FOLIO
by TOM WEPPEL
Gosh, let us stop for a moment and think about the various happenings ongoing in this crazy sports world…
– The Olympics are getting ready to crank up over in London, England.
– Summer Training Camps are getting ready to open around the National Football League.
– Divisional races certainly are getting hotter in these dog days of Summer in Major League Baseball, as teams in contention are going on various winning streaks, while also giving strong consideration to trades.
– College football Media Days are here, with major Conferences letting all members of the media know their respective teams a) had a great recruiting class, b) are much improved over last season, and c) have outstanding players who are leaders and student athletes (of course, we all know the kids are drinking, driving, and partying!).
All this, and I haven’t even STARTED talking about Dwight Howard or Penn State!
Okay…so here we go!
Will Jerry Sandusky ever be seen outside of a jail cell ever again? And if so, will he ever walk down the sidewalk of a street near the Penn State campus?
WHEW! Obviously, the gauntlet came down on the Nittany Lions! With everything we’re finding out, more and more, it looks like the football program will not be in a position to be able to do good things, even if they were to go 12-0 this year! Kids under athletic scholarship to play there under Head Coach Bill O’Brien can’t feel to good. They can still play there, but its probable game attendance will be way down, the team won’t be as good as projected, and they won’t be playing in a Bowl game! The kids can leave there immediately and go play for another school, without having to red shirt, but will they want to leave Penn State?!
With the NCAA making PSU forfeit wins from 1998-2011, it means Joe Paterno will not be recognized as the #1 winner in Division 1 football history! The statue is now in storage, and it will most likely stay there for quite a while! Home games will not be as festive. And with the limits on the number of scholarships offered, try recruiting for PSU football now!
Good luck…
Will the Nittany Lions ever be able to get back to the level they had been at for the last few decades? I’d say no. If they are, it will certainly take a long, long time before they can and do…
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With all the happenings here surrounding college football and the NFL and MLB, the focus on the Olympic Games has lost its luster…at least from my perspective!
In the past, the interest, the excitement, and the anticipation, all had been building leading in to the Games being played, wherever they were located. Four years ago, it was in China, and people were still locked in to what was going on, even though everything was happening at least twelve hours ahead of normal times!
Now, the Games are going to be in London and England…for all intents, interest and anticipation seem to be tempered…it seems a lot of people have their attention focused on something else to some extent.
And they can do it so easily in this day and age! In the era of social media, immediate information, and vastly open communications, the Olympic Games are not carrying any great level of ‘specialness’! Why? Because most people that even HAVE an interest in the Games already know what they’re going to get, as opposed to the way they things were in the past, when people were wanting to find out what emerging athletes they were going to discover! That alone would create exclusivity…which would, in turn, breed a brand of desire and interest.
Not anymore…
Now, people already know what is going to happen and when. They know who will be showing up. And if there is anything they are wanting to find out, it might be on Twitter! Perhaps an athletes will share his thoughts and opinions on his Facebook page before, during, or after his performance!
We didn’t hear about that in the past…it wasn’t NEARLY as prominent as it is in this day and age!
And so, we shall see how things play out as the Olympic Games open this week…and also, what will happen afterwards, during the playing of the various games and events…should be intriguing, maybe!
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You know it is still Summer time when the NFL Training Camps open up and get thrown into full throttle! All 32 Camps will open around the U.S., in various facilities…and I can guarantee you all 32 teams will have something or someONE different in their mix from last season!
Whether that is good or bad will be determined…although every single franchise will feel as if they’ve improved their team in some way, shape, or fashion! They will all also tell you they have a good chance of competing and getting more wins…and they’ll tell you they can make it to the playoffs, if they do all the right things!
Imagine that!
And of course, in the first two weeks of these Training Camps being held, I absolutely GUARANTEE you teams will lose at least a handful of players…perhaps a draft pick or maybe even a starter…and it is probable at least one guy will suffer a season-ending injury!
Happens every single season…
Whatever the case, NFL practices will get going…teams will get themselves set up and ready to play, starting with the exhibition season. For now, though, fans will have a chance to go hang out and watch teams go through the motions of training camp…gives them a chance to take pictures, get autographs, and meet some of the guys…
For the kids, it is an exciting time! For rookie players, it’s a time to learn the pro game and show their talents! For the coaches, it’s a time to teach. Yell, scream, holler, and encourage! And for veterans, it’s a chance to try their best to get through the goings-on without any injury…so they can start the regular season!
Rock n roll!
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