I posted an article on my Facebook wall this morning but decided this topic warrants a blog post. I've written before about the inherit risks and subsequent effects that athletes go through, ultimately for our entertainment. Sadly not all of the stories end happily as this one hopefully will.
On Saturday, we were in Madrid for my favourite Mexican's birthday. He's cracking on in years sadly, so its imperative we enjoy them with him. As my boys were playing against Sunderland in the FA Cup, I broke away from the group and found a good old fashioned Irish pub to watch the game. I couldn't persuade anybody else to come for some reason.
We drew after a fairly uninspiring game and I rejoined the group. As usual, I'll check my iphone and the scores, but it was a text message from my mum that drew my attention to the fact that Fabrice Muamba had collapsed. I followed it intently on my iphone....i would not like to guess what those updates cost in data roaming charges. For whatever reason, I could not shake it from my mind all weekend - Muamba rather than the roaming charges. Memories flooded back to me from when Marc Vivien Foe passed away and I heard about it at a Bon Jovi concert. When Antonio Puerta passed away in 2007 and Dani Jarque in 2009. For some reason, these deaths and the Muamba incident just leave me with this numb feeling that I cannot quite describe.
People die all the time, every minute. I am not a fan of death and I think it is overrated. I remember crying one day when I was about 10 years old begging my mum not to die. I had just worked out what it was all about. Mum classically reassured me she had plenty of years left in the tank, but everybody dies one day. It was some reassurance, but not the eternal one I was hoping for. I have come to terms with it as I have gotten older.
Naturally the passing of family, friends, and old acquaintances is sad. But something just seems to tie me to these athletes when something tragic happens like Fabrice Muamba collapsing last Saturday. All I could think about was this superbly strong and energetic midfielder that I saw at Goodison Park in March 2010 who I was seriously impressed with and can recall thinking as clear as day that I sat there thinking of how well Muamba would slot into our midfield.
Jarque and Puerta were two young Spanish footballers who I had watched, studied and analysed since they broke into the first teams at Espanyol and Sevilla respectively. I rated Jarque as a *** key defender, while Puerta was behind a talented Adriano at Sevilla, but his potential was there to see. Perhaps it was the fact I had followed them both, as part of my job, and seen their development, that attached me to them in some form.
I'll share a small quote from the doctor in the BBC article published this morning:
"Two hours after [regaining consciousness] I whispered in his ear, 'What's your name?' and he said, 'Fabrice Muamba'. I said, 'I hear you're a really good footballer' and he said, 'I try'.
And that is good enough for me. People trying. It's half the battle and sums up why this guy is miraculously hanging in there. It is a stark reminder of the risks that professional athletes go through, ultimately for our entertainment. I suspect all of those people in the stadium on Saturday afternoon shared a similar feeling to the one I experienced. Seeing tributes and well-wishing from all over the world for Muamba was heartening and after so often sitting in some pretty horrendous abuse at times, it was a timely reminder that maybe football fans are not so bad after all. Aside from the one chap who was arrested for racially abusing Muamba on Twitter on the Saturday evening. Maybe he needs to make more of an effort himself and try harder to be a better person.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Curing Manflu
I am not sure there is a value that can be put on providing a smile for somebody else, or being on the receiving end of something that makes you smile. Unless that is, you are a professional smile maker, or smiler, but I have yet to see that on anybody's CV. This week I have had a serious case of man flu – I’m fortunate I am living to tell the tale.
I have 5 smiles for you this week. A smile a day keeps the doctor away...or so I would like to think.
Monday
Was suffering from a severe dose of man flu and was in need of cheering up. I decided to go for a run....I am losing the battle with a certain Mexican compadre of mine to lose 10kg by May 1st, and I don't like losing. I went on my cheeky 5kg route and halfway through, a gran is pushing her grandson down the road in a pushchair, and the kid, who cannot have been more than two years old, stuck out his hand to give me a high five. Amazing. Smile achieved and the kid had no idea. Hopefully my tap put a smile on his face.
Tuesday
The one and only Suzanne Brodeur sent round an email with this link. I cannot fathom how it only has 65 or so hits, but this is legendary in my eyes! Video aside, SB is a sensational smile-maker....I have yet to meet anybody who has not smiled in her presence. I think she could be a cure for manflu.
Wednesday
HJ came home from Zambia.....despite suffering from a potentially terminal case of man flu, it put a smile on my face. As it always does and always will.
Thursday
Stuck on a plane for 5 hours for a ninety minute flight. Yet I was thoroughly charmed and entertained by the two 50+ year-old air hostesses who looked after us and did their utmost to keep us sane and smiling, when it was probably harder for them. The vodka and oranges also may have contributed to this.
Friday
Stuck in Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 for three additional hours – the fog strikes again. Thankfully, Wagamamas put a smile on my face and belly this time. I think I speak for a fair few people when I say this, but I can become a fraction impatient and restless when I am hungry. On the flipside, I’ll smile all day long after a good meal. So my beloved Sony Shop has been replaced by a London 2012 store – I guess that was the bad karma from yesterday’s blog. Still, I had a good lunch, so I’ll keep smiling.
5 big smiles in 5 days....enough to cure the most serious of potentially terminal manflu diseases.
I have 5 smiles for you this week. A smile a day keeps the doctor away...or so I would like to think.
Monday
Was suffering from a severe dose of man flu and was in need of cheering up. I decided to go for a run....I am losing the battle with a certain Mexican compadre of mine to lose 10kg by May 1st, and I don't like losing. I went on my cheeky 5kg route and halfway through, a gran is pushing her grandson down the road in a pushchair, and the kid, who cannot have been more than two years old, stuck out his hand to give me a high five. Amazing. Smile achieved and the kid had no idea. Hopefully my tap put a smile on his face.
Tuesday
The one and only Suzanne Brodeur sent round an email with this link. I cannot fathom how it only has 65 or so hits, but this is legendary in my eyes! Video aside, SB is a sensational smile-maker....I have yet to meet anybody who has not smiled in her presence. I think she could be a cure for manflu.
Wednesday
HJ came home from Zambia.....despite suffering from a potentially terminal case of man flu, it put a smile on my face. As it always does and always will.
Thursday
Stuck on a plane for 5 hours for a ninety minute flight. Yet I was thoroughly charmed and entertained by the two 50+ year-old air hostesses who looked after us and did their utmost to keep us sane and smiling, when it was probably harder for them. The vodka and oranges also may have contributed to this.
Friday
Stuck in Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 for three additional hours – the fog strikes again. Thankfully, Wagamamas put a smile on my face and belly this time. I think I speak for a fair few people when I say this, but I can become a fraction impatient and restless when I am hungry. On the flipside, I’ll smile all day long after a good meal. So my beloved Sony Shop has been replaced by a London 2012 store – I guess that was the bad karma from yesterday’s blog. Still, I had a good lunch, so I’ll keep smiling.
5 big smiles in 5 days....enough to cure the most serious of potentially terminal manflu diseases.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
London 2012
Call me miserable, pessimistic, grumpy…..Northern. The last few days have hit home to me that the Olympics in London this year may not be as great as people are imagining.
I am sat on a British Airways plane waiting to fly to London. Due to the fog in London, we are delayed two hours and they only knew this when we boarded the plane – not ideal. It is not just Easyjet that suffer delays – fog stops any airline, cheap or less cheap. I’ll give BA their due, they are providing drinks for people and the air hostesses have ipads with all our flight details on and are helping with rescheduling options for people missing connections. That’s the difference I guess.
Speaking of travel, my mum read a newspaper report claiming that a regular journey in London that takes one hour and a half, will take over three hours during the Olympics as they try to manage the flow of people. Awesome. I cannot wait for those tube journeys. Imagine going to see 9.6 seconds of the 100m final and travelling SEVEN hours there and back to watch it.
One of the biggest unions in the UK dished out a few threats this week about considering action during the Games. I witnessed the protests about the Games in Vancouver two years ago and I am sure that it has happened in other host countries before, but I cannot help but think there is an inevitability about some form of union action in the UK. The world is watching, we’re hosting the biggest sporting event in the world, and I just sense something like this is going to cause all kinds of unnecessary disruption.
Rewind to a couple of weeks ago and I am watching Derek Chisora slap Vitali Klitschko in a press conference, spit water on his brother before the fight, and then embark in one of the most ridiculous scraps post-fight with David Haye…..closing the battle with screams of ‘I’m going to kill you David’, and ‘I’m going to burn you David.’ Classy, very classy. Throw John Terry and Wayne Rooney and their antics in recent months in for good measure, and you have the cream of British sport disgracing themselves. They may not be participating in the Olympics, but it is not what I want to see when the spotlight will be on British athletes more than ever this year.
On the participation front, I vividly recall the struggles faced by Canadian athletes at the start of the Vancouver Games in dealing with the huge pressure on them with the whole country expecting. I imagine this is also the same for all host countries and their athletes – but let’s face it, if there is one thing British athletes are not good at, is dealing with pressure and expectation. A huge stereotype, but let’s see.
And there you have it. I warned you it was miserable, pessimistic and grumpy, and I didn’t even start scribbling about budgets. I hope I’m wrong.
I am sat on a British Airways plane waiting to fly to London. Due to the fog in London, we are delayed two hours and they only knew this when we boarded the plane – not ideal. It is not just Easyjet that suffer delays – fog stops any airline, cheap or less cheap. I’ll give BA their due, they are providing drinks for people and the air hostesses have ipads with all our flight details on and are helping with rescheduling options for people missing connections. That’s the difference I guess.
Speaking of travel, my mum read a newspaper report claiming that a regular journey in London that takes one hour and a half, will take over three hours during the Olympics as they try to manage the flow of people. Awesome. I cannot wait for those tube journeys. Imagine going to see 9.6 seconds of the 100m final and travelling SEVEN hours there and back to watch it.
One of the biggest unions in the UK dished out a few threats this week about considering action during the Games. I witnessed the protests about the Games in Vancouver two years ago and I am sure that it has happened in other host countries before, but I cannot help but think there is an inevitability about some form of union action in the UK. The world is watching, we’re hosting the biggest sporting event in the world, and I just sense something like this is going to cause all kinds of unnecessary disruption.
Rewind to a couple of weeks ago and I am watching Derek Chisora slap Vitali Klitschko in a press conference, spit water on his brother before the fight, and then embark in one of the most ridiculous scraps post-fight with David Haye…..closing the battle with screams of ‘I’m going to kill you David’, and ‘I’m going to burn you David.’ Classy, very classy. Throw John Terry and Wayne Rooney and their antics in recent months in for good measure, and you have the cream of British sport disgracing themselves. They may not be participating in the Olympics, but it is not what I want to see when the spotlight will be on British athletes more than ever this year.
On the participation front, I vividly recall the struggles faced by Canadian athletes at the start of the Vancouver Games in dealing with the huge pressure on them with the whole country expecting. I imagine this is also the same for all host countries and their athletes – but let’s face it, if there is one thing British athletes are not good at, is dealing with pressure and expectation. A huge stereotype, but let’s see.
And there you have it. I warned you it was miserable, pessimistic and grumpy, and I didn’t even start scribbling about budgets. I hope I’m wrong.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Subtle Differences in Life
When I was at school, I favoured English Literature over Language. I had reasonable writing skills which enabled me to blag things if I didn't know the answer or pad something out around an argument but hitting the required word count. When I was at University, that did not work. Studying English Lit meant a lot of reading, no blagging, no padding. I was exposed. So I went down the Language route, and my analytical skills developed.
I chose English because I was reasonably good at writing in particular, but also because I didn't really know what I wanted to do and it was a solid route to keep my options open along with my languages. I also harboured vague desires to become a teacher and subsequently a journalist, but that didn't last too long. It did however give me solid foundations for my professional career, which I think was the right call. It also gave me a decent understanding of grammar - needless to say I'll be proofreading this blog several times.
I saw one of these humorous posts on Facebook a couple of days ago which highlighted the importance of grammar to our everyday lives. It read:
Knowing your shit and Knowing you're shit.....the difference grammar can make!
There's a pretty fundamental difference between the two, but an easy mistake to make. I am actually typing this blog on my blackberry....and I am avoiding the sms language. Unfortunately, as useful as texting, bbm, What's App, and MSN are, they do butcher the English language and we probably do make more grammatical mistakes for that reason. I never thought I would see the day when my mum would LOL at me!
As useful and as efficient as they are, it is so easy to create misunderstandings. How often have you questioned the tone of such a message which would be far clearer if somebody had told you on the phone? It happens all the time. And different people use grammar in different ways. If my girl messages me with a full stop (a ‘period’ to my North American friends) rather than an exclamation mark, I can tell the tone is perhaps a little downbeat or more serious. If a Rob Lockhart uses an exclamation mark, then either the world is about to end, or the Toronto Maple Leafs have just won a Stanley Cup. Needless to say that neither are likely.
Emails. Are you the kind of person who starts an email with Hello/Hi or Dear or do you just go straight in with the name? Personally, I find it a little impersonal at times without receiving the greeting, but you can meet that person and they can be as pleasant as anything. I had several emails with our company accountant last week and she started every email with ‘Hi Rob’ – even though we were speaking all day long via phone and email…..never once did she leave out the greeting which impressed me.
Understanding the small and subtle differences that your punctuation and grammar can have on the tone of what you and other people scribble is key to avoiding misunderstandings. Remember that next time you receive a message saying ‘U no u r shit’….that extra space between the u and the r is likely to be a heavy-thumbed mistake.
I chose English because I was reasonably good at writing in particular, but also because I didn't really know what I wanted to do and it was a solid route to keep my options open along with my languages. I also harboured vague desires to become a teacher and subsequently a journalist, but that didn't last too long. It did however give me solid foundations for my professional career, which I think was the right call. It also gave me a decent understanding of grammar - needless to say I'll be proofreading this blog several times.
I saw one of these humorous posts on Facebook a couple of days ago which highlighted the importance of grammar to our everyday lives. It read:
Knowing your shit and Knowing you're shit.....the difference grammar can make!
There's a pretty fundamental difference between the two, but an easy mistake to make. I am actually typing this blog on my blackberry....and I am avoiding the sms language. Unfortunately, as useful as texting, bbm, What's App, and MSN are, they do butcher the English language and we probably do make more grammatical mistakes for that reason. I never thought I would see the day when my mum would LOL at me!
As useful and as efficient as they are, it is so easy to create misunderstandings. How often have you questioned the tone of such a message which would be far clearer if somebody had told you on the phone? It happens all the time. And different people use grammar in different ways. If my girl messages me with a full stop (a ‘period’ to my North American friends) rather than an exclamation mark, I can tell the tone is perhaps a little downbeat or more serious. If a Rob Lockhart uses an exclamation mark, then either the world is about to end, or the Toronto Maple Leafs have just won a Stanley Cup. Needless to say that neither are likely.
Emails. Are you the kind of person who starts an email with Hello/Hi or Dear or do you just go straight in with the name? Personally, I find it a little impersonal at times without receiving the greeting, but you can meet that person and they can be as pleasant as anything. I had several emails with our company accountant last week and she started every email with ‘Hi Rob’ – even though we were speaking all day long via phone and email…..never once did she leave out the greeting which impressed me.
Understanding the small and subtle differences that your punctuation and grammar can have on the tone of what you and other people scribble is key to avoiding misunderstandings. Remember that next time you receive a message saying ‘U no u r shit’….that extra space between the u and the r is likely to be a heavy-thumbed mistake.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Neck on the Line
It is that time of year when I am prepared to put my neck on the line and make some outrageous sporting predictions for 2012. I think I did it a month earlier last year – but it has been a hectic start to the year with the launch of a new project that I am working on. And that new project is related to the subject of this blog and making predictions, and collecting and analysing data and events in sport (largely football). The company is called Onside Analysis (www.onsideanalysis.com) and I am working with a former Smartodds colleague, Dave Hastie…..exciting times but plenty of hard work ahead. A small part of the website and work is blogging, so I will be splitting my time between blogging for the Onside Analysis website, and Random Writing, but fear not, I shall continue to blog on here for all two of my loyal readers.
So without further ado, here goes with my thoughts and predictions for the year ahead.
Euro 2012 – I am not particularly throwing a huge outsider into the mix with this one, but I strongly like Germany to win the Euro this time round. At 100% fitness and form, I would go with Spain every time, but that is not going to happen. I cannot help but feel that Barca’s success in recent seasons is taking its toll on them and in turn on the national team. David Villa is already ruled out, and there are serious concerns over Xavi. He will be used sparingly between now and then with Guardiola preserving him for Champions League games now that the league race is pretty much over. Form is another issue – Fernando Torres. Don’t think I need to say much more. I could throw discipline and Gerard Pique out there right now, but that will resolve itself. The number of Clasicos could also bite them in the butt. On the flipside, the Germans are a hungry young team with plenty to prove, and for the first time in a long time, possessing some serious flair in the side.
Boxing – The world awaits for Floyd and Manny to get it on. I thought we were close for this May, but dreams were dashed once again. Well, Floyd is going to prison that is one thing that is certain. Beforehand, he faces Miguel Cotto in May and I think he will outclass him easily enough. Manny is up against Timothy Bradley and I have a feeling that Bradley is going to surprise him and dash any hopes of the dream fight somewhere down the line. Mayweather will continue to fight, continue to get $20m+ per fight even when he gets out of the nick, and will eventually retire unbeaten.
Stanley Cup – I would love nothing more than to see a NY Rangers or a San Jose get to the Stanley Cup Finals but I am going with the tried and trusted. This is something of a filthy prediction but this is going Boston/Detroit in my mind. I am hoping the Sens or the Leafs can keep hold of their playoff spots – and then I’ll be betting against both of them when they get there!
Premier League – I think this is going to go all the way to the wire, or at least the third to last game of the season when City host United. I think Man Utd have won the league in the last couple of seasons by being the best of the worst – I think this time they fall just short to City. The fixtures possibly just favour Man Utd, but I think it comes down to that one game, and I can see City edging it. I think Utd take the Europa League.
London 2012 – No specific predictions here apart from I recall from Vancouver how much pressure the Canadian athletes felt particularly at the start of the competition. Expectations were high, and media attention was huge – an early medal will calm everybody and the sooner it happens for a British athlete in London, the better it will be for all. I am not confident expectations will be met however.
Champions League – The Special One has imprinted his style on Real Madrid and he has the squad and lead in the league to focus on their bid for their 10th Champions League trophy. This could be quite an open UCL season and it would not surprise me if one of the Italian teams went far this season. I do however just see Barca falling short this time. Bayern may also come close for this one, but I’m edging Real as they are finally playing the way Jose wants them to and they are looking strong.
FA Cup – It pains me to say this and this is filthier than my Stanley Cup prediction but I can see a Cup double for the team that plays in Red on Merseyside. I am super excited about my team’s chances, but losing Landon Donovan and with Steven Pienaar being cup-tied, we lose a huge amount of creativity, and I think we will find it tough against Sunderland. I hope and pray that I am wrong, but I can see ‘them’ winning it this year.
UFC – Not easy making predictions too far in advance for the UFC such is the nature of the sport, but the fight I am most looking forward to is Anderson Silva v Chael Sonnen which is scheduled for June 16th in Brazil. I think Anderson finishes him early this time round. UFC 146 at the end of May also has a peach of a fight – Alistair Overeem v Junior dos Santos…..it will be immense. I give Junior the edge here as I question Overeem’s character in and outside the Octagon.
I think I need a shower after some of those picks.
So without further ado, here goes with my thoughts and predictions for the year ahead.
Euro 2012 – I am not particularly throwing a huge outsider into the mix with this one, but I strongly like Germany to win the Euro this time round. At 100% fitness and form, I would go with Spain every time, but that is not going to happen. I cannot help but feel that Barca’s success in recent seasons is taking its toll on them and in turn on the national team. David Villa is already ruled out, and there are serious concerns over Xavi. He will be used sparingly between now and then with Guardiola preserving him for Champions League games now that the league race is pretty much over. Form is another issue – Fernando Torres. Don’t think I need to say much more. I could throw discipline and Gerard Pique out there right now, but that will resolve itself. The number of Clasicos could also bite them in the butt. On the flipside, the Germans are a hungry young team with plenty to prove, and for the first time in a long time, possessing some serious flair in the side.
Boxing – The world awaits for Floyd and Manny to get it on. I thought we were close for this May, but dreams were dashed once again. Well, Floyd is going to prison that is one thing that is certain. Beforehand, he faces Miguel Cotto in May and I think he will outclass him easily enough. Manny is up against Timothy Bradley and I have a feeling that Bradley is going to surprise him and dash any hopes of the dream fight somewhere down the line. Mayweather will continue to fight, continue to get $20m+ per fight even when he gets out of the nick, and will eventually retire unbeaten.
Stanley Cup – I would love nothing more than to see a NY Rangers or a San Jose get to the Stanley Cup Finals but I am going with the tried and trusted. This is something of a filthy prediction but this is going Boston/Detroit in my mind. I am hoping the Sens or the Leafs can keep hold of their playoff spots – and then I’ll be betting against both of them when they get there!
Premier League – I think this is going to go all the way to the wire, or at least the third to last game of the season when City host United. I think Man Utd have won the league in the last couple of seasons by being the best of the worst – I think this time they fall just short to City. The fixtures possibly just favour Man Utd, but I think it comes down to that one game, and I can see City edging it. I think Utd take the Europa League.
London 2012 – No specific predictions here apart from I recall from Vancouver how much pressure the Canadian athletes felt particularly at the start of the competition. Expectations were high, and media attention was huge – an early medal will calm everybody and the sooner it happens for a British athlete in London, the better it will be for all. I am not confident expectations will be met however.
Champions League – The Special One has imprinted his style on Real Madrid and he has the squad and lead in the league to focus on their bid for their 10th Champions League trophy. This could be quite an open UCL season and it would not surprise me if one of the Italian teams went far this season. I do however just see Barca falling short this time. Bayern may also come close for this one, but I’m edging Real as they are finally playing the way Jose wants them to and they are looking strong.
FA Cup – It pains me to say this and this is filthier than my Stanley Cup prediction but I can see a Cup double for the team that plays in Red on Merseyside. I am super excited about my team’s chances, but losing Landon Donovan and with Steven Pienaar being cup-tied, we lose a huge amount of creativity, and I think we will find it tough against Sunderland. I hope and pray that I am wrong, but I can see ‘them’ winning it this year.
UFC – Not easy making predictions too far in advance for the UFC such is the nature of the sport, but the fight I am most looking forward to is Anderson Silva v Chael Sonnen which is scheduled for June 16th in Brazil. I think Anderson finishes him early this time round. UFC 146 at the end of May also has a peach of a fight – Alistair Overeem v Junior dos Santos…..it will be immense. I give Junior the edge here as I question Overeem’s character in and outside the Octagon.
I think I need a shower after some of those picks.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Blind Side
Humans are interesting. The things we do, the things we say, the things we choose. The things we don’t do, the things we keep quiet about, the things we choose not to do. The human mind fascinates me. With so many aspects in my life, I try to understand the reasoning behind things. This often leads to over-thinking things far too much. This is a positive as well as a negative, depending on the occasion and instance.
I wonder to what extent other people think as much as I do. The reason why I don’t sleep as well as I should is because I think too much. I have no issues going to sleep, but I wake up thinking about all the things I want to do the next day, and then I go back to sleep. Then I wake, and think some more. It is not a case of worrying about things. I do not worry about much, and if I do, then I am intent on doing something about it. But I think about what challenges and ideas I have, and how I can get wheels in motion. It goes back to when I was a child and I had very random sleeping experiences where I would sit up and talk in my sleep. It was usually a discussion around how a piece of Lego may or may not fit in my bedroom. We all have random quirks, and sleep is one of mine.
I wonder what makes me like Boxing and UFC. There is nothing in my childhood that explains why I enjoy seeing blokes in tight shorts beat each other up. I love watching it, it fascinates me, but at the same time, it does make me grimace on occasion. Some may find that strange, and I can accept that. I attended a UFC event in December with three good chaps who had never been to one previously. It was all going swimmingly well, with entertaining fights, but nothing too brutal, until one fighter’s arm snapped. Possibly not some people’s cup of tea I suspect. Some people take enjoyment from other people’s misfortunes or problems; I enjoy watching UFC and Boxing.
Watching is one thing but why do people actually become UFC fighters? What makes somebody decide to become a UFC fighter? There was an interesting dispute recently between ESPN and the UFC. ESPN were questioning the UFC and how they pay their fighters. Did you ever wonder how much a guy gets to fight in the UFC? They release the basic payments per fight with some of the top guys getting $250k per fight, and others getting as little as $4k-6k per fight. ESPN’s argument was somewhat flawed, but still, it does not hide from the fact that some guys will struggle to make $20k per year fighting. On the flipside, if you win or entertain fans, you get paid a fair bit more. I love watching it, but I find it hard to understand how some of them can fight for so little money. Though they probably cannot understand why I do what I do.
I read an interesting article today about boxing and how the sport desperately needs the star fighters to fight more often – currently Pacquiao fights twice a year and Mayweather once per year. My take on it is that the fighters themselves have a greater awareness of the risks involved and they too probably think long and hard about themselves and their careers. Easy advice to offer telling them to fight more, but the issue with those guys is that they get paid so much, they do not need to. Sadly, the guy making $4k per fight, has not option. Even tougher when they are probably equally aware of the dangers of their profession, but need to earn a living.
At what point do we decide to stop thinking? I am not sure. I can do it most of the time, but certainly there are things which linger in my mind. Working from home, I have a lot of time to think about things. If I overthink everything little thing, particularly the negatives, I would lead a pretty sad and miserable life. Thankfully I can often move on after the occasional sulk and slot them in the mind’s filing cabinet.
Last night I watched The Blind Side. It has to rate as one of my favourite sporting movies and definitely one of those feel good movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. I only realised at the very end of the movie that I was sat watching the very same Michael Oher a week ago when my Patriots were beating the Ravens. I had no idea about his story. I guess we all have stories. Some are more interesting than others, but we all have them and I enjoy hearing, listening, watching and reading about them. You can bet your life that the UFC fighters and Boxers that I watch have plenty of interesting stories too.
I like to think that I put a lot of time and effort into my relationships with friends and family, but sometimes I tell myself I should put more into certain relationships. Other times, I do not always feel like it is completely appreciated or returned. Watching that movie, it just reminded me that you can get so much pleasure and satisfaction out of what you put into other people….it is not always what you get back from them. And if you do not get anything back, they do not have that feeling of contributing to other lives. Their loss. A case of sticking to your beliefs and try doing the right thing regardless of what others do or think.
If you haven’t seen it, watch The Blind Side. Cheesy as this blog, but a great movie.
I wonder to what extent other people think as much as I do. The reason why I don’t sleep as well as I should is because I think too much. I have no issues going to sleep, but I wake up thinking about all the things I want to do the next day, and then I go back to sleep. Then I wake, and think some more. It is not a case of worrying about things. I do not worry about much, and if I do, then I am intent on doing something about it. But I think about what challenges and ideas I have, and how I can get wheels in motion. It goes back to when I was a child and I had very random sleeping experiences where I would sit up and talk in my sleep. It was usually a discussion around how a piece of Lego may or may not fit in my bedroom. We all have random quirks, and sleep is one of mine.
I wonder what makes me like Boxing and UFC. There is nothing in my childhood that explains why I enjoy seeing blokes in tight shorts beat each other up. I love watching it, it fascinates me, but at the same time, it does make me grimace on occasion. Some may find that strange, and I can accept that. I attended a UFC event in December with three good chaps who had never been to one previously. It was all going swimmingly well, with entertaining fights, but nothing too brutal, until one fighter’s arm snapped. Possibly not some people’s cup of tea I suspect. Some people take enjoyment from other people’s misfortunes or problems; I enjoy watching UFC and Boxing.
Watching is one thing but why do people actually become UFC fighters? What makes somebody decide to become a UFC fighter? There was an interesting dispute recently between ESPN and the UFC. ESPN were questioning the UFC and how they pay their fighters. Did you ever wonder how much a guy gets to fight in the UFC? They release the basic payments per fight with some of the top guys getting $250k per fight, and others getting as little as $4k-6k per fight. ESPN’s argument was somewhat flawed, but still, it does not hide from the fact that some guys will struggle to make $20k per year fighting. On the flipside, if you win or entertain fans, you get paid a fair bit more. I love watching it, but I find it hard to understand how some of them can fight for so little money. Though they probably cannot understand why I do what I do.
I read an interesting article today about boxing and how the sport desperately needs the star fighters to fight more often – currently Pacquiao fights twice a year and Mayweather once per year. My take on it is that the fighters themselves have a greater awareness of the risks involved and they too probably think long and hard about themselves and their careers. Easy advice to offer telling them to fight more, but the issue with those guys is that they get paid so much, they do not need to. Sadly, the guy making $4k per fight, has not option. Even tougher when they are probably equally aware of the dangers of their profession, but need to earn a living.
At what point do we decide to stop thinking? I am not sure. I can do it most of the time, but certainly there are things which linger in my mind. Working from home, I have a lot of time to think about things. If I overthink everything little thing, particularly the negatives, I would lead a pretty sad and miserable life. Thankfully I can often move on after the occasional sulk and slot them in the mind’s filing cabinet.
Last night I watched The Blind Side. It has to rate as one of my favourite sporting movies and definitely one of those feel good movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. I only realised at the very end of the movie that I was sat watching the very same Michael Oher a week ago when my Patriots were beating the Ravens. I had no idea about his story. I guess we all have stories. Some are more interesting than others, but we all have them and I enjoy hearing, listening, watching and reading about them. You can bet your life that the UFC fighters and Boxers that I watch have plenty of interesting stories too.
I like to think that I put a lot of time and effort into my relationships with friends and family, but sometimes I tell myself I should put more into certain relationships. Other times, I do not always feel like it is completely appreciated or returned. Watching that movie, it just reminded me that you can get so much pleasure and satisfaction out of what you put into other people….it is not always what you get back from them. And if you do not get anything back, they do not have that feeling of contributing to other lives. Their loss. A case of sticking to your beliefs and try doing the right thing regardless of what others do or think.
If you haven’t seen it, watch The Blind Side. Cheesy as this blog, but a great movie.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Sporting Roots
Anybody who vaguely knows me, knows that I am particularly passionate about sport. Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I have been a staunch Everton fan and most folks who cross my path are aware of this. Whether you went to school with me and no doubt abused me frequently, somebody I worked with and no doubt abused me, or you’re a family member or friend and have no doubt abused me, you’ll know who my team is and you will know how passionate I am about them despite all the abuse and poor performances. Randomly, two people recently called me a glory supporter – not many Evertonians can be accused of that, but it is true. I started supporting them in the mid-eighties when they were at the peak of European football. It’s been downhill ever since.
Among my first memories was Diego Maradona in 1986 and I was instantly fixated with him and the game. The truth is that it was always inevitable that I would work in sport, study sport, love watching sport, read about sport, live sport. From as early as I can remember, sport was on our television. It could have been tennis, it could have been NFL, you name it, we watched it. It was the same 25 years ago, and it is just as prevalent now if you show up at my parents’ house. Dad worked evenings and weekends, so we spent a lot of time growing up under the auspices of my mum – thankfully for Junior Bobby, Kath loved watching sports and it all grew from there.
As an eight-year-old, I can vividly recall getting a book for my birthday on the rules of NFL, which I recited and learned as I watched the game. Watching was not always possible – bed times as a child can be terribly restrictive especially when you’ve never been a great sleeper and I would listen to the radio coverage of the NFL quietly in my room – half listening to the radio and half listening for the creeks of the staircase. Of course, that was assuming my sister didn’t grass me up.
Dad has always enjoyed watching sports but for a slightly different reason. If he has a bet on a snail race and it is televised, he’ll be flicking the channels trying to find coverage. That is no doubt why I always had an attraction to data and betting, even if I fell into my role with Smartodds.
When HJ lived in Calgary and I spent a lot of time over there, I heard about this new device which allowed you to watch television over the internet if you had it connected to a cable/sky box and the internet. The Slingbox was to become a lifesaver on my travels. I picked one up in Calgary, took it back to the UK and connected it to mum and dad’s television. I had hit the jackpot. The issue with the Canadian box in the UK was that one feature did not work – the remote control – so for a good few years, if I wanted to watch something, I would call or text my folks asking them to change channel. They bought me a UK one last year and I can now change it myself – I can only apologise to them and my niece and nephew who are frequently disturbed by Scooby Doo being interrupted by Uncle Rob who wants to watch a random cricket game even though I am a ninety minute flight away. No wonder kids believe in magic.
I love my parents for many reasons and in many ways, but their love of sport and how it rubbed off on to me, along with a number of other characteristics goes a long way to explaining me. A good friend of ours often reminds me of how he watched the Stanley Cup Final with my mum from a hotel in Cologne as I drifted asleep for a period and Mum, watching at home, and him watching on my laptop via the slingbox, stayed the course at 4am. How many parents stay up til 4am to watch a Hockey match? HJ is in Innsbruck this week and I have stayed up til 3.30-4am every night watching Hockey or NFL. So if you wonder why I may be a little abnormal in doing so, look no further than my Mum.
It is funny how those kind of Stanley Cup moments stay with you and always will. In the last few years, I’ve attended a considerable number of sporting events, and I have tried wherever possible to take my parents to them. Christmas and Birthday presents are never easy these days – it’s fair to say that the culture nowadays is that we buy something if we need it. Given that they are sport fans, I like to give them ‘moments’ and ‘memories’ as gifts. Maybe it is an excuse for me to go also, I won’t lie! But more than anything, it’s my way of thanking them for instilling my passion for sport. I’m banking on neither of them reading this blog, but I’m looking forward to the next one I have lined up if I can somehow pull it off.
Among my first memories was Diego Maradona in 1986 and I was instantly fixated with him and the game. The truth is that it was always inevitable that I would work in sport, study sport, love watching sport, read about sport, live sport. From as early as I can remember, sport was on our television. It could have been tennis, it could have been NFL, you name it, we watched it. It was the same 25 years ago, and it is just as prevalent now if you show up at my parents’ house. Dad worked evenings and weekends, so we spent a lot of time growing up under the auspices of my mum – thankfully for Junior Bobby, Kath loved watching sports and it all grew from there.
As an eight-year-old, I can vividly recall getting a book for my birthday on the rules of NFL, which I recited and learned as I watched the game. Watching was not always possible – bed times as a child can be terribly restrictive especially when you’ve never been a great sleeper and I would listen to the radio coverage of the NFL quietly in my room – half listening to the radio and half listening for the creeks of the staircase. Of course, that was assuming my sister didn’t grass me up.
Dad has always enjoyed watching sports but for a slightly different reason. If he has a bet on a snail race and it is televised, he’ll be flicking the channels trying to find coverage. That is no doubt why I always had an attraction to data and betting, even if I fell into my role with Smartodds.
When HJ lived in Calgary and I spent a lot of time over there, I heard about this new device which allowed you to watch television over the internet if you had it connected to a cable/sky box and the internet. The Slingbox was to become a lifesaver on my travels. I picked one up in Calgary, took it back to the UK and connected it to mum and dad’s television. I had hit the jackpot. The issue with the Canadian box in the UK was that one feature did not work – the remote control – so for a good few years, if I wanted to watch something, I would call or text my folks asking them to change channel. They bought me a UK one last year and I can now change it myself – I can only apologise to them and my niece and nephew who are frequently disturbed by Scooby Doo being interrupted by Uncle Rob who wants to watch a random cricket game even though I am a ninety minute flight away. No wonder kids believe in magic.
I love my parents for many reasons and in many ways, but their love of sport and how it rubbed off on to me, along with a number of other characteristics goes a long way to explaining me. A good friend of ours often reminds me of how he watched the Stanley Cup Final with my mum from a hotel in Cologne as I drifted asleep for a period and Mum, watching at home, and him watching on my laptop via the slingbox, stayed the course at 4am. How many parents stay up til 4am to watch a Hockey match? HJ is in Innsbruck this week and I have stayed up til 3.30-4am every night watching Hockey or NFL. So if you wonder why I may be a little abnormal in doing so, look no further than my Mum.
It is funny how those kind of Stanley Cup moments stay with you and always will. In the last few years, I’ve attended a considerable number of sporting events, and I have tried wherever possible to take my parents to them. Christmas and Birthday presents are never easy these days – it’s fair to say that the culture nowadays is that we buy something if we need it. Given that they are sport fans, I like to give them ‘moments’ and ‘memories’ as gifts. Maybe it is an excuse for me to go also, I won’t lie! But more than anything, it’s my way of thanking them for instilling my passion for sport. I’m banking on neither of them reading this blog, but I’m looking forward to the next one I have lined up if I can somehow pull it off.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
What if....
Whenever I fly to the UK, I invariably hire a car to get to wherever I am going. This Xmas, I was slow in booking and most companies were sold out apart from Dollar Thrifty, who have made it to Heathrow and are temporarily using a hotel car park….not the most glamorous of HQ’s but given what I paid compared to other companies, I could not complain.
It was the first time I rented from them, and it may be the last. It was awesome to get a brand new Golf, which was a great drive. Aside from a technical issue (the petrol cap was jammed shut!), it was a pleasant experience. My frustration with this one was over one of these cheeky clauses inserted.
A couple of years ago, car hire companies introduced an idea where you could buy a tank of fuel in advance and bring it back empty, or bring it back full. If you bought the tank in advance, you pay something like ten pence less than at the pumps...which sounds like a good deal. However, that is reliant on taking it back empty or as close as possible to empty. I always go for the 'fill the tank myself' option as it generally is cost effective – it is not easy to judge the miles per gallon/litre in a car you have never driven before.
Dollar insisted that it was a clause in the contract so I had no choice with this one for the first time ever. Therefore, that set me a challenge of taking the car back as empty as possible. I had to top it up with £20 to get down to London for my meeting and then I had a drive to my Heathrow hotel. When I packed up, the gauge was just above zero and the counter told me I had 5 miles left of petrol. The car rental place showed as 1.9 miles away which I had to drive in the morning. I went to bed wondering if I should take the chance and try leave the car virtually empty of petrol.
When I switched the car on the next morning, I lost my bottle when it said 0 miles to go on the petrol and I decided to pull into the petrol station close by. I added £3 of petrol. Who adds £3 of petrol? I was pretty sheepish paying, I can tell you that! Still, I refused to leave much in the tank.
After dropping the car off, I was wondering what if I had taken the chance and not topped it up, would I have got to the rental place? Would I have been spluttering down the road, coming to an eventual stop, then running a mile back to the petrol station, or even worse, pushing the car to the rental place? Given that I was so determined to leave it empty, I would like to think I would have pushed it the rest of the way out of spite, but I know deep down, that I would have been red-faced at pushing a petrol-free car into the car park. Who knows what would have happened. Had I not had a flight to catch, I may well have taken the risk, but it wasn’t the time nor the place.
I have written a number of times in the past about making decisions in my life, just as we all do. What if the Headmaster at John Smeaton did actually decide to expel me as he promised if I didn’t tell the truth about a misdemeanour? What if I decided to go to Durham University instead of Liverpool which I chose so I could see my beloved Everton each week? I do occasionally wonder what would have happened if I had not taken the £10k per year job at the Press Association when I left university and done something that I didn’t enjoy but was closer to my salary dreams. I do sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had not decided to do the Master. Life would have taken a whole different shape and direction. I have no real idea and in all honesty, none of it really matters. It is nothing more than intrigue as I would not change any of it. Regrets are overrated. Even if I wish I had somehow managed to get that car back to Dollar Thrifty without a cent of petrol inside.
It was the first time I rented from them, and it may be the last. It was awesome to get a brand new Golf, which was a great drive. Aside from a technical issue (the petrol cap was jammed shut!), it was a pleasant experience. My frustration with this one was over one of these cheeky clauses inserted.
A couple of years ago, car hire companies introduced an idea where you could buy a tank of fuel in advance and bring it back empty, or bring it back full. If you bought the tank in advance, you pay something like ten pence less than at the pumps...which sounds like a good deal. However, that is reliant on taking it back empty or as close as possible to empty. I always go for the 'fill the tank myself' option as it generally is cost effective – it is not easy to judge the miles per gallon/litre in a car you have never driven before.
Dollar insisted that it was a clause in the contract so I had no choice with this one for the first time ever. Therefore, that set me a challenge of taking the car back as empty as possible. I had to top it up with £20 to get down to London for my meeting and then I had a drive to my Heathrow hotel. When I packed up, the gauge was just above zero and the counter told me I had 5 miles left of petrol. The car rental place showed as 1.9 miles away which I had to drive in the morning. I went to bed wondering if I should take the chance and try leave the car virtually empty of petrol.
When I switched the car on the next morning, I lost my bottle when it said 0 miles to go on the petrol and I decided to pull into the petrol station close by. I added £3 of petrol. Who adds £3 of petrol? I was pretty sheepish paying, I can tell you that! Still, I refused to leave much in the tank.
After dropping the car off, I was wondering what if I had taken the chance and not topped it up, would I have got to the rental place? Would I have been spluttering down the road, coming to an eventual stop, then running a mile back to the petrol station, or even worse, pushing the car to the rental place? Given that I was so determined to leave it empty, I would like to think I would have pushed it the rest of the way out of spite, but I know deep down, that I would have been red-faced at pushing a petrol-free car into the car park. Who knows what would have happened. Had I not had a flight to catch, I may well have taken the risk, but it wasn’t the time nor the place.
I have written a number of times in the past about making decisions in my life, just as we all do. What if the Headmaster at John Smeaton did actually decide to expel me as he promised if I didn’t tell the truth about a misdemeanour? What if I decided to go to Durham University instead of Liverpool which I chose so I could see my beloved Everton each week? I do occasionally wonder what would have happened if I had not taken the £10k per year job at the Press Association when I left university and done something that I didn’t enjoy but was closer to my salary dreams. I do sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had not decided to do the Master. Life would have taken a whole different shape and direction. I have no real idea and in all honesty, none of it really matters. It is nothing more than intrigue as I would not change any of it. Regrets are overrated. Even if I wish I had somehow managed to get that car back to Dollar Thrifty without a cent of petrol inside.
Impossible is Moderation
If you didn't realise by now, Burns and I quite enjoy travelling. Exploring new places, attending a sporting event, meeting new people, investigating the latest trends, and watching a few more sporting events is all great fun. Staying in some cool hotels is pretty fun too.
However there are a couple of elements which are overrated - food and pillows. I have this thing about pillows - when I rest my head, there is a certain criteria I want my pillow to meet. The right balance between soft and firm is important but more than anything, I want a thin pillow. Nobody wants to suffocate in their pillow. Moving from hotel to hotel, it is rare I find a decent pillow....which is not conducive to me sleeping well. It's a good job sleep is overrated. I've never gotten over mum throwing out my 20+ year-old pillows when I left home - and yes mum, despite some of my gear being in the loft, I have left!
The second tough element of extensive travel is food. Of course, it is always cool to try new things - unless you're staying by the coast somewhere and every menu is full of seafood. At some point, thinking of what you want to eat every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack is tough when you have all kinds of options available to you. It's actually easier to have few options and you just want home cooking pretty swiftly.
After spending a month in the States, I now consider myself an expert in the art of fast food. We actually went quite easy on it....but it's fair to say that I have sampled most of the options.....largely for the benefit of this blog and its readers. So, I will give you my top five fast food establishments.
1. Chipotle
Legendary Mexican fast food chain and the fajita burrito is sensational. Super filling but you don't feel quite so filthy afterwards like you do in some other places soon to be mentioned.
2. Wendy's
The Baconator is my favourite at Wendy’s and it is something I have to do whenever I get to North America. In fairness, any of the burgers there are legendary and I defy anybody to tell me there is a better burger chain anywhere!
3. ‘wichcraft
The meatloaf sandwich there is the best sandwich I have ever tasted. Seriously. You can imagine my utter dismay when the Witchcraft in the MGM Grand was closed for refurbishments while we were in Vegas. Distressing. To compound the situation, imagine my dismay when I found the only other two ‘wichcraft’s in the States – in NYC and San Fran…..and they didn’t carry the meatloaf sandwich there. Heartbreaking.
4. Dairy Queen
Have you had a Blizzard from Dairy Queen? Try this combination next time you go – Score and Smarties, and add some extra Score and Smarties, and you’ll have the dream blizzard. Another must-visit when we are in Canada….pretty darn good.
5. Subway
Possibly the only fast food chain that doesn’t make you feel like heading to the nearest gym or liposuction surgeon. Some pretty solid options to mix things up.
Notable mention goes to McDonalds for making the McRib a regular feature in their menu once again. And despite what my beloved Landon Donovan and so many Americans think, In-N-Out is hugely overrated.
However there are a couple of elements which are overrated - food and pillows. I have this thing about pillows - when I rest my head, there is a certain criteria I want my pillow to meet. The right balance between soft and firm is important but more than anything, I want a thin pillow. Nobody wants to suffocate in their pillow. Moving from hotel to hotel, it is rare I find a decent pillow....which is not conducive to me sleeping well. It's a good job sleep is overrated. I've never gotten over mum throwing out my 20+ year-old pillows when I left home - and yes mum, despite some of my gear being in the loft, I have left!
The second tough element of extensive travel is food. Of course, it is always cool to try new things - unless you're staying by the coast somewhere and every menu is full of seafood. At some point, thinking of what you want to eat every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack is tough when you have all kinds of options available to you. It's actually easier to have few options and you just want home cooking pretty swiftly.
After spending a month in the States, I now consider myself an expert in the art of fast food. We actually went quite easy on it....but it's fair to say that I have sampled most of the options.....largely for the benefit of this blog and its readers. So, I will give you my top five fast food establishments.
1. Chipotle
Legendary Mexican fast food chain and the fajita burrito is sensational. Super filling but you don't feel quite so filthy afterwards like you do in some other places soon to be mentioned.
2. Wendy's
The Baconator is my favourite at Wendy’s and it is something I have to do whenever I get to North America. In fairness, any of the burgers there are legendary and I defy anybody to tell me there is a better burger chain anywhere!
3. ‘wichcraft
The meatloaf sandwich there is the best sandwich I have ever tasted. Seriously. You can imagine my utter dismay when the Witchcraft in the MGM Grand was closed for refurbishments while we were in Vegas. Distressing. To compound the situation, imagine my dismay when I found the only other two ‘wichcraft’s in the States – in NYC and San Fran…..and they didn’t carry the meatloaf sandwich there. Heartbreaking.
4. Dairy Queen
Have you had a Blizzard from Dairy Queen? Try this combination next time you go – Score and Smarties, and add some extra Score and Smarties, and you’ll have the dream blizzard. Another must-visit when we are in Canada….pretty darn good.
5. Subway
Possibly the only fast food chain that doesn’t make you feel like heading to the nearest gym or liposuction surgeon. Some pretty solid options to mix things up.
Notable mention goes to McDonalds for making the McRib a regular feature in their menu once again. And despite what my beloved Landon Donovan and so many Americans think, In-N-Out is hugely overrated.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Fix
With a large amount of activities that I do, I plan and think about them meticulously in advance. I'm not the best on the fly, hence why I blog rather than stand on the street or in front of a crowd with a microfone spouting my thoughts or bad jokes. I make some decisions impulsively, but they are usually the ones that don't require much thinking.
Betting on sports, writing on sports, working on sporting events are all areas I have done or do, and all require significant thinking, planning and research. I do the same in my spare time when it comes to hobbies and fantasies in particular. The extent of my fantasies are in Fantasy Football, specifically NFL.
Fantasy sports require thinking if you want to earn bragging rights. The research required for selecting your team is essential. I want to avoid those players with injury problems, I want to avoid those inconsistent guys, I want to avoid those guys who shoot themselves in their thigh in nightclubs. I am looking for a solid group of guys who will consistently produce the goods for me, and one or two gems that I think will provide me with some value at some point through the season.
I play two main fantasy NFL league...I won one of them last season, and lost in the playoffs in the other. This season has not been a success. I tried a different strategy, and it just didn't work too well. There was one main reason for my failure however and I put it all down to one guy - DeSean Jackson. DeSean's contract with the Philadelphia Eagles finishes this year and he should be busting his cojones to get a nice new big contract. Instead, DeSean is sulking. DeSean is not showing up to practise and getting dropped for games. DeSean is getting injured (allegedly) early in games and not doing much. DeSean is fumbling balls. DeSean is dropping easy catches in the end zone when my two year old nephew could make the play. DeSean is not even looking like he is trying.
Me and DeSean are going our separate ways at the end of this season. I have had enough of him. I actually had a dream that DeSean died in a plane crash one week. Thankfully that was not the case, but it is over between him and I. If he had woken up and done what he should have been doing, this season would have been another success. Instead, it is now over and my team, just like DeSean, has nothing left to play for.
All I can assume is that DeSean did not pick himself in his own Fantasy team and he decided to sabotage his opponents by not playing well in the real game. That can be the only logical explanation. Folks in many sports and the likes of FIFA and UEFA worry about match fixing and illegal gambling on matches, but I think the real risk is Fantasy Football. Players are sabotaging other teams and under performing throughout and thus influencing the results of matches. I shall be forwarding this blog post to various authorities and suggesting they investigate.
Betting on sports, writing on sports, working on sporting events are all areas I have done or do, and all require significant thinking, planning and research. I do the same in my spare time when it comes to hobbies and fantasies in particular. The extent of my fantasies are in Fantasy Football, specifically NFL.
Fantasy sports require thinking if you want to earn bragging rights. The research required for selecting your team is essential. I want to avoid those players with injury problems, I want to avoid those inconsistent guys, I want to avoid those guys who shoot themselves in their thigh in nightclubs. I am looking for a solid group of guys who will consistently produce the goods for me, and one or two gems that I think will provide me with some value at some point through the season.
I play two main fantasy NFL league...I won one of them last season, and lost in the playoffs in the other. This season has not been a success. I tried a different strategy, and it just didn't work too well. There was one main reason for my failure however and I put it all down to one guy - DeSean Jackson. DeSean's contract with the Philadelphia Eagles finishes this year and he should be busting his cojones to get a nice new big contract. Instead, DeSean is sulking. DeSean is not showing up to practise and getting dropped for games. DeSean is getting injured (allegedly) early in games and not doing much. DeSean is fumbling balls. DeSean is dropping easy catches in the end zone when my two year old nephew could make the play. DeSean is not even looking like he is trying.
Me and DeSean are going our separate ways at the end of this season. I have had enough of him. I actually had a dream that DeSean died in a plane crash one week. Thankfully that was not the case, but it is over between him and I. If he had woken up and done what he should have been doing, this season would have been another success. Instead, it is now over and my team, just like DeSean, has nothing left to play for.
All I can assume is that DeSean did not pick himself in his own Fantasy team and he decided to sabotage his opponents by not playing well in the real game. That can be the only logical explanation. Folks in many sports and the likes of FIFA and UEFA worry about match fixing and illegal gambling on matches, but I think the real risk is Fantasy Football. Players are sabotaging other teams and under performing throughout and thus influencing the results of matches. I shall be forwarding this blog post to various authorities and suggesting they investigate.
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