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When it comes to what is transpiring in the labor battle between the NFL and NFLPA, it is heady stuff for fans (and yes, the media) to comprehend. The technical maneuvering surrounds labor law – the ground rules that business and unions engage in – and it’s not for the weak to comprehend.

Whilst the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to extend talks for a second time (the CBA is now set to expire on Friday, March 11 at midnight), there are still chances that a deal may well not be reached. If so, a series of legal moves will take place.

With so a lot of questions and data being published in articles and in social network platforms such as Twitter, it’s no wonder that, given the complexities, the exact sequence of events has been portrayed incorrectly on occasion.

Bill Gould is the former chair of the NLRB

In an attempt to get to the bottom of some of these topics, we approached Bill Gould. Gould is the former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and is currently Charles A. Beasley Professor of Law, Emeritus at Stanford University. He has been a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators since 1970 and has arbitrated and mediated more than 200 labor disputes, such as the 1992 and 1993 salary disputes between the Key League Baseball Players Association and the Key League Baseball Player Relations Committee. He currently serves as independent monitor for FirstGroup America, addressing freedom of association complaints. В As Gould notes, in terms of labor law, there are numerous moving parts surrounding the NFL at the moment.

“The current situation between the NFL and NFLPA is quite exciting,” said Gould. “It’s a veritable smorgasbord for labor law.” Here’s his clarifications around the labor issues confronting the NFL and NFLPA.

If the NFLPA dissolves, are they disclaiming over decertification due to “blocking charges”?

The differences between “disclaiming interest” and “decertification” are this: In disclaiming interest, the union would walk away from the players and dissolve. In decertification, employees (in this case, the players) want a union to no longer represent them. The NFL has filed charges that the NFLPA has conducted unfair labor practices (see the complete text), and due to that, reports have said, the NFLPA ought to disclaim interest over decertification as the claim filed by the NFL is a “blocking charge”. Not so, says Gould.

“The blocking charge aspect that has been widely misportrayed in the mainstream and on the internet media,” said Gould. “The reason that the NFLPA would disclaim or decertification is due to the delays involved in the NLRB method. It could take months for a decertification to be processed while the NFLPA can disclaim as soon as a letter is given Judge Doty. The blocking charge only has relevance to an NLRB petition, which they won’t do.”

Why would they not do so? According to Gould, the NFLPA disclaimed interest prior in 1989 when the NFL had no unfair labor practice claim filed, a sign that if the option to decertify or disclaim were just about the blocking charge, the NFLPA could have gone the decert route over disclaiming interest at that time (See Freeman McNeil v NFL where NFL totally free agency was eventually reached).

What’s the latest the NFLPA could dissolve?

On Thursday, this was a subject that had two answers floating about. Some reported that it had to be close of enterprise – the filing had to be to Judge David Doty by then. That is incorrect, according to Gould. “For the purposes the NFLPA is seeking, they could notify in letter to Doty correct up to just just before the present CBA had been to expire,” Gould said. Based upon that, if the sides were not close at the end of the current 7-day extension (Friday at midnight), the NFLPA could wait as late as 11:59pm to dissolve.

Won’t the NFL claim that that the NFLPA dissolving is a “sham” because they did it prior?

As noted, in Freeman McNeil v NFL, the NFLPA has dissolved before in 1989 only to resurface as a union in 1993. The NFL will claim that in dissolving for a second time, it’s a “sham” – a legal move to avoid bargaining in very good faith as a union.

But, there’s some wiggle room for the NFLPA that was brokered as component of the existing CBA.

(b) The Parties agree that, after the expiration of the express term of this Agreement, in the event that at that time or any time thereafter a majority of players indicate that they wish to end the collective bargaining status of the NFLPA on or right after expiration of this Agreement, the NFL and its Clubs and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, representatives, agents, successors and assigns waive any rights they might have to assert any antitrust labor exemption defense based upon any claim that the termination by the NFLPA of its status as a collective bargaining representative is or would be a sham, pretext, ineffective, needs additional steps, or has not in reality occurred.

If the NFLPA had been to dissolve, when could the players file antitrust claims?

To block any lockout, the mechanism of disclaiming interest by the NFLPA would dissolve them into a trade association, and the players would then become individual employees. As 32 entities working in concert as a league, the players are ready to file antitrust charges saying the league is ostensibly setting up a “boycott” of the players (see If CBA Not Extended, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady Turn out to be Plaintiffs For Antitrust Claims).

The big question is, when could the players do so? According to Gould, it could happen as soon as the NFLPA were to dissolve. That means, it does not, necessarily require to occur when the CBA expires.

Why not file antitrust claims after the CBA expires?

Due to the fact, the NFLPA negotiated with the NFL that they have to wait six-months after the current CBA expires to do so. From the CBA:

(a) Following the expiration of the express term of this Agreement, then, if the NFLPA is in existence as a union, the Parties agree that none of the Class Members (as defined in the Settlement Agreement) nor any player represented by the NFLPA shall be able to commence an action, or assert a claim, under the antitrust laws for conduct occurring, until either: (i) the Management Council and NFLPA have bargained to impasse or (ii) six (6) months soon after such expiration, whichever is later at that time, the Parties reserve any arguments they may possibly make concerning the application of the labor exemption.

Are there any NLRB rules saying how long a union must remained dissolved just before it can reestablish itself?

There’s been some talk that the NFLPA has to wait some specified period of time just before they could reestablish themselves after any action to dissolve into a trade association. According to Gould, there are no such guidelines. “Nothing says that the union can’t reestablish as soon as they like,” said Gould. “But, it could play into any “sham” litigation outside of what the CBA addresses.

Can the NFLPA use the “lockout insurance” ruling to gain concessions with the owners?

On March 1, U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled in favor of the NFLPA, concerning claims that the league negotiated tv contract extensions that were created as “lockout insurance” as opposed to growing total revenues – revenues that decide the salary cap for the league (read the entire filing by the NFLPA). Those extensions had been developed to pay owners over $ 4 billion in rights fees, even if games had been not played. The league had claimed that those provisions were inside the agreements just before the extensions were released. Doty is scheduled to hold a hearing to establish no matter whether there will be an injunction to block those fees becoming paid to the owners, monetary damages to the players, or both.

When asked if the NFLPA may well use a settlement of that ruling to leverage owners into some concessions that the owners are seeking, Gould said that could be an alternative.

Despite the fact that he said that he had not heard 1 way or one more regardless of whether that scenario was being played out, Gould said, “There’s nothing stopping the players from doing so.”

Could Judge Doty still play a part in negotiations following the current CBA expires?

Judge David Doty’s ruling – and prior rulings for the players – have had an incredible impact on where the negotiations are at now, and what the final outcome of a new CBA will be. The owners would really like absolutely nothing more than to have him be out of the picture even though the players would like to keep him in play as lengthy as possible.

Technically, Doty’s oversight ends when the present CBA does. But, it’s still a shot that Doty could be involved following.

If the CBA had been to expire, the NFLPA dissolves and the players file antitrust claims blocking a lockout, the courts would determine how to administer labor matters until a new CBA is reached. While there is nothing saying Doty would be the judge selected, Gould said that it behooves the method to have a judge that is familiar with the current state of affairs in the labor battle. That could mean Doty could stay in play.

Can the NFL and NFLPA continue to extend the deadline for the expiration of the existing CBA?

Yes. According to Gould, this could be accomplished in perpetuity – done as lengthy as they wish. As a practicality, as training camps approach, it seems unlikely matters could go that far, but there’s absolutely nothing to say that we might not have yet yet another extension when the existing 7-day extension expires.

Does any extension have to be approved by federal mediator George Cohn?

No. Cohen is simply facilitating dialog between the sides. The players and NFL can negotiate the ground rules for extending talks without having input from any mediator.

LOOK FOR FURTHER REPORTS LEADING UP TO A NEW CBA Being REACHED IN THE NFL

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• NFL Owners Meeting Yields No Actions or Decision on Probable Lockout (The Biz of Football)
• Judge’s Ruling on NFL Television Income No Guarantee New CBA Reached by Deadline (The Biz of Football)
• Federal Judge Backs NFL Players Over Owners On Television Income (Forbes)
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• A Cold War Mounts, Here’s Why a Lockout in the NFL Near Particular (The Biz of Football)
• Complete Text of NFL Charges Against NFLPA for Unfair Labor Practices (The Biz of Football)
• NFL Files Charges Against NFLPA Accusing Unfair Labor Practices (The Biz of Football)
• Is Jerry Richardson the Darth Vader of NFL Labor Battle? (The Biz of Football)
• NFL Rejects NFLPA Proposal, Reportedly Looking for Salary Cuts Beyond Rookie Signings (The Biz of Football)
• Numbers Show NFL’s ‘Economic Realities’ for Lockout Unwarranted (Forbes)
• Rain on NFL Parade? (Selection)

FOLLOW MAURY BROWN ON TWITTER @BizballMaury

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Nowadays in Pictures

Chicago girls at Sokol Sports, Prague, Austria (LOC)


Image by The Library of Congress
Bain News Service,, publisher.

Chicago girls at Sokol Sports, Prague, Austria

[1912]

1 negative : glass five x 7 in. or smaller.

Notes:
Title from information provided by the Bain News Service on the caption card.
Photo shows young females demonstrating tennis method, almost certainly during the 6th Sokol Slet (gymnastic festival) held in 1912 in Prague (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now located in the Czech Republic). (Source: Flickr Commons project, 2008)
Forms component of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

Format: Glass negatives.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

General information about the Bain Collection is obtainable at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain

Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.11568

Call Number: LC-B2- 2521-13

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By now you’ve possibly heard the NFL Players Association has filed to decertify, meaning there will no longer be a players association. However, if you read my piece here last week on the feasible scenarios going forward, you knowВ it does not mean there will be no football.

Unless an additional extension was reached right now, the NFLPA had to file a petition to decertify by 5:00 p.m. in order to be able to instantly file an antitrust lawsuit if the NFL institutes a lockout. According to the recently-expired CBA, if the NFLPA waited until soon after the expiration to decertify, they would have to wait six months to institute an antitrust lawsuit (the real reason for decertifying). Though the CBA is no longer governing league activity, the sides agreed when they negotiated the last CBA that some provisions, like the 1 just mentioned, would survive expiration.

So what does decertification truly mean? It merely means there is no longer a players association. The NFLPA decertified in 1989 in order to bring an antitrust case and did not reform again until 1993. For those who were around back then, you know that decertification for that period did not mean there was no football being played.

If the NFL does not lock the players out, they can institute their “last and best offer.” This is where the NFL owners would unilaterally implement the last offer they gave theВ players association prior to reaching an impasse. Football would be played whilst the NFL and NFLPA battled out an antitrust case in court.

Don’t believe that the players did this lightly. With out a players association to collectively bargain, the players will lose all their collectively bargained rights such as medical insurance and their pension. Group licensing rights the NFLPA controlledВ are also now up in the air.

Clearly the players are feeling emboldened by Judge Doty’s decision on the “lockout clauses” in the league’s television contracts. They should feel pretty strongly that they can make a solid case in court in order to make this move. I can’t say I disagree with them.

Follow Kristi on Twitter @SportsBizMiss and pay a visit to her web site at www.sportsbizmiss.com.

This article provides the personal observations of Kristi Dosh, and does not represent the views of her law firm or its clients. Any data contained herein does not constitute legal suggestions. Consult your own attorney for legal suggestions on these matters.

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H.M. arriving for some Australian sports


Image by National Library of Scotland
King George V and his entourage arriving at a sports day organised for Australian soldiers. He can be seen at the front of the photograph, on the left, carrying his customary cane. To his left a lengthy line of Australian troops, recognisable by their distinctive hats, are lined up to greet him.

Photographs of royal visits and recreational activities at the Front were typically employed by the Government and Military as propaganda. The intention was to boost morale and supply those at home with a sanitised version of life at the Front.

[Original reads: ' 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. H.M. arriving for some Australian sports.']

digital.nls.uk/74547764

NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith. Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Hope floats for another five days with an extension of the CBA deadline until Friday night. Once again, the gloom and doom of an inevitable lockout is forestalled as the previous two deadlines have spurred a modicum of progress.В  Now the parties get back to work on bridging the many gaps in their proposals to resolve their differences.

In the end, there is one word that word that sums up what the bitter dispute between the NFL owners and the NFL players is about: Risk.

The owners want the players to share their risk of operating their professional football franchises. The players want the owners to reduce the health and safety risk associated with playing a violent game. Simply, they both want the other side to reduce the risk.

Owners’ risk defined

We will continue to hear phrases from the NFL such as “collective sacrifice”, “shared risk”, and a “sustainable model” (we will also hear those same words from the NBA in their labor dispute ahead).

Simply, ownership wants the players to “buy in” to the fact that running an NFL team requires an enormous allocation of risk not currently shared by the players to an appropriate level. Owners operate these businesses year-round with year-round expenses, not just on 10 game weekends, and want the players to feel the commitment.

This is where the concept of “cost credits” arises. The NFL keeps revenue off the top of all incoming revenues for running the business, and they want to set off considerably more than presently allowed.В  Once that number is established, the calculation of the players’ share is made with the remainder of revenue with the players in the form of a Salary Cap.

Owners’ risk elements

The primary cost from ownership is stadium construction and renovation, with many owners having taken on serious debt to fund sparkling facilities such as Cowboys Stadium.В  This is real and significant risk, especially compared to 2006 when the last agreement was negotiated. There is certainly not the appetite for public financing of these buildings that there was in the climate of the last CBA.

Other costs that ownership is seeking “credits” for include: practice facility construction and renovation, weight room and training room renovation, team travel, practice field maintenance, NFL Network operations and other infrastructure costs. As one exasperated union official told me, “Do they want us to pay the players too?”

Having had $ 1 billion of such credits in the expiring agreement, the NFL opened this negotiation by asking for double that amount. That, of course, was the opening offer of the negotiation, and they moved last week to a number closer to $ 750 million.

A greater shared commitment from the NFLPA would go a long way towards settling this dispute. Whether that amount is another $ 250, $ 500 or $ 750 million is unclear at this point.

One additional note to this “shared risk” concept: at one bargaining session, NFLPA representatives responded to the “shared risk” argument with an offer to also share in profits that the teams make. That argument stopped the discussion in its tracks.

Players’ risk defined

For the most part, the NFLPA is just playing goalie in this negotiation, trying to protect what was negotiated inВ  2006.В В  The one area of improvements that they would like to extract from ownership is improved benefits for the health and safety risks that they take in playing the game.

With more and more disturbing stories such as the death of Dave Duerson (the fourth of the named plaintiffs in the Reggie White v. NFL lawsuit which is the basis for this expiring CBA), the cumulative trauma of playing in the NFL is crying out for ways to lessen the impact.В  DeMaurice Smith, while not commenting on the negotiations on Friday, sent a loud and clear message mentioning Duerson.В  His name has and will resonate in these negotiations since his chilling death two weeks ago.

Some of the concessions that the players would like from ownership on this issue include:

• Increased roster size
• Extended post career health coverage (it is currently five years, they would like ten)
• Earlier pension vesting for active players
• An in-season injured reserve list
• Drastically reduced offseason contact, including training camp
• Funds allocated for improved helmets and equipment
• Mandatory wearing of knee and hip padding for certain players
• Mandatory baseline brain testing in both offseason and in-season
• Increased payments to underfunded pre-1993 retired players.

These are all ways to reduce the percentages of debilitating physical and mental challenges for former players.

While participating in ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” last week with player representative Jay Feely, it was clear to me that the health and safety issue among players cannot be overstated.В  Feely harped on the fact that 300 players were placed on injured/reserve in 2010 and the cumulative wear and tear of the brutality of the game.В  He also gave me a sense that the players may be fighting the 18-game schedule even more than the revenue split.

In a negotiation where the NFLPA is facing a rollback of revenue, their goal is to reduce the physical and mental risk associated with the game in return for concessions elsewhere.

The business of the NFL – for both owners and players, albeit for different reasons – is a high-risk business. As partners, they need to figure out a way to reduce that risk for both sides. If and when that happens, we will have labor peace in football.

Follow me on Twitter at adbrandt.

SportsMoney

Today in Pictures

Theotis Beasely is 1 of those guys we have watched grow up before our very eyes into a developed and really mature young man.В  Many children his age do not do quite well with the success achieved early on in their lives and end up on a road to DESTRUCTION.В  You know what I mean?В  The JAKE LLOYDS and the PEPSI COLA GIRL. Or if they do end up profitable and stay that way for a lengthy time, overwhelming success may possibly get to their heads and a over inflated EGO.В  Like the TWO COREYS.

I have a feeling that Baker is setting up this dude for pro status pretty soon.  He has it all in order to grow to be a pro skater.  The solid and distinguishable skating style, a fantastic bag of tricks both technical and large, and of course the notoriety that makes it possible for his name to light up in a marquee.  And I bet there are a bunch of kids all over the world who have been searching up to him for fairly some time and want to acquire boards with his name on it.  With his additional grimy special birthday party with some delicious unique girls, it’s inevitable that Theotis need to be going pro soon.

Lat34.com – Action Sports News and Video: Skateboarding , Snowboarding, BMX and Moto

Right now in Photos

Woman bowling, circa 1950


Image by Center for Jewish History, NYC
Description: Woman bowling, circa 1950

Medium: Black and white photographic print

Date: ca. 1950

Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&ampobject_id=209892

Collection: National Jewish Welfare Board, Records

Repository: American Jewish Historical Society

Call Number: P-337

Rights Information: No recognized copyright restrictions may be topic to third party rights. For far more copyright info, click here.

See more information about this image and other people at CJH Digital Collections.

Digital images produced by the Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory at the Center for Jewish History

The perfect formula to producing an awesome duo is simple.  What you need is two semi-comparable personalities, mix that in with a pinch of spunk, sprinkle in a few dashes of ideological differences, stir it all together and you have your self the excellent recipe for a dynamic tag team.  Leave any 1 of these key ingredients and you have your self a lesser form of a combo of two men and women.  Some may believe that having polarizing personalities is the way to go.  For instance combine a gay dude and a tough street dude.  That doesn’t work simply because there is nothing truly that interesting to talk about because they see the world in distinct light.  Was the Elton John/Eminem duet a excellent thought?  Hell no.  That was as awkward as dudes who pee with their PANTS DOWN in public.

Now if you believe my comments are homophobic, you are way wrong due to the fact of my all time favorite duos is gay.  Now Bruno and his boyfriend Diesel, that’s a dynamic duo.  They had me rolling on the ground dying of laughter throughout their opening scene of the film Bruno.  They are similar in their fashion sense, way of life, and are a excellent item.  They look various, but are comparable.

So with that, here is my top 7 list of greatest duos of all time.

five.В В  В THE OLSEN TWINS
4.В В  В MILLI VANILLI
3.В В  THE BUSHWACKERS
2.В В  В VINCENT AND JULES
1.В В В  DEVUN WALSH AND IIKKA BACKSTROM

So as you can see, these combos are all really well known and are unique in their own way.  And if you notice, they have far more similarities and they do differences.  That’s what makes them fantastic.

DC pro snowboarders Devun Walsh and Iikka Backstrom have teamed up on a new project and webisode series called “Polar Opposites” launching right now, Monday, February 28th. This much anticipated project will give an up close and personal look into the every day lives of two of snowboarding’s greatest by way of a blog written by Devun and Iikka along with four webisodes featuring all new footage from the duo this season. The very first of four video edits is now live so be certain to check it out at: http://www.polaropp.com.

In the tradition of some of the greatest duo’s in sports and entertainment, Devun Walsh and Iikka Backstrom have teamed up to bring the public an close and personal look into their lives over the course of a season – from filming in the backcountry to traveling the world. These pals and DC teammates have been shooting together for different projects for a greater component of a decade. From movies such as That, Double to Decade, and In Color they’ve been through season right after season of from injuries, hangovers, weather delays, FT’s, and excellent bluebird days and have managed to bring you some damn fine snowboarding along the way.

Devun and Iikka’s relationship is an intriguing 1. They are, as the name of their project states, polar opposites. The formula for their friendship is a scientific anomaly, similar to the physics that makes opposites attract. But much like oil and vinegar, two things that have no business on the identical plate, they just work. There are some issues that just belong together even if it really makes no sense.

For more on Devun, Iikka and the rest of DC’s snow team, pay a visit to DC SNOW

Lat34.com – Action Sports News and Video: Skateboarding , Snowboarding, BMX and Moto

Nowadays in Photos

Florence Sutton [tennis] (LOC)


Image by The Library of Congress
Bain News Service,, publisher.

Florence Sutton [tennis]

[between ca. 1910 and ca. 1915]

1 negative : glass 5 x 7 in. or smaller.

Notes:
Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

Format: Glass negatives.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

General details about the Bain Collection is offered at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain

Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.09364

Call Number: LC-B2- 2218-6

Image via Wikipedia

If we can surmise anything from secondary ticket cost data in sports, it’s the ebb and flow of real-time demand and value that customers place on variousВ sporting events.

That said, it appears that fans of the Large East Men’s Basketball tournamentВ at Madison Square Garden in New York CityВ place a greater premium and significance on that tourney than fans of all other BCSВ post-season basketball tourneys.

My source from StubHubВ furnished the following average secondary ticket price data for every round of each and every of the 6 BCS conferences in an effort to gauge the relative significance and importance that fans assign to each tournament respectively.

The results:

Focusing on “aggregate prices” (i.e. the sum of the four rounds for each and every tourney), the Massive East tourney is the most expensive BY FAR.В  Its average “aggregate cost” for all sessions on the secondary marketplace is $ 934, over $ 250 a lot more high-priced than the “aggregate price” for either the Big 12 or ACC tourneys.

The Big East tournament is likely the most costly because of location.В  Being in New York drives the value of those tickets.

It’s also not surprising to see these three conferences lead the way in “secondary market ticket costs” because they are the most well-known conference tournaments, according to 2010 NCAA attendance information. Specifically, in 2010 these three conferences had the highest attendance per session (ACC – 23,371 Huge East – 19,375 Massive 12 – 18,900).

So in the context of valuing a sports entity, the Huge East tournament is the most prized, valued, and common of the BCS men’s basketball tournaments.В  And the reality that the games are played amidst the glitz and glamour of New York City in the historic Madison Square Garden are factors that drive these facts.

*******************************************************************************************************

Follow Patrick @ SportsDocRock or go to www.patrickrishe.net

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Right now in Photos

H.M. watching the Australian sports


Image by National Library of Scotland
King George V is standing in the foreground, watching as soldiers take component in a sports day event. The men taking component are in full uniform and are carrying full packs. The exercise shown here is possibly part of a larger assault course. A significant crowd of soldiers watch on as the men are put by way of their paces. This photograph is thought to have been taken by the British official photographer, John Warwick Brooke.

Appointed by the Government and Military, official photographers were encouraged to record positive images of life at the Front. As the authorities were anxious to control how the war was perceived, these images had been then usually utilised as propaganda.

[Original reads: 'OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT. H.M. watching the Australian sports.']

digital.nls.uk/74547772

This DC Destructive Creatures contest sounds like a destructive creature running around the Valley name Charlie Sheen.  Yes, I do read Perez Hilton every morning with my cup of joe and sure I enjoy an occasional look at TIGER BEAT but I in no way follow the lives of celebrities.  I have my own LIFE to worry about.  But this past weekend even though driving up to JOSHUA TREE with a couple of cronies, 1 guy in specific kept going on and on about Charlie Sheen.  He was endlessly going on about him as if he wanted to take him out on a date, seriously.  Vicariously, he was describing every of Charlie’s sexcapades over the past year or so form the porn stars, to the hotel rooms, to the interviews.  To be honest, I didn’t even know he had a hit show known as 2 1/2 Men.  (Just a side note, I took a fast look at 1 of the episodes and that 1/2 man is no half.  He’s manlier than the 2 men.  So it ought to be referred to as “3 Men” or  “2 Men and a Dude”).

Apparently Charlie has been on this destructive tornado tear via sex, drugs, and awfully clever quotes.  But after watching a couple of his interviews over the past week or so, I do not believe it is so funny.  I saw one list these days that ranked his greatest quotes of the week.  I saw one more article that tested the reader on a “Who Said It” list: Gaddafi or Sheen.  I should admit, they are amusing to read and I bet each FRATBOY out there would adore to be him for a day, but I’m telling you, it’s a recipe for total disaster: a guy with all the funds in the world indulging in heavy drug use.  I’ve recognized quite a couple of drug addicts in my day and often they end up okay, and other times, it is flat out destructive.

In other destructive news, to launch its newest surf campaign, Destructive Creatures, DC is launching the “Most Destructive Move” of the Quiksilver Pro 2011 Gold Coast contest. DC is searching to award the surfer with the most destructive move of the contest with a $ 10,000 purse prize. The winner will also receive a 1-of-a-type “Destructive Creatures” trophy, developed by DC artists, creators of the campaign.

Every day throughout the webcast of the Quiksilver Pro, which kicked off last Saturday, February 26th, at QUICKSILVER AU, 3 on-website business experts will be calling out the finest moves of the day. Their picks will be uploaded daily to QUICKSILVER/AU – DC.

When the contest is over, DC will post the top 3 “Destructive Move” videos on its Facebook page at FACEBOOK DC and host a one-week voting contest amongst its followers to select the winner. The surfer with the most “likes” on his move will win the $ 10,000 prize. Followers who vote will be in the running to win DC prize packs. The prize will be awarded to the winning surfer at the Torquay DC Store, in Victoria, Australia around the Bells WCT contest between April 19th and 30th.

Lat34.com – Action Sports News and Video: Skateboarding , Snowboarding, BMX and Moto

Nowadays in Pictures

All participating skate teams ought to have gotten into Tampa by now for the Tamp Pro coming up this weekend.  If you haven’t seen it yet, go over to The Skatepark Of Tampa internet site simply because they have posted the schedule of events for this year’s chunky Tampa Pro itinerary.  With a schedule that packed, there is positive to be a lot of enjoyable shenanigans going down.  They’ve got a fishing expedition to help everyone smell nice, a lot of skateboarding events, parties, soon after parties and birthday parties, and of course, one of the landmark skate events of the year.

Be certain to catch the live webcast of the action this Sunday, March 13th at 9am PST/12pm EST.

Today in Photos

Gun team was in action 6 days prior to this turn out

A gun team in a field surrounded by trees. There are six horses pulling a gun with three soldiers, each sitting on one of the horses. They are well turned out and lined up as if for inspection. There is a significant crowd of soldiers standing behind them watching. The existing caption suggests that this event was part of a recreational sports day.

Soldiers at the Front were not on constant duty. There were periods allowed for recuperation, recreation and relaxation. Scenes such as this had been commonly utilized as propaganda, intended to boost morale amongst the troops and present reassurance to those at home.

Can you recall every single single skate show you’ve ever worn?В  I can possibly recall about half of my skate shoes but not all.В  I can also tell you most of my shoes aren’t on Complex Magazine’s list of the 50 greatest skateboarding shoes of all time.В  As a kid, my parents wouldn’t give me $ 75 each time my shoes wore out and I skated at least twice a day.В  So I was forced to come up with an inventive way around this small dilemma.

So let’s see if I can produce my own list.В  If my memory serves me well, the extremely first shoes I skated in had been the Andre Agassi AIR TECH CHALLENGE given that I was making my sport transition from tennis to skateboarding.В  I went on to a pair of maroon Half Cabs and then an army green Half Cab.В  From there, I went on to Van’s, Salmon Agah suede shoe one in blue and yet another in mocha.В  From there I got my really very first pair of eTnies given that they had been new on the scene but cannot precisely keep in mind which ones they were.В  Then I got myself some rad ERIC KOSTON ES’S, which I feel may have been my favorite skate shoes I ever bought.

Now here is a list of my shoes that will in no way get on any list.

1.The Walmart Air Pro in Black and White
2.Blue and Grey Velcro Shoe from Payless Shoe Source
3.Rocket Boots from Target
four.Crip Basketball Boots from Walmart
five.Rockport Sailing Shoes from Marshall’s

Fortunately, I was able to save hundreds of dollars getting these cheapies.В  Some lasted a while (with duct tape) others lasted for about five ollies.

Want to see if your shoes have created it on Complex’s list?В  CHECK IT OUT!

These days in Pictures

Elaine Golding, Swimmer

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During the 2010 conference tournament season:

- Only 8 men’s conference tournaments averaged over 10,000 fans per session.В В The Missouri Valley Conference wasВ only 1 of 2 non-BCS conferencesВ that belonged to this group (theВ Mountain West Conference beingВ the other)

- The MVC averaged 10,323 per session 8th greatest amongst 31 conference tournaments

To put these numbers in context, the table below ranks the 12В best attended conference tournaments from 2010 and their average attendance per session:

The MWC and MVC leave other non-BCS conference tournaments in the dust.В  Note the 2500 attendee gap between the MVC and Conference USA.В  And further note that the 13th best attended conference tournament from 2010, the Atlantic 10 tournament, is an additional 1500 fans below the 12th place Metro Atlantic.

Though these cross-conference comparisons paint the MVC’s tournament in a positive light, it actually understates how well Arch Madness has drawn historically.

Think about these attendance number for Arch Madness since 2003:

What to take from this:

- Arch Madness in its finest seasons has had much better attendances than some BCS conference tournaments

- Arch Madness attendance is extremely correlated with the Saluki Factor.В  The years that Southern Illinois University was amongst the nation’s Leading 25 (2006,В 2007, 2008), the tournament attendance peaked largely simply because the Salukis either reached the conference finals or there was strong demand due to their previous year’s successes.

GEOGRAPHY AND ENTERTAINMENTВ OPTIONS EXPLAIN SUCCESS OF ARCH MADNESS

The MVC’s tournament success may come as a surprise given the MVC’s recent lack of successВ in placing conference members into the Huge Dance.В  The MVC has only had 1 March Madness participant in every of the last 3 years, and this (along with a sagging economy and a much less dominant SIU squad) may well partially explain why their conference attendance numbers have dipped some the last few years.

Still, although, their attendance figures are fairly powerful.

Previously I’ve written about the importance of (A) location and (B) alternate entertainment options as 2 crucial determinants of attendance.

Concerning location, the average MVC school is approximately 260 miles from St Louis.В  And no school is further than a 7 hour drive.В В In short, it’s a drivable trip.В  This is specifically beneficial in attracting students whoВ are less likely to afford airfare.

Additionally, location helped drive the Saluki Factor.В  Carbondale, IL is a mere 100 miles from StВ Louis.В  So SIU students and fans had a relatively short commute to begin with, andВ SIU likely has a lot more alum that now reside in St Louis following graduation due to proximity than the other MVC schools.

Concerning entertainment choices, it’s usually been myВ perception that folks from MVCВ cities (e.g. Wichita, Omaha, Carbondale, Evansville, Des Moines, Peoria, Terre Haute) view St Louis as a big city relative to their communities.В  To them, coming to St Louis for a weekend isВ a big deal.В  It’s akin to a St Louisans excitement whenВ traveling to Chicago or NewВ York.

You’re going to a larger city.В  You’ve got far more restaurants, bars, and shopping possibilities to appreciate.

In short, the prospect of visiting a city that has a lot more entertainment alternatives relative to their norm fuels the excitement associated with Arch Madness.

When you also factor in that the tournament is well-run and that fans mayВ have aВ closer emotional connection with teams where their players are much a lot more likely to play a full four years,В it all adds up to Arch Madness.

This latter factor may explain why the games appear so intense and competitive come tournament time.В  Seniors from MVC schools have likely played each and every other a minimum of 8 times in the course of their collegiate career, and this familiarity fuels rivalries that turn out to be all the more apparent when a ticket to the Big Dance is on the line in early March.

To this point, both quarterfinal gamesВ I attended Friday afternoon at Scottrade (leading-seeded Missouri State over long-timeВ conference stalwartВ SIU on a last second shot by Kyle Weems, and Creighton over last year&#8217sВ tournament champ Northern Iowa) wereВ each decided in the final seconds.В  And in the nightcap Indiana State beat Evansville on a jumper fromВ Jake OdumВ with .five seconds left.

Just an additional wild and crazy night at Arch Madness.

A shiningВ underdog story of a college basketball tournament where ticket salesВ have consistently outperformed theВ norm of your typical non-BCS conference.