Bloggers' Roundtable: Best Second Round NHL Series

This weekend marks the official beginning of the second round of the NHL postseason. Due to the rules change, this year's second round matchup features exclusively division match-ups. The New York Rangers v. the Pittsburgh Penguins or the NHL's biggest market vs. the league's biggest star. The Anaheim Ducks v. the Los Angeles Kings or the NHL's Freeway Series. The Chicago Blackhawks v. the Minnesota Wild or the defending Stanley Cup Champ vs. the only 4 seed remaining. Lastly, the Montreal Canadiens v. the Boston Bruins or an Original Six Matchup who have met more than any other two teams in playoff history.

With such competitive match-ups and interesting narratives in each series,  this week we asked our bloggers which second round NHL series they were most excited for.

Max Fogle, Editor-in-Chief - Boston Bruins v. Montreal Canadiens

This matchup is really has everything that people who overhype hockey match-ups are looking for: "Original Six", "Hockey's best rivalry", and the whole "Canada's team" angle. I don't know how much I buy into any of that, but this should be a great series, with the Canadiens being significant underdogs and the Bruins finishing with the East's best regular season record. Both fan bases hate each other, and feel extremely entitled. This one could get ugly.

Stephen Dreznick, Featured Blogger - New York Rangers v. Pittsburgh Penguins

I am most excited for the matchup between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers just came off of an emotional game 7 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. But goalie Henrik Lundqvist will have his hands full because the Penguins have Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, two of the best scorers in the game. Expect this series to go 6 or 7 games.

Matthew Hakiman, Featured Blogger - Anaheim Ducks v. Los Angeles Kings

Anaheim Ducks v. Los Angeles Kings - the Kings are red hot coming back from a 3-0 deficit to take the series their series against the San Jose Sharks. Just two years ago, the Kings won the Cup by getting hot at the right time as the eighth seed. The Ducks have been considered by many to be the most consistent team in the West this season, but they'll have a tough time trying to get shots by Jonathan Quick. Already one of the biggest rivalries in the league, these two teams will definitely play an exciting series.

Geoffery Rosenthal, Former Editor-in-Chief - Boston Bruins v. Montreal Canadiens

Bruins-Habs is the obvious answer here. That series will be everything that the playoffs are meant to be about - great hockey, great goaltending, hatred between fan bases, and a historic and current day rivalry. Of course, if you're a fan of the trap system, clutching and grabbing, and watching players who end the careers of others, look no further than the Minnesota series. Because when I think of watching exciting, wide-open hockey, I think of Minnesota.

Upcoming Event: Linda Cohn of ESPN

On Thursday, April 25, Linda Cohn, a longtime anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter will give a lecture and answer questions in Call Auditorium of Kennedy Hall.

The lecture is part of Cornell Hillel's Major Speaker Series. Along with ILRSBS, co-sponsors of the event include the Slope Media Group, the Department of Communication, the Athletics and Physical Education Department, and the Association for Women in Communications.

More information can be found on the Facebook group. We hope you'll join us for what should be a great evening with one of the longest running SportsCenter anchors. 

New URL!

I am pleased to announce that the ILRSBS blog may now be reached by typing blog.cornellsbs.com in your address bar.

Additionally, all previous links associated with the old "ilrsmc.blogspot" url will continue to work and remain active.

Be on the lookout for more major changes as the semester comes to a close!

Roundtable: March Madness Storylines

Florida Gulf Coast University became the first #15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 in the 2013 tournament

Roundtable compiles the views of various ILRSMC bloggers and e-board members. If you have a suggestion for a future roundtable topic, email Geoff at gjr52@cornell.edu.

As always, March Madness has given sports fans some of the craziest and most memorable moments of the year. From Florida Gulf Coast University's shocking run to the Sweet 16 to Kevin Ware's horrifying injury, the tournament has provided plenty of memories and images for CBS' "One Shining Moment.

Last week, we asked several ILRSBS club members what they felt was the biggest March Madness storyline so far. Check out their answers after the jump.


Gabe Cassillo: The reemergence of Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone. The way the Orange are playing, could this be Jim Boehiem's last dance? [Editor's Note: Question asked BEFORE Syracuse's loss]

Robbie Cohen: I think the biggest storyline is the success of the Big East in its final season as we know it. Two of the Final Four teams are currently playing their final seasons in the Big East - Louisville and Syracuse. The Big East also featured Marquette, who will join the new Big East after the season, in the Elite 8, giving it more teams than any other conference. Great way to send out a great conference, and we can only hope that it stays strong as a basketball-centric conference.

Chizoba Ibeanusi: The BIGGEST storyline of March Madness so far was definitely when Florida Gulf Coast #15 beat Georgetown #2. Practically everyone I knew thought Georgetown would win and no one even knew who Florida Gulf Coast was. It's crazy that a new school could beat out a known winner such as Georgetown. I definitely think that was the first major bracket upset.

Adam Kirsch: You can't talk about March Madness without discussing Wichita State. While the national media was obsessed with Florida Gulf Coast, the #9 Shockers dispatched #1 seed Gonzaga, fresh off a 32-3 season, and easily beat La Salle. With the Cinderella spotlight all their own, they took down a dangerous Ohio State team and punched their ticket to the Final Four.

 John Rodriguez: I think the storyline for the March Madness so far has been: Cinderella Story Florida Gulf Coast and the rise of mid major schools busting everyone's bracket this year. The balance of power in college basketball seems to be evening out.

Zach Schelberg: Up until Sunday night [3/31], I would have had to highlight The University of Michigan's historic second-half comeback against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks as one of the most memorable moments of the tournament. Trey Burke's ability to take over the game and hit clutch shot after shot to come away with a victory, will truly be something to remember. However, after witnessing Kevin Ware's gruesome injury against Duke, it is one moment that I unfortunately will not be able to get off my mind.

London 2012: Live! Or not.

Last night, 17-year-old American Missy Franklin was getting set to compete for the Gold in the 100m backstroke. NBC had just done a fantastic feature about Franklin's life at school and at home, and she was really being set up to be one of the faces of these Olympic Games. It was around 9:00 PM ET.

Too bad the race had already happened hours before. 

And too bad that NBC aired a promo for "Gold medalist Missy Franklin" two minutes before she actually won the race. 

Whoops. 

But NBC isn't the only one playing spoiler. Yesterday, I was foolish enough to glance at a television screen showing SportsCenter. The ESPN Bottomline made sure that I knew how men's gymnastics would play out later that night. The US finished 5th. But not on television. That didn't happen until much later.

And therein lies the problem. Due to the time difference, all of the events in London are taking place from about eight in the morning to about seven at night. NBC could show all of these events live, but they have instead decided to forego showing the biggest events (swimming, gymnastics, etc) live in favor of pushing them to primetime. Thus, the only live events you may see on TV are volleyball, judo, handball, and various other peripheral events. 

NBC is allowing people to view a free online stream of the events as they take place. I tried that for the men's gymnastics last night. After about twenty seconds of one athlete's floor routine, I was treated to buffering, freezing, and eventually a blank screen. Apparently I'm not the only one who is having a problem. 

The decision to save events for primetime obviously makes sense from a ratings standpoint. Millions will tune in to watch the women's team compete for the team gymnastics title tonight. The same will tune in to see if Michael Phelps can become the most decorated Olympian of all time. Unfortunately, we live in a world of Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and live feeds and blogs and ESPN and radios and televisions. 

WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY. 

We have technology that can tell us who is doing what at any given second. It's not even advanced. It's literally one person at the Olympics tweeting who won gold, getting retweeted a hundred thousand times, and just like that, the results are in. Now multiply that one person by dozens of reporters and a bevy of other spectators, and even the athletes themselves. There is no possible way to avoid finding out the results unless you turn off the internet, TV, radio, and your phone. Even then, you still might be subject to a spoiler on the very network who has it in its best interest NOT to spoil the race. 

I've already begun to take the precautions that I just mentioned. My TweetDeck has been turned off. Facebook is being checked sparingly. I want to see who wins the women's team competition tonight, and I want to see it with at least a little cloud of doubt hanging over the result. 

So yeah - big deal. Kid has to go a few days without his Facebook and his twitter. Tough life. 

But we shouldn't have to. Evidenced by their rebranding of Versus to become NBC Sports Network last January, NBC is trying to become a major player in sports. They have hockey. They have Sunday Night Football. And they have the Olympics. Sadly, they're dropping the ball big time on that last one. 

A sports network should dedicate itself to showing events live whenever possible. There is no difference between showing gymnastics live in the morning (and then replaying it at night) and not showing gymnastics live in the morning and tape delaying it until primetime. 

No matter what, the results are out there for all to see. At least give us the chance to see them while they happen.

And I'm not talking about a feed. 

Radio Show Update

Sports Inc., the Cornell ILR Sports Management Club's radio show, can be heard every Wednesday at 5 PM on Slope Radio.

While you wait for this week's show, take the time and listen to some of our past broadcasts.

After listening, feel free to come to the blog and react to the day's topics or even make a blog post if something was really grinding your gears.

For any questions regarding the radio show, feel free to email Scott Weiss (scw63) or Joey Shampain (jrs433).

Blogger Roundtable: Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Sorry, Reggie - no pay for you.

The Blogger Roundtable compiles the views of various ILRSMC bloggers and e-board members. If you have a suggestion for a future roundtable topic, email Geoff at gjr52@cornell.edu.

A timeless debate for sports fans, the simple notion that "student-athletes" should or should not be paid is enough to start a fiery debate. There's no question that some schools are the beneficiaries of what has become not just a game, but a business. If colleges are making money thanks to their football team's performance, why aren't the players compensated?

At the same time, many argue that these athletically-inclined young adults are called student-athletes. The emphasis should be on the student part of their title. Naysayers will also point out that most of the colleges who make big bucks from their athletic departments already DO give tremendous benefits (often times, a free or discounted education) to their players.

Admittedly, the debate is getting tiresome. But recently, there's been some gasoline thrown on into the flames.

Last Monday, Evan Weiner of the NewJerseyNewsRoom reported:

Apparently, according to a person in the know, college presidents, provosts and chancellors are thinking of giving “student-athletes” a $2,000 a year salary for their efforts. Athletic Directors seem to think $3,500 is a better stipend but for now the $2,000 figure seems to be right amount of money to spend on players for the Lords of the Ivy Towers.

Weiner goes on to give a very detailed look at the collegiate athletic landscape and whether or not athletes are entitled to some sort of "salary."

On a new installment on the ILRSMC Blog, we asked SMC bloggers:

Should student athletes be paid?

The opinions after the jump.

Here's what they had to say:

Adam Kirsch (ILR '15)

I do not believe that college athletes should be paid. DI players receive their diploma essentially for free and gain the benefit of numerous services that aren't necessarily accessible to the ordinary student.

Although they generate a great deal of revenue for the university, not every athlete contributes the same degree to the university (example-Cam Newton brought much more revenue to Auburn than Notre Dame's second-string punter brought to South Bend). There is no way to create a fair and reasonable system to proportionally compensate student-athletes beyond the scholarship system.

Furthermore, although DIII athletes do not receive scholarships, they do not bring a significant share of revenue back to the university compared to their DI counterparts.

Given the above reasons, I do not think that DI athletes should be paid. They have the option to leave early for the pros if they want to get paid-there's no reason they should be paid in college when they can make the jump and collect on a signing bonus.

Robbie Cohen (ILRSMC VP Events, ILR '13)

I believe that college athletes should not be paid. They are essentially being paid by receiving scholarships, as they don't have to pay the increasingly high costs of tuition.

Furthermore, they are STUDENT athletes - note that the word student comes first. While most have the end goal of being professional athletes, college is their time to learn as undergraduates - if and when they make it to the pros, that is when they should get paid.

NCAA athletes do bring in tremendous revenues to universities. But if these universities had to pay each and every one of their athletes, they may not be able to sustain their programs - unless they devoted more resources to sports, which would mean sacrificing the education that the university offers.

Going along with this, the competitive balance would be diminished as the bigger, richer universities would be able to just pay for the better players.

Johanna Gill (ILR '15)

College athletes definitely should not be paid. Ultimately, they are at an educational institution where, in theory, academics, not sports, should be the main focus. At the moment, there are already rampant issues with corruption in college sports; take for example the University of Miami. Officially allowing schools to compensate athletes may only exacerbate unethical practices and lead to an even more exaggerated divide in competition if schools with more resources are continuously able to attract the top athletes.

Also, many athletes are on athletic scholarships at their respective schools. Isn't that compensation enough? Especially now with the economic downturn and colleges being forced to cut academic programs, monetary compensation should only come into play in a professional league.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The bloggers seem to be pretty certain of their views, but there is at least one who takes exception. Check out his take in Alternate Perspective.

Poll of the Week: A Wild-Card Playoff

Poll of the Week is a weekly (sometimes) feature appearing every Friday (or whenever we want). Please vote on the right sidebar, and back up your opinion in the comments. Feel free to email poll suggestions to gjr52@cornell.edu

September 28th may well go down as one of the most exciting nights in baseball history. In the span of just a few hours, the fates of the Braves, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Rays were decided in exhilarating fashion. After 162 games, the Wild Card in both leagues came down to the last day of the season.

Starting next season and beyond, this kind of night might happen every single year.

In case you haven't heard, Major League Baseball is reportedly playing around with the idea of instituting a "Wild-card playoff" in which the top-two non-division winners in each league will play a one-game playoff to determine who clinches the wild-card.

The New York Post reports,

Negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for Major League Baseball are moving at a fast pace and one issue the sides have all but agreed upon is adding two wild-card teams and holding one-game playoffs in each league to determine which of the wild cards advances

A one-game playoff would undoubtedly create a must-see TV event. Wednesday night aside, there have been some fantastic one-game playoffs the past few seasons.

Who can forget Matt Holliday's winning run in 2007?

What about the Twins topping the Tigers in extra innings to win the 2009 AL Central?

Imagine a game with this much on the line. Now imagine it happening every. single. year.

Twice.

But it's not that simple.

ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler picks apart MLB's proposed plan:

Baseball's brutal 162-game schedule is the difference-maker in this sport, a fact reinforced with historic authority Wednesday night. That schedule certainly doesn't preclude a late rush, especially not with the single wild-card factor already in place. (And esoterics aside, that has been a massive success.) But it is ultimately designed to reward the long-term winners.

Kreidler goes on to argue that Wednesday night wouldn't have been possible, because all four teams would have already clinched spots in the one-game playoff.

Additionally, he argues that there are times when the wild-card race isn't close, and it's unfair to the team that is clearly better to have to play a team that is clearly worse for the chance to make the postseason after a 162-game season.

So what say you? Should Major League Baseball institute a one-game playoff at the end of every season? Or should they the 162 season separate the men from the boys?

Vote in the poll to the right and let your voice be heard in the comments below!

Poll / Blog Updates

The ILRSMC Blog would like to direct your attention to some new features that have officially gone live.

-You can now follow the blog by email, and it's easy to do! Simply enter your email in the right sidebar (underneath the poll) and you'll receive updates every time there's a new post.

-Want to find a specific member's posts? Go to the Contributors page and click on any author's name. All of the posts s/he has written will be available for view.

-Event recaps are now conveniently listed at the top of the right sidebar. More will be added as they appear on the blog.

-Under the event recaps is the new "Explore" section. Finds posts based on their specific content.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Please take the time to vote in our newest poll. As this academic year begins to wind down, the blog will start its preliminary planning for not only next fall's content, but for continual summer posts, as well.

Feel free to select multiple answers, too.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As always, we encourage you to use the comments section below to express any concern, question, or suggestion you may have for the blog moving forward.

Cheers,

SMCBlog

VIDEO: ILRSMC President Gives First Ever "Evolution of Sports" Address

Labeled as "an opportunity to present a message, an idea or a revolutionary thought that could someday change the face of sport," the first Evolution of Sports Address was given by ILR Sports Management Club Co-President Gabe Gershenfeld ('11) last month at MIT's annual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

Gershenfeld's address, specifically, focused on "HR, Labor Relations, and the Future of Sports."

For reactions to the event, click here

For more information on:

• The first subject, look for an article entitled "Quantifying Succession Planning and Player Development: What the HR Nine-box Can Learn from Baseball Analysis, and Vice Versa" in the forthcoming Sports, Inc. magazine issue.
• The second subject, look for an article entitled "Bargaining When the Future of an Industry is at Stake: Lessons from UAW-Ford Collective Bargaining Negotiations" in the forthcoming Negotiation Journal issue.
• The third subject, read this blog post entitled "Solution for the NFL-NFLPA: Change the Rules of the Game."

VIDEO: MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

The wait is over. The videos are here.

As was written by ILRSMC Vice-President Robbie Cohen last month:

On Friday, March 4th and Saturday, March 5th, seventeen club members, alumni and faculty traveled to Boston to participate in the 5th annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the conference has grown in size each year (read about our commentary from last year's conference here). A record 1,500 attendees saw interactive panels and research presentations, as well as some new features. The subjects of the panels ranged from "The Coming War: Sports Labor Relations" to "Athlete Branding in the New Age" to "Hockey Analytics."

Videos from MIT after the jump.

The Coming War: Sports Labor Relations


Broadcast Experience: Viewers or Fighter Pilots?


Gut vs. Data: How Do Coaches Make Decisions?


New Owners: Challenges and Opportunities


Sports Gambling: The Source of Sports Innovation?


Check out the rest of the discussions (and there's a lot of them) HERE.

Which discussion did you find most interesting? Is there anything that struck you as being surprising or particularly interesting? Vote in the poll to the right of this post and let us know. Drop a comment or two while you're at it.

Poll of the Week: Athlete Salaries

Alex Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $275 million contract in 2008

Poll of the Week is a weekly (duh) feature appearing every Monday (or whenever we want). Please vote on the right sidebar, and back up your opinion in the comments. Feel free to email poll suggestions to ilrsmcblog@gmail.com.

A lot of writers and readers of this blog probably consider themselves "die-hard" sports fans. Many of us are people who will fight to the death to defend our favorite player, team, or sport, especially against the "non-fan." The "non-fan" is that guy who doesn't understand why I think hockey is the greatest sport on ice. He's the guy who doesn't understand why the Cubs are so beloved for losing or why the Yankees aren't able to win every year given an unlimited payroll.

Conversations with the "non-sports fan" always become tougher, though, when they bring up the amount of money that our favorite players make.

Why does this guy make 1 billion dollars (in a Dr. Evil voice) for shooting a three-pointer but firefighters and police officers make practically nothing?

Depending on who you are or what sport you follow, you may counter with the idea that these athletes bring in extraordinary amounts of revenue. Or maybe it all comes down to supply and demand.

Ashley Walker takes a good look at the issue of overpaying athletes, and what this says about American society as a whole.

Take a look at her argument:

Let’s put this in perspective. The average brain surgeon makes $450,000 a year. A social worker makes around $46,000. A teacher, even in Connecticut, the highest paying state, only makes an average of $63,000. So, a person who saves lives, a person who protects and serves struggling families, and a person who shapes and molds young minds make a mere fraction of what sports stars make.

[...]

Not only do these athletes get paid tens of millions of dollars to run, jump, and catch, they’re treated as demigods in the process. Their morals and decisions seem to be above reproach or judgment. How many athletes, regardless of their sport, have been involved in scandals (usually sexual in nature), only to be forgiven by both the judicial system and the public at large?

It's a simple question this week:

Are athletes overpaid?

Voting will last until Tuesday at Noon. As always, follow up with your comments below.

Last Week's Poll

Last week, we asked:

Which sports city is the most "miserable?"

An overwhelming 63% of the voters chose Buffalo to be the unfortunate "winner."

Phoenix finished in second with 18% of the vote, while Forbes' choice - Seattle - received a lone vote along with a mysterious "Other."

In the comments, SMCBlog reader "RedBird" voiced his opinion that Cleveland is the worse, while "Robbie Cohen" made the argument that Atlanta may soon play itself off the list entirely.

Care to disagree? Keep the disagree.

Until next time, happy voting!

Event: Sports Internship Panel

Sports Internship Panel

On Tuesday, the ILRSMC will be hosting an internship panel featuring current students who have worked in the sports industry. Panelists have interned with a variety of sports companies and leagues including Major League Baseball, San Diego Padres, and Bloomberg.

Please join us on Tuesday, March 8th at 4:30pm in Ives 117 to hear how these students obtained these internships and their advice for interning in the sports industry.

RSVP via Facebook

Poll of the Week: Miserable Sports Cities

Can Pete Carroll help turn Seattle sports around?

Poll of the Week is a weekly (duh) feature appearing every Monday or Tuesday. Please vote on the right sidebar, and back up your opinion in the comments. Feel free to email poll suggestions to ilrsmcblog@gmail.com.

This won't be the most positive post you read on this blog.

Especially if you're a fan of Seattle sports.

In his blog, Fields of Green, Tom Van Riper of Forbes.com writes,

But through a cumulative 111 seasons and 37 playoff appearances, Seattle boasts only one champion: the 1979 Sonics of Gus Williams, Jack Sikma and Dennis Johnson. The list of playoff busts includes some real gut-wrenchers: The 1978 Sonics blew a championship by dropping a Game 7 at home to Washington in the finals, while the top-seeded 1994 club lost a first-round series to the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets. And the 2001 Mariners went down in the playoffs to the Yankees after posting a 116-46 record during the regular season. Add it all up, and Seattle’s history lands it at the top of our list of the Most Miserable Sports Cities.

Oy vey. The rest of the top 10? After the jump. From, uh, "best" to worst:

10. Cincinnati

9. Denver

8. Cleveland

7. Kansas City

6. Houston

5. San Diego

4. Buffalo

3. Phoenix

2. Atlanta

Any surprises on this list? If so, familiarize yourself with Forbes' scoring system:

We scored each city on the number of times one of its teams has lost in the postseason, adjusting the misery points to give the most weight to losing in the final round (World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Final, Stanley Cup Final) and doling out progressively fewer points for losing earlier playoff rounds. We also factored in the number of years since each city’s last title (31 for Seattle), and the ratio of each city’s cumulative seasons to championships won (Atlanta, for instance, has compiled 153 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL seasons while winning one championship, the 1995 Braves). And to keep the playing field even, we limited the contenders to cities with at least 75 cumulative seasons in the four major sports leagues.

That said, which sports city do YOU believe is the most miserable?

Also, which of the cities that Forbes ranked is most likely to play itself off this list in future years? Voting closes next Monday. Don't forget to comment below.

Most importantly, protect your fan base.

Last Week's Poll

Last week, we asked:

How many NFL games will be played next season?

In a close vote, 60% of voters believe that the NFL will stick to the normal 16-game regular season; however, 40% of the voters appear to be pessimists (or realists) and believe that there will be an NFL lockout in 2011.

Thanks for voting!

Poll of the Week: NFL Games in 2011-12

Robert Kraft

Poll of the Week is a weekly (duh) feature appearing every Monday. Please vote on the right sidebar and back up your opinion in the comments. Feel free to email poll suggestions to ilrsmcblog@gmail.com.

According to a recent AP poll, it doesn't appear that many NFL fans across America favor an expanded NFL regular season.

An Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released Thursday shows only lukewarm backing at best for a switch from 16 to 18 regular-season games, one of the NFL's key -- and easiest-to-understand -- proposals in its labor negotiations with the players' union.

Of everyone surveyed, 27 percent strongly favor or somewhat favor adding two regular-season games and dropping two preseason games. When the group is narrowed to those identifying themselves as NFL fans, support for the change rises to a total of 45 percent -- yet only 18 percent who strongly favor it.

Check out the rest of the details on ESPN.

ESPN provides the player's perspective - Hines Ward is quoted in the article as stating that "no player wants to play 18 games" - but Sporting News provides management's perspective.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft told NFL.com that an expanded season would aid the league in a down economy. "I really think going to an 18-game season is critical to us getting a labor deal. There's not a lot of ways in this economic environment we can generate incremental revenues. That's the best way."

So how many regular season games will the NFL play next year?

Will the players - who note fatigue and injury concerns as part of their resistance against an expanded regular season - win out against the owners, who, as Kraft states, need the additional revenue?

Further, what would you, a fan of the game, prefer?

Voting is open until Monday the 28th.

Thanks to Gabe Gershenfeld for this week's question

Opening Remarks

"Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door"

-Albert Camus

Formalities first:

Welcome to Cornell University's ILR Sports Management Club's Official Blog.

My name is Geoff Rosenthal, a Cornell freshman majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) with a crazy, but certainly reachable dream of one day entering the sports industry in order to turn what has been a passion for over fourteen years into a career.

As Editor-in-Chief, it is my goal to make this blog an everyday stop for readers interested in stimulating, sports-related conversation.

When you click our homepage, you'll find a bevy of posts written by talented club members with unique insight and strong opinions backed by facts and stats. I encourage you to learn more about these writers by clicking here.

The Blog is just one aspect of ILR's Sports Management Club. The club, whose stated goal is "educating [its members] about opportunities in the sports industry," has hosted such speakers as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Vice-President of Labor Relations in Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, and on February 1st, 2011, John Ruger, Ombudsman for the United States Olympic Committee.

Additionally, the Sports Management Club hosts a weekly radio show and produces the Sports, Inc. magazine, which is published each semester.

In terms of timing, The Blog couldn't have started at a more gut-wrenching time for sports fans, specifically NFL and NBA fans.

The NFL is on the verge of shutting its doors next season , while the NBA needs Lebron James to attend labor meetings in hopes of making some kind of progress in its labor dispute. But that's for another post.

As an NHL fan, I've been through a lockout - it's not a lot of fun for anybody. It'll be interesting to see if the NFL and NBA learned anything from the NHL's 2004-05 non-season.

That's for another post, too.

I encourage you to bookmark The Blog, http://ilrsmc.blogspot.com.

In fact, while you're at it, go ahead and "Like Us" on Facebook and "Follow Us" on Twitter. All the cool kids are doing it.

If you ever have any questions, complaints, suggestions, or just need someone to rant to, our blog's email is located directly to the right of this post. You can also click HERE to send us your email.

I look forward to interacting with you in the comments section, as well. Don't be afraid to express your opinions and take issue with an author's opinion. Do it respectfully, but make your voice heard.

As Camus so elegantly stated, great works are born in the simplest of places. In this case, it's the dorms and apartments and libraries at Cornell University.

Without further ado, Here. We. Go.