Dear Mr. Garber,
Before I launch into my main purpose for this letter, allow me to offer my best wishes in your recovery from prostate cancer. While you may draw some criticism, as any commissioner in a professional sport often does, the truth is that you have done a tremendous job in growing MLS. We as fans benefit significantly from everything you do.
With that having been said, I fear you have a growing problem in MLS this season. There is a shocking increase in decisions being made by referees that have a direct impact on the outcome of matches. It has become so noticeable, that many otherwise reasonable MLS fans who I personally know are beginning to turn away from the league in disgust.
This is a bit of an ironic letter for me to write. In truth, ordinarily I find myself...
Sport
Dear Tim Tebow,
Let me be clear as it relates to my overwhelming support of the Human Being you are, and the passion with which you have played the game of football over the years, I am a Tim Tebow supporter! Most pertinent, I'm a fan of positive behaviors and character traits in young people. You're a refreshing person in a world where a number of kids feel overly entitled; they're disrespecting parents and authorities like never before; and even finishing high school has become optional. So, I get the attraction, and even the polarization over the years created by the bold displays of your beliefs. I was raised my entire life in a home with parents who introduced me to Jesus Christ and nurtured His virtues in me. You would think that most people would consider those as the...
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Dear Mr. Goodell:
It's me .... Dave.
After the scandal-plagued year that the league just suffered through, when everyone from Bob Costas to the folks in Vegas assumed you'd be fired, it would be better for all of us, if you just resign.
No amount of spin, no number of media sycophants rushing to your defense, no series of public service announcements featuring NFL players saying “NO MORE,” can hide a very simple fact: 55 times since you became commissioner in 2006, a player in "your" league was arrested for domestic violence, and 55 times you did next to nothing. If not for a certain leaked videotape, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice would have been number 56.
When you wipe away the lawyer-speak about whether you saw the tape or didn't see the tape or didn't not see the...
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Dear Football Fans,
Today I’m writing to tell you that FIFA MANAGER 14 will be the last instalment of the football simulation series marketed by EA SPORTS. This is was a very tough decision, so I want to take the time to explain it.This probably comes as a big disappointment to many of you, and it is understandable that you would ask why.
The football manager genre at this level of sophistication is highly specialised and primarily played in two countries (England and Germany), in which – on top of everything – one game has practically dominated the market in recent years. The niche market and general trend toward online and mobile games were also contributing factors. Moreover, FM had reached a crossroads at which a new engine and/or corresponding online technology would be the...
2,672
Dear Mr. President-elect:
Every 50 years or so since the rise of the U.S. as an industrial power, someone with your impending job title takes a hard look at the athletic activity of children.
He finds neglect and opportunity.
He takes action.
He leaves the nation -- and, ultimately, the sports nation -- in a better place.
Just over a century ago, it was Teddy Roosevelt. Ascending to the presidency at a time when America was about to make its play as leader of the free world, he didn't like what he saw happening with teenage boys. Roosevelt grew up an asthmatic, a sickly boy from polluted New York who made his body strong by embracing a life of vigorous exercise. He wrestled and lifted weights, and he boxed even after moving into the White House. He worried that the comforts...
2,767
Dear Monty,
I know this isn’t the best way to end things, and I know that you probably don’t want to break up at all. But this can’t be a surprise. When we got into this relationship 11 years ago you and I both knew it wasn’t going to last forever. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.
Remember last summer when we were stranded on I-35 because your radiator cracked, the smoke rising and the fluids flying? It was the middle of the night, and while we waited on the side of the road for a tow truck to pick us up I had some time to think about our relationship. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted out.
The last year has been very difficult on both of us. You’ve required thousands of dollars of repairs, guzzled gas at an alarming rate, and the quiet, peaceful demeanor...
2,352
Hi Ndamukong,
You know, I never really understood why everyone hated you so much. I mean, football is a difficult sport, and if it’s your job to run around smashing people into the ground, it must be really hard to stop yourself from snapping every now and then, and, say, stomping on someone’s arm, or their ankle, or accidentally having your foot land in a quarterback’s groin. It must also be really hard to restrain yourself from brutally driving quarterbacks to the ground when a simple tackle would have been fine. So, I get it, it’s a tough sport and you can’t be expected to rein it in all the time.
This is Detroit we’re talking about — you know, blue collar, working class, all that stuff. So, yeah, why not break that guy’s collarbone? I always thought it was okay to play...
2,671
Good day Hon. Ahmed,
I hope and trust that all is well with you. Let me first of all take this opportunity to congratulate you as the newly nominated Minister for Youth and Sports.
Normally, the norm would be to wish you every success in your new appointment, but I feel that I have to be very blunt with you in terms of the challenges you will face in your new position.
Since 2001, there have been not less than 15 appointments to this position and this spans the administrations of ex-President J.A. Kufuor, the late President J.E.A. Mills and current President John Dramani Mahama.
Since you happen to be the 15th appointment, clearly, before I even start, you are not likely to have as much time as you would want to put your ideas across because the average life span (in terms of...
2,524
Hi Coach:
I wanted to let you know how my son is doing. It's been more than a decade since we've spoken and I can recall our last encounter like it was yesterday. I will never forget when you described how my son's journey would unfold.
I think the words you said were, "Your son will never SUCCEED in football." Do you still have magical powers that allow you to see into the future?
As I sit here watching my son at college football recruiting day, I reminisce about times past. It wasn't long ago my son suited up for football practice and arrived at the field ready to work hard under your charge. Coach, your words of advice, "Arrive on time, prepared and ready to deliver a best effort," were met with an eager-to-please attitude from my 10-year-old son. When other young players...
2,823
Dear AB,
You might have picked up that pre-tournament my head predicted you boys to win this baby, while my heart, naturally, is dressed in black.
Don't be sad, AB. So far you've dropped a few backers, looked pretty ordinary at times, but I'm holding fast. And if I had a quiet moment with you, then this is what I would offer, for what it's worth.
Firstly, and most important of all, any success of the highest order is down to bold, courageous leadership. You guys should know; you had one of the best of all time — Nelson Mandela. So my first little tip is to acknowledge that bold leadership is your domain. This is your time to march them out, take them home. The skipper in black has already assumed that role and is mounting an assault, just as Edmund Hillary did. On your side, if I were...
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