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Formula One, Sport Or Business?
Jun 23rd
Formula 1 is widely recognised as the most expensive sport in the world. The amounts of money involved are vast and multi million dollar contracts are signed at the start of every season. With such huge sums involved obviously the advertising sponsors of teams are extremely merchandise focused. This is evident when drivers are interviewed and are always seen in their manufacturers cap, emblazoned with various company logos.
Big business has driven Formula 1 since the seventies, mainly due to Bernie Ecclestone’s efforts to rearrange the management structure and commercial rights packages. Multi national companies soon saw the benefits of this new generation of motor sport, with television rights worldwide, the advertising would be the main driving force with the selling of merchandise as a strong secondary income.
The formula in Formula 1 refers to the strict set of rules imposed on all teams for the cars they enter. It restricts things such as engine power, ground effect aerodynamics and team orders, supposedly levelling the playing field. However those teams, such as Ferrari and McLaren with the biggest financial support hold all the cards in a sport where more money means better results. These teams have been clever enough to develop full ranges of merchandise, especially Ferrari who, with the added respect of a well renowned road car company make a great deal from their extensive merchandise collection.
Formula 1 is a worldwide phenomenon, it is broadcast to every country in the world and the viewing figures are only really rivalled by the football world cup. It is estimated that the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2006 pulled in a gargantuan 84 million live viewers with 154 million viewers tuning in to watch at least part of the race. Official figures state that 580 million unique viewers watched the 2005 season whilst the Canadian Grand Prix that year was the world’s third most watched sporting event. With viewing figures like these and with such a widespread fan base there is little wonder companies will pay such extortionate rates to get their logo on a Formula 1 car, or a team’s merchandise range.
It is regarded by most authorities that Formula 1 would be nowhere without the dedication of the swarms of fans that adorn the grandstands come race day. The sport evokes emotion and passion in all of the countries it visits, none more so than in Italy where the Ferrari fans in their red uniform of official merchandise can be seen as some of the most fervent sports fanatics in the world. That is not to say that the other teams do not achieve dedication from their fans; the world of Formula 1 seems to play to many people’s nationalistic tendencies.
Fans will follow a team based in their country, such as McLaren in Britain or BMW in Germany, or support drivers from their respective nations, the Spanish hold Fernando Alonso close to their hearts where as newcomer Lewis Hamilton has brought British audiences back to Formula 1 through his superhuman efforts. The sponsor’s have seen this also as a potential money spinner with popular drivers fronting advertising campaigns and pushing more Formula 1 merchandise upon its faithful public.
So what can the future hold for the billion dollar industry that is Formula 1? Many see the introduction of bio-fuel engines and greater efficiency as paramount in today’s climate of environmental concerns. Apart from this, further rule changes to level the playing field, and increase the safety of drivers are also important. More exciting however is the re-introduction of slick tires (banned since 1998), and the development of a night race, mainly due to time zones and extracting the biggest world audience possible.
Added to this a race in India is being planned, opening up one of the largest potential markets on the planet. Despite its protestations, Formula 1 is simply an advertising tool to sell merchandise for the companies who foot the bill for the most expensive gravy train in world sport. However with the tussles between drivers and the ongoing controversy of team orders Formula 1 is sure to provide excitement and entertainment to its millions of followers.
NFL 2006 Football Season
Jan 29th
Another exciting year of professional football is just ahead and the NFL has made some changes to make it a better one for fans. This is the 87th NFL football season which will culminate with SuperBowl XLI at Dolphins Stadium in Miami.
Attendance at NFL games has been at an all-time high and television broadcast agreements have been lucrative so these changes aren’t solely for monetary gain for the league. The changes seem to appeal to all NFL fans, and the 2006 season will even be launched with a game featuring two perennial winning teams, the Miami Dolphins and last year’s SuperBowl champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A new scheduling system is being used this year. During the last 7 weeks of league play, the NFL is using a flexible scheduling method. This was in response to a problem that’s plagued the league for years. Often late in the season, games between teams not in contention for post season play would be televised during prime time timeslots. Needless to say that that didn’t respond to fan interest or viewership, so the new scheduling will allow the league to feature the hottest teams, or most popular teams, and those that fans are interested in watching, particularly during the key Sunday and Monday night time slots. The start times of games will be affected and games may be moved from Sunday afternoon to Sunday nights.
2006 is the first year of new television broadcast deals between the NFL and CBS and Fox networks. CBS and Fox signed new 6 year agreements that will have them televise Sunday games. ESPN however, will take over broadcasting Monday Night football games. The league will broadcast eight specialty games between Thanksgiving and the end of the season.
A few rule changes have come about in response to injuries during the 2005 season. Players cannot hit a passer’s knees or below their knees unless they are blocked into him. Groups of players cannot dance in the endzone after a touchdown, but players can spike the ball or dunk it through the goalposts. Player’s are not allowed to tackle another player from behind using the “horse collar” tackle and defensive players cannot line up directly over the ball snapper during field goal and extra point attempts.
The 2006 season also features new uniforms for the officials and a new NFL game ball. On-field game officials will wear long pants during the cold winter months. The game ball will now be known as “The Duke” in honor of the late owner of the New York Giants, Wellington Mara. The game balls will continue to be made by Wilson Sports who have been providing footballs for the NFL for 65 years.
Evolution of the National Football League
The first professional football game in the United States took place in Latrobe Pennsylvania in 1895, yet the NFL was not formed until 1920 where it was known during its first two years as the American Professional Football Association. During the 1920′s a player named Fred Grange of the Chicago Bears provided some exciting play and stimulated fan support for the league which until then was considered second rate compared to college football.
During the 1936 season, the NFL instituted a player draft and many talented players signed with NFL teams including the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New York Giants.
After the second world war, the league instituted a new rule that allowed players to be substituted between plays. This is how teams were allowed to send separate 11 man defensive and offensive units onto the field. In 1946, the All American Football Conference was created to compete with the National Football League. The new league included the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Dons. In 1950, the two leagues merged creating two divisions: the NFC and the AFC. This began a prosperous era for the NFL including television broadcast deals in the mid 1950′s which brought the game to a national level. New stars such as Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns, and Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts became household names. This is the era where NFL merchandise began to appear.
In 1966, the era of the SuperBowl began. The playoff format was changed from a single championship game to a four team tournament. During the 1970 season, the league was composed of 6 divisions which created 6 first place teams. To create an 8-team championship tournament, two wild card spots were created. In 1978, the league expanded to 10 teams.
In 2002 with the addition of the Houston Texans, the NFL created and 8 division league. The playoffs were a 12 team tournament that began with a wild card round. The top two division winners receive a bye to the division championships.
Through the years, a number of teams have enjoyed particular success in winning the SuperBowl championship. The Green Bay Packers lead with 12 championships but only one SuperBowl win. The Chicago Bears similarly have 9 championships since 1920 and only one SuperBowl win. In the modern era since the introduction of the SuperBowl Championship game, the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins have dominated league championships. The New England Patriots have become a dominant team since 2000 with three championships.
Overall attendance at NFL games has grown from 4.6 million in 1965 to more than 17 million during the 2005 season. Attendance has grown every year to where an average 68,000 fans attend games, which is near 90 per cent of seating capacity. That is an amazing achievement for any sporting league.
So get involved in the coming 2006 season by showing your support for your local or favorite team. Plenty of NFL merchandise for your and your kids is available from a number of NFL shop retailers. Online NFL merchandise sellers can provide you with everything from fan faces, to fan wigs, to rally caps to oversized footballs. You can even buy your game tickets online. It’s all in the name of fun and this year should be a great one to have a football party. Get into the fan spirit!
Shots of the Soccer Ball
Jan 9th
Many of us know that scoring goals is the only object of the game of Soccer, those very shots decides the game. It’s very essential in the game to hit the ball effectively and powerfully, and the shots of this kind can make huge difference between what people consider as a nil-nil game and a champions game. Let’s consider few points which reveal the secret of shooting those perfect shots of the game.
The prime in shooting the ball is the approach to it which is the key for the game. It’s essential that you, the soccer ball and the soccer goal are in line with one another during the shot. Next most important thing is its placement, it’s very vital to place your foot which is the non-kicking one in level with that of the soccer ball and about six inches to the side of it. And the kicking leg should be simply placed so as the knee of your kicking leg is directly above or just a little beyond the soccer ball just before the kicking foot is about to touch the ball. Players should keep in mind that always the
Soccer Ball has to be hit on its center line at the same time placing your toes some thing like pointing at the ground, then slightly bend your kicking knee following with it and aiming your legs and toes aimed at the ground. Always try leaning forward during the kick, and keep in mind about your knees, they should be over the ball, by doing this would help the player if the soccer ball is shot all over the target. Most of the players know that it is tough for the opponent team to defend a shot which is being hit with very little or with almost no spin.
Another point to note or you could take this as an advice that if any condition of yours is impairing you or constraining your ability to get engaged in physical activity, then you should consult a physician before you attempt to get yourself involved in the activity. Please keep in mind that this information should not be or is not intended as some substitute for a professional medical advice or some sort of treatment, this is just a note.
One would find many tons of facts about how to shot the Soccer Ball the right way, all those are effective but the key is they should happen in tandem for a successful result. To summarize all of the above, the key one which is first and foremost is that your foot needs to be planted fairly even with the ball, not behind; this is one of the most common mistakes which many trainees do. Second one is that, the striking leg should have a bent knee with the toe being curled under at the same time the front of the foot should be flattened something like a paddle, this ensures the right delivery of the stroke. When the strike is hit it should be through the soccer ball and then the landing should be made on the kicking foot with the plant foot following. Keep in mind this motion should be a forward one. Note that during the strike the chest of yours needs to remain down and over the ball as though you have a third eye right in the middle of your chest which has to watch you strike the ball throughout the whole process of stroking, this practice would greatly help in becoming more effective in your kicks, this is a proven one.
More than anything it’s you being relaxed throughout the game is the key to success in the game of soccer. When relaxed you just simply follow through the ball, which would automatically make your natural leg strength to come through to produce a very quality and effective strike.
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UEFA Champions League – The main dish of matchday 3 was won by Real Madrid
Oct 24th
Before the match between Real Madrid and AC Milan, Jose Mourinho sent a message to Massimo Allegri as a reminder of his resume that includes two Champions League titles, and later in the match he gave Allegri a coaching lesson of how this competition is played, as Madrid easily won 2-0.
Some people are born to win, and no matter how much more you want to dig for a more detailed explanation, the answer is as simple as that: winning is just part of their nature. Real Madrid’s coach, Portuguese Jose Mourinho, is one of these people that are born with a star that irradiates success to everyplace that they go, and that star now shines in the capital of Spain, for the delight of all Madrid fans. And as the winner that he is, his success isn’t digested by those who can’t simply admit that he is gifted, and instead tag him as an arrogant human being.
Mourinho has began the road to his third Champions League title -first one was in 2004 with Porto and the second one in 2009 with Inter- with the right foot, winning 3 out of 3 games to occupy the first place of Group G, and is virtually classified for the knockout phase. In what was the first game of the season against a top team, the best version of his team finally appeared, after struggling during the early season to bring out the best from his players.
The game against AC Milan was quickly resolved by Real Madrid. In two minutes of inspiration -accompanied by a little bit of luck- Real Madrid tilted the balance to their favor. In minute 12 Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first goal of the game through a free-kick, with the complicity of the barrier -punctually Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic- that opened a gap where Ronaldo fired his shot on goal. One minute later -without even giving time for Milan to recover- Ronaldo gave an assist to Mesut Ozil -whose shot was deflected by defender Daniel Bonera-to put things 2-0, score that suffered no more changes throughout the rest of the game.
With his goal against Milan, Ronaldo has now reached the impressive sum of 40 goals in 45 games, averaging 0,88 goals per game. The good moment that the team enjoys has come along with Ronaldo’s improvement, as he has scored 7 goals so far this month. The striker attributes his team’s success to “the strategy that we practice with Mourinho is slowly beginning to work out. Nothing is casual, we have to keep on working”.
Real Madrid will be returning to activity in the UEFA Champions League until November 3rd, when they will be visiting AC Milan for the rematch on matchday 4. But this coming Saturday 23rd they will receive Racing from Santander for Week 8 of the Spain’s Liga BBVA, where they’re in first place product of the 17 points achieved in 7 games. They are also the only undefeated team of this competition, and shouldn’t find much resistance against Racing to keep on holding to that record.
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F1- Fernado Alonso is confident about his chances
Sep 5th
The Spaniard has won the last two races in a row and finds no reasons to believe that he couldn’t sign his third one at Suzuka.
With the championship on fire as only 25 points separate the fifth place from the first, and with four more races ahead, this Sunday’s 2010 Japanese Grand Prix has all the ingredients needed to make it one of the most thrilling races of the season.
The two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso is one of the favorites to win the title, and feels confident with the performance of his F10 to face one of the toughest racetracks in the circuit. His two consecutive victories at Monza and Singapore have helped Alonso not only to climb positions in the driver standings -boosting him to the second position -just 11 points away from the leader Mark Webber-, but have also proven that his vehicle has the necessary conditions to help him achieve his third win in a row.
The Spaniard has already tasted victory in Suzuka back in 2006, in a race that contributed to obtain what would be his second championship. Now days Alonso is after his third title, and once again this racetrack will play a vital role in the outcome of the season. He compared this circuit to the ones from Silverstone and Barcelona, as he finds them “similar”, and thinks that the key of being successful on it begins with a “strong vehicle from the aerodynamic point of view”.
Despite the good sensations that Alonso has for the race, he has been cautious when questioned about where is he standing, explaining that “we have to wait until Friday, when we have completed the training sessions”. And that can be considered as a smart decision, considering that the weather forecast has predicted heavy showers during Friday and Saturday, which will certainly affect the performance of the drivers, and their starting positions in the grid.
About the role that his teammate Felipe Massa might have in these four final races, the Brazilian himself has expressed that “I’m not going to go racing to be eligible for second place”. The antecedents from the 2010 German Gran Prix controversy on July 25 -on lap 47 Massa received the order to let Alonso pass him to win the race, order that he followed- are still fresh in the memory of many. It has awakened many doubts about Ferrari’s orders for Massa, taking into consideration that he no longer has chances to win the title, while Alonso stands in a totally opposite scenario.
Massa far from evading these questions gave a very vivid picture of his situation, using his fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello as a living example of what he didn’t want to become. “For sure I am not Ferrari’s second Rubens Barrichello”. He went even further assuring that he would not run under those conditions.
Luca di Montezemolo -Ferrari’s president- came out to support his driver by letting him and everybody else know that “Felipe is and will always stay a number one driver for Ferrari”, and has confidence in his two drivers to achieve the team goals.
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