Money. Plain and simple.

Yesterday’s article provided a framework for the NCAA to flush the BCS in favor of a successful playoff system just as the Final Four has flourished in basketball and tournaments exist in every other sport in collegiate athletics.

The fact remains the same about expansion. It’s about the money.

To further develop this theory which is taken for granted, SFC board member Dave Zirin elaborates on a topic which SFC has chimed in on previously. The topic is a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA and EA Sports by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon.

According to Zirin’s article, ”Right now, the NCAA can license the images, uniforms and even the computer likenesses of anyone who ever played under its umbrella. So O’Bannon and his teammates can be featured in, say, a video game that makes millions – without getting a cut. It’s a business that generates $4 billion annually.”

It’s just another example of the NCAA’s madness for cash. And no fan, former player, or school board will get in its way as it grabs for every last penny.

No matter how many people complain about how easy Duke’s road is to the Final Four this year – which has generated enough conspiracy theories to fill a book - Jon Scheyer and the gang still have to play the games. Getting there is no cake walk in NCAA basketball like it is in other sports.  Coach K will tell you it’s true.

What frustrates college football fans so much this time of year is reflecting on what could have been and what could be. The sport would not merely be improved by a playoff, but rather brought up to the standards of every other sport in NCAA competition.

Doesn’t it strike you as odd that this one sport continues to buck the trend, playing by its own off-the-field rules using backroom deals and million dollar-payoffs to continue this sadness for 90% of its fans. All of this amidst the NCAA Tournament in basketball which happens to be one of the greatest weekends if not the greatest month in sports.

NCAA Basketball has found a way to generate close to 90% of its revenue from 3 weeks of games. The buzz is unbelievable. So much so that the NCAA may end up backing out of its deal with CBS just to renegotiate the inclusion of another 32 teams. 

That’s right. Expansion is a real possibility. Whether that would be good or bad for the sport is another story centered on supply-and-demand arguments.

What’s shocking about that idea is that while the good ol’ boys in college football stonewall and stagnate on any change that might help their sport, improve their image among fans, and actually give up the sham of the current BCS system – which makes fans wait a month for a consistently uninteresting lineup of blowouts all for the sake of the University Presidents, Conference Commissioners, and NCAA honchos receiving their yearly bonuses – NCAA Basketball is looking to improve.

Long-time CBS broadcaster Billy Packer commented that the “decision is not a basketball decision.  It has everything to do with finances.” While many share his view that expansion is about the money first and foremost, the ultimate product would provide more opportunity for sports fans’ fringe teams typically relegated to the NIT. It also provides more games to watch. Less excitement? Perhaps. But consider the Cinderella story of a 9 game winning streak to reach the trophy. That story would be available to any school to claim as their own.

It’s about opportunity, the product for the fan, and as alway, the money.

Let today be a lesson to all those in favor of the BCS. Your inferior product makes you feel a little dirty every time you cash their checks and argue it’s better for the sport, doesn’t it? (This last sentence is based on the premise that the only people who are pro-BCS receive money from the organization, the NCAA, or a media-affiliate.)

For the rest of us sports fans today, you can lean back in your office chair, size up your brackets, and enjoy the next 3 weeks knowing anything can happen. Upsets are the rule rather than the exception. It’s an exciting time to be a sports fan. If only our winters could be this entertaining; fairly determining a champion of the sport we love.

More recently, Brian Smith from The Columbian interviewed the Blazers Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Sarah Mensah, and it appears that this practice will not only continue, but is going to increase across the board.

With the rise of StubHub and similar ticket resale organizations, Mensah claims that the increase in data has provided a more accurate measure of ticket values.  To take it a step further, it has allowed the team to raise prices on particular season ticket-holders, pricing them out, with the knowledge that fans will pay more money in the resale.

Season ticket-holders have plenty of reasons to be frustrated. While many are worried about the increase in price for their specific sections, there is growing fear that the Blazers will tinker with other variables like row-by-row pricing, increasing the complexity of section pricing, raising costs and reducing the number of league minimum seat prices.

While it boggles the mind why any organization might emulate the airline industry, that’s exactly what Mensah says they are attempting to do. The adjustable pricing is barring the die-hards from entering the doors. While those without the cash are left at home, many aren’t even able to watch the games on TV.

Fans are not so eager to anger the team by protesting such tactics. Fans fear the Blazers might find a way to go the way of the Seattle Supersonics and escape from their contract with the city which was part of the $34.5 million which built the Rose Garden. However, it is not likely for fans to be effective without organizing their efforts and raising their voices in unison expressing their discontent.

SFC-Portland is your home to let your voice be heard.

Visit the Facebook and Twitter pages to become a fan and follow what the Local Chapter is doing about the issues that affect sports fans.

Also, sign the petition to demand your Blazers games today.

A personal seat license for a sports bar?

At first blush, any fan of the show Cheers might laugh. Shell out half a grand to be Norm — the guy with the best seat at the bar. The manager of Remy’s describes the program as Red Sox season tickets at a fraction of the cost of real Red Sox season tickets. Anyone who can not afford (or get access to) season tickets to attend a live game can be guaranteed a front row seat to the televised game.

The problem lies in the fact that most of the fans that head down to Lansdowne to enjoy the Red Sox game experience aren’t able to afford the toughest ticket in baseball. Now these same folks are standing in line while wealthy VIPs skip right past the velvet rope? With an already existing divide between haves and have-nots in the sports fan community, this plan will only build another wall between the fans and access to the team they support.

For those that can pay, prime seats to watch their favorite team on television may be worth the investment. But for the rest of the Sox fans (and Celtics and Patriots fans) living in Beantown, let’s hope that other area establishments do not go the route of Remy’s. Or, much like Fenway Park, there won’t be a seat for you on game day.

[Kelty Carpenter is a graduate of Wake Forest University and soon-to-be graduate of Georgetown University's Sports Industry Management program. She currently serves as Sports Business reporter for SFC & Social Media Assistant for LinkStar PR. She loves Red Sox baseball and Deacon hoops.]

Furthermore, those proponents who get kick backs in one form or another have a laundry list of reasons why it’s so good for student-athletes and fans which needs to be cleaned on heavy duty permanent press spin cycle.

One major issue that stands out is the number of games NCAA football teams would be forced to play if a playoff was instituted. those poor souls. The argument from those in the BCS’ pocket stresses the importance of each game in the current system and how additional games would dilute and weaken the weight of games which are so potent under the current structure.

To borrow the title of the SNL skit hosted by Seth Meyers and Amy Pohler, the SFC counters this claim with a resounding and emphatic ‘REALLY?!?!’

Rather than provide a long list of reasons why the idiocy of the money-grubbing BCS’ arguments are just that, idiotic, let’s take a look at the Bleacher Report’s rankings of the Top Ten Most Cowardly Programs in College Football.

Notice any familiar faces or mascots?

It just so happens that many of these BCS don’t-call-it-a-National-Title contenders schedule cake walk games each year. While the teams themselves deserve some ridicule for padding their stats, it is obviously the system, the Bowl Championship Series - which rewards such behavior - that is truly to blame.

Sports fans deserve a playoff. Don’t let their henchmen fool you into thinking otherwise. Even if they hired 15 Ari Fleischers to spin the issue, we sports fans know a playoff is the only way to determine a true college football champion.

Tiger’s campaign to control his image’s steep decline has failed in every category setting a new low for mismanagement of an icon. His entire team is to blame for such bumbling idiocy. 

The only glimmer of poise was shown almost a month ago when Woods delivered a seemingly heartfelt speech admitting his wrongdoing, pushing for fleeting privacy for his wife and family, and claiming he still has work to do.

Now there’s a new kid in town. The same media maven behind selling the War in Iraq to the American public. The spin doctor behind the BCS’ futile efforts to sell the BCS to college football fans claiming fans can’t even decide how many teams should be allowed to participate in a playoff. The same PR impresario who advised Mark McGwire to claim that steroids never helped him hit a baseball out of the park.

Ari Fleischer will attempt to not only keep the Titanic from sinking, but seek to get it back to the port before the band plays its swan song. Ultimately, he’ll fail. Sports fans will never view Tiger the same even after the late night shows move on to a new butt for their jokes.

There is such a stigma attached to hiring Fleischer that Tiger will suffer today. In two weeks, when Tiger will reportedly compete at Bay Hill, it will be the beginning of the end of this tragic saga for the Woods family.

The best and only tactic Tiger should implement is to ‘hit golf balls’ according to James Carville.  ‘As soon as Tiger wins on the golf course, the public won’t care about any of this.’ This cajun wisdom may fall short of reality, but you can’t argue with the fact that unpopular athletes who have performed well on the field, course, or court have drastically improved their public images.

Concerning the big business of the PGA Tour, the face of their sport has taken a hit, which directly affects their bottom line. Tiger’s return may have hurt the sport’s marketability, but his return will bring more reporters than the red carpet on Oscar night (sorry you missed it, Cablevision subscribers).

In the eyes of sports fans, Tiger Woods’ sold an image that was far from reality. Using Mr. Spin to stabilize his footing may improve his ability to stonewall and send the ‘right’ message to the press, but it’ll never repair the trust.

The public won’t buy into all the predictable ‘he’s been through so much’ commentary on TV either. As much as America loves the comeback kid, this kid should’ve grown up a long time ago.

Blinded by the Dark

By Arlen Blakeman

A city of 1.3 million, Jacksonville, Florida is well suited to support an NFL team. However, the terrible economic situation in this city has had a devastating toll on ticket sales of their only major professional sports team, The Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is one of the most industrial towns in the South. The backbone of its economy is the automotive parts industry. For the first eight years of its existence, the team was very successful.  They made it to the AFC Championship game in only their second year of existence and made the playoffs four times in their first eight years.  Not only was the team doing well, but also the economy was flourishing.  This led to ticket sales that were through the roof.  However, with GM going down and Toyota’s stock failing, thousands are out of work in this city. These struggling families obviously need to spend their 100 dollars on more important things than a ticket to see the Jaguars live. However, this is the only option they have to see their favorite team play on Sundays. The Jaguars, because of low ticket sales, did not televise seven out of eight of the their home games last season.

The NFL’s “Blackout Policy” has been enforced since 1973.  The policy states that if a home game of a team is not sold out within 72 hours of kickoff, the game will not be shown on local television.  The Jacksonville Jaguars organization, to help this problem, have closed off sections for advertising and even given fair package deals to fans wanting to see the team.  The team is not to blame for this problem.  It is the NFL’s ridiculous blackout policy that has cut ties between the team and its city.  Former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, who brought the Jaguars to Jacksonville in 1995, stated that the city does rally around the team, but that in the current economy no one can afford to go.  So why should they be punished?

Watching sports used to be an activity any person, no matter race, wealth, or gender, could participate in.  But now the greediness of the NFL has put a limit to this freedom.  Plus, if you think about it, there are many who are too old to sit in the hot sun of Florida for three hours.  Also, there are people with disabilities who sometimes cannot make it to the game but still love to watch the sport and forget about the hardships of life for a few hours.  It’s not always about money Roger Goodell and I urge you to lift this ban and give America’s game back to the people of Jacksonville.

This past weekend, I attended the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. ESPN and MIT joined together to host the one day event devoted to the business of sports.

While much of the day was spent discussing the science of statistics in sports (i.e. how the number of blocked shots in a basketball game directly correlates to the outcome, how to develop consistently good pitchers, etc), the fans were not ignored. The first panel of the day included a wide range of heavy hitters from the industry: President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Burke, Managing Partner and Executive Committee Member of the Boston Celtics Stephen Pagliuca, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, President of the Tampa Bay Rays Matt Silverman, and President of Game Plan LLC Randy Vataha.

What struck me about this insightful discussion about the best practices of management in the sports industry was not that of the analytical or crunching numbers necessarily. Rather, the message that resonated was the importance of the fan experience.

The first thing any student learns in a sports management program is that selling tickets to a sporting event is just like selling a concert ticket — it is about an entertainment experience. Success on the court/field/ice is not an element of the experience that the management can control. What each team must do is make the experience enjoyable for the fan regardless of a win or loss.

Brian Burke described his managerial style as making the fans’ investment worthwhile. He wants his team to play hard, hit, and score as often as possible. Burke referenced that NFL offenses that let the clock run down almost to zero prior to snapping the ball as a tangible negative. Burke’s contention was that it wasted the fans’ time.

Any fan that pays $100 to see an NFL game should have the benefit of seeing as many plays run as possible. Its a refreshing perspective from a GM who understands fans can spend their hard-earned money on a variety of entertainment options in Toronto, but choose instead to spend it on a Maple Leafs ticket for that live game experience.

The most interesting panel of the day was the discussion amongst David Holland of Cisco, Peter Moore of EA Sports, Tim Romani of ICON Venture, David Samson of the Florida Marlins and Alec Scheiner of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Marlins and Cowboys are at opposite ends of the financial spectrum. Alec Scheiner extolled the virtues of the new Cowboys Stadium, which David Samson explained was the investment equivalent of 3 new Marlins parks.

The bells and whistles of the new stadiums were dramatically different as it relates to the fan experience. Scheiner described the enormity of the new structure in Dallas as a way to accommodate the number of fans who want tickets. Samson explained the reasoning behind the intimacy of the Marlins field as a way to drive up demand for tickets.

While Scheiner believes the technological improvements such as televisions on the backs of seats are clearly fan-friendly, Samson countered that they pull the fan away from the live event they are attending. Samson wants fans to spend as much time watching the product on the field as possible.

At the new Marlins structure, lines for parking, restrooms and ATMs have been designed in the same manner as Disney properties — the fan always feels as though he or she is moving. The debate was healthy and provided proof that every market has different fan demands teams seek to accommodate.

How do sports organizations best attract our money? While winning is the great equalizer, sports is a zero-sum game. Every win means another team has to lose. By putting together a top notch fan experience, teams are able to obtain and retain the fans that will stick with them no matter the final score.

What does one take away from all of this? The bottom line is that these organizations need us to survive. Due to the economic downturn, what was already stiff competition for the fan dollar has become more rampant. It is up to sports fans to organize their efforts to demand results from the sports industry or this fierce competition ends up harming fans rather than helping the group.

[Kelty Carpenter is a graduate of Wake Forest University and soon-to-be graduate of Georgetown University's Sports Industry Management program. She currently serves as Sports Business reporter for SFC & Social Media Assistant for LinkStar PR. She loves Red Sox baseball and Deacon hoops.]

TV viewers in New York City found themselves unable to watch the beginning of the Oscars as content was cut off from Cablevision subscribers as of midnight Saturday night because they were playing hardball with the Disney-owned affiliate.

The standoff was not unlike what Sen. John Kerry feared would threaten sports fans’ ability to watch the BCS Bowl Games on TV in the recent News Corp./Time Warner Cable dust up. Luckily, it didn’t come to that, and we were able to watch our inequitable BCS Bowls without issue.

The real question here is ‘How long are we going to put up with this?’ Cablevision has no problem holding sports fans hostage with the MSG Network providing games exclusively to their subscribers despite the FCC mandate which pronounced this activity illegal.

Cablevision, with the support of Comcast, has also tied up the FCC’s decision in court while it continues to keep High Definition sports broadcasts from reaching millions of fans who happen to use an alternate provider.

To many, this is not a surprise. These companies used cut-throat tactics to get where they are today. So, they’ll keep on taking advantage of consumers until they get caught red-handed.

Well, it’s time for New Yorkers to speak up and share their story.  Start a Local Chapter of the SFC to take the power back in the big apple. Let’s push Cablevision and their cronies to treat consumers fairly.  SFC will continue to ask: WHERE ARE MY GAMES?

Given the background and experience of SFC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board, taking action for change in the hallowed halls of the FCC and, more recently, the Oregon General Assembly, for example has not been the greatest of these challenges. Organizing sports fans to come together hasn’t been a piece of cake, but the ease with which sports fans can sign our petitions, become a member, a fan on Facebook, or follow SFC on Twitter has facilitated real growth and interaction with sports fans in such a short time.

The real challenge has been the first goal of the SFC’s trifecta: education. Education and, bluntly, persuasion, has been a real test of the organization’s fortitude. One only needs to read the last four paragraph’s of Brad Blakeman’s testimony before the Oregon State Legislature hearing last week to recognize that our representatives need to be convinced that touching sports isn’t taboo. 

The tremendous backlash following the U.S. Government’s decision to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball culminating in a he said-he said stand off between fallen rocket Roger Clemens and his former personal trainer Brian McNamee left a bad taste in constituents’ mouths. Tax payers across the country questioned the use of our representatives’ time and energy on an issue which would’ve been better handled by Judge Judy or the People’s Court.

As the hangover from such a scandal has subsided, the need for sports fans to organize and fight for their rights has not subsided. In fact, during this recession, or as many believe it to be a depression, which burdens our economy, the big businesses which control the sports we watch on TV and the teams we cheer for in the stands are more eager than ever to make a buck. Now, more than ever, it’s time for a Sports Fans Coalition.

Sports teams are pursuing deceptive ways to take money from fans without them knowing it. Media companies have their legal teams working overtime to force fans to pay their ever rising prices with diminishing returns, making false promises to consumers and their representatives.

While most fans just want to see their teams win championships, like Red Sox Nation’s broken curse which brought tears to so many eyes in 2004, many are getting a raw deal but just don’t know they can do something about it. Sports fans don’t recognize their power.

The truth is that we sports fans have a tremendous responsibility to speak up when our fan dollars are being misused. When large corporations, even if they are the teams we passionately cheer for at home or in the stadium, take advantage of us, there is recourse we should pursue. When media companies strike exclusive deals and break the law by prohibiting competition and keeping us from getting the best deal or even the opportunity to watch our games on TV, we won’t take it. We will fight back.

Join us in the fight to take the power back.  There is strength in numbers, and our representatives will be forced  to recognize that the business of sports should not be ignored. Sports fans deserve better.