The Steelers Say Goodbye to the One and Only...

Troy Polamalu has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers his entire career, a total of twelve seasons. He was drafted sixteenth in the first round in the 2003 NFL Draft. Polamalu had a very successful career, he played in 158 career regular-season games with 142 starts, and he started all 15 postseason contests that he played in. 

Polamalu's career numbers include 12 sacks, 32 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, and 7 fumble recoveries during regular season. His postseason numbers include 1 half-sack and 3 interceptions, which one was returned for a touchdown.


Just to list some of his career highlights:

• Selected to the Pro Bowl eight times (2004-08, 2010-11, ’13)
• Named AP first team All-Pro four times (2005, 2008, 2010-11) and second-team two times (2004, 2007)
• Named to Pro Football Weekly’s and Professional Football Writers of America’s All-NFL Team four times (2005, 2008, 2010-2011(
• Selected to the 2000’s NFL All-Decade Team
• Tied for the second-most defensive touchdown during the regular season in franchise history with five
• Named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and NFL 101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year (2010)
• Named the Steelers’ MVP and Walter Payton Man of the Year (2010)
• Named Sporting News’ All-Pro Defense twice (2008, 2010)
• Named Sports Illustrated All-Pro twice (2008, 2010)
• Named to Pro Football Weekly’s Midseason All-Pro Team three times (2008, 2010-11)
• Earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week seven time (Week 12, 2013 / Week 17, 2011 / Week 13-4, 2010 / Week 2, 2008 / Week 6, 2006 / Week 10, 2004)
• Earned the Joe Greene Great Performance Awarded, given annually to the Steelers’ top rookie, in 2003

Polamalu has had an amazing career. Troy said that "what it came down to was definitely family. If I'm in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I'm in my 10th year, I'm playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say 'Who, if you're just even debating it maybe you shouldn't play anymore,' because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot, a lot, of commitment just to be an average player."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2392209-troy-polamalu-retires-latest-details-comments-and-reaction

IT'S TIME!

The time is finally here, the National Championship game! Number one seed, Wisconsin will be playing number one seed, Duke. Wisconsin did the unthinkable to get to the championship game, they beat the unstoppable number one seed, Kentucky and Duke beat the number seven seed, Michigan State. So who is going to take the National Championship title? Is Coach K going to win his fifth National Championship title? There is no way to know what is going to happen considering Wisconsin just beat Kentucky to make it to this game. Who do you think is going to win tonight? TUNE IN tonight at 9:18 pm.

Andrew McCutchen - Donates Locks

Andrew McCutchen, the centerfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has recently cut his hair. Why is this such a big deal? Because this is the first time McCutchen as cut his hair in eight years! McCutchen entered the MLB in 2009 and since then he has been well known for his long dreadlocks. MLB.com will be auctioning off McCutchen's dreads and all proceeds will be donated to the charity of McCutchen's choice.

McCutchen posted the following picture on Instagram with the caption: "As sad as i hate to see them go, I was ready for a change. I will be donating my locs as well as auctioning them off for a great cause"



It is going to take a while to get use to seeing Cutch without his famous hair but it is a great thing that he is doing. It took him eight years to grow his hair out but by donating and auctioning his dreads off it will give kids who can't grow hair the opportunity to have hair. At first I was surprised that Cutch cut his hair but as soon as I heard that it was for charity, I was no longer surprised. Cutch is always doing things for charity and the community. 

FINAL FOUR

The time has finally come for March Madness Final Four! The four teams that have made it to semifinals of the National Championship are: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke, and Michigan State. These games will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2015. Number one seed, Duke will play number seven seed, Michigan State at 6:09 p.m. and number one seed, Kentucky will play number one seed, Wisconsin at 8:49 p.m. and they are playing Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. I am interested to see how the semifinals play out. I think that the two teams that are going to advance to the National Championship game are going to be Kentucky and Duke. I think that Duke is going to give Kentucky a good game but in the end I think that Kentucky is going to make history and take the title with an undefeated record.

NBA Allows International Downloads

The NBA has opened its team apps for the world to see and download. Up until this point the NBA has prevented the downloading of any teams apps overseas. This new policy gives the NBA the opportunity to attract new potential sponsorships. The new policy also carries sales rules with the league's marketing rules for the team websites. Teams can sell sponsorships within the apps but they cannot sell specific title sponsorship deal to their apps.

I think that this was a great decision made by the NBA. This will create great opportunities not only for the NBA but for fans. There are some players such as LeBron James who are already known worldwide due to his brand but it will give all players and teams the opportunity to gain worldwide recognition. This will also open doors for new sponsorships for the NBA which may create more revenue for the organization. Overall, I think that this decision is going to be very beneficial for the NBA.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/03/23/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NBA-apps.aspx

Kentucky Moves to the Elite Eight

Kentucky beat West Virginia University on Thursday, March 26, 78-39 in order to advance to the Elite Eight. The WVU Mountaineers finished their season with a record of 30-5 and this was their fourth time being denied from the Elite Eight games. The Wildcats move on to the Elite Eight with a record of 37-0.

Kentucky has won eight national championships, the last time being in 2012. They Wildcats are trying to make their 17th Final Four appearance as well as become the first undefeated team in Division I since 1976 when the Indiana Hoosier accomplished this triumph.

The Wildcats shot 60.9% (14 for 23) in the first 20 minutes of allowing them to build a 44-18 lead. WVU was held to shooting 19.2% (5 for 26) within the same 20 minutes. The Mountaineers only scored one point through the first eight and a half minutes of the second half.  Overall they shot 24.1% (13 for 54) from the field, which made them the fifth team that Kentucky has held under a 25% shooting percentage this season.

Are the Kentucky Wildcats unstoppable? Many people believe that this team is is winning a national championship this year and I do not disagree. I think that the Wildcats are going to take the entire tournament this season. I am interested to see what happens with Duke and Gonzaga on Sunday because I think those are two strong teams that could possibly beat Kentucky. 

Nike Extends Their Deal with the NFL

Nike has recently renewed their on-field apparel rights contract with the NFL. This renewal added three years to their already existing five year contract that went into effect in 2012. The on-field rights extension blocks Under Armour from having a partnership with the NFL. This is a good thing for Nike because last year Under Armour surpassed Adidas as a domestic athletic apparel and footwear brand and are now the second-largest behind Nike.
I honestly don't think that Nike is every going to discontinue their contract with the NFL. The brand gets so much recognition from their on-field rights. Nike continues to grow in all of their departments and being in a contract with Nike definitely benefits them.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/03/16/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/NFL-Consumer-Products-Summit.aspx