NFL to go NBA like Draft lottery?

We can all agree that the hype, excitement, and unpredictability of the NFL Draft is far superior to any other professional sport. The worst team from the previous season picks first (as long as the pick has not been traded) and the picks go from there down to the winner of the Super Bowl having the last pick of the first round. Should this format change? The NBA has a lottery system that keeps the top picks unpredictable, which is an incentive for teams not to intentionally lose at the end of the season after all playoff hopes have gone down the toilet.

I had previously never questioned the format of the NFL Draft format. In a league where coaches and owners know that winning is important for fans, value of the franchise, player morale and satisfaction, television contracts and endorsements, would a team really lose of purpose? Watching the Lions this season, I saw an awful team, but not a team that gave up or intentionally lost games. I found one Canadian blogger by the name of Ryan Bolta who argues that the NFL should have a draft lottery to discourage bad teams to "determine their own fate".

Bolta writes:

The Detroit Lions shouldn't have been awarded the number one pick without winning a lottery.

Despite owning the first 0-16 season in NFL history, the right to draft the best pro prospect shouldn't be a given right. It allows for bad teams to control their own destiny in a negative fashion. Any team eliminated from playoff contention knows the future is what's important. Nothing is stopping a bad team from investing in the future by losing games as the regular season comes to a close.

 

Have you ever followed players that have been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, more importantly the Lions early picks? Did Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, and Joey Harrington help the Lions future in any way, shape, or form? The NFL draft is a crap shoot. The bad teams in the NFL do have control over their own destiny, but that doesn't mean they are making the best decisions or even choosing the best available players. Look at the Patriots draft choices. They continually pick late or near last in every round of the NFL draft, does this hurt them? No, they have gotten better players than those teams that get to "control their own destiny".

If it was up to the Detroit Lions, they would be fine with not selecting first in the NFL Draft. The first pick comes with uncertainties and a very high price tag.

Bolta also thinks that instituting a lottery would make the final weeks of the NFL season more interesting:

"The Lions need the help, but it really is time to put a system in place that adds chance to the equation when deciding the draft order. It would most definitely make for some more exciting football in the final weeks of the season."

"It would most definitely make for some more exciting football in the final weeks of the season." WHAT? So you are saying that the Lions would try harder the last two weeks if there was a lottery system? Nothing would change. The Lions had the #1 pick locked up at the end of the season....and they didn't play any better, nor were their last few games any more exciting.

The NFL draft format should stay the way it is. One of the beautiful things about the NFL is that teams can turn around their fortune in a single year (Cardinals, Dolphins, Falcons). In the NBA we see the same teams dominate for long runs, which tend to drive support out of the cities that constantly have terrible teams. The Lions are bad enough with getting one of the top picks every year, let's not make it harder for teams like the Lions to build a decent team.

Sports Investments

The sports industry is a powerful medium in advertising and sponsorship. The more proficient a sports team is envisaged, in terms of stature, success and fan base, the higher the attraction for a company or organization to appear connected with that team. US football is a front-runner in the American sports industry and conjures a huge audience in the path to Superbowl glory. The Epoch Times Local reported in their June 17-23 2005 issue that ''Industry sources have said NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., has agreed to pay $600 million a year for 16 regular-season Sunday night NFL games and the annual Thursday season opener. The six-year NBC package also includes two playoff games and three prime-time preseason games each year, as well as the 2009 and 2012 Super Bowl championship contests. By comparison, ESPN is said to be paying the NFL $1.1 billion a year over eight years to take over the "Monday Night Football" package.''

This clearly emphasizes the importance and net worth of American Football, and the potential capacity for financial growth and development for a corporation, and its subsequent performance in the stock market, if it can be identified as an affiliate with a successful team or sport, irrespective of the mainstream nature of the business. The NFL has thirty-two teams, each with their own official corporate sponsors. To be associated with an individual football team is more prolific than sponsoring a league, as fans identify with their personal preferences. If you support American Football and you are keen to invest in the stock market, combine both and invest in the NFL. Personal speculation is your own investment in your team. It must be clearly accepted that investing in stocks and shares can result in both an increase and decrease in value, according to current trends within the marketplace and the state of the economy. Any investment can yield a dividend and an increase in net worth, but you can also experience a decrease in the overall value of your investment.

 

Three leading corporate sponsors within the NFL that are continuing to record promising results for investors are General Electric (GE), Anheuser-Busch (BUD) and Verizon Communications (VZ) - Stock ticker symbol in parenthesis, for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). General Electric is a multinational conglomerate which is experiencing a continued growth in earnings, and believes in investing in the future. They operate in growing markets and report a total return of $25.4 billion to shareholders, via stock buyback and dividend payments. For 32 consecutive years the company has increased the dividend payout per share. (GE.com 2008) Anheuser-Busch is America's leading brewery with over 100 brands, including Budweiser beer and Michelob lager. For five years the company has been ranked No1 according to Fortune Magazines list of US beverage companies. Share prices have risen steadily in the last ten years, from $24.375 (09.02.98) to the current price of $68.030 (09.02.08), and a dividend increase of 12.1 percent was recently announced. (Anheuser-Busch.com 2008) Verizon Communications provides broadband, television and telecommunication services. In July 2008, the company reported that they had experienced an earnings growth into double figures, its key areas witnessed sales gains, and they have a strong operating cash flow. Current share prices are $35.70 (09.03.08), and the 52 week range has seen shares prices fluctuate between $33.15 - $46.24.

Fantasy games

OK, I know this may be strange for many if not most of you, but some people don't know how fantasy sports work. I ran across a guy in my office just the other day, who is a huge sports fan, who was e mbarrassed when I asked him to join my fantasy football league because he didn't know how. If you can turn on a computer, you can play fantasy sports. The fist step is to get signed up with a site that provides fantasy sports, like Sportsline or ESPN. You go to one of these sites and go to the fantasy sports tab and pick a user name and a password, your ready to go. All sites with fantasy sports will have different categories which include different pay scales or free. Beginners should start out with free, it's less intimidating. You then join a league that suites your interest and follow the directions.

Now the fun begins, if you are a stats nut this is where you can really dig in and do some research on who you might want to pick in the draft. If your just playing for fun and know nothing about the sport you are playing just check out the research that is automatically given to you. There will be a draft, now you can enter a league with an auto draft or one with a live draft. The auto draft does it automatically, you don't even have to turn on your computer. The live draft requires you to actually enter a draft room and depending on the sport, go through several rounds actually picking players one at a time. The draft for most people is the funnest part, it's where your strategy for the season begins.

In the draft you have specific rules, which will be drawn out before the draft begins, and you follow the rules to pick certain positions and a specific number of starters and backup players. You pick players from all over the "real league" and those players from different teams make up your specific team. Take the NFL for example, you can draft Jay Cutler from the Broncos as your quarterback and Terrell Owens as your receiver from the Cowboys. It's a matter of taking the best players from different teams as soon in the draft as you can. The great thing about fantasy sports is there are thousands of different strategies to use.

So, for either the avid sports fan or the casual "I'll check the sports page once in a while" fantasy sports can be a fun way to get to know your favorite players better and get a little competition i n your life. The number one thing to remember is don't be intimidated, there is always going to be that Internet tough guy who will talk trash to you, just think of him or her as a 40 year old dork who lives with his/her mother. Just have fun with Russian singles

SuperBowl Commercial

The Super Bowl is approaching, with the actual game between Pittsburgh and Arizona a questionable match up. But while many expect that the Super Bowl might be a blowout, there will still be some suspense during the broadcast. As usual, whenever the Super Bowl isn't that competitive, people will still watch for the Super Bowl commercials. Once more, major companies are shelling out millions for big Super Bowl commercials and major exposure.

Super Bowl commercials are notorious for being just as big as the Super Bowl nowadays. People may bet on which company has the best Super Bowl commercials as much as they bet on the game itself. Super Bowl commercials have been legendary for about 20 years and beyond. The big rush of Super Bowl commercials technically began in the late 80's. But a select Super Bowl commercials were famous long before that, like the Mean Joe Green Coca-Cola ad, and Apple's legendary 1984 parody. Now, even more products are in on the act on Super Bowl Sunday, ranging from beer, soda and Internet websites.

Traditionally, Budweiser and Pepsi have had the biggest commercials. Pepsi has had Cindy Crawford, dancing bears and more icons over the years, while Budweiser has had the Bud Bowl, the Budweiser frogs, lizards and clydesdales, and Wassup guys. McDonalds also had Michael Jordan and Larry Bird providing nothing but net. This year, the Super Bowl commercials have already made news before the game. For the first time in 10 year, none of the Big 3 automakers will have Super Bowl commercials.

In addition, traditional Super Bowl advertiser FedEx has no spots, as the economy even hits the Super Bowl. The economic troubles may even be reflected in some of the ads themselves. Most controversial of all, PETA had a Super Bowl ad blocked by NBC. The ad promoted veganism by having hot women get...sexually excited with their vegetables. NBC nixed the ad, which is already on the Web.

Still, Super Bowl commercials sold for a maximum of $3 million for a 30 second spot. Budweiser, Pepsi and other big brands will once again have several chances to steal the Super Bowl with their ads. And a few summer movies will get to show some trailers while they're at it.