trinkley's FotoPage - Fotopages.com

LeBron James expands his brand in deal with Fenway Sports Market

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James (FSY) is getting into the soccer business, aligning with the owners of the Boston Red Sox.
Fenway Sports Marketing — the sister company of the Red Sox — said Wednesday it has signed James and the management company he helped create, LRMR, to a long-term deal to secure marketing and sponsorship opportunities. As part of the deal, James obtained a piece of Liverpool FC, one of the world's most famed soccer teams and a longtime marquee franchise in the English Premier League.
"I can't even explain the level of excitement that we have right now," James' manager and LRMR CEO Maverick Carter told The Associated Press. "As far as my business career goes, it's one of the most exciting times. And the opportunity for growth for us is huge. The guys at FSM understand it too and they probably see it even more than we do."
HEAT WAVE: Inside the hype for the Miami Heat
NBA POWER RANKINGS: Heat climb to third behind Lakers, Bulls
The deal came together quickly, but Carter and James have been familiar with FSM owners John Henry and Tom Werner for some time. Their relationship was born, in part, through mutual acquaintances with Berkshire Hathaway— billionaire Warren Buffett's company.
And that relationship between James and the Red Sox owners presents a bit of irony — after all, James is a devout Yankees fan.
"It's strictly business. ... It's very humbling," James said.
FSM is owned by Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC and a co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. James has had involvement with NASCAR previously, albeit on a somewhat limited basis.
FSM handles the marketing for the Red Sox, Liverpool and Roush Fenway Racing, and now it will handle James, too.
"That's the great thing about sports: It brings people together," Carter said. "And this is about business."
FSM president Sam Kennedy said Wednesday that the group is not looking to get into representing individual athletes, but the chance to work with a blue-chip brand such as James was too good to pass up.
"What FSM does for Roush Fenway, Liverpool and the Red Sox, we will now do for LeBron James," Kennedy said. "We will aggressively pursue business opportunities for him."
James has pursued marketing opportunities across the globe before, especially in Asia and Europe — obviously, two key markets for Liverpool as well.
James stressed that the relationship is a partnership, one brand helping another, and that LRMR's operations aren't being essentially taken over by FSM.
"There are very few athletes who can match his global reach, appeal and iconic status," said Werner, the Red Sox chairman. "We are very excited that LeBron will be part of the Liverpool FC family. LeBron and Liverpool each has a powerful presence internationally."
The deal being announced was part of a big day for James. Wednesday also marked the formal launch of his cartoon series on YouTube, "The LeBrons."
There was also a basketball game — James and the Heat hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. And that was the NBA's two-time reigning MVP's top priority, even with all the news happening around him.
"It just felt right," Carter said. "It just felt like a good day for it all to happen."

Thursday, 24-Mar-2011 01:45

Email | Share |

Americans may look to neighboring Canada for football fix

The Canadian Football League (CFL) could prove an exotic alternative with its three downs, 12 players, bigger field and more backfield motion than a conga line, but it delivers the same bone-jarring action that has made the NFL America's most popular game.

The eight-team league has been around since 1958 and the Grey Cup - Canada's equivalent to the Super Bowl - will be contested for the 99th time this season.

Despite a rich past, the CFL has had limited exposure in the United States and, for the most part, remains a mystery to many Americans who are dedicated NFL followers.

But last year the CFL entered into a deal with the NFL Network to broadcast games in the United States and with the labor dispute dragging on the network is looking to add more to fill a possible programing void.

"As far as the CFL getting more exposure it (the labor dispute) could have some benefit," Michael Copeland, the CFL's Chief Operating Officer told Reuters.

"It may bring our game to more people south of the border that are craving football should the NFL not be playing and there are a bunch of NFL fans up here that just might pay more attention to the CFL."

The NFL Network carried 14 CFL games last season, mostly on Friday nights, and could see that number grow to 18 or more this year if the NFL season fails to start on time.

Viewership numbers were described as modest but the real benefit for the CFL was the exposure it received in a market that still produces the majority of the league's players.

"I don't think our expectations were that great but they were reasonable considering it was a new property," said Copeland. "I think they were thrilled at the quality of product and I think we're both looking to see where this could go.

"One of the nice benefits of showing the games is that it was great recruiting tool for us.

"It exposed the game to a lot more players who may now see the CFL as an alternative."

NORTHERN LEAGUE

Over the decades, thousands of American players have found their way north of the border where they laid the foundation for brilliant NFL careers.

Quarterbacks Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Joe Theismann and Jeff Garcia all starred in the CFL before returning to home to more lucrative contracts.

Wednesday, 16-Mar-2011 03:24

Email | Share |

2011 NFL Mock Draft: Baltimore Ravens Take Gabe Carimi at No. 26

The Baltimore Ravens have a number of spots they could address with their No. 26 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. They might go for a wide receiver to step in for Derrick Mason, and they could also look to address their secondary. But their biggest need in my opinion is offensive line help, and they can find some in Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi. He might not be available by the time they're on the clock, but they would be fools not to take him if he is.

Carimi does have some holes in his game, and he's not the best natural athlete in the world. But what he does have is the size (6-foot-7, 314 pounds) and the attitude to play in the NFL. He's gone on record with his belief that he's the best tackle in this year's draft class, and scouts have noted that he plays with a certain edge.

Joe Flacco was sacked 40 times last season, second only to Jay Cutler. Gabe Carimi should help bring that number down.

Wednesday, 16-Mar-2011 03:24

Email | Share |

2011 NFL Mock Draft: Baltimore Ravens Take Gabe Carimi at No. 26

Wednesday, 2-Mar-2011 00:42

Email | Share |

The Celtics Experience Shrinkage

http://marlincagan.tumblr.com/

Usually, at the NBA trading deadline, there are a couple of minor trades here and there, Troy Murphy and Tim Thomas get thrown in to make the money work, and the league’s balance of power remains largely unchanged.

Not this year and certainly not in the Atlantic Division. Overnight, by trading a bunch of .500-caliber ballplayers and Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks made themselves a whole lot better with the addition of another superstar-and-a-half. The Celtics went in the opposite direction by trading their starting center for a much smaller guy who will be of zero help versus any team with a scoring center or power forward. Still, as far as the division goes, the Celtics have the crown sewn up, the Knicks will be trouble for first-round playoff opponents and the Sixers are better than the other two teams, both of which are terrible. No, seriously, that’s all I have.

The Celtics (42-15)
Here’s the thing: the Celtics championship window is closing. The combined ages of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce is around 186. There is one, maybe two years after this when the present lineup will be able to walk, much less compete, against the conference’s big boys (the Heat, Magic and now, the Knicks). So the decision to trade their young starting center, Kendrick Perkins, for the talented but formerly-unable-to-hack-Boston wingman Jeff Green makes about as much sense as that Nets owner trading his only two good players for a point guard that will run for the hills in eighteen months.

The reason the Celtics have beaten the Heat this season is because they have size and discipline and a stout interior defense. Kendrick Perkins was a huge part of that. And, presumably, he and Rajon Rondo would continue to be a solid core long after the original Big Three are done playing.

But Danny Ainge decided that the team would be hard pressed to sign Perkins in the offseason and so he shipped him out. Big mistake. You show me a team that worries about next year and I’ll show you a team that isn’t winning squat this year. "Win now" should be written on every blackboard in every locker room. The Celtics were built to do so. They were firmly inside the Heat players’ heads. And overnight they’ve become a smaller team that is going to get run around and, occasionally, pushed around. No wonder KG was cursing up a storm when he heard the news.

New York Knicks (30-27)
The Knicks traded a lot of players for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. But if you watched Sunday night’s win over the Miami Heat, you quickly realized that the Knicks have not had players with this much talent since the early '70s. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton are not All-Stars. Maybe they will be at some point, but I wouldn’t bet on it. But Billups, Anthony and Stoudemire have been and will make for a dangerous playoff opponent. All three get to the line and make their free throws. Anthony especially is nearly impossible to defend. And they don’t call Chauncey Billups “Mr. Big Shot” for nothing. Still, after watching the three games since the trade, I have to admit: they still look way too small to win the East, but now that the Celtics have gifted them, one never knows.http://rkmn34.blog.com/

Philadelphia Sixers (30-29)
They aren’t fun to watch. That much is obvious. But they do have very good players in Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand and a total of nine guys that play twenty minutes per night. Players like Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams are promising and offer the team an ability to shuffle players in and out. Keeping everyone fresh. For what I don’t know. Their playoff run will be more like a hop. And done. The team probably couldn’t find a better teacher for the circumstance than fresh-faced Doug Collins who, miraculously, has them playing hard. Still, there isn’t enough firepower to beat the division’s top teams. And let’s not forget that they get to feast upon the twin corpses of the Nets and Raptors, which helps to pad their record. If the Sixers happen to make it to the playoffs—and the conference’s general softness indicates that they will—that is where the unmasking will truly begin.

New Jersey Nets (17-30)
Give team owner Mikhail Prokhorov credit: he took his shot, trading two studs, Derrick Favors and Devin Harris for an incredible player: point guard and malcontent Deron Williams. The problem is that Williams’ will be a free agent after the 2012 season. And the Nets, bereft of talent and with a screechy, control-freak of a coach in Avery Johnson, are about as attractive to free agents as Chris Christie in a Speedo. This season is all about "finishing strong" and next season will be about "showing progress." But those are just words written in a souvenir program. With or without Williams, this team is terrible. And in 2013, when their starting point guard is either Steve Nash or Mike Bibby, their fans will have the misfortune of watching the newest Knick Williams torment them on a nightly basis. How does one say “oops” in Russian?

Toronto Raptors (16-42)
I have a lot of friends from Toronto. They all have glasses, sport short hair and smile a lot. They read books and are constantly out and about. And yet they couldn’t name three Raptors, the head coach or the GM. I can’t say that I blame them, either. The Raptors have only two players on their roster that average over 15 points per game (Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozen) and a total of zero players that average over 7 boards). Chris Bosh was probably right to leave because even if he had stayed, they still would’ve been putrid. Not to mention, it’s Canada. Playing hoops in Canada is like playing rugby in Mexico. Fan support is so lax that if this team isn’t playing in Vegas or Anaheim in three years I will be shocked.

Wednesday, 23-Feb-2011 09:02

Email | Share |

FOOTBALLERS CAN LEARN FROM NBA STARS

http://marlincagan.tumblr.com/

Following on from part one of our interview with New York Knicks performance specialist Andy Barr, the former Bolton, Southampton and Manchester City man reveals Cheap NFL Jerseys how dealing with the packed schedule of the NBA and it's highly-paid superstars contrasts with working in the political environment of the Premier League.

Did the Knicks look to English football to bolster their sports science and medical department because the Premier League is seen around the world as a good example of how sports science can be successfully applied?

No, it's quite insular over here. Most people have no idea what is going on in the Premier League really.

I'm not sure that there are many teams inside the NBA that are looking outside of the USA for new ideas in terms of sports science. Because the US is so vast, they have their own system; it's very different to what we do in Europe.

The USA is basically the size of Europe, and there you have a lot of different influences from different countries and cultures. That doesn't happen so much over here because the USA is so vast.

In terms of the individual player, how do you compare the experience of working with an NBA star to that of dealing with a Premier League footballer?http://rkmn34.blog.com/

From the start, you're dealing with a more responsible athlete.

Because of the American culture, you're working with an athlete coming into the professional game at an older age and it makes a big difference.

Most go to university for at least one or two years, so you're getting them at 20 or 21. We have a player at the Knicks that we picked in the draft at the age of 23 and he had just been to university to do his Masters.

They have a bit more experience outside of professional sport, and they haven't earned millions of dollars before the age of 19. Whereas in the Premier League, you get 16-year-olds coming into that environment, they think they've made it straight away and they lose sight and respect for certain things.

The American athletes seem to be a little more mature. These guys are really good at looking after themselves and they are happy to come in and do a lot of the injury prevention work. They appreciate that it's all part of keeping them on the court and they love it.

I found sometimes that working with some footballers, they think 'why am I doing all this crap? I just want to play'.

It was nice to come to the USA and work with these guys because they want to buy into it and a lot of the stuff we were bringing over from football was really well received.

When a manager is replaced in the Premier League - unlike the NBA - it seems to be a case of 'one out, all out'. What kind of effect can that approach have on the long-term development of a football club?

Obviously as a manager you want to be able to do what you want to do. But from a club philosophy, in my opinion, the sports science and medical team should be a separate and self-sufficient entity.

That's what I like about working in the USA; there is much less of a hierarchical structure. I work in a sports science and medical department that works alongside the coaching department within the organisation. It's a completely different structure.

Over here, the medical departments can withstand changes in the organisation, whereas often in football, when one major change occurs in the coaching department, everyone gets affected.

Because it's so high-pressure in football, the coach just wants people around him who he knows he can trust, and that creates uncertainty. There is so much brain space taken up by people worrying about their job and then they are not as effective. The lack of security can create a cut-throat environment and it's not healthy.

It comes from the people at the top not understanding the original structure or philosophy.

If a new coach is brought in he should be someone who fits the club's system and philosophy in relation to sports science and not someone who is going to change every aspect of the club, good or bad!

Compared to what you were used to in the Premier League, from a sports science point of view, what did you find when you arrived at the Knicks?

It's different here. In the Premier League, sports science has developed a lot over last 15 years and has a lot of influence over many teams' training methods.

What Dave [Hancock, former Chelsea, Leeds and England physio] and I found in the States when we arrived was that sports science doesn't hold as much influence.

But that's something we've really worked on with the Knicks and the team has benefited immensely, especially this season through the fitness of our players.

Given you had no background in basketball, were the Knicks players and staff immediately receptive to your ideas?

I've been really fortunate to work with the Knicks' coaches - they have been really receptive.

The head coach, Mike D'Antoni, played and managed in Europe, so he was already aware of the knowledge some of the sports science guys have. He's a really good guy.

I think Dave and I have been able to influence and educate the Knicks coaches on developing athletic potential and that has had a big influence in their training.

Developing the player as a whole is what will bring you success, not just skill and technical ability. That comes from what we've learnt in the Premier League, but it's not always being applied there properly either.

Dave and I have been lucky and we've worked with some of the best managers. Dave worked with Jose Mourinho and I've worked with some great managers too. But there were also others where I thought 'this is like going back to the dark ages'.

One thing I have found is that the Americans are very professional and there's less of a political environment - the Premier League can be very, very political.

Last year's NBA champions, the LA Lakers, played 102 games, while Double-winners Chelsea played 55. Premier League managers and players often complain about their workload, but the NBA schedule appears much more demanding. Is it fair to compare the two?

No. They are worlds apart really, but both sports could learn from each other.

It's funny, the football season is very long and then during the off-season, the best players usually have other commitments so they don't get any rest. The NBA season, however, is much shorter but they cram in hundreds of games!

We play four games a week and games on back-to-back nights. [42 of the Knicks' 82 regular-season games during the current campaign are on back-to-back days.]

The Knicks will play a game in one city then fly that night to another city and get in at 3 or 4am depending on the timezone. We'll play another game that night, then fly back to New York, practice at our facility, then play at Madison Square Garden the following day before flying off to another city. It's just non-stop.

What problems arise from a schedule as packed as that?

The biggest problem is coping with the effects of thetravel and the sleep deprivation.

The game itself is very, very intense, but it is intense in short bursts and the players have time to recover within the game. Obviously, they can be substituted on and off too, and while a match lasts 48 minutes, it takes about two-and-a-half hours to complete. It's like a show, the whole thing is set up to entertain. It's unbelievable!

The hardest thing, though, is undoubtedly dealing with the amount of travelling while playing back-to-back nights, all while keeping up a consistent level of performance.

But they prepare in a very different way. It's all a bit traditional, and what we've tried to do is apply a bit more scientific thinking and ask why they do certain things: Is it because it's tradition or because it's the right thing to do?

Dave and I have changed quite a few things to help the players and the coaches have been really receptive. We've reduced the amount of shooting practices on the mornings of home games so the players can sleep in, we've looked at the intensity of training in terms ensuring the players who are playing get more rest, we've incorporated more injury-prevention sessions and educated the players on refuelling and rehydration, which has been vital.

Premier League managers often appear reluctant to use their best players unless it is absolutely necessary. Given the workload, is squad rotation a concept teams in the NBA are familiar with?

In football, you have to look at which games it is crucial to have your best players starting. The art of being a great manager is largely in the selection process across all the competitions.

The NBA is just one competition, so the thinking is 'well, we need to win as many games as possible', but it is easier to preserve a player.

If an NBA player is showing signs of tiring, then the coach might only put them in at the crucial times. It's easy to track whether the points are going up or down so if coach sees that they are dropping dramatically, then he can get his best players back out there extremely quickly.

That's obviously a skill in itself - knowing when to take the players off and when to put them back in.

Jordan 11 Concord,http://www.airjordan11concord.fr

Sun 18-Mar-2012 12:02
Posted by:mhmbda - [Link]

Pandora Beads newzealand,http://www.pandorabeadsnz.com

Mon 2-Apr-2012 14:17
Posted by:oxsrwp - [Link]