Watch this stunning video of new Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano edited by SPORTSbyBROOKS, and you’ll see that the Joe Paterno worship hasn’t waned yet in the eyes of many at Penn State. With people like Lubrano on the Board of Trustees, how will Penn State handle some of the new revelations about how Paterno may have been involved in a cover-up of Sandusky’s crimes?
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Ray Allen joins one “super team” for another.
The issues chasing Ray Allen out of the Boston Celtics and into the arms of their most despised opponent stacked higher and higher, and suddenly everything crystallized in the hours basketball’s most persuasive recruiter, Pat Riley, captivated him. The emperor of the Miami Heat sold Allen on never hearing his name in trade talks and a run of championships awaiting him. After all these years, Allen needed to feel wanted again, needed the recruiting, and Riles had such a willing soul sitting with him in the breeze blowing over Biscayne Bay.
“He felt he was getting respect that he hadn’t gotten from [Celtics president] Danny [Ainge] and [coach] Doc [Rivers] anymore,” a source close to him said Friday night. “…The presentation was incredible.”
Respect comes in different ways, but make no mistake: The Celtics had offered two years and $12 million – respect for someone’s who’s 37 and coming off ankle surgery – and it didn’t matter to Allen. He hated the way Ainge dangled him in trade talks, hated that the Celtics told him he was on his way to Memphis in a deal at the March deadline only to have Rivers later tell him the trade was dead. Allen hated that Rivers didn’t give him his starting job back after he returned from a late-season ankle injury, and hated that it always felt like he was the Celtics star made to sacrifice above the rest.
Adrian Wojnarowski goes on to detail Allen difficult relationship with Rajon Rondo and how that must have contributed to this decision as well.
Boston fans will be livid, and it will be interesting to see how this drama affects Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Allen fits in well with what Miami is doing, assuming Lebron continues to play in the paint like he finally decided to do last season.
Meanwhile, I wonder whether Boston will miss him much. Allen could alter a game, but he did so much less frequently over the past couple of seasons. Jason Terry might be a better fit with this Boston team that may have improved considerably with the additions of Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo in the draft.
I don’t read Mike Freeman much, but I’m sure the CBS NFL Insider has plenty of solid columns. His latest one, however, ends with one of the dumbest predictions I’ve heard in years.
What the NFL is doing is smart. It makes total sense. It also won’t stop the inevitable. Technology is getting so good that one day (very soon) stadiums will be vastly less populated and the fan experience will mostly be limited to watching the game in HD, on a couch, roast beef sandwich in hand, no line for the bathroom, no traffic, no huge fees for tickets or parking. In other words, technology and comfort will actually trump the excitement of being at a game.
One executive said the league’s relaxing of the blackout rule was a sign that the NFL sees the inevitable. “If you can’t beat ’em,” the person said, “join ’em.”
The route football is taking, to me, has a predictable end. The technology will only get better, and what makes things worse for the NFL is that it’s only a matter of time before tablets get better as well. One day you’ll be able to carry a game into the bathroom on an HD tablet, with game paused, then after the bathroom, kiss your girlfriend or boyfriend or both, answer the doorbell, get the nachos, cool the beer, then resume the game at your own leisure.
All happening in the palm of your hand. Can’t do that in a stadium.
So, judging by the NFL’s strategy, it looks like Schramm might be right. And if that’s so, it’s only a matter of time until we see the end of stadium football.
Not 50 years from now, but maybe within a decade or two.
The end of stadium football? Really?
This is a good example of someone noticing an important trend, the emergence of technology and how it affects our viewing habits, and then extrapolating the most extreme and ridiculous conclusion.
Look, there’s no doubt that with bigger and better HD TVs and the emergence of live games on phones and tablets we now have much better options that will compete with the stadium experience. And yes, as I get older, I’m much happier sometimes watching a game with friends in front of a big TV.
But, these experiences won’t completely replace the in-stadium experience. If you’ve been to an NFL game lately, you’ll notice that some things haven’t changed. For many people it’s more of an excuse to have a party, from the tailgating to the bar scene near many stadiums. In most cities, football Sunday is an event!
Also, there’s nothing like being there for a huge victory or seeing an amazing play live right in front of you. The wild euphoria you experience in the stands is hard to replicate when watching a game on your phone. Sports fans crave these experiences and we want to enjoy them with other fans.
Now, the real issue with attendance has more to do with the economy and grossly inflated ticket prices. Technology in the stadiums is also a factor, and of course the NFL is doing the right thing by giving fans more options with things like wi-fi.
But the stadium experience isn’t going away. That’s ridiculous. If attendance suffers due to competition from gadgets, then the greedy owners will just have to lower ticket prices, and maybe charge less than $6 for a friggin beer!
But that’s how the market works. Prices get adjusted to what people are willing to pay. Owners will make less from ticket revenues, but they’ll more than make up for it by charging for streaming rights!
Roger Federer isn’t finished yet. The six-time Wimbledon champ took out defending champ Novak Djokovic to get to his record 8th final at Wimbledon with the chance to tie Pete Sampras and his seven titles.
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New York Knicks guard Landry Fields is dating model Elaine Alden according to the latest from Jimmy Traina at SI.com’s Hot Clicks.
Our friends at Bullz-Eye.com photographed Elaine and this stunning blonde bombshell was the October 2009 Featured Model. Here’s a slideshow of 8 great photos from that shoot.
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