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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
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KSU Notes – February 9
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NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
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502 Bad Gateway
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Five local gridders to play in Big33
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Law, Love and Chocolate
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Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
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Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
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OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008
Call it the education of the new breed of NBA fan.
There's a natural assumption in media and basketball circles that Thursday's tip-off of the NBA Finals will score ratings simply because it features the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and indeed that might be the case, but allow me to display my Doubting Thomas for just a second.
The last time these two teams met was more than two decades ago, when in the 1987 series the Magic Johnson-led Lakers walked away with the championship trophy. The NBA does best with fans from 18 to 34 years old, according to TNS Global, a marketing research firm. Those 18 to 24 choose the NBA as their third favorite sport and 25- to 34-year-olds selected it their fifth favorite.
It's not a top-five sport, however, in any other age group, according to the survey.
If you're in the 18-24 age group, the likelihood of you remembering that era of the NBA is nil, if you are 25-34, you probably have more allegiance to Michael Jordan than Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
ABC and ESPN should have a dream matchup in the finals, yet because of the ravages of time, it might not sparkle like the fine piece of jewelry it should be.
Theoretically, featuring the best team from the Eastern and Western conferences for the Larry O'Brien Trophy should guarantee ratings gold. At ABC, expectations are higher for this series because it is the Celtics-Lakers.
But if you're honest when looking at this matchup, one thing stands out: These two teams haven't had a rivalry that has interested anyone but their respective cities since they last met in the finals, primarily because the Celtics, arguably the league's most storied franchise, devolved into a laughingstock. Had General Manager Danny Ainge not made two bold moves in the offseason by getting Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, they probably would have held the same status this year.
You think ABC doesn't realize that?
At 7 tonight, ESPN will visit the past with an airing of SportsCenter NBA Finals Special, three hours built around Game 6 of that 1987 championship series won by the Lakers. It will feature interviews with key players and coaches, along with footage.
''We do have an obligation to educate, so whether it's somebody who is 60 years old or somebody who is 15 or 16 to what this actually means in the history, in the legacy, not just in the NBA, but in history of sports, when these two teams get together with the world championship at stake,'' Norby Williamson, ESPN's vice president/production, said.
Don't expect the entire production to be nostalgic.
''The focus is always going to be on the event. You're dealing with franchises, with the big three in Boston and Kobe Bryant, so you start there,'' Williamson said. ''Clearly I think we have to do a little bit more about players, whether it's a [Rajon] Rondo or a [Pau] Gasol, that type of thing.''
Mixed martial message
USA Today railed against mixed martial arts in a Monday editorial, and some claim that a fix was in Saturday, but there's little doubt MMA has found an audience.
MMA is a combination of boxing and martial arts that's bloody and goes well beyond most violence you see in sports. It has battled its way to the airwaves, finding a willing audience in younger males.
CBS aired EliteXC Saturday Night Fights this past weekend and showed triple-digit audience growth over its normal numbers. It's not my cup of tea, although I did catch a peak of heavyweight Kimbo Slice at the top of the card.
Considering what was said about boxing and football way back when, USA Today might have gone over the top. In this world, it's all about choice. Turn it off if you don't like it.
Kickoff time
FSN Ohio will return the FSN Ohio High School Football Game of the Week beginning Aug. 21. Key games locally: Medina vs. Wadsworth (Sept. 4), Twinsburg vs. North Royalton (Sept. 25), Solon vs. Brunswick (Oct. 2), Lake Catholic vs. Archbishop Hoban (Oct. 9) and Jackson vs. Perry (Oct. 16).
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net.
Call it the education of the new breed of NBA fan.
Get the full article here.
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