Turkey Day Road Race

For living in such a small town in one of the smallest states (Connecticut) in the United States of America, I feel like I am truly blessed to live in a place that hosts one of the nation's largest road races on Thanksgiving Day, that race being the Manchester Road Race.  Over 20,000 people run in this annual race that runs approximately 4.8 miles long and is populated by a mix of elite runners that come from all across the world, as well as excited locals who run for success and a good time.  Most of these pleasure runners also dress up in various original and hilarious costumes, a growing tradition that has begun to catch on. People who don't run in this race have also brought the run into their Thanksgiving day cultures, making sure to watch the race and cheer on the runners while enjoying some early morning brews along with friends and family.  In my opinion, their isn't any better way to spend a Thanksgiving morning than waking up bright and early, tying up the old running shoes, and walking down to main street (the start of the race), to be greeted by thousands upon thousands of people in high spirits and costumes ready and rearing to earn their dinner's later on that night.  The atmosphere that abounds through the crowds is indescribable, and the people you see walking around can only be described as ready for a good time.  The loud speakers that you hear all around you announcing the nearing minutes to the start of the race, paired with a jolly, "This is Thanksgiving in Manchester!!" really emphasizes the point that everyone should be thankful for the community that they are a part of, and be gracious for the opportunities that they have.

This year's Thanksgiving Day Race was especially important to me because of the fact that it was going to be the first time I would be home in over 3 months, due to going to college on the opposite side of the East Coast (Florida).  On top of being able to immerse myself in New England Thanksgiving culture once again, and run in one of my favorite holiday traditions, I was going to be able to see my family once again, as well as the countless friends that I left behind August prior.  The chill morning that Thanksgiving Day brought reminded me of all the Thanksgiving's before this, and all of the memories that I have accumulated over the years both running and watching the Turkey Day Race.  It will forever be a part of me and my family, and I know that as long as I am able, that I will make it my mission to run/walk/crawl in the annual road race that has become a part of my livelihood  my culture, my DNA.  Some memories are great to hold on to, but some are even better when you add to them every year.   

You Can Never Be TOO Flashy

Athletes these days are frequently criticized for the way that they bring in to much celebration, showboating, and theatrics into the sport that they play with no respect to the actual league itself.  Many sports that are infamous for housing players that revolve their style of game play around such flashy actions include the NBA, most soccer leagues, and without a doubt the leader in this category, the NFL.  Most critics believe that it is the frequent TD dances and off-field antics that make the NFL a joke to the game of football and are constantly taking away from the good 'ole days when an athlete was defined by his skill at the sport, and his talent alone.  I believe that this new era of sport, football especially, should be embraced and brings in an entire new fan base on top of the already thousands of fans that are devoted to the sport.  Football players such as Tim Tebow, Aaron Rodgers, and Terrell Owens bring a sense of diversity and culture to the game of football and give fans a whole new reason to cheer for their favorite players.  Its not just the excitement of who will score or how many points a certain player will rack up, but now fans can look forward to the new TD dance that that one player might bring out, or the latest trick that someone pulls off a makes sports history.  An athlete can never be too flashy and whatever they end up doing can only grow the game that they are a part of.  When a kid sees Tebow "Tebow" or watches Aaron Rodgers put on his invisible title pass after a perfect TD pass down field, that kid falls in love with football even more and has someone to idolize.  This is the future of sport and the future is bright.

ahh....the Miami Marlins...lol

I recently read an article on Deadspin.com that talked about how the Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, were the epitome of a disgrace to the game of baseball this past season and this offseason as well.  The recent trading off of Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonafacio, and Mark Buehrle, as well as the firing of Ozzie Guillen, have put the slim remainder of the Marlins fan base in a state of rage and shock.  First of all, the Marlins put on a season performance that was less than worthy to talk about (69-93), not to mention the ridiculous amount of money that was spent on building a new stadium just for the club in the heart of Miami and the changing of the team name to the Miami Marlins. Seeing as it was a new beginning, I'm sure many of the old Florida Marlins fans, as well as the new fans spawned from the new baseball interest in Miami, expected ALOT more.  So its the offseason now, lets just count on the solid players they still have and hopefully they will bounce back positively next year.  Yeah well thats a joke now seeing as the Marlins organization has decided to trade the majority of the team's offense and pitching staff that actually contributed to the team.  This entire mess has all seemed very sad and comical to me at the same time, most likely in part of my personal favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, going through the same troubles as the Marlins, boasting an identical 2012 record and firing the first time coach Bobby Valentine who was promoting a solid season ahead.  I have also recently befriended some true Miami natives who are avid baseball fans and feel obliged to root for the Miami Marlins.  Sitting and watching Sportscenter with them the day that the trade news came out was like being immersed in a riot with people screaming to the right and left of me, cursing to the digital man on the screen, and crying over the shocking list of names that he was displaying.  I admire their dedication and emotional pull to the team they love, and sympathize with them as a fellow fan who has just gone through a tough season to watch.  Why do us fan's put ourselves through the stress and inner turmoil that comes with rooting and caring about our team, whether they win or bring about the lowest lows?  Whatever the reason I know that I will just have to suck it up and follow my Red Sox into the dark shadows of 2013, leaving my Marlin friends to wallow in their depression.  Being a sports fan is a pretty sadistic and twisted hobby, but I'm sure as hell glad that its my hobby.

Come on down to Real Madrid World!!!

Politics in sport can be seen throughout the many leagues and different sports across the world.  Soccer is one of those sports that has continually been seen promoting their players and spending money in a way that manipulates their audience and their fans.  For example, the Spanish Premier team Real Madrid has begun work and started rumors based on the creation of a private island totally devoted to the fans and organization of Real Madrid.  The island alone would cost millions of dollars to buy, and then with the building and staffing that would have to be done to create this resort, would put the dollar deficit into the billions.  Now sports are a big deal to people, and soccer is especially big when it comes to the European population, but a private island resort based solely around a single soccer team seems incredibly ridiculous.

My ad deals with soccer and Christiano Ronaldo, along with the overall theme that has to deal with athletes being overpayed to play like other athletes of the same caliber.  I will try to implement politics into my ad by talking about the new Real Madrid Island in the ad, and on how Ronaldo is just another attraction in this massive financial conglomerate.  I feel like the politics of the sport take away from the actual quality of the game, and this will be a perfect way to demonstrate it.

Golf and the art of Selling Out

As the PGA Tour Season winds down and the minuscule month of an off season approaches, many players and equipment sponsors are beginning to look for new signings and sponsorship deals that will boost their public attention, as well as their appearance in the media.  Brands such as Nike Golf and Titleist are two of the most well known golf superbrands in the game today, and both work around the pinnacle of advertising and player sponsorship.  Titleist, for almost as many years as it has been around, has run off of the advertising claim that they produce the number one ball in golf.  Commercials promoting the brand will almost indefinitely portray the linchpin to the company, the Pro V1 and Pro Vx golf balls, and describe to the viewer how no other brand of ball comes even close to the number of played by professionals across the world.  Titleist commercials also try to appeal to the amateur golfer as well, which is the largest and most profitable market for golf that the world has to offer.  These commercials usually promote the same equipment and apparel, but put the focus on becoming a better golfer, and how Titleist equipment will help you achieve just that.  Now, Nike, on the other hand, has taken a more alternative approach to its ads and sponsorships as of late.  When it comes to advertising their golf balls or clothing, the commercials that you see will almost always depict one of the staff pros that is sponsored by them, and they will be portrayed in a new-wave sort of manner that brings the cool and youthful side of golf into play.  I believe their objective is to promote a new, radical, and fresh take on the game of golf, and with that, a new following that will break away from the old and comfortable, and into the new and alternative golfing lifestyle of Nike.

Now the big news in the golfing world as of late has to deal with the new professional signings that Nike has managed to snatch up for the next season.  The biggest golfer on this list has to be, without a doubt, Rory McIlroy, the number one golfer in the world.  Now Rory doesn't just bring obvious talent and prestige to the company, but he also brings millions of young golf fans as well.  Being only 23 and at the peak of his golf game, he has become the face of the new golfer; the young, talented, alternative, and recognizable athlete.  Now this signing has brought about more interest in the golfing world due to who Rory was previously signed with: Titleist.  Titleist has made a name for itself over the years as a company with strong fundamentals, world-class equipement, and for starting rookie Tour member out on the right foot.  Some previous golfers that Titleist has sponsored in the past are the cream of the crop, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  However, these golfers as well have left the company many years ago and switched to more attractive sponsors.  Nike, being one of these new-wave brands, is most famously known for sponsoring Tiger Woods and promoting him as an athlete.  If it wasn't for Nike, some might say, Tiger Woods wouldn't be as famous as he is today, no matter what his accomplishments in golf entail.  The point I am trying to get to here is that golf is turning into a sport that revolves and functions around endorsement deals that are blown up into millions and millions of dollars.  The Rory McIlroy deal has been rumored to be 10 Milllion dollars deep, with Nike paying out of pocket for Rory's name with the brand.  I believe that the game of golf needs to stop promoting these sellout situations, and I think that the players should pay more homage to the brands that raised them as rookie and helped them get on their feet.  I also believe that it is this ridiculous amount of money and the aura that comes with it that deters average people from playing golf and from becoming intertwined with the the culture of the game.  Long story short, professional golfers should be less worried about who is paying for their entire lives than on focusing on their golf games and promoting the sport in a positive way.  The advertisement and sponsorship way may be the future of the game, but I believe that for the healthiest growth, players should stick with the sponsors that have groomed them and work out of these companies to help teach, promote, and grow the beautiful game that millions around the world have come to know and love.

Ronaldon't (cont.)

Athletes nowadays seem to be leaning towards the flashy side of the sport, especially when it comes to having reputations and being overrated in their respective sport.  Usually when this is the case, money is involved and is a strong proponent in their performance and how they are portrayed amongst fans and the team.  Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the biggest culprits of these acts, and has become a namesake in the soccer world for being overpayed, being too flashy, and being a wimpy player.  I will give him that he is a good soccer player, I mean, you have to be somewhat proficient at the sport to play it professionally, but it is the combination of all his other attributes that make him a joke in my eyes and the eyes of all other non-Real Madrid fans.  The ad below is praising Ronaldo on all of his forefront characteristics, and the ones that have made him so successful.  I will alter this ad in a way that makes more sense to the realists of the soccer world and in a way that will describe him accordingly.  I will also try to alter his appearance as well that will emphasize his overrated skill, attitude, and the lack of respect that most people have for him.

"Ronaldon't"

There is this Nike ad that is supporting the soccer player Christiano Ronaldo, and it is basically a picture of him with the caption beside him saying, "Christiano Ronaldo: Young, Gifted, and Portuguese." Now while everyone knows that he is young and Portuguese and somewhat skilled at soccer, I believe that these are not some of his more prolific traits.  I will admit that I am not the biggest soccer fan known to man, but I definitely now soccer culture and the split following that Ronaldo has collected over the years playing for both Manchester United and now Real Madrid.  Being a Chelsea fan myself, I have never really let myself become a fan of Ronaldo ever, and I have a few very good reasons why, besides the fact that he has played for teams that I despise.  These reasons are that he is extremely over payed as an athlete (making over 1.4 million USD a month and upwards of 17.5 million USD a year), and the fact that he never plays to that kind of potential.  Sure, he is good at soccer, but come on now people, no one deserves that kind of money to sit right by the goal everygame and look for a well timed cross just so you can pop it into the net.  Then there is the fact that he has also made a name for himself in the soccer world as a "flopper".  A player who "flops" is known to act out or really emphasize any body contact that a defender or other player will make towards them, usually drawing a foul that wasn't there or pretending to act injured just to make a point.  No matter what the outcome, a "flopper" like Ronaldo always looks like a total baby and in my mind, a p**** and a b****. Soccer is meant to be played with a sense of dignity and respect for the game that is so well respected around the world, not to fake injuries or act like a clown.  It is these aspects of Ronaldo that cause me to hate him so much.

My plan for the adbuster is to take the Nike ad that I mentioned before and edit the three words that they  used to describe Ronaldo as.  These three words will be very congruent to the fact that he is overpayed and a wimp in the soccer world.  His pretty boy attitude and clownish behavior will also be emphasized in a way by editing his jersey and appearance as he is shown in the ad.  My overall goal is to make an ad that rips on Ronaldo and shows everyone the kind of soccer player and person he really is.