Washington, DC Tops List of Most Depressed Pro Baseball Cities, According to Data Compiled by Avvo
Oakland Crying Foul at #2, Followed by Baltimore, Seattle and Houston
Washington, DC, whose hometown Nationals have finished in last place in all but one year since relocating from Montreal in 2005, is the unhappiest pro baseball city, according to analysis by Avvo, which offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of licensed doctors and lawyers in the U.S. Interestingly enough, Baltimore, located about 40 miles north of the nation’s capital and home to the Orioles, who last won a World Series in 1983, is the third most depressed baseball city, with Oakland (Athletics) sandwiched between.
Batting cleanup in the lineup of brokenhearted baseball cities is Seattle, then Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago (Cubs fans), Pittsburgh, Denver, Los Angeles, New York (Mets fans), Tampa, Dallas, Kansas City, Detroit and Milwaukee.
“Baseball fans are incredibly passionate about their teams so it’s no surprise they suffer from bouts of depression and disappointment after a big loss or after the seemingly endless succession of losing seasons,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.
Below is a list of the most depressed baseball cities (in order): Read more
Basketball HD Instant Replay Takes Off in Collegiate Space
XOS Digital Places HD Replay on 2011 Horizon for College Basketball
XOS Digital announced that it is expanding its XOS HD Replay product line to now include a version formatted specifically for college basketball. The announcement was made by Chris McCleary, CEO, XOS Digital.
“The need for instant replay in college basketball is apparent, yet there are several factors to consider when implementing a replay system,” McCleary said. “Decision makers must consider the number of televised games, amount of space available courtside, the ease of use required for a fast-paced sport and the need to evaluate officials’ performance on the court. The XOS HD Replay system for basketball was designed specifically for the basketball market, with the capability to meet the replay needs among all conferences at a very affordable price.”
XOS Digital’s newest replay product uses the same core technology found within the XOS HD Replay system for football, which was used by the SEC, Big 12, WAC and Conference USA during the 2010 college football season as well as in 18 bowl games including 2 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games. Read more
2011 Puerto Rico Basketball League Season to Air in United States Exclusively on WAPA America
WAPA America, the U.S. cable network arm of the leading broadcaster in Puerto Rico, WAPA Television, has secured exclusive rights to air the 2011 Puerto Rico Basketball League season, which will include regular season games and the playoffs.
The season kicks off on March 31 with the highly-anticipated game between defending champions, Los Capitanes de Arecibo (The Arecibo Captains), and the 2010 runner-up, Los Vaqueros de Bayamon (The Bayamon Cowboys).
More than 80 years old, Puerto Rico’s Basketball League (BSN, for its Spanish acronym) is well-recognized around the world, and a number of current NBA players got their start with the BSN, including Jose Juan Barea (Dallas Mavericks), Carlos Arroyo (Boston Celtics) and Renaldo Balkman (New York Knicks).
“Puerto has a rich basketball tradition and the sport is extremely popular among Puerto Ricans and many other Hispanic audiences,” said Jose E. Ramos, President of WAPA Television. ”This is a unique and excellent product for our distribution partners and we are pleased to offer it exclusively to our audience.”
Ten teams will make up the 2011 BSN tournament, with each team playing 30 games. The full schedule can be accessed on www.WapaAmerica.com in the coming days.
WAPA America is the U.S. cable network arm of WAPA Television, the leading broadcast station in Puerto Rico. WAPA America is viewed in more than 3.5 million homes throughout the U.S. and distributed on major cable, satellite and telco providers, including DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-verse.
Legislation to Protect the Brains of Young Football Players
A bipartisan bill aimed at decreasing the concussion rate in youth and high school football players by improving helmet safety was introduced to Congress on Wednesday, in recognition of Brain Injury Awareness Day.
Senator Tom Udall (D—NM) and Congressman Bill Pascrell (D—NJ) sponsored the bill, which would give companies that make football helmets for youth and high school athletes nine months to improve helmet safety standards. If they fail to do so, the Consumer Product Safety Commission would be required to set standards. The bill would also enforce stricter penalties for companies that make false safety claims.
At a press conference with the bill sponsors, Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, Director of Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation in West Orange, N.J., explained the medical implications of concussions: “Concussions are brain injuries that impact the brain permanently…with every concussion, you are weakening the connections in the brain. Repeat concussions increase the risk of mild cognitive impairment [problems with thinking, learning and memory] and depression later in life, as well as illnesses such as Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Rep. Pascrell, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, said, “We want our children to be active and athletic, but in the safest possible circumstances right down to the helmets they put on their heads. This bill is the logical next step in Congress’ effort to protect our young athletes from brain injuries.” In September, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Rep. Pascrell’s Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act, which calls for national protocols to be established for the management of sports-related concussions.
A concussion is caused by a blow or jolt to the head. The concussion rate for young athletes has doubled in the past decade. According to WebMD, 40% of the approximately 250,000 sports-related head injury cases seen in the emergency room between 2001 and 2005 were children, ages 8-13 years.
A study by the National Association of Injury Prevention, released in January 2011, reported that 47% of high school football players endure a concussion in one season while 35% have multiple concussions in a season. Approximately 85% of concussions, however, remain undetected.
Kessler Foundation Research Center conducts groundbreaking research, examining the medical, rehabilitation, cognitive and functional problems associated with acquired brain injury and related conditions.
Special Edition of HDNet’s Inside MMA to Provide Comprehensive Coverage of UFC’s Purchase of Strikeforce
Exclusive Interviews with Dana White and Scott Coker – This Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET
This week’s announcement that Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC (which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand) purchased Strikeforce has stunned the mixed martial arts community. The move is arguably the most significant development in the sport since Zuffa’s acquisition of PRIDE in 2008, and solidifies Zuffa’s position as the largest MMA company in the world.
This week’s “Inside MMA” covers all the angles on this major breaking news story, including interviews with all the principals involved in the deal.
First, Mike Straka talks to UFC President Dana White about the acquisition and what it means for the sport then Bas Rutten and Strikeforce President Scott Coker discuss how the deal came together and where the promotion will go from here.
Also, Ron Kruck takes a look back at the two organizations and gathers reaction from the fighters about what this consolidation will mean for them.
“Inside MMA” is committed to giving viewers more insight into the top stories than any other outlet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “Bas’ exclusive interview with Scott Coker goes deeper than anything you have seen so far. You’ve read the headlines and heard the sound bites, now tune in this Friday to go inside the story and find out what it means for the fighters, fans and the sport.”
“Inside MMA” airs this Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.
And, HDNet will post a special ONLINE ONLY edition of “Inside MMA” which will be available at http://www.hd.net/blogs/2011/03/inside-mma-511/ immediately following the telecast. Dominick Cruz, Phil Baroni, and Trevor Whitman will join Kenny and Bas to breakdown UFC 128, plus Ron Kruck has comments from Jon Jones and Shogun Rua.