Both: Sports Cornerstones

It begins, by water. 

As it so often does. 

70% of this planet is water. 

55-60% of us, you and me, are water. 

As it so often does. 

It begins, by water. 

It is the miracle of this planet that the stuff that will run through our fingers when we hold it is the same stuff that binds us all together. 

Water is fine without us, possibly even much better, not so much for us without it. 

One part Hydrogen, 2 parts Oxygen and off we go. 

As it so often does. 

It begins, by water.

PHOTO: Cayuga Lake, NY

Both: The Cornerstones of Sport

It is always best to begin with the truth even if sometimes the truth is a moving target. 

These are my truths: 

Above all, the game has to come first, without it, nothing else matters. 

The fans of the game come next, without them, no game survives. 

Those who play the game, are next.  The truth in sports is simple, it is the love of the game from both fans, and those who play it, that make “game” possible.  No one in the stands, no one on the field, no one caring about the game, no game to care about. 

Sponsors of the game, including those who make the product the game is played with. You make the game happen when you support them with your bucks because those bucks then help them support the game.  Sponsors are not to be taken lightly, water floats the boats, but so do those who support the game and those who sponsor it. When you buy the stuff the sponsors sell you are helping them help the game. And not only the BIG sponsors but also the men and women in the smaller booths or websites, the mom & pop folks who sell T-shirts, lures, snow-cones…if you have a few extra bucks to spend, SPEND IT HELPING THE SPORT YOU LOVE. 

The Owners come next…and they will balk at that…but owners partially pay for the game, sometimes with their own money, many times with the money of others like you who buy tickets and sponsors who buy advertising. Know this too, THE OWNERS DO NOT OWN THE GAME, they own the franchise to play the game, they own the team that plays the game, in some cases they own where the game is played, they own the equipment used and the rights to the likeness of the team name and logo. If you and 22 of your best friends want to go play a game of tackle football in someone’s backyard you do not have to ask the NFL for permission to do that. 

It is the harmony between all of the above that make the game happen for everyone. 

To me what this also means is that if you love a game, if you play a game, if you sponsor a game, if you own who/what plays the game… 

…the game is on you. 

You are accountable, all of you, for the future of the game. 

That is the truth, of where I stand. 

The time is now to come together, fans, anglers, sponsors and owners, to determine the fate of the game of Professional Bass Fishing… 

…to determine what will be passed on to those who come next… 

…to realize that fans, anglers, sponsors and owners are stewards of the game, this is just your time and place, the game will continue past you, or not, you must work in harmony with the gift of game you hold. 

To be perfectly clear, I stand with the game. 

Answer, to the game. 

Answer for those long in the future so they will still have the game as it was passed on to you, to all of us. 

And the game of the future will not look like the game of today. 

We have before us, all of us, fans, players, sponsors, owners, the chance to define the game going forward, it is an amazing opportunity that not many get. 

BOTH tournament flags need to realize that, understand where the game came from, but also understand that they/we are just custodians of it, our time, our place, will it be our brief and shinning moment that fans in the future will thank us for… 

…or.

db (for the game)

The 1903 World Series

It was the very first, official World Series, and many were skeptical. 

The National League was older and established but the newly founded American League was aggressive in competing against it and under the leadership of Bam Johnson the new league actively recruited players from the other league and many made the switch. 

Finally, the National League acknowledged the new League and agreed to an end of season game between the two …9 games in all to be exact. 

American League Champions: Boston Americans vs National League Champions: Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Boston won 5 games to 3, Cy Young was pitching for Boston, Honus Wagner had multiple injuries and had an awful games. 

Overflow crowds at both ballparks watched the game, a single rope stood between the fans and the outfield, many times a long hit ball would roll under the rope and into the crowd and was declared a ground rule Triple. 

17 of those happened during the series. 

That game was called The World Championship Series.

For the past over hundred years we have been calling that game something else, we call it: The World Series. The “world” part may be a bit of an overstatement, North America may be better, but semantics aside…rival leagues…rival teams…with one goal…

…settle on the field the ONE champion of the sport.

There can only be one King Kong per sport, the best of the best…period. 

The 1967 AFL vs NFL World Championship Game 

Green Bay Packers vs Kansas City Chiefs (who BTW beat the Buffalo Bills to get in the game)…Packers win 35-10.  Both teams played with their own league football when they had the ball on offense. 

It’s estimated that 39 Million people watched the game, a 30-second ad cost $42,500 ($315k with last year’s inflation, clearly not this years inflation). 

The game wasn’t officially named the Super Bowl then, conflicting details as from where the name came from, KC Owner Lamar Hunt wanted to call it that but NFL Commish  Pete Rozelle wasn’t a fan of that name. 

Legend had it that the folks covering the game started calling it the Super Bowl…and it stuck. 

My guess is that the truth is somewhere in the middle of all that.  

55 Super Bowls later…the last one was the most watched TV show in the last 5 years, 208 million folks all over the world tuned in, average 30-second commercial was $6 point something million dollars or $217,000 a second. 

Some ad people say (take that description for what it’s worth) that 2/3 of the population of the United States tuned in sometime during the broadcast. 

BOTTOM LINE: RIVAL LEAGUES PLAY EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME AND IT TURNS OUT PRETTY WELL FOR BOTH… 

…once everyone gets out of the GAME’S way. 

db