Last month, the long awaited NBA draft finally took place. Experts say that 2017 is the most talent rich draft in years, and thanks mostly to the entertaining and provocative Lavar Ball, it’s one of most drama-filled as well. As expected the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball. Lonzo’s newly famous dad has been criticized by practically everyone for his outrageous statements (he once said he would have beaten Michael Jordan in a one-on-one), but I like the guy. His kids are great team players, well mannered and humble – exactly his opposite. Maybe it’s an act or maybe he is doing something right. After a disappointing first work out with the Lakers, Lavar invited the Laker brass including Magic Johnson to spend a day at the Ball home where they could get to know the family and see first-hand how Lonzo spends his days working out. The Lakers were impressed. Lavar and Lonzo wanted the Lakers and did not leave anything to chance. Above is a picture of the elder Ball wishing my son, Aaron well after an AAU game. I personally think Lonzo is going to be a transformational player in the NBA. He sees the game differently than other players. Go Lakers!
On Friday evening, the LA Dodgers won game one of the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees in glorious fashion, with Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off grand slam home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. For Dodger fans, the game could not have been scripted better...
I once read that sports are a universal language. Regardless of ethnicity or what language you speak, almost everyone speaks sports. No place has that been more evident than the Olympics, where every four years, we are moved by images of athletic rivals from around the world shaking hands and embracing each other in moving displays of sportsmanship.
The NFL markets its brand as well as any enterprise in the world. I heard a comedian once say that the NFL is so popular, it has its own day. NFL football is huge. Each NFL franchise brings in approximately $400M a year in revenue; almost double the annual revenue of NBA teams and 2 ½ times as much as MLB clubs.