Mid-Day Madness

Would a game like Monday's FA cup tie draw similar crowds in the US? photo courtesy premierleague.com

On Monday English football giants Chelsea and Manchester United played an entertaining FA cup game at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea came out the victors, courtesy of a fantastic finish from forward Demba Ba. Though in my opinion, Chelsea going through to the semi-finals of the world's oldest football competition isn't the only taking point from the game. 

This particular match happened to be at 7:30 EST, or 12:30 in London.   The fact that kickoff was right in the middle of the day, on a work day nonetheless didn't stop 40,704 people from attending, nearly a sellout. It can easily be argued that the opponent, competition, and round of said competition is what drew the large number. But the question here is, could something similar happen in the US.?

It's hard to imagine a situation like this happening with one of our popular sports, but lets speak hypothetically here. What if for some reason Monday night football had to be rescheduled for 1PM instead of later on that night. It's hard to imagine, but would the game still sell out? What about a weekday NBA game, we'll even go big time and say the Miami heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers from the Staples Center. Instead of a normal Thursday 7 or 7:30 PST start, what if the game was moved to, say, 1:30 PST? Would we see the same type of crowd, or at least comparable to the normal start time?

Major League Baseball has something similar to this idea, where they'll schedule an afternoon start on a weekday from time to time. They're called "business person specials," and have become something of a league wide tradition.  Even these games rarely get close to selling out, with prior notice. 

So would a afternoon weekday game work in the US? Would tens of thousands of fans take off from work and school to go cheer on their favorite team. Or does the high attendance of the soccer game just a difference of culture? Voice your opinions in a comment or on twitter! (@mojo_FTNB). 

The Dwightmare Is Over

We always seem to be late on these things don't we? In any case it's better late than never.

The Dwightmare is finally over, and we believe that Dwight Howard got his wish by going to the Los Angeles Lakers. While Howard did end up in one of his preferred destinations, the actual trade may have caught some people off guard. It was a four team deal involving LAL, Orlando, Denver, and Philadelphia. The Lakers obviously receive Howard, along with respectable role players Chris Duhon and Earl Clark. Orlando receives the haul of big man Nikola Vucevic, former 76ers first round pick Maurice Harkless, Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, and Christian Eyenga. Orlando also received three first round draft picks and two second round draft picks. Details of the picks acquired below:

a first-round pick from either the Nuggets or the New York Knicks in 2014, a protected first-round pick from the Sixers, a protected first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017, a second-round pick from the Nuggets in 2013 and a conditional second-rounder from the Lakers in 2015. - Adrian Wojnarowski

The Nuggets receive defensive maestro Andre Iguodala; Whiile the 76ers receive center Andrew Bynum and sharpshooter Jason Richardson.

The two main talking points from this trade are first off, the relief of the Dwight Howard drama finally ending, and the Lakers not trading Pau Gasol. The Lakers retain Gasol, and now can run out arguably the best starting five in the NBA. It is safe to say that the trade at least changed the landscape of the Western Conference, and makes the Lakers the favorites to make the NBA finals next season.

 The Nuggets also improve by getting swingman Andre Iguodala. Arguably the best wing defender in the NBA right now, Iguodala is also a great playmaker and rebounder. He is also crazy athletic, and has at least a respectable three point shot. The Nuggets should see a increase in wins, especially if JaVale McGee continues to improve.

Philadelphia lands center Andrew Bynum, which could be considered a steal. He is often called 1.b to Dwight Howard in talks of who is the best center. The 76ers also acquire guard Jason Richardson, who I will think will compete for a starting slot. He still provides a little athleticism, and will surely be a three point marksman like previous years.

Orlando may have actually gotten the worst of the trade, but still got some solid players. Afflalo and Harrington are established veterans who will come to play every night. Vucevic showed some promise last year, and Harkless has crazy upside. Orlando also relieved some cap, and got a few draft picks. On paper they lost big time, but when you look a little closer the Magic did okay in trying to maximize their end of the deal.

So now that it's over, what's your thoughts on the Dwight Howard saga? Leave a comment or feedback below, or head over to our contact info page and use any of the links to get in touch!

2012 NBA Offseason Preview: Los Angeles Lakers

Players Returning

SG Kobe Bryant
C Andrew Bynum
PF Pau Gasol

Key Free Agents

PG Ramon Sessions

2012 Draft Picks

#60

Team Needs

PG, SF

There have been plenty of rumors going around that the Lakers are going to try their hardest to get the best value in trading Pau Gasol, but there aren't too many specifics on just where he might go yet. Ramon Sessions is declining his player option to play for the Lakers this season, but he says he's still interested in signing with the team. Given that the Lakers have the third-highest payroll this season and the last pick of the draft, it seems like the only way they're actually going to improve the roster will by through trading.

Written by Wes B.