Taiwan's International Athletes

So after a long hiatus from the world of blogging...... I AM BACK!
Since I've been in Taiwan for the past bit, I will write about the world of sports and culture here.

I think Taiwan is starving for an International superstar for political leverage and something to unite the country. The political issues surrounding Taiwan and China is a long and complex one, but within Taiwan, the country is divided into two pending on which political party you are supporting. Let's face it... Taiwan is not the most well-known country in the world. The best and easy way to get a country's name out there..... is through the means of sports, media, and culture.
Politics aside... lets take a look at Taiwanese athletes representing the country.

Chien Ming Wang
Former starter.. and arguably the ace for the Yankees few years back. Wang posted back to back 19 wins seasons in the tough AL East but failed to perform in the playoffs. He definitely united the people of Taiwan exemplified by the flags seen at Major League stadiums whenever the Yankees visited different cities. Yankee merchandises sold like mad here in Taiwan.... not to mention the fake Yankee knock-offs.



Hong-Chih Kuo
Breakout season for this pitcher playing for the Dodgers. Playing in a major market in LA i would expect the fanfare to be just as crazy as Chien Ming Wang during his hay-day with the Yankees. With a record of 3-2 and a minuscule ERA of 1.22 he is definitely one of the best pitchers in the majors this year. I think another reason why Kuo is garnering less attention than Wang is because 1. Dodgers is no Yankees 2. Starting pitcher > Setup Pitcher 3. Wang was the first real Taiwanese baseball superstar playing in the majors.



Yani Tseng
This is an amazing case... especially political factors surrounding Tseng. Recently she was offered $25million U.S and a private jet from a Chinese company, but she rejected because one of the stipulation was for her to change her citizenship to Chinese instead of Taiwanese. I was shocked when I heard this. Didn't know you can "buy" a person and make this person a citizen of your country. This just proves the political intensity surrounding Taiwan and China. You don't see Kobe Bryant... Tiger Woods... David Beckham having this problem. A superstar is a superstar at his or her sport and it crosses race and Nationality... thats the beauty of sporting competition.

Looking at Tseng Yani's statistics, she has broken many records from being the youngest person to win tournaments to the youngest person to make a certain amount of money. She is only 21 years old and her future is bright. What is even more impressive is her patriotic ways representing Taiwan not selling out for the money. She is the sweetheart of Taiwan.
Tseng Yani Stats:
- 3 majors - McDonalds LPGA Championship, Kraft Nabisco Championship, Ricoh Women's British Open - 10 Professional Wins - LPGA Rookie of the year 2008

Politics is funny... it just makes things that much more complicated. Sports break down barriers and unites people but politics does get in the way. People can argue and have wars... but everything just stops when theres a sporting competition. Lets face it... I'm not naive... sports sometimes add more fuel to the fire concerning politics but more often than not... it unites people.

Advertising in Sports

Sports advertisements has become more prevelant in the recent years with major corporations buying stakes in sports teams as well as stadiums to have their name associted with the culture of sports. For example Disney owned the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and AOL Time Warner owned Atlanta based sports teams in the Thrashers, Braves, and Hawks.
In Disney's case, they had a whole marketing plan for the Mighty Ducks. They were hoping by releasing the Mighty Ducks Movie, sweaters and tickets of the team would be swiped off the shelves immediately. They were wrong.

Now what is the present and the future state of Advertising in sports

Stadiums
GM place, Philips Arena, Rexall Place, TD Banknorth Garden, Bell Centre - these are just samples of arenas named after major corporations. Looking around major sports teams in North America, probably 90% of the teams play in stadiums named after corporations. In hockey the iconic Maple Leafs Garden and Montreal Forum has been replaced by Bell Centre and Air Canada Centre. At least the new Yankee Stadium is keeping its' name.

Commercials
Superbowl, the cultural phenomenon in the United States has many entertainment values on several levels. Besides the game itself, the half-time show and Superbowl Ads are always heavily anticipated. Companies are willing to spend $2.6million dollars for a simple 30second spot during the game. These ads are incredibly creative and it begs the question, what is the relation between sports and advertisements when millions of dollars are exchanged for a 30second commercial

Advertisements in baseball
Remember back when Spiderman 2 was about to release and MLB was about to have ads of the movie on the bases. Baseball, the most traditional game in North America was about to take a huge leap to the right wing. The deal eventually fell through in part to the dismay of the traditional fans. For once the little people had a say and stopped the corporations from doing whatever they want. I just think that this event is just foreshadowing the inevitable mass advertisements in baseball.

Hockey
Just recently, Olaf Kolzig and Mike Smith (goaltenders for the Tampa Bay Lightning) used their masks as billboards for the upcoming movie SAW V. The creativity was beyond my imagination. I thought ads would be on hockey sweaters or even along the ice before the goalie mask. It made perfect sense however. Whats next, goalie pads, blockers, and gloves painted for advertising? Imagine this, Luongo's pads, mask, blocker, and glove is painted in bright red and yellow with the McDonald arch all over it. Well, what do you know, Luongo signed a $50Million contract with McDonalds just to put these ugly yellow arches on his red equipment.

Teams
Red Bulls New York. Yes that is an actual soccer team in the MLS named strictly after a corporation. Doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Although it might seem ridiculous, but there are far worst team names out there and this is definitely an easy way to have your company name part of the sports culture. Just look at the Yankees, the team itself and the NY logo is already a brand. The Yankees brand. Don't laugh now, this can happen to your favorite sports team. Boston Celtics to Boston Coca Cola - has a nice ring to it.

Future
I think in the future, we will be basking in stadiums filled with advertisements from jerseys, seats, floor, ice, and whatever you can think of. It will be so part of the norm that no one will have second thoughts about it. Can you imagine an NHL rink without advertisements along the boards now? In a consumerism society we are living in, its a win-win situation for everybody regarding advertisements. The teams are receiving revenue from advertising companies - Us consumers are the pack of sheeps that purchases whatever these social elites are telling us to buy - and these major corporations are making more money from sales of their items to us.

Whats the most important position in sports

I know all sports are different, but have you ever wonder which position in sport is the most crucial to a team's success? The single position that can win a championship for an organization. Here is my list:

#4 NBA-Point Guard
Unless you are Kobe Bryant and can score 81 points every game, the NBA is a team oriented game where one person cannot win every game for a team. Although the point guard controls the play and the team, that position needs all others to make their shots and rebound to be successful.


#3 NFL-Quarterback
This is a controversial selection. Many would think the quarterback would be higher ranked than this but hear me out. A quarterback is most successful when 1. the running game is working 2. the offensive line is doing their job 3. receivers running the proper routes and catching the ball. Although the quarterback is the one who sees the play, decides what to do, many factors needs to be in sync for the quarterback to succeed.
Here is another example why I think quarterbacks are overrated in the importance factor. The recent example of the Baltimore Ravens SuperBowl XXXV victory. They won solely on the backs of Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defence. Who was the Quarterback? Trent Dilfer thats who.


#2 MLB-Pitcher
Although pitchers only start once every five games, pitching in general is incredibly important to a team's success. World Series cannot be won without proper pitching. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Pedro Martinez have all been dominant playoff pitchers. Look at 2001. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling literally pitched the team to victory by starting and also relieving. With a crapy Point Guard or Quarterback, the team can still pull out a win, but without proper pitching, a team stands no chance.


#1 NHL-Goaltender
Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy - these elite goaltenders can put a team on their backs and carry them to victory. This is one position that can dictate a game and win a Stanley Cup. No Stanley Cup winner has ever had questionable goaltending. When looking around the league, most if not all the teams that are contenders have solid goaltending. When a goalie sucks, the team sucks - when the goalie rises, the team rises. Look at Roberto Luongo and his recent streak of 3 shutouts. When the other team can't score, they can't win. Simple as that.

Marketing a Sports League

Hey David Stern, Gary Bettman, Roger Goodell, and Bud Selig, listen to me -a nobody- on how to market your leagues.
Every league has their goods and bads. Here are the DO's and DONT's for those people out there who wants to start their own professional sports league - or something for the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL to mull over on marketing their leagues. (keep in mind these are things that happens within the sports organically that will attract the fanfare and i dont mean marketing by advertisements and spending money. However, commissioners can do their best to guide some of these suggestions instead of preventing)

These are the goods and necessities for creating a fan-base and attractions from new fans:


Superstars:
What else is more important than having superstars in your league. These people can single handedly draw in millions of fans. Think of any league and people can name the superstars not even being an advent fan. NFL-Tom Brady. NHL-Sidney Crosby. NBA-Kobe Bryant. MLB-Derek Jeter. Look at MLS and the $250Million dollar contract to David Beckham and you can see how much they believe in the Superstar factor.

Personality:
All leagues need charismatic people. I am not necessarily talking about people that are asses but those who talk the talk and walk the walk. The ones that show emotions and entertain. NHL has Jeremy Roenick who speaks his mind which might not be popular with the league, but fans respect him for that. They might not be the superstar of the league, but just as important for a league. NFL-Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson. NBA-Rasheed Wallace.

Asses and BadBoys:
Now everybody hates these people, but they are the catalyst that starts controversies that are neither good nor bad enough to devastate the league. Terrell Owens, Sean Avery, Ron Artest, and Dennis Rodman when he was in the league. They are the ones that get the media attention, hence more coverage for the league, hence more people are intrigued by these players and the league. Any publicity is good publicity.

Now there are also those athletes that might not be the best player, but has the looks to bring in the lady fans. These players will get a notable mention, but not enough for a category.
Looking past the league and its' players, now we move onto the league and the sport itself.

Competition:
How good is a league when a team consistently dominates. Whats the point of showing up to a game when you know your team is going to lose. Sports teams are filled with bandwagoners and these people are what keeps the league running. NFL is the best example. Arguably the best league in North America, competition and the chance of your team winning is a major factor to the greatness of the league.

Record chases:
Remember the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase of Roger Maris's record 61? Some people might say that this event is the single reason for reviving baseball. Everybody wants to witness a record. A story to tell the next generation. "I was alive when so and so broke this record." It acts as a symbol of being part of history and leaving your mark in history.


Marquee championships:
Two great teams with history, superstars, and flamboyancy rakes in the ratings. Look at this years World Series - Phillies VS. Rays. It was one of the worst, if not the worst rated World Series matchup in history. We had a cinderella team that had a 150:1 odds of winning at the beginning of the season making it all the way to the finals and no one cared. The lack of superstars and flamboyant players really hindered the ratings. Celtics and Lakers. There you go. That is a marquee matchup with history, superstars, and vivacious players.

Storyline:
Finally, everybody wants a storyline, a sidenote on top of the game. Maybe two teams with bad blood or controversies - anything to have fans intrigued about the sideshow that occurs during a game. Sometimes the media create a phantom storyline just to get people interested in the game. The Steve Moore and Todd Bertuzzi incident is a perfect example of a storyline. Although very negative publicity wise for the NHL, but many storylines can be created from the incident. Stories are immeasurable and scenarious aplenty, that is what fans want to see - how the story will end.

Scariest Looking Athlete

With Halloween behind us now, it is obviously the time for us to look at who the scariest looking athlete is. I know everyone has their opinion, but here is my list of six. This list is not to disrespect the players but all fun and games.


#6 Greg Oden:
This rookie sensation out of Ohio State is only 20years old but looks 40. Greg "Olden" as he is often referred to on the net, not only looks old, but also has a body of a 40year old. He has been hurt all of last season and during his first game this season, he injured himself again. I wonder what he's going to look like when he's actually 40. Maybe he'll defy aging and look the same for 20 more years.


#5 Chris Bosh:
When a player has been on one team for a long time, maybe he'll start to look like the team mascot. Maybe its' the hair, but he is slowly turning into a raptor himself. Although he looks like a dinosaur now, his potential of turning into Chris Bosh again shouldn't be too hard. Just lose the dreads Chris. PS. I respect him fully with his comical postings on Youtube. Great Guy


#4 Sam Cassell:
I think his major downfall is the shape of his head. His face has been photoshopped beside many alien pictures, but I personally don't think he looks scary. I didn't say anything about weird looking, but not really scary looking. Maybe if he grows some hair it will be better? I don't know, but most of the time when referring to odd looking athletes, his name will be brought up.


#3 Mike Ricci:
Hockey players are warriors on ice. They fight and they hit, so getting nicked up with a broken nose and scratches on the face is normal. Mike Ricci has had a wonderful career in the NHL, and he has the scars to prove it. Unfortunately, many of the scars are on his face. Maybe its the long hair too, but the Fabio hair doesn't really work well on him. He once was a decent looking lad, but the wear and tear of the NHL can be seen all over his face.


#2 Ronaldinho:
I hate how this guy is on the list. With his soccer skills, it really is a shame. I don't want to spend too much time dissecting what is wrong him him, but just look at the pictures yourself and make your own conclusions. I guess in his defence, who needs the looks when you are that good at soccer. He's going to get the girls either way.


#1 Dennis Rodman:
The once badboy of the NBA. This rebounder king with his unique sense of fashion is on the list because... well his piercings, tattoos, attitude, and personality. Didn't he kick a cameraman in the nuts? He is the total package when speaking of scary.