Jason Berkes
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Author Archives: Ross Everett
Redskins To Stay With Zorn As Coach For Now
Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn is off of the hot seat-at least temporarily. After a recent swoon that saw him stripped of play calling duties for the NFL team, Zorn got a vote of confidence from upper management on Friday. His head isn't entirely out of the noose, however, as the reprieve will last only to the end of the season unless some marked improvement is seen in the second half.
Posted in Business Tagged Business, entertainment, hobbies, marketing, NFL, recreation, sports Leave a comment
UFC Ticket Sales Lag For Oregon Event
Portland, Oregon has long been considered a hotbed of mixed martial arts. The area is home to numerous MMA gyms, the most famous being Gresham's Team Quest. It has produced many top notch professional fighters including Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Ed Herman and Ryan Schultz. Regional MMA promotions like Lindland's SportFight and amateur MMA draws good crowds, and there's few markets in the country that have such a strong mainstream acceptance and understanding of mixed martial arts.
Posted in Business Tagged Business, mixed martial arts, MMA, sports, sports business, UFC Leave a comment
Portland Trailblazers, Brandon Roy Agree To Contract Extension
After extensive negotiations, the Portland Trailblazers have signed All Star shooting guard Brandon Roy to a five year contract extension. Roy will be in the final year of his rookie contract in the 2009-2010 NBA season, and securing the services of a player that did no less than turn around the franchise was the teams top summer priority.
Posted in Business Tagged basketball, Business, hobbies, marketing, recreation, sports Leave a comment
Superstar Shortage At NBA All Star Game
The NBA All Star game was played without a couple of high profile participants this year as the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson would not play due to injury. Kobe and 'AI' were the latest in a string of injuries to All Star players that also claimed Portland's Brandon Roy and New Orleans' Chris Paul. The NBA has been much more strict about missing the All Star game after many players would come up with illusory 'injuries' right before the game that miraculously healed before play resumed after the break.
Posted in Business Tagged basketball, Business, entertainment, leisure, marketing, NBA basketball, recreation, sports Leave a comment
Fedor Emelianenko Signs With Strikeforce
The worlds best heavyweight mixed martial artist has a new American promotional home. Following Afflictions announcement that they were ending MMA promotional activities, Fedor Emelianenko negotiated with several groups--including the UFC--before signing a multifight deal to compete for the Strikeforce promotion. Terms of the arrangement were not made public, but the promotion indicated that Fedor would make his Strikeforce debut this October.
Arena Football Back On American TV Screens
Though it enjoyed solid fan support and was popular among sports betting enthusiasts, arena football fell off the map with the demise of the Arena Football League. The AFL suspended play under the weight of a poor business model in 2009 and later pulled the plug altogether. Since then, a new league has announced plans to take its place. Arena Football One (AF1 for short) will begin play in April and on Thursday secured a TV contract to broadcast games on the NFL Network in the United States. The TV deal should help the new arena football entrant to get off to a successful start as they attempt to revive the sport. Obviously the long term goal is a deal with a major network like Fox or ESPN but a good relationship with the NFL never hurts.
Rio Beats Out Chicago, Two Other Cities To Claim 2016 Summer Olympics
South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite--including President Barack Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey--Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention.
The UFC Is Irrelevant In The Japanese MMA Marketplace