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

Chris Borland - Already Leaving the NFL?

Chris Borland is 24 years old. He played Division 1 football at the University of Wisconsin where he was ranked sixth in career tackles. He came in to the NFL last season as one of the top rookies. He was drafted in the third round to the San Francisco 49ers where he played linebacker.

Borland won rookie of the week twice and was defensive rookie of the month in November. In his first year in the league he was earning the league minimum of $420,000 and a $154,000 bonus. Everything seemed to be lining up excellently for Borland and that is why everyone was surprised when he announced yesterday that he is going to be leaving the NFL. Why would someone who worked their whole life to become a professional athlete leave the sport right when their career is taking off? Borland says that he is leaving because he is concerned about his safety.

Borland told ESPN, "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk." Many retired professional athletes having been seeing the side effects of playing a contact sport like football for an extended amount of time. Borland expressed a big concern about the constant head injuries that football players occur. Even though the league has been implementing rules trying to prevent major head injuries, they are still going to continue to happen.

49ers' general manager, Trent Baalke said in a statement, "While unexpected, we certainly respect Chris' decision, from speaking with Chris, it was evident that he had put a great deal of thought into this decision." I think that it very important that the general manager and the team are behind Borland in his decision.

Many athletes have a dream of becoming a professional athlete. While they are in high school it is all the focus on. If they are lucky they are given a full ride to play their sport and get an education. Many athletes do not think about the physical toll sport has on their bodies and the long term effects it can leave. I think that it was smart for Borland is leave the league if he is truly concerned about his health. This is something that he put a tremendous amount of thought into and if his safety and healthy truly was at risk then he certainly made the right decision and I am happy people are supporting him. Many athletes do not realize that there is more to life than sports. If you ignore the injuries, especially head injuries, you can be ruining your life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/sports/football/49ers-linebacker-citing-injury-risk-joins-list-of-nfl-retirees.html

NHL - New Statistical Design

Last week the NHL announced that they have a five-year partnership with SAP, which is now the official cloud software provider for the league. SAP is going to try and make NHL.com the only site that fans need to use. They are going to now offer 35 additional statistical metrics on NHL.com. They also redesigned the presentation of their website to feature more player head shots and visual cues on their statistical page. Along with making the website more attractive the league also plans to change some of the names of the stats. An example of this is the statistic know as "Corsi" will now read "shot attempts for."

I think that this plan is a great one. If SAP can make NHL.com the only site that fans need to use then it will create a better environment at games and make it easier for fans to follow the team on the road. I think that changing the stats name is a good idea. Even if you know hockey you may not know the technical names for the statistical recording. This again will make it easier for fans to follow the athletes.

James Harrison - No Longer a Steeler?

James Harrison is going to return to the NFL for the 2015 season but not necessarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The five-time Pro Bowl player has an ongoing loyal relationship with Dick LeBeau, the former Steelers defensive coordinator. Dick recently stepped down as the Steelers defensive coordinator and is now the Tennessee Titans assistant head coach/defense. What does Dick LeBeau have to do with James Harrison staying for another season? Harrison is more likely to follow LeBeau to Tennessee then sign another contract with the Steelers.

This may be a good thing for both, the Steelers and Harrison. The Steelers need to commit to their new young defensive players and begin molding them into the players that they need. While Harrison needs to enjoy his final seasons within the NFL. Although, there is no way to tell how many more seasons Harrison plans to stay in the league but chances are this may be his last. He would be able to finish his career with LeBeau.

The Not So Famous NBA Teams Take the Ratings

When you think of the best NBA teams you do not think of the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks but these two teams are surprisingly leading the league with the largest local TV ratings. The strange thing is that neither the Bucks or the Hawks have appeared on TNT this season. So if these teams are not being broadcasted how are they leading in local TV ratings? 

 The Milwaukee Bucks have a new owner and a new coach this season and it seems to be doing the team well. The Bucks have finished below .500 nine out of the last ten seasons but this season the team is having a winning season. Now that the Bucks have a winning season local fans are beginning to follow the team more then they did before, which is boosting their local TV ratings. 

Unlike the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks have appeared on ESPN twice this season. They also have the best record in the Eastern Conference but they have had some issues with their co-owner, Bruce Levenson, with making racial comments. Levenson self-reported himself to the NBA about an email that he sent, he said that he is going to sell his controlling stake in the club. The fans did not let this change their minds because they still saw how the team played on the court. 

These two teams are not the top teams in the NBA, many people may not even know these teams but they are still leading the NBA in local TV ratings. Many people think that only big networks like TNT or ESPN broadcast the NBA games but it is the local networks that keep teams like the Bucks and the Hawks alive. 

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/02/16/Media/NBA-RSNs.aspx

New World Record Is Set for Women's Half Marathon Time!

Florence Jebet Kiplagat of Kenyan participated in the Barcelona Half Marathon on Sunday, February 15, 2015. Kiplagat set a new world record when she crossed the finish line with the clock stopped at 1:05:09. She cut three seconds off of the previous record, which she set in the Spanish City Half Marathon in 2014. Kiplagat did not have much competition from other female runners, Elizabeth Lee of Ireland was the runner-up with a time of 1:14:06, nearly nine minutes behind Kiplagat. Kiplagat actually paced herself with two of the male runners for the first 10K of the race, Marc Roig and Ezekiel, they were seven seconds ahead of the world record at 31:02. After she distanced from her pacesetters she still kept her world record time up wit splits of 46:14 at the 15K and 1:01:54 at the 20K. Kiplagat will headline the London Marathon on Sunday, April 26. 

I think that it is amazing that these long-distance runners are able to continuously break these world records. I have ran two half marathons and my best time was 2:08:06. Kiplagat won the Berlin Marathon in 2011 with a time of 2:19:44, she ran twice as far in the same amount of time. I get frustrated when people say that cross country runners are not athletes. They certainly are athletes! They put just as much time in to their sport as any other professional athletes. These runners who are winning the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon, and the London Marathon, running is their job and they get paid to do it. 

Khan - Wants To Extend Jaguars' London Deal

Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, wants to continue their annual game in London. The last scheduled game to be played in London as of right now is in 2016, after that the four-year term expires. Khan has just recently made his opinion about continuing playing in London public, his exact words were, "It's been really great for us, our goal is to extend it."

The NFL executive vice president, Mark Walker, expressed support in Khan's goals but also said that the league has not taken up extending the annual game in London past 2016.

The annual London game has had a positive influence on the Jacksonville Jaguars and has made big contributions in the improvements that the Jaguars have made. The game has been beneficial because of the higher ticket prices and additional seating at Wembley Stadium compared to EverBank Field.

The NFL has lead on multiple times that there may be a team based in London within the next several years, possibly the Jaguars. When Khan was asked about this he said that there is no plan in place for moving the Jaguars to London. 

I think that keeping the annual game in London is a good idea, not only because it is beneficial but because it is something different. Even if the NFL is considering placing a team in London I think that they should continue with this annual game until that happens. It would help keep American football popular over in London as well as draw more fans. If the NFL does place a team in London I don't think that they should move the Jaguars there because then that would leave Jacksonville without a team. I feel that it would be better to create a new team for London, it would give more athletes the chance to make it to the league as well as create another team for fans to follow. I think that having a NFL team in London would be beneficial for the league because it would expand exposure of the sport and league but expand the fan base as well.


http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/02/09/Franchises/Jaguars-Khan.aspx

The Oakland A's Video Boards

The Oakland A's are finally upgrading their video boards at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the first time in 20 years. They are getting two new high definition LED Daktronics screens in the outfield, the two boards both measure 36 feet high and 145 feet wide. The A's plan to pay for the $10 million project as part of their 10 year contract lease extension at the stadium.

The Oakland A's are not the only team who play at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Oakland Raiders also play here. This gives both teams the opportunity for the sponsors to have the ability to create singular images between two video boards.

I think that this creates a great opportunity for both the Oakland A's as well as the Oakland Raiders. Investing in new video boards that can have a singular image on two boards creates something new for sponsors to look for.


http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/02/09/Facilities/Oakland-video-board.aspx