With Sunday’s games in the books, Interleague Play for MLB in 2009 is nearly concluded (a June 16th rainout between the Cubs and White Sox still needs to be replayed), seeing average attendance drop from last year’s record setting pace. The National League/American League match-ups drew an average of 33,351, down 6.66 percent from the 2008 record average of 35,573. Average attendance for the season was also down from 2007’s Interleague average attendance mark of 34,905, or down 4.66 percent. 2009 will mark the first time in three consecutive seasons that record attendance was not reached for Interleague Play. Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball examined data for every game played, and provides analysis for each club (see Inside MLB Attendance - Interleague 2009). For details on the percentage of increase or decrease for each of the 30 clubs; as well as stats for each team (W-L, BA, HR, R, ERA) and stats for individual leaders in each of those categories, select the link provided. Below ranks each the 30 clubs by average attendance over Interleague. The figure in parenthesis denotes number of Interleague games hosted. - Dodgers (8) 50,501
- Yankees (9) 46,689
- Phillies (9) 44,675
- Cardinals (9) 42,929
- Angels (9) 42,511
- Brewers (8) 41,604
- Cubs (8) 40,770
- Mets (9) 39,573
- Red Sox (9) 37,812
- Braves (10) 37,327
- Tigers (9) 36,795
- Giants (9) 35,916
- Astros (9) 33,744
- Twins (10) 33,695
- Rockies (9) 32,364
- Nationals (9) 31,101
- Mariners (9) 30,786
- Rangers (8) 30,019
- Orioles (9) 30,017
- Royals (9) 29,797
- Reds (9) 29,588
- W Sox (9) 29,420
- Indians (9) 25,321
- Pirates (9) 25,235
- Rays (9) 24,392
- D-Backs (6) 23,389
- Blue Jays (9) 23,016
- Padres (6) 22,959
- Athletics (8) 22,927
- Marlins (9) 22,457
 Across the Business of Sports Network, as well as on the Washington Times website, Maury Brown, the President of the Business of Sports Network, and Tim Lemke, the sports business reporter for the Washington Times engaged in a broad ranging discussion including how Brown views the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. given his work in Portland during the Expos relocation derby; the MLB Draft, and how Stephen Strasburg and Scott Boras collide with the Washington Nationals; whether MLB needs a salary cap; the Phoenix Coyotes and the NHL’s attempts to prevent them from relocating to Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, and why MLB, the NBA, and NFL all have filed briefs supporting the NHL’s position; the NBA playoffs and whether the NBA suffered without a Kobe/LeBron match-up; the challenges of trying to cover all sports all the time, and; whether live streaming of MLB games via MLB.com’s At Bat 2009 for iPhone and iPod touch is going to be the beginning of a technology revolution for sports fans, or a bust given the increased growth of larger HD-TV sets at home. All or parts of this exchange are being published in a variety of locations. Here’s a break down of the different locations that will have all or portions of the interview online: Here are some key quotes from Lemke and Brown: Tim Lemke: Nationals fans certainly hope the losing stops soon, because this season has been a killer. There is hope, though. By the time we publish this, the Nationals will most likely have drafted pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg, and we will all be waiting around to see what kind of insane money his agent, Scott Boras, asks for. And inevitably there will be stories--including at least one written by me--that takes a look at whether everyone's lost their minds with the amount of money being paid to athletes just out of high school or college. What's your take on how baseball and the NFL might address this issue down the road? Will we see a hard rookie pay scale in baseball or football like we have in the NBA? Or is this really not all that big of a deal? Maury Brown: Well, Tim, let’s put it this way: there’s a finite amount of money that can be doled out in player payroll. If you are throwing large percentages of it at untested talent at the major league level, it can create all kinds of flexibility issues, or worse, can be a matter of flushing money down the drain if the player doesn’t translate at the major league level. So, I believe it is a big deal, and it’s a very big deal for the Nationals after seeing Aaron Crow not getting signed due to what has been reported as a $500,000 gap between the Nationals and Hendricks Sports Management, who represented Crow last year. There’s going to be incredible pressure for Kasten and Rizzo to get Strausburg signed and in the system, which plays into Boras’ hands. The issue is one of philosophical differences between the Nationals and Boras. Boras has reported to be looking at a deal at 6-years and between $25M-$50M. That, to me, seems excessive, and you know that the Nationals think as much. I normally err on the side of the players but in this instance, I thing that a rookie scale, such as the NBA has, might be in order for baseball in the future. [NOTE: Read some more analysis by Maury on valuating Strasburg here.] The other thing that seems destined to happen is the ability for clubs to trade picks. It's been some smaller market clubs, not the MLBPA, that have balked at bringing the process in. But, it's time it happens. Heaven knows, the Draft could use the excitement of trading picks. Look what it's done for the NBA.
TL: Like you, I've been following the play-by-play of the drama involving the possibility of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes to southern Ontario. I have this strange sense that most hockey fans wouldn't necessarily mind this move, but I imagine NHL commissioner Gary Bettman really would prefer to try and make it work in Phoenix. At least that's what he's been saying. This situation kind of reminds me of the old debate of "if a league were to expand, what city would be the best fit?" In most instances, people end up debating the various pros and cons of medium-sized markets, because those are all that's left. But the reality is that if you want to pick a place where a team will succeed, you almost always will be best off just adding another team to New York or another major market. I think remember reading somewhere that New York could comfortably support 5 baseball teams. But obviously, leagues would prefer to have a broad geographic footprint. So it seems here that Bettman has a choice: put a team in Hamilton, where it will probably be very successful financially, or keep it in Phoenix, where the team might struggle but he can say the NHL has a presence in the Southwest. MB: First off, the Coyotes case is a heck of a precedent setter. It goes to the heart of whether clubs can relocate or be sold off out of league control by using a Chapter 11 bankruptcy mechanism (see The Biz of Hockey’s sizable archive of court documents on the case). It's why MLB, the NBA, and NFL have all filed briefs in support of the NHL's position. The judge in the case seems to be leaning toward allowing the relocation due to the fact that the other bidders, well… aren’t really bidding; they’re showing a passing interest, more or less. [NOTE: The judge last week dismissed the bid by billionaire Jim Balsillie to buy the team and take it to Hamilton based upon Balsillie's initial small purchase window. Balsillie has insisted he will still try to buy the team, and last week moved the purchase date out to Sept 15.] Hamilton works, but as I have been saying since this issue arose, relocation is like throwing a pebble in a pool: it creates waves. With a limited sponsorship market, and chewing into fan base, a club in Hamilton impacts not only the Maple Leafs, but the Sabres, as well. It’s why the judge said that there needed to be some form of indemnification involved, and with that the NHL is going to say that there is a $100 million relocation fee, and possibly another $100 million more for to the Leafs and Sabres in play. That could push the price tag up over $400 million. Jim Balsillie is a billionaire, but I don’t know if he will swallow that much. After all, he’s also going to be assisting in the renovation to Copps Coliseum, as well. So, Hamilton is a very good relocation market. But somehow, I don’t think the Leafs, Sabres, and Bettman think as much. Having an outsider shove them around isn’t exactly endearing him to the NHL Board of Governors.
TL: The news of the Coyotes is certainly taking some luster off what turned out to be a very compelling NHL playoffs. And the NBA playoffs were pretty memorable, too, even if the Lakers-Magic series didn't match the excitement of the rest. How much of the NBA playoffs did you watch? I must admit to being a somewhat casual NBA fan, but did find myself watching a lot of basketball in May and June. I always leaned toward college basketball because of the intensity factor, but some of these NBA games were amazingly tense and the effort level by some of the players was ridiculous. Can Stern and Co. capitalize on this? Did he lose out by not having a LeBron and Kobe finale? MB: I watched all the NBA playoffs, or if I was out and about, listened via radio. The only time I wasn’t able to catch a whole game was when the NHL and NBA went head-to-head with the Finals (Game 3 for the NBA and Game 6 for the NHL) this past Tuesday. In word, it was maddening. I was a TV clicking freak sitting with the laptop doing Gamecasts to fill the void. There’s probably an explanation, but I would love to hear what NBC and the NHL were thinking by matching up with the NBA. Did the NBA lose a little luster by not having LeBron in the Finals? Yeah, I’m sure they did. It would have arguably been the best star pairing in the Finals since Bird and Johnson. It also didn’t help to have the series not go the distance; ending in five games never helps interest. Game 5 averaged 13,992,000 viewers (P2+), down 19 percent from last year’s Game 5 between the Lakers and Celtics. All that said, the league can capitalize on the compelling story lines that were the Lakers: Kobe winning his fourth title, but this time without Shaq, and Phil Jackson winning his tenth title, thus surpassing Red Auerbach. Plus, it’s the Lakers, the league’s most marketable brand. I would guess that the NBA was looking at it from a “glass is half-full” perspective. It would have been something entirely different if the Finals would have been the Nuggets and Magic, agreed?
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Sunday, 21 June 2009 16:02
Business of Sports Network
Golf -
PGA Tour
 
GoDaddy.com is claiming that Japanese automaker Lexus blocked one of their commercials that revolves around Danica Patrick in a vintage American-made car from airing during the U.S. Open at Bethpage. Go Daddy was to air its "Speeding" commercial twice during the United States Open this weekend. The ad features Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick in a vintage, American-made Ford Mustang. Late Friday, Go Daddy was informed Lexus doesn't want "Speeding" to air. As the exclusive sponsor of the NBC broadcast, Lexus declared no other automakers can be shown in commercials airing during the United States Open. “This is outrageous,” said Go Daddy CEO & Founder Bob Parsons. “Lexus knows our ‘Speeding’ commercial is NOT about selling cars. GoDaddy.com sells domain name registrations. It seems like they don’t want Americans watching the United States Open to see or think about an American-made car in any shape or form. I see it as kicking the American auto industry when it’s down.” The commercial was approved by censors and already aired Thursday during the rained out broadcast coverage on NBC. In 2005, Go Daddy's first-ever Super Bowl commercial was yanked by the Fox network after airing once during the game because it was deemed inappropriate. Since that time, Go Daddy commercials have drawn criticism and scrutiny from censors for being edgy. Never before, though, have the commercials come under fire for the products they contain. “It is beyond my wildest dreams that one of our commercials would be rejected only because it featured a classic American automobile,” said Parsons. The outspoken CEO is active on Twitter as @DrBobParsons and on Thursday night, before this latest controversy, posted a video showing off his new 2010 SS Camaro made by Chevrolet. "A recent poll showed 40 percent of those surveyed said recent problems for U.S. automakers made them more likely to buy American," Parsons points out. "I believe an American car deserves to be in the United States Open of all places, but Lexus seems to disagree."
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The following are some recent stories we are tracking at our award winning baseball site, The Biz of Baseball - 2009 Seeing Dramatic Increase in Minor League PED Suspensions
Players suspended as part of baseball’s minor league drug policy are up dramatically in 2009 compared to the same time period in 2008. With Friday’s 50 game suspensions of two Tampa Bay Rays Minor League players, outfielder Franklin Alcala and pitcher Carlos Orasma, the total is now 18, compared to 7 at this time in 2008, an increase of 157 percent.
- In Wake of La Russa Suit, Twitter Set to Role Out Verification System
Social networking giant Twitter is in the midst of Beta testing a verification system in an effort to thwart fake Twitter profiles. The addition of the system comes in the wake of a suit by Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was prepared to sue Twitter over a fake profile created by someone claiming to be him. Similar accounts have been created for high profile individuals in baseball including Bud Selig, Theo Epstein, and Peter Angelos.
- Bidding Opened Back Up on Sale of Cubs
It appears that the sale of the Chicago Cubs by the Tribune Co. is going to take longer to complete as the exclusive negotiating window for Thomas Ricketts has now closed. According to Reuters, the bidding has reopened for rival bidder Marc Utay, a managing partner with New York-based private equity firm Clarion Capital Partners LLC, and his partner Leo Hindery. The Utay/Hindrey group, along with Chicago real estate executive Hersh Klaff of Clarion Capital were the final three bidders along with Ricketts in late January of this year. Ricketts was selected out of the three on January 22 which allowed him to enter into a 30-day exclusive window to try and reach a purchase agreement. That window has long since passed.
At the British Grand Prix press conference on Friday, team principles Ross Brawn (Brawn GP), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Adam Parr (Williams), and Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren Mercedes) addressed the media regarding a possible F1 breakaway racing series by the 8 teams that comprise the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA). Those teams are MW-Sauber, BrawnGP, Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso, and Toyota. The FIA has threatened legal action, should FOTA engage in the breakaway series, and postponed the scheduled announcement of the teams for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship due to FOTA's announcement. Select Read More to see the entire press conference transcript from the British GP
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With the deadline for unconditional entries to the 2010 FIA Formula World Championship expiring Thursday evening, FIA has begun addressing the eight teams of Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) that are breaking away to start their own racing league. The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was scheduled to be released on Friday, but have now pulled back. FIA appears braced for legal action. In a statement FIA Formula One said, "The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series. The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law. The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay." Formula One's governing body pushed further still against the possible breakaway racing series. "The FIA is disappointed but not surprised by FOTA’s inability to reach a compromise in the best interests of the sport. It is clear that elements within FOTA have sought this outcome throughout the prolonged period of negotiation and have not engaged in the discussions in good faith." The question now is, will the new FOTA racing series launch, or will FIA looking to block via the courts. The FIA has said that it cannot permit a financial arms race in the Championship nor can the FIA allow FOTA to dictate the rules of Formula One.
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Formula One’s major teams are preparing to announce a breakaway series, citing disputes with the FIA over cost-cutting measures as well as issues surrounding the racing league’s rights holders. The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), which is comprised of MW-Sauber, BrawnGP, Scuderia Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso, and Toyota, issued the following statement: Since the formation of FOTA last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder, to develop and improve the sport. Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community. FOTA is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport. In particular the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the FOTA initiatives. The FOTA teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future. Following these efforts all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012. The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide FOTA. The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006. Despite this and the uncompromising environment, FOTA has genuinely sought compromise. It has become clear however, that the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship. These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners. This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders. The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series.
According to CBSSports.com, Fernando Alonsoone, one of F1’s premier drivers, and a two-time world champion said he would have no choice should the new breakaway series proceed forward as planned. "For me the new Formula One would be unattractive, with the small teams and no drivers," Alonso said. "We want to compete with the best teams in the world, the maximum technology: We all want to compete with the best drivers. "If this is not what Formula One is about next year, then it will be another category with that. I won't retire, I will drive for another championship."
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Tuesday, 02 June 2009 23:03
Business of Sports Network
  ESPN Mobile today announced the launch of ESPN ScoreCenter on the Apple App Store. The free app will be sponsored at launch by Lexus in the U.S. and delivers real-time scores, live game info, game summaries and statistics to iPhone and iPod touch users in 21 countries around the globe. It will launch in many other countries in the weeks ahead. At launch, the app gives fans one-touch access to scores from nearly 500 leagues in 9 sports (football, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, golf, tennis, auto racing) with two others available in the next week (cricket and rugby). ScoreCenter will be available in six languages at launch: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. New global sports and leagues will be added in future releases, in addition to support for more languages. Powered by ESPN’s extensive global scores database, ESPN ScoreCenter will allow fans to set personalized favorites and in many cases will deliver the fastest and most reliable scores and game details available on mobile platforms. The app is ESPN’s third launched to the App Store, with ESPN Cameraman – a popular photo matching game app – available in both a free and $2.99 ESPN Cameraman Deluxe version, and the ESPN Arcade Spelling Bee game launched May 26 ($0.99). ESPN Cameraman has already been downloaded millions of times and is a Top 20 sports app in both free and paid categories. The ESPN ScoreCenter app is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/ ESPN will develop and launch multiple other applications and games to the Apple App Store in 2009. ESPN’s Mobile Web site, which includes an edition optimized for iPhone and iPod touch, is among the most popular sites on the mobile Web, with more than eight million unique visitors per month –more than 65 percent of the overall sports audience. According to Nielsen Mobile, the optimized ESPN site is the most popular content site on the iPhone platform, across all categories. At launch, ESPN ScoreCenter will be available in Apple App Stores in the following countries and territories: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States. The application will launch on App Stores in many other countries in the weeks ahead. Source: ESPN Business of Sports Network Feature Article: How Reports on Revenue-Sharing Figures in MLB Have Dried Up - The Biz of Baseball
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While professional sports leagues approach those reporting in new media with varying degrees of accessibility, the dramatic changes in the print industry is redefining whether “blogger” is a bad word. Today NASCAR announced its intent to fully embrace new media by inviting the top independent NASCAR-related websites to join a newly-formed “NASCAR Citizen Journalists Media Corps.” The racing league reports that it will allow this newly created group “access to cover the sport while maintaining their independence. The initial list of Citizen Journalists will be formally announced in the coming weeks.” The journalists will be selected through a review process, as NASCAR states, by examining “professionalism, reporting and commentary, use of social networking tools.” Selected articles by the newly created group will be published NASCAR.COM, which is operated by Turner Sports. “NASCAR has the hardest working media in all of sports. We will continue to rely on the traditional media to cover the sport on a day-to-day basis, but as the media world changes so must NASCAR,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “It’s fair to say that NASCAR fans are vocal about the sport and have something to say. We want to embrace that spirit and ensure they have the best access to better have their voices heard,” said France. “Many of these outlets have covered NASCAR from afar for many years, but now they have the opportunity to cover the sport up close and personal,” said Managing Director of Corporate Communications, Ramsey Poston. “The Citizen Journalists will have the very same access as the traditional media including credentials to race events, access to media centers, press boxes, press conferences, teleconferences, news releases, video, audio, photos, stats and graphics. We expect the Citizen Journalists to maintain their journalistic independence and continue to provide unique points of view,” said Poston. Business of Sports Network Feature Article: How Reports on Revenue-Sharing Figures in MLB Have Dried Up - The Biz of Baseball
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On June 2, 2009, the National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and considered the appeal of 3 penalties issued by NASCAR relative to [Carl Long’s] #146 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car following inspection of the car’s engine on May 16, 2009 for an event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The penalties concern Section 12-1 of the NASCAR Rule Book “Actions detrimental to stock car racing”, Section 12-4-I “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules”, and Section 20-5.4A “Engine exceeded the maximum engine size of 358.00 cubic inch displacement.” The penalties assessed were: - A loss of 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Car Owner Points; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for owner, Danielle Long
- A loss of 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver Points; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for driver, Carl Long
- A $200,000 fine; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for crew chief, Charles Swing
The Appellants requested and were granted a deferral of the fine and suspension penalties until such time as this hearing could be convened. The Appellants did not contest that the engine was oversized. They argued that the engine had been supplied by a third party and that the infraction may have been due to an error on the part of that supplier, or to expansion due to overheating, or to general wear and tear on the engine. The Appellants further argued that they are a very low budget team incapable of bearing suspensions and a fine of this magnitude. The NASCAR representative argued that NASCAR has and continues to consider an oversized engine to be one of the most egregious of rules violations, warranting the harshest of penalties. The last penalty notices issued in NASCAR’s top series for an oversized engine were in 1991 and included 12-race suspensions in the series and a sizeable fine for its day. The Rule Book provides 8 cubic inches of flexibility in engine construction from a minimum of 350.000 cubic inch displacement to a maximum of 358.000 cubic inch displacement. Measurements on the engine in question calculated to a total cubic inch displacement of 358.197. According to the NASCAR representative, even the largest amongst the many, many engines inspected over the years usually allowed ample buffer below the 358.000 c.i.d. line. The Commission reaffirms that the race team is ultimately responsible for all components on the race car, including any supplied by third-party vendors. The Commission notes that during the hearing, the driver expressed a strong love of racing and a desire to compete at the highest levels of the sport. His testimony came across as genuine and heartfelt. While it is tempting to consider penalties that this driver and team can more-readily bear, the sport would not be well served by having a sliding scale of penalties calibrated to a given team or member’s resources. Penalties of this magnitude for this type of infraction are warranted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Upon reviewing all the testimony, the National Stock Car Racing Commission has decided to amend the penalties as follows: - in each of the three Penalty Notices, the statement that reads “Suspended from NASCAR until August 18, 2009” shall be rescinded.
- all other elements of the penalties (points, suspensions from next 12 NSCS events, fine and probations) remain in force.
- the periods of suspension shall be adjusted from the date of this hearing.
The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner. John Capels Jack Housby George Silbermann, Chairman Source: NASCAR Business of Sports Network Feature Article: How Reports on Revenue-Sharing Figures in MLB Have Dried Up - The Biz of Baseball
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History was made on Sunday when Danica Patrick posted a third place finish at the Indianapolis 500, the best ever by a woman. A huge beneficiary of the win was key sponsor of the number 7 Andretti Green IndyCar, GoDaddy.com, who doubled their results of their ad campaign last year. In her new commercial specially created for the GoDaddy.com sponsored broadcast, Danica told viewers to, "See what happens next at GoDaddy.com" and viewers responded. Traffic to Go Daddy's Web site increased dramatically following a 'tease' to Patrick’s “Speeding” commercial early in the pre-race broadcast. Web traffic for the internet provider service spiked 163 percent during Sunday’s broadcast, as compared to last year’s. Even more people logged on to GoDaddy.com immediately after the race this year, with an overwhelming 570 percent lift in Web site visits. In the broadcast commercial, Danica is pulled over on a deserted highway for speeding. The storyline takes a twist as the officer realizes who she’s stopped. The female cop then launches into an unsolicited Go Daddy Girl audition. At the end, Danica encourages viewers to log on to GoDaddy.com to see the conclusion.
When Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR, naively, I asked if the racing league had a copy of their drug-testing policy online. After all, all the major sports leagues operating in the US and Canada, do. Whether that would be MLB, the NFL, NBA, or NHL, key details of their drug policies have been available to view for some time. I’m still waiting to hear back from NASCAR on the matter, but as it has been well reported, don’t expect it to be published soon. That’s because even the drivers are unaware of what substances are being randomly tested for, although in the wake of the Mayfield suspension, NASCAR has said that drivers can request the banned substance list. NASCAR needs to address this matter, and sooner rather than later. Believe me, I can think of no other sport that needs a drug policy in place more than the top racing leagues in the world – NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, NHRA, and SCCA. With vehicles traveling at or in excess of 200 miles per hour, and weighing as much as 3,000 plus pounds within inches of each other, they can be deadly projectiles, not only for fellow drivers, but the fans attending races. The use of drugs of abuse can impede the concentration that has to be reached by these drivers. But, it is the testing of performance-enhancing drugs that could unfairly find a driver on the wrong end of a suspension that needs to be seriously considered by NASCAR. No other sport exceeds NASCAR when it comes to fan loyalty to its athletes. Select Read More to see the rest of this article
In a continuation of interviews with those in the business of sports, the Business of Sports Network is pleased to announce the publication of our interview with MLB Network's Matt Vasgersian. Prior to being a host on MLB Network, Vasgersian, had been the Padres play-by-play announcer. Before the Padres, Vasgersian had held the play-by-play duties for the Brewers, had been a member of NBC’s 2008 Olympic coverage, was part of FOX NFL telecasts, teaming with J.C. Pearson, and was the lead broadcaster for the ill-fated XFL. Select the following link to read the entire interview: An Interview with Matt Vasgersian of MLB Network Here is an excerpt from the interview:  Maury Brown for the Business of Sports Network: This interview was decidedly different before yesterday, but with the news that Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for being in violation of baseball’s drug policy, baseball is dealing with another dark moment. What were your thoughts when you first heard the news?
Matt Vasgersian: The initial guttural reaction was, “Wow, that’s big.” And then after no more than a couple of minutes you say, “Why should we be surprised?” There’s not a single player in baseball that if we learned that they failed a drug test that we’d be completely out-of-your-brain shocked. And then after a little more thought, as you try to put your own kind of perspective to it, it’s offensive. It’s offensive because when a Manny Ramirez should know better – my God, who doesn’t need to do this stuff – who has all the best advice that money can buy, after all; when you continue to do something that is expressly forbidden, it’s as if you’re flying in the face of the fans. It’s just a big middle finger extended to Major League Baseball and the fans. I mean, these guys can keep their denials going when microphones are on, they can assign blame to everything from a quack doctor to misreading a label to being deceived to complete ignorance to doing it for erectile dysfunction, which seems to be the sexy excuse now, and it’s all nonsense. We’re not that dumb – the fans aren’t that dumb. And, for them to keep flying these lies out there just means that they think we’re all idiots. And that’s what offends me the most. You know, put whatever you want in your body; cheat if you want to cheat, but don’t think that I don’t know.
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