We all know that the sports world is a pretty tough one. Those who rise in the race and continue to be champions did so by being the best in their chosen sports. Unfortunately in their hope of becoming more or in the case of some remaining in the top form and spot, they make the mistake of getting the help unnaturally. Take for example Alberto Contador who is a three-time Tour de France champion who tested positive for a banned drug clenbuterol. Although it is said that only a very small concentration of this muscle-building and fat-burning drug has been found in the Spanish rider’s sample unfortunately both A and B samples tested positive. Alberto Contador, considered the greatest rider of his generation at 27 years old has been “formally and provisionally suspensed” according the International Cycling Union (UCI). There hasn’t been a statement yet whether Contador will be stripped off his title or banned.
Clenbuterol is a substance that has been used for over 20 to 30 years so it’s not something that can be inadvertently taken. Primarily, clenbuterol is s a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. Athletes taking the drug have one goal and that is to enhance muscle size and to burn fat. Simultaneously it can have short-term stimulant effects including increasing aerobic capacity, blood pressure and alertness. It has led to bans for cyclists in the past.
The Contador side released a statement insisting that food contamination as the only possible explanation for the result. And Canadian experts agree that the miniscule finding of the banned drug could have come from the meat because Clenbuterol which is fed to livestock to obtain leaner meats and it can be stored in their intramuscular fat.
What is sad is that this is not the first time athletes have had this problem nor is Contador the first athlete to be suspended. A number of athletes have been banned after testing positive including table tennis player Dimitrij Ovtcharov who is playing for Germany’s national team, Polish canoeist Adam Seroczynski, British hurdler Callum Priestley, Chinese Olympic judo champion Tong Wen, and St. Louis Cardinals Minor League shortstop Lainer Bueno. In 2008, American swimmer Jessica Hardy served a one-year suspension after she tested positive for this banned drug although the Court of Arbitration for Sports accepted her explanation of food supplement contamination and not intentional intake.
This surely should show athletes and those who want to pursue their love for their sport professionally that they really have to be more careful with what they take in, as they can ruin what you have worked hard for. Like I have always said, being worthy of the accolade of your fans and not simply the team you are in, the sportswear uniform you wear, the championships you win, and the fame and money that comes with it. More important is that you are someone who will be a good example for other people, especially the young fans. They look up to these sports superstars and they should be good models. Yes, they are human but they are not entitled to be bad. It's a good thing there are still some out there worthy enough to be called sports heroes.
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II returns his Heisman Trophy amidst the scandal. And so for the year 2005 there will be no Heisman Trophy winner.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity no matter what sportswear uniform you wear. In 2005, it was awarded to Reggie Bush of USC Trojans but the scandal that tinted his award and has left USC heavily penalized. In fact due to the violation (inadvertently according to Bush) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) caused the USC Trojans a lot including “a two-year ban on post-season games, placed on four years of probation, lost 30 scholarships, and were forced to forfeit their 2004-05 victories.” And then USC decided to return the school’s trophy and though the Heisman Trust have said they have not made a decision yet to strip Bush of his trophy, it was returned back to them by Bush himself.
The scandal started with the NCAA’s investigation on what they believed as Bush rules violations of when he was a Trojan football scholar. According to the 4 year investigation made by NCAA investigators, Bush received impermissible benefits, meaning cash and gifts as well as picking up the tab for tens of thousands of dollars worth of housing for him and his family by 2 sports marketing companies.
Bush returning his Heisman Trophy only removes the trophy and leaves the position vacant. He may have violated the rules but we cannot discount that in 2005 he was still the most outstanding college football player. Not that I am saying it’s okay to cheat. But his being given impermissible benefits certainly disqualifies him from the award but does not take anything out of his playing ability as a running back. Even the runner up Vince Young is not willing to accept the award if ever because he also believes that Reggie Bush is still the Heisman awardee and Bush is still the 2005 best college football player.
Let us just take the lessons that can be learned from this which is know the rules first and strictly follow it in order that your winning is not tainted by any scandal. And I am not just talking about college football but in everything that you do. And if there is one opinion that I see quite fit for this is what Los Angeles Times put very concisely:
What schools can and should do is make it abundantly clear to athletes, coaches and athletic directors that sports take a back seat to studies.
Because of the monetary benefits as well as fame that these young sportsmen are getting, many are easily corrupted and forget why you really went to college and that was to finish your education.
After 8 long and grueling years, finally Rafa wins the US Open. The top-seeded Rafael Nadal has been working really hard for this especially because it is only the U.S. Open that he has not won. And now it’s official, he has won the 2010 U.S. Open.
This makes him one of only 3 tennis greats (Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi) to capture the career Golden Slam, which is the 4 majors plus an Olympic Gold. Another thing he has accomplished at only 24 is become the seventh man to complete the career Grand Slam and the youngest at that to accomplish the deed in the Open Era. He follows Rod Laver, Pete Smapras and Roger Federer as the fourth tennis champion to win three consecutive Grand Slam championships in the Open Era. He is only the only other player other than Rod Laver who has won in Paris, London and New York in one season. There have been major and high-achievement tennis players like Bjorn Borg who never achieved Career Grand Slam either because they did not have a long career or in the case of Borg particular tournaments were ill-suited to their games. Borg has never won the Australian Open and the US Open which is both played on hard courts. While some players don’t win the French Open which is played on clay or the Wimbledon which is played on grass. Rafael Nadal on the other hand has been victorious in all of these tournaments which have a variety of surfaces.
What I believe is the greatest difference is that Rafa is only 24 and he has a long way more to go. Federer is still the greatest tennis player but he has reached his peak while Rafael is getting better every game, and even his opponent Novak Djokovic noted that he was more in awe of Nadals win because Federer was playing as one of the best players in the world but Rafa, Djokovic added:
“who is just proving each day, each year that he's getting better.That's what's so frustrating. He's getting better each time you play him. He's so mentally strong and dedicated to this sport. He has all the capabilities, everything he needs, in order to be the biggest ever, in my opinion. He has lots to come if he physically holds in the next five, six, seven years.”
When he wins the Australian Open, not if but when, then everybody can say he is without equal. But according to his uncle Toni who has been mentoring and coaching Rafa, he does not believe that his nephew is already the greatest player. According to Uncle Ton:
“The best players were Federer, Laver, Borg - Rafael is far away from them, although he is a very good player.”
When asked if his nephew is the greatest player his answer was to ask him 5 or 6 years from now.
Here is the current standing for the 4 Majors:
Australian Open Tournament Dates: 18 January – 31 January Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Current Men's Single Champion: Roger Federer Current Women's Single Champion: Serena Williams
French Open Tournament Dates: 23 May – 6 June Venue: Roland Garros, Paris Current Men's Single Champion: Rafael Nadal Current Women's Single Champion: Francesca Schiavone Wimbledon Championship Tournament Dates: 21 June – 4 July Venue: All England Tennis Club, London Current Men's Single Champion: Rafael Nadal Current Women's Single Champion: Serena Williams
US Open Tournament Dates: 30 August - 12 September Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Current Men's Single Champion: Rafael Nadal Current Women's Single Champion: Kim Clijsters
According to Forbes Magazine these are the most valuable sports teams for 2010. As you can see, one thing common about these teams are their logos and sportswear uniforms are easily recognizable. They have a huge fan base and almost all their games are sold-out making them a very valuable sports team.
No. 1: Manchester UnitedSport: soccer Value: $1.83 billion Owner: Glazer family Revenue: $459 million The Red Devils lay claim to having 333 million followers and 139 million core fans worldwide.
No. 2: Dallas CowboysSport: football Value: $1.65 billion Owner: Jerral Jones Revenue: $280 million New stadium landed NCAA Men's Final Four, NBA All-Star Game and Super Bowl.
No. 3: New York YankeesSport: baseball Value: $1.6 billion Owner: Steinbrenner family Revenue: $441 million Leveraged most valuable brand in sports to create rich cable network and venue hospitality business. No. 4: Washington RedskinsSport: football Value: $1.55 billion Owner: Daniel Snyder Revenue: $345 million Average operating income of $77 million over past five seasons is the highest in the NFL.
No. 5: New England PatriotsSport: football Value: $1.36 billion Owner: Robert Kraft Revenue: $302 million Built Patriot Place adjacent to Gillette Stadium, featuring shopping, dining and entertainment.
No. 6: Real MadridSport: soccer Value: $1.32 billion Owner: club members Revenue: $563 million Generates $225 million annually from broadcasting fees, the most in sports.
No. 7: New York GiantsSport: football Value: $1.18 billion Owner: John Mara, Steven Tisch Revenue: $230 million 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. 8: ArsenalSport: soccer Value: $1.18 billion Owner: Stanley Kroenke Revenue: $369 million Arsenal's $102 million operating income trailed only Man U among English Premier League teams last year.
No. 9: New York JetsSport: football Value: $1.17 billion Owner: Robert Wood Johnson IV Revenue: $227 million Having difficulty selling personal seat licenses for season tickets at new stadium.
No. 10: Houston TexansSport: football Value: $1.15 billion Owner: Robert McNair Revenue: $256 million Stadium naming rights deal with Reliant is the richest in the NFL, worth $300 million.
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.
