...but Canucks organization embraces bloggers

Canucks Organization Embraces Bloggers and Podcasters - nowpublic.com
Actually, I'm still waiting for my hug, but it's good to hear that my favourite hockey team tends to be bucking the league trend.
The Canucks hockey team are featuring bloggers, podcasters and Facebook application creators in their promotional posters and on their website. Now, if only the Canucks' players could play more consistently in their new up-tempo, high scoring style...

Bloggers get the cold shoulder from hockey teams

Teams slowly reacting as bloggers hit the NHL
It seems like the NHL under Gary Bettman just keeps getting PR wrong. As media outlets in the US decrease the number of reporters covering NHL teams, hockey journalists and enthusiasts are starting to cover hockey as independent bloggers.

While blog coverage has grown in politics, entertainment and other sports over the past few years, bloggers have been slower in covering hockey. Unfortunately, it seems like the kneejerk reaction from many hockey teams has been to shut the door on this new kind of media coverage.

How much is your NHL franchise worth? : Forbes magazine

Forbes Special Report: The Business of Hockey

How much is your city's NHL team worth?

Which NHL players deliver the most value to their teams?

For some people the business of sports is even more interesting than the games themselves. For these folks, Forbes has done a really good job of analyzing each NHL hockey team's value; based on their team, their market, their gate receipts, the broadcast revenue, their stadium contract, their brand and other financial factors.

FYI The Vancouver Canucks are the ninth most valuable team in the NHL at $211 Million.

NBA's Gilbert Arenas blogs

NBA.com Blog: Gilbert Arenas
Apparently, this is the best sports superstar blog. Don't say I didn't let you know.

Profile of NBA's Steve Nash from NY Times

Not to Get Too Mystical About It - New York Times
A really good profile of Victoria, British Columbia's Steve Nash, who was the NBA's MVP two years in a row with the Phoenix Suns. This article follows Steve Nash on his tour of Beijing, China with Yao Ming, and a host of other NBA players.
Today's Link source: Kottke

NFL Player writes about the experience of getting cut from training camp

si.com "The final cut - First-hand account of an NFL career coming to a close"

You might not believe that I'm not a huge football fan (actually, I love hockey and hockey stats), but when the stories are this compelling and good, I have to represent.

This is an autobiographical story of Ross Tucker, an NFL player that went into training camp, fearing that he would be cut from the team after playing 6 seasons in the NFL. It turns out that pro sports aren't always as glamorous as they seem on TV.

It's the gripping true story from the person that lived it.

SI Writers write about "The Best Game I've Ever Seen"

Sports Illustrated writers' "Best Game I've Ever Seen"

Sports Illustrated pulls off a great concept by asking all their writers to write about the "Best Game I've Ever Seen".

There are lots of entries, and a huge range of sports are covered. Of course, since there are sports writers at all of the major sporting events, all the most recent Greatest Sports Events are covered, like the 1987 Canada Cup hockey tournament, Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson in 1990, Tiger's first title in 1996, one of Michael Jordan's most famous playoff victories and Flutie's Hail Mary victory in 1984. For me, it's often the more obscure sports that make for the most interesting reads, such as Italy's Palio horse race, an Olympic tennis match in Athens, Olympic heavyweight boxing trials, 1995 cross-town rivalry in college hockey, and an NCAA college wrestling tournament.

The concept works, as the writers pour out their passion onto the page, and explain what makes the most famous, and not so famous, sports events so important to their lives and their careers.

Today's Link source: Linkjockey Tumblr

Plays Football in high school- without legs

Legless Football Player 3
Originally uploaded by T-Bisqit.

The Biggest Man on the Field

Today's link is an article by sports photographer, Thomas E Witte, about an assignment covering high school football player, Bobby Martin of Colonel White High School in Dayton, Ohio. Bobby Martin is a unique football player because he was born without legs, and uses his hands to get around.

As a struggling photojournalist, Witte writes about the process of getting the assignment, his struggle over how to cover this story with respect and accuracy, and the resulting success of his images in Sports Illustrated and beyond.

I think that Witte succeeds because his pictures really demonstrate the incredible skill, athleticism and toughness that Bobby Martin exhibits. The article also sheds some light on the workings of the business side of photojournalism.

Today's Link source: popurls