Did you say football? I thought you meant soccer.

I say tomato, you say toe-mah-toe. I say soccer while everyone else says football. It can get quite confusing don't you think? Soccer to an American is that game where each team runs around for a couple hours and only scores 2 points whereas soccer to everyone else is known as the glorious game of football. On the contrary when someone says football in America, we immediately think of tailgates, hog-skin leather, and large burly men tackling each other. OK now I am confused!!

The point is that American sports are different. In the states we revere football, basketball, baseball, and NASCAR. All of which were invented by individuals from North America. Soccer or "football" did not catch on until the 80's in the states. According to Amrit Doley, writer for Sportingo, " Soccer is the Emperor and Cricket the King; with basketball, baseball, rugby, hockey, volleyball and US football all making a Royal impact" (Doley, 2009). In his article he states the top ten most popular team sports are as follows; Football (soccer), Cricket, Basketball, Baseball, Rugby Union, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, American Football, Rugby League. As an American that sounds bogus!! American Football is ranked 9th? No Way!!

It is apparent that there is a disconnect between America and the world around us when it comes to sports. We can see this by observing different types of newspapers from different parts of the world. Take for example the Arizona Republic paper (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/). Within the sports section there are stories about the upcoming Super bowl, Arizona State University basketball, the Phoenix Suns, and the Professional Golf Association. If you go to a similar section of the Liverpool Echo paper in England (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/) you would find stories on football, cricket, rugby, and horse racing.

They layouts are very similar. On both sites a fan can access videos, blog links, buttons to twitter, etc. The strange thing is that the content is completely different. There are advertisements on the AZ Republic for a car dealership and a "mom's" networking group. On the Liverpool site there are advertisements for Sprint Wireless and a new European skin care system designed for women. Oddly enough both sites have advertisements designed to attract middle aged women.

While I say tomato and you say toe-ma-toe, I definitely say American football and you say football. While the aesthetics, advertisements, and functionality are the same for both sites, the content and sports coverage is completely different. Maybe I should start following Cricket. Who knows, it may be the next big sport in the US. :)

Doley, A. (2009, May 16). The world's Top 10 most popular team sports. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from Sportingo: http://www.sportingo.com/all-sports/a11587_worlds-top-most-popular-team-sports

"Turn out the Lights. The Party is Over" : A tribute to Don Meredith

The 'Monday Night Football' team
Frank Gifford, Howard Cossell, & Don Meredith

" TURN OUT THE LIGHTS. THE PARTY IS OVER"!!

A Tribute to Don Meredith

Those words will forever be remembered as Don Meredith regularly exclaimed when he felt a Monday Night Football game was decided. Legendary Don Meredith would first become known for his exceptional NFL Dallas Cowboys quarter back performance (1960 - 1968) however he will forever be remembered for his catchy phrases and impact on Monday Night Football (1970-74 & 1977-83).

After his nine seasons with the Cowboys, 3 of which he was named to the Pro Bowl, Don Meredith would be selected by Roone Arledge's to work for the new NFL broadcasting show called "Monday Night Football". Meredith provided color commentary on the ABC program and was part of the program's original three-man broadcasting team. Together Gifford, Cossell, and Meredith created one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series ever, and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male viewers.

The MNF team created a stage for thousands to watch where witty Cossell would provide a play-by-play and Meredith would fill in the gaps with commentary. Meredith's role as NFL's first ever color commentator was the difference between a sport's game and a sport's production on television. MNF became a must-see program versus just another football game. Whereas before fans would just watch their respective teams, MNF became the game to watch every week. What made "Dandy Don" so special was that he was also a former NFL star. He knew the game and had experienced it from the other side; the playing field. Automatically his opinion's were accepted because viewers respected him for is athletic ability and positive history within the league.

The dynamic combination of a brilliant sports program plus an experienced color commentator forever changed the history of the National Football League. In 1970 when MNF aired, those individuals changed the idea of what a professional football game should be experienced like. To them a football game was not just a game. It was an opportunity to re-create the entertainment that once was written during the Golden Age of Sports. They now had the chance to speak opinions, paint pictures, and create ideas that writers used to be recognized for in the 1930's.

Before there was Pardon the Interruption and before there even was ESPN, there was Monday Night Football. The leading innovator on sports telecommunication. Thanks to MNF, people began to see the entertainment value of sports through the television. Not everyone had to get to the ball park to partake in the experience. Thanks to MNF, watching the game on the television became an experience.

Hat's off to a memorable history. In honor of Don Meredith let me respectively say, "Turn out the lights. The party is over". Thanks for being the first of many to glorify the game and increase viewership through that fancy box called the television. :)

Why I Want to be ..... My Own Boss; An Entrepreneur!!

Ever since I was young I have been a visionary of sorts. I have always questioned systems, theories, and the revered ideas of others. I have had a deep desire to be known for leaving this world with something I created. That is why I want to be..... My Own Boss; An Entrepreneur!!

To create something from nothing is the most fulfilling experience that I have ever encountered. To be a leader and have a unique vision that others follow is empowering and more fulfilling than any other 9 to 5 position I could fathom. My drive is not to make lots of money, or even to be famous. My drive is to put a mark on this world. My drive is to see the direct fruits of my own labor while creating new jobs and spreading my deepest passion onto others.

That passion I wish to share with others is my love for youth sports. I have witnessed firsthand the effects of youth sports participation and truly believe that there is a vast amount of benefits derived from such experiences. Sports participation parallels real life and serves as a metaphor for every humans day to day encounters. Themes and lessons like; you don't always win, communication is key, there is no I in team, and hard work pays off, can all be translated into real life. Kids may not be aware of this direct parallel but as they grow older, they can begin to see the lessons they once learned on the playing field being executed in the board room.


From the time I was a in kindergarten, I was playing sports. Basketball, volleyball, soccer, swim; you name it, I played it. My imagination ran wild and not only was I learning the techniques needed to compete, I was learning about a whole industry that would capture my heart from then on. Once I reached high school there were few sports I had never tried; girl's lacrosse being one of them. In an attempt to try something new, two friends and I started the first ever girl's lacrosse team at Gilbert High School in Gilbert Arizona. There were only 7 other high school teams at the time. Little did I know that this idea of entrepreneurship and starting something from nothing would resonate in me over and over again as I grew older. Starting this new team wouldn't be the first time that I created a sports event/ organization from infancy.

After high school I went on to playing lacrosse at Arizona State University on a full ride leadership scholarship. There I received my bachelors in Recreation Management/ Therapeutic Recreation. My original plan was to work with at-risk youth by giving them more opportunities to play organized sports. I had hundreds of ideas including non-profit organizations that could support this vision. All along the way I began coaching lacrosse and networking within the youth sports industry. During my undergraduate education I planned numerous tournaments, camps, and clinics for different organizations in Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. I was an athletic director for a youth sports organization called Desert StiX Lacrosse. I also was the head varsity coach of the Corona High School Aztecs. We even won the DII state championships in 2008!! I served as a Recreation Therapist Intern at the Richmond Virginia Veterans Hospital in 2009. There I orchestrated a 12 wheelchair sport camp and even introduced wheelchair lacrosse to my patients. That camp was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life because not only was I utilizing my education but I had yet again created something NEW that involved sports and even lacrosse.

After coaching youth sports for five years it became ingrained in me that I would always be a coach. No matter what career path I went down, I always knew coaching would be a priority. The idea of coaching for a living crossed my mind several times so I began tossing around the idea of coaching college lacrosse. I found my way up the ranks to a player/coach position at Tiffin University in 2010. I was recruited for my coaching abilities and was also able to utilize my last year of NCAA athletic eligibility. At Tiffin I started my MBA in Sports Management and began to wrestle with the amount of opportunities within the industry I had grown to love. I considered working within adaptive sports, or even accepting an amazing opportunity of becoming a head coach at a University. At that point in my life, I had to make some big decisions. Throughout the process my burning desire to Be My Own Boss resonated and thus I turned down several of those jobs and decided to move back to Phoenix. My grand plan was to finally start my own business!

Thus Wildfire Lacrosse was born in late 2010 (www.wildfirelax.com). Starting my own youth lacrosse league was the ultimate way for me to begin utilizing my professional experiences and formal education. Many risks are involved in being your own boss and there are times where I think back to the other opportunities that had presented themselves. Although making a steady pay check sounds appealing, being an entrepreneur still seems to be more rewarding at this time in my life. It is a difficult aspiration to try and make something from nothing however I am appeasing my ingrained need to spread my passion and carry out my vision. :)