Welcome Back, Officials!

Now that the NFL and the referees have reached an eight-year agreement to come back into the game as early as today (Thursday, September 27), there will be no excuses for the losing teams anymore.

Yes, it is true that the replacement officials were not as good as the ‘old-time referees’, but if it was not for them, there would had not been football this season (or it would had begun late, at least).

To me, it is a little harsh to blame it all on them and to criticize them so much when they actually did everyone a favor (fans, players, teams and the league included). It is true that sometimes they would not make good calls, but they would not do it for either team… it was not that they were favoring a team, or picking a side.

Let’s be a little more grateful to the replacement referees, because for as much as they may have been inconsistent with their calls and not on the same page with one another, it was really the league’s fault for being so careless, cheap and unaware of reality. The performance of the replacement referees may have changed the perception of the game, however, the NFL should have known better about these replacement referees and not let the image of the NFL deteriorate the way it did.

For the experienced officials, I just want to say “congratulations” for standing up to the league and, principally, for demonstrating how important they are to the sport (they did give their point across!). For the past three weeks, football has not been the same without them, as they not only know each and every one of the rules of the NFL and are familiar with them, but are part of the game of football itself.

And, to the replacement officials, I believe it is fair to say “thank you” because they took this big responsibility, did the best they could, tried really hard and stepped up when the league, the fans and the sport needed them the most.

Now that all is going back to ‘normal’, I assume that Green Bay and New Orleans are never losing again… NOT! All I hope is that the officials do not make any mistakes any time soon, because who-knows what people may start rumoring or talking about.

To conclude, I just want to ask: Was all the wait and trouble really necessary? It is funny to see that usually human beings need to hit rock bottom to realize that they were being too hard-headed when making the wrong decisions. The NFL should have simply met the demands of the experienced referees and not taken them for granted... It was truly a risk not worth taking, as it affected its reputation and integrity, and now a great number of fans and players feel disrespected by it.

- Y gracias por no fumar!

 

Ed Hochuli (image) is one of the best known and experienced
officials in the NFL. Picture from cbssports.com

Stupid NHL Lockout

The National Hockey League’s lockout makes no sense. It jeopardizes the sport’s popularity and punishes the fans the most. While the players and the league’s association come to terms, the sport itself misses on the continuation and development of the game.

Hockey is the fourth most popular sport in The United States, surpassed by football, baseball and basketball. However, this current lockout has not even caused half the commotion that the NFL or NBA had during their own recent lockouts.

As a matter of fact, the current strike of the NFL referees has received much more attention from the media and the general public than the NHL lockout.

This situation between the NHL and the league is not smart all. If the matter does not get resolved, most of the players will just go to play in Europe (from rookies to super stars) and no professional action will be seen in America. Also, hockey will suffer from it, as the support of the fans will disappear and the sport’s popularity ranking will drop drastically.

The players and the league need to understand that they are the only responsible for the future of hockey. The consequences could be devastating, if an agreement is actually not met. And, of course, in that case, the players and the league would be held accountable for, as this is -sadly- all about who gets the biggest portion of the business and who has more power over whom.

- Y gracias por no fumar!

 

Image created to reflect the current reality of the NHL.
Picture from forums.mammothmountain.com

 

What Is Ronaldo's Deal?

The player who has it all, apparently, is not happy. How is that possible?

Cristiano Ronaldo plays for the most famous club in the world, enjoys a salary of about ten million euros per year, and dates a smoking hot super model. Again, how is he sad?

Reportedly, Ronaldo’s family is doing just fine and, despite the rumors, money is not what the Portuguese soccer phenomenon is looking for. Also, he already sent a message to his Real Madrid fans expressing that ‘he will not let his professional commitment to the team and himself affect or interfere with his performance on the pitch’.

So, where is he going with this? Why is he making such an unnecessary commotion?

He said he feels lonely and not loved by Real Madrid, but how can he feel that way when he is the most expensive player on the team’s roster? Every time he scores a goal almost every one of his teammates run to hug and congratulate him, the coach adores him. In addition, Ronaldo plays the position he likes, is rarely substituted, takes pretty much all the free-kicks and penalty-kicks, his jersey is the one that is sold the most, and shares locker room with a few of his national squad teammates. What else could he possibly want!?

 This is just too strange for me to understand… maybe former Real Madrid defender, Roberto Carlos, is right on the dot when he said that ‘Ronaldo is probably upset because he did not win the Best Player of Europe Award last week’. But for whatever reason it may be, what it is certain is that Cristiano Ronaldo needs to stop whining and crying, to get his act together, and to cut off his childish attitude.

Real Madrid needs men on the field to accomplish all the goals it has in mind for this and every season… little boys who need attention and like being ‘drama-queens’ are not going to help the team at all.

- Y gracias por no fumar!

Cristiano Ronaldo showing his discomfort, unhappiness, frustration,
 or whatever it may be. Picture from euronews.com