The Sports Archives – NBA Twitter All-Stars

Twitter LogoThis infographic is about the top and bottom NBA teams and their statistics on Twitter. Did you know that the total number of combined Twitter followers for all NBA teams is 11,263,520? This NBA All Star infographic shows those teams with the most follows including the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. Those NBA teams with the most tweets are also showcased in this infographic and are surprisingly not the same top teams as above. The Brooklyn Nets are in first place followed by the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trailblazers. Benched teams on Twitter include ones with the least followers like the Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks. Some of these teams do not even include a bio or website on their Twitter page! What do you think of the statistics, are you surprised at the best and worst teams when it comes to Twitter?

This infographic on the NBA Twitter All Stars is provided by Cisco Uniforms, a leading manufacturer of athletic uniforms for basketball, soccer, lacrosse and more in the United States.

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NBA Twitter Infographic

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The Sports Archives – Insanely Disappointing ‘Hero’ Athletes!

Celebrities represent the modern-day hero, and like any leading protagonist, they are extremely fallible. Headlines have always been dominated by stories about rich, good-looking people behaving badly and celebrity athletes are certainly no exception. With all their money and muscles, we’ve seen some of our most beloved “hero” athletes take some pretty bad dives in the press lately. Here are some of the most disappointing ones.

Tiger Woods

Tiger WoodsThis shy, nerd-hunk of a golfer turned out to be a major player! Back in 2009, Tiger was ousted on the Internet for cheating on his wife (who P.S. was completely gorgeous.) C’mon man! Why do the sweet ones always get corrupted by fame and fortune?

Tiger publicly apologized, and then went to cheater rehab but he was a day late and a dollar short by that point. Public opinion turned against Tiger faster than his wife could file for divorce. The story immediately morphed into a “sex scandal” and our sexy, shy-boy, golfer was downgraded overnight into just another dude who happened to be really good at doing one thing who let own stardom take him down. If anyone could retain his humility in the face of being rich and famous, I thought for sure it would be Tiger. Oh how wrong I was. . .

Lance Armstrong

Lance ArmstrongAmerica’s pride and glory of the biking community turned out to be little more than spotlight seeking scumbag. Armstrong was the poster child for the notion that any of us could “beat the odds.” He won the Tour De France an astonishing 7 times after winning a battle with testicular cancer. He even started his own charity. Up until a few months ago, he had one of the best reputations in sports, and was known as being nothing short of a hard working do-gooder. Then the story broke that he had been doping and using performance enhancing drugs for years. His many adoring fans did not take too kindly to the idea that all of his miraculous physical achievements in the last decade were not the well-deserved fruits of hard work, but simply the hollow results of sustained drug use. People were outraged.

If it makes you feel any better, Armstrong was taken down like 15 notches in everyone’s books. To begin, he was unceremoniously stripped of all his titles and awards he got while cycling (including his 7 Tour De France wins.) All his sponsors dropped him like a bad habit, the charity that he started basically kicked him out of the picture because his image was so toxic that he was scaring away donors, AND he just got slapped with a $12 million dollar lawsuit. Oh and everyone hates him forever. Oh how the mighty do fall.

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar PistoriusOscar Pistorius is a track and field sprinter from South Africa. He is also a double amputee, missing both his legs from above the knee. Pistorius inspired the whole world last year when he became the first Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympic track and field games.

He made headlines at his Olympic debut and quickly became a global icon. But, in a startling change of events, just earlier this week, Pistorius was arrested and charged with the premeditated murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. To make matters worse, she was murdered on Valentine’s Day. South African authorities say that Steenkamp was shot multiple times. Authorities later announced that Pistorius had a criminal arrest record for various domestic violence incidents in the past.

Although Pistorius has not yet been convicted, in court his prosecutors revealed that they will pursue a charge of premeditated murder against him. This tragedy brings the hero track runner’s “feel good” Olympic fairytale to a screeching halt. His certainly won’t be the first celebrity mugshot we’ve seen before.

Lessons Learned

Nobody said that being in the spotlight was going to be easy. You’d think that with all money these athlete celebs have, they could’ve just bought themselves some therapy instead of choosing to make horrible decisions that would ultimately ruin their lives and careers. It’s not pretty when our heroes fall from their high horses, but it sure is fun to watch.

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Author Jessica Ruane uses Instant Checkmate’s public record seach service to discover the truth about her favorite celebrites. To learn more, check them out on Crunchbase.

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The Sports Archives – Motocross MX Nationals Management Tweaks The Rules!

Motocross Racing

Retiring champion Josh Coppins bowed out in true style at the end of the 2012 season, and the highly promising Gold Coast resident and rising star Todd Waters will be one of several hopefuls looking to rise when the new season gets underway. Williams Event Management announced major changes to the start of the 2013 Australian Motocross Championships; here is a lowdown of what you should know before the action gets underway.

New points system

This is the headline change. It came about via riders and supporters having their say in a number of surveys carried out. Many riders felt, with their focus mainly on chasing the championship and with points only available for the top 20, the system was not helping them develop overall. Points are now being awarded all the way down to 30th position, with the winner getting 35 points, 2nd earning 32 points, and decreasing down to 1 point for finishing in 30th spot, which gives riders an added incentive to ride right to the line every time they race.

New format

It has been confirmed all classes will now be conducted over a standard two-moto format. This means the MX1 and MX2 classes will be over 30 minutes plus one lap, and the MXD class will be a shorter 20 minutes duration plus one lap. The changes were made after a lot of consultation with riders and spectators alike and should create optimum racing conditions.

Super Pole

When timed qualifying has reached a conclusion, the top five riders get to return to the start line. Each rider will then be fitted with a GoPro camera and get to do one flying lap. The outcome of the flying lap will decide the top five positions for qualifying. This will also earn championship points with the first place gaining 5 points down to one point for fifth. There will also be $500 prize money up for grabs for the fastest qualifier, which is bound to add to the excitement levels al round.

Helmet eject system

Safety is always a big issue, and the new rules state every rider must fit a helmet ejection system to their helmet. The typical price of these systems is around $80-90; you can purchase them from your local distributor or get them from the track.

Well received

The new rule changes have gone well if the word on the street is anything to go by; that is understandable when you consider pretty much everyone who has an involvement in the sport has been given a chance to have their say. As with any spectator sport, especially one with an element of danger involved, which is true of all motor sports, there is a fine line between meeting the current need for the highest levels of safety and making the MX Nationals as exciting as ever. Williams Event Management appear to have successfully ticked a lot of the right boxes, addressing the safety aspects with the compulsory use of the helmet ejection system also adding an extra dimension to the races with the new points format and the Super Pole system.

If you decide to take your bike down and join in the fun, either as a spectator or a participant, make sure your motorcycle insurance policy covers all eventualities. There is plenty of time to get familiar with the new rules at the event.  When everyone converges at MX Central Barleigh Ranch in New South Wales for round one on Sunday 14th April 2013, there will the usual buzz of excitement, a real sense of anticipation, as the new rules kick in for the start of what is surely going to be an awesome season ahead.

Joanne Lemke is a final year creative writing student at UOW, who is looking to break into the corporate copywriting space once she graduates and hopefully go on to eventually some day write a book around her other passions, namely cooking and travel.

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The Sports Archives – Top Ten Female International Golfers!

The sport of golf has evolved rapidly in the last several decades. This is especially true for the world of women’s golf. The trend currently dominating headlines for women’s golf is the sudden dominance of the Koreans specifically and international (competitors of nationalities outside of the United States) in general. In a field of female professional golfers that is as deep perhaps as it has ever been, it is fair to say that International players are taking the lead. Other than perhaps two or three golfers, the current top ten list features players born outside of the U.S. Let’s take a look at the top ten women’s golfers from countries outside of the United States.

Yani Tseng1. Yani Tseng – Taiwan

Yani Tseng, born January 23, 1989, plays on the U.S. based LPGA Tour and is the youngest player ever (male or female) to win five major championships. Tseng has been ranked number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings since 2011.

2. Na Yeon Choi – South Korea

Na Yeon Choi, born  October 28, 1987, is currently ranked second on the LPGA Tour. She captured her first career major championship in July of 2012 by winning the U.S. Women’s Open.

3. Inbee Park – South Korea

Inbee Park, born July 12, 1988, is currently ranked fourth in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. She has one major championship victory and seven total professional wins.

4. Shanshan Feng – China

Shanshan Feng, born August 5, 1989, is the first Chinese player to join the LPGA Tour (2008). Feng won the 2012 LPGA Championship (a major championship) in 2012.

Suzann Pettersen5. Suzann Pettersen – Norway

Suzann Pettersen, born April 7, 1981, has climbed to a world ranking of second, several times in her career and as recently as August 22, 2011. She has sixteen total professional wins and one major championship victory.

6. So Yeon Ryu – South Korea

So Yeon Ryu, born June 29, 1990, plays on both the U.S. based LPGA Tour and LPGA of Korea Tour. In 2011 she won the U.S. Women’s Open.

7. Jiyai Shin – South Korea

Jiyai Shin, born April 28, 1988, plays on the both the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Korea Tour. In 2007, Shin won ten events in nineteen starts on the KLPGA Tour and in 2008 she won three LPGA events, including the Women’s British Open and the ADT Championship. She has held the top spot in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.

8. Ai Miyazato – Japan

Ai Miyazato, born June 19, 1985, competes on the both the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. On three separate occasions in 2010, Miyazato held the top spot in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.

9. Mika Miyazato – Japan

Mika Miyazato, born October 10, 1989, competes on the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour. Miyazato has two professional wins and finished in the top ten of three of the four major championships in 2012.

Catriona Matthew10. Catriona Matthew – Scotland

Catriona Matthew, born August 25, 1969, plays primarily on the LPGA Tour. Matthew has ten professional wins and one major championship victory.

About the Author: Phil Oscarson is an avid golfer, and golf analyst. If you’re looking for a great place to golf, deals on golf courses, etc. try GolfZing.com as a great source to find what you’re looking for.

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Photo Credits:  Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – Will Brazil 2014 Will Be the End of the Road for England’s ‘Old Timers’?

Steve GerrardThe old guard, it seems, is coming to an end.

Next year’s World Cup in Brazil – assuming England qualify of course – will surely be the last hurrah for a handful of football stalwarts who have carried the weight of their country’s expectations on their shoulders for so long.

Ashley ColeSteven Gerrard and Ashley Cole have both recently knocked up a century of appearances in an England shirt, while Rio Ferdinand is heading for the end of the road after 15 years and 81 caps as a defensive lynchpin.

Frank Lampard, currently facing uncertainty over his future at Chelsea, is just half a dozen appearances away from reaching his ‘ton’ for England and joining an elite club which until very recently had a membership of just five.

Rio FerdinandMost capped England player of all time is goalkeeper Peter Shilton on 125, with David Beckham – never again to pull on the famous shirt – the most-capped outfield player on 115.

Then comes the late Bobby Moore, with most caps for a defender on 108, Bobby Charlton on 106, Billy Wright on 105, and recently-admitted members of the club Gerrard (101) and Cole (100.)

Gerrard, one of the best players never to have won the Premier League, has been at the centre of Liverpool’s defence for 15 years, winning two FA Cups, 3 League Cups, one UEFA Cup and the Champions League, but in his long career he has never won the domestic title.

He will be 32 when the World Cup comes around, Lampard will turn 34 during the tournament, Ferdinand will be a few months short of his 34th birthday, and Cole will be nearly 32.

Frank LampardWithin Touching Distance of the ‘Ton Up’ Club

  • Famous names that came within touching distance of the ‘ton up’ club include Bryan Robson, who ended his England career on 90 appearances, the injury-prone Michael Owen on 89, Kenny Samson on 86, and Gary Neville on 85.

Wayne Rooney, still going strong after ten years as an international, has just notched up game number 79 for his country.

At 27, he has found the net 33 times while on England duty, and has Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record of 49 firmly in his sights.

  • England’s qualifying campaign for next year’s World Cup continues next month with away games against San Marino on March 22 and Montenegro on the 26th, followed by Moldova at home on September 6th and Ukraine away on the 10th.
  • The World Cup in Brazil takes place from June 12th to July 13th 2014.
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Football enthusiast Nicki Gowers writes for Gear-Zone, on-line specialists in sportswear and equipment, outdoor clothing, camping and climbing equipment

Picture source: Flickr

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The Sports Archives – Extreme Sports Stars!

Participating in extreme sports is one of life’s riskier pursuits and as such it’s sensible to get cover in case an accident befalls you.

But rather than encouraging you to cease thrill seeking; we think getting your fix of adrenaline is good for you, particularly if you can make a career out of it. Here are some notable stars of the extreme sports world that have done just that.

Shaun White

Shaun White 2008The Californian, dubbed the “Flying Tomato” because of his flowing red locks, became the first athlete to compete and win at both the summer and winter X-Games in two different sports; snowboarding and skateboarding.

The 26-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, the winner of Best Male Action Sport Athlete five years in a row and he has his own video game; Shaun White Snowboarding.

White’s success has been achieved despite being born with a congenital heart defect and needing two heart operations by the age of five.

Dave Mirra

Widely regarded as the greatest ever BMX rider, the man they call “Miracle Boy” has won a medal at every X-Games since the inaugural competition in 1995.

It’s no surprise then that he holds the record for the most X-Games medals with 24 and can boast the biggest collection of golds thanks to his tally of 14.

It’s not been plain riding for Mirra though; his career was almost over before it had begun when he was hit by a drunk driver in 1993. Not only did he survive, but he thrived.

Kelly Slater

When Slater was starring as recurring character Jimmy Slade on Baywatch in the early 90’s he couldn’t have imagined that he’d one day be the most decorated surfer to have ever lived.

He’s since been crowned surfing’s World Champion a record 11 times, including five consecutive victories in the mid 90’s and in doing so has become both the oldest and youngest title victor.

Like others in the extreme sports arena he’s been immortalised as the eponymous star of a video game but unlike the rest he’s formed a band and gigged at the Sydney Opera House.

Mike Schultz

“Monster” Mike Schultz has won medals at the X-Games riding both snowmobiles and motorbikes. It’s a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that he achieved it wearing a prosthetic leg that he built himself.

He made the limb after his leg was amputated following a snowmobile crash in December 2008 and he’s since started a business manufacturing prosthetics for action sports athletes.

Schultz’s success saw him gain entry into the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame in 2010.

Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk 2006The “Birdman” is the daddy of the extreme sports world; a skateboarding icon who’s built a business empire and now has an estimated net worth of £75m.

As world champion for 12 consecutive years and the first skater to land the fabled 900 (a two-and-a-half rotations flip) he inspired a generation of boarders including his protégé Shaun White.

His video game series has spawned 16 titles and the Tony Hawk Foundation has donated more than £2m to build over 400 skate parks in under privileged areas of the US.

Johnny Knoxville

Philip John Clapp made his name as the de facto leader of the merry ensemble of pranksters and stunt artists on MTV’s Jackass. He may not be a sports star per se but there’s no doubting his extreme credentials.

His show reel includes being run over by a speeding car, getting tasered to test self-defence equipment, and knocking himself unconscious in a high-speed golf kart crash all in the name of entertainment.

He’s since launched a Hollywood career, with Men in Black II and Dukes of Hazzard amongst his most notable credits.

Adam Davies is a Digital Marketing Assistant writing on behalf of Confused.com cheap life insurance.

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – Best Moments Of 2012 Olympics Of Kayaking!

KayakingIf you are interested in the sport of kayaking, now is the time to inspire yourself with the golden moments from the 2012 Olympics in London. Records were broken and in the kayaking, Great Britain accomplished something it had never done before; win a gold medal in the canoe slalom.

Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott Gold Medal

Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott were complete unknowns prior to London 2012. Nobody expected them to do anything more than fill in the C2 field, while prominent racing pair David Florence and Richard Hounslow looked to challenge the unbeaten Slovakian brothers, Peter and Pavol Hochschorner.

Another reason why the eventual winners weren’t even considered was Etienne Stott underwent an invasive shoulder surgery only a year ago.

The Lee White Water Valley Training Centre was party to a shock surprise when the unbeaten Slovakian duo finished in the bronze medal position; a massive 1.87 seconds behind the two British pairs. Florence and Hounslow, who completed their slalom last, were only 0.36 seconds outside the gold medal position. It was definitely a result nobody expected!

Ed McKeever Wins the Sprint

London 2012 continued Great Britain’s amazing run of form in the Olympic kayaking sprint in the form of Ed McKeever. He powered through his sprint field to win a second gold medal for his country; after the gold medal success in Beijing 2008 when Tim Brabants claimed Britain’s first-ever gold.

Murmurs of something special began as early as the heats on Dorney Lake when McKeever claimed an Olympic record, but these were soon dashed in the semi-finals when he had slipped to third. On the day of the final, though, he powered out of the gates and led from start to finish. While he only beat Spaniard Craviotto Rivero (36.540) with his 36.246 time there was never truly any doubt as to who would win.

Helen Reeves, canoeing pundit for the BBC and Olympic bronze medallist commented: “He blew the field away from the start, leaving everyone else trying to catch him. A fantastic performance. That core strength that drives the blades and the focus this man has is incredible and he hasn’t been fazed by anything.”

Australian Four Win Gold

Australia’s canoeing foursome powered home at Eton Dorney to take only the country’s fourth gold medal in the sport in 74 years. The team of Murray Stewart, David Smith, Jacob Clear, and Tate Smith added Olympic gold to their silver in the world championships by bursting out of the gates and ripping the field apart. It was a dominating performance from a team few expected to win before the London 2012 kayaking had begun.

They finished with a time of 2:55.085, with silver medallists Hungary returning a time of 2:55.699. What makes this moment so special is it could indicate a power shift away from Hungary and Germany, who traditionally have extremely strong kayaking squads.

Olympic records fell and the hoodoo carried by the likes of the UK and Australia crumbled. It was definitely an inspirational Olympics and served as a fantastic advertisement for the thrills and excitement of kayaking as a sport.

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At X1 Sports Insurance we love to Kayak also.

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The Sports Archives – New vs. Old – Champions League Winners!

1966 UEFA Cup

1966 UEFA Cup

The recent Champions League draw has excited football fans across the world. Arguably the most mouth-watering match puts the Spanish national champions Real Madrid against the current Premier League leaders Manchester United. Games played between Manchester United and Real Madrid are rarely matched for quality, intensity or even TV audience figures. The two clubs have met four times on Europe’s biggest stage with Manchester United first claiming the trophy at the expense of Real Madrid in the 1968 semi-final.

The competition has seen two different trophies since its inception – the current design was first cast in Switzerland and is shaped like an urn with enormous looping handles.  The iconic image of the cup held aloft by Bobby Charlton in the stands at the old Wembley Stadium resonates with football fans of all generations and cultures. However, with the recent proposals to change the competition’s format and the competitions vigorous shake-up in 1992, which spurred a new era of Champions League football , can we compare the achievements of the 1968 Matt Busby team to recent winners such as Chelsea, Barcelona and the 2008 Manchester United side?

Cup Trophy in 2005

Cup Trophy in 2005

Unfortunately, the improvement in facilities, healthcare and playing conditions makes it hard to compare the quality of former and current winners. On the other hand, the reformed design of the competition makes it more unpredictable and seemingly harder to obtain the most famed trinket in club football.

The UEFA Champions League’s predecessor competition, the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, started in 1955 with a ‘straight knockout’ format, featuring only 16 teams (the winners of domestic leagues) with a total of 29 matches being played. At first the English FA restricted access to the competition believing that the domestic cups should take priority. However, as the competition became more established teams across Europe (mainly English and Northern European teams) the FA started to take the competition more seriously, hence a challenge to the early dominance of Real Madrid in the form of the 1950s Busby Babes. The 1990s witnessed the most prominent change with the expansion of teams (from 16 to 32) and the incorporation of a round-robin group stage that encouraged greater participation of clubs from the stronger national leagues.

Eusébio depicted on a 1968 Ajman stamp

Eusébio depicted on a 1968 Ajman stamp

Strictly speaking the Champions League is no longer just the preserve of champions – nonetheless its expansion and ranking of national leagues has certainly improved the excitement and entertainment value of European football with closer and more well matched fixtures. Although it will never be possible to compare the excellence of Eusébio to Lionel Messi, it is sensible to suggest that increased competition, whether it be in the 1992 expansion or the most recent reform proposals, has never been more of an achievement, to lift the Champions League trophy now than at any point in the last 57 years.

Simon Dunlop is a 37-year-old football coach; at the age of 17 he was signed with Manchester City Football Club as a junior but at the age of 18 he broke both legs in a youth game. Unfortunately he could never go back to professional football after his recovery so now coaches young children in the game that he loves and gets all of his football trophies from trophysales.co.uk.

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

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The Sports Archives – Why Is Football (Soccer) The World’s Most Popular Sport?

Football is a sport that has both stood the test of time and manages to traverse political and personal divides, not to mention international conflict and war zones, with reports of a game even being played between English and German troops in no man’s land on Christmas Day 1915 during the First World War.

When Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, there were seemingly nothing but positive reports from the visiting fans, and pictures portrayed a happy crowd united in one common goal – a love of the game.

But what is it that gives the game its appeal?

From its formation, football’s popularity seems to have rested on its simplicity.  The fact that all you need is a ball and a space is an indicator of why it has always had such wide appeal.  In a contemporary context, the simplicity of it also means that it is something that can be played both on your own in the form of drills, and with as few players as two, which means children of all ages can occupy themselves, and practice in their own time.

Former Editor of the FA website, and author of the Jamie Johnson book series, Dan Freedman, says: “It’s beautiful, simple and cheap to play. It has a language, which transcends counties, cultures and religions. It’s dramatic, unpredictable, painful and rewarding. And that moment of a goal is unparalleled in any other sport.“

Of course, the celebrity endorsement and high media coverage that the sport now benefits from, along with high wages, and sense of communal victory that it inspires also have a part to play in its enduring appeal.  Coach, Scott Johnson, whose club, Ashton Town FC, says: “it’s a way towards celebrity status due to the high wages offered to professional players. In this media age and the history we have, it is a business available 24 hours a day.”

Football coach, Bill Gill, says: “The promotion of football by ambassadors like David Beckham and other celebrity icons as well as TV and other media influences affect both children and parents”, contributing to the propagation of the sport’s popularity.

Of course, one thing, as with all sport that has to be considered is the simple element of exercise, producing endorphins, which is particularly potent thanks to the group aspect of football.  Johnson agrees, saying: “As a player there is a sense of togetherness, team spirit and keeping healthy … it’s addictive!”

There are many factors that boil down to football’s popular appeal, and no doubt over time they will be added to.  However, one thing will always remain constant about the beautiful game, and is the reason that kids from one to 92 will always be fascinated … it’s simple.

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Author Bio: Lyndon Ogden is a passionate supporter of sports for children and a shareholder in myskillz which features football drills for children on its website.

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The Sports Archives – The Cheap-Seat Strategy: Making Nosebleeds Great!

People attending concerts and live sporting events often make the mistake of assuming that the seats near the top of the stadiums and arenas are somehow inferior to the rest. This is simply not true. In fact, if you know how to make the best out of sitting at or near the top, your experience can actually be much better than that of the folks who shell out several hundreds of dollars to be close to the fields and stages of North America. Here are five solid reasons that the cheap-seats strategy a very smart approach.

Funny Sports Monkees Baseball

“I told you not to buy the tickets from that ape!”

Perspective of the Action

Much like life itself, sitting in the cheap seats is all about perspective. The classic joke is that sitting in the top rows of any stadium will give you a nosebleed because of the altitude, but outside of the city of Denver that’s not actually a fear. The plain truth is that sitting at the top of the stadium will give you great perspective on the game, the band or whatever you may be watching.

Sitting in the top rows of any football stadium will let you see the plays unfold from an excellent viewpoint, allowing you to understand clearly why some plays are successful and why some are snuffed out at the line of scrimmage. The same goes for basketball arenas, as the sections and rows near the top allow fans to look down on all 10 players on the court at all times, clearly displaying the depth of strategy involved in getting the sphere into the hoop.

View of the City and Crowd

Any live sporting event features a large collection of breaks in the action and commercial time-outs, meaning that the typical fan has plenty of time to explore their surroundings. Sitting near the top of stadiums will allow you to peer out over their edges toward the skylines of the cities they are located in, creating a launch pad for daydreams or just something neat to look at before the play resumes. Sitting near the top will also afford you the opportunity to view the entire collection of spectators. People sitting in the front rows have no idea of the action that is transpiring in the large crowd around them, but folks in the top rows can see all of the crowd-related activities from a bird’s eye view.

Saves Money

Attending sporting events can be incredibly expensive, especially for large families. The best way to cut down on the overall cost is to buy cheap seats in the upper deck, which are often marked down to very enticing rates. A seat in one of the front rows could easily cost a person over $1,000 during the postseason of any major sport, and the overall experience is not necessarily any better, especially if you follow the instructions outlined in this article.

Having seats in the upper portions of any stadium is also a good thing when it comes time to sell them, as cheaper seats are likely to sell much quicker than those priced out of most people’s price range. A ticket that is purchased for $10 can easily be sold for $20, but selling a ticket originally priced at $500 for $1,000 is a much trickier proposition.

Elbow Room

The upper deck of any given stadium is never as crowded as the lower decks, and this is a very good thing for people wishing to let their hair down, kick their feet up and relax. The upper deck can be a great place for large families who want to spread out, have conversations and switch seats a few times. The atmosphere is generally a lot less stuffy and pretentious, and you will not be surrounded by people who have anted up a week’s wages in hopes of seeing their team win. Getting in and out of the upper deck can also be easier than getting in and out of other sections, especially in facilities that have escalators or well-placed stairwells.

Thinner Air Increases Buzz

It has been scientifically proven that alcohol has a greater effect on the human body in higher altitudes. Simply put, this means that drinking beer in the top row is a lot more fun than drinking beer in the front row. It typically takes a grown man of all three or four ballpark beers to loosen up, but the cares melt away even quicker in the upper deck, allowing you to enjoy the event that much more thoroughly. Just be sure that you have a designated driver or clear vision and plenty of time to sober up before you get behind the wheel of a car.

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