Photo credit: Steve Griffin, Salt Lake Tribune
The SOAR Blog didn’t give Real Salt Lake due attention and praise when the team won the Major League Soccer championship in the spring, but that doesn’t mean SOAR isn’t incredibly proud of its home team for bringing the State of Utah a professional sports championship title for the first time in 40 years.
It seems fitting that the influence of professional soccer in Utah, and in the United States, was recognized today by President Barak Obama in a brief ceremony honoring Real Salt Lake team at the White House. Joe Biden wasn’t there- he is heading up the contingency representing the U.S. at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa which is now less than a week away. One of Real Salt Lake’s players, Robbie Findley, will play with the U.S. team, which is a contender against Algeria, England and Slovenia.
Professional soccer is too often overlooked by North American spectators. World Cup engenders even more global enthusiasm than the Olympics in some regard- except in the United States. There are books, classes, experts, lectures galore on the global significance of “footy,” so I won’t belabor the topic here. We’re glad that with all of the other matters our presidency has to attend to that it would recognize the athletic power coming out of Salt Lake City and the importance of the World Cup.
Any chance Obama will vie for World Cup 2018 to be in the U.S. like he did for the Olympics? (2014 is already scheduled to be in Brazil).
See the Salt Lake Tribune article here
I’m a huge fan of college football! But there’s no week I love better than the week of Thanksgiving. It’s when almost every college football team plays their own rivals.
In Utah, it’s no different. The rivalry game between No. 23 BYU and Utah has come to be known as “The Holy War” for the connection BYU has with the LDS Church (Mormon). With the schools located only 40 miles apart, pranks from each school have heated up the rivalry to fever pitch for years. Last year’s late-game heroics by now-NFL quarterback John Beck has only added fuel to the fire. There’s been nothing but trash talk between SLC and Provo for almost 12 full months now.
Here’s the clip that fueled the fire:
This year’s game should be even better. Each team is riding a seven-game win streak, with BYU looking to secure the top spot in the Mountain West Conference with a win, and the Utes looking to share a piece of the top spot with a win and a BYU loss at San Diego State.
If this year’s game is anything like last year’s, it will be awesome! Go Cougs!
(This game will be televised live on CSTV at noon MT.)
I went to the BYU-Colorado State football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, on Saturday. My dad brought my my 5-year-old nephew to the game. He loves sports and, just like any kid his age, gets excited to be at a game. He’s been to a few games in the past, and during those games, he’s loved to go see the players up close. Saturday was no different. BYU had the game in hand, so my dad asked my nephew if he wanted to go see the Colorado State players head into their locker room. Of course, my nephew jumped at the opportunity. So they headed off.
What happened while they were standing at the locker room entrance is a testament to the classiness of long-time head coach Sonny Lubick. My dad reported that nearly 80 percent of the players gave high fives to the fans even though they lost. He said one player walked along the line and slapped everyone’s hands. When he came to my nephew, he slapped his hand, and then (almost turning around) he stopped, looked down at my nephew and asked, “Do you want these?” as he pulled off his wrist bands. It goes without saying that my nephew was elated.
Today’s sports world is filled with classless individuals, with A-Rod and Scott Boras leading the charge. They have their millions, yet they demand more, not only in monetary compensation, but in the attention they want from the world. They are the epitome of the “gimme-gimme” syndrome.
Yet, this young CSU football player, who may or may not be on a scholarship and who most likely won’t end up going professional in football, took the opportunity to reach out to an impressionable young boy, even after losing the game. His coach has taught him how to show sportsmanship regardless of the outcome.
Sadly, Coach Lubick will probably be fired at the end of the year because he’s had a bad season after a successful 15-year stint at CSU. But in my eyes, and in the eyes of my family (all staunch BYU fans), he’s a hall of famer in our book. Not just any sports hall of fame, but in the Class Act Hall of Fame.
Here’s Oklahoma State’s Coach Mike Gundy ripping into a reporter from the Oklahoman for an article about one of his players. Read the article here and then watch the clip and see if you think the coach was out of line in his response.
Is this the last time we’ll see Lloyd Carr on the University of Michigan’s sidelines? If it is it doesn’t seem like the fans will be too upset. At this rate Michigan should get comfortable out behind the wood shed! First Appalachian state thumps ‘em and then Oregon takes them to town, will the Irish prevail to make it a hat trick at Michigan’s expense?
I don’t think the issue here is losing. Lots of good teams and coaches lose, it happens week in and week out! (My alma mater, BYU, lost earlier today.) I think what makes Michigan’s losses significant is the margin of defeat coupled with the hype around the Big Blue and the poor level of play. Execution is key, and although blame falls on the players’ shoulders, the coaches are there to instill discipline and teach and practice execution.
The commentators on ABC today remarked that the defensive coordinator threatened his defense that if they didn’t perform they’d find themselves on the bench — well, after today it would seem that most of the defense should be sitting on the bench, think the coach will follow through?
As with all money making ventures, key stakeholders (boosters, alum and university officials) want to see results, Carr certainly isn’t making a case for himself with these two recent debacles, it’ll be interesting how things shake out in Ann Arbor. Is it too late to schedule a local high school team for a win?
With all that said, maybe the real question here deals with rankings. Last year’s national champion Gators put a hurtin’ on Ohio State, did the final score and outcome reflect an accurate prediction based on the rankings going in? So with that I add yet another item for the NCAA to come up with, along with a better championship structure, find a way to more accurately rank teams.
Are you as excited as I am for football season?
No time of the year is more exciting to me than the period of time between the end of August to the end of December. Most people would call it Fall, but it’s more than that. It’s football season.
I grew up playing and watching football. Now I mostly watch, but I play too…Fantasy style. In high school, I played tight end for our team, which was pretty good. And in college, I played intramural at BYU. Our team was awesome! Over two years, we went 22-0, winning the championship both years.
And now it’s that time of the year again. We’ve got football in the air, even in the office. Poppa P’s son plays tight end for a local high school, so it’s fun to talk football with Poppa P. We’ve even brought a football into the office to toss around on occasion–I think it helps get the juices flowing.
I’ve also got my fantasy league draft this weekend, which I’m really excited about. I just love the game, the ins and outs of what makes certain plays work. I owe that to my high school football coach. He had a mind for the game unlike any other I’ve ever known. He understood how it worked and instilled a love for the game in most everyone he coached.
So, here’s to Friday night lights, Saturday morning hype and continuing to live the dream. And here’s a little clip to get you exctied…one of my personal favorites.
