Reaction to Deflate Gate

This is just ridiculous. I'm not saying what Tom Brady and the Patriots did is ridiculous, its the punishment that is ridiculous. Tom Brady altered a part of the game that gave him an edge in the game to win. I don't care what the score was, I don't care the fact that they would have probably have won the game, there was no reason to do this. The Patriots are clearly a better team than the Colts. That part isn't the ridiculous part of it. The punishment Tom Brady got is just not enough. If a player like Greg Hardy or Ray Rice get the axe for doing something stupid off the field like domestic violence, then why shouldn't Brady get the same. He at least had to know what was going on. There was no way he could not have known the balls were deflated. He was the one holding them! Brady should have been suspended for the year and the Patriots get the fine and loss of draft picks. With this Brady is now known as a cheater throughout the NFL. Deflate Gate should also prevent Brady from going to the Hall of Fame. This incident is just the steroid problems in the MLB. There are still debates going around whether Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. Same thing should happen to Brady. I'll leave it at this, if Josh Gordon gets the axe just for drinking alcoholic beverages, then why does Brady get only 4 games for cheating and giving an edge in the game?

Corruption in Hockey

Corruption is probably one of the worst crimes in the world. Hockey has had corruption issues, but none were bigger what John Spano did in the 1990s. The NY Islanders around this time were the laughing stock of the NHL. They also had horrendous financial troubles. If things got worse, they would be forced to relocate the team. The team's owner, John Picket then agreed to sell the team to Spano for $165 million and $80 million for a 90% stake of the team. Spano was seen as a hero throughout Long Island. The people of Long Island were partying in the streets after they heard their "savior" came from the heavens. At the home opener in 1992, the fans cheered his name nonstop during his inauguration speech before the game. However, it was all too good to be true. After missing multiple deadlines to give Pickett his money, the NHL found out that Spano had forged documents about his wealth. It was also found out that he took out multiple bank loans during his "regime" as owner of the Islanders. On January 21, 2000, after multiple investigations and a long court battle, Spano was sentenced to 71 months behind bars and was forced to pay back all the money he owed to all the lenders. This was one of the biggest scandals in NHL history. Something like this will probably never happen again, but you never know. Lets just hope it stays like that.     

Reaction to League of Denial

The Concussion Crisis is an ongoing crisis in sports that probably won't be stopping any time soon. The NFL has known for years that there is an ongoing issue that concussions might cause long-term brain defects, such as CTE or dementia. I understand why they deny it, they don't want to destroy the sport of football. Its ok to have that line of reasoning, but that does not mean retired players or current players have to suffer. The NFL should not be having their own doctors running the show on this crisis. If they run the show, how do we know that they are running the proper tests/experiments? How do we know that they haven't rigged the tests in any way? How do we know that they are doing any tests at all? There are too many questions and too many suspicions that they probably will not answer. Testing should be run by brain specialists that are not biased and can be trusted by their colleagues and the general public. The NHL on the other hand has their own concussion issues, but its not as much of a problem as it is with the NFL. The NHL has taken action by creating rules and suspending and/or fining players with the intent to injure someone. The NHL is dealing with a concussion lawsuit, but the players involved have played at least 75 NHL games or less. The players involved with the suit are players that no one has heard off. The NHL will probably win because of the small sample size of games played by the players.    

If I were Commisioner of a Youth Hockey League

Hockey, in my opinion, is one of the hardest sports to play. The hitting and the roughness of hockey keeps people away from the sport. There are not really many non-checking youth leagues out there, especially for midget hockey. However, if I were to be a commissioner of a league, I would do four things. One, I would make it no checking so that players won't, contact with other players is allowed, but the player must have the puck and the player is only allowed to make contact to get take the puck away from the opposing player. Two, the league will accept anybody. The skill set of the player will not matter. This would make the league more attractive to beginners and would not be afraid to try because he is just starting out. I would make sure that the teams have at least 2-3 beginner level players per season to balance out the rosters so that there is not just one good team destroying everybody. Three, the coaches must be experienced at coaching. In my opinion, the coach is one of the most important part of a team. A coach must know how to develop and deal with young players. A coach must know how keep his players in order and must know how and when to use them. Four, the league will not be expensive. Hockey is probably is the most expensive sport to play, especially travel hockey. Just to try out for a travel team, you at least have to pay anywhere between $500-$1000 (depending on what level of play). Once you make the team, you probably have to pay another fee between the price range listed above. If you don't make the team, you will not get your money back. My league will guarantee a roster spot for all players that sign up. In case of a player needing help financially, the league will offer financial support or work out smaller payments.      

Youth Hockey

Youth sports in America is very big. People have dedicated their lives into creating the next superstar. However, hockey is a little bit different. Ice Hockey and Roller Hockey is currently on the decline. The main reason for this is concussions. Kids are getting hurt and then become to afraid to step on the ice or court. USA Hockey a few years ago changed a rule that kids could not start checking until Bantam Hockey (14 and under). Unfortunately, kids were still getting hurt and many were quitting. Kids these days are being undisciplined and reckless by trying to take someone's heads off because they did something that bothered them. Another reason why hockey is on the decline is because of the equipment. The equipment itself is not the issue, it is the price of the equipment. Hockey by far is the most expensive sport to play because of all the equipment that is needed. For example, the normal price for player skates is about $300-$400. For low income families, that is a hassle. Equipment for goalies is also ridiculous. The price for pads have skyrocketed over the past few years. The top end pads can go anywhere between $1500 and $2000. If hockey equipment was a lot less expensive, more people would play. Even though hockey has concussion problems, it does not happen as often as it does in football. You would have to be hit a certain velocity and angle to get a concussion in hockey. Even though the equipment is expensive, it is very protective. If ran right and coached right, hockey could become a child's life and dream to play in the NHL.

Job of a Fan

In any sport, there are fans, and they are probably very passionate about their favorite sport. However, that passion might take you a little bit overboard. The right of a fan is this, root for your favorite team(s), and that is it. There is nothing else a fan needs. If your favorite player is gone from your team, would you switch teams? In my opinion, no I wouldn't. I will say this though, fans sometimes do help management make decisions because that is what they want. If your team loses a game should you be mad, yes you should, but throwing stuff and yelling at other people won't help anything. If a fan goes to road games, he has the right to root for his team, but should watch what he/she says because you might start a fight or almost start one. A perfect example of this was when I went to the 2012 NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia. The Rangers won the game and the Flyers fans were upset, but for a certain Rangers fan, the win wasn't enough. As I made my way down the ramp at Citizens Bank Park, a Rangers fan was yelling profanity and saying mean things about the Flyers and their fans. Then, someone snapped and the fan got sucker punched and a brawl started. The two were broken up and was taken into custody. That wasn't the only incident that day. Another example of a fan going overboard actually happened that same day. A group of Rangers fans went to grab a bite to eat after the game at one of Philadelphia's most famous restaurants, Tony Lukes. The fans were supporting the Ranger's win, but wasn't doing anything crazy. An argument then started with a Flyers fan and fight broke out. The Flyers fan beat the living hell out of the Rangers fan and was later charged with assault. The rangers fan then sued the Flyers fan and got millions of dollars. Like I said, you have the right to cheer for your team on an opposing team's arena, but if you are going to be an ass, then you are asking for it. I'm not saying that these fans are bad, I'm just saying what fans can and can't do.  

NCAA's Realtionship with Hockey

With the Frozen Four coming up soon, I think its a good time to talk about the NCAA's relationship with the sport. To be honest, I think the NCAA is missing out on missed the potential on the sport. Hockey has the most passionate sports fan base in the world. Out of college, there have been many superstars out of college. For example, Martin St Louis was once an unknown until he went to Tampa and became an instant star. Another thing is that anything can happen in a hockey game. For example, 18th seeded St Cloud State beat North Dakota, who was a #1 seed. In hockey, there are a lot more upsets then there are in the Final Four. Another example of this, is that a small college like Union, won the national title last year, against a very good Minnesota Gophers team. A great thing about college hockey is that you can get drafted at any time and still be able to get your education. After you are drafted, your team holds your rights for two years, and if they don't sign with the team, you can sign with whoever you want. Most people say that all the great hockey prospects come from Canada and that you can only get noticed if you play in the CHL. A perfect example to disprove this is Jack Eichel. He is currently a freshman at Boston University and projected to be a No 1 or No 2 pick in this years NHL draft alongside of Connor Mcdavid. This year, it's good to be a hockey fan because this type of generational talent does come along often, let alone two of them. This link is to the NCAA Division 1 hockey playoffs http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/icehockey-men/d1. There are a total of 10 unranked teams in the playoffs, proving that anyone can make a miracle run to the championship, unlike the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Playoffs.