FIFA and Ballon d’Or have recently merged and the world’s best player for 2010 will be awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or. From here on, there will no longer be a FIFA World Player of the Year and a separate winner for France Football’s Ballon d’Or.
Ballon d’Or or The Golden Ball, often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year, is the annual award presented to the association football player who is considered to be the best performer for the previous calendar year. When it was started by the chief magazine writer of France Football in 1956, it only voted on European football players and journalists selected the winner. So Pele though considered to be one of the best football player was never considered for this award. It was only in 1995 when the rules were changed. Non-European players are eligible only if they are playing for European football clubs. In 2007, the rules were changed again to allow any player of any nationality and wearing any teamwear of any club around the world to be nominated. Of course, this move also increased the number of voting journalists from 52 European based journalists to 96 journalists from around the world.
On the other hand, the FIFA World Player of the year is also an association football award given annually to the best male and female player based on the votes of the coaches and captains of international teams.
Recently, FIFA announced the shortlist for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, World Coach of the Year and other awards which will be announced on January 10, 2011 in Zurich. As you might notice on the list below, it is dominated by those who shone in the recent FIFA 2010 World Cup. Most of the names come from the winner Spain and semi-finalists Germany and Netherlands.
The recession has not spared anyone and that includes the National Football League. According to Forbes, it is the first downturn of NFL since they started tracking the enterprise value of each team in NFL in 1998. There has been a decline of 2% or an average of $1.02 billion last season where almost 21 of the 32 teams saw their enterprise values decrease. Forbes clarified that their appraisal of the worth of the team are enterprise values which is an economic measure that reflects the market value of the team. In this case it also includes the revenue from the stadium but not the real estate value. The decline of the team value lies mostly on the fact that there are fewer people with the ability to buy a team because of the economy and there was a decrease in the non-broadcasting revenue for many teams.
Still, there are those teams which increased value despite the recession such as Dallas Cowboys which has a 9% increase in value. Only the soccer club Manchester United tops them with $1.84 billion. Dallas Cowboys recently moved to their $1.25 billion stadium and proved their worth when they sold out every game for the regular season even at the highest average ticket price of $160. The stadium is also used for various events such as boxing, the latest being the fight between Pacquiao/Clottey and concerts and thus increased its net income, aside from what it makes on the Dallas Cowboys, which is what owner Jerry Jones aim to do. But the team hit a record when their overall operating income hit sky high with $ 143 million.
Anyway, here is the latest ranking of the 10 most valuable NFL teams:
No. 1: Dallas Cowboys Sport: football Value: $1.8 billion Owner: Jerral Jones Revenue**: $420 million Operating Income*: $143.3 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $678 mil Market $501 mil Stadium $439 mil Brand Management $188 mil New stadium landed NCAA Men's Final Four, NBA All-Star Game and Super Bowl.
No. 2: Washington Redskins Sport: football Value: $1.6 billion Owner: Daniel Snyder Revenue**: $353 million Operating Income*: $103.7 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $692 mil Market $379 mil Stadium $348 mil Brand Management $131 mil Another team owner who made great risks and greatly increased the team’s operating income is Washington Redskin owner Dan Snyder and it’s no wonder they came next to the Cowboys. Average operating income of $103.7 million over past five seasons is the highest in the NFL.
No. 3: New England Patriots Sport: football Value: $1.36 billion Owner: Robert Kraft Revenue**: $318 million Operating Income*: $66.5 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $678 mil Market $295 mil Stadium $255 mil Brand Management $140 mil Aside from Tom Brady, the fans love the changes that have been done to its stadium such as the 41.5 feet high and 164 feet wide video boards to enhance overall fan experience plus the Patriot Place adjacent to Gillette Stadium which features shopping, dining and entertainment. No wonder demands for tickets remain high despite having the second highest ticket price, next only to the Cowboys.
No. 4: New York Giants Sport: football Value: $1.18 billion Owner: John Mara, Steven Tisch Revenue**: $241 million Operating Income*: $2.1 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $777 mil Market $210 mil Stadium $116 mil Brand Management $79 mil Sold naming rights to practice facility for more than $35 million over 15 years and is close to selling out season tickets for new stadium.
No. 5: Houston Texans Sport: football Value: $1.17 billion Owner: Robert McNair Revenue**: $272 million Operating Income*: $36.5 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $678 mil Market $209 mil Stadium $193 mil Brand Management $92 mil Sold out at every game plus the stadium naming rights deal with Reliant is the richest in the NFL, worth $300 million.
No. 6: New York Jets Sport: football Value: $1.14 billion Owner: Robert Wood Johnson IV Revenue**: $238 million Operating Income*: $7.6 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $766 mil Market $197 mil Stadium $110 mil Brand Management $70 mil Having difficulty selling personal seat licenses for season tickets at new stadium.
No. 7: Philadelphia Eagles Sport: football Value: $1.11 billion Owner: Jeffrey Lurie Revenue**: $260 million Operating Income*: $34.7 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $678 mil Market $190 mil Stadium $169 mil Brand Management $81 mil The Eagle fans have very loyal fans as seen on season ticket renewal rate which has been running over 99%, one of the highest in the NFL.
No. 8: Baltimore Ravens Sport: football Value: $1.07 billion Owner: Stephen Bisciotti Revenue**: $255 million Operating Income*: $44.9 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $662 mil Market $191 mil Stadium $154 mil Brand Management $66 mil Team has never been able to build up any fan base outside its market, despite capturing 2001 Super Bowl but just like the Eagles fans, the Ravens fans are also loyal so much so that the team has sold out every game since moving to Baltimore and even tickets for the entire 2010 season are already sold-out.
No. 9: Chicago Bears Sport: football Value: $1.1 billion Owner: McCaskey family Revenue**: $254 million Operating Income*: $37.3 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $662 mil Market $208 mil Stadium $132 mil Brand Management $65 mil Successfully markets season tickets via e-mails with video and personal delivery. The team tickets price were increased for almost 75% of their seats for the 2010 season.
No. 10: Denver Broncos Sport: football Value: $1.04 billion Owner: Patrick Bowlen Revenue**: $250 million Operating Income*: $22.0 million Valuation Breakdown: Sport $662 mil Market $182 mil Stadium $142 mil Brand Management $64 mil Popularity has fallen from fourth to 12th among NFL fans since John Elway retired following 1998 season. And rumors regarding the sale of the team have been rampant. Fans are loyal as seen on sold out general seating but had a hard time with luxury suite and club seat.
*Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. ** Net of stadium revenues used for debt payments
One of the blogs I enjoy reading and truly follow on anything football is Goal.com. They have a very concise reporting on everything that is going in the football world, from the best games to the not so-so, from the players to the teams and the transfers, and even the coaches and managers and the new teamwear of the different teams. You get the real update and best news and football aficionados know that they can rely on Goal.com. Thanks to Gianluigi Longinotti-Buitoni who founded and started it in 2004 and turned it into largest football new media community on the planet. It has 22 editions available in 15 languages. Goal.com’s aim “is to unite the world through its mutual passion for football”. The beauty of it is that there is a local touch thru the editors who are able to present football thru the eyes of a person who lives locally. Thus the report is distinct, able to deliver the content considering the cultural, ethnical, political, economic, religious, and social distinctiveness in each region. One of the things fans all over the world wait for and vote for is the Goal.com countdown which assesses the performances of the different players over the last 12 months. This countdown has now become the definitive guide to the best performers in football as judged by editors and fans. In 2008, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo was chosen while Lionel Messi won in 2009. This year, the much-coveted spot goes to Wesley Sneijder. A vindication from what happened with Real Madrid in 2009? Certainly because he definitely showed them what they lost when he continued with his impeccable performance in earning goals for Internazionale or Inter Milan. With his assistance, Inter won the 2010 Champions League Final against Bayern Munich last May 22, 2010. And he showed better performance in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Certainly, the editors chose Wesley Sneijder for his outstanding performance overall for the year 2009-2010.
Congratulations to Wesley Sneijder Winner of the Goal.com 50 2009-10
Lionel Messi Runner-Up of the Goal.com 50 2009-10 & Winner of the Goal.com 50 Fans' Vote
A friend of mine sent me a link, he thought it was funny and he knew that anything about sports is something I love to blog about…this one took the words out of my mouth. I mean who would in her right mind wear such an atrocious knows that anything about sports is something I love to blog about. jersey. Here’s what I am talking about…see for yourself and let me know that I am wrong in my observation. Atrocious, dreadful, appalling, hideous…what other adjectives do you want me to say? I wonder what was on the mind of Guazzini when he approved this new shirt - one of the official game jerseys- of Paris pro rugby club, Stade Français.
On the other hand, team owner Guazzini has been in pursuit to find younger, affluent new enthusiasts and have also courted the large gay-community in Paris. Indeed he has even made major changes such as embracing pink as an official team color, have orchids as one of its symbols, and marketing a team calendar with all the players in the nude as models. I would have to say that he was actually effective in gaining more fans, not only gays but also women and heterosexual backers too. But this latest jersey, dubbed “the Crowd”, worth $102 is indubitably the worst marketing strategy he has made.
But Guazzini is not alone in making this maistake. There are so many out there that could be the ugliest sports uniforms ever in the history of mankind. Well, some may disagree with my choices, I can only say we all have our own opinions, and these uniforms, IMHO, are the most appalling uniforms ever worn by a professional sports team. It honestly makes me wonder how the players really felt when they were wearing it. So here it is, my list of the ugliest sports uniforms ever:
Houston Astros, 1975 – 1993
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team located in Houston, Texas. In the 1975 season, they introduced the new-look uniforms for Astros with multi-shade stripes of orange, red and yellow in front and back with a large dark bluestar over the stripes. The same stripes run down the pant legs. Although the critics criticized it, the public though loved it and it and versions of it even started to appear at the high school and little leagye leve. I can understand how the colors look very bright, enough to be appreciated by kids, but I have to disagree because I really don’t like it, most especially not on a baseball team. And the team certainly did not win championships during the years they were wearing this team wear.
Pittsburgh Pirates, 1976 – 1986
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a major league baseball (MLB) team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Aside from the color, the cap with stripes make quite a look that’s not suited for a baseball team but more for the circus or a band or drum corps. It’s no wonder that the Pirates had a hard time winning any game while wearing this sports uniform; they were even regarded as the worst baseball team during the mid ‘80s.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976-1995
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often shortened to Bucs) are a professional American Football team based in Tampa, Florida. Tangerine on a team doesn’t do much for fan support or respect. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well on their journey to the championships because since they wore that sports uniform in 1976 they started losing big, losing their first 26 games and suffered 14 consecutive losing seasons. It was only in 1996 when the new owner Malcolm Glazer jettisoned the new uniforms to oblivion and hired a new coach when they started picking up again.
John Daly
John Daly is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour who had bouts with his weight as well as other misdemeanors. He had a lap-band surgery in 2009 which limits the amount of food intake and so he said he is down to less than 200lbs since the surgery. Also at that time when he was with the European Tour he started wearing the Loudmouth Golf Apparel which he now officially endorses. I think maybe he liked the so loud colors and designs. Whew!
Vancouver Canucks, 1978 – 1984
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. What I consider a very bad taste of team wear consisted of a huge yellow, red-orange, and black striped V coming down from the shoulders. The V suggested “victory” according to designers though it never gave the team that. What it actually gave was several criticisms for being one of the most unpopular in NHL history. Just like other teams with hideous sports uniforms, the Canucks was a mediocre player having only one significant playoff which was in the post-season of 1982.
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Chicago, Illinois. White Sox have always been noted for uniform innovations that have really been the best such as putting players’ last names on the back of the jerseys. But when they came out in 1976 for a doubleheader against Kansas City Royals wearing a new team uniform, it was something unmatched. The new uniforms featured collars and were designed to be worn out, not tucked in, and worse they were wearing shorts. Not only were they critiqued for that but it really is not practical to wear shorts at play because it is not conducive to sliding, which is a way of life for baseball. After a lot of teasing from the rest of the league, the Sox changed their team wear.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. When the Broncos first appeared for a game, their original uniforms were criticized by the public. Imagine wearing white and mustard yellow jerseys with vertically striped socks on brown pants with satin sheen and a brown helmet. Two years later the Broncos got rid of their ugly uniform and in celebration they held a public bonfire to burn the striped socks. In 2009, they wore this set of throwback uniforms again in honor of their 50th anniversary season as one of the eight original American Football League team.
The trend that I realized while writing about these ugly uniforms is that unwittingly how horrendous their uniforms look affected how the team played. Yes, how great one play is determined by how hard they trained for it. But, we all know that when we feel good and look good we also perform better. And maybe that is how these players felt when they were wearing these revolting uniforms.
What do you think? Share me your point of view by leaving a comment. Thanks and have fun reading one of my lighter blogs.
Full name Fußball-ClubGelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V.
Nickname(s) Die Königsblauen (The Royal Blues)
Die Knappen (The Miners)
Founded 4 May 1904
Ground Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
(Capacity: 61,673)
President Josef Schnusenberg
Manager Felix Magath League Bundesliga
2009–10 Bundesliga, 2nd
