Wimbledon Tennis: Leveling the Playing Field

Once again, the posting for this week will involve other engaging blogs within the sports realm. I have composed comments in response to a pair of interesting blogs that I have discovered within the hidden internet. As I have previously mentioned, I wish to further engage myself within the blogosphere in order to gain some visibility and authority for my website. This week’s post pertains to the Wimbledon prize money which has finally been leveled for both male and female tennis players. The first post I commented on is from a reputable socio-political blog called "The Lede" by Tom Zeller Jr, a New York Times blogger. The second entry is by an established British political commentator, Iain Dale. My responses are posted below as well as the permanent links of the source post. I encourage you to peruse through these blogs because of their insightful and interesting nature.

Mr. Dale, while your post brings about valid points; I disagree with your stance. Women are finally being placed on a level playing field in tennis by receiving equal pay, and rightfully so. We are in the 21^st century, there should be no discrimination between men and women period. Match time aside, the amount of hours women spend preparing for Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam events is in all likelihood equal to men. Secondly, women’s tennis is definitely not dull. While indeed men’s tennis involves more power, the quality of their play is not necessarily superior. The entertainment value spectators’ gain from women’s tennis can be equal to, if not greater than men’s tennis. Many points in men’s matches are won all too quickly, through aces because of their commanding serves. Also, Roger Federer depicted on the right, performs at a caliber which is next to perfect. It does not take a rocket scientist to predict the winner of a match involving the Swiss champion. One the other hand, the women’s game has no one dominant player, which leaves the game interestingly unpredictable. Also, there tend to be more rallies in women’s games because of fewer aces. Although it is definitely enjoyable to watch an ace serve, when it starts to displace potential rallies (which often occurs in men’s tennis games) it becomes boring. Lastly, I am quite perturbed by your final comment “who on earth would want to watch a couple of women slugging a ball from baseline to baseline for an hour? It's about as exciting as watching paint dry.” This reflects a lack of comprehension and appreciation for women’s tennis in its entirety. I understand that a woman’s game may not be as powerful or fast paced to that of a man, yet ultimately, it boils down to the quality of the game. According to the Columbia University news service, “ratings for women’s matches are on par with men’s matches and rising faster. The men’s and women’s finals of this April’s Nasdaq 100 Open in Miami drew the same number of television viewers. But that represented a ratings increase of 50 percent over last year for the women’s match, and only a 25 percent increase over last year for the men’s final." Women's tennis can be a thrilling showcase of athletic adeptness and sheer talent. Television rating records have been broken especially with the likes of Maria Sharapova – the Russian Wimbledon champion at 17, with glamour girl looks to compliment her already superb tennis prowess. The William’s sisters are not to be condoned either. These robust siblings can serve and hit nearly as powerfully as some male players, with a serves speeding up to 130mph.

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I could not agree more with your post, Mr. Zeller. After 123 years, the indolent All England Club has finally arrived at decision, which should have been obvious to them many years ago. It is about time that the female Wimbledon champions receive the same pay as their male counterparts. The quality of the women’s game is just as good, if not better than the men’s because rallies are not frequently replaced by a powerful serve which often translates into an ace. Also, professional women’s tennis does not have a principal player who wins virtually every match. The men’s professional circuit however does have a player of such finesse and excellence – Roger Federer. The twenty five year old holds 46 singles titles and has won Wimbledon, the world's most prestigious tennis tournament three years consecutively since 2004. The only other player that actually has a chance of defeating the Swiss champion is Spanish sensation Raphael Nadal. However, Nadal (shown on the left) is only a threat on clay courts. On grass and hard surfaces, Federer is simply unstoppable. Moreover, female tennis players provide the same amount of input as male players into their games in terms of preparation which warrants equal prize money. Although their male counterparts play two sets more, the entertainment value women provide is undoubtedly no less than that of men. Besides, many female players in their less than conservative tennis attire are viewed as eye candy, further contributing to the entertainment aspect of the game. Lastly, we live in the twenty first century, a supposedly modern era. One would assume that by now a gender disparity would cease to exist.

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Gay Athletes: John Amaechi's Wise Revelation

There has been a recent uproar of homosexuality in the sports media–the Snickers Super Bowl commercial, the identification of former center John Amaechi with homosexuality, and his former teammate Tim Hardaway’s anti gay remarks in response. The tale of homosexuals and homophobia in athletics is a controversial and engaging issue because of the popularity of sports here in the United States. In fact, it is through sports that most young boys are socialized, particularly in America. John Amaechi, pictured right, is the first NBA player to publicly announce his homosexuality, and elaborates his experiences through his book entitled Man in the Middle, a memoir from his days growing up in England till today a retired, gay athlete. Amaechi's revelation was met with ambivalence, whether it be reverence, shock, disgust, and even hope to closeted homosexual athletes. Many were stunned to discover that the muscular, 6 foot 2 basketball center playing in the world’s most elite league was gay. Homosexuals were not meant to exist in the NBA, nor in professional sports for that matter. The NBA, like the NFL and military, is a “testosterone riddled” environment. Leigh Steinberg, a prominent NFL agent notes that, “it would be much easier, in many senses, to be convicted of robbery and serve time, then come play in major-league baseball or the NFL, than be gay.” His statement reflects the conservative nature of professional sport which demands bonafide masculinity. According to Amaechi, professional athletes share a philosophy similar to the ancient Greeks; they are supposed to be “the pinnacle of man.” Amaechi’s choice of disclosing his sexual orientation reflects the former center’s courage and integrity. His emotional fortitude will not remain unrewarded however. In the words of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, “You would be an absolute hero to more Americans than you can ever possibly be as an athlete, and that’ll put money in your pocket…When you do something that the whole world thinks is difficult and you stand up and just be who you are and take on that difficulty factor, you’re an American hero no matter what.” I could not agree more with Cuban. However, Steinberg mentions that announcing homosexuality publicly is virtually endorsement suicide, because marketing involves an “attempt by a company to appeal to the broadest possible audience.” Even if certain endorsers do drop a gay athlete, other endorsers would in all likelihood sign him in. Of greater importance is the fact that being honest about ones sexuality would be a liberating experience. Naturally, the former center is currently coping with the expected anti gay flack. Tim Hardaway, former point guard of the Miami Heat revealed his mindset when questioned about Amaechi's homosexuality, "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. " These horrific remarks left many aghast, yet Amaechi responded that he was glad that finally he was hearing honest words from someone. Although the British retiree is dealing with animosity from those opposed to gays, he has garnered respect from not only homosexuals, but heterosexuals alike, including athletes.

The strong antigay views in professional sport needs to subdued, because at the end of the day the athlete is performing in his profession. There are many notorious athletes that are more and actually rightfully deserving of such flack, instead of those that are homosexual. For instance, Dennis Rodman, the former Bulls forward was infamous for his ways both on and off the court. In fact, Rodman had been suspended for eleven games because he kicked a court side cameraman. "Dennis the Menace" has been ejected, arrested, and much more. Amaechi on the other hand, was not a troublemaker - he was scoring baskets and rebounding.

Martina Navratilova (shown on the left), perhaps the most famous homosexual athlete today, has broken records and has been the victor of numerous grand slams, including the most prestigious Wimbledon tournament. These athletes were performing on the job, sexual orientation is irrelevant.
The former tennis champion commends Amaechi for his decision not only due to his inner strength but also because of the lives it can save. Navratilova emphasizes the importance of homosexual athletes to disclose their sexuality due to the increasing phenomenon of young gay and lesbian suicides. According to the former tennis champion, "It's hugely important for the kids so they don't feel alone in the world. We're role models. We're adults, and we know we're not alone but kids don't know that. He will definitely help a lot of kids growing up to feel better about themselves."

In my opinion, Amaechi would make a remarkable spokesman for the gay athletic community. He is not only eloquent, but intelligent and mature. If an increasing number of athletes come out, perhaps it will help curb the number of homosexual suicides and also ameliorate the homophobic nature of America. Meanwhile, these openly gay athletes will generate significant amounts of money through endorsements and other sponsorships. For instance, Bruce Hayes a gay Olympic swimmer has been recently endorse by Coors Light (the advertisement is displayed on the right), while Corey Johnson, a openly gay high school football captain gave a pitch for Mitchell Gold Furniture. According to the furniture company, "if someone doesn't want to buy our furniture because of our use of gays and lesbians in advertising, that's OK," They want their "brand to stand for style, and for doing the right thing." Although publicly announcing one’s non heterosexuality requires courage, hopefully it will become an option closeted individual’s turn to. In the future, perhaps it will be commonplace for there to be publicly gay athletes, which would undoubtedly broaden the horizons of our society.

LA Superstars Sit Out: Do Basketball Officials Have Too Much Power?

For this weeks post, I have altered my methodology slightly in order to become more engaged within the blogosphere. Instead of the usual editorial discussing a recent sports issue, I have written comments pertaining to two other insightful blogs. Hopefully, this will encourage and direct some traffic towards my fledgling blog and improve the overall authority of my website. While the topic for this week is about related events that occurred at the beginning of February, these are events are of utmost importance because many believe it delegitimizes the sport of basketball. During my allocated research time, I discovered two blogs from Slam Online and AOL’s Sports Blog which I found to be particularly appealing due to their thought-provoking observations. Firstly, about two weeks ago, high school hoops hero O.J. Mayo was suspended from two upcoming basketball games after unjustly receiving two technical fouls from referee Michael Lazo. On the professional scene, Kobe Bryant was forced to sit out without pay for the LA franchise’s one match in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Bryant was punished for elbowing Spurs’ Manu Ginobli in a prior game. My comments are available below for your reading pleasure, as well as the permanent links to the related blogs.

The unwarranted suspension of OJ Mayo (as shown on the left) for the upcoming two games is very much unreasonable. In less than a minute, referee Mike Lazo had penalized Mayo with two technical fouls for rather questionable reasons. Mayo was obviously infuriated by Lazo’s officiating and approached the referee presumably to demand an explanation for his bogus calls. In doing so, the high school hoop star made slight contact with Lazo who in turn came crashing down to the hardwood floor. The flop was exaggerated, to say the least. This incident displays the excess power basketball referees hold in this sport. It is nonsensical for a single individual to possess nearly absolute authority on such important decisions. This power needs to be better distributed. The implications from Lazo’s crooked calls are noteworthy, as it could jeopardize Huntington High’s top spot because of Mayo’s absence in upcoming games. Moreover, if evidence is found that Mayo intentionally bumped Lazo, he could be suspended for up to a year. Also, this event has somewhat tarnished Mayo’s image for no legitimate reason. In my opinion, it appears that Lazo disliked the 19 year old to begin with. Lazo wished to use the immense power included in his job description to his advantage, and perhaps even make money from the incident even though Mayo is still an amateur. Although he currently does not have much money to offer, as an extremely high profile athlete, Mayo is sure to become an instant revenue generator in the near future from endorsements and eventually the NBA.

Technology is undoubtedly improving the monitoring of sports, and basketball should capitalize on this advantage in order to foster an environment of fair play. However, this is still only high school basketball. The NBA needs to initiate a movement towards better officiating by categorically following other sports in their use of technology to settle debatable calls. The NFL boasts some of the best referees in sport, which can be partially attributed to the fact that they rely on technology for some of their calls. Tennis is yet another example of a sport that uses technology to make close line calls; as such athletes and critics are for the most part silenced by the digitized replays.

Permanent Link: Slam Online

In my opinion, Bryant was unfairly and harshly punished for elbowing Ginobli on the face. The Spurs are not known for playing the cleanest defense, and in addition to that, this type of foul happens quite frequently in basketball. The foul happened in the final 2.7 seconds of the game, as Bryant (depicted below) was attempting to make the basket and also draw the foul, but by no means strike a player in the face. Furthermore even Ginobli concurred that the foul was inadvertent. Interestingly, the two partakers in the incident believe that it was accidental; while Stu Jackson found it unsportsmanlike enough to render a one game suspension, claiming it was an “unnatural motion.” Great basketball players often make such unnatural motions, and this in fact, contribute to the entertainment factor of basketball. It is another reason fans watch the game. The punishment was a tough blow on Bryant since Madison Square Garden is his favorite place to play. As the teams lead scorer, Bryant’s absence was definitely detrimental to the outcome of the game, resulting in a Laker loss by five points. Not only did the NBA commission perform a disservice to the Lakers, but also to the fans. There is no doubt that people love to watch Kobe play, even haters secretly enjoy his exceptional talent. Fans were expecting to witness the superstar in action, but were left disappointed due to the poor decision making capabilities of Jackson. This incident also leads one to question the consistency in officiating of the NBA. In a recent game versus the Miami Heat, LeBron James of the Cavaliers clotheslined Dwayne Wade, but was called only for a flagrant foul. Perhaps, if James was suspended for this, it would somewhat legitimize Bryant’s punishment. However, upon analyzing the situation - James would be playing on national television the next day, which translates into high viewer ratings, so obviously he could not be suspended. Clearly, officials have too much weight in determining NBA rules and regulations, because unfair calls can cost important games. With the advancement of technology, the NBA, like the NFL, should turn to some of this machinery to contest debatable and controversial calls which will prevent the transformation of basketball into a cheap sport.

Permanent Link: AOL Sports Blog

The Super Bowl: A Sporting Spectacle or a Corporate Concern?

The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event here in America. An estimated 91 million viewers watched the 2006 national championship, which also means that the business opportunity it provides is vast. Unfortunately however, critics argue this has transformed the event into a more of a corporate affair, instead of one that caters to sports fans. It appears to have become a business junket in which sponsors and clients occupy many seats. There are about 70,000 seats at the February 4 game, but the NFL is stringently controlling distribution. An article from the Los Angeles Times specified that, “the Bears and Colts each receive 17.5% of the tickets, while the host Miami Dolphins distribute 5%. The remaining NFL teams split 34.8% of the tickets and the league held back 25.2% for its sponsors, VIPs and other lucky souls.”

The NFL supplied tickets costing $600-700 at face value. The statistics aforementioned reflect that these tickets which are virtually impossible to find. The next sources of these sacred seats are secondary ticket markets wherein tickets are extravagantly expensive. Prices on StubHub, a San Francisco based online ticket retailer, “ranged from $3,000 for a seat in the corner of Miami's Dolphin Stadium", which is shown on the right, "to $170,593 for a 16-person private suite.” Clearly, Super Bowl tickets are not for the average aficionado. Football fanatics are willing to go to all sorts of extremes in order to get their hands on ticket. According to Sports Illustrated, some fans have agreed to exchange sexual favors, strip-club memberships, personal ad space (pregnant belly), and HD plasma screen televisions in order to get a hold of a pair of tickets ofcourse.

Due to high spectatorship of the national football championship, companies have been attracted to shell out large sums of money for airtime further contributing to the corporate atmosphere of the Super Bowl. Other than for the spectacular displays of football prowess between the nation’s two top teams, the event has come to be known for another craze - commercials. Interestingly, this year several of the commercials will be user generated. With the phenomenon of 'youtubization' or the swell in user generated media , a few companies decided to incorporate the public into their advertisement scheme as it would not only harvest numerous ideas with less work, but also promote their product amongst contestants. While General Motors chose to use an advertisement idea from contestants, Doritos took an even larger risk and will use the actual commercial, produced by the contender, as displayed on the left. In fact, it costs a record breaking $2.6 million dollars for a 30 second slot this year. That is $86,666 a second. As the most highly viewed show in America, firms are aware that the reach of these commercials is immense. Although it is not always worth the enormous investment, for the most part companies found it to be highly profitable.

Indeed there are all sorts of revenue streams and corporate transactions for enterprises during Super Bowl season. At the end of the day however, it boils down to the fans appreciation and passion for the sport of football. According to former USC safety and recent Colts recruit Scott Ware, “significant amounts of money are spent on commercials during the Super Bowl because it is the top and most watched sporting event. It stems from a large fan base, so when taking this into consideration, it is still a sporting event.” Obviously, if not for the support and spectatorship of the fans, none of these businesses would even think of spending millions on air time. The Sunday that the sports program airs has turned into an unofficial American holiday partly because all across the country, citizens are glued to their TV screens. Such a large number of fans are tuned in, that as they rush to the bathroom "before the Super Bowl's second-half kickoff, they'll flush enough water to fall over the Niagara Falls for 39 minutes." The Super Bowl and athletics in general is sustained and driven by fans. Although it has become increasingly business oriented, ultimately, the Super Bowl is a sports spectacle which showcases the incredible athleticism possessed by the gladiators of our era, in the game of football.