes: any publicity is good publicity.  And since the campaign made its way into the USA Today and the front page of Washington Post on Friday, no one can argue with the campaign's success in drumming up media attention.

All this notwithstanding, was the campaign effective in selling more tickets?  Well, coolers were still prohibited in the infield but organizers eased up on the previous year's crackdown and even offered some all-you-can-drink and $1 beer specials.  As a result, attendance increased by 18,000 people over last year for a total of 95,760 (about an 18% increase over last year), - but remained well below the attendance records during the "bring-your-own-cooler" era.

The question that remains, however, (and asked by Baltimore Sun blogger David Zurawik) do any of the people in the infield care about horse racing?  Or, in other words, can the marketing scheme and resulting media circus actually bring fans to Pimlico on any other day of the year?  If the answer is no, then who cares how classy the infield party is at the Preakness?  Let Missy Elliott run wild.  It's simply a separate, but simultaneous event to the second jewel of horse racing's triple crown.

I'm sorry, what?!!?

The latest advert for ESPN's World Cup coverage is here, again with some help from U2.

So, is the lesson don't watch this year's World Cup with your sister?

Could the Jets really be blacked out this season?

I've had a busy week away from TES, but I couldn't help taking note of the following bombshell dropped on Jets fans this week.  If the more than 10,000 PSLs for Jets seats in the new Meadowlands Stadium aren't sold by the first week of the 2010 NFL season, there could be Jets blackouts in the New York metro area.  Many of the unsold seats are located in the non-club seat sections of the stadium's lower bowl, with PSL prices between $4,000 and $20,000.

Plenty of ugly gray seats still available

But can you believe it!??! Blackouts!  In New York!  For a team that made it to the conference championship game last season.  For what it's worth, Jets owner Woody Johnson insists that the blackouts won't happen...but there is a slight chance that Johnson could wind up paying for a few of the remaining PSLs himself, in order to ensure the team makes it onto television.

So, just how desperate is Johnson to get these seats sold?  Check out the latest incredible offer from Jets brass sent to season ticket holders who have not yet purchased a PSL: no money down on a new PSL, free parking, and - get this - the pièce de résistance...a free DVD of the 2009 Jets season.  That Woody Johnson, a real closer.

Never doubt the passion of 20,000 hockey-mad Montrealers...

By defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight by a score of 5-2, the Montreal Canadiens became just the second 8-seed to advance past the first round of the NHL playoffs (the Canadiens were just the 9th number 8-seed to advance past the first round).

The only other team to do it?  The 2005-2006 Edmonton Oilers, who ran a hot streak past the Red Wings, Sharks, and Mighty Ducks to reach the '06 Stanley Cup Finals.  The Oilers ended up losing that series to the Carolina Hurricanes (the Eastern Conference's number 2-seed) in seven games.

However, not even the Oilers can share in the incredulousness of the Canadiens' run because, by beating the Capitals in the first round and the Penguins in the second, the Canadiens defeated the President's Trophy winners and the defending Stanley Cup Champions in successive series.  And that's never been done by an 8-seed in the NHL playoffs.  Ever.

Canadiens fans inside the Bell Center celebrate a first period goal 

against the Penguins on Wednesday night.  Or maybe they just found out 

they could save up to 15% on their car insurance by switching to Geico.

As a result of tonight's victory in Pittsburgh, I'm sure the 20,000 fans who packed the Bell Centre in Montreal are going bananas.  That's right, tonight's game was a sellout hundreds of miles away in Montreal, where the Bell Centre sold out for fans willing to watch the game on the arena's Jumbotron.  According to this report from CTV, the Bell Centre sold out in about 40 minutes.  Tickets were sold by the team for $10 a piece, but scalpers reported that values had increased to about $40-50 at game time.

They love their hockey in Montreal but, in fairness, that is a 

pretty decent-sized HD screen.

When I see something like this, where a team can fill a stadium without even playing in it, I think about the power of sports - and also the power of media.  Because it's not everyday you can attend an NHL-viewing house party with 20,000 of your craziest hockey friends.

The Minnesota Twins are providing a history lesson...

After moving from a sterile space (the Metrodome), the Twins now have a place "with a soul," says one official.  One of the many, many examples is the team's lineup video introduction.  It provides a walk through the team's history - especially its outdoors legacy - and even uses some snappy CGI microfiche.

Interesting stuff.

World Record Crowd for Hockey Game

In Germany yesterday, the Veltins-Arena set the record for the largest crowd ever for a hockey game, hosting over 77,000 fans for an opening round game - between Germany and the U.S. - of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship (it's like the Olympic tournament, but with fewer stars - since the NHL playoffs are underway - and more advertising).  The Germans, backed by a raucous crowd, won in overtime by a score of 2-1.

The stadium, located in the city of Gelsenkirchen, hosted several soccer games during the 2006 World Cup and is the permanent host of Bundesliga club Schalke 04, currently in second place in league play.

I'm impressed, mostly because 77k is a lot of people to watch an opening round game.

Major League Soccer Expands into Canada (Again)

Today, Major League Soccer announced its 19th franchise, an expansion team based in Montreal.  Canada's second largest city, however, will not be starting from scratch.  Currently, the Montreal Impact, a club whose existence goes back nearly two decades, play in the the highest minor league division for professional soccer in the US/Canada.  They were champions of that league last season.

Even better for MLS, the Impact already play in a relatively new (opened in 2008) soccer-specific stadium.  That facility, Saputo Stadium, will be upgraded for the switch to MLS in 2012.  Bonus: Saputo Stadium has a natural grass surface.

The Impact will use Montreal's Olympic Stadium (foreground) 

for select home matches.

The Impact's addition to MLS means that when they join the league in 2012, there will be three Canadian-based squads in the league (Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps).  And, already, there is a tense rivalry between these teams (there is a natural city rivalry between Montreal and Toronto), having met in various cup matches and lower-division games.  Moving Montreal and Vancouver to the MLS will only enhance these north-of-the-border rivalries.

In fact, I'm thinking that the tri-city Canadian rivalry could potentially be one of the most contentious in the entire league.  At current moment, the only intense rivalry (described as "these two teams really don't like each other") in MLS is between Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy (the teams share a stadium in Carson City, CA).  But, when Portland and Vancouver join the MLS in 2011, many expect a natural rivalry to develop between those two cities and Seattle, home of Sounders FC and the largest crowds in MLS.

All of these current and future rivalries overshadow what should be the league's most potent rivalry division with the teams located in New York, New England, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.  Unfortunately, the rivalry between New York and D.C. has never fully blossomed because both teams have struggled in recent seasons.  The league is hoping that New York and Philadelphia could bloom into a "mega-rivalry," but because the Union are in just their first year of play in MLS, a true rivalry will take time.

In all, expansion into soccer-friendly markets and soccer-specific stadiums is a natural evolution for MLS.  Though it remains to be seen whether the Canadian clubs will come to dominate, they will clearly be a boon for the league if only by providing some of the league's most dramatic match-ups.

The NHL is getting better at this Winter Classic thing

The nostalgia streams are on full blast in this 7-minute montage of the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.  Appreciate it for yourselves, as the NHL piles on the memories...

...your dad used to skate on your backyard pond too, right?  I suggest watching this in HD, nothing says classic memory like a slow-motion HD montage (is that the "Rudy" music in the background?).

Combined with their recent playoff ad series, "History will be made," the NHL's devotion to memory, history, and nostalgia is becoming their bread-and-butter.  Which is fine, except I am a little thrown-off when the NHL adds Mike Cammalleri's swatted-in goal from game two of the current Canadiens-Penguins Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Previous "History will be made" commercials feature Ray Bourque, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, in some of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport.  You're telling me, NHL, that Cammalleri's go-ahead goal (the Canadiens eventually won the game 3-1) in the second period deserves to be on the same historical echelon?  I dunno about that.