More Reflections on the London Olympics

*Michael Phelps ended up with 22 medals with 18 of them gold medals.  That is ridiculous.  He medaled in 22 of 24 Olympic finals.  That is a pretty good percentage right there.  Some compared his finish to that of Michael Jordan retiring (the 1998 retirement).  The crazy thing is that Ryan Lochte is older than Phelps and will be at the Rio Olympics in 2016.  So honestly, if Phelps wanted to, he could add to that total.  But given his comments, I don't think he'll go back on saying he's retiring.  There are Olympic athletes that dominate a generation.  Phelps is definitely one of those athletes.

*Usain Bolt is fast.  Anyone who watched the final of the 100m race can attest to that.  And that final had some big time names in it:  besides Bolt, there was his teammate and fellow countryman Yohan Blake, who beat Bolt at the Jamaican Olympic qualifiers and also is the reigning World Champion at 100m, Justin Gatlin, USA runner who won the gold back 2004 & was coming off of suspension, Tyson Gay another USA runner who won the World Championships in 2007.  So it was a big time race.  And Bolt came through with an Olympic record time & 2nd fastest time in the world only to himself.  It was one of those blink and you'll miss it.

A cool side story.  After the race, Bolt was being interviewed by a Spanish network.  The reporter was trying to ask questions just as the national anthem was being played for the medal ceremony for the winner of the women's 400m, American Sanya Richards-Ross.  Bolt politely stopped the interview and pointed to the medal podium and paused while the American anthem was played.  Afterwards, he finished the interview with the reporter.  Classy move and one that deserves props.

*On the flip side of that, the USA women's soccer team.  This tournament has seen them win every match so far (though there were some scares against France & recently in their semifinal matchup against Canada).  Along with that, there has been some antics they've done which has been disappointing.  After some of their goals (particularly against New Zealand) there were over the top in their celebrations.  Now I'm all for celebrations, in the heat of the moment, excited spontaneous celebrations are great.  But if you're choreographing them (especially the worm one) that's a bit too much, especially in the Olympics.  I haven't seen the women's basketball team do things like that (and they're the best in the world), neither has the women's volleyball team either (and they're undefeated so far in these games as well).  I think the soccer team should take a page from those teams and win without losing respect of other teams.

*Speaking of the USA volleyball teams (both men's and women's) both sides look dominating.  They both won their groups and are in line for a chance to both get gold.  Beach volleyball could have a USA gold medal final on the women's side with Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Jennings vs. Jen Kessy & April Ross.  Unfortunately, on the men's side both US teams got bounced so no medals there.  That'll have to be rectified in 4 years in Rio.

*Hopefully in 4 years as well, NBC will have better coverage of the games.  This has been a bad summer games for the network as they have gotten a lot of things wrong.  Part of it I think is not updating with the times & part of it is having London be a 5 hour time difference from the East Coast.  Next summer games, it will be in Rio, which is only a 1 hour time difference.  So hopefully more live prime time events will help out.  They can get a jump start on this in 2 years with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, which is an 8 hour time difference.

Random Sports Reflections

Some random sports reflections in late June...

*I didn't do a version of "If I were in charge of..." for NASCAR but if I did, the first thing I would do is keep Sprint Cup races on broadcast television.  FOX has the first half of the season & and shows all the Sprint Cup races on their station.  When June rolls around, there are barely any races on broadcast TV the rest of the season (TNT has about 6 races or so during June & early July & then ESPN picks up the telecasts showing barely any races on ABC) .  Like the problem I have with college football, if you take the championship (Chase for the Cup) off of broadcast TV (only 1 or 2 of the Chase races are on ABC, final race isn't one of those), you're not going to get the most people watching it.  I do know that you have to deal with football once fall rolls around but at the same time if it is compelling enough people will watch.

*Speaking of college football, it is looking more and more like a playoff system will be in place in about 2 years.  Having been a proponent of a playoff system, this is a good first step forward with a 4 team playoff.  I do think they should (and eventually will) expand it to at least 8 teams.  But the fact that all indications are one will be put in place is a huge step forward.

*Even though the countries that I was pulling for have already been knocked out of Euro 2012, I've enjoyed watching the tournament so far.  Any time you can watch great soccer in a major tournament format is worth it.  Even though I'm "late" to the sport (didn't pick up really watching it until I was in college), I've grown to like and enjoy watching it.  I've even grown to defending the sport against people taking shots at it.  I guess that really means you like a sport when you do that.  For those that are like eh about soccer, I would suggest watching the semis & the finals of Euro 2012 (and be sure to watch when the World Cup happens in 2 years).

Random Sports Reflections

Some random sports reflections...

*I'm not really a big golf guy (that and tennis are probably the two sports that I enjoy the least watching) but this year has been interesting to say the least.  So far in the two major tournaments (the Masters & the US Open) that have been played, the two winners (Bubba Watson & Webb Simpson) are strong & vocal followers of Jesus.  Simpson's twitter profile describes himself as this: " *sinner* loved by a Savior".  I really am encouraged that more and more athletes are vocal about their faith in Christ, and that they are using the platform that God is giving them to point back to Him.  Very cool indeed.

*After my last post about Manny Ramirez, he recently asked for his release from the A's.  It didn't seem like they were going to promote him from AAA and so he wanted to see if he can get back into the big leagues another way.  I don't know if he will find another team but I do wish him the best.

*The NBA finals are going on and for the first time in my life I've not watched one game of the Finals, even though I am able to (I wasn't able to watch any back in '09 because I was in Poland and it's like a 7 hour time difference).  The reason?  Simply put Oklahoma City is in the finals.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I lived in Seattle and did ministry work there for 3 years.  I was there the final years that the Sonics were in town before they moved.  So I know better than a lot of people how people in Seattle feel right now about the Thunder, because I saw a lot of what went down firsthand.  I can't bring myself to root for the Thunder let alone watch the games.  Because I remember what the ownership did.  To me, they brought to light the ugly side of sports.  As much as I didn't like LeBron James and how he handed "The Decision", that wasn't as bad as what the Thunder ownership group and David Stern did to the city of Seattle.  Growing up I was a huge NBA fan.  But now, the NBA is like 4th or 5th (behind NFL, MLB, NHL & soccer).  I hope that someday Seattle gets a franchise back.  But the consequences of what happened with the Thunder still continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

*Speaking of soccer, right now in Europe there's a major tournament going on called Euro 2012.  The top 16 European countries are competing in a tournament to decide the top team in all of Europe.  The tourney is held every four years and this year it's being held in Poland & the Ukraine.  I'm happy that Poland is getting to co-host the tourney (sad that they got knocked out of the tourney a few days ago).  I loved going over there a few years ago and spending the summer as an intern doing ministry work.  I continue to pray for the people of Poland (specifically those in the city of Krakow) and major international tournaments like this are a great reminder to pray for countries.

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.

World Cup and A Lesson in Humility

Like millions upon millions (or maybe even more than that), I have been watching the World Cup finals. Like I said in my last post, I'm not as knowledgeable with soccer (or football) as some of my friends are. But even I and my limited knowledge have watched games where there have been a lot of blown calls. Goals that weren't allowed that should have been, goals that were allowed that should not have been, among other various and sundry calls that were not good. Overall, it has not been a good World Cup in that regard.

FIFA, the governing body of soccer and who runs the World Cup, has been questioned again and again about these blown calls and the work of the officials throughout the tournament. Time and time again, they would reply that the officials do not have to explain themselves nor are they going to seek to improve the game via instant replay or goal line sensors or anything involving technology because it takes away from the human mistakes which makes the game what it is.

I think there are two things with which one can take away from this. One, it is a reminder that we are human and we are not perfect, as if we needed another reminder of this. We all make mistakes, we all mess up. Soccer officials are not different than anybody else and this World Cup has shown that to be the case. However, there needs to be a level of humility in that. We need to own up to when we mess up or make mistakes. I think back to the incident with Jim Joyce, the umpire who made a bad call and cost the Tigers pitcher a perfect game, he admitted he made a mistake and apologized. Fast forward to the Mali referee who made a bad call that cost the U.S. a goal in its game with Slovenia, there was no apology, no recognition of making a bad call, not even an explanation of what the call was that he made. When we mess up, we need to own up to our mistakes. The good thing is as followers of Jesus, when we own up and confess them to God, he will forgive us of them (1 John 1:9).

The second thing to take away from this is that even though we aren't perfect, we should strive for perfection. As followers of Jesus, we have been called to follow after Him and to live right and holy lives, even though we aren't perfect. Having the Holy Spirit in us helps us to do that. We don't take joy in our mistakes nor celebrate them but seek to improve and do better. Just like going to check the replay or the goal line marker to see if it was a goal or not helps to get things right, we as followers of Jesus seek to not just stay where we are but to press on to the mark that Christ has set (Philippians 3:14).

So as the World Cup continues, there will probably be more blown calls just as in any sport. But hopefully there will be improvement. And for followers of Jesus, we should seek to grow and improve in our walk with Him

Reflections on World Cup 2010

One of the major sporting events in the world has begun. It is the World Cup, the major championship for soccer (or football as it is known in the rest of the world). It takes place every four years and involves the 32 top nations in the world that qualify for the tourney.

It is probably the one major sporting event I have little knowledge of personally. I didn't get into soccer until I was in college. I do barely remember when the World Cup was in the U.S. back in 1994 but I didn't really keep up with it. When I was in college, I roomed for a time with a missionary kid (MK) from Nigeria and it was through him (along with other MKs and internationals) that I really learned about soccer and started to take notice of it. I would watch soccer in the afternoons on ESPN when I got back from class.

I still would not say I'm an expert in any sense of the word. I do like watching the games, especially when it's a major event like the World Cup.

This year it is in South Africa, first time the World Cup has been in Africa I do believe. It must be weird to be playing a "summer" event in "winter" (since it's in the southern hemisphere). So far the weather hasn't been much of a factor so we'll see if that continues.

Of course personally, I am rooting for the USA. I would love to see them win. I do root for an international team. I would be rooting for Poland but they didn't qualify. So, I'll be rooting for France. Yes, France. I like their team and have since they won the cup back in 1998.

The World Cup stage is one of the biggest in the world. I hope and pray that those players who are believers will be a good example and will have the opportunity to share their faith to teammates, opponents and to the world.

It's also a great way to pray for countries. When you're watching a match, pray for those countries and for the believers that are in those countries. Who knows, God might lead you to go to one of those countries and share your faith there.

Random Sports Reflections

Here's some quick reflections on some recent sports news items:

*First, the Shaq/Kobe deal. For those of you that don't know, last week Shaquille O'Neal was at a New York club and was taped doing a freestyle rap. The tape ended up on a tabloid website and then became headline news. In the rap, Shaq trashes Kobe and made some off-color remarks.

Now, anyone that knows me knows I don't like Kobe Bryant. I'm not a fan of his at all. However, I was totally disappointed in Shaq's behavior. Besides the fact that their feud was supposedly over with like two years ago, there really was no reason for Shaq to go off like that. To give credit where credit was due this year, Kobe's team did go farther in the playoffs than Shaq's (much to my disapproval). In my mind, this puts a tarnish on Shaq's reputation and in some ways elevates Kobe's.

*Next, the Jose Guillen situation. Last Friday, Guillen talked about how he was booed for not running out a grounder that was nearly an error in the previous game. He said, to put it mindly, to forget the fans and that he doesn't care what they think (he did throw in a few choice words in that). He has since apologized for that remark.

Me personally, I didn't take that remark seriously. I thought he was just frustrated and did what most people do when they're frustrated, lash out. So I don't necessarily fault him for that. It was nice to see that he apologized. I will say this, he's been way more vocal this year than he was last year in Seattle. I don't really remember him saying anything at all the whole year. It might have been that team was better than this one or there was more veteran leadership with the Mariners. I don't know. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out with him and the team.

Finally, football (aka soccer). Yesterday was the final of Euro 2008, the championship for all of soccer in Europe. The match between Spain and Germany was a good one which ended 1-0 with Spain on top. I watch that match and several others that led up to it when they were on TV. I'm in the minority I know but I do enjoy a good soccer match, even on TV and this was a good one. If you didn't see it, you missed out.