New York Giants - The History

Based in New Jersey, the New York Giants have long represented the spirit of America through their perseverance, strong team leadership, and history of great football playing. The Giants currently rank third in the NFL franchises, and have seven NFL titles. 1927 was the year they took home their first title, and they haven't stopped since.

In its earliest years, the Giants progressed very quickly and were more than just a football team. They played numerous games to raise money for homeless and the unemployed. They saw numerous successes and proved the complete domination of pro football over college football, in a time when many questioned whether pro football was indeed more difficult. In fact, the Giants actually played a team made up of players from Notre Dame and essentially wiped the entire team into the ground.

In the following years until around 1979, the Giants started to flail. They continued to be a strong team, but saw fewer wins and "blowaway" games like the one against Notre Dame. This was mostly due to lack of powerful quarterbacks, strong unity, and some overall divisive drama that pervaded the team's character.

This huge change that returned the Giants to the strength of the NFL began in 1979. Phil Simms became quarterback and Lawrence Taylor joined the team in 1981. This player won several awards. The "Crunch Bunch" began, made up of several linebackers for the Giants who were exceptionally good players. Eventually Ray Perkins resigned as head coach and Bill Parcells took over as the coordinator of team defense. This was a huge change for the Giants and essentially marked their first steps towards returning as a top NFL team.

In 2004, Eli Manning joined the New York Giants. Eli Manning has a strong history of excellent football playing. It has been claimed that he is partly responsible for the strong victories seen by the team in recent years. Michael Strahan is also a very strong player for the team and had a single season record for sacks just in 2001 alone.

Since 1998, the team's estimated value has risen from around $268 million to $890 million. Most of the Giants' fans consist of players throughout the New York and New Jersey areas. They have had radio and television broadcasts since their earliest days. Marring the team, however, have been criminal and drug charges against several players.

The next years for the Giants may continue in the strong vein they are currently threading in, however. Eli Manning has been able to not only hold the team together but also push it forward into victory many times over. What will happen when he leaves is uncertain, but it is possible that as long as he remains with the team, they will stay strong and cohesive.

In the end, the Giants are not only a good football team, but also one with a rich and varied history. They do have fans all over the world even though most of them are based in New York and New Jersey. Because New York is such a big part of American history, the Giants represent America in many ways

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Super Bowl Hotel Packages: Get Ready for the Party of the Year!

The most exciting of all sports events, the Super Bowl will be held in Indianapolis (Indiana) on February 5th 2012. The event is one of the grandest and most watched events of the entire sporting world. Because of this, the rush for tickets and hotels has already started.

The internet is crammed with offers for hotel packages and tickets to suit all tastes and wallets.

There are many hotels and inns offering attractive packages for accommodation in south-east Indianapolis. These packages include, among other things, a reserved upper level End zone Super Bowl tickets, cocktail parties on the day of the game with former NFL champions, roundtrip deluxe motor coach transfers to the stadium, shuttle service from the hotel to downtown Indianapolis, official Super Bowl XLVI Souvenirs and daily hot breakfast at the hotel.

To make these hotel offers more attractive, some hotels are offering attractions like visits to the huge Greenwood Park Mall, art and children's museums, the zoo, spa treatments and organizing activities like boating and fishing, to keep the full family entertained.

A typical hotel package will include the following:

1. Super Bowl Tickets: A hotel reservation at the heart of the sporting action, but without tickets would be meaningless. So, every hotel package will include tickets which can be upgraded as the customer desires.

2. Accommodation: Searching for accommodation in Indianapolis at this time of the year would be a nightmare. The hotels provide comfortable accommodation. The rates will generally depend on the distance from the stadium.

3. Pre-game parties: These are a major attraction of the Hotel Packages. These parties include a premium bar and often a NFL hall of fame guest speaker.

4. Transportation: Most Tickets come with free transportation between the stadium and the hotel.

5. Concierge Assistant: The hotel concierge assistant is constantly with the guest to guide him through the sports event.

There are many websites which offer only Super Bowl tickets. Some claim to offer "the most comprehensive inventory of XLVI tickets on the secondary ticket market". Since they are constantly buying new tickets, they can provide any kind of ticket. Groups and corporate accounts are also welcome.
The available tickets range from the cheapest "Terrace Level Endzone" for $2829, to the "Loge Level Endzone" for $3919 and the most expensive "Street Level 25yd Line to 50yd Line" for $9260.

But since not everybody is willing to fork out such impressive amounts of money, it is possible to find better deals on the internet through the Super Bowl hotel packages.

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The Super Bowl History

On January 15, 1967 the very first professional American football championship was played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was billed as the AFL -NFL 1967 World Championship. Game tickets sold for $6.00 to $12.00. The game failed to sell out. Professional football spectators were not quite fanatical at that point in the sport's history, perhaps because they did not fully appreciate the potential of such an event. While the stated purpose was to determine the champion among two competing professional American football leagues, the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL), the Super Bowl has grown to represent so much more. It has become the ultimate symbol of America's resolve to succeed against all odds.

On that faithful January day in 1967 the NFL, represented by its champion the Green Bay Packers, challenged the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. In a game played by the two best teams on Earth, made up of the best athletes on the planet, and viewed by professional football fans all over the country, Green Bay, led by the legendary Vince Lombardi, beat Hank Stram's Kansas City Chiefs 35 to 10.

When Green Bay returned the next year beating the AFL's Los Angeles Raiders 33 to 14, many believed the AFL would never match up. All that changed in 1969 when New York Jets quarterback, Joe Namath, made an off-the-cuff victory guarantee to a rowdy Colts fan during a Super Bowl press conference. In response to the heckling Colts fan, Namath said: "We're gonna win; I guarantee it." Namath's Guarantee created a sensation as news agencies broadcast the story in every major news network in the Country. On January 12, 1969 Joe Namath and his underdog AFL team went out and won the Super Bowl.

In 1970 the two leagues merged into the NFL creating two conferences out of the two former leagues. All former NFL teams, except one, became National Football Conference members and all AFL teams became American Football Conference members. One team was needed to balance the schedule, so the Baltimore Colts switched from the NFC to the AFC. Consequently the great Super Bowl match-up of 1969 cannot be repeated between the Jets and the Colts as both teams are now members of the same conference.

In 1965, prior to the merger, the upstart AFL secured a thirty-six million dollar contract with NBC for broadcast rights, which gave the league financial stability. Many cities across the country, principally in the south and the west had no professional football teams to satisfy the growing demand for the sport. As the AFL grew to satisfy that demand it also grew in prominence and began to compete for the top draft choices from college programs around the country. The two leagues observed an unspoken rule that neither would attempt to sign a player under contract in the other's league. However, when the New York Giants signed place kicker Pete Gogolak, who was under contract with the AFL's Buffalo Bills, AFL commissioner, Al Davis, took off the gloves and the AFL aggressively pursued the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. With attractive salary offers, the AFL managed to lure 7 of the NFL's most promising quarterbacks to the AFL in the 1965 season. Although the AFL later surrendered the contracts, the NFL recognized the threat the AFL posed by plundering their talent pool. Merger talks were conducted without the knowledge of NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle or the AFL's commissioner, Al Davis. On June 8, 1966, the team owners of both leagues announced they had reached terms for a merger agreement. The actual merger would take four years to complete.

While league officials searched for a sensational name for the annual championship game, the Kansas City Chief's owner, Lamar Hunt, proposed calling it the "Super Bowl". Hunt, who was the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the founders of the American Football League, came up with the name while watching his daughter play with a rubber ball that was a toy sensation in the mid sixties. Whamo marketed the toy as the "Super Ball". Hunt's suggestion was only intended to serve as a temporary name, until a more glorious moniker could be agreed upon. Having failed to find a more desirable or descriptive replacement, the name stuck.

More than 151.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the 44th Super Bowl in 2010. According to Neilson Ratings, the 2010 Super Bowl was the most watched television program of all time. It surpassed the long standing record set by the final episode of the popular television series M*A*S*H, which drew 121.6 million viewers on February 28, 1983. In many ways the Super Bowl has become a contest of numbers. In 2010 thirty seconds of commercial air time sold for 3 million dollars, which is a long way from the $37,500 charged by NBC for a 30 second spot during the first Super Bowl. Super Bowl wagers were estimated to exceed 10 billion dollars in 2010. The game was broadcast in 34 languages in 232 countries around the world. The 2010 Super Bowl added and estimated 400 million dollars to Miami's economy as a result of the Colts and Saints challenge for the title. Fans spent an estimated 5.6 billion dollars on Super Bowl related items during the championship. The media, marketing, entertainment and background stories surrounding the Super Bowl have become every bit as sensational as the game itself.

As of 2010 only two cities north of the Mason Dixon Line have ever hosted a Super Bowl; Detroit in 1982 and 2006, and Minneapolis in 1992. That trend is about to change. Dallas will host the Super Bowl in 2011, Indianapolis in 2012, New Orleans in 2013, and New Jersey in 2014. The NFL has also given some consideration to playing a future Super Bowl in London, England.

There are many great stories that make up Super Bowl history. One such story reportedly took place during the very first championship game. According to the Orlando Sentinel, CBS and NBC both covered the first Super Bowl sharing the same televised footage, but each used its own sportscasters. The cameras missed the kick-off for the second half of the game, because sportscaster Charles Jones was busy interviewing Bob Hope. When the head referee ordered a re-kick, a CBS producer directed CBS reporter Pat Summerall to explain the mishap to Vince Lombardi, the Packer's head coach. Pat Summerall, who played as a place kicker for the New York Giants under the legendary coach, refused to go anywhere near him. The story serves as anecdotal evidence of the terrorizing roar so often associated with Vince Lombardi, for whom the Championship Trophy is now named. Sadly, there is no known network coverage of the first Super Bowl. Reportedly, the only known tape was taped over to record a soap opera.

American radio broadcast personality Mark Champion is well known by basket ball fans as the voice of the Detroit Pistons. He is perhaps less well known as the off-screen voice who asks the Super Bowl MVP "You've just won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?" Since 1987, Disney has been an important part of the Super Bowl tradition with its "What's Next" advertising campaign. The Walt Disney Company tapes two versions of the commercial, one promoting Disneyland in Anaheim, California and another for Disney World in Orlando, Florida and airs them in the markets geographically relevant to the two theme parks. Former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner credits his wife, Jane Eisner with the whole idea for the long running advertising campaign. In 1986, during Disney's opening celebration for the Star Tours attraction at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the Eisner's dined with Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager (no relation to Chuck Yeager), who had just broken aviation history with their non-stop flight around the world in their specially designed Voyager aircraft. Jane Eisner reportedly asked the couple what they planned to do next and they replied "Well, we're going to Disneyland." She later suggested her husband use that as part of an advertising campaign to promote Disney's theme parks. Since 1987 Disney has used what it refers to as the "What's Next" advertising campaign every year (except 2006) to promote its theme parks during the post game celebration of the Super Bowl. The ads have become as much a part of the Super Bowl as the half time entertainment and the much anticipated Super Bowl commercials.

Each year millions of fans from around the world plan their schedules around American Football's greatest event. The show stopping half-time talent, the knee slapping commercials, the galas, the background stories, and the hype are as much a part of the show as the amazing athletes that play and the brilliant strategists who stalk the sidelines. While basketball and baseball are played in other countries around the world, American football remains uniquely American. The Super Bowl is America's Championship Game.

 

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A Few University of Pittsburgh Football Greats

Mike Ditka (1958-1960)

Mike Ditka is a well known commodity in the football scene. Ditka grew up not far from his college alma mater. He didn't have far to travel to get to his college destination. The Pittsburgh campus was only about 20 miles away. He was recruited by 3 schools coming out of high school. The other two schools were Notre Dame & Penn State.

He played tight end(TE) all 3 of his seasons spent at Pitt. Not only did he play tight end, he was also the team's punter. He is considered to be one of the greatest tight ends to play college football. He was voted to the College Football All-America Team for his senior season. He is also voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

After leaving college Ditka went on to have a stellar NFL playing & coaching career. He played for the Bears, Eagles, & Cowboys. He was a 5 time Pro Bowl selection. 3 time Super Bowl champion. He was the very first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His success didn't stop at playing. He was head coach of both the Chicago Bears & New Orleans Saints.

He led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl XX championship. This victory was highlighted around the world with a "Super Bowl Shuffle" video & song that featured Ditka in it. As a head coach, he was known for his antics during post-game press conferences. He often would lose his cool & lash out out at the media. Ditka currently works for ESPN as a football analyst.

Tony Dorsett (1973-1976)

Tony Dorsett was one of the finest running backs to ever play college football. He led Pittsburgh to a nation title in 1976. During this season Dorsett picked up numerous awards. He won the Heisman. He won the Maxwell Award given to the best college football player in America. He also won the the Walter Camp Award for college football Player of the Year.

He led the nation in rushing in 1976. His total was a whopping 1948 yards. He was first team All-American 3 out of 4 seasons at Pitt. He finished on the 2nd team All-America squad his other season. Dorsett ranks #2 all-time in college football for rushing yards trailing only Ricky Williams.

He had two games to well remember in college. Both games were against the mighty Irish. He rushed for 303 yards in 1975 & he totaled 290 rushing yards in 1976. People even said that Notre Dame let the field grass grow high to try & help slow this great running back down.

Dorsett went on to have a great NFL career as well. He played 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys & one with the Denver Broncos. He holds honors as being the only player to ever win a college national title one year & a Super Bowl championship the next. He helped lead the Cowboys to Super Bowl XXII win. During that Super Bowl winning season Dorsett was voted Rookie of the Year in the NFL. He has been voted into both the College Football & Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both were done in 1994.

Dan Marino (1979-1982)

Probably the greatest QB in Pitt history & quite possibly in NFL history. Dan Marino played college football for the very program that he grew up around. It's not often you see a guy playing for his hometown in college.

He had a great college career but his Heisman & national championship hype going into his senior season failed. Marino was the favorite for the Heisman heading into his senior campaign but it didn't work out for him. Pitt lost to SMU in the 1983 Cotton Bowl with the "Pony Express" by his side. This was in reference to players Eric Dickerson & Craig James.

Due to his subpar senior season, Marino wasn't drafted as high as expected. There were 5 other QB's drafted before him in the 1983 NFL Draft. Well, The teams that passed on him wished they hadn't. Miami was the team that picked him & the rest is literally "history".

He spent his entire NFL career in Miami. Playing 17 seasons in the NFL & setting numerous passing records. He was voted NFL MVP in 1984. He was a 9-time Pro Bowl selection. He never won a Super Bowl title though with the Dolphins. His jersey number has been officially retired by Miami. He was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

 

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The Origins of American Football

 

During the early 1800's a popular game known as rugby, where a football is kicked at a goal and run over a line, had its beginnings at the famous Rugby Boy's School in England. Around the same time in America, the emergence of a game called "ballown," similar to Rugby, was played by a group of students from Princeton. East coast prep schools like Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Rutgers College also competed in football-type games. At that time these early games resembled the more traditional "mob football" style played in England. The rules were simple with large numbers of players trying to advance the ball into a goal area usually by any means necessary. By 1855 manufactured inflatable balls were being used as football evolved into a kicking and running game.

Since there weren't many rules established, violence and injury were common due to the roughness of the game. The increasing brutality of the game became such a public concern because of so many injuries and deaths, that some universities banned it. President Theodore Roosevelt even threatened to ban the game and urged Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to help make changes or lose the sport. Eventually the Intercollegiate Football Association was formed by representatives of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton to establish a new code of rules mainly based on the rugby games.

The man responsible for shaping American football as we know it today was Walter Camp. He enrolled at Yale in 1876 and led the IFA's rules committee. He proposed reducing the number of players from 15 to 11. He helped establish the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback. Camp also proposed that teams be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. More changes were instituted like the reduced size of the playing field, scoring rules, and game time. By 1887 a paid referee and an umpire were mandated for each game and tackling below the waist was allowed. In 1889 officials were given whistles and stopwatches. The forward pass, one of the most important changes in the game, didn't become legal until 1906.

Although the rules were changing, football continued to be played violently in the style of the earlier mob games. Changes had to be made to make the game safer. These changes were discussed on December 28, 1905 by sixty-two schools who met in New York City. Eventually the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was formed as a result. Over a century later college football continues to thrive as one of the most popular collegiate games. After the demise of the IFA, the American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920. The association was later reorganized and in 1922 renamed the National Football League.

 

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Smokin' Joe Frazier's "Greatest" Victory

Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest boxer of all time.

Joe Frazier knew it, Joe Louis knew it.... Muhammad Ali knew it. Still Ali, brash young boxer who had never been defeated also knew the power of branding. If he said "Greatest" enough about himself, he would eventually win over a segment of the crowd. They would say it about him, especially once he took the heavyweight title.

Being the subject of a late 1960's character assassination by the United States media, Muhammad Ali was vilified, and stripped of his title for refusing to join the military. Famously saying "No Vietcong ever called ME a nigger." he claimed status as a "conscientious objector" to the war in Vietnam. Ali successfully defended his title many times from 1963 to 1967, but this episode of his life (outside the ring) is why I call him "The Greatest"... If you check the tape however, Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest fighter.

Seeing all this, and realizing it could just as easily happen to him, another boxing legend by the name of Joe Frazier was making his mark. Although he was the number one contender at the time, he refused to participate in the tournament for the world championship belt, which took place after Ali was stripped of it.

Joe Frazier had morals, decency and a sense of fair play seldom exhibited by boxers or anyone for that matter. Joe Frazier was also a monster in the ring, who constantly slipped jabs while working his way toward his opponent; setting up one of the meanest left hooks ever known to boxing (the result of a broken arm that never healed correctly). Frazier eventually won the Heavyweight title in Ali's absence but campaigned tirelessly on Ali's behalf (even petitioning Then-President Nixon). Frazier also gave Ali money to get by during his years of banishment from the ring.

In 1970 the supreme court overturned Ali's banishment. Ali immediately went to work destroying fighters, but the question of his vacated title still went unanswered. This set the stage for what would be known as "The Fight Of The Century". Although friendly outside the ring, Ali would resume all his previous braggadocio, making his friend Joe Frazier the brunt of the verbal assault. No stranger to the power of media suggestion, Ali succeeded in mis-characterizing Frazier as being the champion for the same conservative values which wrongfully stripped him of his belt. He repeatedly and publicly referred to someone who had helped him through the worst time of his life as "Uncle Tom". Frazier was anything but an Uncle Tom, having to leave his South Carolina home at 15 to avoid trouble that came from standing up to racists.. In my opinion Ali's treatment of Joe Frazier was his lowest moment as a sportsman.

The "Fight Of The Century" took place at Madison Square Garden in 1971 with record purses, the biggest media coverage of all time, and even riots around the USA. The fight lived up to its name, going the 15 round distance with Ali establishing himself early on, but Joe Frazier delivering his killer left hook, putting Ali on his ass... twice... eventually emerging the victor.

Frazier would defend his title twice more, eventually losing to George Foreman. He would also have two major rematches with Ali, which he lost, ultimately developing a deep disdain for the man. Not one for media manipulation or image branding, (He was not well spoken) Frazier never successfully made the commercial revenue that a George Foreman or Ali would. He opened a boxing gym and lived out his days in Philadelphia. Frazier died of Liver cancer on Nov.7 2011 at the age of 67. He is recognized as one of the top ten greatest heavyweight champions of all time.

 

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