Sport Savings

Posted byBen Golliver.

On Monday, the National Basketball Players Association sent the NBA a disclaimer of interest, folding up the union and turning the keys over to lawyers. It was a move that NBPA executive director Billy Hunter admitted would lead to a high probability that the 2011-2012 season, and NBA commissioner David Stern replied to the action by saying that the league was headed for a nuclear winter.

But all hope is not lost.

Sports law expert and Tulane professor Gabe Feldman told the Orlando Sentinel that the legal process the NBPA is heading for could be wrapped up quickly enough to save at least some portion of the 2011-2012 regular season, which has already seen its first six weeks canceled.

OS: So is the ultimate upshot here that a season is now much less likely after todays events?

I dont know that its much less likely. I just think that the upshot here is that the players have taken a significant step to try to gain leverage at the bargaining table and the upshot is that the season will certainly not start as quickly as it would have without the disclaimer.

But it doesnt mean that the season wont happen. I think a much more shortened season is an inevitability at this point. But the litigation process could take place quickly enough to allow the players and the owners to determine how much leverage they have. It wouldnt mean an entire antitrust lawsuit is litigated because that could take years. But the preliminary fights could take place in a manner of weeks and could be resolved in time to save part of the regular season.

Folks have discussed this as the nuclear option, and David Stern himself has said were in for a nuclear winter. Its not irreparable harm here. They can put the pieces back together in time to save the season.

NBA commissioner David Stern labeled the disclaimer a negotiating tactic in his Monday morning address, so everyone seems to agree that its a move with legal as well as posturing implications.

But when will the legal stuff start playing out? That remains an open question.

David Boies, new counsel for the NBA players, said Monday that no official lawsuit had yet been filed and seemed to imply, in a question and answer session with ESPN.com, that there might not be one forthcoming.

If — and I say if because first of all, we havent filed a lawsuit — a lawsuit were filed, but if a lawsuit were filed and if there was an interest in settling that lawsuit, then as Jeffrey says, what would happen is the lawyers for the players would meet the lawyers for the owners and we would try to come up with some kind of settlement.

That settlement would be something that would open up the league to play. But you would not have a collective bargaining solution.

In other words, we all sit and wait until the players make this thing official. Our lockout purgatory is now in a purgatory of its own. Exponential legal purgatory is about as far from basketball as one can imagine and as deflating as it gets.

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Imagine a sports league in which teams didn’t have to pay salaries to star players, but still collected tens of millions of dollars in revenue by selling out every game, securing massive sponsorship deals and landing huge television contracts.

Instead of struggling to get by like most of today’s professional clubs, without the burden of million-dollar player contracts these teams would produce enormous profits for their owners.

Despite the fact that it’s the players the ticket buyers and television networks would be paying to see, they would have no income or long-term contracts or job security of any kind. No union or players’ association would fight on their behalf.

In fact, it would be illegal for teams to give them almost anything in return for their hard work. The league would dish out tough penalties if a team so much as handed a player an envelope of petty cash or the use of a vehicle to get to and from the games.

Massively unfair to the players? Maybe. But a ridiculous notion that would never be possible in this day and age of collective bargaining in sports?

Not at all.

That’s exactly the operating model for U.S. college sports.

So, you may think the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State is about ethics and morality, or even sports. But it’s really about big business.

And until that dynamic changes, the culture of preserving the revenue stream at any price – even the safety of children – will continue.

Last year, the Nittany Lions had revenue of $73 million U.S. The team plays in a stadium with more than 100,000 seats and ticket prices average well over $100.

By comparison, according to Forbes, the Ottawa Senators generate about $96 million in annual revenue.

But thanks to their roughly $60-million payroll, the Senators lose a few million bucks at that revenue level. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, make a $53-million profit.

That’s a 73-per-cent profit margin, enough to make a Fortune 500 CEO drool. And that doesn’t include the impact of the football program and coach Joe Paterno on the school’s overall fundraising.

Successful sports programs are a recurring Superball lottery win for U.S. colleges. Much of the cash is put to good use; Penn State is considered one of the top research universities in the country, for example.

But the cash flow creates a dependency on sports that makes it difficult for universities to put in jeopardy. So when a scandalous or criminal allegation is raised, it may be morally right to conduct a public investigation or go to the police, but it’s not in the best financial interests of the school.

Still don’t think college sports is about money? Already the credit-rating agency Moody’s is looking into downgrading Penn State on the assumption that it will lose sponsorship, donations and enrolment as a result of the scandal and the firing of Paterno. Any change would mean the university would pay much more annual interest on its $1-billion debt.

None of this justifies the actions of school officials who turned a blind eye to the worst possible allegations against an assistant coach. As administrators and, frankly, as human beings, they had an obligation to contact the police.

But it does help to explain how, like governments and their gambling revenue, U.S. colleges have become addicted to cash from sports. College athletics are more about the bottom line than even professional sports. And that means that moral and ethical considerations – like what happens to the players who take lame courses to focus full-time attention on football, but don’t make it to a lucrative career in the NFL – are easily and regularly set aside.

“College football and men’s basketball have drifted so far away from the educational purpose of the university,” James Duderstadt, a former president of the University of Michigan, told the New York Times. “They exploit young people and prevent them from getting a legitimate college education. They place the athlete’s health at enormous risk, which becomes apparent later in life. We are supposed to be developing human potential, not making money on their backs. Football strikes at the core values of a university.”

Joe Paterno and other Penn State officials deserved what they got. But if the goal is to prevent another coverup from happening, firing a few people won’t be enough.

The entire system of U.S. college sports is structured to encourage looking the other way when there’s a threat to the program. As long as sports are a giant cash machine for colleges, the temptation to avert the eyes and protect the profits will persist.

Mark Sutcliffe writes about business, sports and running for the Citizen

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen   

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In November 2011, a massive college football scandal erupted when former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested on 40 counts of sexual abuse. The investigation revealed that head coach Joe Paterno was told that Sandusky abused a young boy on Penn State grounds in 2002, but failed to report the abuse to police. Just days later, Paterno was fired by the Penn State board of trustees. He had coached the team for 45 years.

The scale and horrific nature of the crimes, combined with Paternos status as a college football legend, makes the Penn State scandal one of the most shocking in sports history. Do any others compare? Read on to relive some of the biggest sports scandals of all time. Photo: Getty Images, Kevin C. Cox / 2010 Getty Images

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The results showed that those with the putter they believed to belong to a former PGA Tour player sank 5.30 out of 10 putts, while those with the other putter sank only 3.85 out of 10. While these numbers arent huge in difference, they are still statistically significant.

Superstitions

This apparent placebo effect shows that maybe superstitions golf players hold have some sort of scientific backing. According to the PGA and a recent article it did on player superstitions, the game of golf is full of them. Superstitions ranging from using an 1881 penny as a ball marker to writing down a goal score before the round starts are some of the superstitions mentioned.

We all hear stories of athletes that wear the same dirty socks for each game until they lose and, according to the PGA list, this happens with golfers too. This superstition is one I could never quite get around. I just cant figure how dirty smelly socks would help anything.

Its a Mental Thing

Success in sports depends a lot on your physical ability to play the game, but I believe a big portion of success in any sport, including golf, has a lot to with your mental state. I find if I have too many things on my mind, my game suffers. With this in mind, I can see how hearing that the club I was using was used by a professional golfer might give me a mental edge in my game. Lets be honest: How many of us have purchased a club or a set of clubs just because it was the same clubs used by a professional in the hopes that it would help our game?

Based on this study, maybe that purchase choice really did help our game.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and has followed golf since she was a child. She can hit the fairway from the tee, but personally her short game needs some work. Working now as a freelance writer, she brings her love for sports to her writing.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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Denver Broncos Tim Tebow: yea and nay

The Heisman-winning quarterback inspires passionate support among legions of fans, but many others dont want him. This is the most divided fan base in professional sports, an observer says.

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Negotiations to end the N.B.A. lockout will resume Saturday amid a new threat to labor peace: a disillusioned faction of players.

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Derek Fisher, the N.B.A. union’s president, has denied there is a rift between him and Billy Hunter, the union’s executive director.

Related

• High-Tension N.B.A. Talks Resume, but They’re Between Union Officials
  (November 3, 2011)

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About 50 players, including some All-Stars, are planning a drive to dissolve their union if talks again falter, or if the talks produce a labor deal that they deem unpalatable, according to a person who has spoken with the group.

The threat could throw a wrench into negotiations as league and union officials attempt to broker a deal, knowing that any compromise might trigger a legal battle that could last for months.

“It’s a potential threat to all,” said Gabe Feldman, the director of the sports law program at Tulane University. “It could signal the breakdown of collective bargaining talks.”

Dissolving the union, also known as decertification, would allow the players to sue the N.B.A. under federal antitrust law, and could force the owners to end the lockout. But there are many potential obstacles, both legal and otherwise, and the decertification process could take two months. By that time, the entire 2011-12 season might be lost.

The most immediate outcome of a decertification drive would be chaos, the mere threat of which could hasten a deal. Feldman said it could be “just another ploy to gain leverage” for the players and a “major weapon in collective bargaining.” But it also could make it tougher to reach a deal.

The 50-player faction is essentially demanding that the union make no more concessions. That means holding firm for a 52.5 percent share of league revenue — as the union has done so far — and rejecting any new restrictions on contracts and free agency.

If the union compromises too far in either area, it could trigger the decertification drive. The mere threat could handcuff union officials at the bargaining table. Or, in theory, it could motivate the owners to compromise to avoid legal purgatory.

If the union decertifies, its leadership would effectively be dismissed, giving the league no one to negotiate with, and no immediate possibility for a new collective bargaining agreement.

“In terms of long-term or even short-term stability of the league, it’s obviously a huge setback if they go through with it,” Feldman said. “And that’s a big if.”

Decertifying would require that 30 percent of the union — about 130 players — sign a petition, which would then trigger an election by the full membership, under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board. It would then take a simple majority to decertify.

The player faction held two conference calls this week with an antitrust lawyer, on Tuesday and on Thursday, according to the person who had spoken with the group. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the effort.

It was not clear whether the players had notified the union of the effort. Union officials did not immediately return calls Thursday night.

The movement was said to be entirely player-driven, and borne of a frustration with the pace of negotiations. The players have been locked out since July 1, and a month of games have been canceled. Talks have broken off four times in the last five weeks.

N.B.A. owners want a 50-50 split of revenue and have held firm to that position. The league is also pushing to eliminate certain salary-cap exceptions for teams that exceed the luxury-tax threshold. Those cap exceptions are viewed by players and agents as critical to a vibrant free-agent market. Their elimination would also trigger the decertification drive.

There are other obstacles. The union has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the N.L.R.B., and the board traditionally will not consider a decertification petition while a charge is pending.

Although the owners pre-emptively sued the union to block any attempt at dissolving, it would not apply in this case, Feldman said. That lawsuit covered only “disclaimer of interest” — in which union officials initiate the dissolution. It does not cover decertification, which is initiated by the players.

“If there is a true coup of the union, then the nonunionized players have a much stronger argument that they should be entitled to bring an antitrust suit,” Feldman said.

The hope for both sides, however, is that it never reaches that stage.

The decertification effort became public just hours after union leaders held a news conference to reaffirm their unity, and to quash rumors of infighting.

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It seems Nickelback’s nasally rock ballads just don’t sit well with sports fans.

Supporters of the Detroit Lions are the latest to protest a possible performance by the Canadian band. (The Winnipeg Free Press published an open letter to the National Hockey League in August when word spread that Nickelback would play at its Face-Off festival.)

The band is reportedly slated to perform during halftime at Ford Field, when the Lions take on the Green Bay Packers Thanksgiving Day. But a whole lot of Lions fans/Nickelback haters have signed an online petition begging the National Football League to reconsider.

As of the time of this post on Thursday, more than 9,500 people had signed the virtual petition, citing:

“This game is nationally televised, do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback? … Is this some sort of ploy to get people to leave their seats during halftime to spend money on alcoholic beverages and concessions? This is completely unfair to those of us who purchased tickets to the game. At least the people watching at home can mute their TVs.”

One person who signed the petition wrote, “Id rather drink bleach than listen to Nickelback and have them associated with Detroit.”

And here’s a fun fact: Nickelback is one of the worst bands you can admit to liking on a first date, according to a UK dating site.

But any press is good press, right? Nickelback’s new album, “Here and Now,” drops November 21.

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sep 07, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Electronic
Arts Inc.,

/quotes/zigman/71356/quotes/nls/erts ERTS
+0.74%

announced today that EA
SPORTS Madden
NFL 12 has sold through more than 1.4 million copies
across all consoles in its first week at retail (Aug. 30 – Sept. 5), up
10 percent over last year’s opening week of sales. Based on internal
estimates, digital gross revenue, driven largely by the Madden
Ultimate Team mode, is up 78 percent over last year.

“Madden NFL 12 is off to a great start, and we’ve seen a
tremendous amount of excitement and demand this first week,” said Chris
Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home
entertainment group at Best Buy. “Fans lined up at Best Buy stores
around the country for midnight launch events to be the first to bring Madden
NFL 12 home and get a jump on their rivals.”

Among the additional notable accomplishments for Madden NFL 12 in
its first week at retail:

–
Madden NFL 12 fans have played more than 5.4 million online
connected game sessions since launch; the equivalent of more than
10,000 regular NFL seasons.

–
Madden Ultimate Team has been a big hit, with fans having
purchased nearly 200,000 Madden Ultimate Team card and coin
packs in the first seven days.

–
EA SPORTS Season Ticket subscribers got a jump on the
competition, with early full-game digital access to Madden NFL 12
beginning on August 26. Fans logged more than four million total
gameplay minutes in the early access period.

–
Within its first week on the market, Madden NFL 12 reached the
number one top paid spot on the Android market and ranked in the top
10 grossing on the App Store for iOS platforms.

“With the start of the NFL season only days away, fans are thrilled to
get back to football and they’re doing so in record numbers through Madden
NFL 12,” says Andrew Wilson, executive vice president of EA SPORTS.
“The growth across console and digital shows that the appetite for the Madden
NFL franchise has never been bigger.”

Madden NFL 12 sets a new benchmark for the franchise by
delivering the most authentic NFL gameplay experience to date. USA
Today says, “Madden NFL 12 is a delightful pro football
simulation and perhaps the series’ best entry in the PlayStation 3/Xbox
360 era” and, according to Planet Xbox 360, “This is the Madden
NFL that the hardcore football fans thought only existed in their
dreams.”

Madden NFL 12 continues the rich tradition of the storied
franchise by bringing fans closer to the NFL than ever before, featuring
all 32 teams, stadiums, and favorite players in the league. Madden
NFL 12 transforms on-field action and core gameplay modes, driving
innovation in six key areas: Playbooks and Gameplay; Presentation;
Franchise and Superstar modes; Dynamic Player Performance; Madden
Ultimate Team; and Online Communities.

Madden NFL 12 is now available and retails for $59.99 on the Xbox
360(R) video game system from Microsoft and the PlayStation(R)3 computer
entertainment system, $49.99 on Wii(TM), and $39.99 on PlayStation 2 and
PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system as well as
Android devices, iOS devices and feature phones. The free-to-play Madden
NFL Superstars 12 game is now available on Facebook. Madden
NFL 12 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and has been
rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB.

For more information, please visit
http://www.ea.com/madden-nfl .

All player participation has been facilitated by National Football
League Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of
the NFL Players Association.

EA SPORTS(TM) is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital
experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences that ignite the emotions of
sport through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden
NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL(R) hockey, NBA ELITE
basketball, NCAA(R) Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight
Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R)
golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game apps, please visit
www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless
devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM), and POGO(TM). In fiscal
2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that
sold more than one million units. EA’s homepage and online game site is
www.ea.com .
More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can
be found on the Internet at
http://info.ea.com .

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, EA Mobile, and POGO are trademarks of
Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger
Woods, and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used
with permission. Xbox 360 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of
companies and is used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and
“PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii
is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.

(C) 2011 NFL Properties LLC. Team names/logos/indicia are trademarks of
the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of
the National Football League.

Officially Licensed Product of National Football League Players
Incorporated.

SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.

Electronic Arts Inc.
Julie Foster, 407-386-5184
Communications Manager
jfoster@ea.com
or
Rob Semsey, 407-386-5337
Communications Director
rsemsey@ea.com

Copyright Business Wire 2011

/quotes/zigman/71356/quotes/nls/erts

Add ERTS to portfolio

ERTS

Electronic Arts Inc.

$
21.92

+0.16
+0.74%

Volume: 11.54M
Sept. 27, 2011 4:00p

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