Morning Ed: Sports {2017.07.12.T}
[Sp1] An interesting thing about the NHL pushing college hockey is that unlike the NFL, they have a robust minor league system and aren’t entirely dependent on college.
[Sp2] The problem with this plan is that I’m pretty sure people would rather watch Texas and LSU play than Texas Southern and Southern, even if the latter actually has better players.
[Sp3] Our cricket association – which apparently we have – was kicked out of the ICC.
[Sp4] Oops.
[Sp5] The NFL’s advertising juggernaut is taking a hit.
[Sp6] He should really just give up smoking, because I don’t think Arturo Garcia’s wife is ever letting him go out for cigarettes again.
[Sp7] Doping (well, cocaine) scandal in the world of greyhound racing!
[Sp8] Did Pawtucket finally figure out how cities can avoid getting screwed on stadium deals?
[Sp9] I know people play hurt sometimes, but this hard core.
[Sp0] Hey, we’ve all been there. Speaking of lacrosse, their games are appearing regularly on Twitter. It’s a really good publicity as it has increased my interest in lacrosse. They should (maybe along with rugby) set up a network on Pluto TV.
Oh my goodness! Jack Kelly full field goalie 2-point goalie goal! https://t.co/oJkK8CQ2nw #MLL #DENvsATL pic.twitter.com/wFtDbKfgUT
— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) July 5, 2017
Sp2: This is a very interesting idea. It will probably never get off the ground simply because the NCAA has immense institutional weight, but it reminds us that the NCAA is a voluntary association of schools. It doesn’t exist outside the space-time continuum. If some schools prefer to leave, they can. As for Will’s “I’m pretty sure people would rather watch Texas and LSU play than Texas Southern and Southern, even if the latter actually has better players”, I don’t have a strong grasp of basketball fandom. Does your typical college hoops fan without any direct connection to Texas or LSU care? That would be very weird, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t so. In any case, should the idea start to gain traction, I predict the NCAA would go into full intimidation mode against anyone connected with it. Bullying is very much within the NCAA’s skill set, so I expect they would be effective at it.Report
Sp3: I sporadically take notice of American cricket. It has been obvious every time I looked that there was a lot of infighting, and likely corruption, but it always seemed too much work to figure out the specifics. It seems rather a big fight for such a small prize. There seems to be this idea that America is a huge untapped market and they just have to figure out the right hook. I am deeply skeptical. The institutional barriers are huge.Report
That description reminds me a lot of American soccer pre-NASL, and not a little of the NASL-MLS interregnum.Report
The comparison has not been lost on me. The difference is that soccer has been a pretty mainstream youth sport since the 1970s. Cricket in America is nothing like as mainstream as was soccer forty years ago. Also, after decades of struggle, professional soccer has risen to the level of being an established minor sport. This is far from nothing. It is part of the conversation, where just a few years ago it was still in the “will this ever be an established sport?” phase. But its attendance numbers compare with AAA-level baseball, and its television numbers are negligible.Report
Sp8: The part that reporters usually don’t understand is the limitations to mobility of minor league baseball clubs, particularly in the higher tiers. There really aren’t that many cities both of suitable size for AAA ball and open territories. The Red Sox get a say in this, too, even apart from the PawSox ownership’s ties with the Red Sox. Major league club prefer their higher level affiliates be close by. It doesn’t always work out this way, but this is because of geography, not because the big club doesn’t care. Between these, the Pawsox only have a realistic option of somewhere within the eastern half of New England. This is why their big threat is to move to Worcester. I don’t claim great insight into local New England politics, but the idea that Worcester has both the means and the will to pony up the cash for a minor league part strikes me as unlikely.Report
[Sp4] The article notes that the Skins play in Maryland, however, showing Maryland would be just as wrong given that they are the Washington (D.C.) RedskinsReport
[Sp1] This kind of thing is usually about increasing overall exposure of the sport in the United States rather than anything to do with increasing capacity of the NCAA as a feeder of NHL talent. There’s more than enough spots in college hockey for anyone with a remote chance of being a professional, let alone a major league player.Report
The Marlins owner is a grade A asshole:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-marlins-sue-fan-to-seize-his-property-in-broward-county-9475661Report
I haven’t seen that Jets Patriots headline before. But I can understand how it happened. Those first two words take away your will to read any further.Report
Thankfully baseball avoided another catastrophic tie game in the All Stars, which would have raised the awkward question of “What do you mean it doesn’t count this time?”
And by thankfully, I mean thanks to the Cubs pitcher for doing what Cubs pitchers do best.Report
SP9: Big Van Vader was no joke.Report