Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux? Roger Federer or Pete Sampras? Arguments friends have engaged in over a cold beverage for years on end and will continue to indulge in for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, these arguments fall upon deaf or drunken ears – so nobody truly wins. Wouldn’t it be ideal to debate on your favourite sports topic against a passionate sports fan from anywhere in the world? Wouldn’t it be gratifying to win your argument based on votes from subjective, knowledgeable voters? Wouldn’t it be sweet to have the chance to win money for successful debating? I thought so! After all, freedom of speech is a beautiful thing. Sport is also a beautiful thing. Sandwiching the two together to create a website with a YouTube/ESPN type blend might equate out to beauty in its purest form. That’s right – no more talking smack and then conveniently hiding behind your monitor. Step up to the plate and express your freedom of (sports) speech, my friend. Now, now, don’t worry. We’re fully aware that not everyone wants to be in front of a camera. Whotheman.com gives you breaking sports news in an up-to-the-minute fashion that every true sports fan craves. Looking for entertainment? Whotheman.com hosts a plethora of shows pertaining to prevalent matters in the world of sports. NFL junkie? Titillating Football Talk (TFT) is the show for you, mate.Need a consistent round ball fix? Dave and Audley will assuredly hook you up with their weekly NBA Breakdown segment. Alright! I think you’re slowing coming around now. Whotheman.com encompasses everything you could ever want in a sports site – with no strings attached (i.e. we don’t want your money). Join the growing family and become a whothemaniac today!
The Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA finals after defeating the best team going into the series in a 4-2 series. Many were shocked, to say the least, that the Magic was able to dominate the Cavs especially since almost everyone was convinced that this season’s NBA finals was to be a Kobe and LeBron showdown. When a strong and a fan-favorite team like the Cavs gets beat in this fashion, there is plenty of debate as to where the blame should lie. In this case, however, there’s only one person to blame—Mr. MVP himself, King James.
No leadership from LeBron
It goes without saying that the reason the Cavs are so great is because there’s a player like LeBron James in their squad. If it wasn’t for King James, the fans in Cleveland would literally have nothing to root for. Just as LeBron is the savior of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is also the reason for their brutal loss against the Orlando Magic. The Magic simply outworked the Cavs the entire series, starting from offensive rebounds and turnovers, down to three point shots and field goals made. Cleveland just didn’t seem too enthusiastic about winning the series, and Lebron allowed that to happen. If they had been playing with Michael Jordan, the original number 23 would have had them playing like it was the last game of their lives. Further, towards the end of the series, you can easily tell that the Cavs only plan of action was to give the ball to LeBron and let him do the magic he was expected to do. This made LeBron even shabbier as a leader because he actually believed that he can singlehandedly lift the Cavs to finals.
LeBron’s just too young and too nice
LeBron’s a great guy. His character is genuinely likeable. He is charismatic, funny, and obviously a kid at heart as he loves to dance and have fun all the time. For someone as enormously famous and rich as he is, it is rather surprising to see this kind of real quality about him. The problem, however, is that he is too nice. To simply put, he’s still a kid. He doesn’t have the willpower of a warrior and the determination of a champion yet. He’s too busy showing off his skills and scoring abilities.
James is far from being a Jordan
People want to compare King James to the likes of the greatest player ever, Michael Jordan. It’s not a far cry since both practically share the same playing style in that these two can easily dribble past multiple defenders and find their way to the hoop with an effortless lay up or dunk. Or if they wanted to, both can just throw a fade away jump shot 20 yards out and the ball would touch nothing but the net. Indeed both players are remarkable in their outer game, but the fact of the matter is that they are polar opposites in terms of inner game. LeBron is simply not that competitive. While Jordan would go at great lengths to a win every single game, James seems more interested in his personal statistics than that of his team. Aside from Scottie Pippen, the talent of the supporting Chicago Bulls was pretty much comparable to the current roster of the Cleveland Cavs. But Jordan was just so bloodthirsty that he demanded nothing but excellence from his team. As for James, he just wants to prove he can do it all by himself, which is apparently impossible.
The Ticket Broker business is a great business to be in. Minimum investment, high returns, short sales cycles and best of all, it uses what individuals already built-in passion about a sports team or entertainer.
Here are the top 5 steps to do to become a ticket broker.
1) What are your interests? Are you into music or sports? Do you know who Lil’ Wayne is? If you do not, this does not mean you cannot ever buy and sell tickets to a concert. It is just not the best place to start. If you know who the 11th person off the bench for the Celtics, then the NBA is your calling.
2) Research where your seats are. Just like in real estate, ticket brokering is all about location, location, location. There is not much money to be made buying seats in row Z. There is a lot of money to be made in the first 5 rows. Can you get them?
3) Get advice. A few good pieces of advice can help you made better decisions that will result in more money. It also keeps you from making a mistakes that can cost you money. Even if the advice cost a little, it can save you more than the expense.
4) Decide where to sell. There are several places to sell your tickets. Sell online first. Some sites charge more than others and have different amounts of traffic. They also have different maintenance requirements. How much time you spend maintaining your inventory cannot be underestimated because once you start having a large volume of transactions, you can quickly get overwhelmed..
5) Just do it. Many people just sit on the sidelines hearing about business ideas. These people never make a nickel because they never do anything. You have to go out there and do something to start bringing in the money.
The King of what?
by Zak Kertesz,
The Sports Complainer
written on 5/21/09
www.sportscomplainer.com
—-In the dictionary, a King is defined as a male monarch whose hereditary position prompts chief authority over a country and people. In sports, a King is defined as an athlete who is unarguably the best. Well, I’m here to argue that LeBron James is neither. Unless my research has failed me, Bron-bron is not related to King David, his bloodline does not stem to Tutankhamen, and sorry, no, he is not the long lost heir of King James I. So shall we explore another option? Indeed.
Let’s stick with the sole sport of basketball, rather than range the rest of the sporting world which would only further support my dispute. In a sport that only fields five players at a time (per team), a single player has the ability to dictate the ultimate goal in sports, a championship. It is the only team sport in our country (and perhaps Hockey) where one individual can take their team to the promise land. No, not the land of Canaan my fellow Lamechs, I’m talking about winning the NBA finals. Thus, winning a ring surely declares who really is the best, or shall I say, thee King. Give me a second while I google how many NBA Championships the “King” has won…okay, here it is. Are you ready? It’s zero. Zilch. Zip. Nil. Nada. Null. How ever you’d like to say it, he doesn’t have any. So why do we prompt him as the King?
Bill Russell has 11. Eleven! He doesn’t even have enough fingers for all those rings. Shaqopotamus (brought to you by Tony Kornheiser) and Timmy-D each have four. Some dude named Michael Jeffrey Jordan has six (should have been eight…brief retirement). And the “King,” hold on let me check another source just to ensure, yea, he has zero. But all those players are either long gone or past their prime right? And the only guy left to claim the crown is Mr. James right? Wrong! We have two lovely candidates who could surely bid for the title of this era’s divine athlete. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, the other elitists (now that’s unarguable) of today’s NBA game.
They have rings. Yes, they both had the Shaqtus (Shaquille came up with that one all by his lonesome), but Dwyane had a HalfaShaq (that one’s all me), and Kobe, no matter the argument, still has three more than LeBron’s, um, zero. But wait, we are in the midst of an incredible playoff stretch for Mr. James, where it seems as if he drops 40 points every time those boot-looking weights that Nike calls sneakers hits the hardwood. And would it surprise me if he did indeed take his team to the holiest of hollies? Actually it would. But would it surprise every other American out there? Absolutely not. So then would he become, shall I dare say it, King? (Ha-ha) Excuse me, that was rude. I meant to say, no. Why, you ask? Kobe, three. And Dwayne Wade still has that one. That one where he averaged 35 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block; and yes, that all occurred in the land of Canaan.
Suppose Mr. James does win the title this year, could his performance surpass Wade’s? Doubtful. Could it surpass Kobe’s? Impossible: No, I am not a math major, but I’m pretty sure three is more than one…or should I say zero. Yes, Bron-bron is young and he has time. He is six years younger than Kobe and three years younger than Wade. Wait one moment, allow me to get my calculator: Yes, it’s a fact, LeBron has more time than the both of them to pile up those rings. Certainly, it appears as if he may be the heir to the throne, but the King he is not. The Prince?
The Central Iowa Hybrids, Iowa Wind Turbines, and Des Moines Hydrogen have joined the Iowa Basketball Exposure League for the late spring 2010 season. Each team will play home games at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale, Iowa. Regular season games tipoff late May and will be played Saturday evenings.
The mission of the IBEL is to develop talent with ties to the state of Iowa and promote physical fitness in the community. Central Iowa has a rich history of high school, college, and professional basketball. Drake University, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa all have excellent basketball programs. Indian Hills Junior College in Ottumwa has one of the best JUCO programs in the nation. Several athletes from those institutions of higher education have continued their careers in the NBA, NBDL, and overseas. The Des Moines metropolitan area is home to Drake University, Grand View University, and Simpson College.
IBEL sanctioned tryouts are scheduled for Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Des Moines, Iowa. Tryout costs are $30 in advance and forms are available at IBELHoops.com. All IBEL games will be videotaped and made available online for agents, scouts, general managers, and fans. Players, coaches, and game day staff will be paid. However, the primary reason to join the IBEL is for exposure.
IBEL games are held on weekends and practices at night so players and staff can continue with their career or education. The IBEL’s mission is to develop local talent for the NBDL and overseas.
The IBEL in coordination with International Consultant Mr. Joe Wright plan to assemble a traveling team to compete against Mexico’s LNBP. The goal for IBEL and MBEL players is to be signed by an LNBP team for the winter season. The IBEL also plans to send top talent to LNBP tryout camps after the season. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico (U.S.A. territory), Uruguay, and Venezuela have professional basketball leagues.
Additionally, the IBEL is a tool that international players can use to land a D-League contract in their quest to make the NBA.
The IBEL plans to help players succeed at the EuroBasket Summer League, NBDL tryouts, PBL National Tryout Combine, ABA tryouts, and tryouts for overseas clubs.
Mexico’s professional league (LNBP) offers the opportunity for top IBEL players to participate in LNBP preseason games which can lead to a contract. Import rookie salaries start at $4500 a month and seasoned veterans might expect to earn $10,000-$12,000 USD per month.