The NFL turns it back on Ohio fans!

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Ohio in general and Central Ohio in particular are being cheated by the NFL schedulers. Only 4 states have 2 teams in the same conference. But the other 3 are separated by customs, distance and interests.

Oakland area NFL fans only see the Chargers as that team way down south that is a division rival.

And nobody really cares about scheduling conflicts of Buffalo (vs. the Jets) or Jacksonville (vs. the Dolphins). Both of those teams are likely to be moving soon due to lack of attendance.

But the Browns and the Bengals share a history that is unique in the league. The Browns and the Bengals were both started by Paul Brown. That has caused mixed loyalties all over the state. But the NFL does very little to use the schedule to allow fans of each team to see their clubs games.

This year for example 8 weeks of the 15 (17 weeks less the two games against each other) have direct conflicts. The league could easily have avoided 5 of the 8 by scheduling Fox games (those played at home against NFC teams) on separate weeks. Instead the league scheduled both teams to play on Fox at the … Read more at FryingPanSports

UFC 112 Ends with a Fizzle

Anderson Silva

UFC 112 Ends with a Fizzle

Thousands of MMA fans tuned in to watch UFC 112 Saturday, April 10, 2010. The fight card boasted ten fights, half of which were preliminary fights. Since many missed the preliminary fights, here’s a quick rundown: Jon Madsen defeated Mostapha Al-Turk via unanimous decision; Paul Kelly defeated Matt Veach via submission, using a guillotine choke, in the second round; DaMarques Johnson, who earned a $75,000 “best knockout of the night” bonus, defeated Brad Blackburn via TKO in Round 3; Rick Story defeated Nick Osipczak via split decision; and Phil Davis defeated Alexander Gustafsson via submission, with an anaconda choke, in the first round.

The main fights started with Mark Munoz and Kendall Grove. Both men fought hard, and both earned $75,000 bonuses for their efforts. Munoz beat Grove via TKO in the second round. Next up were Terry Etim and Rafael Dos Anjos; Dos Anjos won via submission, using an arm bar, in the second round, and earned a $75,000 bonus as well. Matt Hughes faced Renzo Gracie in the next fight, which exhibited surprisingly little Jiu Jitsu, considering a Gracie was in the mix. Hughes won via TKO in Round 3. … Read more at FryingPanSports

TO: Owners of the NFL and NBA This is not the time to strike or lockout!

Fryingpan Sports

TO: Owners of the NFL and NBA

This is not the time to strike or lockout!

By Bill Smith

There is a famous saying that those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. That is not correct in all cases. In the case of the NFL and the NBA that face expiration of player master contracts in the next couple of years, let me restate it.

“Those that fail to learn from history are just doomed!” Smith, 2009

Both the leagues must learn from the examples of the NHL and MLB how devastating strikes or lockouts can be to their survival.

The case of MLB in 1994

In 1993, MLB had a total attendance of 70,257,938 a 26 percent increase over 92 and the best in league history. In the 5 years from 83-88 the league had averaged an increase of 3.3 percent per year. From 89-93 the league enjoyed an average increase of 5.5 percent per year. Teams like Montreal that had struggled for years were starting to show improvement. The game seemed fine but according to both the players association and the owners the economics were not.

The owners had forced then … Read more at FryingPanSports

Introducing the United Football League

Fryingpan Sports

Introducing the United Football League

UFL

By Bill Smith

No professional football in Los Angeles? There will be soon—maybe. The United Professional Football league may be coming to a town near you. Right now there are franchises being organized in LA and Los Vegas with other promised soon.

Commissioner Michael Huyghue has NFL experience when he served as the Vice-President for personnel for the Jacksonville. He has been joined by former USFL Oakland Invaders minority partner William Hambrecht, a Wall Street investor. Tim Armstrong, a senior executive at Google is also reportedly involved.

The league plans to play on Thursday and Friday nights in late summer and fall with a championship game in late November. UFLAccess contributor Fran Stuchbury reported that Jim Fassel will be the first coach of the Las Vegas entry into the United Football League. Fassel, the former New York Giants head coach, lends credibility to the new league which is something that any new effort needs.

The league is looking to start small with only 6 franchises in its first season. Among the cities under consideration are Hartford (CT), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterrey (Mexico), New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City and San Francisco according … Read more at FryingPanSports