Above And Beyond Promotion

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The Big East Football Conference is in the midst of experiencing its biggest changes since its founding in 1991. Gone are perennial powers Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College as well as league doormat, Temple. New to the conference are Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida. Some are calling the changes one big folly; while others believe that the conference will shake off its losses and move forward stronger and wiser.

Three letters have hurt the Big East Conference over the past few years. They are: A-C-C. ACC, as in Atlantic Coast Conference, who lured and then persuaded three Big East schools to make the leap over to the ACC. For the Big East, the three schools represented the league’s top football powers as well as two high performing Men’s Basketball squads: Boston College and Miami. In this age of lucrative television contracts and super conferences the three defecting schools took the money and ran.

Purists were left howling by the departures and at the ACC’s trolling of the Big East Conference. Some suggested lawsuits, while others stated that there was no legal obligation for the schools to stay.

Once it was confirmed that the three departing schools would leave, the Big East Conference was faced with a dilemma that could only undermine its ability to not only thrive, but to survive. It had previously been decided that Temple would be forced out as their program did not measure up to Big East Conference standards, or so it has been said. Still, Temple was not invited back and the Big East began to look elsewhere for schools to fill their depleted ranks. So, the Big East turned to the Conference USA.

Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida ? along with Marquette who doesn’t play football ? were all persuaded to leave Conference USA for the Big East. For some, this is where the folly begins.

Do the three new schools measure up to the programs which they are replacing? Absolutely not. Louisville comes closest and is likely nearly equal to Boston College in strength, but their football program does not compare to either Virginia Tech or Miami. Cincinnati compares much more favorably to the departed Temple team, while South Florida is a new Division 1-A program and was only added to replace Miami as the league’s warm weather school. Just kidding?I think.

The remaining conference schools are Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia. West Virginia is the current conference leader while Rutgers is taking advantage of a weakened conference and also sitting near the top. The remaining schools are rebuilding, making the Big East Conference extra weak this year.

The pundits and prognosticators know that the Big East is reeling and they understand that there is no guarantee that the present league configuration will produce football programs on the level of the dearly departed members. In my opinion, give the conference two or three years and you may find that with just a couple of years of excellent recruiting new leaders will emerge. Perhaps now is the time for Rutgers, Louisville, and South Florida to step it up a notch or two, thereby ensuring valuable television rights and lucrative bowl bids for the conference.

Among the most highly prized possessions that any college basketball player can hope for is their college basketball jersey. The college basketball jersey represents a feeling of pride and belonging to the team.

But the feeling is not restricted to the team. Jerseys are also prized by fellow students, who show up at college games dressed in the same colors to cheer on their team.

Anyone who loves the game will have a favorite team and player. Wearing their jersey creates a special bond.

Some Like It Hot

Due to the heat of indoor playing conditions, basketball jerseys are made of thin material, mostly of mock mesh, dazzle, tricot mesh or pro mesh materials. Jerseys are always sleeveless because long sleeved jerseys would cause the players to sweat too much, creating not only uncomfortable conditions, but unhealthy ones as well. The jerseys are also worn long and loose with large armholes for ventilation.

The NCAA is very strict about the way basketball jerseys are worn on the court and requires all players to tuck in their jerseys.

Color, Numbers And Styles

The tank top jerseys are worn with shorts, which are long and baggy with stretchable waistbands and drawstrings. Each jersey is embossed with the team logo, player number and team name. Every college team likes to customize its basketball jersey, and comes up with a unique color plan.

There are a number of manufacturers who produce wonders with the jersey designs and styles. Reversible jerseys use contrasting fabric on both the inside and outside surfaces, so that they can be worn either way.

The player’s number is required to be on both the back and the front of the jersey. The height of these numbers is required to be 8 inches on the back and 6 inches on the front side. The names of the players are printed in 2-inch high letters. Shortly after 9/11, the NCAA began to allow players to wear the American flag on the jerseys using a 4-inch side insert for this purpose.

Collector’s Items

The demand for replica college jerseys always goes up when the NCAA tournament season begins. There is also a big demand for jerseys worn by the top basketball stars. These replica jerseys, available at several online stores, make a great collector’s item for the avid basketball fan.

One of the most common questions that I get is where in God’s name (no pun intended) do Wise Guys and sharp players get so much information? Just as the only way to Carnegie Hall is Apractice, practice, practice”, the only way to win in sports handicapping is Ainformation, information, information”. Read the rest of this entry »

From college football to Major League Baseball, rivalries between teams have always added excitement to fan experience. Many teams are old rivals, while others have developed a competitive intensity more recently. What teams have been fighting it out for some time? Rivalries are at the center of many fan’s lives. Here’s a quick look at some classic ones. Read the rest of this entry »