As a fan of sport throughout the world, I have travelled to a lot of different locations to watch some top quality live action. The problem is, you cant get to all of the events you want to. With so many sporting events happening worldwide, time and financial restraints mean that you have to settle for watching some on TV.
This can be the cause of a lot of sleepless nights, however, as events can happen at any time of night or day and as a result can throw your regular pattern into chaos.
This past week I subjected myself to some late nights while watching the business end of the 2010 Australian Open culminating in the mens final which saw Roger Federer take Andy Murray in straight sets. As the Australian Open is in Melbourne - my home town - it’s an event I go to every year, so it felt kind of weird having to stay up to all hours to watch it.
As an Australian, I’m used to having to watch some of my favourite sport at odd times. With so much top level sport happening in Europe or North America, its common for Australians to have to stay up late and night, or get up early in the morning to watch their favourite team play.
My earliest memory of this was getting up ridiculously early in the morning to watch the Australian cricket team play in matches throughout the Caribbean against the West Indies. As a youngster, it would always make me tired and grumpy for the rest of the day, but it was worth it to see some quality action.
With the Six Nations Rugby set to kick off in Europe on the weekend, expect to see some of the many Irish pubs in the world open past their usual times so that ex-pats throughout the world can watch Ireland, England, France, Scotland, Wales and Italy battle it out in Rugby’s best annual event.
I’ve found that sports fans in the US and Canada are less used to inflicting this sort of punishment on themselves. Not because they are less dedicated fans, but largely because the major sports here – Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey – are all sports where the best leagues in the world are based in North America, so there’s simply no reason to.
And even when there is a sporting event of interest to North Americans outside of prime, the money here seems to be able to change that. Many people will remember the controversy of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where a US broadcaster paid to have the swimming finals in the morning sessions rather than the evening, so that Michael Phelps’ record breaking eight gold medals could be shown during prime time in the US.
Lack of sleep isn’t the only issue when watching sport in a different time zone, however. Quite often the sporting event you want to watch is on while you’re supposed to be at work. While DVD and hard drive recorders these days means you wont miss any action when you get home, trying to avoid knowing the result can be torture.
This becomes an issue every year when its time for the Super Bowl, as it is this week. While in the US, the Super Bowl is on a Sunday evening, in Australia it is on a Monday morning. Though American football is not terribly popular in Australia, the Super Bowl always gets plenty of coverage, and it’s the one time of the year most Australians take notice of the sport many have dubbed “throw ball”.
Last year – in what turned out to be one of the most exciting Super Bowl games ever – I had a very hard time trying to not find out the result. All of the TVs in the bristro upstairs had the game on, while others were following the game online. It became like an episode of How I Met Your Mother as I ran out of the room any time anyone would start to talk about it and walked around with my head down any time I was in the same room as a television. Luckily for me, I managed to avoid the result, was treated to a great game.
This year I’m looking forward to watching the game live from a bar in Whistler Village where I’ll be based for the next few weeks during the Winter Olympics – another event I normally have to watch at all hours of the morning.
For the record, I’m hoping to see a win for the New Orleans Saints, as I think they’re city needs this after everything they’ve been through in the last five years.
On the whole though, I’m just looking forward to a good game – and one I can enjoy as it happens.
Showing posts with label Australian Open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian Open. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
The World is Shrinking for Pro Athletes
In my initial post on this blog, I posed the question, “what could possibly be better than travelling and watching the best sports in the world?”
While for me, the above is my life - and I love it - you can probably go one better, with those that get to travel the world to participate in sport.
This week, I came across an article about former NBA player Michael Dickerson, which caught my eye. Dickerson, who was by all measures a successful player in the worlds top basketball league, was forced into retirement at the age of 28 due to injuries. He’s since come out of retirement to play the Spanish second division.
According to the article, he has spent the six years of his retirement travelling the world, and has now decided to have another go at playing basketball. The emergence of basketball as a genuine world sport, along with his final $43 million contract have allowed Dickerson the opportunity to combine his two passions of sport and travel.
This, my friends, is living the dream.
While not every athlete will have the kind of money Dickerson does to play with, the opportunities for athletes to travel the world to compete in their chosen sport are greater than they’ve ever been.
The NBA is learning about this quickly, with the emergence of European basketball leagues in the last 10 years with the flow of players back and forth over the Atlantic at an all time high. This year NBA opening day rosters had a record 83 international players spread over the 30 teams. The flow isn’t one way, however, with more high profile US players being lured to play in Europe than ever. Americans playing basketball in Europe is nothing new, however the players crossing the ditch were generally players not good enough to make it to the NBA.
That is changing now, with European sides offering money comparable to that of NBA teams, as well as a chance to get outside their comfort zone and test themselves with a very different style of basketball.
The first big name to choose Europe over the NBA was former Atlanta Hawks high flyer, Josh Childress. The Hawks were playing hardball with their restricted free agent, however NBA rules failed to take into account the option of playing outside of the NBA, and Childress was able to get himself a more lucrative contract.
The next big name was that of high school star Brandon Jennings, who chose Europe over going to college for the one season the NBA demands after high school before entering the big time. Jennings says he learnt a lot during his year in Rome, both on the court and off it appears a year living in and learning about another culture has helped keep this kid stay grounded and focussed on his goals. I watched Jennings drop 55 points on the Golden State Warriors in November, and his maturity, for a 20 year old appeared much greater than those rookies who went through the US college system.
It’s not always easy adjusting to your new surroundings however, as a recent story on Nathan Jawai has shown. Jawai has been traded three times in the 18 months since he was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers in June 2008. Now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jawai has struggled to gain confidence with limited opportunities.
Basketball isn’t the only sport to provide opportunities to compete internationally, of course. Football (Soccer) is by far and away the most popular sport worldwide, and as such has talented players from all over the world plying their trade in leagues throughout the globe. Australia’s national team, the Socceroos, will fill the majority of their squad for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa from players playing in the top flight leagues of Europe.
That’s not to say that big names wont play outside of Europe though. Former Aston Villa and Manchester United standout Dwight Yorke spent a season in Australia, playing for Sydney FC before heading back to the English Premier League, showing that clubs throughout the world take notice more than ever of what is going on in foreign leagues.
Of course, there are some individual sports, where world travel is a big factor, most notably, Tennis and Golf. Make it to the top level in these sports, and world travel is a given.
There are probably no pro athletes that cover more ground than tennis players who have their four Grand Slams in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York each year, with other major tournaments in all other parts of the world including Asia and South America. And the best part? The follow the sun. The world’s best Tennis players are currently in my home town of Melbourne for the Australian Open where it is the middle of summer, for the first Grand Slam of the year. The worlds best then continue to follow the summer north to Europe and North America for the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments later in the year.
I think few would disagree that tennis players’ combination of travelling the world, playing the sport they love and constantly chasing summer is one that is hard to beat.
What could be better than travelling the world to watch sport? I think I have my answer.
While for me, the above is my life - and I love it - you can probably go one better, with those that get to travel the world to participate in sport.
This week, I came across an article about former NBA player Michael Dickerson, which caught my eye. Dickerson, who was by all measures a successful player in the worlds top basketball league, was forced into retirement at the age of 28 due to injuries. He’s since come out of retirement to play the Spanish second division.
According to the article, he has spent the six years of his retirement travelling the world, and has now decided to have another go at playing basketball. The emergence of basketball as a genuine world sport, along with his final $43 million contract have allowed Dickerson the opportunity to combine his two passions of sport and travel.
This, my friends, is living the dream.
While not every athlete will have the kind of money Dickerson does to play with, the opportunities for athletes to travel the world to compete in their chosen sport are greater than they’ve ever been.
The NBA is learning about this quickly, with the emergence of European basketball leagues in the last 10 years with the flow of players back and forth over the Atlantic at an all time high. This year NBA opening day rosters had a record 83 international players spread over the 30 teams. The flow isn’t one way, however, with more high profile US players being lured to play in Europe than ever. Americans playing basketball in Europe is nothing new, however the players crossing the ditch were generally players not good enough to make it to the NBA.
That is changing now, with European sides offering money comparable to that of NBA teams, as well as a chance to get outside their comfort zone and test themselves with a very different style of basketball.
The first big name to choose Europe over the NBA was former Atlanta Hawks high flyer, Josh Childress. The Hawks were playing hardball with their restricted free agent, however NBA rules failed to take into account the option of playing outside of the NBA, and Childress was able to get himself a more lucrative contract.
The next big name was that of high school star Brandon Jennings, who chose Europe over going to college for the one season the NBA demands after high school before entering the big time. Jennings says he learnt a lot during his year in Rome, both on the court and off it appears a year living in and learning about another culture has helped keep this kid stay grounded and focussed on his goals. I watched Jennings drop 55 points on the Golden State Warriors in November, and his maturity, for a 20 year old appeared much greater than those rookies who went through the US college system.
Brandon Jennings on his way to 55 points
Basketball isn’t the only sport to provide opportunities to compete internationally, of course. Football (Soccer) is by far and away the most popular sport worldwide, and as such has talented players from all over the world plying their trade in leagues throughout the globe. Australia’s national team, the Socceroos, will fill the majority of their squad for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa from players playing in the top flight leagues of Europe.
That’s not to say that big names wont play outside of Europe though. Former Aston Villa and Manchester United standout Dwight Yorke spent a season in Australia, playing for Sydney FC before heading back to the English Premier League, showing that clubs throughout the world take notice more than ever of what is going on in foreign leagues.
Of course, there are some individual sports, where world travel is a big factor, most notably, Tennis and Golf. Make it to the top level in these sports, and world travel is a given.
There are probably no pro athletes that cover more ground than tennis players who have their four Grand Slams in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York each year, with other major tournaments in all other parts of the world including Asia and South America. And the best part? The follow the sun. The world’s best Tennis players are currently in my home town of Melbourne for the Australian Open where it is the middle of summer, for the first Grand Slam of the year. The worlds best then continue to follow the summer north to Europe and North America for the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments later in the year.
I think few would disagree that tennis players’ combination of travelling the world, playing the sport they love and constantly chasing summer is one that is hard to beat.
What could be better than travelling the world to watch sport? I think I have my answer.
Monday, 28 December 2009
2009 Year In Review
2009 has been a great year for sport, and a great year for me. While it may have started off slowly – stuck at home working a job I hated – by mid year I quit my job and hit the road again, and have enjoyed an amazing six months of travel and world class sport.
So here it is, my list of my most memorable sport and travel events of 2009. Some were highlights, others less so. But when sport and travel is involved, can ya really lose?
2009 Australian Open Grand Slam Final – Federer V Nadal
My first big sporting event of the year – as it is most years, is the Australian Open tennis. Thanks to a good friend with a spare ticket, I was able to go to the mens final which featured the two best players in the world slugging it out over five sets.
2009 NBL Grand Final Series – Tigers V Dragons
A small event on a world scale – or even an Australian sport scale – but a big one for me, with my Melbourne Tigers going against the cross town rivals in a five game final series. While the Tigers ultimately lost in five, the crowd support over the nine days showed that basketball in Melbourne could be a success, despite the champion Dragons not entering a team in the new league.
2009 AFL Grand Final
With the Saints winning all of their games before I left the country, I felt sure they could win their first premiership since 1966, and when they made the Grand Final, I had to find somewhere to watch it. Luckily enough I was in New York – where you can find anything – and I managed to find an Australian bar full of my countrymen watching the game. While the Saints also lost (I sense a pattern), the atmosphere of being in a bar in New York filled with other Aussies (and at least one scared New Yorker) was an event in itself.
Live College Football – Tennessee Volunteers @ Neyland Stadium
College Football is crazy. While I’d never even watched a college football game on TV before, I knew one of the things I had to do while in the US was go to an NCAA game, and while staying with friends near Knoxville, Tennessee, I had the chance to see the “Vols” who’s fans are among the most devoted and passionate in the country. No kidding. Sitting in Neyland stadium with 100,000 odd other people was an incredible experience. It didn’t matter at all that we were two rows from the back or that the Vols destroyed the opposition 63-7.
Major League Baseball at Wrigley Field.
I went along to an Atlanta Braves baseball game a few months prior, however nothing can compare to the history of seeing the Chicago Cubs at the second oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. The seats aren’t very comfortable. The seating is restricted, and the back wall is covered in Ivy – and I wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would any of the legion of other Cubs fans who love the stadium almost as much as their team. Wrigleyville – the area just outside of the stadium full of bars that the fans flow into after the game – was another rare experience.
New York Knicks @ Madison Square Garden
Ok, so it was only a pre season game, but it was my first NBA experience, and it still had everything. The big crowd, the over the top introductions, and Knicks fans booing one of their own players. The Knicks are a team on the rise, and a trip back to the most famous basketball stadium in the world will be a bigger ticket item if they land LeBron James in the summer.
NBA Road Trip – Nine Games in Seven Cities
Starting with two games in Toronto and finishing with an unplanned road trip to Portland, November of this year was this NBA fan’s dream. I got to see my Raptors twice in Toronto, two Australians, Nathan Jawaii and David Andersen, go head to head in Minnesota as well as Australia’s most successful NBA player, Andrew Bogut twice in Milwaukee. I was treated to rookie Brandon Jennings lighting it up for 55 points, Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Roy hit buzzer beating game winners, and the home of the legendary Chicago Bulls. It just doesn’t get any better. Oh, and I also met Chicago Bulls star Derek Rose.
Hockey Night in Canada
Arriving in Canada, I knew that (Ice) Hockey was a big deal and that I would have to learn all about it or risk not having anything to talk about. I think I still managed to underestimate how big it is though. It is everything. So I soon picked a side, and went about watching them at the local bar every other night. It’s a tough life isn’t it? Within a week I decided I had to go see the game in person, so went along to the Bell Centre in Montreal to watch my newly adopted “Canadiens” defeat the New York Islanders with a golden goal in the extra period. The atmosphere was as good as any sporting arena I’ve ever been in.
Cheer for the Anthem
My second NHL game came in Chicago to watch the Blackhawks fans, who have one of the strangest traditions I’ve ever seen. While most stadiums request the fans to be silent during the national anthem, the fans in Chicago cheer as loud as possible, and the result is quite unique experience, and it works. The atmosphere is amazing. Below, is possibly the best ever rendition, from the 1991 All Star game. While the current version isn't quite as crazy, it is still pretty incedible.
McKale Centre – Home of the Arizona Wildcats
While there was no game on at the time I visited the campus of the University of Arizona, just getting to walk on to the court of this NCAA Division One champion was very exciting for me. It also made me realise just how good the facilities are for sport in the US. This was the sort of stadium teams in Australia could only dream about, and in the US college system, it was only average.
I like to watch sport
I love watching sport, but occasionally I am compelled to try some of my own. There were two such occasions while travelling this year. The first was, after arriving in Los Angeles, and staying on Santa Monica, I decided that I had to go for a run along Santa Monica beach – and yes, I did have the theme to Baywatch in my head the whole time. My only other sporting activity for the past six months, was getting on the back of a horse for the first time ever – at the age of 29 – while I was in Tennessee. I’m far from a cowboy, but it was fun, and something I might do again some time in the future.
With 2009 done and dusted, I now look forward to the events of 2010.
So here it is, my list of my most memorable sport and travel events of 2009. Some were highlights, others less so. But when sport and travel is involved, can ya really lose?
2009 Australian Open Grand Slam Final – Federer V Nadal
My first big sporting event of the year – as it is most years, is the Australian Open tennis. Thanks to a good friend with a spare ticket, I was able to go to the mens final which featured the two best players in the world slugging it out over five sets.
2009 NBL Grand Final Series – Tigers V Dragons
A small event on a world scale – or even an Australian sport scale – but a big one for me, with my Melbourne Tigers going against the cross town rivals in a five game final series. While the Tigers ultimately lost in five, the crowd support over the nine days showed that basketball in Melbourne could be a success, despite the champion Dragons not entering a team in the new league.
2009 AFL Grand Final
With the Saints winning all of their games before I left the country, I felt sure they could win their first premiership since 1966, and when they made the Grand Final, I had to find somewhere to watch it. Luckily enough I was in New York – where you can find anything – and I managed to find an Australian bar full of my countrymen watching the game. While the Saints also lost (I sense a pattern), the atmosphere of being in a bar in New York filled with other Aussies (and at least one scared New Yorker) was an event in itself.
Live College Football – Tennessee Volunteers @ Neyland Stadium
College Football is crazy. While I’d never even watched a college football game on TV before, I knew one of the things I had to do while in the US was go to an NCAA game, and while staying with friends near Knoxville, Tennessee, I had the chance to see the “Vols” who’s fans are among the most devoted and passionate in the country. No kidding. Sitting in Neyland stadium with 100,000 odd other people was an incredible experience. It didn’t matter at all that we were two rows from the back or that the Vols destroyed the opposition 63-7.
Major League Baseball at Wrigley Field.
I went along to an Atlanta Braves baseball game a few months prior, however nothing can compare to the history of seeing the Chicago Cubs at the second oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. The seats aren’t very comfortable. The seating is restricted, and the back wall is covered in Ivy – and I wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would any of the legion of other Cubs fans who love the stadium almost as much as their team. Wrigleyville – the area just outside of the stadium full of bars that the fans flow into after the game – was another rare experience.
New York Knicks @ Madison Square Garden
Ok, so it was only a pre season game, but it was my first NBA experience, and it still had everything. The big crowd, the over the top introductions, and Knicks fans booing one of their own players. The Knicks are a team on the rise, and a trip back to the most famous basketball stadium in the world will be a bigger ticket item if they land LeBron James in the summer.
NBA Road Trip – Nine Games in Seven Cities
Starting with two games in Toronto and finishing with an unplanned road trip to Portland, November of this year was this NBA fan’s dream. I got to see my Raptors twice in Toronto, two Australians, Nathan Jawaii and David Andersen, go head to head in Minnesota as well as Australia’s most successful NBA player, Andrew Bogut twice in Milwaukee. I was treated to rookie Brandon Jennings lighting it up for 55 points, Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Roy hit buzzer beating game winners, and the home of the legendary Chicago Bulls. It just doesn’t get any better. Oh, and I also met Chicago Bulls star Derek Rose.
Hockey Night in Canada
Arriving in Canada, I knew that (Ice) Hockey was a big deal and that I would have to learn all about it or risk not having anything to talk about. I think I still managed to underestimate how big it is though. It is everything. So I soon picked a side, and went about watching them at the local bar every other night. It’s a tough life isn’t it? Within a week I decided I had to go see the game in person, so went along to the Bell Centre in Montreal to watch my newly adopted “Canadiens” defeat the New York Islanders with a golden goal in the extra period. The atmosphere was as good as any sporting arena I’ve ever been in.
Cheer for the Anthem
My second NHL game came in Chicago to watch the Blackhawks fans, who have one of the strangest traditions I’ve ever seen. While most stadiums request the fans to be silent during the national anthem, the fans in Chicago cheer as loud as possible, and the result is quite unique experience, and it works. The atmosphere is amazing. Below, is possibly the best ever rendition, from the 1991 All Star game. While the current version isn't quite as crazy, it is still pretty incedible.
McKale Centre – Home of the Arizona Wildcats
While there was no game on at the time I visited the campus of the University of Arizona, just getting to walk on to the court of this NCAA Division One champion was very exciting for me. It also made me realise just how good the facilities are for sport in the US. This was the sort of stadium teams in Australia could only dream about, and in the US college system, it was only average.
I like to watch sport
I love watching sport, but occasionally I am compelled to try some of my own. There were two such occasions while travelling this year. The first was, after arriving in Los Angeles, and staying on Santa Monica, I decided that I had to go for a run along Santa Monica beach – and yes, I did have the theme to Baywatch in my head the whole time. My only other sporting activity for the past six months, was getting on the back of a horse for the first time ever – at the age of 29 – while I was in Tennessee. I’m far from a cowboy, but it was fun, and something I might do again some time in the future.
With 2009 done and dusted, I now look forward to the events of 2010.
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