AB Newswire - Athletic Business

Thursday, June 30, 2011

U2 Foots Bill for Spartan Stadium Field Replacement

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

U2 gave 65,000 fans a spectacle Sunday in East Lansing, Mich. Now, the legendary band will give Michigan State University a new football field.

Promoters of the Irish-born rockers, whose Spartan Stadium visit was part of a tour expected to gross $700 million, agreed to reimburse MSU the roughly $253,000 necessary to resod the surface once U2’s 400-ton stage was dismantled and a patchwork of aluminum panels were pulled off the existing grass. The field’s top three inches will be removed beginning Tuesday and the remaining surface regraded in time for the July 11 arrival of fresh sod from Colorado. According to The State News, a Colorado sod farm was chosen over local growers because its soil profile closely matched that inside the stadium, allowing the best chance the sod will thrive during the weeks leading up to the start of football practice in August. The Spartans’ first home game is Sept. 2 against Youngstown State.

The university had been timing replacement of its field (now nine years old) with an appearance by U2 all along. However, an original June 30, 2010, concert date was scrapped while frontman Bono recovered from back surgery. During Sunday’s show, Bono thanked Michigan State for its hospitality, which included removing four panels of the wall that surrounds the field to make room for the band’s mammoth stage.

Unlike an MSU game day, when alcohol consumption is permitted in tailgating areas, no alcohol was allowed during the concert. Only nine arrests were made, compared to 103 arrests made during the Spartans’ game last season against Notre Dame. Moreover, stadium cleanup was a relative snap. “It took about half as much time to clean up as a normal football game,” Karen Zelt, communications manager for MSU’s Physical Plant, told the Lansing State Journal. “The crowd was prepared to have a good time but they were a very respectful audience.”

Posted At 9:45 AM • Comments (0)

Basketball Floor Sought for Aircraft Carrier that Buried bin Laden

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

The Morale Entertainment Foundation, a company that organizes entertainment for military troops in the United States and abroad, is looking for a sports floor manufacturer to supply a surface for the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. The floor will be used for an on-deck college basketball game between the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University on Veterans Day.

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Dubbed the Carrier Classic and slated to air on ESPN, the game could be in jeopardy if the USS Carl Vinson — the carrier that buried Osama bin Laden at sea in May — is called into action again. Outdoor basketball contests are tricky since neither the hardwood nor the players take well to rainfall. Just in case, a contingency floor will be placed in a hangar deck inside the carrier, according to AB sister publication Hardwood Floors.

Morale is soliciting bids for the floor, a process that should be completed by mid-July, according to the company's Michael Whalen. For more information on the bidding process, Whalen can be reached at whaaahhh@aol.com or 770/973-9023.

Posted At 9:16 AM • Comments (0)

Blog: Core Runners Exercise Their Motivational Muscle

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer with the American Sports Builders Association and a full-time newspaper reporter in Baltimore.

I’m a geek for trends and statistics, and I’m an even bigger geek when it comes to the health and fitness industry. So the announcement about the forthcoming release of Running USA’s 2011 National Runner Survey really made me happy.

The survey is a comprehensive look at the demographics, lifestyle, habits and product preferences of the running population nationwide. It took into account the data provided by more than 11,000 respondents; these people represent what are known as “core runners” — active adult participants who tend to enter running events and train year-round.

And while the announcement about the publication of the survey made me happy, the data itself made me downright excited. Why? Because it bears out everything I always thought about those who get regular exercise: they're interesting, intelligent people with a good work ethic. Some of the more interesting factoids: Today’s core runners are highly educated, with 77.2 percent having earned a college diploma (national average: 29.5 percent) and affluent, with 72.9 percent reporting a household income of more than $75,000 (national average: 32.4 percent). Surveyed runners are motivated to run in order to stay in shape (80.7 percent), stay healthy (77.4 percent), have fun (66.1 percent) and relieve stress (64.3 percent). Core runners report running/jogging an average of 213 days and logging nearly 1,269 miles per year. (Compare that to figures from Club Industry and American Sports Data, which notes the average home-gym user exercises 70 days during the year.) I have no idea whether a poll with a more broad scope, such as all those with a regular workout regimen, whether it's yoga, tennis or cardio equipment, would find a similar group of above-average responses, but it would be interesting to explore.

Where the survey really gets cool for me (due to my geekitude) is its examination of “marathon mania.” U.S. marathons in 2010 recorded an all-time high of 507,000 finishers, which is an 8.6 percent increase over 2009, and the second largest increase in the past 25 years. (In 2009, participation in marathons surged by 9.9 percent.) Running USA attributed the explosion in popularity to a variety of factors — availability of training programs (both charity and non-charity driven), the challenge of running 26.2 miles, more women running marathons, and the fact that marathons are fun and well-organized community events.

The marathon is pretty much the Holy Grail of the running world. Examples in other sports would be cycling's 100-mile “Century” ride, the triathlon for multisport athletes, or the Appalachian Trail for hikers. It's too bad every sport doesn't have a similar ultimate goal. It might get a lot more people interested in training, even if just to cross something off their bucket list.

Posted At 8:45 AM • Comments (0)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Blog: No Worse Job in America Than President of the WNBA

By Andrew Cohen

I wish Laurel Richie luck. Lots of luck. The new president of the WNBA, six weeks into her new gig, has what could be the worst, most thankless job in America.

When the subject of "worst job you ever had?" would come up over a beer with friends, I'd wait for a few of them to truck out stuff like "telemarketer" or "pizza delivery guy," and then I'd say, deadpan, "tagging body parts in the morgue." This came up more times than you'd imagine. We'd all had some pretty lousy jobs.

But now, if it came up again, I'd say, "I succeeded Donna Orender as president of the WNBA," and they'd recoil in horror. Think about it. You'd be taking over the sports world's most moribund brand, and David Stern would be your boss. Should we shoot you now?

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Laurel Richie addresses WNBA fans in Los Angeles, as mascot dog stands guard. Photo by Donald Barnat/SportspageMagazine.com

The WNBA has its fans; I'm not one of them. Neither, apparently, is Laurel Richie. The former chief marketing officer for Girl Scouts of the USA — perfect! — and advertising exec admitted that prior to her hiring, she'd never been to see a WNBA game. Unlike Ackerman (a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame, and a three-time captain and two-time Academic All-American for the University of Virginia women's basketball team) and Orender (a five-sport athlete in high school and an All-American basketball player at Queens College), Richie does not appear to have worn a uniform. She's a suit. Like Stern. But Stern is the commissioner of an internationally successful brand. Richie's got...a 12-team league of which five are bankrolled by NBA teams and a sixth by the Mohegan Indian tribe (it plays next door to the casino, like Bobby Vinton). The season's played during a time of year when nobody wants to be indoors — or, anyway, practically nobody. League attendance has drifted down to 7,800 a game since it started play with eight teams in 1997, and a fair number of them are NBA fans who are required to buy tickets as part of their NBA package but fail to show up.

Richie's been making the rounds of WNBA teams; this week she was at the Mohegan Sun Arena (no word on whether she caught Bobby Vinton), and she said everything you'd expect her to say. "My focus is going to be on trying to increase attendance, in addition to [building] sponsorships and having our key metrics heading in the right direction," she told the Hartford Courant. Wow! Donna Orender never thought of that!

"What differentiates this league," she went on, "is the accessibility our fans will have to our game, the court and our players. The more people that get to know our amazing athletes off the court, as individuals, will make the league even more appealing." Did it ever occur to Val Ackerman to market players like Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes? Did the fact that I just named these stars from 1997 from memory suggest that, in fact, we've been down this road?

When Richie starts talking about the league's upside potential, shoot me. Seriously.

Posted At 9:37 AM • Comments (5)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

ACSM Issues New Guidelines on Exercise Quality, Quantity

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

The American College of Sports Medicine released new recommendations Tuesday regarding the quantity and quality of exercise for adults. So now when health club and fitness center staff members are asked by patrons, "How much exercise do I need?" they can respond definitively, the organization says.

In a position statement titled "Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise," the ACSM provides current scientific evidence on physical activity and includes recommendations on aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility. Consistent with the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, ACSM’s overall recommendation is for most adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.

“The scientific evidence we reviewed is indisputable,” says Carol Ewing Garber, chair of the writing committee and an associate professor of movement sciences at the Teachers College of Columbia University. “When it comes to exercise, the benefits far outweigh the risks. A program of regular exercise — beyond activities of daily living — is essential for most adults.”

The position statement’s purpose is to offer health and fitness professionals scientific, evidence-based recommendations that help them customize exercise prescriptions for healthy adults, and it is published in the July 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of ACSM.

Here are the basic recommendations, by exercise category:

Cardiorespiratory Exercise: Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Exercise recommendations can be met through 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days per week or 20 to 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise three days per week. One continuous session and multiple shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes are both acceptable to accumulate the desired amount of daily exercise.

Resistance Exercise: Adults should train each major muscle group two or three days each week using a variety of exercises and equipment. Very light or light intensity is best for older individuals or previously sedentary adults just starting to exercise. Two to four sets of each exercise, with anywhere between eight and 20 repetitions, will help adults improve strength and power.

Flexibility Exercise: Adults should do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion. Each stretch should be held for 10 to 30 seconds, to the point of tightness or slight discomfort. Repeat each stretch two to four times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.

Neurometer Exercise: Neuromotor exercise, also referred to as “functional fitness training,” is recommended two or three days per week. Exercises should involve motor skills (balance, agility, coordination and gait), proprioceptive exercise training, and multifaceted activities (yoga) to improve physical function and prevent falls in older adults. Between 20 and 30 minutes per day is appropriate for neuromotor exercise.

In addition to outlining basic recommendations and their scientific reasoning, the position statement also clarifies three new points:

1. Pedometers are not an accurate measure of exercise quality and should not be used as the sole measure of physical activity.

2. Though exercise protects against heart disease, it is still possible for active adults to develop heart problems. All adults must be able to recognize the warning signs of heart disease, and all health care providers should ask patients about these symptoms.

3. Sedentary behavior is distinct from physical activity and has been shown to be a health risk in itself. Meeting the guidelines for physical activity does not make up for a sedentary lifestyle.

“It is no longer enough to consider whether an individual engages in adequate amounts of weekly exercise,” Garber says. “We also need to determine how much time a person spends in sedentary pursuits, like watching television or working on a computer. Health and fitness professionals must be concerned with these activities, as well.”

Posted At 3:30 PM • Comments (3)

Californians Seek Variety of Ways to Save State Parks

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

How can residents of California save dozens of endangered state parks? Let us count the ways.

Since Gov. Jerry Brown announced in May that 70 of the state’s 278 state parks would be closed in 2012 as part of a revised budget proposal, legislators, business owners and even filmmakers have stepped forward with ideas to help resuscitate the country’s largest state park system.

First, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, sponsored a bill that quickly passed the House (and was pending in the Senate) allowing the state to seek operating partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Under the proposal, a nonprofit could submit a plan to the state about how it would oversee a park or portions of a park. If that plan were approved by the state, the nonprofit would be required to present annual reports at public meetings. “It’s not a silver bullet, but it could help,” Huffman told the Marin Independent Journal. As an example, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation already runs El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. Under Huffman’s legislation, similar arrangements could be expanded to parks statewide, officials say.

Filmmaker Alden Olmsted, son of the late California naturalist John Olmsted, is taking a different approach by asking every Californian to donate $1 to the cause. He says the money raised would be enough to keep open all 70 parks slated to be shuttered, as well as buy enough time to develop a long-term solution for funding them. Olmsted’s goal is to present Brown with a check for $11 million in September.

The Vallejo Times Herald reported that Olmsted spent part of June touring the earmarked state parks in his copper-colored 1966 Chrysler Newport convertible, placing plastic money-collecting jugs in prominent locations and holding “a whirlwind of meetings” with state officials and members of the media. Each donation jug features a photograph of his father, a former Golden Gate State Park employee who passed away in March and is credited with creating the Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, located along the Mendocino coast. The younger Olmstead told the Times Herald that his mailbox also has been stuffed with donations — including a $13 check from a woman who a sent a photograph of herself and 12 family members.

Additionally, a new deal between the state and Oroville, Calif.-based CleanFlame — a manufacturer of campfire logs that produce significantly less creosote, carbon monoxide and particulate matter than natural wood when they burn — strives to keep parks open while eliminating some of the heat state officials were receiving from air quality districts about smoky campfire rings. The partnership allows CleanFlame to sell its logs at state park stores; the company also has pledged $300,000 to the state park system over the next three years.

Whether these and other efforts ultimately keep the gates open at one, some or all of California’s endangered state parks remains to be seen. After all, other attempts have already failed. Proposition 21, which would have increased annual vehicle license fees in the state by $18 and generated an estimated $500 million for a dedicated state park fund, was defeated by voters in November.

The mess got worse in May, when the California Legislature cut an additional $22 million from the Department of Parks and Recreation to help close a budget deficit of $9.6 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Funding for state parks has dropped 43 percent since fiscal year 2006, from $175 million to $99 million for the fiscal year that began July 1. At least 66 parks have been partially closed, while 90 others are experiencing severe reductions in services.

In the wake of Brown’s proposed closures to the 84-year-old system, state parks director Ruth Coleman told he Contra Costa Times that obstacles involved with shutting down parks — from navigating state coastal laws that hamper efforts to close beaches to deciding whether trespassers should be cited — could complicate matters significantly. In fact, a plan to simply leave the gates to closed parks open was under consideration. “We know there are liability issues,” Coleman told Times reporter Paul Rogers. “Our overarching goal is to preserve these resources. That’s our fundamental mission. If we can do that in a way that preserves public access, we will.”

Posted At 2:38 PM • Comments (3)

Laws in Two States Seek Full Scholarship Disclosure

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

This Friday, a new law takes effect in Connecticut that will require colleges to disclose exactly what student-athletes are agreeing to when they accept an athletic scholarship.

The law, which passed the Connecticut House by a 140-to-3 vote and was unanimously approved in the Senate, seeks to keep recruits informed that scholarships are only good for one year and are subject to renewal at the discretion of the school. It also mandates full disclosure of how sports-related medical expenses are covered and what out-of-pocket expenses a student-athlete can expect to pay. Schools must post such details online and make the link available to recruits, according to an Associated Press report by Pat Eaton-Robb and Rusty Miller.

“Families very often rely on schmoozing from recruiters who say things like, ‘The school will take care of you,’ ” state representative Pat Dillon (D-New Haven) told the AP. “They don’t necessarily know what they are getting into when they start signing documents.”

Similar legislation, signed into law in 2010, takes full effect next year in California. “Recruiters are fueling a lot of myths,” added National College Players Association founder Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA linebacker who helped sponsor the California legislation. “Chief among them is the four-year scholarship. Four-year scholarships don't exist, so this bill will show recruits the truth and point out things they need to consider when making a choice.”

Out-of-pocket expense estimates can vary widely between institutions. If those are clearly spelled out for recruits, they will be better able to comparison shop. “I want to send my son or daughter to a school where they treat them not as commodities, but as valuable human beings,” University of New Haven sports management professor Allen Sack told the AP. “This kind of legislation will create competition among schools.”

James Jackson is one student-athlete who would have chosen differently had he known the score up front. Jackson, a wide receiver, had been under the assumption when he signed with Ohio State that the university would finance his ongoing pursuit of a degree, so long as he received satisfactory grades and stayed out of trouble. He says he was encouraged to transfer two years into his college career to free up a scholarship for another, more promising OSU prospect. Jackson now attends Division II Wayne State in Michigan.

“My main goal coming out of high school was to get a degree from a Division I program,” Jackson told the AP. “If I had known they wouldn’t keep me in school for four to five years, no matter what, I would have gone somewhere else.”

Posted At 10:07 AM • Comments (0)

Blog: Human Interaction Is Best for Driving Retention, Not Equipment

Pete McCall is an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise.

While walking around the trade show at the IHRSA convention this past spring, I was struck by all of the hoopla surrounding what, in essence, is virtually the same equipment that has been presented to club owners for the past several years. It seems like the industry has not witnessed a tremendous evolution in products since the introduction of elliptical trainers and cable-based functional training systems nearly a decade ago.

The Real Ryder™ is an intriguing product, both in its programming options and its ability to stand up to heavy use (the additional mobility can reduce wear and tear on the stress points typical of traditional indoor cycling bikes). Likewise, the user-driven Woodway treadmill and similar self-powered products present an interesting option in terms of reducing a club’s energy expenses. Other than that, there was very little that seemed to be game-changing at the show. Aside from the aforementioned products, the advances that got me most excited were the addition of power meters to group indoor cycling bikes and the use of memory sticks and QR readers to help users interface with equipment more efficiently. (I’ll really get excited once manufacturers agree on one standard so a user can switch from piece to piece and store the same data.)

As I perused the latest, “greatest” equipment features, I began to ponder the tremendous utilization of resources to re-create what really are the exact same products. It seems to me that if club owners and operators want to do a better job of retaining members and achieving more profitability, they might instead look to invest in staff and exercise programs they can use to help members achieve results. That’s not to say that owners shouldn’t replace worn equipment, a necessity given that many pieces of club equipment are utilized more than 12 hours a day. (Side note: When I worked for a large East Coast-based club chain, we purchased new equipment twice a year. This made the members extremely happy, except when we had to deal with a member whose favorite machine went away. I still feel getting a new piece is one of the “good problems” operators have to deal with). However, rather than simply upgrading to a newer model of the same old cardio piece, owners should explore how they can invest in their staff (to help them have more effective interactions with club members) and the development of exercise programs that deliver real results.

There are three basic economic inputs for a facility — land (the physical structure of a club), capital (the exercise equipment and physical plant of the facility) and labor (the individuals who work closely with members and are the ones responsible for making the facility a fun place to visit). The IHRSA show featured a variety of ways to spend limited resources on capital equipment, but I think focusing more on the labor component and identifying new ways to invest in staff and develop programming is more critical to retaining and attracting happy club members.

The fact is that despite all the fancy new interfaces that utilize memory sticks to remember a client’s details or a QR reader that can demonstrate a unique exercise circuit, no piece of equipment can replace the human interaction that is necessary for a member to make a personal connection to a facility. A treadmill with a memory stick might remember a setting and training intensity, but it can’t remember to ask how that business presentation went yesterday or about your son’s birthday party last weekend. It’s this personal interaction that can help members feel good about spending time in the gym. Research by Whaley and Schrider (The Process of Adult Exercise Adherence: Self-Perceptions and Competence) found that the interactions between staff and members were critical for adherence in a supervised exercise program. The study participants cited the friendliness of the staff, their expertise, feedback and providing a feeling of safety as key factors in program compliance.

There are a number of options for investing in equipment. Those that offer professional development training for fitness staff and support in the form of revenue-producing programs are the ones operators should look to first for providing a strong ROI on this year’s budget. The staff will appreciate the learning opportunities, the members will appreciate the programs designed to help them achieve results, and facility owners will appreciate the enhanced utilization, retention and bottom-line revenue.

Posted At 8:58 AM • Comments (1)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Blog: The Myth of the Health-Club Feeder System

Rob Bishop and Barry Klein are owners of Elevations Health Club in Scotrun, Pa. Their For-Profits column appears monthly in Athletic Business.

Everyone in the health club industry has heard the idea that low-priced clubs are a “feeder system” to full-service health clubs. The low-priced guys themselves like to trot out this idea when they are trying to deflect the hatred spewed their way from owners of full-service clubs. Their argument is basically, “Don’t hate us, because at some point our members might want more than we can offer, and they’ll come look at your facility.”

Except they won’t.

Once the $10-per-month virus has entered a member’s system, our experience shows that it can never be cured. There seem to be two causes for this. One, most people really don’t want what our industry is selling, so if they can get it, whatever “it” is, for $10 per month, they are thrilled. Two, most consumers assume that every health club is the same, so why would they ever pay more? Once someone has been a member of a low-priced club, there’s not even an intellectual acknowledgement about why different health clubs might have different prices. They’ll say, “Oh, so you have a pool and classes and childcare and towel service and trainers who can answer my questions? That’s great. But my last club charged me $10 a month.”

We’ve been seeing this as people move to our area and call for pricing. They are obviously gym-goers because these are the type of people who look for a new club immediately upon arriving in a new home. Yet, all they care about is price, and they even like to lecture us about how we’d get more members if we charged less. (The part of that suggestion that would cause us to go out of business doesn’t seem to interest them.)

Another group that isn’t out there shopping for full-service health clubs is the large population of former members of low-priced clubs who got what they paid for at $10 per month, canceled their memberships, and now will never enter a gym again. With the $10-per-month virus having infected them and the ongoing assumption that all health clubs are the same, we aren’t counting on seeing a lot of these folks.

So, let’s stop with the myth that a significant number of people will “graduate” from a low-priced club to a full-service club. They won’t. The key for full-service providers is to win the initial sales battle when a consumer is first shopping for a gym. How to win that battle is a topic for another day, but make no mistake that you have to get these new members first, before the $10-per-month virus infects the patient.

Posted At 8:22 AM • Comments (5)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

N.C. State Introduces New Student Ticketing Policies

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

North Carolina State University has introduced new student ticketing policies for football and basketball that eliminate group sales and implement stricter penalties for game day no-shows.

According to the Technician student newspaper, students begin the year with loyalty points based to their standing as an upperclassman or underclassman. Seniors and graduate students start with nine points, followed by juniors (seven), sophomores (five) and freshmen (three). Students will be able to earn one loyalty point by signing up for events and attending games throughout the season. Students will also be awarded one additional loyalty point for showing up 45 minutes before a game begins.

A policy that allowed students to benefit from loyalty points accumulated within campus organizations has been suspended, leaving students to fend for themselves on their own class standing and event attendance merits.

The no-show policy also has been revamped for the coming academic year. In the past, students were deducted one loyalty point for showing up to a game after halftime. Under the new policy, a student missing more than two games during the football season or more than three during the basketball season will forfeit his or her access to future games that season. Students with five football no-shows during their N.C. State career, or eight career basketball no-shows, will be permanently banned from attending games in those sports.

N.C. State has a history of student ticketing issues, and other schools have likewise struggled to accommodate student ticket demand. The policy changes in Raleigh come as N.C. State opens up more student seating in both its football and basketball venues. Students will be allotted 10,000 tickets to football games, or roughly a sixth of Carter-Finley Stadium’s capacity. Nearly a quarter of the 19,700-seat RBC Center will accommodate students in 2011-12.

Posted At 9:56 AM • Comments (1)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Linebacker Awarded $5.4 Million in Contaminated Supplement Suit

By Andrew Cohen

St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora may be sitting idle with his fellow NFL players this summer, but he’s resting easier than most. On Monday, Vobora was awarded $5.4 million as a result of a lawsuit he filed against Anti-Steroid Program LLC, also known as SWATS, which supplied him with a contaminated supplement. The award pays him for wages lost during his four-game suspension from the league in 2009 after he tested positive for a banned substance, plus $2 million for damages to his reputation.

U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Sippel of the Eastern District of Missouri ruled that the company's "negligence, breach of implied warranty, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, violation of strict products liability laws, and violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act" had damaged Vobora.

“Compensation was secondary,” Vobora told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The number one thing was to right the ship and restore my reputation." Just as well — the paper reports that the owner of SWATS (it stands for Sports with Alternatives to Steroids) managed to get himself dismissed from the case, and filed an affidavit that the company was being dissolved. SWATS was found in default of the lawsuit in April.

Posted At 12:18 PM • Comments (1)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Blog: Not Your Average Putt-Putt Golf Course

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer with the American Sports Builders Association and a full-time newspaper reporter in Baltimore.

I live in a neighborhood where there are two things that at first seem incompatible: architectural covenants and miniature golf. The covenants keep everything in line: grass stays trimmed, houses stay nice-looking, and I think there might actually be a law against visible gnomes. And, apparently, the covenants keep mini-golfers in check, too. Go down the block, turn left, and behind the shopping center you come to our classy, understated putt-putt course. Really. No big dinosaurs, miniature windmills or pirates waving cutlasses. “The Columbia SportsPark features an 18-hole miniature golf course that is fun for kids and challenging for adults,” says the wording on the Columbia Association website. “The course is surrounded by beautiful plant life, ponds, streams and running waterfalls. There are no windmills or clowns on the course because it is strictly a pros miniature golf course.”

I hope you saw that: "Strictly a pros miniature golf course." They even have a hole-by-hole virtual tour. Is it…ethical…to have a mini-golf course that doesn't have Tidy-Bowl blue water and a couple T-Rexes?

All I can say is, thank God for good ol’ American competition. My latest local hangout and discovery, Monster Mini-Golf — yeah, it’s by the same people who bring you Monster Energy Drink — isn’t too far from me, in Jessup. (Actually, that's closer to the prison than to my house, but I digress.) Monster's attractions? Here they are, straight off their website: “Monster Mini Golf is an indoor monster-themed glow-in-the-dark 18-hole miniature golf course that offers a host of fun activities. This is not your average putt-putt golf course. You'll feel the excitement and adventure of playing mini-golf among a scary but cool monster décor with custom and animated props at every turn. Throughout your stay, you will be entertained by our own in-house crazy DJ.”

Amazingly, there are people who take their putt-putt very seriously. According to miniaturegolfer.com, "In the long term it is the goal of the World Minigolfsport Federation to have mini-golf included as an Olympic sport."

I don't actually know whether, in order to be considered for an Olympic bid, a course would have to be more, or less, outrageous. But it would seem to me that trying to tune out the DJ and keep your arms steady after a few shots of Monster drinks would be more challenging than anything a "strictly pros course" could provide. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a tee-time with Frankenstein's monster.

Posted At 3:43 PM • Comments (1)

Is North Carolina’s New Concussion Law Best in the Country?

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

The Gfeller-Waller Concussion Act – named after two football players who died after suffering concussions in 2009 – was signed into law by North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue late last week. Every member of the state’s House and Senate endorsed the law, which head-injuries expert Kevin Guskiewicz calls the best in the country.

"It has such a strong educational component," Guskiewicz, a University of North Carolina professor and director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center, told the Raleigh News & Observer. "I suspect we will hear from other states wanting to copy it."

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association adopted a concussion policy soon after Jaquan Waller, a junior at Greenville Rose High, and Matthew Gfeller, a sophomore at Winston-Salem Reynolds High, both died in August 2009 while playing football. The state’s Gfeller-Waller Act now extends protections into middle school athletics, as well as adds education and emergency planning requirements.

Similar to concussion laws in 20 other states, North Carolina’s law requires student-athletes at public high schools and middle schools to be removed from participation if there is a suspicion that the athlete has suffered a concussion. The student-athlete cannot return to participation until cleared by a medical professional – a mandate that might have saved Waller’s life. The running back received a concussion in practice on a Wednesday but two days later played in a game in which he was hit hard enough to induce second-impact syndrome. Unlike Waller, Gfeller's injury came from a single blow.

Additionally under the new law, public high school and middle school coaches, trainers, athletes and parents will receive information about concussions each year, and schools will be required to formulate emergency action plans. "These are things that we should have already been doing," Perdue told reporter Tim Stevens.

"Hopefully, what starts at the high school and middle school level filters down to Little League, Pop Warner and youth soccer," Guskiewicz added. "We absolutely have to eliminate the idea of someone having their bell rung or getting a little dinged. We have to raise the awareness of the severity of concussions, and this law does that."

At least one park and recreation organization has already attempted to tackle concussions. Grade school football players in New Jersey will undergo computerized cognitive baseline testing this fall under a new policy devised by the Franklin Lakes (N.J.) Recreation and Parks Committee and adopted by the Borough Council.

Posted At 10:00 AM • Comments (7)

USC Mulls Options Regarding Unrenovated Coliseum

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission officials acknowledged last week that they are not in a financial position to make $60 million in renovations to the 88-year-old stadium, thus breaking a promise to the University of Southern California, which leases the venue for home football games.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Coliseum’s locker rooms have sustained water damage, its plumbing is antiquated, restrooms are inadequate in number and functionality, and concessions areas lack basics such as cash registers and ice machines. More than 90,000 seats were due for replacement this year at a cost of roughly $15 million, but the commission opted instead to invest $6 million in video board improvements.

The Coliseum is expected to finish the fiscal year, which ends June 30, with an operating loss of $302,000. The commission also disclosed that it essentially has no cash in reserve. As recently as 2008, the commission held nearly $12 million. Today, that figure is $1.6 million. If USC leaves its longtime football home, which it currently leases for about $1.8 million a year, the commission will fall into the red.

Leaving is just one option facing USC. It could make renovations on its own in lieu of paying rent to the commission or it could request a master lease, giving the university day-to-day authority over the publicly owned Coliseum — from repairs and maintenance to the booking of events — while paying rent to the commission or the state.

Kristina Raspe, USC’s associate senior vice president for real estate and asset management, told Times reporter Rong-Gong Lin II, “USC remains committed to working with the Coliseum Commission to find a way to achieve the improvements needed for the Coliseum to become a first-class stadium once again.”

Last October, the Pasadena City Council approved a $152 million renovation of the Rose Bowl, the 88-year-old home of USC's arch rival UCLA.

Posted At 9:40 AM • Comments (0)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Blog: This 5K Race Idea Bites, But in a Good Way

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer with the American Sports Builders Association and a full-time newspaper reporter in Baltimore.

Given that runners now have multiple options for races almost every weekend, it helps to have something that sets your race apart. In my area, I've seen races that incorporate running up the steps of a baseball stadium, races that start at the stroke of midnight, races through tunnels that have been closed to traffic, races in costume on Halloween and races held on Thanksgiving where you can win a frozen turkey.

As it happens, I'm a sucker for weekend warrior events like 5Ks, and the latest one I'm diggin' is the Run For Your Lives 5K Zombie Race and Apocalypse Party, planned for Oct. 22 in Darlington, Md. It incorporates a few of my favorite things — the as-yet-unfulfilled prophecy of the world ending, Halloween and, of course, zombies, which are way cooler than vampires, no matter what the little Twilight groupies say.

In this particular 5K, runners wear flags similar to flag football. They have to run their 5K and get through various obstacles, while trying to stay out of the way of the ever-present zombies on the course. If the zombies grab your flag, you're turned into a zombie. You can keep running; you'll just wind up in a different category (undead) when you finish. You also get marked as undead if you skip an obstacle.

The official website contains Frequently Asked Questions, including:
Q: How should I train for the race?
A: Run. Watch zombie movies. Run some more.

My personal favorite:
Q: I have trained my dog/cat/bird/young child to defend me in case of a zombie apocalypse; can they race with me?
A: No. Only registered participants age 14 and up will be allowed to navigate the course. Please do not bring any pets to race or to party; they will be eaten by zombies.

The big event is followed by an Apocalypse Party with the tag line, "There's no tomorrow, only tonight, so celebrate your last days with us." It promises live music, zombie chili and "the all-important antidote, beer." Oh, and you can sign up as a spectator. Or as a zombie, if that's your interest.

Let's face it: I don't know of a runner out there who doesn't already have a drawer full of T-shirts and a bunch of odd random prizes donated by well-meaning merchants. But I can safely say I don't know anyone, runner or not, who can claim they got a good cardio workout by dodging zombies and partying like there's no tomorrow.

Posted At 9:17 AM • Comments (6)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Concealed-Carry Bill Won't Change Most Arena Policies

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

A bill approved Wednesday by Ohio legislators allows concealed weapons in establishments that serve alcohol, including stadiums and arenas. However, major sports venues located in the state capital will continue to ban firearms and knives under current state law, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.

“Our policies as they pertain to weapons will not change; weapons of any type are prohibited,” Columbus Blue Jackets spokesperson Karen Davis told Dispatch reporter AJ Mazzolini. The NHL franchise plays its games at Nationwide Arena. Ken Schnacke, president and general manager of the minor-league Columbus Clippers baseball club, added, “Under no circumstances will any weapons be permitted or allowed in Huntington Park. It’s been a policy of ours for almost 35 years, dating back to Cooper Stadium, and there's been no change in our philosophy.” Weapons will also be banned from Crew Stadium, home to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, according to the team website.

Current state law also makes it illegal to carry weapons on property owned or leased by colleges and universities. A separate bill would repeal that prohibition, according to the Dispatch.

Columbus Motor Speedway, an “open-air arena” under Senate Bill 17, is one venue expected to allow concealed-carry licensees to bring their weapons onto track property, though an official policy has yet to be finalized.

Posted At 10:31 AM • Comments (0)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Blog: No More Dumping on My Cathedrals, Please

By Andrew Cohen

Peter Gammons made a few headlines last week by declaring Chicago’s Wrigley Field “a dump.” Really, it was more Twitter-worthy; he was just trying to make the (only half-valid, in my opinion) point that an old ballpark that is undersized for its market and lacks many of the revenue-generating amenities that have become standard in modern stadiums (I prefer the term, “extractors of fans’ cash”) is a liability for new owner Tom Ricketts.

A local beat writer looking to generate a little controversy went across town to talk to White Sox manager and noted loose cannon Ozzie Guillen about it. Guillen, a longtime critic of Wrigley’s back-of-the-house amenities, didn’t disappoint, though he was respectful of the ballpark from a fan’s perspective.

Which makes total sense to me. Wrigley probably has cramped clubhouses and (unless they've been updated since 1918) substandard electricals. It’s also one of the “Cathedrals of the Game” (as a 2005 HDTV series labeled a number of old stadia), a category that would include Boston’s revered Fenway Park.

Wait, what’s that you say? It’s a dump, too?

Several fans writing in to The Zo Zone (“Inside the Phillies with MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki”) described Fenway as a dump in response to a blog feature called “The Best Ballpark Is…” Others nominated Wrigley and Toronto’s Rogers Centre, as well as bygone venues such as old Yankee Stadium and the Vet. But, you know, the “dump” epithet is pretty pervasive in the sports world. After Game 6 of the NHL finals, the last of the season to be hosted by Boston’s TD Garden, Matthew Sekers of The Globe and Mail in Toronto described that 16-year-old venue as a dump, as well as a “monstrosity” and an “eyesore.” Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times used it to describe Dodger Stadium, and Monte Poole of the Contra Costa Times used it to describe Oakland Coliseum. One newspaper reported that recruits called Cal-Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium a dump, and another quoted the old saying, attributed to Mets fans, that Shea Stadium was “a dump, but, hey, it's our dump." Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post called the old Miami Arena “a dump's dump.”

And all that was just from the past 12 months (thanks, Lexis-Nexis).

Rick Morrissey, lately of the Chicago Sun-Times, really out-dumped all the dumpers Tuesday when he wrote a long column in which he laid claim to originating the description of Wrigley as a dump way back in 2004, when he was with the Chicago Tribune. Back then, he controversially dubbed it “a dump with great views, lots of liquid refreshment and sporadic professional baseball, but it's still a dump.'' His take now? “Wrigley Field is a dump. The baseball played on it is an eyesore. The latter is the real shame.”

What’s really a shame is professional sportswriters consigning their workplaces to the trash heap, just because the elevators are slow and their beer was thus delivered warm. (Seriously — that was the gist of Sekers’ rant against TD Garden.) Wrigley is a great place to watch a game, a step back in time, and its traditionally horrible team sells out for that reason, whatever the park’s flaws. Save me a seat in the landfill — and let’s play two!

Posted At 2:06 PM • Comments (1)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Parts of Rosenblatt Stadium to be Auctioned Next Week

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

They’ve been done in big-league cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia, but will a sports facility memorabilia auction play in Omaha, Neb.? We’ll find out next week, when parts of Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the College World Series for 60 years, are sold to the highest bidders.

According to Omaha’s CBS affiliate KMTV, 900 lots offered June 23 along the stadium’s southwest side will include signage, bases and players’ lockers. Commemorative brick pavers will also be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Infield at the Zoo Legacy Project, which will “immortalize the history of the Crown Jewel of college baseball.”

The College World Series christens its new digs Friday with opening ceremonies for the 2011 CWS. Still, the reverence college baseball fans hold for Rosenblatt is legendary, and retiring the stadium last year was a “tough decision” for Jack Diesing Jr. and other CWS officials. Whether that translates into bidding wars over dugout seats remains to be seen. “Every auction is its own animal,” sports memorabilia auctioneer David Kohler told AB in 2008, “and with any piece, it depends on how many people show up and really go after it.”

Posted At 10:30 AM • Comments (0)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Lightning, Controversy Strike High School Track Meet

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

For the first time in the 43-year history of the Meet of Champions — a high school track-and-field meet hosted by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Newark Star-Ledger — a race was halted because of lightning. Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North High School was ahead of his own state-record pace of 8:44.06 in the boys' 3,200 meters Thursday when lightning struck — quickly followed by controversy.

According to NJ.com: "Rosa, who was at 7:38 on the clock with a lap to go, was building up a run at history when lightning lit up the skies and thunder rang out as heavy rains also started to hit. That prompted meet officials to run onto the track and stop Rosa and the rest of the field from continuing. Rosa and his twin brother Jim, who was right behind, wanted to keep on running. Joe threw his hands up in the air in disbelief when he was met by a wall of officials who prevented him from continuing. A chorus of boos came cascading down from the angry fans." (For video footage of the incident, click here.)

Don Danser, the NJSIAA's track and field tournament director, said he had no choice but to stop the race immediately at 7:24 p.m. and downplayed talk that he should not have started the race in the first place. “I have four spotters looking in every direction and no one detected lightning or thunder in the area when the race started,” he said, adding that a lightning detection system was not in use. “But as soon as the lightning and thunder came, we have to stop the meet under the National Track and Field Rules. It’s a safety issue. We have fans in aluminum bleachers with lightning overhead. We had to evacuate right away.”

Kristin Kline, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Mt. Holly, N.J., located just a few miles from where the Meet of Champions was taking place, supports the NJSIAA's decision. "If lightning was sighted, they definitely made the right call," she told the Rivals High website. "As soon as you see it, that's when you need to take shelter. You can't say, 'We'll be okay for another five minutes.' That's not a safe thing to do. As soon as you see lightning, it is close enough to you to strike the area where you are."

“It’s pretty crappy,” Jim Rosa told NJ.com. “I guess it’s a rule, but we had one lap to go. We should have been able to just finish it.”

“This is just bizarre,” added Brian Gould, West Windsor-Plainsboro North's coach. “I don’t even know what to say. I just can’t believe this actually happened.”

Joe Rosa, a senior who will run at Stanford University next year, had plenty to say in a far-reaching interview with NJ.com's Jim Lambert on Sunday, including what went through his head when the race was called: "With 200 to go (600 if the race was run its full 3,200), I remember hearing them announce a police order to evacuate the stadium. I was like, I hope they don't cancel the race. That's when I was just starting to pick it up. I was so confused and just looking around at all the people. With, like, 100 meters to go, I tend to look at the track right in front of me, so I didn't really see anything. But then … I looked up and there was just this line of officials. At that point I was just jogging with my hands up, like what's going on. People were yelling at me from the side: Keep going, keep going. And then I saw the officials. I didn't have a lot of time to think about what to do. If I had more time to think about it, I think I probably would have kept going.''

The 3,200 and eight other events were scheduled to be completed Monday night, but the Rosa brothers won't be competing because of their schedule.

Posted At 3:11 PM • Comments (6)

Concessions Fire Smoke Forces Miller Park Roof Opening

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

Another use for retractable roofs comes to us from Miller Park in Milwaukee, where a grease fire at a kettle corn kiosk on the main concourse sent so much smoke wafting into right-field seating sections Friday night that the stadium’s overhead sliding panels had to be cracked a bit to exhaust the fumes and introduce some fresh air.

Still, a haze hung over the outfield from the sixth inning on as the Brewers opened a three-game series against St. Louis. The fire was extinguished, and no injuries were reported.

Posted At 9:53 AM • Comments (0)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Blog: A Total-Body Workout from 1929

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer with the American Sports Builders Association and a full-time newspaper reporter in Baltimore.

A grass surface, a net and a bunch of players enjoying a summer morning. It sounded like volleyball to me, or maybe badminton. I couldn't actually see the game — just the top edge of the net — as I was walking up a hill in one of the city's parks. But then the ball hit the ground with a sound that could only be described as a jarring thud. And as I watched, one of the players hauled it up and heaved it back over the net.

It was my first experience with Hooverball, a game similar to volleyball but played with a medicine ball. That’s right, a medicine ball, that big heavy thing that gym teachers say they use to help little kids develop balance and coordination, but probably actually use to teach little kids early on about the perils of lifting heavy objects improperly.

Hooverball is a sport that dates back to the White House days of Herbert Hoover. According to one story, the sport got its start when Hoover was out of shape after his presidential campaign, and his doctor recommended he get some exercise. During his term in office, Hoover and a group of friends would meet regularly on the White House lawn to hurl the medicine ball over the net. It developed into a loosely organized sport.

The game, which became a footnote after Hoover left the White House, was revived years afterward in the late president’s home town of West Branch, Iowa, which hosts the annual Hooverball Championships as part of its Hooverfest celebration. The game is inclusive, in that men and women can play against one another, although women are given a few advantages. A woman who is serving can do so from the mid-court line, for example, while men must serve from the back line. Women who catch the ball during play can pass it to someone else on their team to return over the net, whereas men who catch must make the return themselves. Full rules and a court diagram can be found at the website of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association.

Hooverball probably will never replace volleyball or softball as the pickup sport of choice at church picnics. It’s a novel way of working out, though, and a fun one. It's just not for the faint of…well, any part of the body.

Posted At 7:57 AM • Comments (2)

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

F-Bomb DQs Pole Vaulter, Costs Team State Title

By Michael Popke — AB Managing Editor

Evan Barr, a pole vaulter for Loyola High School in Los Angeles, was understandably angry at himself for missing on his final attempt during the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships over the weekend. But his effort was still good enough for third place, which gave the Cubs enough points to win the event. Then, Barr opened his mouth.

"He uttered a profanity out of frustration, and the officials thought it was significant to disqualify him," coach Mike Porterfield told the Los Angeles Times. "He apologized immediately after he said it." Long Beach Polytechnic High School was named winner of the event, by three points.

According to NBC Sports, Barr used the f-word, and state rules interpreter Hal Harkness deemed that unacceptable. "You can't be profane in a competitive area," he told Times reporter Eric Sondheimer. "[Barr] made an unfortunate lapse in judgment."

Blogger Steve DelVecchio, writing on the Larry Brown Sports website, put Harkness' decision in perspective: "The circumstances are obviously different from collegiate or professional athletics, given that it happened at a high school event, but this still seems a bit harsh. Barr wasn’t cursing at an official or an opponent. He was simply frustrated that he screwed up. On the other hand, you can’t make exceptions to the rules based on circumstances — especially when dealing with high schoolers. One thing's for sure: Evan Barr will probably behave like he’s in church during athletic competition from here on in."

Posted At 10:02 AM • Comments (18)

Monday, June 06, 2011

WVU Board Votes in Favor of Stadium Beer Sales

By Paul Steinbach — AB Senior Editor

By a 10-5 vote Friday, the West Virginia University Board of Governors agreed with the university’s president and athletic director that beer sales should be allowed at Mountaineer football and basketball games beginning with the 2011-12 school year.

Athletic director Oliver Luck, in particular, argued that the controlled sale of beer at Millan Puskar Stadium could serve to quell tailgating excess and combat the increasing “coarseness” of WVU football crowds. His theory is backed by Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition, which provides alcohol management strategies and training to professional and college sports entities. “With today’s change in policy, I believe we have taken a step forward toward our goal of a safer, friendlier and more civil game day experience,” Luck said in a statement Friday. “We can now follow the path of many of our Big East colleagues and control the sale of beer in our stadium. We have much planning to do with our public safety officials and event staff, but we will be ready to implement our plan for the 2011 football season.”

Under the policy, beer will be sold in plastic bottles (spillage was a common concern voiced during a public comment period), with no more than two bottles allowed per sale. Beer will only be sold at concessions stands, with none located near WVU student seating. Sales will be cut off in the third quarter. “I think it’s clear Oliver has done his homework and has done a really good job saying what is the best way to do what we can do to change behavior,” outgoing board chairwoman Carolyn Long told the Charleston Daily Mail. “Now we'll begin to work on that. There are bound to be disagreements, just as there was around the board, but I think it's important we had the discussion we had.”

Among those in disagreement is Pittsburgh sports radio host Joe Starkey. “This idea is so bad, it’s hard to know where to begin,” wrote Starkey in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Let’s start with the true motivation: tapping sudsy revenue streams. Beer sales at football games could contribute more than $1 million annually to the athletic department.”

We’ll know in a matter of months whether such revenue — as well as renewed fan civility — can be found in Morgantown.

Posted At 10:43 AM • Comments (1)

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Blog: Curb Your City’s Dogs at a Dog Park

Mary Helen Sprecher is a technical writer with the American Sports Builders Association and a full-time newspaper reporter in Baltimore.

I overheard two moms talking the other day about summer sports camps. One was planning to put her kids into a county-sponsored rec program, and the other hadn't committed yet. The reason? The fields her kids had played on the previous summer were also heavily used by dog owners. "It's not just the poop," said the mom, "it's the fact that the place just stinks."

And so we come to the great dilemma that polarizes communities: to allow dog use or not. Disclosure: I'm the owner of three great dogs, all rescues. I have nothing against dogs, nothing against exercising dogs and certainly nothing against dog owners. But I'm also an athlete who uses fields and I'm a technical writer on issues related to sports facilities, and I can tell you that dogs are very hard on fields, even if their owners clean up the, uh, solid matter.

Dog poops during live baseball match.jpg

Dog poops during live baseball match.jpg

On the other side of the invisible fence, we have the people who believe it's the right of all dogs everywhere to get regular exercise wherever they (the owners and their dogs) see fit. I’m down with dogs getting regular exercise. I do have a problem with them doing it on the field where I'm about to play Frisbee or volleyball or softball.

Dog owners need to be encouraged to work with local officials to establish their own fenced-in dog parks. Not just hours where dogs can run off-leash in regular parks, and not just unfenced dog-specific areas, since it's been my experience that not all dogs are terribly observant about borders. The sad truth: When dogs are allowed in, athletic facilities suffer.

At the newspaper where I work, several communities have worked to establish dog parks, and I've learned there is nothing that causes louder shouting matches than the question of whether, where and why there should be a dog park. If it weren't so serious, it would be amusing, since there are hot-button political issues that don't generate this level of interest. But once established, the dog parks get great use, and the dog owners become stewards for them.

I can't tell you when or where you need a dog park. But I can tell you that unless you can train your users to keep their dogs on leashes and out of your field, that field will lose every time.

Posted At 9:42 AM • Comments (0)