Barcelona to win Champions League? Not according to Desailly
If you were asked about which team will win Champions League this season, you would probably answer Barcelona. But think again – check out an exclusive Betclic survey, which includes European Cup winners Marcel Desailly, Ruud Gullit and Arrigo Sacchi and you will know exactly why.
Online bookmaker Betclic gathered six of their top ambassadors in London recently and each had their own view on who would win this season’s competition.
In total they have 382 caps as players between them, plus six Champions League/European Cup trophies. So when asked to predict the winner of Champions League 2012, surely they know exactly what they are talking about?
Barcelona are the firm favourite with the bookie, but only three of the six ambassadors predict a win for the Catalan giants on May 19 next year.
“I think it could be time for something new and surprising happening in the knockout-stage this season and I am going for AC Milan,” said Marcel Desailly, who won Champions League with Marseille in 1993 and with AC Milan a year later. Read more
Report: $784 Million Per Year in New TV Money
The NCPA and the Drexel Department of Sport Management released a joint study that finds TV revenues from five major athletic conferences and the NCAA average approximately $784 million per year while total TV revenues have soared to $1.8 billion per year. The study, titled “TV Money Windfall in Big Time College Sports”, is available on the NCPA web site www.ncpanow.org. In addition to calculating TV contract numbers, the study questions how this new revenue will be spent.
Current and past spending patterns indicate that colleges are likely to spend all of the new revenue on luxury athletic facilities and salary increases for coaches and athletic directors. Also of concern is a recent NCAA proposal to trim roster sizes which would result in the elimination of over 1500 scholarships in Division I football and basketball.
Ramogi Huma, NCPA President and co-author of the study, stated, “It is inconceivable to me that the NCAA and its colleges are considering eliminating over 1500 educational opportunities while enjoying $784 million in new annual revenues that, thanks to their ‘educational mission’, they will receive tax free.”
In explaining the purpose of the study, Drexel University professor Dr. Ellen J. Staurowsky noted, “During the past few months, proposals to address the scholarship shortfall have prompted questions regarding how such proposals would be funded. With this influx of new money, we argue that this is the time for college presidents, conference commissioners, and athletics administrators to make covering the full cost of attendance a budget priority.”
Football and basketball players whose talents generate this money and graduate at a rate of about 50% have begun calling on the NCAA and college presidents to invest a portion of new revenues to bring forth comprehensive reform. Players from Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Purdue, and UCLA sent NCAA President Mark Emmert a petition signed by the majority of their teams which calls for investing some of the new revenue in reforms that would increase graduation rates among football and basketball players and provide basic protections for players of all sports while complying with Title IX.
In the petition, the players state that the NCAA can “realize its mission to educate and protect us with integrity” by adopting comprehensive reform during its Board meeting scheduled for this week. The players endorse the NCPA’s call for comprehensive reform including: Read more
WrestleMania Makes Record $62 Million for Atlanta
WWE announced that WrestleMania XXVII generated $62.1 million in economic impact for the city of Atlanta, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation.
This is a new record for WrestleMania’s economic impact, and a $17 million increase over WrestleMania XXVI. WrestleMania XXVII also generated approximately $7.8 million in local, state and county taxes.
“We are proud to have partnered with an organization that not only helped significantly contribute to the economy of Atlanta, but also gave back to the community in a multitude of ways,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “WrestleMania Week brought tens of thousands of fans from across the world to our great city and furthered Atlanta’s reputation as one of the sports and entertainment capitals of the world. We look forward to the possibility of hosting a future WrestleMania.”
“WWE is thrilled that the city of Atlanta and the great state of Georgia were the recipients of the largest economic windfall to date for WrestleMania,” said John P. Saboor, Senior Vice President of Special Events for WWE. “We would like to thank Mayor Reed and all of the public and private sector partners in Atlanta for embracing WWE and our worldwide fans, and for helping create an exceptional outcome for WrestleMania XXVII.”
A capacity crowd of 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries attended WWE’s pop culture extravaganza this past April. Key highlights from the study included: Read more
ProElite Announced Multi-Fight Deal with HDNet
ProElite announced it has signed a new, multi-fight, multi-year television deal, unveiled on last night’s LIVE broadcast of “Inside MMA”. The fight promotions company will air LIVE coverage of “HDNet Fights: ProElite – Big Guns” on November 5 at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL.
“After watching their first event in Hawaii, I could see ProElite was a great fit for HDNet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “This upcoming card has the perfect mix of marquee names and an innovative Heavyweight tournament that fight fans won’t want to miss!”
Former UFC Heavyweight Champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski will headline the event in separate bouts in addition to an 8-man Heavyweight tournament to identify the up-and-coming talent among MMA’s heavy hitters. Read more
Bud Light Fan Camp Makes Stop in Cleveland to Provide Browns Fans a Taste of the NFL
Bud Light is bringing Browns fans a taste of an NFL training camp when the Bud Light Fan Camp mobile experience arrives in Cleveland on Saturday, October 15.
Bud Light Fan Camp will be held at the Cleveland Browns Practice Facility located in Berea from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 15, where teams of four will be challenged to compete against each other in a variety of traditional and non-traditional NFL skills tests, each with a Bud Light twist. Fan Camp events include:
- Quick Kick: Kick footballs through inflatable uprights.
- Precision Pass: Try to hit passing targets.
- EA SPORTS Gaming Zone: Two four-person teams battle in an EA SPORTS Madden NFL 12 competition.
- Flag Frenzy: Try to gain the most points in a game of four-on-four flag football.
- Cannon Catch: Catch line drives and loft passes. Read more