GUEST POST: Reaction to The NCAA Sanctions on Penn State

This piece was written by Dan Ryan. Dan is a graduate of Quinnipiac University, where he majored in marketing and minored in public relations. Currently, Dan is a sport industry professional and is earning his Masters in Sport Management from Drexel University. From the I-95 crew, thanks for writing Dan!

into storage it goes...

The Penn State scandal has taken a mind of its own. As many sports related scandals go, similar to shark infested waters, once there is one drop of blood the feeding frenzy begins. Cue the media, the public, all lining up to take their own personal shot at the crucified remains of the Penn State Football program. At what point is enough enough When does the persecution stop and the healing begin?

Without doubt, some of the penalties handed down to Penn State make sense in my opinion. The $60 million fine going to programs designed to deal with victims of child sexual abuse (and the same with the Big Ten's decision to deny Penn State its share). The five year probationary period. All are just in my eyes.

However, the remaining sanctions seem to be as accurate as buck shot. Why penalize people who are guilty of nothing, the coaches attempting to rebuild today and most of all the student-athletes, who are supposed to come first in all NCAA-related deliberations? Reducing the scholarships to a near crippling point, removing all postseason play, all actions directly penalizing the people in place today that will be responsible for picking up the carnage left by one individual's actions and several others poor judgement.

As for erasing 111 of Joe Paterno's wins from the Penn State and NCAA record books, in what way does that bring justice to the young men whose lives will never be the same because of the horrible acts committed by Sandusky? What competitive advantage did Penn State gain from failing to act on an assistant coach who was suspected of child

abuse? The NCAA has decided not only to join the witch hunt, but lead it by tearing down the legacy of a now defenseless man who single handedly made Happy Valley what it is today.

Penn State's decision to tear down the Paterno statue is just another example of "a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion." I understand and believe what Joe did and what he failed to do is unforgivable, but he also did so much good for the university as a whole, not just their athletics. No matter how deep the new, frightened leaders of PSU try to bury Joe Pa's legacy, the good and the bad, he will always be first in everyone's mind when you step foot in Happy Valley. Why not embrace that and let the statue serve as a reminder. By tearing it down it makes everyone forget the past. What we need to do is remember the past, no matter how painful the memory is.

As for the current and future players, the question is asked, Would you stay? The way I see it is this entire scandal, all the public opinion placed on this school, comes down to the question "if it was me, what would I do?" Well the public came out in crowds proclaiming had it been them they would have stepped forward immediately, they would've stopped Sandusky if they were Mike Mcquery, if they were Joe Paterno, they would've always made the right decision and never made a mistake. The only problem is we are all human, and none of us are perfect. Many of these same people are now saying leave PSU and try to avoid the darkest period in college football history, you shouldn't suffer because of the actions committed by someone else.

If we have learned anything from this tragedy it should be not to run from the problems that stand in our path, but confront them and move past them right now. To the players who have a decision to make, I hope they see the mistake Joe made in attempting to tip toe around the allegations rather than face them head on. PSU Football was built on pride. The players who take the field at Beaver Stadium over the next four years are not playing for bowls or championships, nor are they playing for themselves. They are playing to restore a legacy that took 54 years to build and just 9 months reduce to rubble. These men are playing for the healing and forgiveness of others.

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Guest Post- Maybe All Games Shouldn't Count

My name is Michael Rochonchou and I am currently a sophomore majoring in finance at Virginia Tech. I love sports and everything about them; however, I am not very good at them. So, I decided it would be best if I got involved with sports in a different way. I have had a passion for New York sports since I can remember.

To be honest, I couldn’t even tell you how the 2012 MLB All-Star Game even ended. Actually, I couldn’t tell you what happened the last 3 innings. The weird thing is, though, that I love the game of baseball and rarely miss my favorite team’s game. I am fed up with the All-Star Game and I feel it is the most poorly run all star event in all professional sports. In 2002, the MLB All-Star Game was held in Milwaukee and ended in an infamous tie. After a mild uproar, Bud Selig, Commissioner of the MLB, decided to have the All-Star Game dictate home field advantage of the World Series starting in 2003 (the team that represented the winning side would play the first game at home). Sounds like a decent idea, right? Wrong. But at least they are trying to make it better, right? Eh, well, still wrong. In my eyes trying to make the All-Star Game count is a half-ass attempt to make more money without putting much thought into it. 

If you wanted to have the game “count” for something as important as home field advantage, why let the fans vote? It is clearly a biased way to get the most popular players, yet not always the best players, on the team (Ex. Matt Kemp (who turned it down), who hasn’t played half the season, got voted in over Andrew McCutchen who had one of the best first halves in baseball). Fans, much like myself, will vote for their favorite players, not always the best. I understand that fan interaction is a crucial part of the game, but why not let them choose from a set list of reserves? Even after all that, it is hard to believe that the fans’ voting isn’t even the worse part about player selection in the game. At least one player from every team? Honestly? Is baseball that worried about the players’/organizations feelings? This is the best baseball league in the world, not 4^th grade intramural baseball where every kid gets a trophy at the end of the game. It is clear they just want to expand their market and get more people, but don’t make the game count if that is your main goal. The BEST players at each position should be playing even if that means the whole Yankee lineup trots out on the field after the National Anthem. 

Manage the game like a real game if it counts for something as important as home field advantage. Matt Cain, starter for the NL All Star team, pitched 2 quick innings only giving up 1 hit. They then proceeded to take him out. But why? To make it fair to the other players? That’s odd… if it was based on fairness per say, why would the fans vote on the starting players? Matt Cain has pitched fantastic this year in the first half, including a perfect game. If it was a regular game, there wouldn’t be a doubt he would stay in the game. Not to mention some of the best players only got 1 or 2 at bats. Beltran giving way to the undeserving fan favorite Bryce Harper? No thank you. 

Basically, all I am saying is that if you want to make the game fun don’t make it count. How hard is it to say whichever team in the World Series has a better record gets home field advantage. But, if you want to make the game count changes have to be made not only by the commissioner but also the mangers of the game.  Every All-Star Game has flaws, and they are basically inevitable. Someone needs to knock on Bud Selig’s door and tell him to see the All-Star Game for what it is --fun.   

Jordan Staal and the Art of Selling Out

For most sports fans and diehards, the free agency period can easily be the most exciting (or nerve-racking) part of the offseason.  For me, the NFL and NHL free agency periods are the most exciting.  We are currently in both the NHL and NBA free agency periods.  The NHL’s free agency has been much more fast-paced and interesting overall, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been in the middle of almost every major rumor going around.

Jordan Staal, the former Penguins’ star third line center, was not an unrestricted free agent heading into this offseason, he was entering the final year of a contract paying him $16 million over 4 years in Pittsburgh.  The Penguins were attempting to resign the underrated center, who had been in the shadows of superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are also centers.  Even though Staal had a year remaining on his current deal, the Penguins were obviously not confident he would they would be able to resign him after the 2012-13 season. 

It was first reported on June 21 that Jordan Staal turned down the Penguins 10-year contract extension offer.  Shortly after, Staal told Penguins’ GM Ray Shero that he would like to play for the Carolina Hurricanes, if the Pens could arrange a trade.   Before no time, Staal was a Hurricane.  Pittsburgh received C Brandon Sutter, D Brian Dumoulin, and the #8 pick in the NHL Draft, which they used to select D Derrick Pouliot.  That’s all terrific, Jordan, but here’s what isn’t…

On July 1, it was confirmed that the Hurricanes had signed Jordan Staal to a 10-year, $60 million offer.  It was then reported that the Penguins’ deal, which Staal rejected, was also around $60 million.  So let me get this straight, Jordan Staal would rather get paid the exact same amount to ruin his career in Carolina, as opposed to playing with two of the NHL’s best and having the chance at multiple Stanley Cups?  This is where things become a problem.  Hundreds of players, like Jordan Staal, would rather be in a more comfortable place, or get overpaid, to simply lose. 

The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, but since then, have missed the playoffs in 5 of 6 seasons.  In recent years, the ‘Canes have been the definition of inconsistency, and have not established any identity whatsoever.  Why would a young star like Staal, only 23, perhaps not even in the prime of his career, want to run away from a great chance of winning championships?  I understand his family lives in the area, and his brothers Eric (NHL) and Jared (AHL) are both in the Hurricanes’ organization.  I understand Jordan isn't a fan of big markets, so Raleigh might be his ideal city to play in.   But seriously, the Penguins are loaded, and will be one of the preseason favorites to win it all for years to come.  Staal will be stuck in Carolina, where his team will be lucky to make the playoffs, at least for the upcoming few years.

I question Jordan Staal’s passion for hockey and for winning in general.  If he had sold out for more money, I could maybe understand the decision a little bit more.  But to pass up an identical offer to play for a mediocre team, just because his family is nearby, is absolutely insane.  Eleven years from now, when his 10-year extension with Carolina expires, Staal will have one Stanley Cup championship…the one he earned with the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Oh, and to answer your question, no, I’m not a biased Pittsburgh Penguins fan.  I am a diehard New Jersey Devils fan who is also a realist.  

Jordan Staal, right, will now be teamed with brother Eric (left) in Carolina.  Can they turn the franchise into a winner?  Hey, if they can’t, maybe Jordan will head up to New York to play alongside brother Marc!

Brandt Frye is a Penn State sophomore sports journalism/sports broadcasting major.  Brandt has been an avid sports fanatic his entire life.  If it were up to him, his major would simply be “sports”. Growing up in Greensburg, PA, Brandt has long been determined to make a name for himself in the sports journalism/broadcasting field.

Guest Post: Athletes and Trademarks

Anthony Davis is having a great year.  Back in April he led the Kentucky Wildcats to their first National Championship since 1998.  Last Thursday he was selected first overall in the NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets.  But before he was drafted he decided to cash in on one of his features that everyone makes fun of: the unibrow.  Davis trademarked the phrases “Fear the Brow” and “Raise the Brow”.  Since he is able to embrace the unibrow he can now cash in on T-shirts and other merchandise that will be made with those sayings on them.  He was not able to file for intellectual property rights while he was in school because college athletes are not allowed to profit off the trademarking.  Kentucky helped him out by filing for the trademark and sending out multiple cease-and-desist letters to people who were using the phrases. 

This practice of trademarking phrases has been more popular recently but one of the first people to do it was Pat Riley in 1989.  After coaching the Los Angeles Lakers to back to back titles Riley decided to trademark both “3-Peat” and “Three Peat”.  Unfortunately for the Lakers they did not win the title in 1990.  Pat Riley was still able to make money a few years later in 1993.  The Chicago Bulls that year won their third straight title and Pat Riley received royalties on all Bulls’ merchandise that had the phrases he owned on them.  It is estimated that Riley made 300,000 dollars from the Bulls “Three Peat”.  He later received more royalties for the Bulls second “three peat” in 1998, and also the Lakers and Yankees championships in more recent years. 

Another player in the NBA that filed for a trademark this year was Jeremy Lin.  Everyone probably remembers his amazing run for the New York Knicks early in the season.  During his run the term “Linsanity” was created.  Five games into “Linsanity” Lin filed for the trademark along with many other people.  As of last month Lin is the only one remaining who is trying to trademark that term. 

The NBA is not the only league in which athletes try to trademark their slogans.  In 2005 when he was on the Boston Red Sox Manny Ramirez filed for a trademark on “Manny being Manny”.  This trademark has now been abandoned.  Recently Bryce Harper filed for a trademark on his now famous quote “That’s a clown question, bro”.  When this quote was originally said the social media world blew up over it.  It became the number one trending topic on Twitter that day.  Harper filed for the trademark less than 24 hours after he initialed said the quote.  This now gave the up and coming superstar a great slogan to go with his talent.  Under Armour has already begun to print shirts with the quote on it.    

The NFL has had many examples in recent years of players trademarking their slogans.  Derrelle Revis trademarked “Revis Island” after Michael Bloomberg said he was going to rename Manhattan that.  Terrell Owens, when he was on the Cowboys, trademarked “Love Me Some Me” and Michael Strahan trademarked “Stomp You Out”.  A less known trademark comes from the bizarre Jared Allen whose slogan is “Got Strange”. 

Robert Griffin III has not even taken a snap yet but he is already cashing in on his trademarks.  Griffin created his own company called Thr3escompany, LLC and filed for trademarks for RGIII, RG3, Robert Griffin III, and Unbelievably Believable.  Everyone in the Washington DC area from food vendors to people selling custom shirts were cashing in on Griffin’s name.  All the shirts have now been pulled off the market and now Griffin will receiving royalties for the shirt sales. 

The most famous and most annoying trademark to some people has to be from Tim Tebow.  His “Tebowing” had become an international hit with everyone and their mother doing the pose and taking pictures of it.  The first person to file for the trademark was not Tebow but Jared Kleinstein.  Kleinstein ran the website called Tebowing.com and filed for the trademark two months before Tebow.  He was eventually denied because he had no relationship to Tebow at all. 

I am definitely a fan of the trademarking of athletes’ slogans.  It is a smart move to add another revenue stream.  The players are capitalizing on their fame while they have it and by doing so maximizing their earnings.  In the future I see this trend continuing and bringing us more enjoyable and witty slogans.

By: Greg Monforte

Guest Post - NBA Social Media Award Show

My name is Greg Monforte and I am a sophomore sport management major at Drexel University.  My interest in sports started at a young age with me playing basically every sport there is.  I played competitively through high school and still enjoy playing sports with my friends now.  Since I realized that I will never play professionally I wanted to get into the other side of the business.  My main interest in sports is marketing and sponsorship sales.  In the future I would like to work for the UFC or another MMA organization. 

Social Media has exploded in the sports industry in the last couple years.  This explosion has benefited the fans in many ways.  Fans can now get breaking news instantly to their phone before it is even announced on Sportscenter.  If you can’t watch a game all you need to do is go on Twitter and you can read a play by play of everything that is going on.  A new award show for the NBA has added another benefit to the list.

Today, June 20th the NBA is having their first ever Social Media Awards Show.  This is the first award show celebrating social media in any sport.  The awards will not only be for players but also teams, coaches, and analysts.  The platforms will include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  There will be twelve awards total including the Epic Award, celebrating great performances, the LOL Award, best blooper of the season, and the Triple Threat Award, given to an analyst who is a former player with the most social relevance. 

The NBA is very popular on social media with more than 277 million likes and follows between Twitter and Facebook.  This award show is another way that the NBA is trying to use that popular to connect with the fans.  On All-Star Weekend fans were able to vote for who they thought had the best dunks during the Dunk Contest.  In March teams started selling T-shirts with the players Twitter handle on the back.  This April the NBA launched pages on Tumblr and Pinterest to continue its expansion into new platforms of social media. 

The NBA is not the only league that has been trying to become more involved in social media.  The UFC, MLB, and NFL have all been active in social media in many different ways.  The UFC can thank social media for why they have become as popular as they are now.  Dana White, the president of the UFC, has more followers on Twitter than any other front office executive in any league.  He has ten times as many followers as Roger Goodell.  The fighters rival the NBA players on who is more popular on Twitter.  The UFC is the only organization that gives cash bonuses to their fighters for Twitter use.  The bonuses are given out quarterly to fighters who have most effectively added followers, tweeted creatively, and engaged with fans.   

The MLB’s players are not as popular on social media as the UFC or NBA, but the league has still been very active on the different platforms.  In 2011 at the Homerun Derby players were allowed to interact with fans on Twitter and Facebook during the contest.  This year at the All-Star Game booths will be set up with computers so players can tweet during the game.  The player can go to the booth when he is taken out of the game or when he is coming off the field. 

In April the Astros and the Blue Jays both tried something that has never been done before by a team in the MLB.  The Astros had a social media night.  This allowed fans to go to a designated part of the park before the game and take part in different activities.  The activities included a meet and greet with players, dinner, and a trivia game where the fans tweeted their answers.  The Blue Jays were the first team to print T-shirts with the players’ Twitter handle on them.

The NFL has not been as active in social media as the previous sports but they are still doing their part.  The players are very popular on different platforms and as I mentioned earlier the commissioner, Roger Goodell, has a twitter account.  At the Pro Bowl this year booths were set up so players could tweet during the game.  This is the only major thing that the NFL has done to incorporate social media.  They are going to have to become more active so they do not fall behind other leagues. 

As you can see social media has become big in basically every sports league.  I personally believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.  The possibilities are endless for individual teams and the league.  Let’s hope that leagues keep trying to top each other with how they incorporate social media.  The more they do the better it will be for every sports fan.