Sporting My Roots: Redemption Weekend

I went to Delaware Park in Wilmington Sunday to do some reporting on the now-legalized sports betting there (the Niners were a 7-point underdog, by the way -- should have taken that bet) and much to my surprise, I ran into something unexpected: Niners fans. Real ones.

Usually when I run into someone around these parts and we're both wearing a San Francisco jersey, there's no recognition in the other person's eyes (this is especially true for Giants jerseys). No "Go Niners!"  no "Yeah, Giants!" no smile, no nothin'. I have no idea who these people think they are but they are not my sports brethren. It's on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as my husband, who practically gets a high five and a chest bump every time he passes someone on the street around here wearing Boston gear.

So as I'm wandering around Delaware Park, Niners jersey neatly hidden underneath a fleece (I can't NOT wear it on Sunday -- that's pretty much heresey), I spot someone wearing a Niners Super Bowl t-shirt. I couldn't resist.

"Nice shirt!" I shouted.

A smile broke out across his face, he nodded and -- guess what -- I got the thumbs up.

I couldn't believe it. The thumbs up!! I may sound like that mousey girl in high school who gets the stray glance of the football captain and rushes home to journal about it, but I don't care. Finally -- some recognition!

The rest of the afternoon I spotted a handfull of Niners fans grouped together, even one wearing a retro Montana jersey. The TVs with the San Francisco game actually had people in front of them who weren't watching the adjacent games. Granted, some of those people had money on the game so that's why they cared. But it doesn't explain why I saw the most San Francisco paraphanelia since the last time I was at San Francisco airport.

That day, coupled with a Friday night when I used my Giants credit card and it didn't end in me secretly rolling my eyes but in a nice conversation about the team's playoff hunt this season (thank you Iggies in Baltimore) and I feel slightly less like a black sheep out here.

Of course on the radio during the drive home Sunday I heard score updates on what seemed like every game BUT the Niners...but Rome wasn't built in a day.

How safe is Camden Yards?

All right, before you start freaking out over that subject line, I’m sure Camden Yards is perfectly safe. But it did get you to click on this post, didn’t it?  

But as for the question at hand, we may have a specific answer in a few months after a safety study on the ballpark is finished. The Maryland Stadium Authority recently hired Chicago-based Hillard Heintze to conduct a comprehensive security threat and vulnerability assessment of the Camden Yards Sport Complex (which includes the ballpark, the warehouse and M&T Bank Stadium).

Stadium Authority officials at their last public meeting mentioned that the impact the sports complex’s proximity to D.C. was an element they wanted covered.

But here’s my question — what about the little things? The last several times I’ve gone to either ballpark (D.C. or Baltimore), I’ve noticed the bag check at the security has gone a little lax. So far it’s just encouraged me to try and sneak food into Nationals Park (thank you O’s for letting me bring in my own food without the risk of getting mustard on my wallet).  But what kind of tricks could ill-intentioned people pull?

And the same does not go for football games — especially the Ravens, which seems like the equivalent of going through airport security. At least it is for the guys…finally a perk to being a woman that involves shorter lines!

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Shut up Great America

The latest development to come out of the Bay Area on the 49ers' new stadium sounds strangely identical to the last news about two months ago: the Great America theme park owners are -- wait for it -- still  peeved the new South Bay stadium is going to be built in their backyard.

Great America owners don't want the 49ers in its backyard...and won't stop talking about it.The complaint, as accounted by the San Jose Mercury News, still centers on the theme park owner Cedar Fair Entertainment's concern it will not be properly compensated if the stadium is built. That's even if the team follows through with its assurance it will compensate Great America for lost profits if it closes on game days.

"In addition, the letter accuses city officials of failing to disclose the potential additional cost to taxpayers if Great America suffers greater-than-expected financial losses connected to the stadium," The Merc says. (Great America leases its property from Santa Clara which is worth about $5 million in annual revenue for the city.)

This latest posturing by the G.A. owners is just the latest in a long line of feet stomping and ear-drum-breaking shrieking that makes a three-year-old's temper tamtrum look adult compared to these shennanigans. (I love that word. I don't care what you think.) For years they have been singing the same old tune while the team has all but handed them a blank check to shut them up.

Maybe Great America had its supporters at the beginning of all this. From their point of view, it's basically like having a Wal-Mart move in across the street from your Mom & Pop shop. (Then again if Wal-Mart offered to make up the difference with my shop, I take the money and live like a king in Mexico for five months out of the year. But that's probably why I don't own a business.)

The point is, Great America's owners aren't gaining any supporters by crying about the same old thing for two years even after concessions have been made. As one of my film professors once said, "Once is innovative, twice is clever but three or more times is just obnoxious."

Great America, you are officially obnoxious. Please shut up.

Sporting My Roots: Giant oversight

So the votes are in and we had a tie between Lonely Giant and Sporting My Roots. And since my aunt sent in the Sporting My Roots suggestion I decided to keep it in the family and make that one the winner. Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions!

Now, on to the post:

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Dear East Coasters,

I’m writing to inform you that the Appalachian “Mountains” look like hills compared to the Sierra   Nevadas, it’s cold and foggy 363 days out of the year in San Francisco and the Giants are not just a football team.

I’m tired of posting about the Giants’ playoff hopes on Facebook and inevitably somebody writes back, “They played on a Wednesday?” Or, “Innings... you mean quarters.” Yes. Thank you. Clearly I am ignorant about the world of sports.

I’m tired of paying for things with my Giants MLB rewards credit card (which CLEARLY has the “SF” logo and a baseball jersey on it) and having the cashier ask me if I’m from New York. Or if I like football. Or Eli Manning. I’ve had jobs in customer service – I know they’re just trying to be nice and make conversation. But a part of me dies on the inside when I have to engage in yet another conversation with an East Coaster that sounds something like this.

Me: “No…the San Francisco Giants.” (Can’t you see the baseball jersey on the card? And if you can’t see that, how much faith should I have in your ability to match my signature on the back of the card to my receipt?)

Cashier: blank look on the face.

Me: “You know, the baseball team?” (I can't believe I just had to say that. If you ask me why a team in California was named after a team in New York, I can't be held responsible for my actions.)

Cashier: "Ohhhh…OK, that’s cool."

Me: “…yeah. Thanks.” (It would have been cooler if we could have done this transaction without me wanting to pound my head on the counter.)

I can’t tell you how happy I was when I used that card in the San Francisco airport and the cashier asked me what I thought of Tim Lincecum. I practically hugged the poor guy then spent the next five minutes telling him what I’ve just described.

This is what the East Coast has reduced me to. Holding innocent clerks in California hostage because somebody hears “the Giants” and doesn’t think of football season. Will this ever change? If the Giants make the playoffs next year (my hopes for this season’s wild card slot are shot) will I have to have fewer of these conversations in the future? Or am I just doomed to forever being overshadowed by the blue and red?

Start your engines: sports betting opens in Delaware

September 10, 2009

It may not be exactly what legislators wanted but, for better or worse, the Delaware sports betting lottery starts this week that will allow parlay bets on NFL games.

Beginning Thursday, gamblers can place between $2 and $3,000 on a bet predicting the outcome of at least three NFL games. Bettors can wager on up to 12 games at once. For more on how the wagering works compared with Las Vegas, click here.

Last month a federal appeals court denied Delaware’s attempt to allow single-game betting as is permitted in Las Vegas.  The ruling also limited betting in Delaware to the NFL instead of other professional sports. The bill Gov. Jack Markell signed in May allowed betting in multiple sports, but the four major sports leagues and the NCAA sued this summer to halt that.

In 1976, the last time Delaware had a sports lottery, the NFL also led a charge against it. While that law suit failed, the game wasn’t brought back for a second year after revenues fell far short of expectations, according to news reports.

As originally enacted, Delaware’s sports betting was estimated to bring in $55 million to state coffers for the cash-strapped state. But with the restrictions now in place — and given the past failure with parlay betting — is there still a chance that sports betting east of the Mississippi will last?

I’ve heard concerns in Baltimore that...

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Title suggestions galore! Vote here

Thanks to all for the many great suggestions for titles for the new Farmer's Field series! Here are some of my favorites that came in:

Squatting on the Eastern Frontier
The 49 without the Gold
The Lonely Giant
Foldin' Late the Golden State
Sporting My Roots
The Challenges of a Dislocated Sports Fan

I've created a poll because I'm indecisive and still need help making the final decision. Vote here and I'll start the series with the winning title next week! In the meantime, back to sports business posts...

New series for Farmer's Field: Displaced Sports Fans Woes

Props goes to my Dad for bringing up this topic -- why the heck would anyone move from beautiful California to the cold and unforgiving East Coast??? In my defense 1) I didn't realize how blessed I was growing up in the mild San Francisco Bay Area climate until I spent my first summer and winter out in Maryland, and 2) hey -- you go where the job offers are, right?

No, friends, that is NOT a Washington Redskins jersey.While there are certainly oodles of people that are now building their lives in a place they didn't grow up, my situation is particularly annoying. Here's why: not only do I get a nice dose of intolerable (to me) weather every summer and winter (mostly winter), but I moved across that magical line somewhere east of the Rocky Mountains but west of the Mississippi River where coverage of West Coast teams (and at times, the general population's awareness of them in general) gets lost in the maelstrom of the East Coast bias.

We all know why Boston and Chicago teams have such a great following -- because most people from those cold weather death traps get the heck out of those cities and move to more suitable climates. Like, say, the Mid-Atlantic. (Note, the nickname of Baltimore's Camden Yards -- "Fenway South" -- and the fact that the best-attended seriesfor the woeful Washington Nationals this year was when the Cubbies were in town.

But why would anyone move from San Francisco to D.C.? (See paragraph one.) I can probably count on one hand the number or Giants or Niners jerseys I've seen on the streets out here in the past year.

So, that being said, I feel a little bit like a lone wolf when it comes to staying connected with my sports teams. Over the next few weeks (and then as the situations occur) I will be adding to my sports business blogs, posts about the problems I encounter (and hopefully a few triumphs) being a San Francisco sports fan out on the East Coast.

Suggestions on a title for the series are VERY welcome. And be warned: if there aren't any suggestions, I'm just going to do some cheesy spin-off on "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." You'll only have yourselves to blame.

Stay tuned for the first installment!

American Le Mans Series weighs in on Baltimore grand prix hopes

After Tuesday’s story about the potential cost to Baltimore to host a grand prix-style race along city streets, I received an e-mail from the vice president of public relations for the American Le Mans Series of auto racing. (The series brought a car race to Washington, D.C.’s RFK Stadium parking lot in 2002 but did not finish out the remaining 9 years of its contract due to opposition from the surrounding neighborhood.)

Here’s what Bob Dickinson had to say:

“From our perspective, our Washington, D.C. race was the most successful first-year event ever conducted in the history of the American Le Mans Series. It was a fantastic venue and embraced by media and fans. The reason we were unable to return was the result of a lawsuit that was filed by a small group of activists over noise pollution. Street races are a fairly cost-intensive venture. We are approached by several cities a year who would like for us to come to their city streets to race and create a mega-event. We make it very clear that it usually takes at least a three-year commitment to break even due to start-up and infrastructure costs associated with creating a temporary street circuit….Other races have come and gone because cities/local promoters don’t understand the pro forma or in some cases, get cut short by ‘politics.’”

Dickinson also noted James Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, was right when I quoted him as saying no two races are the same and the reasons they sometimes don’t return are varied — and it’s not just the money. For example, D.C. did not keep local residents in the loop about the race plans (according to reports at the time) and did not tell the neighborhood about the 2002 grand prix until a year beforehand.

In Baltimore’s case...

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Shaq vs. Michael Phelps

On Sunday, NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal faced off with Baltimore’s Olympian Michael Phelps in a swim-off for ABC’s new reality show, “Shaq Vs.”

Phelps, an eight-time gold medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and Shaq, a perennial All Star with a playful personality, squared off before a crowd of about 600 at the Loyola College of Maryland.

“Shaq Vs.” debuted last Tuesday, but didn’t make much of a ratings splash among the big four networks; it barely edged out Fox’s “More to Love” (4 million viewers) with a total 4.3 million viewers. That’s less than half of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (11.6 million) and CBS’s “Big Brother” (8.1 million).

Last week’s episode featured Shaq battling it out with Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger. I imagine they’re hoping for more of a ratings spike with Phelps, whose reputation (good or bad) is more widely known outside of the sports world.

ABC previously partnered with O’Neal on the 2007 summer reality series “Shaq’s Big Challenge,” in which he coached overweight kids on how to develop a healthier lifestyle. After disappointing ratings, however, the show didn’t return for a second season.

I’m not sure if the problem is Shaq or the crowded field of competitors...

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M&T Bank Stadium and FedEx Field remain in running for World Cup bid

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
August 20, 2009 7:38 PM

Maryland’s two professional football stadiums have made the latest round of cuts and remain in consideration for the U.S. bid to host soccer’s World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

After eliminating 13 more stadiums, 32 remain, the U.S. bid committee announced Thursday. The list, which started with 70 stadiums in April, had been cut to 45 in June.

Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, and Landover’s FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, stand a good chance to both make the final cut of 18 stadiums, said Terry Hasseltine, the state’s sports marketing director.

“At end of day, if we get one [stadium] or we get two, Maryland wins because it happens on our soil,” said Hasseltine, whose office is with the Department of Business and Economic Development. “Our goal is still to have two when they’re down to 18, and I think we can do that.”

He said that M&T Bank Stadium and FedEx Field — separated by just 34 miles — provide a nice one-two punch. M&T’s smaller size and central location downtown is ideal for early round play where there’s more activity and attendance is more spread out, while FedEx’s 91,000-seat capacity is better for later rounds with larger crowds. M&T seats about 71,000.

“In all honesty, you could anchor one-quarter of field in this one area ... and I’ve pitched it that way,” said Hasseltine.

RFK Stadium in Washington also remains in the running.

The stadiums must now send to FIFA a more detailed list of specs including security capabilities, staff, parking and other event necessities and local amenities such as hotels and transportation.

Baltimore gained points with FIFA when M&T hosted a sold-out game between Chelsea and AC Milan in July, Hasseltine said.

Bids are due to FIFA by May, and the selections will be announced in December 2010.

Birdie-watching at Senior Players will cost less this year

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
August 10, 2009 5:54 PM

Golfing may be an expensive sport — but watching it doesn’t have to be.

Tournament director Steve Schoenfeld emphasized the tournament’s role in supporting local charities.That’s a message organizers for the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship hope to get across to fans in the midst of a national recession.

General admission tickets bought in advance will cost $2 less this year — $20 — than they did for the 2008 tournament. Steve Schoenfeld, executive director of the tournament, said Monday at the media day they thought a rounder number might settle better with fans.

“I’m not sure it was a conscious thought [to do that because of the economy], but it’s more like if that’ll help, why not?” he said.

Schoenfeld and others Monday also emphasized the tournament’s role in supporting local charities, which ticket sales can greatly affect. The PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour have raised a total of more than $1.4 billion for charity in the last 70 years — more than any other professional sports combined, according to the PGA.

The Constellation Energy Championship’s defending champion, D.A. Weibring, pointed to that fact during Monday’s question-and-answer session.

“I hope folks come out here and support the event,” he said. “I know times are challenging, but you do raise money for charity [in doing that].”

The Champions Tour stop in Baltimore has raised $400,000 each of the last two years for four local charities, organizers said. The tournament has also launched a new campaign, Tickets Fore Charity, in which local charities can sell tournament tickets for a cut of the proceeds. More than 50 charities in the Baltimore area have signed up for the fundraiser.

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