ONA Conference

This past weekend, October 1 to 3, I worked as a volunteer during the Online News Association conference, or ONA for short. I got the chance to meet some very interesting people in online journalism who came from all over the U.S. and world. Over the course of these three days, there were plenty seminars and panels attendees could go to. Due to the fact I go to school and was volunteering, I only got a chance to attend two panels. The panels weren’t quite as interesting as the people I met. Some of the people I met work for Forbes, Marketwire, and the Associated Press. Out of these three, my favorite was Joe Webster, who is the Deputy Director for the Associated Press.

Joe was working a small booth outside of the conference rooms which was being used to show the AP Images. I was attracted to this booth because the pictures were all about sports. Webster gave me some very helpful advice that I want to share. He said, “Just make sure to market yourself and network. Do you have a blog? (Yes) Well I recommend you keep that going on even when you get a nice job. You never know who will see it. Also, make sure you communicate with everyone.” At the end of our conversation he gave me his business card and said to e-mail or call him with any questions. I got such a nice vibe from him that it made my time at ONA worth it.

Also working one of the booths was a young man named Matt Stallman, who is the media relations coordinator for Marketwire. We had roughly a ten minute conversation purely on networking. Originally, Stallman was an advertising major, and one of his major clients was actually Marketwire. In the end, Marketwire hired him away as an assistant, and now he is the media relations coordinator. His main point was that, “My job wasn’t just handed to me. I had to work hard to be where I am. The most important thing I did was talk. When I worked for my old company, I stayed in contact with some of Marketwire’s representatives. When Marketwire needed someone new, those guys recommended me and I got the job.”

Carl Lavin was the other guy I really got a couple minutes to talk with. Lavin is the managing editor for Forbes.com and the most quiet out of the three. I only mention him because when we met, he handed me his business card and said, “You look like a bright young face who is going to make a major impact.” In turn, I handed him my information on a piece of paper (since I don’t have a business card yet) and he said he would e-mail me and we could talk more. Sure enough, I came home Friday night to an e-mail from him explaining how happy he was to meet me and that he hopes I stay in contact.

I didn’t expect much going in to ONA; I didn’t know anyone and I expected to just get a taste of it. Instead, I found myself surrounded by the greatest journalists around. No one acted like they were above the rest; everyone was really down to earth and happy to talk. Let’s have a discussion. Have you attended ONA or any conference like that? What thoughts do you have about it?

Dallas Cowboys Stadium And Fans

The Dallas Cowboys have the biggest stadium in NFL history. Their owner, Jerry Jones, is a billionaire with plenty of money to spend. This year, their new stadium holds over 100,000 people at full capacity. Some say the stadium is just too much. I have to disagree; this legendary stadium is how sports should be. Honestly, who wants to see a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco when you could watch it on a big 70 inch television in your own house? Plus, the concessions are much cheaper at home.

The best part about the entire project is the main scoreboard, which sits high above the playing field. It is 7 stories tall (roughly 70 feet) and weighs 600 tons. For those who can’t convert that to pounds, that is 1.2 million pounds. If that thing were to fall, I would not want to be living in Texas. I’m not a science major, but I can promise that if it falls (God forbid of course) we may experience a very big disaster.

The scoreboard caused many problems at the beginning. In a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans kicker A.J. Trapasso kicked the ball into the scoreboard. The ball hit some rails in the middle and came down immediately. Titans coach Jeff Fisher challenged the play and it was rekicked. The problem here is that no other stadium in the league has the scoreboard where they Cowboys have it. The NFL ruled that the scoreboard is within regulations, so there isn’t anything that can be done until next season. It is rumored that to move the 1.2 million pound scoreboard one foot higher it would cost $1 million.

Outside of the problems with the scoreboard, the stadium will revitalize the way fans see football and other sports. The average ticket is roughly $150 per person, but from what ESPN writers and celebrities have said, it is certainly worth it. I personally hate going to sporting events live for many reasons. One, there is too much alcohol that isn’t governed properly by security. The NFL has rules on when the sale of alcohol has to stop, but there is no way to check. I can go to a vendor and buy two beers (the maximum each time unless I appear intoxicated) and then go find another vendor and buy two more immediately, which gives me four beers to drink. Drunk people at a sporting event find ways to annoy the sober ones.

Two, even some sober fans can ruin a good family experience. I’ll use the time I went to an Oakland A’s baseball game as an example. Three women who were sitting behind me (all of whom I think were sober) decided to yell racist words at the African American outfielder. If I had a family, I would never subject them to that kind of language, especially at a ballpark. Same goes for football; and I’ve heard some pretty nasty things said before.

Finally, why would I want to go to a live sporting event when I can sit on my couch, pause if I need to use the bathroom, eat all the food I want at a much cheaper price, and be around only those that I care about? On top of that, if I have a nice HD television, the picture quality is better on there than it is live. What the Cowboys have done is give fans a strong incentive to come back to the stadium. Alcohol will always be around, and some fans will always be jerks during games, but I get the feeling that this new stadium will keep fans coming for years to come.

NPR- The Future?

As an avid listener of National Public Radio, or NPR, I can say I agree with everything Josh Catone says in his blog. While other news companies are trying their hardest to keep the few listeners they have, NPR is actually gaining followers. I feel their use of social networking is the primary reason for their success today. Most people live on their computers, whether they are at work, school, or at home. We have iPhones and Blackberries that can do everything for us but make a cup of coffee (but it can tell us how to do it).

What NPR has done will soon become a revolution in the news industry. If you go to iTunes and go to the Podcast section you will see that a good handful of the top podcasts are divisions of NPR. Other top news podcasts include ESPN (which has about eight different types), CNN (about five that I could find but I think there are more) and the New York Times has one now.

Catone also points out that NPR keeps their news locally based. Throughout this blog, I try to keep the connections local and simple enough that everyone can relate. I have a hard time doing that though since I live in San Francisco but my main followers are actually in Orange County. To fix this problem, I take stories that both areas can relate to. Most of my sports stories are on national figures. The exception is Lance Corporal Donald Hogan; my friend who passed away overseas. The beautiful thing about Donald is no one had to know him to relate to my story about him.

While cruising through some sports articles on NPR I came across this one on the NFL and Jerry Jones. For a little background, Jerry Jones is the super rich owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team. His total franchise is valued at $1.6 billion. To show how filthy rich he is, the new Cowboys stadium was just built at a cost of $1.5 billion. The highlight of the stadium is the ridiculously huge scoreboard which is seven stories tall and weighs 1.2 million pounds. Yes you read that right. Frank Deford was the gentleman who spoke on the audio tape about this. The sound quality was amazing; even for an internet connection. There was no background noise, but there really wasn’t any needed. Had the story been about hard hitting football players I would expect to hear some hits in the background.

A view of the scoreboard from a camera in the stands during the home opener two weeks ago.

The other story I found was about women playing fantasy football. There was some background noise, mostly little beeps which symbolized the draft picks being selected. There is no published author online on who did this story; but it was a young lady who talked. One of the things I really like is that all of the women who they interviewed knew what they were saying. They also interviewed some people who ran fantasy leagues.

Is Hell Week Worth The Hell?

When I was in high school I was not allowed to play football for two reasons. One, because I had heart surgery as a freshman and the other is because I have very protective parents. Football is one of my favorite things in life so I decided to be an assistant to the team my junior year of high school. As an assistant, my job was to tape practices and to cut and edit the film for the team. The beautiful thing about football is it’s a year-round sport; you can play at any time during the year. Rain, sun, snow and hail effect no one on the field.

Any football player will tell you the hardest part of the sport is “two-a-days”, which is better known as hell week. The practice schedule looks something like this:

Practice early in the A.M. until 11:00 A.M.

Lunch from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Practice again for a couple more hours after that.

Hell week actually is two weeks long now. Coaches use it to push the endurance of their players to the max. As my old coach once said, “Games are won in the fourth quarter, so you need some (insert your favorite expletive here) endurance! Be tough mentally and physically!” It has been fairly common practice for coaches to keep players from drinking too much water. Water weighs you down and can make players softer on the field.

Recently, a 15 year old boy named Max Gilpin was killed during hell week. His coach, David Stinson, was charged in his death. Yesterday he was acquitted of all charges. Max has not been the only player killed by heat stroke during hell week; Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died during practice back in 2003.

So this got me thinking; is hell week worth it? Should coaches be allowed to put their players through it? Or is the risk too great? The life of a 15 year old ended because of football practice. I can’t help but think he died without completing much in his life. I’m sure Max had more potential than tackling a couple guys. Maybe he had the cure to AIDS. Now we will never know.

Brett Favre- A Legend?

I’m 100% sure that some of the things I say in this post will offend some die hard Cheeseheads I know. So this is my warning Packer fans; if you love Brett Favre tread cautiously. But for those who do not know Brett Favre, I will start with some background information, courtesy of the Official Brett Favre Web site (which for all you Packer fans is now decorated in purple and gold… Still love him?)

Brett started his football career with the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted #33 in the second round of the 1991 draft. Brett never took a snap for the Falcons and was traded to the Packers for a first round pick between the 1991 and 1992 seasons. From 1992 to 2007, Brett played exclusively with the Packers and everyone thought for sure he was going to retire as a lifelong Cheesehead (Packer fans wear wedges of cheese on their heads… Kinda crazy isn’t it?). However, Brett committed a big crime in the sports world.

Check out what a Packer fan looks like!

After the 2007 season, Brett retired from the game on top. He had just gone to the playoffs again with Green Bay where they lost in the NFC Championship Game to the New York Giants. Brett had been contemplating retirement the previous three or four years, so him retiring now was not a big surprise. Over the course of that offseason, Brett decided to unretire and join the New York Jets on a one year contract.

As we all found out in 2008, there was good reason for Brett to stay retired. The Jets didn’t get very far; and Brett re-retired. It was at this point in my life I decided Brett Favre lost his legendary status. Rumors had been going around that Brett was going to sign with the Minnesota Vikings; which happen to be the Packers’ biggest rival. To me, that is the biggest slap in the face to an organization that gave you 15 good years of football. How can anyone like a guy who leaves a team and goes to their rival? That’s like going out with a girl and then dating her sister; it’s simply wrong.

Brett Favre lovers will tell me Michael Jordan did the same thing with the Bulls when he kept coming in and out of retirement and went to play baseball at one point. The difference is Jordan didn’t go play for the Milwaukee Bucks (the Bulls rivals at the time). There have also been recent reports that Favre is not a good teammate. An ESPN article posted, “A veteran Jets player, quoted anonymously by Newsday, described Favre as a “distant” teammate who, when at the Jets’ practice facility, spent his downtime away from teammates in an office specially designated for him.” Is that really a legend? Michael Jordan was well known for being a nice guy and someone everyone loved. Brett has created a lot of enemies recently and I can honestly say I would not root for him ever again.

What do you think? Is Brett still a legend? Is his 2003 Monday Night Football performance against the Raiders one of the best all-time? Let’s have a discussion.

Donald Hogan: The Aftermath

If you have not read my first blog on Donald, I would recommend starting there. Otherwise everything I say here will make no sense to you at all. Donald’s funeral was held on Monday September 7th at a church in Lake Forest, CA. Donald’s family normally goes to a church in San Clemente, but that church is very small, so they rented out a church in Lake Forest that was double the size; roughly 300 people could fit. The funeral was scheduled to start at 11:00 A.M., so I arrived around 10:15 A.M. I knew that this was not going to be an easy day for me or my friends. Donald was loved by all of us.

By the time I had arrived, there were about 100 people already there. Mostly it was Marines, Donald’s family, and a couple of close friends. Slowly people began to arrive; it turned out to be a really sad high school reunion. It made me so happy to see people flying in from all over the country to be here for his funeral. I managed to sit in the front ten rows with my close friend Ken. The ceremony was very religious, with many different individuals speaking or singing. Within 5 minutes, I was crying. It took me until last night to realize why I was crying. The church was full and over capacity, with people still waiting outside. All kinds of people came to pay tribute to Donald. A group of men and women known as the Patriot Riders came in full support wearing their biker gear supporting men and women in the armed forces. Some Marines who were on reserve came to show support to his family.

It made me see that Donald did not live a bad life; he did not die in vain. There was not a person who was not crying during the service. Anyone who knew Donald knows that he would save anyone in disaster; whether it be emotional disaster or physical disaster. He died a hero; and I’ve been able to sleep better knowing that. I thank Donald for everything he gave me and this country. He touched my heart; along with the hearts of those who knew him and even those who didn’t. When I found out the news Donald had died I wanted to go kill someone just so I could have him back alive. Knowing that Donald did these amazing things for his fellow Marines only makes me that much more proud of him.

I leave you with one last note from the funeral. After the service, there was a gathering at a side hall with refreshments and a chance to meet with his family. I had never met Donald’s parents formally; I knew who they were but they didn’t know me. When it was my turn to approach Donald’s mother I said to her, “You don’t know me, but I knew Donald from high school. He was a great kid.” And that is about as far as I got before I lost it and cried again. What she told me is something I don’t think I will ever forget. “Donald died doing what he loved and what he wanted to do. He is a hero to me, you, and everyone else.”

When somebody dies, think about the impact they had on your life. Maybe they drove you somewhere when your car didn’t work. Maybe they stayed on the phone for hours when your parents wouldn’t let you see that R rated movie and you were pissed. Or maybe this person was just like Donald; kind, loving, and a hero. Donald didn’t do any one thing for me that I will always remember. But what he did was leave a lasting impact on everyone. I’m proud to say I knew Lance Corporal Donald J Hogan. And may he rest in peace. Semper Fidelis buddy; we miss you down here. I love you. I can’t wait to see you again one day in the future.

Brock Lesnar- The Face Of UFC?

The World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, has had major competition these past three years or so with the popularity of the UFC. The UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, is the real, live, and painful version of the WWE. Popular fighters include Chuck Lidell, Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture and Kimbo Slice. These men fight to the end in a caged ring surrounded on all sides by crazy fans cheering on their favorite fighter.

It is well known that the WWE is entirely scripted and planned out. The injuries are real, and sometimes deadly, but the show itself is planned. For a while people thought the UFC was fake as well, but I have a friend who fights in the UFC and he says it is real. I have watched many of these fights on television, and it looks pretty real to me, so I will assume it is true.

Every sport has a main face to it. Golf has Tiger Woods; basketball has LeBron James; bowling has Norm Duke; tennis had Roger Federer. The UFC had Chuck Lidell as their main guy for a while, but lately he has been losing badly to weaker opponents. Along comes Brock Lesnar, a 6’3” 265 pound beast of a man. Lesnar actually came from the WWE and trained in Minnesota. His first fight was against Min Soo Kim, and Lesnar proceeded to knock him out in 69 seconds.

Watch Lesnar pummel Soo Kim!

Along with YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice, Lesnar became the prominent figure of the UFC. His first mainstream event was against Frank Mir, a former champion himself. Lesnar got the first pinfall, but was deducted a point because he slammed Mir in the back of the head. Mir ended up winning the match which was something Lesnar never forgot.

The very next year, Lesnar got another shot at Mir. This time the story was the opposite; Lesnar dominated the entire fight and won. It was the actions after the fight that make this interesting. After knocking Mir out, Lesnar taunted him around the ring, and flipped off the crowd. He started telling fans he was going to mount his wife for this win, and said that Bud light was payin’ him nothin’. None of these actions are ever appropriate, but it shined some extra light on the UFC and Lesnar. He has become the face of the fastest growing sport in the 21^st century.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree that Lesnar is the face of UFC? Or do you prefer Kimbo Slice? Comment below and let’s have a discussion.