Corey Coleman goes to Cleveland

Baylor's very own Corey Coleman was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the NFL draft on April 28th. After the Browns traded back to the 8th pick in the draft with the Eagles it seemed as if they would obtain Joey Bosa or running back Elliot from the Ohio State University. But since they got drafted at picks 3 and 4 respectively the Browns traded back again to the 15th pick to acquire one of the best wide receivers in the draft, Corey Coleman.

Clippers are Done

The LA Clippers shot at the NBA Finals has been dwindled away because of key injuries of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. They seemed to be a shoe in to advance to the next round and eliminate the curryless Golden State Warriors. Now it seems as if the Clippers may not advance past the first round and the Portland Trail Blazers will take their place in round 2. Expect to see the Trail Blazers step up their game this week.

Carlos Carrasco Pulls Hamstring

During last weekends game against the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians 2nd pitcher in their rotation, Carlos Carrasco, came off the mound with a pulled hamstring. After his MRI it is said that he will be out for almost 6 weeks. Expect to see Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer step up and possibly win some this season. Bauer started off the season as a relief man, but it seems as if he will have a chance to prove himself as a starting pitcher.

Cleveland Sweeps Detroit

After a grueling first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be moving on to play the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks. Most Cleveland fans are hoping for the Cavs to play the Atlanta Hawks do to their dominating performance from last year and this years regular season. Though, some fans such as myself want the Cavaliers to play the Boston Celtics after the dirty play they used against the Cavaliers during last years first round of the NBA playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing out of their minds right now and I expect to see them in the NBA Finals.

Bomani Jones Protest Shirt

In my American Sport in the 21st Century class on April 6th we discussed how race is still a relevant issue in todays sport world. On April 7th, 2016 Bomani Jones, an ESPN analyst, wore a shirt that was protesting the Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo logo. His shirt as seen in the picture below says

Bomani Jones states that using the name Indians is wrong.

"Caucasians" instead of "Indians". It also shows Chief Wahoo as a white caricature with a money sign. As Bomani Jones states, in the video below, the money symbol applies to the people using Chief Wahoo as a way to obtain money from Cleveland Indians fans. Not only was he protesting the logo, but he was protesting the name of the Cleveland Indians because it is not a politically correct term. Bomani Jones states that "Indians" are actually the "Native Americans". In class we discussed how ethnic groups and minority groups are discriminated against. Bomani Jones states in his interview that sports teams are making a "mockery" out of Native Americans and it is not right. Bomani Jones also stated the name "Redskins" is a flat out racial slur. The prejudgments that we discussed in class are exploited through sports teams and Samer Kalaf shows this when he wrote this article on Deadspin.com. You can read the full article from Samer Kalaf on Deadspin.com here: http://deadspin.com/bomani-jones-wears-shirt-1769642578

Sports and Economics: Booming Naming Rights Market

In my American Sport in the 21st Century Class we talked about how sports and economics work together for a respective product. We talked about how money has become the foundation for sports

Dallas Cowboys Stadium was built in 2009. AT&T bought
the naming rights for the stadium in 2013.

at all levels, but why is it back in 2010 when new stadiums were built like AT&T stadium and MetLife Stadium they had no corporate sponsors to fund them what so ever. These stadiums cost $1.3billion to build and they were the most advanced stadiums at the time, but instead of being called "AT&T Stadium" or "MetLife Stadium" they were called "Dallas Cowboys Stadium" and "New Meadowlands Stadium". In an article wrote by Terry Lefton on February 22nd, 2016 for the Sports Business Journal he discusses how the market for corporate names is booming more now than ever and how the market wasn't as big in 2010. In the article Lefton quotes Van Wagner, a Sports and Entertainment president, who says that essentially naming rights have been reborn in the sports world. CEO's and Presidents of many companies around the world say that naming rights back in 2010 were non-existent due to the recession that happened in 2008. No company wanted to spend too much money on an arena or stadium because it was too risky at the time. Now we are seeing stadiums obtain corporate sponsors before they are even built. The Minnesota Vikings new stadium already has U.S. Bank as they're corporate sponsor and Mercedes-Benz is sponsoring the Atlanta Braves new stadium that will be built by 2017. These sponsors help the sports world tremendously because as we discussed in class profit motive shapes owners and athletes. The sports world is growing faster than we know it and that is great for many future sports managers. You can read Lefton's full article here:
 http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/02/22/In-Depth/Naming-Rights.aspx

LeBron's Social Media

LeBron is receiving backlash after unfollowing the
Cleveland Cavaliers

Everyone is making a huge fuss about LeBron unfollowing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Twitter and Instagram. No one seems to understand that LeBron does this every year around playoff time. Even when he was on the Miami Heat he would unfollow them because it kept his mind on the game. Reporters are blowing this situation way out of proportion. It always seems as if ESPN wants a news story about LeBron and lately all ESPN does is put LeBron in a bad light. Now LeBron is my favorite athlete. I've been a diehard Cleveland fan ever since I was born and I will defend LeBron and his actions no matter what. Even though I hated the man when he left for Miami, I loved him when he came back because he s determined to bring a championship to the hardworking city of Cleveland, OH. An athlete hasn't been this determined to win a championship for this city since Bernie Kosar when he played quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the 1980's. Cleveland is on the rise and people better watch out.

College athletes missing out on education

College Athletes are putting more importance on athletics then education

High school athletes play sports in hopes to obtain a scholarship and their parents share the same dream as well. Obtaining money for college is huge for teens coming out of high school today, but some athletes are taking the money then playing one year in the NCAA for basketball or only three years for football. I know if I received a full ride scholarship I would be thrilled because then I would not be in a lot of debt in the future and I could obtain an education for free. In an article wrote by Jim Tucker for the Sports Business Journal on January 11th, 2016 he shines a light on the one and done athletes of the NCAA and the football players who only play a three year college career then go straight to the NFL. He shows how college athletes are not focusing on their academics and instead focusing on athletics. I tend to agree with him when he states that college athletes are missing out on an

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers PG,
played only 1 year a Duke

education. Unfortunately in the world today Universities are not only looked at for their academics, but for their sports programs as well. In todays society you either have an education or the talents to be a professional athlete. Tucker also feels as if some athletes think that sports are going to take them everywhere in life and that some athletes throw their education out of the window. Athletes need to realize that there is a world outside of sports and that they should get an education so that they can obtain a job in the future. Tucker has many more good points regarding this issue and you can read them by following this link:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/01/11/Opinion/Jim-Tucker.aspx?hl=Sport%20and%20Education&sc=0

Children turning to flag football

In my American Sport in the 21st Century class we learned about the risk of children playing football due to the many head injuries that are caused by playing the sport. We talked about how many parents are forcing their kids to play alternative sports so the risk of injuries is not as high. One of those alternatives are flag football. In an article wrote by Sarah Mackulin on February 15^th, 2016 for pghflagfootball.com shows how parents are frightened by their children playing tackle football. In this article Mackulin shows that one parent puts their son into flag football because it teaches him the game and doesn’t have him injured by the age of 8. Some parents also stated in the article that their children are too small and this sport keeps them active without the high risk of injuries. Mackulin also states a study done by the Sports Concussion Institute in which they say that concussions are 75% more likely in tackle football than any other sport in the country. That statistic alone is terrifying too many parents whose children want to play football. If I have a son in the future I know I will be hesitant when it comes him playing football. I would not want my child to have significant injuries that could hinder his life in the future. It is scary for the youth in today’s society and it is scary for football as a whole.

http://www.pghflagfootball.com/news_article/show/612183?referrer_id=187103

Introduction

My name is Cole Swartout and I am a Sport Management major at Slippery Rock University. Here on my blog there will be issues related to the sports world regarding technology, youth sports, professional athletes, and so on. I am an avid Cleveland sports fan from Erie Pennsylvania and I dream to be an owner or a general manager for a professional team one day. I hope that my blog is very informational to whoever reads it so enjoy!