Under Armour Slides into 2nd Place

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By Ellen Chlumecky

Kevin Plank, Under Armour founder and CEO, started his company 18 years ago in his grandmother’s basement. Starting out with a stretchy undershirt that football players wore under their equipment to suck the sweat away from their bodies. Today, Under Armour is expected to see sales past $3 billion for 2014. This accomplishment has placed Under Armor at the second largest domestic sportswear company, behind powerhouse rival Nike.

A couple years ago, Under Armour was well known but was nowhere near the success rate it is today. It is now not only hip but has become a trend in the sports world to wear Under Armour. To the every day runner or the gym rat, Under Armour seems to be surging to the top of the charts. After passing Adidas, it’s true competition this year is Nike, while still far behind Plank’s goal this year is surpass them.

Everyone knows that long-lasting success does not come in one fell swoop. One must earn it with passion, honesty, quick thinking, and hard work. Kevin Plank did all that and more. Plank is all about pushing the envelope to as far as it can go.

One of the many reasons he has been able to make a name for himself is his desire to not just be a sporting goods brand. He thinks that he could go into bottled water to sports drinks to protein bars. Plank doesn’t want to contain his brand to one category.

Another reason he’s been so successful is because of the media attention Under Armor has been receiving. This summer they released a new women’s line featuring American Ballet Theatre star Misty Copeland. While she may just seem like an ordinary athlete, she has an amazing back story. She was rejected from ballet school at the age of 13 because she did not have “the body of a ballerina.” She ignored the criticism and worked day in and day out to achieve her dream. Under Armour continues this thought process by endorsing athletes who refuse to bend from criticism. Athletes like Gisele Bundchen, Lindsey Vonn, Tom Brady, and Georges St-Pierre are just a few of the superb athletes endorsed by Under Armour.

Under Armour does a great job of endorsing female athletes. Especially women who have overcome hardship to be successful today. Under Armour is providing a positive example to female athletes and even aspiring female athletes. Which might have to do with women’s sports apparel sales going up and women’s sports apparel being 30% of their overall sales.

Kevin Plank is truly never satisfied. They have 18 consecutive of 20% revenue growth, 4 consecutive quarters up to 30%, and international sales are up almost 86% this year. Yet Plank still believes it isn’t enough. Plank’s love of winning and his fear of losing drive him to compete with Nike, or as he likes to call them, “those guys in Oregon.”

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Is One Game Enough for Dominic Raiola?

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By Kaleb Page

The game of football is a violent game. No matter what the rules are or advancements made in the name of player safety; the game will always be a violent one. Within the confines of this modern-day gladiator sport, there has to be the mindset to play hard nonstop but at the same time there should be no intent to hurt someone intentionally.

Dominic Raiola is one of the key pieces to the offensive line of the Detroit Lions. As the center and a veteran in the league, Raiola is key in getting the line in sync and making protection calls to protect star quarterback Matthew Stafford. This past Sunday in a key divisional match-up with the rival Chicago Bears Raiola made a play that will compromise that offensive line.

After a short run that was stuffed by the Bears, the pile was still on the ground and the play was just ending. For Raiola it was an opportunity to take a shot at a downed player. Bears defensive lineman Ego Ferguson was still on the ground when Raiola ran off to the side where Ferguson was on the ground. As Raiola went to pass Ferguson he took a hop and stomp down on Ferguson’s ankle. This action instantly got the Bears furious and words exchanged between Raiola and Bears players.

Monday Raiola’s actions were punished by the NFL at the tune of one game without pay for the final week battle between the Lions and Packers. A game that will decide the division winner for the NFC North. The thing about this one game suspension that is leaving those not only in the league surprised but national analysts as well is that this isn’t the first time Raiola has acted this way.

Watching ESPN First Take this morning, both Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith agreed that suspending Raiola only a game is not enough. Just months ago Raiola was seen throwing a punch to the back of a defensive lineman for the Patriots head and then as the final kneel down was made he went at that same players’ knees intentionally (he admitted it himself). Over the course of his career Raiola has had up to six run-ins with the NFL league office sending him some sort of fine for his actions on the field. That is why many are thinking just a one game suspension isn’t sending the message to Raiola.

Antonio Pierce was a guest on First Take and brought up an interesting discussion point. He brought up what would happen to a defensive player if this same scenario happened, say a defensive lineman stomped on Tom Brady’s or Peyton Manning’s ankle; then what? Would there still be a one game suspension? He highly doubted that and I would have to agree with him. If the league really wanted to punish Raiola it should have been at least this final game and the Lions first playoff game (possibly even the entire playoffs).

If you haven’t had the chance to see the stomp by Raiola here is a video to show that along with some further commentary (start at 36 seconds).

After reading this post, seeing the video and its commentary, what are your thoughts? Think it was intentional? Think more punishment should have been issued? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Mumps Affecting Not Only the NHL

By Savannah Malnar

Flu outbreaks aren’t uncommon around this time of the year in professional sports leagues. What is uncommon is the appearance of the mumps in the NHL. Professional athletes are forced to spend an excessive amount of time together in close contact, between sharing rooms on road trips and water bottles in the locker rooms. So when a contagious illness hits one player, it’s likely to spread throughout the team. The interesting aspect about these illnesses is that in the NHL they can spread pretty easily to other teams as well, with all the hard hits and the fighting bringing rival players into physical contact.

The outbreak of the disease started in Anaheim with the defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Clayton Stoner, along with star forward Corey Perry. Other teams that have since reported cases include the Minnesota Wild, the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The NHL is doing everything in its power to bring awareness to the disease and ensure that the players have access to booster shots or the initial mumps immunization if they did not receive it as a child.

The media’s primary concern right now seems to be the quality of the game with a disease like this going around. What will the Penguins do without Sidney Crosby while he recovers? Did the Ducks lose games they could have won if Perry wasn’t ill?

One ESPN article brought attention to a less talked about side of the epidemic; the American Hockey League. The AHL is a development league for the NHL, and players move up and down between the leagues on daily basis. Two players and one head coach in the AHL have come down with this sickness. The total amount of hockey players affected is up to 18.

Dr. Gregory Poland, the director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group, believes that this outbreak is not actually all that uncommon. “To be very frank with you, if 13 students at a junior college in rural Arizona had mumps, you and I wouldn’t be talking. It gets hyped because it’s in (professional athletes),” Poland said. Poland also stressed making sure all players receive the immunization they need; from there it’s just a waiting game. There are no cures or antibiotics available for the disease, so hockey players will just have to do what they do best: tough it out.

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Snowboarding Prodigy at Age 14

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By Ellen Chlumecky

In the sports world, snowboarding is almost synonymous with Shaun White, the two time- Olympic gold medalist for snowboarding. He currently holds the X-Games records for gold medals and highest overall medal count. He holds a long rap sheet of accomplishments in the snowboarding world. However, he might have some competition at the top of that 1st place podium. That person is a 14-year old girl named Chloe Kim.

To begin Chloe’s rap sheet: she threw her first back flip off a natural feature at age six. Five years later she was able to land a one and a half spins upside down, launched while riding backward. This led the elite Burton Snowboards to sponsor her. Last winter, she became the youngest World Snowboard Tour overall champion in the world. It was then people really started to notice her talent, showmanship, and her ability to go big or go home. Most recently, Chloe received a silver at this month’s X Games Aspen. She was not completely satisfied with this placement and is looking to improve.

So where has this girl been? She’s been snowboarding at a competitive level at the age of six. She has placed in the top three in the majority of her junior competitions in the last two years and has wins and podiums at Burton’s prestigious events and grass-roots USASA Nationals, but she has seemingly flew under the radar.

Her counterparts, Kelly Clark and Kaitlyn Farrington, also very rarely receive any media attention. All three of these ladies are phenomenal athletes. Where is their air time and their news stories? Most sports are heavily dominated by men. That is something that is no surprise. However, these young women are amazing athletes. They are also so young as well. The fact that they are doing tricks at the same level that men who are twice as old as them is pretty crazy.

Yet, these men are always receiving more media attention, more sponsorship offers, and more opportunities to grow in the sport. I hate to sound like a broken record, but where is the love for the women? Chloe Kim in particular is an athlete that has broken through so many different barriers as a young woman and should not be restricted from the same opportunities as Shaun White because she’s a girl.

I am not saying that anyone in particular is hindering her from snowboarding or signing a sponsorship with her but being a girl is a double-edged sword in the world of sports. Chloe Kim has a world of opportunities in front of her. I hope that she will receive the media attention she deserves because if she continues the way she’s going, she’s going to show Shaun White and the rest of the snowboarding world that girls can do anything.

Stats taken from: http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/skiing-and-snowboarding/snowboarding/Chloe-Kim-Snowboarding-Wunderkind.html

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The Warriors Standing Tall in the Wild Wild West

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By Kaleb Page

In today’s NBA it cannot be denied that the Western Conference is the best conference. With teams that are contenders to win not only the West but an NBA title as well. The surprise of the year thus far is the historic start the Golden State Warriors have that sees them sitting a top the Western Conference and in most minds as the best team in the league.

With a team this successful it is also a surprise since the coach is just a first year man. Fresh out of the broadcasting realm, Steve Kerr was granted a great opportunity. After the Warriors let go of coach Mark Jackson they wanted to get a new basketball mind that seemed like the hot item at the time. This past summer when Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher were two of the big names on the market, teams needing a coach looked at them as must haves. With Fisher having a tough time in New York with the Knicks and Kerr finding success with the Warriors it seems that the Warriors got the better end of the deal. There is one caveat to this scenario however.

Is Kerr just the recipient of being handed the keys to an already tuned up machine? For years Golden State was the laughing-stock of the league with no relevance at all, until they hired Mark Jackson who took the role of giving the team an identity and some sense of discipline they had been lacking for years. With Jackson putting in a lot of the leg work it leaves me looking at this run the Warriors are having with some skepticism.

Mainly this is caused by the fact that Jackson was a good coach and for all the work he put in didn’t he deserve a longer leash? I guess sometimes a change is nice, but is there really any difference from this team to last years with Jackson? I don’t see much besides the emergence and progression of players like Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (just to name a few). These progressions that more than likely were coming even if Kerr wasn’t the coach.

The Washington Post article on Kerr was interesting talking about how this coach could be seeing the Erik Spoelstra treatment in not getting enough credit for what he is doing with the team. While I do hold my reservations since a lot of the foundation was laid by coach Jackson, there is something to be said for what can be done once that foundation is laid down. For what its worth Kerr looks to be making a great foundation into a great project in the works.

Hopefully the work done thus far this year turns out and Kerr can fully show that his coaching is the reason for this success. If Kerr is the bright coveted disciple of the Phil Jackson coaching tree then this Warriors team full of talent could become an all-time great team poised for a great run for years to come with its core of young talent.

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Alexi Lalas: Moving to Fox Sports

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By Kaleb Page

Quality soccer commentary in the U.S. is at a premium. Especially for commentators that are from the U.S. and can actually articulate not only the names, but the chess match that is soccer. ESPN had this premium in more ways than one with commentators Taylor Twellman and Alexi Lalas. Recently both of these key American soccer analysts went their opposite ways.

In the world of soccer, America is looked at as a lackluster soccer playground. Especially when it comes to the knowledge of the game and the subtle nuances that lends itself to the phrase “the beautiful game.” This past summer with the success and valiant efforts put forth by the U.S. men’s national soccer team, it started to show the change here in the states. In Brazil the following by the U.S. could not be mistaken and those that could not make it showed tremendous support unlike most World Cup’s in years past.

Twellman and Lalas both brought a knowledgeable American voice to the forefront of soccer. Something that those not up to par on their soccer could look to and get their facts in order to really learn the game. I think over the years these two have built more of a soccer following here and allowed more people to actually know what they are talking about with soccer (possibly why Brazil had such a successful following). With Twellman and Lalas exclusively on ESPN, it provided a platform to reach the masses and it opened the eyes to the rest of the networks.

Recently the contract for Twellman and Lalas came up at ESPN which led to Fox Sports jumping in to sign them away. With a battle between the two networks it came down to the two analysts to make a decision. For Twellman it was to stay with ESPN, and for Lalas it was to move on to Fox Sports. In something he said was like them giving him the godfather treatment.

Fox Sports still has to officially announce that Lalas has made the move, but for Lalas it was a no-brainer move. Creatively Fox Sports is one of the best sports outlets for soccer coverage, and some would say even better than their counterpart ESPN. Fox has these key soccer fixtures under their rights: 2015 Women’s World Cup, 2018 Men’s World Cup, a new MLS package and their already great coverage of the Champions League, FA Cup and soon the German Bundesliga. For any soccer analyst, especially one as outspoken and knowledgeable as Lalas, this network is a dream come true. This move also allows Lalas to be closer to his kids. Lalas lives in Los Angeles and Fox Sports has its studio in LA, which for Lalas is a 20 minute trip instead of his ESPN 3,000 mile flight.

For myself I would say it is a blow to the ESPN soccer analysis to lose the likes of Lalas since he gives such an honest take on what is going on in soccer. To be honest in years past I would be in the group of Americans who had little knowledge of the game and the tactics. With the help of a friend like Seth Glover, countless soccer matches on TV, FIFA videogames and analysis by those like Lalas; I now have a better understanding. It will be interesting to see how Lalas is incorporated to Fox’s already vast array of soccer coverage, and is able to give more of the country knowledge on “the beautiful game.”

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Chicago’s Quarterback Woes

By Savannah Malnar

As the NFL season winds down, teams are willing to make more chances with their starting lineups. This is the case for the Chicago Bears, who have decided to bench quarterback Jay Cutler who just signed on with the team for another seven years for a total of roughly $126 million after the end of last season.

The decision stems from a season of less than impressive performance from the Bears’ quarterback, leading the team to their current 5-9 record. Fans and media are questioning this choice, especially with the backup, Jimmy Clausen, who went 1-9 in his rookie season in Carolina and has only three career touchdowns.

Cutler was told Wednesday about the team’s decision and was obviously disappointed about being benched; already rumors are spreading that he has played his last game in Chicago. Many media outlets are publishing articles about the possible landing spots for Cutler along with analyzing the possibility of Bears’ coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery being fired after this season.

A more objective source, Sports Illustrated, published an article with the headline “By Benching Cutler, Bears Make Statement About Franchise’s Future.” It stated that Trestman’s fate as coach is “all but sealed,” but he could possibly make a strong argument for himself if he can pull off a win against the 10-4 Detroit Lions while starting Clausen.

Sports writer David Haugh for the Chicago Tribune is convinced that this move by the Bears definitely marks the end of Cutler’s reign as quarterback in Chicago. Haugh said, “Starting Clausen against the Lions accomplishes nothing other than make everyone wonder who decided after nine losses to hold Cutler accountable for leading the league in turnovers.”

Obviously there is a lot of pent-up frustration in Chicago about the quarterback and coaching situation. On one hand, the team does not want to put the waste the massive contract that they just entered in with the quarterback; on the other, they don’t want to be stuck with a “has-been” quarterback. The team will have to observe Clausen’s performance and make a decision on how they will end the season. If Clausen finishes the season against the Vikings, I thoroughly believe we won’t be seeing Cutler in Chicago next season.

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Cubs and Sox: Busy, Busy Bees

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By Ellen Chlumecky

Chicago baseball fans have been buzzing this week because of the amount of trading going around with the North Side Cubs and the South Side White Sox. With trading some beloved Chicago players to acquiring some big names in the baseball world, fans’ heads are spinning with the amount of tumultuous deals going on. However, not everything is running smoothly right off the bat and not everyone is enthusiastic about the players that have been acquired by each team. As the age-old story goes with fans, you don’t get to pick who’s on your team but it doesn’t mean they won’t get complain about it.

On the South Side, the Chicago White Sox have snatched up several new players for next season. The lineup of new players includes: Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, Zach Duke, Dan Jennings, and Adam LaRoche. Micah Johnson and Rob Brantly are currently under debate right now. While the lineup is clearly stacked, the adjustment to so many players at once currently stands to be a problem. Namely a problem with Melky Cabrera. Cabrera had been suspended for 50 games and missed the end of the 2012 season because of elevated levels of testosterone. There has been quite a bit of controversy because of his mistake. While the biggest draw for the White Sox was Cabrera’s .351 on-base percentage in 2014 and his .339 OPB over his 10-year career. General Manager stated that “he respected the fact that Cabrera accepted and served his penalty and lived with the consequences, and he’s done his best to put it behind him.” They have a great amount of opportunity, if they can use these opportunities correctly.

While on the North Side, the Chicago Cubs have not been slouching on the trades either. In addition to the hiring of new coach, Joe Maddon, the Chicago Cubs have also acquired minor league pitcher Matt Brazis. The Cubs traded Justin Ruggiano to the Seattle Mariners for Brazis. In addition to acquiring pitcher Jason Motte. Their biggest catch though is the deal of snagging all-stars Jon Lester and Miguel Montero. However fans are not too happy about the Ruggiano trade, the Cubs management are looking into acquiring impact players who will provide leadership for the team, such as: Justin Upton and Jonny Gomes. While gaining Upton is unlikely, Gomes has connections with Maddon and might be a likely option for another trade. The Cubs management is very excited about the new steps for the next season.

While the buzz among Chicago baseball fans is growing louder and louder, there is nothing they can but just watch the trades come through the door. No matter what happens at the end of the day Cubs fans will continue to say, “this is our year.”

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Drama in Chicago

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By Kia Tyus

Offensive Coordinator anonymously bashed star quarterback Jay Cutler, Cutler then gets benched, a locker room full of confused players, and the media making the team look like the coaches and executives have no control. Yes, there is “Drama in Chicago”.

The Chicago Bears are having a terrible season and will defiantly miss the 2014-15 playoffs sitting on a sub par record of 5-9. Frustrations have been brewing for some time now.

Lately, the Bears have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Jeff Dickerson wrote an article explaining the recent headlines of the Bears.

Dickerson’s first point was how the Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer anonymously said that the Bears were having doubts about giving Cutler such a big contract. Eventually, Kromer came forward out of guilt and admitted that he was in fact the one that bashed Cutler anonymously to the media. The media tour the story apart and superstars like Aaron Rogers came forward and stood up for Cutler.

The second point Dickerson touched on was the recent benching of Cutler. The Bears announced recently that Jimmy Clausen would start verse the Detroit Lions on Sunday. This is an embarrassment to Cutler someone who has brought the Bears many wins, while Clausen has a terrible record in his stint in the NFL.

To me, this moves states that the Bears are throwing the white flag on the season. Why on Earth would you change the quarterback when you are getting ready to play against the best defense in the NFL? To me, it shows a lack of professionalism.

Insiders from the Bears organization feel that the coaches handled the Cutler benching way different from the Kromer incident. They feel as though Cutler’s mistakes were leaked to the media but Kromer received a slap on the wrist.

The last point that Dickerson made was that players are very confused about what is going on within the organization. While they chose to stay anonymous, they did say that they do not object to the benching they just feel it was handled the wrong way.

Yes, the Bears season is over and they have waved the white flag. Players have trust issues with the coaching staff which Dickerson says makes them feel “confused and uncomfortable”.

Dickerson did state however that the Bears could be playing the safety card with Cutler. In the 2014-15 season, Cutler is the highest paid offensive player banking $22.5 million. In 2015, $15.5 million and is guaranteed $10 million on March 12th. If they sit him out the last two games, he won’t get hurt and they could trade Cutler, which would save them $10 million.

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Violence Again the Topic of Another Weekend’s NFL Headlines

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By Nick Muhl

Many of this weekends National Football League games brought about more headlines discussing the violence and the aggressive nature of some of its players. Rather than game recaps and analysis, many media outlets have taken this opportunity to once again criticize the NFL for not doing a better job in educating players to avoid these types of incidents.

The largest incident this weekend by far came in the game between the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. Late in the third quarter, Jets quarterback Geno Smith and Titans defensive lineman Jurell Casey exchanged words following a play. Jurell Casey seemed to take offense to something Geno Smith said, and threw a punch into the right side of his helmet as Smith walked away. Chaos ensued after, with both teams clearing benches into a massive brawl.

In the game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, Redskins receiver Santana Moss had to be ejected from the game after his furious outburst in the face of an official. Moss was upset after the officiating crew overturned a Robert Griffin III touchdown at the end of the first half.

Reporters and writers did not shy away from reporting on a heated exchange of words between Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. The two players only seemed to jaw at each other for the most part, but the conversation did not look like a friendly one.

While some of these examples may seem petty, it brings to light an important issue the NFL must face. Since news stories of Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Darren Sharper, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald broke, the NFL has tried to distance itself from being associated with questionable characters. All of these are either current or former NFL players currently under investigation in cases involving domestic violence, rape, child abuse, and other violent crimes.

This weekend is another example of how much work the NFL still has ahead of it, if it wants to repair its image and regain the respect of many. Sundays NFL games were another example of how the media will do everything it can to continue to highlight the NFL’s issue as long as it remains fresh on fans minds. The NFL may continue to grow frustrated with many media headlines, but they must focus on changing the culture of the NFL and it’s players if it wants to avoid further such headlines.

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