If I Were in Charge Of.....MLS

It's time for another installment of "If I Were in Charge Of....."  This week we take a look at Major League Soccer, a fairly young league in comparison to the others (first season was in 1996) but a sport that is loved around the world.  This league is starting to gain some traction but there is definite room for improvement.  So if I were in charge of MLS.....

*Have the schedule reflect that of other soccer leagues around the world.  MLS has a schedule that runs from March to October (spring to fall) while most other leagues run a schedule that's more August to May (late summer to late spring).  While the downside would be going along the same time as college football & the NFL, there would be the benefit of being able to keep players on their respective teams throughout the season & not losing them to such events as the World Cup & other FIFA sanctioned events in the summer months.  There would also be the opportunity to get more world class athletes since the schedules would be linked up better.

*Have expansion to have an even number of teams in the league and get into markets right for soccer.  Right now there are 19 teams and there is an unbalanced schedule.  I would at least get it to 20 teams and probably get it to 24 teams.  Right now there are 0 teams in the southeast (there used to be 2 in Florida but got contracted in the late 90s).  To expand to 5 teams, I would have 1 team in Miami again, add a 2nd to New York (name them the Cosmos like the team in the NASL league back in the 70s & 80s), 1 in Atlanta, 1 in Phoenix & 1 in Charlotte.  There would have to be some realignment with the Eastern & Western conference so here's how that would shape out:
Eastern:  Montreal, Toronto, NY Red Bulls, NY Cosmos, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, DC, Philadelphia, New England, Columbus, Chicago
Western: KC, Houston, Dallas, Salt Lake, Colorado, Salt Lake, Phoenix, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Jose, LA Galaxy, Chivas (LA)

*Change the playoff format to a best of 3 for each round.  This would differ greatly for soccer as it is done around the world which is by an aggregate goal format (the scores of the two games added and team with most goals in two games advances, if there is a tie, team with most away goals advance).  Rather it play out on the field than have that be the case.  Higher seed would host game 1 and if necessary game 3.  Each round would have this best of 3 format including the MLS Cup Finals.  Right now 10 teams (five teams from each conference) advance.  In the "new format", 12 teams would advance (six teams from each conference) based on points (tie breaker would be wins) and top 4 seeds would get a bye in the 1st round.

*Have the champion of MLS play the champ of the English Premier League in a home and home series.  They would play for a cup (for the sake of having a name the Beckham/Donovan Cup) and have bragging rights for the year.  It would bring the top team from the EPL to the states one time a year for more than just a friendly and also give more exposure to MLS players "across the pond".

*More network exposure.  I know that MLS recently signed a deal with NBC to cover games but most of them are on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus, formerly the Outdoor Life Channel).  I would have a "game of the week" on NBC proper on Sunday nights running from January until the end of the season (basically picking up where the NFL leaves off) and the first part of the season have special "rival" games on certain Saturday & Sunday afternoons.  I would also have a deal with ESPN to air a certain number of games on the main network on Tuesday nights (and make sure that I won't conflict with NHL games that I discussed in an earlier post).  I would also keep games on the NBC Sports Network but that wouldn't be the main avenue for people to catch games.

So that's what I think.  What do you think?  Feel free to leave comments as to how you would change MLS.  And feel free to check on back the other posts in the series.

If I Were in Charge of.....the NHL

It's time for another installment of the ongoing series "If I Were in Charge of".  This time around, we look at the National Hockey League.  This is a league that has a great playoff system and indeed has had it's ups and downs with regard to leadership (see the lockout that shut down an entire season....ultimate fail).  They have improved since then but there are still a few things that I'd do to help with improving the league.  So with that in mind, if I were in charge of the NHL.....

*Have a new TV deal with ESPN.  Yes I know they signed a huge TV deal with NBC and helped relaunch what used to be Verses (which used to be the Outdoor Life Network) to now the NBC Sports Network but seriously the NHL needs to be back on ESPN.  When they left the network, ESPN pretty much dropped 95% of their coverage of the sport.  Sad on their part yes but that's what they did.  I would work out a contract where ESPN gets Tuesday night games on the original (not ESPN 2 or any of the other ESPN "family of networks") starting at the beginning of the season.  If things went well, maybe even have an option to show early rounds of the Stanley Cup Finals.  More exposure on ESPN would be beneficial to the sport and would be a nice stepping stone to growth.

*More games on NBC, especially more Stanley Cup Finals games.  Yes I know the start of the NHL season overlaps NFL & College football but since NBC only has Notre Dame football on Saturdays and NFL isn't until Sunday night, I'm sure NBC could show regular season games earlier in the year, maybe try and coincide the NHL game with whatever market the NFL game will be in that same day.  Also, all Stanley Cup Finals games should be on network television not just a couple.

*Like with my proposal for the NBA, have 4 nights each month called "family nights". That would mean prices from seats to concessions would be set at affordable prices so that a family of 4 could sit in really good seats and watch a game and not stuck in the nosebleed sections. The franchises can make more than enough money the rest of the season that it wouldn't hurt them to have these kind of nights and would help develop the fanbase so that everyone could enjoy the games.

*Continue to work and develop to minimze concussions.  Hockey has had its share of concussion related injuries even to top stars like Sidney Crosby.  I would make it a priority to be at the forefront of research to help treat and prevent on ice incidents where concussions could happen.

*Have more exposure of the Hockey Night in Canada crew in the U.S.  One of the joys of living in Seattle was I got CBC on my cable system and got to watch Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays.  I think it would be cool to have more interaction with the crew up there here in the states.  Would bring another side and be entertaining to fans here.

What do you think?  Feel free to leave comments on how you would change the NHL and go back and check out previous posts in the series.

Another Cool Twitter Encounter

Ever since I got on Twitter (back around 2009), it has been for me a really good tool.  It has been my go to place for status updates for Facebook, a place for real time thoughts on games and events, and a really great place to interact with people that I don't normally get to interact with face to face.  I would say that my experience on Twitter has been 98% positive.

Another of the 98% happened last week.  To preface, a couple of months ago I started listening to a podcast called SportsYapp (there's a link to some of the podcasts on this blog.  It's done by Sports Spectrum, which is a sports magazine that tells stories about those in sports and their faith in Jesus.  On the podcast, Bryce Johnson, who is the host, will talk about sports and entertainment and Jesus along with interviewing those in the sports & entertainment fields.  Some of the people Bryce has interviewed have been CBS analyst Clark Kellogg, ESPN writer & commentator Chris Broussard, Tennessee Titans punter Brett Kern, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brad Smith & Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw among others.  It's a really cool podcast.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you ought to give it a try.

So I follow SportsYapp on Twitter.  Recently I began to follow Jason Romano on Twitter.  Who is Jason Romano you ask?  Well Jason is the Senior Talent Producer at ESPN.  He is in charge of booking guests and analyst for the various shows on the ESPN family of networks.  I started following Jason on Twitter for 3 reasons (in no particular order).  One, he talks about sports and the various people that come through Bristol.  Two, he shares Scripture and his faith.  Three, he randomly has pictures of when Star Wars was visiting ESPN on his Twitter profile picture sometimes.  Pretty good combination in my book.

Now that you know the backstory, here's the cool encounter.  So last Monday (March 26th), I @ replied to SportsYapp suggesting they should try and get Jason Romano on their podcast because I thought it'd be a good interview.  Well not even a few minutes later I get a message from Jason contacting me about it and where to reach him and that he'd love to do it if he was able to get permission from ESPN.  I then sent a message to Bryce with Jason's contact info and that was that.

This week rolls around and the interview was up yesterday.  It was a really good interview about some of the behind the scenes stuff of what it takes to get talent on air.  Jason also shared his testimony and what it's like to live out his faith where he works.  The link to the interview is here.

It's really cool how God uses such things like Twitter for His glory.  And it's a really cool reminder that even something as simple as a tweet can be used in a big way.

Yes, God Does Love (fill in the blank city)

This post has been sitting in my head for a while but I finally feel like I've got the momentum to actually write it.  Bill Simmons, columnist for ESPN.com and nicknamed "The Sports Guy", in the past several months has talked about different cities who have suffered losing teams and championships by saying that "God hates" that city.  An example would be Cleveland.  In an September 9th article in essence previewing the NFL season he said "The Browns finished 2009 strong and reek of sleeper potential, but we're eliminating them because God hates Cleveland."  He has also mentioned this about Seattle, (a city near and dear to my heart).

Now granted I know he is a columnist and sometimes columnists say things for show or to get reactions from readers.  But it does get one to think.  Does God really hate a city?  Because a city hasn't won a championship in 20, 30 or 50 or more years, does that mean God doesn't care about that city?

People who know me know I love sports.  I love the competition and I love to win.  I root on teams and hope they win.  But I also understand it's not the end of the world if my team loses.  I understand in perspective that it is just a game and there are bigger things out there.

But back to the question at hand, does God hate Cleveland or does God hate Seattle?  My answer is no.  God does not hate Cleveland or Seattle or New York or any city.  In fact God loves those cities.  I lived in Seattle for three years and I can attest that God loves that city.  You can see God's creation as you travel around the city.  It is simply awe inspiring.  But more importantly, God loves the people in the city.  How do I know this?  Because he sent Jesus his son to die for the people of Cleveland, Seattle, Boston, Kansas City and around the world.

I'm reminded of the story in the book of Jonah.  God tells Jonah to travel to the city of Nineveh to warn the people.  Why?  Because God wanted the people to repent.  Even though they were not Israelites, God loved them and wanted them to turn to Him.  And guess what?  Jonah went (reluctantly) and they did repent.  God loved the city of Nineveh and the people in it.

So yes, God loves (fill in the blank city).  And what's more amazing?  He loves you and me.

Supporting a Good Cause through Fantasy Football

I came across this through Twitter and wanted to pass it along.  Everyone that knows me knows I love football and I'm excited about the upcoming season.  I also enjoy being involved in fantasy football, and I'm not alone.  There are millions across the country that are signing up for leagues even as we speak.  It's a great way to supplement watching the games, have bragging rights and enjoy winning a championship every now and then.

It is also a means by which people can help support a good cause.  This last week Alexandra Schlereth, actress and daughter of current ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL great Mark Schlereth set out a twitter message promoting two openings in a fantasy football league that she and her dad participate in.  The way these two spots were to be filled were by people donating $20 to Generosity Water.  Generosity Water is a non-profit organization that is "committed to ending the clean water crisis" (from their twitter page).  Their mission is:  "Dedicated to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries, one community at a time. Through innovative awareness campaigns, strategic implementation and in depth accountability, we hope to inspire people to think globally and live generously." (from their website)  For each $20 dollar donation, there was one entry put in and at the end of the week Alexandra drew two names and those two are invited to play in their league.  Overall, there was nearly $800 dollars raised.

It's great to hear stories like this.  God can use fantasy football to help raise money to help out those in need.  What passions has God given you that you can use to help out those in need and to share the Gospel with others?

(If you want to donate to Generosity Water, you can go to their website)

Twitter, Sports and Opportunities for Encouragment

I've thought about writing on this for awhile and finally have found the time to do it. One of the trends in the past few years is the use of Twitter. For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's a form of social media that people use 140 characters to convey messages about where they are, what they're doing, or what they're feeling as well as conversing with others. It has grown in scope and usage to where people from a variety of places and popularity use it. It has become a place where people get their news (I found out the death of Michael Jackson's death from Twitter first), some promote products or connect with other people. This is particularly the case with celebrities/athletes as many have Twitter accounts and regularly tweet (write a message).

Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.

I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.

One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.

The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)