The more power we seem to give professional athletes, the more problems that are existing. Carlos Tevez refuses to play, Chris Johnson holds out for more money, and Michael Crabtree gets drafted and then would not sign a multi-million dollar contract? Look at what has happened.
Tevez refuses to play after spending all summer trying to leave but he would not take a pay cut. Johnson holds out all pre-season so he can sign a huge contract. Darrelle Revis held out for seven months so he could get more money in 2010. Michael Crabtree refuses to sign a rookie contract unless he is guaranteed over $20 million in 2009.
After seeing an NFL lock out, the NBA currently has a lock out and the ATP are talking of a lock out as well. The NFL lock out has affected the level of the game in my opinion. The NBA lock out looks very long term because players are going to other countries to play. Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Novak Djockovic has showed a lot of distaste towards a busy schedule and a lack of a post season.
What does the current professional athlete environment look like? To me it is starting to look like its all about me. The tennis season is very tough and the off season is small, it has very often been like that. Why is it like that? Everybody wants to see the best players play at all times. That is the life of a professional tennis player. Players are moaning about the schedule but the only events they have to play are the Masters and the Grand Slams. The other events are usually played due to money or the player feels like they need this.
The NFL had a lock out and seemed to solve all their problems. However, Chris Johnson's hold out really bothered me. Just like Revis the year before; Johnson still had two years left on his contract. The money probably was not what he deserved but he was still under contract. Johnson held out and it has really damaged his ability to perform this season so far. His hold out may have been worth it for him but for the team and the fans it certainly was not.
We now have rookies even demanding better contracts. Michael Crabtree held out for more money and he not even played a match for the 49ers. Crabtree is a perfect example of why power to the players really needs to be looked at. If a rookie can come in and demand more money when he is not even a proven asset then they have too much power.
The overall message when you think about Carlos Tevez, Chris Johnson and the ATP potential lock out is this: Employees are worth more than their boss or even the company. Andy Roddick said in a recent interview that, "I have been trying to tell people that talent usually wins in negotiations." My return argument would be that without somewhere to show case your talent it is worthless. Players need to be put in their place and quickly before the next generation of players go even further than the current generation.
Thursday 29 September 2011
Tuesday 27 September 2011
ATP- Asian Tournaments kick off with some great tennis on show
The Asian part of the ATP Tour has started this week. With events at in Thailand and Malaysia; the Asian continent will be blessed with the talents of Andy Murray, Gael Monfils and Nicolas Almagro this week.
Bangkhok, the Thai Capital, was suppose to also host Roger Federer. Federer is a fan's favourite and enjoys his time in Bangkhok. He had to withdraw to make sure that he is healthy enough to finish the year out. His break might be due to his recent heart breaking loss to Djockovic after leading by two sets. That was the second grand slam in a row that Federer that has crashed out of after losing to Tsonga at Wimbledon in the same situation. However, Federer does also have a set of twins that are young and he is getting older so maybe this break is what he needs if he is to defend his end of year title in November.
Bangkhok are not short if big names though. Andy Murray is the number 1 seed. One of tennis' biggest show men, Gael Monfils, is the second seed and always creates a show. Fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon is the third seed. His hard work style of player will delight the crowds. The Thai tennis fanbase are in for a real treat this week.
Kuala Lumpur do not have as many big names as Bangkhok, but enough of a top 20 representation to hopefully keep strong numbers. One of the most talented men on tour, Nicolas Almagro, heads the draw. The Spaniards' shot making ability will keep that crowd on their feet all the way to the final I hope. Second seed, Viktor Troicki, is the next biggest name. Troicki will be fresh after he was not picked to play against Del Potro as Serbia lost in Davis Cup a week ago. 2011 is a great year for the Serb and he will hope it continues although an appearance in London is a long shot. The wild-card given to Marcos Baghdatis is the biggest name for me. Baghdatis' showmanship matches that of Monfils. His aggressive style of play and natural enjoyment he will bring to the circuit is priceless. He has already showed his worth by defeating sixth seed Alex Bogomolov Jr.
The top two men's players are missing in Asia. However, that will not stop a high number of people enjoying the ATP Tour at its finest. Both events look like tough ones. I think that Murray is the clear pick for the title in Bangkhok. In Kuala Lumpur, I think that the winner between Baghdatis and Devvarman have the ability to go far; then again with a draw that also includes Almagro, Troicki, Melzer and Tipsarevic anyone seems to have the ability to take home title. Enjoy this one people/
Bangkhok, the Thai Capital, was suppose to also host Roger Federer. Federer is a fan's favourite and enjoys his time in Bangkhok. He had to withdraw to make sure that he is healthy enough to finish the year out. His break might be due to his recent heart breaking loss to Djockovic after leading by two sets. That was the second grand slam in a row that Federer that has crashed out of after losing to Tsonga at Wimbledon in the same situation. However, Federer does also have a set of twins that are young and he is getting older so maybe this break is what he needs if he is to defend his end of year title in November.
Bangkhok are not short if big names though. Andy Murray is the number 1 seed. One of tennis' biggest show men, Gael Monfils, is the second seed and always creates a show. Fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon is the third seed. His hard work style of player will delight the crowds. The Thai tennis fanbase are in for a real treat this week.
Kuala Lumpur do not have as many big names as Bangkhok, but enough of a top 20 representation to hopefully keep strong numbers. One of the most talented men on tour, Nicolas Almagro, heads the draw. The Spaniards' shot making ability will keep that crowd on their feet all the way to the final I hope. Second seed, Viktor Troicki, is the next biggest name. Troicki will be fresh after he was not picked to play against Del Potro as Serbia lost in Davis Cup a week ago. 2011 is a great year for the Serb and he will hope it continues although an appearance in London is a long shot. The wild-card given to Marcos Baghdatis is the biggest name for me. Baghdatis' showmanship matches that of Monfils. His aggressive style of play and natural enjoyment he will bring to the circuit is priceless. He has already showed his worth by defeating sixth seed Alex Bogomolov Jr.
The top two men's players are missing in Asia. However, that will not stop a high number of people enjoying the ATP Tour at its finest. Both events look like tough ones. I think that Murray is the clear pick for the title in Bangkhok. In Kuala Lumpur, I think that the winner between Baghdatis and Devvarman have the ability to go far; then again with a draw that also includes Almagro, Troicki, Melzer and Tipsarevic anyone seems to have the ability to take home title. Enjoy this one people/
Sunday 25 September 2011
NFL AND ATP ARTICLES UPDATED
The NFL and ATP pages have been updated with small stories regarding Sidney Rice's return and the Moselle Men's Open from Metz, France respectively. Please feel free to check them out.
Follow me on Twitter @atpnflandlife to get quick up to date tweets on article ideas and publishes.
Only 1 more day left to vote for your favourite NFL game >>>>>>>>
Happy Sunday everybody.
I'll be back on Monday to report on Moselle Open Final, NFL Sunday and hopefully my visit to London Christchurch.
Follow me on Twitter @atpnflandlife to get quick up to date tweets on article ideas and publishes.
Only 1 more day left to vote for your favourite NFL game >>>>>>>>
Happy Sunday everybody.
I'll be back on Monday to report on Moselle Open Final, NFL Sunday and hopefully my visit to London Christchurch.
Thursday 22 September 2011
Monday 19 September 2011
Sensational Sport for Sunday
The world of tennis and American Football were definitely on display this Sunday with some exciting matches and results.
Tennis- Davis Cup
In the Davis Cup Semi-Finals, we saw Spain finish off France while Argentina defeated last year's champions after Djockovic retired against Del Potro.
After Spain's dismal display against France in the doubles, we can see why Lopez and Verdasco rely on their compatriot's clay court experience. Rafael Nadal destroyed Jo Wilfred Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 to secure Spain's spot in the final
It is believed that French Captain, Guy Forget, was hoping that a fresh Tsonga could capitalize on Nadal's issues. Rumours around the camp made the French believe that Nadal was in trouble physically and mentally still wounded after the U.S. Open defeat a week ago. However, Nadal showed no signs of weakness as he dominated. To be fair Tsonga is not a clay court expert, however I do not believe that it matter who Nadal was going to play. Nadal was determined to win and win comfortably.
In the other semi-final, Argentina carried on their exceptional start by beating defending champions Serbia in Serbia. However, it was not quite the way the Argies would have wanted to do it.
Juan Martin Del Potro was up a set and a break when World No. 1, Novak Djockovic, had to retire. After Del Potro pushed Djockovic with a big forehand, the Serb missed the pass and went down screaming. He was in tears as he shook the Argentinian's hand. He complained of a rib and lower back injury.
Djockovic said that, "I was only 60 percent fit." He did take full responsibility for the decision to himself over compatriot Viktor Triocki. "We believed that even so I would have a better chance against Del Potro than my teammate," he said.
More comments can be found on the ATP page of this blog.
NFL- Week 2- Bills, Redskins and Detroit surprise 2-0 starts
Week 2 in the NFL has nearly ended with the Bills, Redskins and Lions looking good at 2-0
It was the play of the Buffalo, Washington and Detroit that have stunned people to have started 2-0 after defeats against the Oakland, Arizona and Kansas City respectively.
Ryan Fitzpatrick and his Buffalo Offence did a great job of coming back and edging the Raiders in the second half having gone in down 21-3. Fitzpatrick only threw for 264 yards, however add another 100+ yard game for Fred Jackson allowed the Bills to win the fourth quarter shoot out. Fitzpatrick threw a TD to wide receiver David Nelson with 14 seconds left. Jason Campbell could not respond with such heroics. His last drive was 11 yards shy of Janikowski's world record field goal range.
Rex Grossman continued to silence his critics as he managed to led the Redskins to a 22-21 win over Arizona.
Grossman failed for the two point conversion after throwing a touchdown to Santana Moss, meaning Grossman has to lead the team down the field again for the game winning field goal. Arizona quarterback, Kevin Kolb, had an opportunity to lead his team, but the Redskins defence managed to keep it contained.
Redskins have not faced the toughest teams so far, but Grossman looks like a much better game manager than his days at Chicago. His lack of arm strength could be a problem, however his relationship with Fred Davis and Jabbar Gaffney are definitely big reasons why the Redskins' offence is succeeding.
Detroit looked the real deal. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson dominated in the red zone, while other weapons in Jahvid Best and Nate Burleson racked up great number in a demoralising slaughter against Kansas City.
Kansas City lost star running back Jamal Charles to injury in the first quarter; but they looked completely out of sync as Matt Cassel threw 3 interceptions. Thomas Jones lacked the big pace to back up Charles while Dexter McCluster led the Chiefs in rushing. The loss of Eric Berry seem to hurt the Chief's defence as they were trounced and unable to stop Detroit from embarrassing them.
Detroit, without first round draft pick Nick Fairley, looked exceptional. Stafford looked great, Suh dominated and the defence looked strong. It was a clear example of why the Lions were given so much hype pre-season. If they can get Fairley healthy and keep Stafford and Best healthy then they could definitely be
looking for a playoff run even in a strong NFC North conference.
More about every game can be found on the NFL page very soon.
Tennis- Davis Cup
In the Davis Cup Semi-Finals, we saw Spain finish off France while Argentina defeated last year's champions after Djockovic retired against Del Potro.
After Spain's dismal display against France in the doubles, we can see why Lopez and Verdasco rely on their compatriot's clay court experience. Rafael Nadal destroyed Jo Wilfred Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 to secure Spain's spot in the final
It is believed that French Captain, Guy Forget, was hoping that a fresh Tsonga could capitalize on Nadal's issues. Rumours around the camp made the French believe that Nadal was in trouble physically and mentally still wounded after the U.S. Open defeat a week ago. However, Nadal showed no signs of weakness as he dominated. To be fair Tsonga is not a clay court expert, however I do not believe that it matter who Nadal was going to play. Nadal was determined to win and win comfortably.
In the other semi-final, Argentina carried on their exceptional start by beating defending champions Serbia in Serbia. However, it was not quite the way the Argies would have wanted to do it.
Juan Martin Del Potro was up a set and a break when World No. 1, Novak Djockovic, had to retire. After Del Potro pushed Djockovic with a big forehand, the Serb missed the pass and went down screaming. He was in tears as he shook the Argentinian's hand. He complained of a rib and lower back injury.
Djockovic said that, "I was only 60 percent fit." He did take full responsibility for the decision to himself over compatriot Viktor Triocki. "We believed that even so I would have a better chance against Del Potro than my teammate," he said.
More comments can be found on the ATP page of this blog.
NFL- Week 2- Bills, Redskins and Detroit surprise 2-0 starts
Week 2 in the NFL has nearly ended with the Bills, Redskins and Lions looking good at 2-0
It was the play of the Buffalo, Washington and Detroit that have stunned people to have started 2-0 after defeats against the Oakland, Arizona and Kansas City respectively.
Ryan Fitzpatrick and his Buffalo Offence did a great job of coming back and edging the Raiders in the second half having gone in down 21-3. Fitzpatrick only threw for 264 yards, however add another 100+ yard game for Fred Jackson allowed the Bills to win the fourth quarter shoot out. Fitzpatrick threw a TD to wide receiver David Nelson with 14 seconds left. Jason Campbell could not respond with such heroics. His last drive was 11 yards shy of Janikowski's world record field goal range.
Rex Grossman continued to silence his critics as he managed to led the Redskins to a 22-21 win over Arizona.
Grossman failed for the two point conversion after throwing a touchdown to Santana Moss, meaning Grossman has to lead the team down the field again for the game winning field goal. Arizona quarterback, Kevin Kolb, had an opportunity to lead his team, but the Redskins defence managed to keep it contained.
Redskins have not faced the toughest teams so far, but Grossman looks like a much better game manager than his days at Chicago. His lack of arm strength could be a problem, however his relationship with Fred Davis and Jabbar Gaffney are definitely big reasons why the Redskins' offence is succeeding.
Detroit looked the real deal. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson dominated in the red zone, while other weapons in Jahvid Best and Nate Burleson racked up great number in a demoralising slaughter against Kansas City.
Kansas City lost star running back Jamal Charles to injury in the first quarter; but they looked completely out of sync as Matt Cassel threw 3 interceptions. Thomas Jones lacked the big pace to back up Charles while Dexter McCluster led the Chiefs in rushing. The loss of Eric Berry seem to hurt the Chief's defence as they were trounced and unable to stop Detroit from embarrassing them.
Detroit, without first round draft pick Nick Fairley, looked exceptional. Stafford looked great, Suh dominated and the defence looked strong. It was a clear example of why the Lions were given so much hype pre-season. If they can get Fairley healthy and keep Stafford and Best healthy then they could definitely be
looking for a playoff run even in a strong NFC North conference.
More about every game can be found on the NFL page very soon.
Saturday 17 September 2011
Why create a blog?
After having 5 years in American, having travelled around the world playing tennis, and now back in London I felt like it was time to use some of the skills I learned in college.
I studied journalism but I have always loved writing. I am also very opinionated I'm afraid, but I am working on being much more open to different ideas. I hope that if I write anything that bothers anybody, that you will feel free to comment and open a discussion. As you can see what the different pages, I might be trying to reach every kind of audience. However, I see is differently. The different pages represent the different aspects of my life and so, it would be great to hear from everyone on these pages in case I am experiencing something wrong.
I have plans to open a Facebook page and a Twitter account for this blog if it gets popular. So keep checking back to see.
I want to thank you for coming to my blog and reading what I have to say. I will try to be a positive at all times, but I understand that sometimes negativity needs to be discussed.
If you would like to contribute an article or a piece of writing please feel free to contact me using the website's email address, atpnflandlife@hotmail.co.uk.
Follow me on Twitter as i will update when new articles are written and what they are about. @atpnflandlife
I studied journalism but I have always loved writing. I am also very opinionated I'm afraid, but I am working on being much more open to different ideas. I hope that if I write anything that bothers anybody, that you will feel free to comment and open a discussion. As you can see what the different pages, I might be trying to reach every kind of audience. However, I see is differently. The different pages represent the different aspects of my life and so, it would be great to hear from everyone on these pages in case I am experiencing something wrong.
I have plans to open a Facebook page and a Twitter account for this blog if it gets popular. So keep checking back to see.
I want to thank you for coming to my blog and reading what I have to say. I will try to be a positive at all times, but I understand that sometimes negativity needs to be discussed.
If you would like to contribute an article or a piece of writing please feel free to contact me using the website's email address, atpnflandlife@hotmail.co.uk.
Follow me on Twitter as i will update when new articles are written and what they are about. @atpnflandlife
Ward digs deep to help GB to 2-0 lead against Hungary
Great Britain took a commanding 2-0 lead after day one singles play in their David Cup Europe/Africa Group II against Hungary. Braehead Arena, Glasgow, saw Andy Murray impressively win in three sets while James Ward fought off illness, cramp and injuries to win in four.
James Ward beat Attila Balazs 6-4,6-4,4-6,6-4 but was constantly plagued throughout the match with sickness problems. At 5-4 up in the second, Ward had to leave the court to throw up. Having held to take the set, he started the third set disastrously by hurting his ankle and going 3-0 down. But Ward, playing in his fourth David Cup match, showed real spirit to fight off his health issues to win.
I think that it was amazing to see the effort and dedication that Ward showed. He showed courage to fight through so many health issues and win. Baring in mind that this event has nothing to do with his ranking. He showed a lot of pride to be representing his country.
Murray comfortably beat Sebo Kiss, 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 although he did squander a 5-2 leader in the third. Kiss, only a part time player now, fought hard in the third set to get it to a tie-break but Murray, world number four, managed to finish him off at the end.
The two things that were so amazing about today's match was the fight from Ward and the crowd's involvement. It sounded like a football game where chanting and banter was flying around. They really help Ward struggle through the last set to win. It also shows that tennis isn't all about drinking Pimms and eating strawberries. There was a real sense of grit and pride which invited the crowd to help as much as possible.
The tie will continue tomorrow as Ross Hutchins and Colin Fleming hope to capture victory and promotion to Europe/Africa Zone Group I, just one level off the elite nations of David Cup. Play starts at 1400 BST.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)