The NBA's Slam Dunk!

Has anyone else noticed how much more attention basketball NBA is getting? The popularity of basketball games are noted in part by the fact that NBA sports gear flies off of the shelf and the racks as soon as it's put there! What used to be primarily a NFL or MLB gig has now become an NBA niche as well. There are more commercials with past and present NBA celebs (and they are usually hilarious!) There are more home hosted NBA parties, which also used to be fairly reserved for MLB and Football.

NBA has always had fans. I'm not saying otherwise. It's just that the popularity of it seems to be growing and not just in the cities and states that have NBA teams. You might expect to see NBA gear in Los Angeles or Boston, but now you can find it in big supply in Kansas and Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, simply put; everywhere! NBA is big and it's getting bigger. Men, women and children are all becoming more familiar with the names and faces of the NBA stars and are developing their own sports wardrobe which includes hats, tee-shirts, jerseys, and even accessories. Hey! Are those Reeboks in your closet? Collector's item Jordans perhaps? Sports are big business and for the NBA, that business is getting bigger.

There is more of a selection in the sports shops and they are beginning to feature even more NBA gear for everyone; women, children, men, young and old. It really is impressive to see the sports stores making more room for the much in demand NBA sportswear. It sure makes shopping at the sportswear stores more interesting

The NBA is no longer on the back burner in the sports realm. The reason it is becoming so popular is because so many women are now becoming interested in basketball. In years gone by, it was normally men who switched on the TV every time there was an NBA game on. Maybe its years of being subjected to the game or maybe it's something else, but women are beginning to love the game and the sportswear. Whatever the reason, manufacturers are now making NBA jackets, hats, jerseys and more aimed toward the female sports fan. It's about time!

Sports in general are big. Sports gear and sportswear are big. Not only the NBA, but every other sport and team with their own followers. Some are die-hard fans that own every piece of sports gear available. They also tend to have their homes decorated in their team's colors and have sprinklings of sports paraphernalia scattered about. It's all good. No matter what sport you enjoy it no doubt enhances your life. We take great pleasure from sports in the United States, as I know they do elsewhere in the world.

If you haven't checked out an NBA game recently, you may want to do so. Once you do you will probably become a big fan. Then you will just need to pick your favorite team and go shopping!

The impact of the NBA is huge and getting bigger by the day! Stay ahead of the crowd and check out the latest gear at colorsandstripes.com

USA Basketball - Time to Give (or Maybe Just Loan) It Back to the College Kids

The Dream Team, the original 1992 Olympic basketball squad, was the right team at the right time.

Nearly every sports fan, including myself, embraced the idea of it. The heavily favored U.S. basketball anchored by David Robinson, had faltered in the 1988 games and the Russian team ended up winning the gold.

For those of you who might not be old enough to remember, this was an unacceptable situation. The Cold War was drawing to a close, but to many of us, the Russians were still considered "The Enemy." We had been bested by our arch-nemesis. Even worse, while the U.S still ruled the basketball world, it was becoming painfully obvious that the gap between us and everyone else was closing.

Geopolitically speaking, the world was a bit different back then and athletic superiority was exceeded in importance only by military might.

So it made sense for the U.S. to assemble its best players-not just NBA All-Stars, but some of the best players in the history of the sport-to give everybody a good whipping and firmly re-establish our place at the top of the basketball food chain.

This year's Olympic hoops squad (the aptly-named Redeem Team) accomplished its mission, which was twofold:

1. To re-assert USA Basketball's dominance of the sport; and

2. To repair the boorish image of the American professional basketball player.

Led by Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the U.S. team (which boasted a couple of future Hall-of-Famers of its own) got it done. They brought the gold back the States and did it with class. They immersed themselves in the unique culture of the Olympic Games, supporting basketball female counterparts as well as their fellow American athletes in other sports. They were visible, in a very good way, and they won.

Now that they've done that, it's time to give the Olympics back to the college kids.

Before you respond with a very loud "NO," hear me out.

I'm not suggesting that we completely turn it over to the collegians. The NCAA talent pool is diminished by the mass exodus of one-and-done players to the pros. I'm suggesting that we alternate between college and pro-collegians in 2012, pros in 2016, and so on.

Yes, the rest of the world is rapidly improving at the game, but a well-assembled team of college players, led by a skilled group of coaches, could be competitive and perhaps even win. It would give our youngest players increased exposure to the international game and it would reduce the risk of injury to our best (and, let's face it, highest-paid) players. Most owners would embrace that, especially Mark Cuban.

We Americans are very arrogant about our basketball, partially because the sport was invented here (although Dr. Robert Naismith was a Canadian) and partially because we're a bit arrogant about everything. We want to be the best at it, and we've proven that we are. Now it's time to return to the mythical Olympic spirit of competition and let the college kids play, even if no other country does.

Just think of the bragging rights we'd have if our collegians actually won in London.

O'Dell Isaac II

Empowered by Fear

The good news is that basketball gas prices are on their way down. The bad news is that the reason the gas is going down again, is because the economy is supposedly such a mess. So now even the good news, is tarnished with bad news. It is everywhere, on every corner, on every radio and television station...fear. The forecasts are not real great either, with the added predictions that the storm is far from over.

I have become a minimalist. I listen to the radio only when I need some music and my Ipod is not around, and I watch TV merely to get the weather. But even as a minimalist, you can't escape the facts and predictions of what is going on in our economy. All you hear about is how many people are losing jobs, how veterans on sales forces are being pushed out after some 30 years of success. How sales jobs have become like basketball finals: single elimination. I am sure you have heard of it even if you're not a basketball fan. Basically you can keep playing in the tournament until you lose. But the first game you do lose, that's it. You are out. No second chance in light of an off day or month. That's it. Out.

In basketball I can rationalize the need for single elimination. Certainly those games would go on and on without it and there would never be a champion of the season. In business though, how do we rationalize such behavior? Let's suppose that a particular sale for that month is so large that it triples the monthly quota, but yet the next month they come up empty handed. Is that a sign of failure? Or is that merely a sign that each month may not be indicative of what sales will be coming in that quarter?

In basketball doesn't that actually promote the opposite of what the company actually wants to achieve? If sales could be so high that they blow monthly numbers out of the water, then why ear mark a salesperson by their monthly number? Won't that merely make the person hold off on gathering large amounts of money whenever possible, but support them to behave more like that of a squirrel? Hoarding nuts aimlessly away for the months that they need it?

Clearly this does not seem like a wise business proposal on paper, yet crazy things are happening like that every day in this economy all due to fear. It is not just employees at the whim of their superiors operating in fear, but "fearless" leaders that are operating out of fear. Fear from the top trickles down everywhere, making everyone the polar opposite of what everyone needs right now...productive.

This is not basketball, this is the livelihood of people who have been successful, year after year. And while it is necessary to keep in mind our bottom line, we also need to keep in mind that we now have to make careful decisions, so that when this situation has turned around, there will still be a thriving business to look at. Is getting rid of your yearly producers who are struggling now, going to help you now or in the future? Or simply prove a point?

So, what is the answer? As business people we certainly need to be proactive about protecting the bottom line, but playing "single elimination" may not get the results you are hoping to achieve at all.

Start with the basics:
1 - What do you want to achieve?
2 - Who have been your critical players in your company over time?
3 - What expenses can be cut?
4 - What expenses are really investments and can't be cut?
5 - What will it take to motivate your team in a very difficult market?

Cathie Black, successful business woman and author, says it well: "Fear drives people to change their tactics - instead of playing to win, you end up playing not to lose. And unfortunately, in a tough work situation where you must project confidence in yourself and your product, playing not to lose is the surest way to lose. So, instead of focusing on how steep the climb will be, break it into smaller steps."

Whether you are the boss, playing a bit of Russian roulette with your Team, or you are the team, find ways to make fear work for you, not against you. You are the basketball player with 6 seconds left on the clock. Fear faces you head on. You have a choice to focus and go for it all, the win clearly in sight or throw the ball to the referee, accepting defeat. It's your choice and your game. How will you play it?

Lesley Geller is a Business Coach. She helps successful professionals exceed their expectations of growth. She works with small business owners, as well as individuals in large corporations looking to reach the next level. Lesley graduated from the University of Maryland and is certified as a Coach through the Coach Training Alliance, which is recognized by the International Coach Federation. She is also a Freelance Writer and co-author of: 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life.

Inherent Dangers in the Sport of Cheerleading

Levels of Safety

There are three levels of safety/injury in the sport of cheerleading in the two different cheerleading sports. Cheerleading ranks as the most dangerous womens sport in all safety areas. The first level of safety involves catastrophic injury in which involves permanent paralysis or death. The second level of safety involves injuries for which the athlete must receive hospital care. The third level of safety involves injuries which require missing or altering an athletes practice or competition schedule.

Height and Motion

There are logistical reasons why cheerleading is dangerous. Any activity involving height and motion involves the risk of injury. Cheerleading utilizes tumbling (motion) and basket tosses and pyramids (height and motion) and thus is inherently dangerous to some extent. Choosing to participate exposes cheerleaders to an increased risk of injury, including the risk of catastrophic injury.

Performance Areas

Cheerleaders, except in competitions, perform on surfaces designed for an entirely different sport. Basketball floors and football fields were not designed with cheerleaders in mind to even a minor degree. Even the layout of most basketball and football (and other sports) facilities are not planned with a specific cheerleading area designated, so cheerleaders are stuck performing around the edges of anther sports playing area.

Failure to Warn

One of the legal liabilities of any sport and certainly any sports injury lawsuit involves the failure to warn the participants in the activity of the dangers of their participation. There seems to be little doubt that cheerleaders, especially young cheerleaders, and their parents are not sufficiently aware of the dangers they are being exposed to by participation in the sport of cheerleading. While we are not in basketball of the basketball recommended scare tactic methods of warning athletes of dangers (dont create self-fulfilling prophecy psychology), there is no doubt that cheerleaders would be safer if they understood that safety practices are never to be bypassed.

Cheerleading Competitions

Cheerleading has split into two distinct sports, although some programs perform and compete in both. Cheerleading used to be an athletic activity designed to act as a support system for other sports. There was more interest in boosting school and team spirit than in increasing skill difficulty. Cheer competitions changed all that as difficulty was introduced as an important factor in judging cheer competitions.

Alphabet Soup

There has been a proliferation of cheerleading associations, matching the rise of the popularity of cheerleading competitions. Often, the primary motivation for the start-up, operation and management of cheerleading associations is financial. Coaching and safety considerations, other than at their own competitions, camps and clinics can often fall by the wayside when the primary association activities are financial.

For More Information
For even more of the type of in-depth information about cheerleading in this article and other interesting and informative products, see our Cheer Zone web site at: http://gymnasticszone.com/CheerZon.htm

15 Books and Counting
John Howard is the author of 15 books and e-Books about cheerleading, gymnastics, gym design, and gymnastics humor. More books are already on the way. He has 25 years experience and has coached State, Regional and National champion gymnasts, international competitors and cheerleaders at the National level in NCAA Division I.

Enter the Gymnastics Zone
GymnasticsZone.com is a highly informative gymnastics, strength and cheerleading information web site for gymnasts, cheerleaders, coaches and parents with numerous FREE articles and information, fun pages and activities all available for viewing at: http://GymnasticsZone.com

How to Watch Sports Online For Free Today

Would you like basketball know how to watch sports online for free today just by using your computer? There are no limits to which games you can watch because all of them will be aired on the software. So if you really want to know how to watch sports online for free today, you need to know where to go to get them.

So how can you watch sports online for free today? It actually depends on the sports where you can find your games.

Soccer Games - If you are huge soccer fan (and there are millions of people basketball are soccer fans), then you probably know about the English Premier League and Champions League. However, it is not that hard to find websites that can steer toward Internet blogs that air these soccer games. Just use a search engine.

Boxing - If you want to watch both regular matches and pay per view matches, then try using sopcast. Use the boxing forums to find a sopcast channel that the matches are being shown on. All you do is type in this number in the player and the next thing you'll be watching is the live boxing game. However, these matches are not seen well because the sopcast player quality is rather bad.

NBA Games - For fans who love basketball the NBA has an official website that feeds live video which means you can watch all your games with or without audio commentary.

Sport of Cricket - If you are looking for cricket matches, use the sopcast player to find a channel that is showing the games. However, unlike those basketball games, sopcast players have a much better video quality for the sport of cricket. Much like you were watching it on a television screen.

If you really want to know how to watch sports online for free today, then all you need to do is look to the Internet and its search engines to help you out. It is especially helpful for those people who travel overseas.

Chris is a successful web master, auther and fan of tv shows. Here is how you can watch Satellite TV on PC instantly tune into thousands of live channels.

You can watch new, movies, sports, music, kids programs on satellite tv pc

Athens 1896-London 2012 - Olympic Surprises

Australia & Oceania

Did you know... From 1960 to 1971, Ron Clarke (Australia) set 19 world records in the 5000m, 10,000m and other basketball races. Unfortunately, Ron has never won an Olympic gold medal. In the mid-1960s, he said, "The effort is not continuous as it has to be in a race. By running fast lap times and then allowing himself time to recover, an athlete is deceiving himself as to his fitness". He is author of two books: "The Unforgiving Minute" (1966) and "The Lonely Breed" (1967).

The United States of America

Did you know... The state of Hawaii has won ten gold medals at the Summer Olympics(1896-2008). It has more Olympic gold medals than Thailand, Venezuela, and Lithuania. The Olympic champions are: Tommy Kono ( weightlifting/ two golds,1952 & 1956), Warren Kealoha (swimming/two golds,1920 & 1924 ), Duke Paoa Kahanamouku (aquatics/ three golds, 1912 & 1920), Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay (track & field/ one gold medal, 2008), Buster Crabbe (swimming/ one gold medal, 1932), Herman Ronald Frazier (athletics/ one gold medal, 1976).

At the Winter Olympic Games in New York in 1980, the United States men's ice hockey team won the gold medal. During the final match, the U.S. team scored a major upset over the Soviet Union (or USSR), which had won the gold medal in Austria '64, France '68, Japan '72 and Austria'76.

American boxer Muhammad Ali -formerly known as Cassius Clay- failed in the Pan American Games trials in 1959, but he won the gold medal in the light heavyweight (81kg/178 lbs) category at the Games of the XVII Olympiad in Italy in 1960.

South America

Did you know... The Uruguayan men's basketball team qualified to represent the Western Hemisphere in the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984. A year ago, Uruguay did not compete at the Pan American Games in Venezuela.

At the 1976 Montreal Games, Brazil won only two bronze medals. Joao Carlos de Oliveira, a world-class sportsman, could not win the gold medal in the triple jump. The South American men's soccer team finished 4th place-Brazil won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Venezuela's Rafael Vidal -who spent several years as a student in the United States and was graduated from Florida University- earned the bronze medal in the men's 200m butterfly at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.

Europe

Did you know... Kosovo -it is the youngest country on earth- will compete in London 2008. For political reasons, Kosovo could not participate in the 2008 Olympic Games in China. This new nation could participate in at least ten sports: athletics, boxing, Kayak/canoeing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling...

The British basketball teams have qualified for the London 2012. Since 1952, the United Kingdom has never played in the Olympic Games, European tournaments, world championships.The British men's basketball team finished 20th place at the London Summer Olympic Games in 1948.

In Athens 1896, Paul Neumann became the first swimmer from Austria to win a gold medal.

Three Swiss sportswomen participated in the Olympic Games in 1924. It was the first time Switzerland sent sportswomen to the Summer Olympics...

At the 1896 Olympic Games, Greece -host country- won 10 gold medals and took second place in the unofficial team championships.

Central America

Did you know... Guatemala -an anti-Communist state in the 20th century- did not decline to send an Olympic team to the Olympic Games in the USSR (currently Russia) in 1980. Honduras, Belize and El Salvador -the other anti-Communist nations in Central America- boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics...

North America

Did you know... During the 1904 Olympic Games, the Canadian men's soccer team won the global title. The Olympic winners were: Ernest Linton, John Gourley, Albert Johnston, Thomas Taylor, Alexander Hall, William Twaits, Georges Ducker, Robert Lane, John Fraser, Frederick Steep, Gordon McDonald, Albert Henderson.

Caribbean

Did you know... At the Summer Olympic Games in 1904 in Missouri(USA), Cuba finished third in the unofficial team standings, behind the United States and Germany. Ramn Fonst earned three gold medals in fencing events.

In 1975, Hasely Crawford -a sprinter from Trinidad & Tobago- earned silver in the 100m at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. Nine months, at the Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal (Canada), Hasely won the 100m event.

Africa

Did you know... Cameroon -a tropical country on the African continent- sent one competitor to the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Isaac Menyoli said, "Everything is wonderful. It's like being in a fantasy. I'm happy to represent my country".

In Athens 2004, Kirsty Coventry, a practically unknown swimmer from Zimbabwe, won the gold medal in the women's 200m backstroke. Curiously, she is an American-educated athlete.
Women's 200m backstroke final:
1.Coventry, Kirsty ( Zimbabwe ) gold medal
2.Hoelzer, Margaret ( USA ) silver medal
3.Nakamura, Rieko ( Japan ) bronze medal
4.Zueva, Anastasia ( Russia )
5.Beisel, Elisabeth ( USA )
6.Simmonds, Elizabeth ( United Kingdom )
7.Nay, Meagen ( Australia )
8.Hocking, Belinda ( Australia )

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five basketball paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jos Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "