This was an interesting little project to answer a few questions that came up during conversation. We wanted to know where the MLS stacked up to the rest of the world.
What easier way to do this than using FIFA 13 and their star rating system. The data was dissected (could send you the information if you are very interested) but I simply found the average rating for a league by averaging out the teams in a certain league.
Here were the results, from best league to worst (number is how many stars)
1. England Premier League - 4.20 (4-5 star, 5-4.5 star, 6-4star, 5-3.5star)
2. Italy Serie A - 4.15 (3-5star, 4-4.5star, 10-4star, 2-3.5star, 1-3star)
3. Spain Liga BBVA - 4.03 (2-5star, 5-4.5star, 5-4star, 8-3.5star)
4. Germany Bundesliga - 3.92 (1-5star, 3-4.5star, 7-4star, 6-3.5star, 1-3star)
5. France Ligue 1 - 3.73 (1-5star, 2-4.5star, 6-4star, 7-3.5star, 4-3star)
6. Brazil Liga do Brazil - 3.60
7. Russia Russian League - 3.38
8. Portugal Liga Portuguesa - 3.25
9. Netherlands Eredivisie - 3.17
10. Mexico Liga MX - 3.08
11. England npower Championship - 3.06
12. United States MLS - 2.87
13. Germany Bundesliga 2 - 2.81
14. Italy Serie B - 2.48
15. Spain Liga Adelante - 2.46
16. Belgium Pro League - 2.44
17. Denmark Superliga - 2.38
17. Scottland SPL - 2.38
19. Switzerland Raiffeisen SL - 2.30
20. Korea Republic K-League - 2.28
20. Poland Polska Liga - 2.28
22. Austria A. Bundesliga - 2.20
23. Norway Tippeligaen - 2.16
23. Sweden Allsvenskan - 2.16
25. France Ligue 2 - 2.08
26. Saudi Arabia Saudi Pro League - 1.96
27. Australia A League - 1.95
28. England npower League 1 - 1.81
29. England npower League 2 - 1.15
30. Republic of Ireland Airtricity League - 0.73
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Eagles Offseason Checklist.
1. SIGN LESEAN MCCOY. The 950k he is due next year is below acceptable. And with how horrible the Eagles have handled the Desean situation, it is VERY hard to believe that McCoy would not hold out. I would hold out. RB's have the shortest life-span, and he is hurting himself if he accepts playing at that level with such a small contract.
2. Release / Trade Asante Samuel. It's clear that this team has enough capable corners to play, and with Nnamdi, it is hard to fathom paying Asante 9.5 million as you pay Nnamdi 11.3 million in 2012 alone. Trading Asante for a draft pick would give you the cap room to sign McCoy to a reasonable contract.
3. Do NOT franchise / sign Jackson, and pick up a solid free agent WR. A franchise tag on Jackson would be 10+ million, which is way too much. I love his play, but not that much. Let him walk and make his pay day on another team. There are quite a few valuable free agents including;
Steve Johnson (BUF), Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon (IND), Dwayne Bowe (KC), Marques Colston (NO), Wes Welker (NE), Deion Branch (NE), Vincent Jackson (SD), and Mario Manningham (NYG).
This list could mean two things;
Desean could hit free agency, and realize his pay day may not be exactly what he wants or imagines in his brain. If he realizes players like Colston, Boye, and Welker are more attractive to franchises than he is, his contract numbers would drop quickly.
This also means the Eagles can expect to pick up a WR at a discounted price, since the market is so diluted with players. The second tier players will be receive even less.
In my opinion, I would be satisfied with Dwayne Boye if Jackson is gone, a very realistic possibility. I see the Patriots letting Branch go and signing Desean Jackson and Wes Welker.
3. Linebackers - One more is needed. Some form of a trade. This defense could certainly use a player that not only knows how to stop the run, but also be a quarterback at the MLB position.
4. Roles that Need Filled.
Here are the current positions the Eagles need to fill, accomidated with the player who is not currently signed through the 2012 season.
#2 QB (Vince Young)
#2 RB (Ronnie Brown)
#1 FB (Owen Schmitt)
#1 WR (Desean Jackson)
#4 WR (Steve Smith)
#4 OT (King Dunlap)
#2 OG (Evan Mathis)
#5 DE (Juqua Parker)
#3 DT (Trevor Laws)
#4 DT (Antonio Dixon)
#4 S (Jarrad Page)
Out of the Free agents, I would love to see Trevor Laws and Evan Mathis back. I would be beyond disappointed if those two are not signed. Also hope that the Eagles resign Owen Schmitt if the price is right. I am very indifferent on some of the other players returning, but a few like Young, Page, and Brown, are as good as gone.
2. Release / Trade Asante Samuel. It's clear that this team has enough capable corners to play, and with Nnamdi, it is hard to fathom paying Asante 9.5 million as you pay Nnamdi 11.3 million in 2012 alone. Trading Asante for a draft pick would give you the cap room to sign McCoy to a reasonable contract.
3. Do NOT franchise / sign Jackson, and pick up a solid free agent WR. A franchise tag on Jackson would be 10+ million, which is way too much. I love his play, but not that much. Let him walk and make his pay day on another team. There are quite a few valuable free agents including;
Steve Johnson (BUF), Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon (IND), Dwayne Bowe (KC), Marques Colston (NO), Wes Welker (NE), Deion Branch (NE), Vincent Jackson (SD), and Mario Manningham (NYG).
This list could mean two things;
Desean could hit free agency, and realize his pay day may not be exactly what he wants or imagines in his brain. If he realizes players like Colston, Boye, and Welker are more attractive to franchises than he is, his contract numbers would drop quickly.
This also means the Eagles can expect to pick up a WR at a discounted price, since the market is so diluted with players. The second tier players will be receive even less.
In my opinion, I would be satisfied with Dwayne Boye if Jackson is gone, a very realistic possibility. I see the Patriots letting Branch go and signing Desean Jackson and Wes Welker.
3. Linebackers - One more is needed. Some form of a trade. This defense could certainly use a player that not only knows how to stop the run, but also be a quarterback at the MLB position.
4. Roles that Need Filled.
Here are the current positions the Eagles need to fill, accomidated with the player who is not currently signed through the 2012 season.
#2 QB (Vince Young)
#2 RB (Ronnie Brown)
#1 FB (Owen Schmitt)
#1 WR (Desean Jackson)
#4 WR (Steve Smith)
#4 OT (King Dunlap)
#2 OG (Evan Mathis)
#5 DE (Juqua Parker)
#3 DT (Trevor Laws)
#4 DT (Antonio Dixon)
#4 S (Jarrad Page)
Out of the Free agents, I would love to see Trevor Laws and Evan Mathis back. I would be beyond disappointed if those two are not signed. Also hope that the Eagles resign Owen Schmitt if the price is right. I am very indifferent on some of the other players returning, but a few like Young, Page, and Brown, are as good as gone.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Case for Juan Castillo
As nothing but meaningless football emerges from today's game, I began to realize how the defense is emerging, and impressing myself more and more every day.
Should we blame Juan Castillo for the early season defensive woes? While there are examples of where the defense was in bad position, you can't ignore the strategy of sports as a whole. Sometimes your strategy fails, even if you thought it was once perfect. It is just the nature of a game.
You also can not ignore the successes of the defense over the last couple weeks. On the season going into week 16, Eagles are 10th in the league in yards given up per game. While a stat like this is certainly not comparable with some of the elite defense like Pittsburgh or San Fran, it's above average as a league.
You also can not ignore the countless red-zone turnovers, and some of the time of possession stats from certain games, where the defense spent nearly 3 quarters of football on the field.
It also takes simple observance to see just how elite this defense has been the last couple of weeks. The highly under-skilled LB's have a role, and a lot of the early season woes have been abolished.
So why is this? Is it because Castillo has improved as a coordinator? Is it because of the opponents? Have players finally started stepping up? Did we finally learn how to tackle? Or make a big play?
Here's my take;
The lockout has an immeasurable effect on any team. Not being able to go to work with your teammates, or even practice the game of football, is something worth mentioning. When you also incorporate all of the changes this defense has had over the last 7 months, you must start analyzing.
A new coach. A new Defense. 2 New Defensive Linemen starting. New group of Linebackers. 2 new CB's. Also add the re-amped substitutes and players who were drafted.
That is a lot of changes to occur for any team, no matter what players are involved. Even an all star team on defense looks pretty bad, since the new formations / coaching / teammates are all different that what you are used to doing every day.
On July 25th, 2011, the NFL lockout ended.
On July 29th, Eagles Traded Kevin Kolb for Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie. Eagles also signed CB Nnamdi Asomugah.
On July 30th, Eagles signed DT Cullen Jenkins and LB Akeem Jordan
On August 11th, Eagles played their first pre-season game
On September 11th, Eagles played their first regular season game.
The Eagles had a solid 12 days between the signing of their last defensive starter to the first game, and a whole 43 days to prepare their defense. It is border-line insanity to expect so much out of any player, regardless of a name, with 43 days to prepare under a new coach, new strategy, and all these new teammates.
Did the Eagles "turn it around" on defense between Week 1 and Week 15, or did they finally get enough practice together to gel as a defense and play great.
Is there chemistry in sports? Is it a chemistry that's evolving for this Eagles defense. Can you ignore all of the new players on this defense?
The opinion is yours, but I would give Castillo another year. Playcalling on offense has been a bigger issue in my eyes.
Should we blame Juan Castillo for the early season defensive woes? While there are examples of where the defense was in bad position, you can't ignore the strategy of sports as a whole. Sometimes your strategy fails, even if you thought it was once perfect. It is just the nature of a game.
You also can not ignore the successes of the defense over the last couple weeks. On the season going into week 16, Eagles are 10th in the league in yards given up per game. While a stat like this is certainly not comparable with some of the elite defense like Pittsburgh or San Fran, it's above average as a league.
You also can not ignore the countless red-zone turnovers, and some of the time of possession stats from certain games, where the defense spent nearly 3 quarters of football on the field.
It also takes simple observance to see just how elite this defense has been the last couple of weeks. The highly under-skilled LB's have a role, and a lot of the early season woes have been abolished.
So why is this? Is it because Castillo has improved as a coordinator? Is it because of the opponents? Have players finally started stepping up? Did we finally learn how to tackle? Or make a big play?
Here's my take;
The lockout has an immeasurable effect on any team. Not being able to go to work with your teammates, or even practice the game of football, is something worth mentioning. When you also incorporate all of the changes this defense has had over the last 7 months, you must start analyzing.
A new coach. A new Defense. 2 New Defensive Linemen starting. New group of Linebackers. 2 new CB's. Also add the re-amped substitutes and players who were drafted.
That is a lot of changes to occur for any team, no matter what players are involved. Even an all star team on defense looks pretty bad, since the new formations / coaching / teammates are all different that what you are used to doing every day.
On July 25th, 2011, the NFL lockout ended.
On July 29th, Eagles Traded Kevin Kolb for Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie. Eagles also signed CB Nnamdi Asomugah.
On July 30th, Eagles signed DT Cullen Jenkins and LB Akeem Jordan
On August 11th, Eagles played their first pre-season game
On September 11th, Eagles played their first regular season game.
The Eagles had a solid 12 days between the signing of their last defensive starter to the first game, and a whole 43 days to prepare their defense. It is border-line insanity to expect so much out of any player, regardless of a name, with 43 days to prepare under a new coach, new strategy, and all these new teammates.
Did the Eagles "turn it around" on defense between Week 1 and Week 15, or did they finally get enough practice together to gel as a defense and play great.
Is there chemistry in sports? Is it a chemistry that's evolving for this Eagles defense. Can you ignore all of the new players on this defense?
The opinion is yours, but I would give Castillo another year. Playcalling on offense has been a bigger issue in my eyes.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Penn State loses in many ways with their Bowl Game
Despite all the speculation and questioning on if Penn State would be invited to a bowl game, they received and accepted an invite to the "Ticket City" Bowl, on January 2nd. This would typically be a New Year's Day bowl, but nothing can compete with the NFL that will occupy our January 1st.
When you initially look at 9-3 Penn State matching up against 12-1 Houston, you think this could turn out to be a great game. But looking deeper, this is two teams that are much better than their bowl designates...which leads to quite a few downfalls.
The "Ticket City Bowl" is designated as the 7th picked team out of the Big Ten. As you probably know from the past, there are 3 bowls designated as "Big Ten vs SEC." These bowls will be played by Mich St., Ohio St., and Nebraska. There is also the "Insight" bowl that will feature Iowa vs Oklahoma, and the "Meinike" bowl which features Texas A&M v. Northwestern.
Penn State landed below these teams in bowl selection, despite their record. They fell to the "Ticket City" bowl, which features a team from the C-USA, which this year will be Houston. Houston is led by QB Case Keenum who led the nation in most passing stats this season. They were well known for their undefeated streak, and coming up just a game shy of a perfect season...but there is a reason they are ranked #17.
However intimidating the 12-1 record, they are 0-1 against ranked teams (Southern Miss.) and won very close games to schools like UCLA, Louisiana Tech, and UTEP. It should be a great game seeing one of the better past defense match up against Keenum...but then things start going sour.
The game itself is located at the Cotton Bowl. For those of you wondering, (according to Mapquest) it is a 1,392 mile drive from Beaver Stadium to the Cotton Bowl. From the University of Houston, it's less than a 250 mile drive. Essentially, a home game for Houston, where tickets are for sale for around 70$ already.
You also have to look at the timing. While you think it's good to have a "New Years" bowl, I beg to differ.
First off, the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU, a station that doesn't exist on basic cable.
And if you start flicking channels during a TV timeout in the Penn State game on ESPNU at Noon ET, here's what else you will find on TV:
the NHL Winter Classic, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on NBC, at 1pm
No. 20 Nebraska vs No. 9 South Carolina in the Capital One BCS bowl, on ESPN, at 1pm
No 17 Michigan State vs No. 16 Georgia on ABC in the Outback Bowl, on ABC, at 1pm
Ohio State vs. Florida in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, on ESPN2, at 1pm.
So it's fairly safe to say, the world will not be watching. In fact, enough people wont be watching that ESPN wont even put it on ESPN2.
So....Penn State really didn't win out too well here. It will be a good game...but I'll be enjoying the Winter Classic.
When you initially look at 9-3 Penn State matching up against 12-1 Houston, you think this could turn out to be a great game. But looking deeper, this is two teams that are much better than their bowl designates...which leads to quite a few downfalls.
The "Ticket City Bowl" is designated as the 7th picked team out of the Big Ten. As you probably know from the past, there are 3 bowls designated as "Big Ten vs SEC." These bowls will be played by Mich St., Ohio St., and Nebraska. There is also the "Insight" bowl that will feature Iowa vs Oklahoma, and the "Meinike" bowl which features Texas A&M v. Northwestern.
Penn State landed below these teams in bowl selection, despite their record. They fell to the "Ticket City" bowl, which features a team from the C-USA, which this year will be Houston. Houston is led by QB Case Keenum who led the nation in most passing stats this season. They were well known for their undefeated streak, and coming up just a game shy of a perfect season...but there is a reason they are ranked #17.
However intimidating the 12-1 record, they are 0-1 against ranked teams (Southern Miss.) and won very close games to schools like UCLA, Louisiana Tech, and UTEP. It should be a great game seeing one of the better past defense match up against Keenum...but then things start going sour.
The game itself is located at the Cotton Bowl. For those of you wondering, (according to Mapquest) it is a 1,392 mile drive from Beaver Stadium to the Cotton Bowl. From the University of Houston, it's less than a 250 mile drive. Essentially, a home game for Houston, where tickets are for sale for around 70$ already.
You also have to look at the timing. While you think it's good to have a "New Years" bowl, I beg to differ.
First off, the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU, a station that doesn't exist on basic cable.
And if you start flicking channels during a TV timeout in the Penn State game on ESPNU at Noon ET, here's what else you will find on TV:
the NHL Winter Classic, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on NBC, at 1pm
No. 20 Nebraska vs No. 9 South Carolina in the Capital One BCS bowl, on ESPN, at 1pm
No 17 Michigan State vs No. 16 Georgia on ABC in the Outback Bowl, on ABC, at 1pm
Ohio State vs. Florida in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, on ESPN2, at 1pm.
So it's fairly safe to say, the world will not be watching. In fact, enough people wont be watching that ESPN wont even put it on ESPN2.
So....Penn State really didn't win out too well here. It will be a good game...but I'll be enjoying the Winter Classic.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
No(oddmanout)dl taken off waivers, Flyers need Defense, My #DOOP Dream.
- In a non-surprising mood, Andres Nodl was picked up by Carolina, after being placed on Waivers. It was more than expected that one forward had to be released at some point this season, and Nodl was the odd man out. It's great that he will get plenty of playing time in Carolina, and he is a special player. I wouldn't be surprised if he produced in Carolina...but at this time it was the best move for this Flyers team.
- The consistent injuries to Pronger just show us all that the Flyers need to pick up another defense. If you look back, this was an issue I had since day one with the Flyers of this season. I wish they would have chased defensive help after getting a goalie in the off-season, but at that time i also expected Carter and Richards on our Flyers.
Scott Hartnall is making this process very difficult. At the start of the year, I had no problem trading him....but now with his production...how can you? I dont know if i've seen him play any better in his career. Flyers have plenty of youth players who are more than trade-able. There were plenty of names (HarryZ, Wellwood, etc) who wen't from being our top youth prospects to 2nd tier with the addition of Schenn, Courtier, and Read. Getting rid of two of those guys to a bad team for a defender is certainly plausible, and encouraged by myself.
And this leads to the big news out of England today. Since I know none of you are aware, but Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC denied a low-dollar contract extension from the front office at Chelsea. This denial essentially shows that he may become a free agent after this season. With the horrendous season Chelsea is having, there never was much of a chance to see him back in blue next year. Drogba's age and dropping skill leaves him far below what is necessary to play top-level soccer anymore.
This led to what I envisioned and dreamed of before, that our Philadelphia Union pursue Didger Drogba as their superstar signing. MLS has a tag you can place on a player that does not count against your salary cap...something they have not done yet (with Adu). This tag was placed on Beckham when he came to LA and Henry when he came to New York.
Such signing would be perfect for the offense-lacking Union. With his fading skill, he would still be beyond spectacular in the MLS. There is already rumors that the LA Galaxy are chasing Drogba if Beckham leaves after this season...and well, i'd rather see one of my favorite players of all time in Philly.
This is the chance for the Philadelphia Union to get worldwide recognition.
- The consistent injuries to Pronger just show us all that the Flyers need to pick up another defense. If you look back, this was an issue I had since day one with the Flyers of this season. I wish they would have chased defensive help after getting a goalie in the off-season, but at that time i also expected Carter and Richards on our Flyers.
Scott Hartnall is making this process very difficult. At the start of the year, I had no problem trading him....but now with his production...how can you? I dont know if i've seen him play any better in his career. Flyers have plenty of youth players who are more than trade-able. There were plenty of names (HarryZ, Wellwood, etc) who wen't from being our top youth prospects to 2nd tier with the addition of Schenn, Courtier, and Read. Getting rid of two of those guys to a bad team for a defender is certainly plausible, and encouraged by myself.
And this leads to the big news out of England today. Since I know none of you are aware, but Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC denied a low-dollar contract extension from the front office at Chelsea. This denial essentially shows that he may become a free agent after this season. With the horrendous season Chelsea is having, there never was much of a chance to see him back in blue next year. Drogba's age and dropping skill leaves him far below what is necessary to play top-level soccer anymore.
This led to what I envisioned and dreamed of before, that our Philadelphia Union pursue Didger Drogba as their superstar signing. MLS has a tag you can place on a player that does not count against your salary cap...something they have not done yet (with Adu). This tag was placed on Beckham when he came to LA and Henry when he came to New York.
Such signing would be perfect for the offense-lacking Union. With his fading skill, he would still be beyond spectacular in the MLS. There is already rumors that the LA Galaxy are chasing Drogba if Beckham leaves after this season...and well, i'd rather see one of my favorite players of all time in Philly.
This is the chance for the Philadelphia Union to get worldwide recognition.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Basketball in America
In light of the NBA lockout being lifted, I see all current problems persisting. The super teams stay super, the mediocre teams enjoy their 5 games-over .500 to get smoked in the first round, and the bad teams stay bad unless they hit that next superstar out of the draft. Something the Sixers missed in Evan Turner with the #2 pick, and it's starting to look like even the Wizards missed in John Wall. Some other teams that missed out with the #1 pick, Trail Blazers (Oden), Raptors (Bargani) and the Bucks (Bogut). None of those teams have even had a chance at success, with those picks turning out horrible.
So is this fixable? Maybe. Do I have a crazy hypothetical way to change this? Absolutely.
Now hear me out, and don't quit reading this after my next words.
The NBA should draft ALL players out of high school.
Yes, I know I am talking about eliminating college basketball as you know it. Yes, I am an avid college hoops fan, but please, stick with me on this one.
I see this as beneficial in a few ways, and am taking away from other sports as a prime example.
The main issue I drew to this conclusion is overall basketball attendance in our country, especially at the professional level. NBA has attendance issues, and there are ZERO other meaningful professional league that draw fans. The NFL also has similar issues, but is such a monster, it's not worth considering changing anything.
Think of how many people in this nation attend a professional baseball game. MLB's 30 teams sold a combined 73,425,667 tickets in 2011. AAA baseball draws in the 15 million range, AA baseball draws in the 10 million range as well. You can throw in all the small leagues, and you just see how many people attend a baseball game.... over 100 million.
NHL drew 20,928,036 ticket sales in 2010-2011. On top of that, the AHL drew 1.5 million, ECHL draws 1,000-3,000 a game, and all the leagues in the great lakes area have small filled arenas. You also can look at the OHL, QJMHL, WHL, FHL and the attendance numbers they draw in Canada and northern America. People go to hockey games.
But what does basketball offer? It offers the NBA, which draws 20 million a year. After that, nothing else that draws meaningful attendance is out there.
Of course college basketball is huge, but that's money that goes to a campus, and not the sport. Also, attendance of non students (who hardly pay to go) is struggling for most teams.
This is where my theory comes in. And that theory is to drastically change the sport and draft players out of high school in an expanded draft.
This would develop NBA players for teams, and give a future to players in America.
Lets face it, I absolutely hate the NBA draft and how it works. Every year, the first round pick is almost secured a spot in the top 9 of any NBA roster. The second round pick fights for the last spot on a team, or ends up being released. Regardless, nearly 10-15% of your team changes based on who you draft alone (2 players, 13-ish man team). While I absolutely agree that most first round picks deserve to be on the court and are at the NBA-level, it's the other players that call me into question.
How great would a minor league basketball team be. This would give those great college players who aren't quite NBA material a place to play in America. What happens currently, is that they go overseas, and basically play their life away outside of America. Only the top 60 players in ALL of college basketball make it to the NBA. And considering there's 450 players in the NBA (on average), the rosters add 13% more players every year. Players get squeezed out of a NBA roster spot, and that leads to retirement, or playing overseas.
If each team had a minor league affiliate, you could send your youth. You would also have a spot for the last player on your bench to improve his game. So many times, that 12th-14th man on a roster ends up being released, and playing their life away in Europe. It would be very interesting and beneficial in my eyes to let these players play in such “minor” league. You could also keep your “back up” players active and in the game, something that the end of the bench doesn’t currently get.
The MLS is my example of this. Most great soccer players are signed by 18 to a team for a fairly inexpensive contract. These players play within development leagues against other teams and their development teams. These players mature, grow, and excel in their game until they are ready for the top level. They get their chance at the top level, and if they excel...they are set. This keeps the young kids playing with their future teammates.
Again, this is very hypothetical, and I could write a lot more about it. I just wanted to get my ideas out and see initial reaction. The number of American players playing overseas troubles me, and I am just as troubled that only 450 basketball players make it in America (30 teams, 15 players). Everyone beyond that goes overseas, and plays great there, get zero attention in America. A minor league system would do so.
Putting a team in Hershey, Baltimore, Trenton, Allentown, etc.. would be very successful in my eyes, in many ways like the AHL is for hockey and minor league baseball nation wide. If the Hershey affiliate for the Sixers had their “Second/Development/AHL/AAA” team playing, would people go? If you answer no...then there is no hope for basketball, because people attend Hockey and Baseball at that level. I think that people would go.
So is this fixable? Maybe. Do I have a crazy hypothetical way to change this? Absolutely.
Now hear me out, and don't quit reading this after my next words.
The NBA should draft ALL players out of high school.
Yes, I know I am talking about eliminating college basketball as you know it. Yes, I am an avid college hoops fan, but please, stick with me on this one.
I see this as beneficial in a few ways, and am taking away from other sports as a prime example.
The main issue I drew to this conclusion is overall basketball attendance in our country, especially at the professional level. NBA has attendance issues, and there are ZERO other meaningful professional league that draw fans. The NFL also has similar issues, but is such a monster, it's not worth considering changing anything.
Think of how many people in this nation attend a professional baseball game. MLB's 30 teams sold a combined 73,425,667 tickets in 2011. AAA baseball draws in the 15 million range, AA baseball draws in the 10 million range as well. You can throw in all the small leagues, and you just see how many people attend a baseball game.... over 100 million.
NHL drew 20,928,036 ticket sales in 2010-2011. On top of that, the AHL drew 1.5 million, ECHL draws 1,000-3,000 a game, and all the leagues in the great lakes area have small filled arenas. You also can look at the OHL, QJMHL, WHL, FHL and the attendance numbers they draw in Canada and northern America. People go to hockey games.
But what does basketball offer? It offers the NBA, which draws 20 million a year. After that, nothing else that draws meaningful attendance is out there.
Of course college basketball is huge, but that's money that goes to a campus, and not the sport. Also, attendance of non students (who hardly pay to go) is struggling for most teams.
This is where my theory comes in. And that theory is to drastically change the sport and draft players out of high school in an expanded draft.
This would develop NBA players for teams, and give a future to players in America.
Lets face it, I absolutely hate the NBA draft and how it works. Every year, the first round pick is almost secured a spot in the top 9 of any NBA roster. The second round pick fights for the last spot on a team, or ends up being released. Regardless, nearly 10-15% of your team changes based on who you draft alone (2 players, 13-ish man team). While I absolutely agree that most first round picks deserve to be on the court and are at the NBA-level, it's the other players that call me into question.
How great would a minor league basketball team be. This would give those great college players who aren't quite NBA material a place to play in America. What happens currently, is that they go overseas, and basically play their life away outside of America. Only the top 60 players in ALL of college basketball make it to the NBA. And considering there's 450 players in the NBA (on average), the rosters add 13% more players every year. Players get squeezed out of a NBA roster spot, and that leads to retirement, or playing overseas.
If each team had a minor league affiliate, you could send your youth. You would also have a spot for the last player on your bench to improve his game. So many times, that 12th-14th man on a roster ends up being released, and playing their life away in Europe. It would be very interesting and beneficial in my eyes to let these players play in such “minor” league. You could also keep your “back up” players active and in the game, something that the end of the bench doesn’t currently get.
The MLS is my example of this. Most great soccer players are signed by 18 to a team for a fairly inexpensive contract. These players play within development leagues against other teams and their development teams. These players mature, grow, and excel in their game until they are ready for the top level. They get their chance at the top level, and if they excel...they are set. This keeps the young kids playing with their future teammates.
Again, this is very hypothetical, and I could write a lot more about it. I just wanted to get my ideas out and see initial reaction. The number of American players playing overseas troubles me, and I am just as troubled that only 450 basketball players make it in America (30 teams, 15 players). Everyone beyond that goes overseas, and plays great there, get zero attention in America. A minor league system would do so.
Putting a team in Hershey, Baltimore, Trenton, Allentown, etc.. would be very successful in my eyes, in many ways like the AHL is for hockey and minor league baseball nation wide. If the Hershey affiliate for the Sixers had their “Second/Development/AHL/AAA” team playing, would people go? If you answer no...then there is no hope for basketball, because people attend Hockey and Baseball at that level. I think that people would go.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
My Answer for College Sports
More news today is about schools changing conferences, and the landscape of college sports than the sport itself. This is a huge mess, and doesn't look to be getting fixed anytime soon. But I have my answer.
What I would love to see, would be for the NCAA to take a page out of European Soccer and implement promotion and regulation.
For those of you who are new to the term, Regulation in European Soccer is when the teams who finish at the bottom of the league are kicked out. Also, those in smaller leagues who win the championship, get a chance at the top level. In the English Premier League, Norwich City F.C. is a great example of a regulated team. Last spring, they finished 2nd in the English Champions League, which is the 2nd highest league of soccer in England (AHL, AAA Baseball). With this finish, they were promoted to the EPL league (highest league, NHL, MLB) of Soccer in England, in which they are competing in right now. In 2005, Norwich City finished in the EPL as one of the 3 worst teams, and they were regulated from the EPL to the Champions league, where they competed for 6 years until regaining a good enough of a season to get promoted to the EPL. As long as they finish outside of the last 3 this year in the EPL, they stay in the league next year as long as they don't finish at the bottom.
The beauty of this is that every game is important, even if it's 2 teams below .500. If you lose, you may lose your status as a team in the top league.
It's hard to envision in American profesional sports since every minor league team is owned by a professional team, but envision it as such. The Hershey Bears win the AHL Calder Cup and are the best team in the AHL. Their reward for this championship, is that they would become an NHL team...this is where the promotion comes from. The worst team in the NHL (Edmonton Oilers) would be placed in the AHL as punishment for finishing dead last.
This works in soccer, since every team owns their players, at all levels. This is why teams like Barcelona sign 12 year old kids to play in their development leagues....so other teams don't have a chance at owning his talent. They have "developement" leagues instead of "minor leagues," and the Champions league isn't just players playing for a spot on a professional roster....it's a TEAM playing for a CHANCE to be at the highest level.
Here's how I would love to see College Sports. And please, hear me out before you jump to conclusion.
The current D1 teams would be divided into say 6-8 "super" and 6-8 "d1" conferences, based on location. North East, Mid Atlantic, SouthEast, NorthCentral, Heartland, MidSouth, NorthWest, SouthWest, etc... And you would have in the north east the "super-confrence" for football be your Penn State, Maryland, Boston College, Pitt, Temple, etc. Then your "d1" conference would be teams like Villanova, Towson, Rugters, etc.
So your looking at a "Super-Conference" and "D1 (slightly inferior)" conference. From here, we would implement regulation. The team who finishes dead last in the "super-conference" would be regulated to the "d1" conference, and the team who wins the "d1" conference would be promoted to the "Super-Conference." The regulated school would then next year compete and try to win the inferior conference to get back into the super-conference, or the program would fall apart and a smaller school could grow.
Lets face it, current athletics amongst school lines are set in stone. If you are a D-1a superpower like Villanova or Appalachian State...it will take decades alone to get back into a reputable conference and have a shot at being a top-tier program. If you are a D2 school, despite how good you are, recognition is next to nothing.
Again, this is a sketch, not a blueprint. I just see this type of program turning out awesome. It could be expanded, and allow smaller D2 schools with outstanding programs (Shippensburg's Field Hockey) have a shot at competing. This also opens up the currently unavailable option of having top tier athletes play at smaller schools and get recognized to play at the next level. If you get regulated up to the D1 status, you would attract more and more recruits (especially local), and could build and form a great program that way.
This is just an idea i've thought about, and thought how cool it would be. I love how it works in soccer and how the credibility of losing is non-existant in a lot of american sports. The worst D1 schools are always given a higher status than a good D2 school. This would give those D2 and D1-A FCS schools a voice.
What I would love to see, would be for the NCAA to take a page out of European Soccer and implement promotion and regulation.
For those of you who are new to the term, Regulation in European Soccer is when the teams who finish at the bottom of the league are kicked out. Also, those in smaller leagues who win the championship, get a chance at the top level. In the English Premier League, Norwich City F.C. is a great example of a regulated team. Last spring, they finished 2nd in the English Champions League, which is the 2nd highest league of soccer in England (AHL, AAA Baseball). With this finish, they were promoted to the EPL league (highest league, NHL, MLB) of Soccer in England, in which they are competing in right now. In 2005, Norwich City finished in the EPL as one of the 3 worst teams, and they were regulated from the EPL to the Champions league, where they competed for 6 years until regaining a good enough of a season to get promoted to the EPL. As long as they finish outside of the last 3 this year in the EPL, they stay in the league next year as long as they don't finish at the bottom.
The beauty of this is that every game is important, even if it's 2 teams below .500. If you lose, you may lose your status as a team in the top league.
It's hard to envision in American profesional sports since every minor league team is owned by a professional team, but envision it as such. The Hershey Bears win the AHL Calder Cup and are the best team in the AHL. Their reward for this championship, is that they would become an NHL team...this is where the promotion comes from. The worst team in the NHL (Edmonton Oilers) would be placed in the AHL as punishment for finishing dead last.
This works in soccer, since every team owns their players, at all levels. This is why teams like Barcelona sign 12 year old kids to play in their development leagues....so other teams don't have a chance at owning his talent. They have "developement" leagues instead of "minor leagues," and the Champions league isn't just players playing for a spot on a professional roster....it's a TEAM playing for a CHANCE to be at the highest level.
Here's how I would love to see College Sports. And please, hear me out before you jump to conclusion.
The current D1 teams would be divided into say 6-8 "super" and 6-8 "d1" conferences, based on location. North East, Mid Atlantic, SouthEast, NorthCentral, Heartland, MidSouth, NorthWest, SouthWest, etc... And you would have in the north east the "super-confrence" for football be your Penn State, Maryland, Boston College, Pitt, Temple, etc. Then your "d1" conference would be teams like Villanova, Towson, Rugters, etc.
So your looking at a "Super-Conference" and "D1 (slightly inferior)" conference. From here, we would implement regulation. The team who finishes dead last in the "super-conference" would be regulated to the "d1" conference, and the team who wins the "d1" conference would be promoted to the "Super-Conference." The regulated school would then next year compete and try to win the inferior conference to get back into the super-conference, or the program would fall apart and a smaller school could grow.
Lets face it, current athletics amongst school lines are set in stone. If you are a D-1a superpower like Villanova or Appalachian State...it will take decades alone to get back into a reputable conference and have a shot at being a top-tier program. If you are a D2 school, despite how good you are, recognition is next to nothing.
Again, this is a sketch, not a blueprint. I just see this type of program turning out awesome. It could be expanded, and allow smaller D2 schools with outstanding programs (Shippensburg's Field Hockey) have a shot at competing. This also opens up the currently unavailable option of having top tier athletes play at smaller schools and get recognized to play at the next level. If you get regulated up to the D1 status, you would attract more and more recruits (especially local), and could build and form a great program that way.
This is just an idea i've thought about, and thought how cool it would be. I love how it works in soccer and how the credibility of losing is non-existant in a lot of american sports. The worst D1 schools are always given a higher status than a good D2 school. This would give those D2 and D1-A FCS schools a voice.
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