I might be a bit premature in celebrating, but my prediction about Kawhi Leonard is proving to be correct – in a big way. The Raptor forward is about to bring the musician Drake and about a million rapid fans from Toronto, Canada their very first NBA Championship. Leonard is my kind of superstar: talented, unassuming, and lethal. Even the great LeBron James never had a playoff run like Kawhi is having this year. I have no idea why the NBA does not consider playoff performance in their determination for league MVP. It’s ridiculous…the NBA playoffs span two full months and are the most consequential games of the season. Kawhi Leonard will be the finals MVP for the second time in his career, but the season MVP will almost certainly go to someone else. What a joke! Congrats to the soon-to-be NBA Champions, Toronto Raptors and their leader, Kawhi Leonard. I told you it would happen!
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.