Interview with Dan Graf, Managing Editor of Sporting News magazine

Last summer, two years after being acquired by American City Business Journals (ACBJ), Sporting News (SN) made significant strategic changes in the direction of its publications.

Along with changes in content, SN magazine switched from a weekly to a bi-weekly format. Sporting News also created the industry's first daily online sports newspaper, SN Today. Delivered every morning, for free, to each subscriber's email, SN Today is leading the charge in what many believe is the future of daily newspapers.

Dan Graf, the Managing Editor of Sporting News magazine was kind enough to answer my questions about these changes and the new direction of SN's online and print publications.


Jerome: Sporting News was acquired in 2006 by American City Business Journals. In summer 2008, Sporting News launched SN Today, a free daily online newspaper delivered to each subscriber's email every morning. It also switched from a weekly to a bi-weekly print format. What were the driving forces behind the decision to implement these strategic changes?

Dan: SN Today gives us a chance to be a market leader. We weren't in the top handful of traditional sports websites, but the hybrid newspaper/website format of SN Today positions us as a leader and trendsetter in an area that we believe is the future for daily newspapers. And from a content standpoint, SN Today gives us a place to put the day-to-day team notes, statistics, etc., that no longer made sense to run in a printed product. The two-week cycle for the magazine was part of an effort to make our printed product more timeless--every story in the magazine needs to have staying power and not be tied to breaking news that gets dated quickly--and we use SN Today to fill in the gaps for readers who want in-depth analysis every day.


Jerome: What types of communications research was conducted leading up to Sporting News' strategic changes? What were the different tactics that were used to communicate these changes to your readers and potential readers?

Dan: Shortly after acquiring Sporting News, ACBJ did some pretty extensive readership studies. For a number of years under previous ownership, we had been waffling on exactly what our strategy going forward would be. The ACBJ studies showed that what readers liked about us was that we catered to the hardcore sports fan and that we covered only seven sports. Refocusing our brand toward these seven sports in the magazine--we do go outside them in SN Today--and honing our coverage to attract those hardcore fans helped us launch the products we have today. As for communication with readers, we included several notifications to our magazine readers of the changes that were coming. And we got the word out about SN Today mostly through our ACBJ sister publications. Even today, though--nine months after the launch of SN Today and eight months after the magazine relaunch--we're still working hard to show folks our new look. This spring, we sent 300,000 free copies of the magazine to potential subscribers and got tremendous feedback in terms of new subscriptions. We find that when people see us, they like us.


Jerome: Has it been a challenge deciding which content to include in the bi-weekly print edition? How has the content of the print publication changed?

Dan: Actually, it has been less of a challenge to make content decisions on the magazine than it was in the past. As a weekly, we straddled the line between news coverage and stories with a more timeless tone, and that's an awkward place to be. I think you'll see other printed publications make the same choice we did--realizing that most readers now look for their traditional news on the internet. What we give them in our printed product needs to be different from what they can get anywhere else. The biggest change on the surface, and the one readers reacted to most at first--is that we moved all of our team notes from the magazine to SN Today. We've replaced nuts-and-bolts information like that with stories that focus more on the athlete experience of sports. We used to portray our writers as the experts. We've moved away from that and started portraying athletes as the experts they are. It's not unusual for us to talk to 200 or more athletes in an edition now. Many of them write short pieces for us. There were times when we might talk to only 20 or 30 athletes in the past.


Jerome: What other plans does Sporting News have in the future for the daily online newspaper?

Dan: It's tough to say right now what the future will be because the product is so new. The nice thing about it is there always is room to expand to meet readers' needs without adding the additional cost usually associated with adding more pages. We are working right now to make SN Today more accessible on mobile devices, and there will be more multimedia features included in the product going forward.


Jerome: How has Sporting News' advertising revenue been affected by these strategic changes? What is SN's strategy regarding the mix of online and print advertising?

Dan: I'm not a business guy, but positioning ourselves as a high-end printed product--we now print on better paper and on bigger pages and make much better use of photography--has been well-received by advertisers in a tough economic market. We need to be different than the competition right now, and we are. The goal going forward with all of our platforms--the magazine, SN Today, SN Online and SN Radio--is to give advertisers a wide variety of choices across multiple platforms. We believe we're doing that better than we ever have.


Jerome: Has Sporting News positioned itself as a leader in online media?

Dan: We're certainly a leader in terms of producing a daily digital newspaper. If and when you see newspapers turn to this type of a product, you'll know--and our readers will know--that we were out there first. But SN Today is about more than being first--it's about being best. We offer a more comprehensive national daily sports report than anyone else out there right now--printed or online. Our readers love us, and we'll continue to grow.

You'll never read another Sports Section again!

Packers' Nick Barnett & Other Athletes Connecting With Fans on Twitter

Until about a month ago, like my friend Grego, I wasn't down with the whole Twitter phenomenon. As it was, I already had Facebook and didn't see the need to be micro-blogging about my daily activities. I saw Twitter as a little creepy, narcissistic, and annoying -- people sharing mundane details about their daily lives and fiending for the next Tweet from their friend or even a stranger perhaps.

But I see it differently now. When I started my sports business blog, RecklessAbandonSports.com, in February, I was looking for ways to promote the blog and network with other people in sports business.

The response I kept hearing from other bloggers, including Jason Peck (@JasonPeck) who writes about sports and social media on jasonfpeck.com, was "use Twitter!" So I took their advice and have since found it to be an excellent tool for both attracting visitors to the blog and networking with sports business professionals (and in this case one of my favorite Green Bay Packers).

When Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote last week that Packers linebacker Nick Barnett uses Twitter, I added him as a "follow" on my @JeromeHarrison account. @Greg_A_Bedard confirmed that @NickBarnett was indeed the real Nick Barnett, so I thought why not send him a line and see if he responds?

JeromeHarrison@NickBarnett are you going to bust out the samurai celebration again this year?! fan favorite!
about 3 hours ago from web

Which #56 responded by saying simply:

NickBarnett@JeromeHarrison hell yea
about 3 hours ago from TwitterFon

Barnett uses Twitter to connect with fans and update them on his rehab, the Packers' need for more defensive linemen, new linebackers coach Kevin Greene's intensity, his April Fool's prank at the Bucks game, and yes, his use of the sacred samurai celebration after a sick tackle (look for it this year!)

Most Wisconsin sports fans are familiar with Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva's (@CV31) famous halftime tweet that brought on a scolding by Coach Scott Skiles. Nick Barnett is. "I heard about what happened to him," Barnett said. "Maybe we can chat about that."

That may be a worthwhile chat for Barnett, considering he hasn't exactly been conservative in talking about Packers management and personnel issues:

NickBarnett

I think we need one more solid d-line man I think we have some pretty good options for olb but knowing ted I think he wants to sure it up
5:29 PM Mar 31st from txt

GM Ted Thompson has not been transparent with Packers fans, and by all accounts, strictly controls most information related to personnel and draft issues.

As more professional athletes jump on the Twitter bandwagon (see a list of athletes using Twitter here), some teams may decide to implement guidelines preventing their players from talking about management or certain team issues. The leagues themselves may soon create a new rule book for social media. The NBA is already on to this.

After a recent game against the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban dropped this tweet on a missed call by the refs:

mcuban

how do they not call a tech on JR Smith for coming off the bench to taunt our player on the ground ?
10:25 PM Mar 27th from web

Which was followed soon after by this one:

mcuban

just found out got fined25k by nba.) nice
1:33 PM Mar 29th from mobile web

That's right. The NBA fined Cuban for tweeting about the refs. They'll getcha! Based on Ted Thompson's locus of control, if more Packers join Twitter, I will bet that Thompson imposes some rules for players using social media sites.

Cuban also brought up a good point about Twitter and free agency:

mcuban

The more NBA Players tweet, the better the Free Agent recruiting process will be !
1:55 PM Apr 3rd from web

In addition to professional and personal networking, Twitter has opened up a new door in sports marketing. Most professional sports teams now have their own Twitter accounts (the Packers are @PackersNFL), and teams are using their Twitter to promote ticket giveaways and other marketing efforts. More and more athletes, like Nick Barnett, are also tweeting with fans.

As news continues to shift away from traditional outlets (newspapers!), Twitter will continue to gain popularity in the marketing and delivery of news for companies in a variety of different sectors, including the sports industry. It's free. And easy. And who better to hear the news from than the players themselves?!

I know if I can have a small role in seeing one more Samurai celebration from Nick Barnett, then Twitter is well worth it for me!

Keep a look out for the Samurai this year

Top 10 Reasons Why Baseball Fans Make Better Managers

This is from a post by Mike Kent at BleacherReport. He believes baseball fans make better managers because of their patience, critical thinking, and humility -- all valid points. Here are his top 10 reasons why baseball fans make better managers:

10. Appreciation of history and tradition

9. Resilience, and acceptance of defeat

8. How individuals work in teams

7. Critical thinking

6. Love of stats—and the skills to use them and detect when others abuse them

5. Appreciation of randomness, and of our instinct to read patterns into such randomness

4. Acceptance of the unknowable

3. Patience

2. Humility

1. Love of excellence

Great points! I certainly believe that sports fans and athletes generally possess many qualities necessary for success in business, especially as a leader.

New Blog: Wisconsin-Minnesota Sports

I have been working on a new blog about Wisconsin and Minnesota sports. The domain is: http://wiscosotasports.com

Check it out, and let me know what you think! Feedback would be much appreciated.

Jerome

Topps Introduces First 3D Interactive Sports Cards

From what once represented a $1 billion business, the market for sports trading cards has shrunk to around $200 million in yearly revenue today, according to Major League Baseball Properties. The internet age has significantly affected the demand for trading cards, which has companies such as Topps and Upper Deck experimenting with new technologies to help gain popularity for their cards once again.

Topps has introduced a new baseball card, the Topps 3D Live, which uses 3D technology. Collectors who hold a special Topps 3D Live baseball card in front of a webcam will see a three-dimensional avatar of the player on the computer screen. When the card is rotated, the figure rotates in full perspective on the screen. Collectors can also play elementary pitching, batting, and catching games with their 3D avatar using the computer keyboard. Total Immersion, a French company, brought Topps the technology which it calls "augmented reality," a combination of a real image with a virtual one.

Michael Eisner, former CEO of Walt Disney, bought Topps for $385 million in 2007, with grand plans of reshaping the trading card industry. Eisner has said that he sees Topps as much more than a trading card company. "I see it as a cultural, iconic institution not that different from Disney -- it conjures up an emotional response that has a feel good kind of uplift," he told the New York Times.

Eisner has also created Back on Topps, a 17-episode Internet comedy that spoofs his acquisition of the company and is currently developing a movie based on Bazooka Joe bubble gum, another of Topps' products (Disclaimer: Back on Topps features Randy & Jason Sklar, the twin brothers from "Cheap Seats" -- if, like me, you find yourself clenching your teeth when you listen to them speak, take a pass on the link).

Topps and Upper Deck already drive collectors to their websites by inserting special cards with unique codes in the packs. Collectors can create avatars, trade virtual cards, and enter virtual worlds to interact with other collectors by simply entering the codes at Toppstown.com or UpperDeckU.com.

Louise Curcio, VP of Marketing at Upper Deck, says virtual cards that "come alive and contain video" are the next step in repositioning trading cards in the Internet age. It will be interesting to keep an eye on the trading card business as new technologies are introduced to the market. Eisner has brought a ray of hope to Topps, the current leading baseball card company.

Clearly, if sports trading cards are to survive in today's market, they must expand their business models to make use of new media and internet technology. This seems like a great start!

Leading Off: Gary Coleman

The struggling economy has hit sports franchises from several different angles: sponsorships, advertising, merchandise sales, and not least of all, ticket sales. Many teams have decided not to raise ticket prices this season and are finding creative ways to bring in fans.

I came across this hilarious promotion that the Madison Mallards, a summer collegiate baseball team in the Northwoods League, put on last August. As the team got ready for the late season playoff push, they signed actor Gary Coleman to a one-day contract as a designated hitter and slotted him as the lead off batter.

“As the Mallards prepare for the playoffs we feel that we need a special player to help put us over the top,” GM Vern Stenman said at the time. “Gary brings a lot of intangibles to the field and I feel like his presence would help invigorate our club as they get ready for a run at a championship. You can’t coach a strike zone like Gary has and I anticipate him being a force at the top of our lineup.”

He makes a good point about the strike zone! Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see Gary swing for the fences. Watch as he gets ejected for corking his bat with bouncy balls....

Eastbound & Down Brings the Heat

If you haven't seen or heard of HBO's new comedy Eastbound and Down, then it is time we change that. Danny McBride (Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder) stars as Kenny Powers -- a washed-up Major League pitcher working as a middle-school gym teacher. Check out the trailer:



After throwing 101 MPH heat and striking out the last batter to win the World Series in his rookie year, Powers' career went downhill fast. Amid steroid allegations, increasingly obnoxious behavior, and slow pitch speeds, his time in the Majors was over after only a couple of years. See his baseball trading cards here (these come from a brilliant promotion by HBO in which the 5 cards appeared as inserts in various sports magazines).

With Will Ferrell as co-executive producer and playing a cameo role as car salesman Ashley Schaeffer, he has quite an imprint on the show. More than just outrageous comedy, the show takes on the task of portraying the selfish, egomaniac star athlete who we find on the front page so often nowadays (wait, didn't he just sign with the Buffalo Bills?).

Teams Using Twitter to Connect with Fans

Many teams are using Twitter and other social media to stay in touch with their fans. Twitter allows teams to advertise, promote and provide news to fans for no price -- an increasingly effective tool in sports marketing.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, for example, have made good use of Twitter. For a recent home game, they used Twitter for a special ticket giveaway. The Phoenix Suns are another team that has used Twitter to its advantage. Led by Director of Digital Media & Research, @PhoenixSunsGirl, the Suns have established quite the Twitter presence.

Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Nash both have Twitter accounts, which they use to update fans about their lives and have real one-on-one connections with them. While Nash may or may not be the one updating his Twitter account, Shaq is no doubt a Twitter fanatic who Tweets consistently throughout the day:

• "To all twitterers , if u c me n public come say hi, we r not the same we r from twitteronia, we connect"
  

• "I feel twitterers around me, r there any twitterers in 5 n diner wit me, say somethin"

This Tweet by Shaq prompted two lucky fans at the same 5 n diner to say hi to the Diesel. If anyone is skeptical whether it is The_Real_Shaq, rest assured it is. One skeptical fan became a believer when Shaq called him on the phone to prove his point.

While Twitter began as a simple tool to update friends on "what you are doing," it has evolved into something much greater and significant than that. It has become a legitimate news outlet and marketing tool. Twitter also allows for third-party applications, and there is no shortage of useful applications out there. One application which I find particularly useful is Twackle, an aggregator of sports news. Twackle allows you to choose your favorite team or league and receive all that has been said about it on Twitter, from ESPN and the local newspaper to your blog-obsessed friend Greg.

It is important for sports teams and companies in general to establish a presence on Twitter, as the technology will only continue gaining popularity. In addition to providing its fans with news updates and connecting with them on a more personal level (oh, the irony), Twitter allows teams to more easily receive feedback from fans. Using an aggregator like Twackle can help teams keep up with what fans are saying about them -- both good and bad.

You can find me on Twitter @JeromeHarrison. I just created my account recently but am appreciating its usefulness more and more every day. Sign up, it can only help!

Minnesota Gophers Basketball Player and Team Reporter Host "The What Else? Show"

Minnesota Gophers basketball player Travis Busch and Minnesota Daily team reporter Zach Eisendrath host an internet talk show called "The What Else? Show" that has become quite a hit on the University of Minnesota campus. Described as a mix between Wayne's World and Seinfeld (the show about nothing), "The What Else? Show" discusses a wide range of topics mostly unrelated to basketball.

The Big Ten Network recently aired a special feature on the show:



Gophers coach and demigod Tubby Smith approved as long as the co-hosts did not discuss Gophers basketball. The show, which touches on a variety of random topics and includes interviews and audience participation, continues to gain popularity on -- and off -- the U campus. The witty co-hosts and entertaining segments equal guaranteed laughs every episode. Be sure to check out the show at whatelsemedia.com.

Cassel to the Chiefs: Why the Patriots Settled for Less

News broke on Saturday that QB Matt Cassel, who had been slapped with the Patriots' Franchise Tag, was traded, along with LB Mike Vrabel, to the Kansas City Chiefs for one second-round draft pick. It is hard to deny the interesting circumstances that surround this trade.

Bill Belichick's Co-Genius for eight years (and 3 Super Bowl Championships), Scott Pioli, just happens to be Kansas City's first-year General Manager. After the Patriots designated Cassel as their franchise player, the price tag for another team to sign him as a free agent was two first-round picks and his hefty salary. Of course, it was unlikely that a team would sign a one-year starter with a price tag that steep, especially knowing the Patriots were eager to rid themselves of Cassel's outrageous cap number and were open to a trade for less compensation.

The fact that Cassel was traded is neither suspicious nor a surprise. The fact that he was traded to Pioli's new team in a bundle with LB Mike Vrabel for a measly second-round pick is what has raised so many eyebrows. In a column for Fanhouse, Jay Mariotti calls it a "sweetheart deal" and thinks commissioner Roger Goodell should get involved.

The low compensation that the Patriots received is especially interesting considering that on the same day of the trade, the Patriots were close to a three-team deal with the Bucs and Broncos that would have netted them at least a first-round pick for Cassel. Also discussed in the potential three-team trade was Broncos QB Jay Cutler, who is apparently quite upset upon hearing the news (or is he?).

Entering this offseason, the Patriots were as close to the salary cap limit (about $128 million) as a team could be after they franchised Cassel. Now, after getting rid of Cassel and Vrabel's considerable contracts, they have somewhere around $15 million in free cap space. Problem solved.

But why didn't the Patriots get more for Cassel?!

I believe that, for one, Mariotti could very well be right that Belichick gave Pioli a "parting gift" of sorts. After all, the two won three Super Bowls together, went to four, and basically built the most dominant franchise since the Steelers of the '70's (and in an era of free agency and salary cap!). A nice way to give your buddy an immediate boost in his first gig as General Manager.

But while Belichick may have favored Pioli in trade discussions, he isn't that nice of a guy! I believe Belichick wanted only a second-round pick in exchange for Cassel for the very same reason he wanted to trade him -- the salary cap. A first-round pick (the Chiefs' #3 overall, for example, which wouldn't be unreasonable for Cassel and Vrabel) would require a significantly higher contract than a second-round pick. In addition, the opportunity cost of waiting a few extra days for the better deal -- while potentially missing out on signing desired free agents -- was not worth it to Belichick. So he took the sure thing.

Voilà! Belichick clears massive cap space and puts the Patriots in position to make a splash in free agency. The Chiefs, and Belichick's buddy, get a franchise quarterback for cheap. Both sides happy.

Somebody Call Dr. Phil for the Denver Broncos

Less than two months after firing two-time Super Bowl winning Head Coach Mike Shanahan and hiring his replacement, 32-year old and first-time Head Coach Josh McDaniels, the Denver Broncos find themselves in quite a predicament.

It was reported last Saturday that the Broncos were actively shopping QB Jay Cutler, at one point almost agreeing to a three-team trade with the Patriots and Bucs that would have made Matt Cassel the Broncos new starting quarterback. When the trade did not go down, and Cassel was traded to the Chiefs instead, Jay Cutler caught wind of the trade talks and expressed his discontent.

First of all, Josh McDaniels is crazy to even consider trading Cutler. Sure, he was the Patriots Offensive Coordinator until this season and knows the great things Cassel can do in his offensive system. But Cassel had one productive year in perhaps the most stable franchise in all of sports. Cutler, with a rifle arm that could legitimately be compared to Brett Favre's, has blossomed into a superstar that most any team would kill to be able to build a team around.

By all accounts, Cutler is loved by his Denver fans and teammates. Definitely not the way McDaniels wanted to start his tenure in Denver -- with a seat already as hot as an industrial furnace. McDaniels should immediately begin mending his relationship with Cutler. If he ends up trading Cutler and his successor doesn't fill Cutler's big shoes, then McDaniels will be run out of town. If Cutler plays poorly for the Broncos this year and the bitter relationship between quarterback and head coach continues, McDaniels could be run out of town as well. Either way, it seems he has set himself up for failure.

But, while McDaniels may be crazy for considering trading Cutler, the superstar QB has proven to be quite the prima dona. The NFL is a business, and no matter how important you are to your team, you also carry around a number. No player should ever be exempt in trade talks, if a trade can help the team. Carmelo Anthony, who the Denver Nuggets recently considered trading, has some advice for Cutler in the Denver Post. C'mon Jay, get over it. You're not the first player a team ever CONSIDERED trading.

What adds intrigue to this story, however, is Peter King's recent discovery that Cutler asked for a trade soon after the season ended. Supposedly, Cutler was upset when Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates (who Cutler openly supported as the Broncos next head coach), left to coach for USC. So perhaps Cutler's game of crybaby is part of a bigger plan to get traded. If this is the case, then Cutler can only be described as one thing. Either way, this adds an interesting dimension to the Cutler saga, and it will be interesting to monitor as the offseason moves forward.

Milwaukee's Miller Park Partners with Summerfest to Hold More Concerts

The Milwaukee Brewers reached a deal last week that will allow the operator of Milwaukee's Summerfest to book major concerts at the 41,900-seat Miller Park. The venue has hosted very few concerts since its opening in 2001. The George Strait Country Music Festival and the supposed "band" N'Sync played at Miller Park in its opening year. Since then, only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Bon Jovi have played the venue.

Summerfest is run by Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. and has an average of more than 75,000 people attend each of its 11 days of entertainment. Summerfest bills itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival."

President and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. Don Smiley said in a statement, "This agreement provides an opportunity to leverage our proven resources and expertise in targeting and securing world-class entertainment, while working cohesively with Brewers Enterprises to help maximize Miller Park for our community."

This deal clearly benefits both the Milwaukee Brewers and Summerfest. In these trying economic times, in which sports teams across the spectrum are needing to find creative ways to sell tickets, the option of holding major concerts at Miller Park sounds like a homerun. All four major concerts held at Miller Park have each drew more than 34,000 people. The current "main stage" of Summerfest, the Marcus Ampitheater, only holds a capacity of 23,000. The option of holding major Summerfest concerts at Miller Park will greatly increase Milwaukee World Festival's revenue from Summerfest and revenue for the Milwaukee Brewers, since the Brewers do not have to share any revenue from concerts with other MLB teams.

Charles Barkley, Tiger Woods' Golf Coach to Star in New Series

Charles Barkley, the outspoken NBA Hall-of-Famer, commentator, and famously TERRible golfer, will star in a new reality show on The Golf Channel with Tiger Woods' coach, Hank Haney. The new reality show, The Haney Project, which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. CT, will put Haney up to the task of fixing Barkley's hilariously ugly golf swing.

Sir Charles, who at one point was a 10-handicap golfer, has not broken 100 in several years. He most recently finished last at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in July. Barkley said the idea for the show came after he was bombarded with an unusually large number of "golf tips" from anonymous passer-by's after the Celebrity Championship. "It's kind of funny, but it's kind of like, 'Wow, I must really suck,'" Barkley said after the tournament.

There are seven episodes scheduled for The Haney Project, five of which have already been shot. The premiere begins just two months after Barkley's most recent run-in with the law. On New Years Eve, Barkley was arrested for a DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona, after registering a .149 BAC. The details of the arrest created quite a stir in the blogosphere for weeks to come.

According to the police report, Barkley was in a hurry to receive oral sex from a female friend when he ran a stop sign. He said the woman had performed the sex act for him a week earlier and "it was the best one he had ever had."

Sir Charles can be criticized for many things. Lack of honesty, however, is not one of those. It is reasonable to assume that production of The Haney Project had already begun when the New Years incident occurred, but I am curious as to whether or not it would have even mattered. No matter what controversy Sir Charles surrounds himself with, people continue to be drawn to his affable personality (Take a look at Frank Caliendo's Barkley impression, which is almost spot-on).

Personally, I will be tuning into The Haney Project for no other reason than to watch Barkley act like a complete clown. In a marketing and sponsorship environment that often has little tolerance for legal mishaps (See Michael Phelps and Kellog's), Barkley's seemingly unfazed celebrity can be attributed to the public's attraction to honest and compelling sports personalities. People are generally willing to forgive mistakes made by celebrities if they are honest, apologetic, and able to acknowledge their faults.

Whether or not Haney can actually fix Barkley's awful swing remains to be seen. Five bucks says Barkley improves his game by three strokes or less. Any takers?

Interview with Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold

In an interview with Sporting News Today, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold discusses issues around the NHL and says he expects Marian Gaborik back in time for a playoff run. Check out the interview

"What's G" Taken to a Whole New Level

By now, most people have either seen or heard of Gatorade's new "What's G" campaign. We're familiar with the Lil' Wayne spots that feature famous athletes lined up one after another. The commercials make no mention of Gatorade at all. Many people, including myself, had to Google "What's G" during the BCS National Championship game or the Super Bowl to find out what company was running the commercial.

What I didn't know until today, is that Gatorade has given its "What's G" campaign a life of its own. They are featuring a mini-series of sorts explaining the medieval Quest for the G. Check out this hilarious video featuring King Garnett:



Is this the same Gatorade? Wow! While the G commercials do contain some of the same underlying themes as the "Is It In You?" campaign, Gatorade has certainly transformed the style and direction of its advertising strategy. For more tasty G spots, visit MissionG.com or check out Gatorade's YouTube Channel.

Emmitt Smith Debacle Over at ESPN

After two long seasons at ESPN, Emmitt Smith is out as NFL analyst. ESPN decided not to renew his contract for a third year and is not planning a formal announcement. The quiet parting of ways is a classy move by ESPN, as Emmitt has been subject to more than enough ridicule and criticism over the past two years. Just one more round wouldn't hurt....



I personally took the news with mixed reactions. On one hand, Emmitt was a legit source of comedy during NFL pregame. He turned out to be ESPN's answer to Jimmy Kimmel and Frank Caliendo. At times, he had me in stitches. His football analysis seemed like it was coming from the kitchen manager at Wendy's, not the NFL's all-time leading rusher. But while his bunk analysis, grammatical errors, and flat-out making up words could be funny at times, it also created a sense of discomfort and awkwardness for the viewer. It was almost painful watching one of the NFL's greats look like a fool every Sunday. But still, we'll miss you Emmitt.

Chicago Promises Greenest Olympics in Bid for 2016 Games

Chicago has promised to make the 2016 Summer Olympics the Greenest games ever if they win their bid to host. "We've got a real opportunity to take the best aspects of our city, the parks, the lakefront, and the environmentalism and bring a real asset to the table," Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky told the AP. "It's certainly one of the great strengths of the city of Chicago that we have to offer."

In a city where plants currently cool 3 million square feet of rooftops throughout the city, and wind, hydropower, and biofuels provide one-fifth of its energy, the Olympic Games would provide a tremendous opportunity for Chicago to continue to be at the forefront of Green city-planning. Organizers of Chicago's Olympic bid say vehicles provided by the games would run on low-carbon fuels or electricity and event sites would be powered by renewable energy. Storm water would be collected and reused, and the venues would use recyclable or reusable products.

The other three bid cities -- Madrid, Rio De Janeiro, and Tokyo -- are also touting environment-friendly plans to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which will decide on the host city in October. Madrid vows to promote bicycle use, while Rio De Janeiro says 3 million trees would be planted in nearby rain forests to offset carbon emissions. Tokyo is promoting a "zero-waste Olympics."

One obstacle Chicago faces in its 2016 Olympic bid is its deteriorating public transportation system, which the IOC has said needs extensive work. The city of Chicago wants this Olympic bid BADLY. It will take extraordinary efforts and resources from now until October for Chicago to win the 2016 games. But the benefits of hosting the games -- from the international exposure to the economic stimulation -- would be a huge boost to the city of Chicago and surrounding areas.

Roy Jones Jr. Mixes MMA & Boxing with New Promotional Company

Roy Jones Jr, an eight-time world boxing champion, has started Square Ring Promotions, a promotional company that combines boxing with mixed martial arts (MMA). Square Ring Promotions will put on "March Badness," a mixed boxing/MMA card on March 21st in Pensacola, FL. The main event will consist of a light heavyweight boxing match between Omar Sheika and none other than Roy Jones Jr. himself. The event will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Jones Jr. said he does not understand the boxing vs. MMA mentality. “So to cure the stigma that we don’t like MMA or that we’re against it, to prove my point, I’m going to start promoting them too,” Jones said. “And they have a huge fan base too. They love fighting. Boxing. Ultimate fighting. It’s all still fighting.”

Jones Jr. continued, "People are always saying, ‘Boxing this, MMA that.’ But both of those are hand-to-hand combat man-to-man. Anyone who will fight another man straight up like that, I got nothing but the utmost respect for."

Jones Jr. believes there is an audience for promotions combining boxing and MMA. “I know there is because a lot of times, the only time people get disappointed in MMA cards is when they don’t give them enough rounds,” he said. “In boxing, you always get enough rounds or a little more than you really want. So how about mixing the two and make it good for everybody? You get enough rounds, plus you get enough action too.”

Are promotions mixing boxing with MMA the future of professional fighting? With the boxing world in dire straits due to lack of promotion and TV coverage, this observer thinks that Roy Jones Jr. just may be onto something.

HBO Debuts Documentary on Duke-UNC Rivalry Tonight

Tonight HBO will debut the documentary "Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina" at 8:00 pm C.T. The Charlotte Observer's Mark Washburn writes the film "traces the roots and highlights of the matchup, without hype or clichés." The Rocky Mountain News' Dusty Saunders calls it a "must-see event for college hoops fans." Take a look at the trailer:

Interviews With Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy & Packers GM Ted Thompson

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Interview with Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson on Packers.com