The NBC2 Sports Blog has moved!
Please check out our new posts at http://www.nbc-2.com/Blogs/sports.shtml
Hope to see you there!!!
-Chris Long
NBC2 Sports
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Thursday, March 01, 2007
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG: The trouble with covering big-time sports
It’s our job as a local sports department to do our best every day to cover, gather and disseminate sports news and stories that are important to our viewers.
Unfortunately, a new rule in place at City of Palms Park this spring is going to make things a little tougher.
Just as we began to fire up our cameras at last night’s Spring Training opener between the Red Sox and Twins, we were informed that NESN – a cable network that serves New England – has the exclusive broadcast rights to the game. Even though NBC2 doesn’t serve New England, nor were we intending to show any portion of the game live on our air, we were barred from taping anything from the game.
It’s important to note that the Red Sox have an ownership interest in NESN, so it’s not like some independent entity paid the team for these exclusive rights. They may operate somewhat separately, but the Sox and NESN are in the game together.
We’re not exactly sure how the rules will apply for any Twins games this spring that are going to be carried on FOX North, their cable outlet.
This isn’t something we haven’t seen elsewhere in sports. Major League Baseball has long forbidden local cameras from shooting games as they’re in progress, and the National Football League just made the call to ban local cameras from sidelines this past season.
It’s reasonable for a network or broadcast outlet to desire exclusive rights once the price of buying those rights gets to a certain point. You the viewer may not know the rules, but I’m certain you’ve seen examples of how it works out on the air. The Olympics and even big-time boxing matches carry very strict rules on who can use video and when. Even with run-of-the-mill games on network TV, local stations can’t show highlights until the game is over.
It makes sense at that level of sport.
But in the two years I’ve worked in Southwest Florida – and for as far back as anyone who’s been here longer can remember – the local media has been given access to Spring Training. Every year, every game. It was incredibly jarring when we were ordered to “turn that camera off right now” – that was the direct quote – at City of Palms last night. I sat at a press table with members of the other Southwest Florida media outlets, and let’s just say NBC2 isn’t the only station who feels the rule is a little unfair.
It didn’t help ease our anger when we learned the rule doesn’t apply to International media… which meant the dozens of Japanese media were allowed to continue doing their jobs unhindered.
I get that Daisuke Matsuzaka means the Japan now falls within Red Sox nation. I also get that the team’s primary allegiance has to go to the bedrock of their support system back in New England.
But for six weeks each spring, the Red Sox and Twins are our team. Fans flock to the stadiums, buy the gear, adore the players, cheer at the games and brag to friends when they see their favorite player at the mall, restaurant or bar during those six weeks.
We even take some heat in the local media once the regular season begins for continuing to show Twins and Red Sox highlights in our sportscasts each night. Marlins and Devil Rays fans don’t seem to like it that Fort Myers, Florida often gives teams from Minnesota and Boston better real estate within our sportscasts than the two Florida teams.
That’s the point. They’re only here six weeks… but for Southwest Florida… these are our teams, too.
The City of Fort Myers built, maintains and controls the leasing of City of Palms Park. Lee County fills the same capacities for Hammond Stadium. It just doesn’t seem to stand up to logic that the local broadcast affiliates who serve the very people who paid taxes to build and maintain the stadiums are barred from doing their jobs there.
In fact, there is a groundswell among local media in NFL markets to use this same argument to work their way back onto the sidelines of NFL games. If the cities or municipalities own a stadium, can a team that leases it reasonably bar the local media from gathering news there. I would expect this battle to work its’ way into courtrooms within the next year or so.
Of course I’m going to be biased on this one, as I’m on the wrong side of the fence. I understand the idea behind paying money for broadcast rights, and why exclusive access often accompanies the rights fees.
But this is Spring Training.
I get that big-time sports means big-time dollars. I also get that since the won the World Series in 2004 along with their new global status after signing Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox have to deal a little more in crowd control.
Fueling our discontent… and by “our” I mean everyone in the Southwest Florida broadcast media… because we’ve all had this discussion already. I spoke with one colleague at another station about growing discontent just last week. Maybe that’s why last night’s banishment hit so hard. It came right after another Red Sox coverage-versus-access situation we dealt with. After countless calls, e-mails and requests for us to cover the Red Sox annual charity golf tournament… we arrived to have the team bar us from talking to any of the Red Sox players. I don’t mean to discount what the Red Sox, or Twins for that matter, do for local charities while they’re here. I went on-air last week saying it’s amazing how far they go to help charities in a town and region they’re only in for six weeks. It’s very noble and genuine.
The problem I have comes from the fact they begged the local media for coverage, to get exposure for their charity efforts… but once we were there, they wouldn’t meet us halfway by allowing us to get some time with the players.
That’s who the viewers want to see and hear. That’s who viewers care about when Spring Training begins. That’s what we, the local media, hope to bring to the viewers.
Do we have a right to access? That’s the big question, isn’t it?
Do the teams have a right to our airtime? That’s one we’ll have to consider over the next few weeks.
With all this in mind, we have to beg Red Sox fans for forgiveness ahead of time. There may be times this spring where we simply cannot bring you highlights of spring training games in a timely manner. We’ll be sure to state on the air when this happens.
Friday’s Daisuke Matsuzaka debut will be one such instance. The Sox game begins at 6pm, and we fully intended to be live at the game to show you Daisuke’s first pitches as a member of the Red Sox.
We’ll still be able to show it all to you eventually… but it will be off a generic national feed gathered from NESN, and won’t be until the 11pm newscast.
Needless to say, that's not the way we prefer to do business as a news gathering organization.
Unfortunately, a new rule in place at City of Palms Park this spring is going to make things a little tougher.
Just as we began to fire up our cameras at last night’s Spring Training opener between the Red Sox and Twins, we were informed that NESN – a cable network that serves New England – has the exclusive broadcast rights to the game. Even though NBC2 doesn’t serve New England, nor were we intending to show any portion of the game live on our air, we were barred from taping anything from the game.
It’s important to note that the Red Sox have an ownership interest in NESN, so it’s not like some independent entity paid the team for these exclusive rights. They may operate somewhat separately, but the Sox and NESN are in the game together.
We’re not exactly sure how the rules will apply for any Twins games this spring that are going to be carried on FOX North, their cable outlet.
This isn’t something we haven’t seen elsewhere in sports. Major League Baseball has long forbidden local cameras from shooting games as they’re in progress, and the National Football League just made the call to ban local cameras from sidelines this past season.
It’s reasonable for a network or broadcast outlet to desire exclusive rights once the price of buying those rights gets to a certain point. You the viewer may not know the rules, but I’m certain you’ve seen examples of how it works out on the air. The Olympics and even big-time boxing matches carry very strict rules on who can use video and when. Even with run-of-the-mill games on network TV, local stations can’t show highlights until the game is over.
It makes sense at that level of sport.
But in the two years I’ve worked in Southwest Florida – and for as far back as anyone who’s been here longer can remember – the local media has been given access to Spring Training. Every year, every game. It was incredibly jarring when we were ordered to “turn that camera off right now” – that was the direct quote – at City of Palms last night. I sat at a press table with members of the other Southwest Florida media outlets, and let’s just say NBC2 isn’t the only station who feels the rule is a little unfair.
It didn’t help ease our anger when we learned the rule doesn’t apply to International media… which meant the dozens of Japanese media were allowed to continue doing their jobs unhindered.
I get that Daisuke Matsuzaka means the Japan now falls within Red Sox nation. I also get that the team’s primary allegiance has to go to the bedrock of their support system back in New England.
But for six weeks each spring, the Red Sox and Twins are our team. Fans flock to the stadiums, buy the gear, adore the players, cheer at the games and brag to friends when they see their favorite player at the mall, restaurant or bar during those six weeks.
We even take some heat in the local media once the regular season begins for continuing to show Twins and Red Sox highlights in our sportscasts each night. Marlins and Devil Rays fans don’t seem to like it that Fort Myers, Florida often gives teams from Minnesota and Boston better real estate within our sportscasts than the two Florida teams.
That’s the point. They’re only here six weeks… but for Southwest Florida… these are our teams, too.
The City of Fort Myers built, maintains and controls the leasing of City of Palms Park. Lee County fills the same capacities for Hammond Stadium. It just doesn’t seem to stand up to logic that the local broadcast affiliates who serve the very people who paid taxes to build and maintain the stadiums are barred from doing their jobs there.
In fact, there is a groundswell among local media in NFL markets to use this same argument to work their way back onto the sidelines of NFL games. If the cities or municipalities own a stadium, can a team that leases it reasonably bar the local media from gathering news there. I would expect this battle to work its’ way into courtrooms within the next year or so.
Of course I’m going to be biased on this one, as I’m on the wrong side of the fence. I understand the idea behind paying money for broadcast rights, and why exclusive access often accompanies the rights fees.
But this is Spring Training.
I get that big-time sports means big-time dollars. I also get that since the won the World Series in 2004 along with their new global status after signing Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox have to deal a little more in crowd control.
Fueling our discontent… and by “our” I mean everyone in the Southwest Florida broadcast media… because we’ve all had this discussion already. I spoke with one colleague at another station about growing discontent just last week. Maybe that’s why last night’s banishment hit so hard. It came right after another Red Sox coverage-versus-access situation we dealt with. After countless calls, e-mails and requests for us to cover the Red Sox annual charity golf tournament… we arrived to have the team bar us from talking to any of the Red Sox players. I don’t mean to discount what the Red Sox, or Twins for that matter, do for local charities while they’re here. I went on-air last week saying it’s amazing how far they go to help charities in a town and region they’re only in for six weeks. It’s very noble and genuine.
The problem I have comes from the fact they begged the local media for coverage, to get exposure for their charity efforts… but once we were there, they wouldn’t meet us halfway by allowing us to get some time with the players.
That’s who the viewers want to see and hear. That’s who viewers care about when Spring Training begins. That’s what we, the local media, hope to bring to the viewers.
Do we have a right to access? That’s the big question, isn’t it?
Do the teams have a right to our airtime? That’s one we’ll have to consider over the next few weeks.
With all this in mind, we have to beg Red Sox fans for forgiveness ahead of time. There may be times this spring where we simply cannot bring you highlights of spring training games in a timely manner. We’ll be sure to state on the air when this happens.
Friday’s Daisuke Matsuzaka debut will be one such instance. The Sox game begins at 6pm, and we fully intended to be live at the game to show you Daisuke’s first pitches as a member of the Red Sox.
We’ll still be able to show it all to you eventually… but it will be off a generic national feed gathered from NESN, and won’t be until the 11pm newscast.
Needless to say, that's not the way we prefer to do business as a news gathering organization.
Friday, February 02, 2007
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - THE SUPER BOWL XLI EDITION (4:00am - Friday)
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - THE SUPER BOWL XLI EDITION (4:00am - Friday)
SOMEWHERE ON I-75 -- It's four in the morning on Thursday night... actually Friday morning, but my mind and body still think it's Thursday. I'm somewhere between the toll plazas on Alligator Alley banging away on a laptop as our news truck hurtles through the darkness toward Super Bowl weekend in Miami. After anchoring the 11pm news on Thursday, we packed up all our gear and high-tailed it across the alley to kick off our Super Bowl coverage.
To start off our three days of coverage, we arranged a knockout of a story in the wee hours of Thursday night.
...or so we thought.
Immokalee native, former University of Miami star, current Arizona Cardinal Edgerrin James was slated to kick off the weekend with his "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash" at a sports bar near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Fort Lauderdale.
After working all week to track down and contact the event promoter, we finally found out late Thursday afternoon that we had the green light to get over and spend a few minutes with Edge.
It's been a while since we've heard from Edge, and there are a lot of things to discuss: 'How's Arizona'? ... 'What's the latest on your cousin Javarris'? ... 'What's it like to be hosting events this weekend in a town you're quite familiar with'. And maybe most importantly... How does it feel to see your former team, Indianapolis, play in the Super Bowl after coming up short so many times when he was on their roster?
Since we had been lucky enough to land through-the-velvet-rope access, we figured we'd better do all we could to get there to kick off Super Bowl weekend right... with Edge.
We immediately hurried our newest employee, Evan Fitzgerald, out the door. Evan's our new sports photographer, having joined our department just a couple weeks ago. Needless to say he was pretty pumped up that one of his first assignments was to go out as the advance man in our pursuit of Edge. He scrambled to gather all the gear he'd need and he headed out across the alley.
The event promoter told me to be there at nine pm to be sure we don't miss Edge. Evan left just after six, and sent us a text message just before nine alerting us that he had arrived and was ready to rock and roll.
Just before our 11pm sportscast, we got another update from Evan. He told us Edge was delayed, and wouldn't be there until around 11:30 or midnight. Back in the office, we were kind of excited to hear this news... as we figured our midnight departure from Fort Myers wouldn't get us to Fort Lauderdale until 2am or so. That said, the new news that Edge was running late made it even more likely he'd still be there by the time we arrived. Evan is more than capable of handling shooting some video and interviewing Edge without us, but we didn't really want to be left out of the fun at the first event of what's going to be a very busy weekend of coverage.
So we did our 11pm sportscast, packed up the rest of our gear (which took forever... you wouldn't believe how much equipment it actually takes to gather, edit, and perform a satellite feed), gassed up the news truck and got all set to hit Alligator Alley.
The good news was that Evan had plenty of time to get great video of the event. People were partying, Miami Dolphin Channing Crowder was the guest bartender, and generally the $100-a-ticket bash was going off without a hitch.
The bad news came just as we were set to shove off. There was a hitch. There was a major hitch.
What's the one thing you think you'd need to have for the "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash"?
How about Edgerrin James?
For reasons not disclosed to our guy Evan, Edge was going to be a no-show. I'm certain he has a full docket this weekend, and any number of things could have come up preventing him from making it over. But you'd think the "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash" would be somthing Edgerrin James would probably be part of.
So we throttled things back a bit and took our time making sure we had everything we'd need for the weekend. We didn't end up leaving until around 2 or so. Now here we are tired from a a full day of work, and hustling now not to meet Edge... but rather to rescue poor Evan who's been hanging out at the "Edgerrin James-less Super Bowl Bash" for the last six hours.
Not really the way we hoped to kick things off... but at least we're all on our way.
Instead of kicking the weekend off with what would have been a highlight, we now have nowhere to go but up.
The alarm clock in the hotel's going to ring early, and we're not exactly going to be well-rested (especially poor Evan).
But the sun will rise on South Beach in four hours or so and we'll be there ready to REALLY begin our weekend of coverage.
The plan is to try to hit a handful of different aspects of the Big Game just down the road from Southwest Florida. I'll show you how the ticket resale market looks on the streets and beaches... you'll meet a brother and sister from Southwest Florida who are going to be working on the field Sunday as ball boy and ball girl... and I'll do my best to give you a peek into what it's like around Dolphins Stadium as Super Bowl XLI runs its' course.
Be sure to tune into NBC2 Friday and Saturday for live pregame reports from the Stadium. We're taking Sunday off, since you... and we... will be focused on the game itself. But we'll be back again Monday to wrap up the crowning of football's World Champion.
I'll also let you know if we run ever do run into Edgerrin James.
-----
CHRIS LONG is NBC2's Sports Director. His past odysseys with NBC2 have included a 'one-man-band' trip to Trenton, New Jersey for the 2005 Kelly Cup Finals between the Everblades and Trenton Titans... coverage of the Florida Gators run to the NCAA Championship... and a handful of runs to Lakeland and Fort Lauderdale for various state high school Championship games. Those all were fun... but this one should be in a league all by itself. Please feel free to drop Chris an e-mail at chris.long@nbc-2.com. And if anyone sees Edgerrin James, tell him Evan may still be at the club waiting for him to arrive!
[Editors note:
Unfortunately, due to technological issues with our wireless Internet capability in Miami, we're going to be unable to continue the blog through Super Bowl weekend. Please tune into NBC2's on-air coverage and watch nbc-2.com for our complete coverage of Super Bowl XLI from Miami]
SOMEWHERE ON I-75 -- It's four in the morning on Thursday night... actually Friday morning, but my mind and body still think it's Thursday. I'm somewhere between the toll plazas on Alligator Alley banging away on a laptop as our news truck hurtles through the darkness toward Super Bowl weekend in Miami. After anchoring the 11pm news on Thursday, we packed up all our gear and high-tailed it across the alley to kick off our Super Bowl coverage.
To start off our three days of coverage, we arranged a knockout of a story in the wee hours of Thursday night.
...or so we thought.
Immokalee native, former University of Miami star, current Arizona Cardinal Edgerrin James was slated to kick off the weekend with his "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash" at a sports bar near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Fort Lauderdale.
After working all week to track down and contact the event promoter, we finally found out late Thursday afternoon that we had the green light to get over and spend a few minutes with Edge.
It's been a while since we've heard from Edge, and there are a lot of things to discuss: 'How's Arizona'? ... 'What's the latest on your cousin Javarris'? ... 'What's it like to be hosting events this weekend in a town you're quite familiar with'. And maybe most importantly... How does it feel to see your former team, Indianapolis, play in the Super Bowl after coming up short so many times when he was on their roster?
Since we had been lucky enough to land through-the-velvet-rope access, we figured we'd better do all we could to get there to kick off Super Bowl weekend right... with Edge.
We immediately hurried our newest employee, Evan Fitzgerald, out the door. Evan's our new sports photographer, having joined our department just a couple weeks ago. Needless to say he was pretty pumped up that one of his first assignments was to go out as the advance man in our pursuit of Edge. He scrambled to gather all the gear he'd need and he headed out across the alley.
The event promoter told me to be there at nine pm to be sure we don't miss Edge. Evan left just after six, and sent us a text message just before nine alerting us that he had arrived and was ready to rock and roll.
Just before our 11pm sportscast, we got another update from Evan. He told us Edge was delayed, and wouldn't be there until around 11:30 or midnight. Back in the office, we were kind of excited to hear this news... as we figured our midnight departure from Fort Myers wouldn't get us to Fort Lauderdale until 2am or so. That said, the new news that Edge was running late made it even more likely he'd still be there by the time we arrived. Evan is more than capable of handling shooting some video and interviewing Edge without us, but we didn't really want to be left out of the fun at the first event of what's going to be a very busy weekend of coverage.
So we did our 11pm sportscast, packed up the rest of our gear (which took forever... you wouldn't believe how much equipment it actually takes to gather, edit, and perform a satellite feed), gassed up the news truck and got all set to hit Alligator Alley.
The good news was that Evan had plenty of time to get great video of the event. People were partying, Miami Dolphin Channing Crowder was the guest bartender, and generally the $100-a-ticket bash was going off without a hitch.
The bad news came just as we were set to shove off. There was a hitch. There was a major hitch.
What's the one thing you think you'd need to have for the "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash"?
How about Edgerrin James?
For reasons not disclosed to our guy Evan, Edge was going to be a no-show. I'm certain he has a full docket this weekend, and any number of things could have come up preventing him from making it over. But you'd think the "Edgerrin James Super Bowl Bash" would be somthing Edgerrin James would probably be part of.
So we throttled things back a bit and took our time making sure we had everything we'd need for the weekend. We didn't end up leaving until around 2 or so. Now here we are tired from a a full day of work, and hustling now not to meet Edge... but rather to rescue poor Evan who's been hanging out at the "Edgerrin James-less Super Bowl Bash" for the last six hours.
Not really the way we hoped to kick things off... but at least we're all on our way.
Instead of kicking the weekend off with what would have been a highlight, we now have nowhere to go but up.
The alarm clock in the hotel's going to ring early, and we're not exactly going to be well-rested (especially poor Evan).
But the sun will rise on South Beach in four hours or so and we'll be there ready to REALLY begin our weekend of coverage.
The plan is to try to hit a handful of different aspects of the Big Game just down the road from Southwest Florida. I'll show you how the ticket resale market looks on the streets and beaches... you'll meet a brother and sister from Southwest Florida who are going to be working on the field Sunday as ball boy and ball girl... and I'll do my best to give you a peek into what it's like around Dolphins Stadium as Super Bowl XLI runs its' course.
Be sure to tune into NBC2 Friday and Saturday for live pregame reports from the Stadium. We're taking Sunday off, since you... and we... will be focused on the game itself. But we'll be back again Monday to wrap up the crowning of football's World Champion.
I'll also let you know if we run ever do run into Edgerrin James.
-----
CHRIS LONG is NBC2's Sports Director. His past odysseys with NBC2 have included a 'one-man-band' trip to Trenton, New Jersey for the 2005 Kelly Cup Finals between the Everblades and Trenton Titans... coverage of the Florida Gators run to the NCAA Championship... and a handful of runs to Lakeland and Fort Lauderdale for various state high school Championship games. Those all were fun... but this one should be in a league all by itself. Please feel free to drop Chris an e-mail at chris.long@nbc-2.com. And if anyone sees Edgerrin James, tell him Evan may still be at the club waiting for him to arrive!
[Editors note:
Unfortunately, due to technological issues with our wireless Internet capability in Miami, we're going to be unable to continue the blog through Super Bowl weekend. Please tune into NBC2's on-air coverage and watch nbc-2.com for our complete coverage of Super Bowl XLI from Miami]
Thursday, January 25, 2007
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - South Florida goes Super
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - South Florida goes Super
Despite lousy seasons for the Buccaneers and Dolphins... Super Bowl fever is still sweeping South Florida in advance of February 4th's Bears-Colts tilt in Miami.
As the game nears, my personal awe of the event is growing after watching the organization of the event develop, and the amount of money someone will end up seeing once the dust clears.
I can't stand when I read a media blog that consists mostly of the author complaining about how hard it is to do his or her job. I always do my best not to complain about the day-to-day rigors of covering the world of sports.
That said, from the outside looking in... it's likely people have no idea what it takes to try to cover the Super Bowl.
As you know, Super Bowl XLI is set to go down February 4th across the Alley in Miami. Since it's right in our backyard, we're planning some coverage to take viewers inside the happenings over at Dolphin Stadium. On our end, securing things like media credentials, hotels, equipment, satellite space, shooting locations (and many, many other smaller details) has turned out to be an incredible challenge.
I'm not saying all this to complain, we're confident the work we put in to cover the game will translate into some good insight for viewers who aren't able to be in Miami for all the events leading up to the big game (be sure to tune in Friday and Saturday at 6 and 11 before the game!). The point I'm making is that the NFL's Super undertaking each season is simply amazing.
We're spinning in circles just trying to get five people in two cars with two cameras and an editing system to Miami for a couple days of story gathering and live coverage. Sounds easy, but I can tell you, it isn't.
For their Championship game, the NFL has the eyes of the world focused on a single game on a single day in a single stadium. Again, sounds pretty simple, right? But when you mix in thousands of media from hundreds of outlets at scores of game-related events scattered among dozens of hotels for a single game... it's a staggering task to organize. Yet the NFL manages to do it, and do it well. It amazes me how well organized everything appears to be. I've made at least a dozen calls to different people with the NFL, the SB XLI committee or the Media Services people... and every time they were clearly busy, but were pleasant, kind and helpful. It's no wonder the NFL is the world's most popular league, and that the Super Bowl is the world's most revered event.
All that hype ... and the supposed cash influx that goes with it... are prime reasons why cities fall all over themselves to woo the NFL hoping to land a Super Bowl. With Super Bowl XLI this February, South Florida begins a run of three Super Bowls in four years. After visiting Glendale, Arizona in 2008... the Big Game returns to Florida for XLIII in Tampa in 2009, then back to Miami for XLIV in 2010.
(A few Miami SB Facts:
Super Bowl XLI will be the record-tying (New Orleans) ninth Super Bowl played in the Miami area. Super Bowl XLI will be the fourth Super Bowl played at Dolphins Stadium. The other five Miami Super Bowls were played at the Orange Bowl.)
So the big question for everyday football fans in South Florida... 'What do I get out of all this'?
Well... unless you have a business with interest in the immediate area (a bar, restaurant or hotel near the game), or have a whole lot of disposable income to spend on a couple tickets and a hotel... not much.
The Super Bowl doesn't directly feed all that money into everyday citizens pockets. At least with the Olympics, sport's other big-time cash-cow, cities and regions can get infrastructural, architectural or in some cases political improvement from serving as the host. The Super Bowl makes a lot of money for caterers, hotels, bars... anyone in the hospitality industry. There isn't much temporary work created as most of the people who work for the NFL or the Host Committee are volunteers.
As for actually getting close to Miami on Super Bowl weekend... you'd better be prepared to open your wallet. A check of three major hotel websites (Orbitz, Expedia, Hotwire) shows hotels may be the biggest winners in the Super Bowl financial derby. Every website threw up a disclaimer as soon as I entered in "Miami" saying it was Super Bowl weekend and that rooms were scarce and expensive. They said most hotels are imposing four-night minimums on guests staying that weekend... forcing you to book Thursday through Sunday nights if you want a room.
So did a search for a double room in Miami for the night before the Super Bowl. You can get a room for $99, but that's 50 miles south... way out on Key Largo. For $466 you can get a room 25 miles north in Fort Lauderdale. But if you want to spend Saturday night in Miami proper, the cheapest option I found was for $499.
...and that's the easy part, financially speaking...
I checked a pair of ticketing websites, and the costs for tickets are simply staggering. This isn't helped by the fact that you have two teams playing that aren't Super Bowl fixtures. The Bears have a huge fanbase up in the nation's third biggest city and they haven't had a Super Bowl since 1985. There are a lot of folks with a lot of money in Chicago and they're helping drive ticket prices up. That's made worse by the fact that Indianapolis is in the game as well. While Indy can't boast the same upper-income-bracket populace Chicago can, because they've never been to the game before, Colts fans may see Super Bowl XLI as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their team in the big game.
The cheapest ticket on one site (StubHub) - in the next-to-last row of an upper level section in the corner of the stadium - is $3,194.00! There are two available, so at least you and your 3-plus-thousand-dollar spending friend can sit together.
Then again, if you want to go all out... StubHub offers a 50-person private exclusive suite on the field level behind the Bears' sideline for $558,838.00. ...and I doubt that includes parking.
Despite lousy seasons for the Buccaneers and Dolphins... Super Bowl fever is still sweeping South Florida in advance of February 4th's Bears-Colts tilt in Miami.
As the game nears, my personal awe of the event is growing after watching the organization of the event develop, and the amount of money someone will end up seeing once the dust clears.
I can't stand when I read a media blog that consists mostly of the author complaining about how hard it is to do his or her job. I always do my best not to complain about the day-to-day rigors of covering the world of sports.
That said, from the outside looking in... it's likely people have no idea what it takes to try to cover the Super Bowl.
As you know, Super Bowl XLI is set to go down February 4th across the Alley in Miami. Since it's right in our backyard, we're planning some coverage to take viewers inside the happenings over at Dolphin Stadium. On our end, securing things like media credentials, hotels, equipment, satellite space, shooting locations (and many, many other smaller details) has turned out to be an incredible challenge.
I'm not saying all this to complain, we're confident the work we put in to cover the game will translate into some good insight for viewers who aren't able to be in Miami for all the events leading up to the big game (be sure to tune in Friday and Saturday at 6 and 11 before the game!). The point I'm making is that the NFL's Super undertaking each season is simply amazing.
We're spinning in circles just trying to get five people in two cars with two cameras and an editing system to Miami for a couple days of story gathering and live coverage. Sounds easy, but I can tell you, it isn't.
For their Championship game, the NFL has the eyes of the world focused on a single game on a single day in a single stadium. Again, sounds pretty simple, right? But when you mix in thousands of media from hundreds of outlets at scores of game-related events scattered among dozens of hotels for a single game... it's a staggering task to organize. Yet the NFL manages to do it, and do it well. It amazes me how well organized everything appears to be. I've made at least a dozen calls to different people with the NFL, the SB XLI committee or the Media Services people... and every time they were clearly busy, but were pleasant, kind and helpful. It's no wonder the NFL is the world's most popular league, and that the Super Bowl is the world's most revered event.
All that hype ... and the supposed cash influx that goes with it... are prime reasons why cities fall all over themselves to woo the NFL hoping to land a Super Bowl. With Super Bowl XLI this February, South Florida begins a run of three Super Bowls in four years. After visiting Glendale, Arizona in 2008... the Big Game returns to Florida for XLIII in Tampa in 2009, then back to Miami for XLIV in 2010.
(A few Miami SB Facts:
Super Bowl XLI will be the record-tying (New Orleans) ninth Super Bowl played in the Miami area. Super Bowl XLI will be the fourth Super Bowl played at Dolphins Stadium. The other five Miami Super Bowls were played at the Orange Bowl.)
So the big question for everyday football fans in South Florida... 'What do I get out of all this'?
Well... unless you have a business with interest in the immediate area (a bar, restaurant or hotel near the game), or have a whole lot of disposable income to spend on a couple tickets and a hotel... not much.
The Super Bowl doesn't directly feed all that money into everyday citizens pockets. At least with the Olympics, sport's other big-time cash-cow, cities and regions can get infrastructural, architectural or in some cases political improvement from serving as the host. The Super Bowl makes a lot of money for caterers, hotels, bars... anyone in the hospitality industry. There isn't much temporary work created as most of the people who work for the NFL or the Host Committee are volunteers.
As for actually getting close to Miami on Super Bowl weekend... you'd better be prepared to open your wallet. A check of three major hotel websites (Orbitz, Expedia, Hotwire) shows hotels may be the biggest winners in the Super Bowl financial derby. Every website threw up a disclaimer as soon as I entered in "Miami" saying it was Super Bowl weekend and that rooms were scarce and expensive. They said most hotels are imposing four-night minimums on guests staying that weekend... forcing you to book Thursday through Sunday nights if you want a room.
So did a search for a double room in Miami for the night before the Super Bowl. You can get a room for $99, but that's 50 miles south... way out on Key Largo. For $466 you can get a room 25 miles north in Fort Lauderdale. But if you want to spend Saturday night in Miami proper, the cheapest option I found was for $499.
...and that's the easy part, financially speaking...
I checked a pair of ticketing websites, and the costs for tickets are simply staggering. This isn't helped by the fact that you have two teams playing that aren't Super Bowl fixtures. The Bears have a huge fanbase up in the nation's third biggest city and they haven't had a Super Bowl since 1985. There are a lot of folks with a lot of money in Chicago and they're helping drive ticket prices up. That's made worse by the fact that Indianapolis is in the game as well. While Indy can't boast the same upper-income-bracket populace Chicago can, because they've never been to the game before, Colts fans may see Super Bowl XLI as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their team in the big game.
The cheapest ticket on one site (StubHub) - in the next-to-last row of an upper level section in the corner of the stadium - is $3,194.00! There are two available, so at least you and your 3-plus-thousand-dollar spending friend can sit together.
Then again, if you want to go all out... StubHub offers a 50-person private exclusive suite on the field level behind the Bears' sideline for $558,838.00. ...and I doubt that includes parking.
Monday, January 15, 2007
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG – Good times in Gainesville
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG – Good times in Gainesville
The chant that echoes from the blue and orange clad fans at Florida Gator athletic contests declares, “It’s great to be a Florida Gator!” … and there may never have been a time where that was more true than right now.
Monday, a week to the day after the Florida football team pounded Ohio State for the NCAA Football Championship, the basketball team is back on top of the national rankings as well. Beating South Carolina Saturday allowed the then-2nd-ranked Gators to sit and watch then-top-ranked North Carolina fall to Virginia Tech. As expected, the loss to the Hokies toppled Carolina from the top slot, giving voters cause to move the Gators into the #1 slot. It’s the second time this season the Gators have been #1 after they started the season in the top slot. They remained there until their first loss of the season, an upset to Florida State nine games in. With nobody else looking like they’ve got the guns to make a push in the SEC, the Gators are in terrific shape for a successful run through the conference season and into the postseason where they figure to be near locks for at least a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, a couple locker rooms over the football team has slowly seen one player after another declare for the NFL draft. The defections to the big leagues will seriously hamper any hopes the Gators might have of serving up a repeat title next season. Monday was deadline day for college juniors to declare their intentions for the NFL draft, and a total of four Gators have decided to take the leap. The latest, and probably most injurious to the Gators outlook for next season, is linebacker Brandon Siler. Siler joins All-American safety Reggie Nelson, and fellow super-juniors Jarvis Moss and Ryan Smith in leaving Gainesville early. The only junior to stay out of the five projected to be potential NFL draft picks this June is receiver Andre Caldwell. His retention is significant as the Gators move out of the Chris Leak era, turning the offensive reins over to Tim Tebow next fall.
ATTABOY GEORGE!
After demolishing the field in PGA Qualifying School - an event considered the most pressure-packed setting in all of golf - Fort Myers’ own George McNeiil showed his Q-school win was no fluke in his PGA debut last weekend.
McNeill fired four solid rounds in the Sony Open at Wailiea in Hawaii, closing out with an eagle on the 72nd hole of the tournament to finish tied for 13th. The win nets McNeil just over $89,000. In one weekend, he likely surpassed what he would have made in an entire year as an assistant course pro… the path he would have been on had he not succeeded at Q-school in his ninth try to qualify for the PGA Tour.
McNeill’s presence on the PGA Tour gives Southwest Florida a rooting interest in golf’s biggest tour for the first time since Tommy Tolles played regularly.
BLADES HIT HALFWAY
The Florida Everblades have completed the first half of the ECHL season and are off for the six-day All-Star Break. Goalie David Shantz is the only player flying to Boise, Idaho for Wednesday’s All-Star game. But he’s not alone in the traveling party: Coach Gerry Fleming and radio play-by-play man Kevin Reiter also garnered well-deserved trips to Boise for their roles with the team this season.
The Everblades hit the halfway point tied for the division lead with Gwinnett, but the Gladiators have played three more games than Florida. Western Conference leading Alaska also matches 48 point total in the standings. The thing that makes the outlook for the rest of the season so positive for the Blades the fct they’ve taken a total-team approach to winning so far. Take Reggie Berg out of the mix, as he's been an offensive wonder as one of the few 30-somethings on the team. But after Berg - Dustin Johner’s 30 points have him 50th in the league. That's the highest any Everblade sits in the league scoring record after Berg. That's an odd stat for a team tied for teh best record in the league. Credit the defense, especially the goaltending tandem of Shantz and Craig Kowalski, for serving as the backbone of the team’s solid first half.
DEVINE UPDATE
The wait is now on for a couple things relating to the college decision for North Fort Myers football star Noel Devine. With mentor and fellow North-grad Deion Sanders helping coordinate his college search, Devine will make his initial visit to LSU this weekend. The trip to Baton Rouge is the only one Devine has planned at the moment. However, he still has interest in Florida State, Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina.
The entire college search hinges on Devine’s ability to qualify or not. The combination of grades and test scores still needs to improve before he meets the NCAA standards. If he can’t get over the minimums, he will enroll at Milford Academy in New York for a year of prep school before moving on to college the following year.
The chant that echoes from the blue and orange clad fans at Florida Gator athletic contests declares, “It’s great to be a Florida Gator!” … and there may never have been a time where that was more true than right now.
Monday, a week to the day after the Florida football team pounded Ohio State for the NCAA Football Championship, the basketball team is back on top of the national rankings as well. Beating South Carolina Saturday allowed the then-2nd-ranked Gators to sit and watch then-top-ranked North Carolina fall to Virginia Tech. As expected, the loss to the Hokies toppled Carolina from the top slot, giving voters cause to move the Gators into the #1 slot. It’s the second time this season the Gators have been #1 after they started the season in the top slot. They remained there until their first loss of the season, an upset to Florida State nine games in. With nobody else looking like they’ve got the guns to make a push in the SEC, the Gators are in terrific shape for a successful run through the conference season and into the postseason where they figure to be near locks for at least a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, a couple locker rooms over the football team has slowly seen one player after another declare for the NFL draft. The defections to the big leagues will seriously hamper any hopes the Gators might have of serving up a repeat title next season. Monday was deadline day for college juniors to declare their intentions for the NFL draft, and a total of four Gators have decided to take the leap. The latest, and probably most injurious to the Gators outlook for next season, is linebacker Brandon Siler. Siler joins All-American safety Reggie Nelson, and fellow super-juniors Jarvis Moss and Ryan Smith in leaving Gainesville early. The only junior to stay out of the five projected to be potential NFL draft picks this June is receiver Andre Caldwell. His retention is significant as the Gators move out of the Chris Leak era, turning the offensive reins over to Tim Tebow next fall.
ATTABOY GEORGE!
After demolishing the field in PGA Qualifying School - an event considered the most pressure-packed setting in all of golf - Fort Myers’ own George McNeiil showed his Q-school win was no fluke in his PGA debut last weekend.
McNeill fired four solid rounds in the Sony Open at Wailiea in Hawaii, closing out with an eagle on the 72nd hole of the tournament to finish tied for 13th. The win nets McNeil just over $89,000. In one weekend, he likely surpassed what he would have made in an entire year as an assistant course pro… the path he would have been on had he not succeeded at Q-school in his ninth try to qualify for the PGA Tour.
McNeill’s presence on the PGA Tour gives Southwest Florida a rooting interest in golf’s biggest tour for the first time since Tommy Tolles played regularly.
BLADES HIT HALFWAY
The Florida Everblades have completed the first half of the ECHL season and are off for the six-day All-Star Break. Goalie David Shantz is the only player flying to Boise, Idaho for Wednesday’s All-Star game. But he’s not alone in the traveling party: Coach Gerry Fleming and radio play-by-play man Kevin Reiter also garnered well-deserved trips to Boise for their roles with the team this season.
The Everblades hit the halfway point tied for the division lead with Gwinnett, but the Gladiators have played three more games than Florida. Western Conference leading Alaska also matches 48 point total in the standings. The thing that makes the outlook for the rest of the season so positive for the Blades the fct they’ve taken a total-team approach to winning so far. Take Reggie Berg out of the mix, as he's been an offensive wonder as one of the few 30-somethings on the team. But after Berg - Dustin Johner’s 30 points have him 50th in the league. That's the highest any Everblade sits in the league scoring record after Berg. That's an odd stat for a team tied for teh best record in the league. Credit the defense, especially the goaltending tandem of Shantz and Craig Kowalski, for serving as the backbone of the team’s solid first half.
DEVINE UPDATE
The wait is now on for a couple things relating to the college decision for North Fort Myers football star Noel Devine. With mentor and fellow North-grad Deion Sanders helping coordinate his college search, Devine will make his initial visit to LSU this weekend. The trip to Baton Rouge is the only one Devine has planned at the moment. However, he still has interest in Florida State, Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina.
The entire college search hinges on Devine’s ability to qualify or not. The combination of grades and test scores still needs to improve before he meets the NCAA standards. If he can’t get over the minimums, he will enroll at Milford Academy in New York for a year of prep school before moving on to college the following year.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - Gators Win!
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG – GATORS (are) WIN(ning) ... This one’s all over
“The sun has gone down and the moon has come up… and long ago somebody left with the Cup” -- from Cake’s “The Distance”
As I begin to write this posting, the Florida Gators lead Ohio State 41-14 with 10:00 left in the National Championship game.
Journalistically speaking, I should probably wait until the end of the game before trying to sum things up… but this one’s in the books. The improbable run through the SEC spearheaded by a maligned QB and a coach with one year of major college football coaching experience is complete. The Florida Gators are going to be National Champions.
Argue all you want they didn’t deserve to be there in the first place… they proved on the field they most certainly did. By the way, please remind the Gator-haters that Florida was one terrible call in the Auburn game (the Leak non-fumble late in the game deep in Auburn’s end) from going undefeated.
With 10 still to go, Ohio State’s offense that averaged 410 yards this season has a total of 84. I can’t see much changing between now and the final gun to change the fact that the Florida Gators out-prepared, out-worked and out-executed Ohio State for the final 59:44 of the BCS Championship Game.
After Ohio State’s Ted Ginn knocked the Gators to the canvas by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, it was all Gators. Had it not been for that one glitch, Florida’s holding Ohio State to 7 points would have been considered one of the most impressive feats in Gator football history.
It did help that Ginn was injured in the first half. QB Troy Smith may have won the Heisman, but Ted Ginn was the Buckeyes offensive sparkplug. Smith appearing to be lost once Ginn left Monday’s title game proves the point. Unless he catches fire in the final minutes, the Heisman winner will end this game with no more than 5 or 6 completions. That’s unthinkable.
Florida’s glorious night will be perfectly illustrated in a photo you’ll probably see on sports pages and websites across the nation Tuesday: Florida senior LB Earl Everett sacking Smith in the 3rd quarter despite Everett having lost his helmet earlier in the play.
That one photo will symbolize how the entire night … maybe even the entire season … went for the Gators. Down… but not out. Seemingly out of contention… but charging back into the fight.
Florida becomes the first school in NCAA history to hold both the basketball and football National Championships. The block parties are going to be pretty interesting in one Gainesville neighborhood where Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan live four houses apart.
Gator fans should take a step back and give a lot of credit to UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. Not only is the UF Athletic Department one of the most well-run and progressive departments in college sports, it’s also one of the most successful. Foley is the man responsible for bringing Donovan and Meyer to town at points in both programs’ history where they weren’t the giants they now appear. Both had success in the past, but as Donovan and Meyer took over their respective programs, the Gators were on the downswing.
Each not only revived the program, rebuilt the recruiting pipelines and instilled a sense of pride in Gator Nation. They delivered National Championships.
Then there’s Chris Leak…
I could write an entire article on the collegiate journey of Chris Leak. Hailed as a prospect, Leak endured some major peaks-and-valleys as he made his way from his freshman season to the BCS game Monday night. Talent aside, Leak seems like a good kid. His work ethic has never been questioned and he handled the aforementioned valleys with class and character. Anything before Monday night was rendered moot after his game-of-a-lifetime performance against Ohio State. Leak was confident, precise, focused, ruthless, loose… all words you may not have hung on him in after some of his past performances.
If he’s not the MVP of this game, nobody should be. Leak may not go on to make much noise in the NFL, but he stepped up in heroic fashion in what may end up being the biggest game of his life.
Looking ahead, Leak’s graduation hardly leaves the cupboards bare. Tim Tebow and 12 other true freshmen return next year to try to add a third title to the Gator football trophy case. Gator fans should celebrate tonight not just for the win that the team is about to earn… but for the white-hot future they seem destined to have in front of them. Here’s hoping Southwest Florida’s own Markihe Anderson, Chevon Walker and Wondy Pierre-Louis, all non-playing members of this title-winning team, find their way into the spotlight down the road.
As I glance up from the computer screen - Urban Meyer just took the Gatorade shower, Chris Leak just knelt on the ball and the Gators are flooding the field as National Champions for the second time.
Streamers and confetti rain down on the Gators, and they’ll have their hands on the crystal football in just a few minutes.
The Florida Gators are the National Champions.
Honestly, who really thought thought this was possible?
At the start of the season, few thought any team would survive the tough SEC without too much damage to crack the polls and computer rankings. Even after Florida passed the conference trial, few thought they’d have the poll and computer pull to make it into the title game. Heck, even once they got there, fewer still thought they’d be able to beat Ohio State. In fact, that last hurdle - beating the mighty Buckeyes - might have been viewed as the toughest to clear of them all.
So much for that… they did it in a blowout.
I can’t think of anybody who could possibly have thought 41-14 Gators was the way it would wrap up. Then again… Earl Everett, Chris Leak, Urban Meyer and Jeremy Foley might have thought it was possible. They just needed the chance to prove it to everyone.
Done and done.
CLICK HERE for the boxscore of the BCS Championship Game
“The sun has gone down and the moon has come up… and long ago somebody left with the Cup” -- from Cake’s “The Distance”
As I begin to write this posting, the Florida Gators lead Ohio State 41-14 with 10:00 left in the National Championship game.
Journalistically speaking, I should probably wait until the end of the game before trying to sum things up… but this one’s in the books. The improbable run through the SEC spearheaded by a maligned QB and a coach with one year of major college football coaching experience is complete. The Florida Gators are going to be National Champions.
Argue all you want they didn’t deserve to be there in the first place… they proved on the field they most certainly did. By the way, please remind the Gator-haters that Florida was one terrible call in the Auburn game (the Leak non-fumble late in the game deep in Auburn’s end) from going undefeated.
With 10 still to go, Ohio State’s offense that averaged 410 yards this season has a total of 84. I can’t see much changing between now and the final gun to change the fact that the Florida Gators out-prepared, out-worked and out-executed Ohio State for the final 59:44 of the BCS Championship Game.
After Ohio State’s Ted Ginn knocked the Gators to the canvas by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, it was all Gators. Had it not been for that one glitch, Florida’s holding Ohio State to 7 points would have been considered one of the most impressive feats in Gator football history.
It did help that Ginn was injured in the first half. QB Troy Smith may have won the Heisman, but Ted Ginn was the Buckeyes offensive sparkplug. Smith appearing to be lost once Ginn left Monday’s title game proves the point. Unless he catches fire in the final minutes, the Heisman winner will end this game with no more than 5 or 6 completions. That’s unthinkable.
Florida’s glorious night will be perfectly illustrated in a photo you’ll probably see on sports pages and websites across the nation Tuesday: Florida senior LB Earl Everett sacking Smith in the 3rd quarter despite Everett having lost his helmet earlier in the play.
That one photo will symbolize how the entire night … maybe even the entire season … went for the Gators. Down… but not out. Seemingly out of contention… but charging back into the fight.
Florida becomes the first school in NCAA history to hold both the basketball and football National Championships. The block parties are going to be pretty interesting in one Gainesville neighborhood where Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan live four houses apart.
Gator fans should take a step back and give a lot of credit to UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. Not only is the UF Athletic Department one of the most well-run and progressive departments in college sports, it’s also one of the most successful. Foley is the man responsible for bringing Donovan and Meyer to town at points in both programs’ history where they weren’t the giants they now appear. Both had success in the past, but as Donovan and Meyer took over their respective programs, the Gators were on the downswing.
Each not only revived the program, rebuilt the recruiting pipelines and instilled a sense of pride in Gator Nation. They delivered National Championships.
Then there’s Chris Leak…
I could write an entire article on the collegiate journey of Chris Leak. Hailed as a prospect, Leak endured some major peaks-and-valleys as he made his way from his freshman season to the BCS game Monday night. Talent aside, Leak seems like a good kid. His work ethic has never been questioned and he handled the aforementioned valleys with class and character. Anything before Monday night was rendered moot after his game-of-a-lifetime performance against Ohio State. Leak was confident, precise, focused, ruthless, loose… all words you may not have hung on him in after some of his past performances.
If he’s not the MVP of this game, nobody should be. Leak may not go on to make much noise in the NFL, but he stepped up in heroic fashion in what may end up being the biggest game of his life.
Looking ahead, Leak’s graduation hardly leaves the cupboards bare. Tim Tebow and 12 other true freshmen return next year to try to add a third title to the Gator football trophy case. Gator fans should celebrate tonight not just for the win that the team is about to earn… but for the white-hot future they seem destined to have in front of them. Here’s hoping Southwest Florida’s own Markihe Anderson, Chevon Walker and Wondy Pierre-Louis, all non-playing members of this title-winning team, find their way into the spotlight down the road.
As I glance up from the computer screen - Urban Meyer just took the Gatorade shower, Chris Leak just knelt on the ball and the Gators are flooding the field as National Champions for the second time.
Streamers and confetti rain down on the Gators, and they’ll have their hands on the crystal football in just a few minutes.
The Florida Gators are the National Champions.
Honestly, who really thought thought this was possible?
At the start of the season, few thought any team would survive the tough SEC without too much damage to crack the polls and computer rankings. Even after Florida passed the conference trial, few thought they’d have the poll and computer pull to make it into the title game. Heck, even once they got there, fewer still thought they’d be able to beat Ohio State. In fact, that last hurdle - beating the mighty Buckeyes - might have been viewed as the toughest to clear of them all.
So much for that… they did it in a blowout.
I can’t think of anybody who could possibly have thought 41-14 Gators was the way it would wrap up. Then again… Earl Everett, Chris Leak, Urban Meyer and Jeremy Foley might have thought it was possible. They just needed the chance to prove it to everyone.
Done and done.
CLICK HERE for the boxscore of the BCS Championship Game
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG - HS FB District Realignment
NBC2 SPORTS BLOG: High School Football District Realignment
The Florida High School Athletic Association has announced the new district alignments for prep football. The new changes will stick for the next two seasons (through the 2008 season). Click here to see the initial FHSAA release on all the changes statewide.
Here is a breakdown of the impact on the changes to four area teams, and the addition of one new team.
(SW FL teams in ALL CAPS, Changes in BOLD):
CLASS 5A
District 11: CHARLOTTE, PORT CHARLOTTE, NORTH PORT, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton Manatee, Venice
District 12: IDA BAKER, CAPE CORAL, FORT MYERS, MARINER, NORTH FORT MYERS
The first thing 5A-11’s shuffle does for North Port Is reduce their travel for district games. In 4A-15, they spent a lot of time on the bus traveling to face teams in Lee and Collier County. Now, the Bobcats will remain in the Charlotte/Sarasota county area. Ironically, moving up a class may improve the Bobcats chances of postseason participation. The Bobcats had trouble competing in 4A-15, but face a relatively easier task trying to make the playoffs in 5A-11. Aside from perennial powerhouse Manatee, the rest of 5A-11 seems to take turns alternating good and bad seasons. Charlotte, Venice and Lakewood Ranch have each made the playoffs in the last few years, but none is consistently dominant.
5A-12 is unchanged, leaving the three Cape Coral teams and two Fort Myers teams to continue duking it out.
CLASS 4A
District 15: BARRON COLLIER, CYPRESS LAKE, GULF COAST, LEHIGH, PALMETTO RIDGE, EAST LEE COUNTY
4A-15’s existing teams Barron Collier, Cypress Lake, Gulf Coast and Lehigh aren’t celebrating the addition of Palmetto Ridge. The Bears made the playoffs for the first time in school history this past season and appear to be laying the foundation for a strong program. The trade-off is that 4A-15 loses South Fort Myers. You could make a similar statement of the Wildcats who spoiled a few teams’ playoff plans this year. Barron Collier and Cypress Lake have been the perennial District Title contenders, but it’s been Lehigh winning each of the last two. However Lehigh could see a bit of a dropoff as their talent pool will be cut a bit by the new East Lee County team. If Palmetto Ridge continues to build momentum, Cypress Lake and Barron Collier maintain the high standard they’ve had for years, and Lehigh and East Lee can each play off momentum Lehigh has gained the past couple of years… 4A-15 could evolve into Southwest Florida’s most competitive district. 4A-15 teams likely won’t miss making the annual trip to North Port after the Bobcats were moved up to 5A. But trading North Port for Palmetto Ridge probably isn’t a trade 4A-15 teams would want to make if given the choice.
CLASS 3A
District 12: DESOTO, Avon Park, Wauchula Hardee, Sebring
District 13: DUNBAR, LABELLE, LEMON BAY, RIVERDALE, SOUTH FORT MYERS
District 14: GOLDEN GATE, IMMOKALEE, LELY, NAPLES, ESTERO
3A-12 was untouched. Hardee and DeSoto have the opportunity to maintain their traditional dominance as Avon Park and Sebring try to keep pace.
3A-13 adds South Fort Myers, who appear to be the biggest winners in this wave of district reshuffling. The Wildcats get out of a 4A-15 assignment that was packed with powerhouses, and move into a 3A-12 setting that hasn’t seen any team put together a run of dominance over the past few seasons. LaBelle and Riverdale have been the class of 3A-12 over the last two years, but neither has shown staying power. Dunbar is still trying to find some magic, and have been heralded as a sleeping giant since the school reopened several years back. South Fort Myers fantastic season in 2006, in just the school and programs second year of existence shows they are already set to be a force in area football. They may enter the 2007 season as the favorite in 3A-12. Estero has a State Championship appearance on their recent resume, but have struggled mightily the past couple seasons. Losing Estero and adding South Fort Myers is definitely not a positive for the existing 3A-13 teams.
Meanwhile, 3A-14 seems to get a fairly good deal as things stand right now. Palmetto Ridge appears to be a rising power, while Estero is on the downswing… so swapping Estero out and Palmetto Ridge in looks good to Golden Gate, Immokalee, Lely and Naples. Keep in mind, Immokalee sat out this past season due to their FHSAA-imposed sanctions for overage athletes. But the Indians will be back in contention for District, and State, Championships next season. That should return 3A-14 to it’s place as Southwest Florida’s most talented District.
CLASS 2A
District 5: BISHOP VEROT, Lake Placid, Mulberry, Tampa Catholic, Ruskin Lennard
District 6: Cardinal Newman, CLEWISTON, Riviera Beach Inlet Grove, Boca Raton John Paul II, Boca Raton St Andrews
Aside from the addition of Ruskin Lennard to 2A-5, neither Bishop Verot nor Clewiston in 2A-6 see change in their district set-up. Lennard doesn’t figure to threaten the balance in 2A-5 as they are an independent school moving to full FHSAA member status next season.
CLASS 1A
District 6: EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN, Belle Glade Glades Day, MOORE HAVEN, ST JOHN NEUMANN
Much like Class 2A, Southwest Florida’s 1A-6 teams were passed over by the wave of realignment. Glades Day will continue to be the team to beat with ECS and Neumann typically competing for the district’s second playoff bid.
CHRIS LONG is the Sports Director for NBC2. You can watch his sportscasts weekdays in our 5am, 6pm and 11pm newscasts. Please feel free to e-mail him with any comments at Chris.Long@NBC-2.com. He makes an effort to read and reply to every e-mail he receives.
The Florida High School Athletic Association has announced the new district alignments for prep football. The new changes will stick for the next two seasons (through the 2008 season). Click here to see the initial FHSAA release on all the changes statewide.
Here is a breakdown of the impact on the changes to four area teams, and the addition of one new team.
(SW FL teams in ALL CAPS, Changes in BOLD):
CLASS 5A
District 11: CHARLOTTE, PORT CHARLOTTE, NORTH PORT, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton Manatee, Venice
District 12: IDA BAKER, CAPE CORAL, FORT MYERS, MARINER, NORTH FORT MYERS
The first thing 5A-11’s shuffle does for North Port Is reduce their travel for district games. In 4A-15, they spent a lot of time on the bus traveling to face teams in Lee and Collier County. Now, the Bobcats will remain in the Charlotte/Sarasota county area. Ironically, moving up a class may improve the Bobcats chances of postseason participation. The Bobcats had trouble competing in 4A-15, but face a relatively easier task trying to make the playoffs in 5A-11. Aside from perennial powerhouse Manatee, the rest of 5A-11 seems to take turns alternating good and bad seasons. Charlotte, Venice and Lakewood Ranch have each made the playoffs in the last few years, but none is consistently dominant.
5A-12 is unchanged, leaving the three Cape Coral teams and two Fort Myers teams to continue duking it out.
CLASS 4A
District 15: BARRON COLLIER, CYPRESS LAKE, GULF COAST, LEHIGH, PALMETTO RIDGE, EAST LEE COUNTY
4A-15’s existing teams Barron Collier, Cypress Lake, Gulf Coast and Lehigh aren’t celebrating the addition of Palmetto Ridge. The Bears made the playoffs for the first time in school history this past season and appear to be laying the foundation for a strong program. The trade-off is that 4A-15 loses South Fort Myers. You could make a similar statement of the Wildcats who spoiled a few teams’ playoff plans this year. Barron Collier and Cypress Lake have been the perennial District Title contenders, but it’s been Lehigh winning each of the last two. However Lehigh could see a bit of a dropoff as their talent pool will be cut a bit by the new East Lee County team. If Palmetto Ridge continues to build momentum, Cypress Lake and Barron Collier maintain the high standard they’ve had for years, and Lehigh and East Lee can each play off momentum Lehigh has gained the past couple of years… 4A-15 could evolve into Southwest Florida’s most competitive district. 4A-15 teams likely won’t miss making the annual trip to North Port after the Bobcats were moved up to 5A. But trading North Port for Palmetto Ridge probably isn’t a trade 4A-15 teams would want to make if given the choice.
CLASS 3A
District 12: DESOTO, Avon Park, Wauchula Hardee, Sebring
District 13: DUNBAR, LABELLE, LEMON BAY, RIVERDALE, SOUTH FORT MYERS
District 14: GOLDEN GATE, IMMOKALEE, LELY, NAPLES, ESTERO
3A-12 was untouched. Hardee and DeSoto have the opportunity to maintain their traditional dominance as Avon Park and Sebring try to keep pace.
3A-13 adds South Fort Myers, who appear to be the biggest winners in this wave of district reshuffling. The Wildcats get out of a 4A-15 assignment that was packed with powerhouses, and move into a 3A-12 setting that hasn’t seen any team put together a run of dominance over the past few seasons. LaBelle and Riverdale have been the class of 3A-12 over the last two years, but neither has shown staying power. Dunbar is still trying to find some magic, and have been heralded as a sleeping giant since the school reopened several years back. South Fort Myers fantastic season in 2006, in just the school and programs second year of existence shows they are already set to be a force in area football. They may enter the 2007 season as the favorite in 3A-12. Estero has a State Championship appearance on their recent resume, but have struggled mightily the past couple seasons. Losing Estero and adding South Fort Myers is definitely not a positive for the existing 3A-13 teams.
Meanwhile, 3A-14 seems to get a fairly good deal as things stand right now. Palmetto Ridge appears to be a rising power, while Estero is on the downswing… so swapping Estero out and Palmetto Ridge in looks good to Golden Gate, Immokalee, Lely and Naples. Keep in mind, Immokalee sat out this past season due to their FHSAA-imposed sanctions for overage athletes. But the Indians will be back in contention for District, and State, Championships next season. That should return 3A-14 to it’s place as Southwest Florida’s most talented District.
CLASS 2A
District 5: BISHOP VEROT, Lake Placid, Mulberry, Tampa Catholic, Ruskin Lennard
District 6: Cardinal Newman, CLEWISTON, Riviera Beach Inlet Grove, Boca Raton John Paul II, Boca Raton St Andrews
Aside from the addition of Ruskin Lennard to 2A-5, neither Bishop Verot nor Clewiston in 2A-6 see change in their district set-up. Lennard doesn’t figure to threaten the balance in 2A-5 as they are an independent school moving to full FHSAA member status next season.
CLASS 1A
District 6: EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN, Belle Glade Glades Day, MOORE HAVEN, ST JOHN NEUMANN
Much like Class 2A, Southwest Florida’s 1A-6 teams were passed over by the wave of realignment. Glades Day will continue to be the team to beat with ECS and Neumann typically competing for the district’s second playoff bid.
CHRIS LONG is the Sports Director for NBC2. You can watch his sportscasts weekdays in our 5am, 6pm and 11pm newscasts. Please feel free to e-mail him with any comments at Chris.Long@NBC-2.com. He makes an effort to read and reply to every e-mail he receives.
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