Virginia Tech - What is a Hokie?

Now, you might be wondering what exactly a Hokie is, and if you are, you are reading the right article. The answer is, really, nothing at all. It is a simple made up word that began as part of a cheer, started by O.M. Stull from the class of 1896. Because the school had just changed its name, they saw an opportunity to also create a new cheer for Virginia Tech by holding a spirit competition. As part of that spirit competition, students were supposed to come up with Virginia Tech cheers and his went as follows:

Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy.
Techs, Techs, V.P.I.
Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.
Polytechs - Vir-gin-ia.
Rae, Ri, V.P.I.

This cheer won him the competition, along with a nice prize of five whole dollars, and his cheer is now known as Old Hokie. They later added an extra "e" to the word "Hoki" and they also put "Team! Team! Team!". This was done at the end of the cheer. Although Stull may claim to have come up with the word for the purpose of grabbing attention, the word already existed as a word that people would use when they were trying to express excitement or surprise since 1842.

Seeing as the university had just gotten a new name and now they had just chosen a new cheer, it seems fitting that new college colors would come next. In 1896, Virginia Tech formed a committee whose goal was to find a new set of colors that would replace the original black and grey colors, which due to their striping pattern, looked a whole lot like prison uniforms. The committee decided on burnt orange and maroon chiefly because of the fact that they were unique as college colors in that combination.

This is the most popularly believed story about how the word "Hokie" came about, however there is an interesting conspiracy theory that is the alternative. The story goes that in that same year, 1896, the very same O. M. Stull reported the first of what became many sightings of a very large bird that lived in the nearby mountains of southwest Virginia. This version offers a connection to Virginia Tech's mascot and explains that the actual derivation of the word came from Stull's commanding officer who dismissed the bird as being "hokey". From there, the mascot became fondly knows as the HokiBird. Although this is a fun story, it is very unlikely and the explanation of the word given by the university is much more believable.

Are you the ultimate Virginia Tech [http://www.rateVTfan.com/blog] Fan? Check out daily news about Virginia tech at [http://www.rateVTfan.com/blog].

Interior Wall Painting Ideas For a Home Game Room

When it comes to interior wall painting ideas for a home game room you should get a little creative, especially if you have a dedicated theme to the room. And it doesn't need to be difficult to look great, it can be done easily and look amazing at the same time. All you need to do is be creative, think outside the box and set aside some free time to get the job done.

With that said there are two basic and simple ways to paint your home game room walls that'll make your room look awesome. The two types I'm talking about are two-tone wall painting ideas and solid wall color ideas.

Even though they may sound a little "basic", it's in the details that make them great. And when you're finished you'll have a home game room that friends and family will admire and one that you can relax in and enjoy to the fullest. And it all starts with simple interior wall painting ideas for a home game room.

Painting Your Interior Game Room Walls In Solid Wall Colors.

It doesn't sound exciting or fun but it is. Let's take for example that you're a football fan and love the Green Bay Packers. Their team colors are Dark Green, Athletic Gold and White. And these ideas will work with any of your favorite sports teams or theme room designs.

Back to the Packer Theme Room, you want to keep your room bright so you'll either go with white or athletic gold for your main color. A fun way to paint a room like this would be to paint 3 of 4 walls either white or gold and then use one wall as an accent wall and paint it dark green. On the dark green wall you could add some of your favorite decorations and a Green Bay Packers Helmet Fathead would look awesome on a dark green wall. Also you could stencil in the Green Bay Packers team name in athletic gold or white on that wall. It's all about being creative. Solid wall colors can be really fun. If you wanted a little more color paint one wall dark green, another athletic gold and the rest white.

Interior Wall Painting Ideas - Add Two-Tone Wall Colors To Your Game Room

Two Tone wall colors in a home game room is one of my favorite ways to paint. One of the simplest ways to go about painting your two toned game room is start with a top trim of 1 to 2 feet down. Make that trim your darker wall color which for a Packers Room would be dark green. The rest of your walls would be either white or athletic gold. Within the trim you can stencil team names, sayings, family names and more. It's pretty cool.

A second way to go would be to paint your room half and half keeping the darker color on bottom. You do that in order to keep your room bright instead of dark and drab. Traditionally though you'd use your darker color for the first 36 inches off the floor and then paint the top half of your game room your brighter colors.

And to make it look even better, where the two colors meet you could add wallpaper trim or chair rail. That way it breaks up the two colors and your room will look great.

Make It Fun And Use Your Imagination

As I've said throughout this article, it's easy to do this type of paint job. Just remember to clearly tape off the lines and make sure your tape is level especially if you're not using chair rail or a wallpaper border to hide where your two colors come together.

And most importantly, don't stress. Figure out which colors will look best together and start painting. In the end when you're finished painting and have your decorations up on the walls, it'll look great.

Visit Game Room Decorating Ideas dot com to find other fun and interesting information on creating your ultimate game room. Including game room design ideas like Home Theatre Design and more.

Cool Nike Shox Navina Colors

Well it seems that a lot of people love the Nike Shox Navina. The shoe is solid and it is perfect for running, for use in the gym or casual wear. The shoe works very well, but what many people seem to be blown away by are the varying colors that are available. Below we will take at the most popular colors that the Navina is available in.

Nike Shox Navina Black - This one of the most popular colors for the Naina. Many people like this simple color and all the different ones in the series are all available in them. Generally you are able to get this woman's sneaker in all black or black with other colors. The mixed colors are popular, where various aspects of the shoes get highlighted, such as the shox columns, swoosh and much more.

Nike Shox Navina White - Just as popular as the black, the Navina in white are a favorite among women looking for a stylish shoe. You are able to purchase the shoes in wide range colors mixed with white such as grey, red, blue, pink and a lot more.

Nike Shox Navina Pink - A lot of women are looking for a pink Navina, but they need to be aware that an all white version does not exist. There are versions that have pink mixed in with other colors. If you are looking for a funky shoe that screams woman, then look for one that has pink highlights and much more.

As you can see the Nike Shox Navina is a stylish shoe that is available in many different colors. You can purchase the shoe depending on the style that you are going for and much more. If you are looking to make a statement then pick the color that works for you. With this shoe you cannot go wrong.

If you are looking for good deals as well as low prices on the Nike Shox Navina, please visit the website. Here you will be able to save money and much more. http://www.squidoo.com/nike-shox-navina

Decorating Ideas for a Sports Themed Christmas

The latest craze in Christmas decorating this year is the Sports Themed Christmas! Pick just about any sport, any team - college or pro - and you'll be able to find all kinds of decorations to suit every taste.

The list of things you can choose from seems endless, but here are a few of the ones you can use in your Christmas decorating:

* Ornaments - these come in glass, metal, or plastic and some of them are even collectibles

* Christmas Stockings and Garlands - hang these on the fireplace in your game room to show your team spirit

* Villages which can include reproductions of your favorite team's home stadium

* Christmas wreaths - these usually feature a snowman and snowlady all bundled up in their team's colors and logo

But the sports fun doesn't stop there, because you'll also find holiday Santa and elf hats, window clings, table runners, snow families, tabletop decorations, centerpieces, nutcrackers, string lights, night lights, and just about anything else you can think of!

If you're giving a gift to a big sports fan, you'll want to consider using their team's wrapping paper and ribbon.

You can even find personal items such as holiday design clothing and jewelry, all with your favorite team's logo and in their colors.

Or consider lighting up your whole neighborhood with an animated or iNFLatable sports lawn figure or a window light-up player to let your friends know which team your home roots for.

It's possible to design your entire holiday color scheme around your favorite team's colors, and dress up your whole house and yard to match. Your Christmas tree can be decorated in your team's colors and matching tree trimming ornaments and accessories. You can use your team's matching light strings around your tree, and even string them across your fireplace mantle or over doorways, entwined with team logo decorated garlands. Just let your imagination be your guide.

If you'd like to take it a step further, consider team logo towels, washcloths and soap dispensers for your bathroom, and sheets, pillowcases, shams and comforters or bedspreads for your bedroom, or tea towels for your kitchen. Even available on the market are things like ceramic helmet serving bowls and wine bottle cork stopper sets.

Christmas décor is available in most of your favorite teams from the NFL, MLB, NCAA, NHL, NBA, USL, and even NASCAR and others.

Whatever you decide on this year, just remember to shop early. This fun sports décor is usually in limited supply around the holidays and only available for a short time. Once an item you have your heart set on is out of stock, it likely won't be available again during this holiday season.

To see pictures of all the great sports Christmas decorations that are available this year, visit my website at SportsChristmasDecorations.com

The History of Goalkeeper Shirts

Goalkeepers are different. Even if you don't watch football fanatically, you know that this guy under the goalposts usually wears a different shirt and pants in comparison with the rest of the team. Goalkeeper shirt has its own history which is quite long and interesting. In the early history of football, the teams distinguished from each other by the color of their socks, or their armbands. In 1872, in England, some teams starting using stripes and created new uniforms, with different colors, although, still, there were many similarities. Looking back, you will see that many of the teams kept essentially the same uniform they created in the 19th century.

Rules were still strict though, especially for goalkeepers. We could say that goalkeepers suffered the most by FIFA rules, until they somewhat relaxed during the 70s. They were limited to specific colors, including green, blue and white, occasionally red as well. The most popular was green, simply because not many teams used green as the primer color of their uniform. Just before the First World War, goalkeepers were wearing a cap, so as to stand out from their teammates. In 1909 Scots decided to introduce the different color for the goalkeeper.

Goalkeeper shirts used to come in two different kinds: one was quite tight and looked like a vest with long sleeves; the second was the V neck polo sweater, which was more common until the late 60s. It was quite heavy gear for a sensitive position such as the goalkeeper's, so manufacturers worked a lot on ameliorating it. It was in early 70s that goalkeeper shirt started resembling to a true athletic shirt, close to what we know now. The athletic jerseys became very popular in Europe, but both Britain and the USA were kind of slow on the uptake, so these shirts were still not well established in World Football.

Despite the fact that the goalkeeper's number has traditionally been number 1, goalkeepers were sort of late in wearing a number, mostly because they didn't need to, since they already wore different shirt. The rest of players had to be identified somehow, especially since football was becoming increasingly popular and the stadiums were full of fans. Although there is no rule that indicates that number 1 belongs to the goalkeeper, tradition does dictate that the goalpost guard should carry this number on his back. For the records, the first no goalkeeper player who wore the number 1 was Ossie Ardiles, an Argentinean player. Many players followed his example, especially in national teams, although still goalkeepers take the shirt with number 1.

There are some funny stories related to goalkeepers and their shirts. For instance the Croatian player Dra~en Ladic wore a shirt with the number 59, because that was his 59th and last game with his country colors in the match against France in 2000. In 1952 Bill Lloyd in Britain was ordered by the referee to change his shirt, because it didn't look like a goalkeeper's shirt, but resembled more to a knitted shirt.

If you want to find out more about Football Shirt , please visit Football Shirts Website for more information

Georgia Tech Football Helmet - A History

Georgia Tech has been playing football since at least 1895 when it was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Now a proud member of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division, very few other teams have had the historical success of Georgia Tech football. They have won four national titles dating back to 1917 and as recent as 1990, 15 conference titles and won the four most historic bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton). They have put an enormous number of players and coaches into the NFL. They play in the oldest on campus stadium in Division 1 FBS, and this nostalgia and since of history is clearly reflective in the conservative styling of their football helmet. Looking back to the 1960s when modern era helmets came into being, the team has had some remarkably consistent football helmet designs, and has never used any outlandish helmet variations, even for 1 or 2 games, unlike some of programs such as Boise State, Maryland or their rival, Georgia.

The early 1960's football helmet for Georgia Tech was simply a gold helmet with a gray facemask. Sometime in the mid-1960's, the team switched to a white football helmet with gold and black vertical stripes stretching from the top of the facemask to the back of the helmet. It was not until 1967 that the team added the now familiar "GT" logo with the G feeding into the upper horizontal piece of the T. The logo has remained basically unchanged since then. The team initially used the gold background and black and white stripes; this briefly switched to a white helmet from 1969 to 1971 and has been brought back at least once as a throwback helmet.

Around the mid-70's, Georgia Tech football helmets no longer had the white and black vertical stripes and that has basically remained that way ever since then. In the late 70', a minor change was made to the facemask making it a very dark blue instead of the basic gray mask. There was also a period in 1984 where the logo was removed from the football helmet for some games, and it was simply a gold helmet like you might see at Notre Dame with no logo (or Boston College minus the stripes). The only other major change of note was in 2008 when the gold background that has been around for about 50 years was switched to a yellow background. This gold contrasted against the dark blue facemask, looked very crisp and catchy. It changed the look and feel somewhat, and some argue, brought them a slightly more modern look. However, old habits are apparently tough to change as the gold background returned in 2009 and has been the same ever sense. Whether or not the next 50 years will be the same as the last 50 in terms of conservative helmet design, is yet to be seen. If having more modern football helmets becomes a competitive strength and recruiting tool for programs like Oregon and Boise State, it may be something to reconsider. For now, however, the helmet's logo, colors and design, is likely to remain the familiar one.

Copyright Donald Plunkett. View the most recent Georgia Tech football helmet at http://www.footballhelmets.com

The Many Colors of the Soccer Uniforms

And its serious business with specialists designing custom fit, durable, comfortable, easy to breath fabrics and cuts. As you can imagine, colors play a huge role in the scheme of things. After all, each color has a distinct effect on the players behavior and emotions. Let's take a quick peek at the various shades that bring soccer to life. Soothing, flashy, subtle, pristine, modern, classic, they all make their presence felt on the green of the pitch...

Color me up!
Soccer uniforms come in a variety of designs and color combinations, but the colors usually aren't coincidental to the teams. They are deliberate, usually well thought out selections meant to make the team stand out. At times, the color choice is decided through a consensus of the players. Though often, team colors originate from a particular association with the country or city that the team represents. Soccer team uniforms first made an appearance in the 1870s, and even then, the team's colors were often linked to a sports club, university or school. Since the early days of the game, team colors had an emotional connotation.

Dressed for Success
The color and design of a team's soccer shirt has to match with the shorts and socks. It should all come together seamlessly as an ensemble assembled for success! Since referees need to stand apart from the players, their uniforms are traditionally black. As a color, black is usually associated with power, mystery, sophistication, formality and conventionality, not to forget, its inherent quality of making people look slim!

Fire Brand
If the color red is associated with passion, intensity, energy, ambition, masculinity, strength, courage and excitement, it is also intrinsically linked with the club Manchester United. The team adopted its red and white team colors as far back as 1902! It's latest home kit is again a red soccer shirt with white shorts that have red stripes on the sides. Other teams inspired by the color and identified with it, are the Reds of Liverpool and the Rojas of Chile.

Blue By Design
Think blue and peace, loyalty, constancy, reliability, confidence, unity, harmony, trust, coolness and wisdom come to mind. The legendary teams behind the 'bluing' of the pitch are Argentina in its famous sky blue and white stripes, France's Les Bleus and Italy's Azzurri. Looks like the club FC Barcelona has ensured it gets the best of both worlds with a return to vertical stripes of red and blue on its soccer jersey! And it sure has worked for them!

It's White, Yellow and Blue!
Representing purity and radiance, the color white has always been associated with the clubs Leeds and Real Madrid. On a national level, the English and German squads usually mark their presence in pristine white soccer uniforms. Yellow stands for warmth and joy, while green recalls the hues of Nature in terms of freshness, calmness, rejuvenation, energy, growth and balance. No wonder the national team of Brazil took inspiration from their national flag and embraced these colors as their own!

Orange Works!
But it's the Dutch Oranje who contrast the green pitch the most in their striking orange soccer shirts! This color represents energy, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness and a 'let's-do-it' attitude, which the team seems to have assimilated!

As you can see, team colors are related to team identity, as much as football is related to dribbling!

Browse through Custom Soccer Uniforms extensive collection of soccer kits.

Top 20 Fundraising Ideas For Booster Clubs and School

I often get asked for fundraising ideas for booster clubs, athletic clubs, schools, and sports teams. Of course, the answer is different for each team, but one of the key factors is that whatever type of spirit item you choose to sell, it needs to be fun for the recipient and useful for them (at least useful for that given period of time). I have compiled a list of 20 inexpensive fundraising ideas for your school sports team or booster club that have great profit margins to raise money for your club or team. These spirit items are fun, inexpensive, and generate school spirit. Remember that by getting a business to sponsor the spirit items, they pay for them, and your club can sell them at 100% profit. That is the key to a successful fundraising campaign.

1. Pom Poms - These can be imprinted with your school or team name and can be obtained for well under $1.00 each. Custom imprinted pom poms are crowd favorites and look great in the stands. Fans feel more comfortable cheering on their team when they have some kind of spirit item such as pom poms. Pom poms have been around for years and will be around for years to come as spirit items.

2. Mini Basketballs - Obviously, these work great for basketball teams. You can choose to get either the vinyl mini basketballs or all the way up to tournament quality balls. The vinyl mini basketballs are about the size of a grapefruit and cost around $1.40 or less depending on quantity and are meant as more of a novelty toy for kids. If you feel your fan base will buy full sized basketballs, you can get customized basketballs with your choice of basketball panel colors and multi-colored logos imprinted on the balls.

3. Mini Volleyballs- Volleyball teams can choose from either vinyl mini volleyballs or tournament quality volleyballs. It is important to know your crowd and have an idea of how much money they are willing to spend. There is always the option to take pre-orders for higher ticket items such as tournament quality volleyballs.

4. Mini Footballs - Promotional mini footballs are commonly thrown at football games by the cheerleaders. These mini footballs can be used in 2 different ways for fundraising: a) You can have a business sponsor and put their name on logo on one side of the ball and your school and team name on the other sides of the footballs. With this option, the business actually pays for the footballs and lets the cheerleaders throw the footballs at the games. This helps the team by generating revenue and team spirit from the crowd as well as helping the business who sponsored with cheap advertising. b) You can simply print your school and team name on the footballs and sell them through your booster club to fans. Typically, the business sponsor is much easier and takes less effort. For a typical football game, you want to plan on throwing a minimum of 100 mini footballs, and more for big games such as playoffs and championship games to help keep the crowd going.

5. Mini Soccer Balls- These mini soccer balls can be sold as novelty items to home crowds. The vinyl mini soccer balls are less profitable than selling the tournament quality soccer balls. With full size soccer balls, you can print on every panel for a really dramatic effect. Take pre-orders to avoid being stuck with a large quantity of soccer balls.

6. Thundersticks - Crowds never get tired of thundersticks (or sometimes called thunderstix or bam bams). These thunder sticks can be personalized with a large imprint area. They are easy to sell for $3-$4 per pair, and you can get them for around $1.40 or less per pair. You can print on the both sides of the thunder sticks, so you can get a business sponsor to pay for the thundersticks and sell them to make 100% profit. Thunder sticks have become a standard in any active stadium. These stadium noisemakers bring the stadium to life and helps to encourage the players.

7. Discount Cards - Discount cards are credit card sized plastic cards that have multiple discount offers from local restaurants and retailers. The buyer can usually recoup his/her money after using the discount card only twice. The discount cards are typically printed with about 15 business are 1 side and the school and team name on the other side. Some schools choose to print discount offers on both sides of the cards allowing for more business sponsors. You can charge each business a nominal fee of $50-$100 to advertise their offer. Then you sell the cards for $10 each and make a huge profit. These discount cards are easy sell; they virtually sell themselves if you get some great offers from local businesses. The hardest part is lining up your 10-15 businesses to advertise. This is not difficult though, because most business know that offering discounts brings in business.

8. Stadium Seat Cushions - Stadium seat cushions are another great and traditional fundraising item for stadium sports such as football and basketball. Sponsors can offset the cost of the stadium cushions by ads on the back of the cushion. The booster club can then sell the cushions for $5-$10 to make 100% profit and generate thousands of dollars at a single game. You can sell up to 20 business ads on each side of the stadium cushions. Imagine the amount of money your booster club can earn with the combination of the sponsorship money collected plus the money collected from sales of the stadium cushions!

9. Hand Fans - Sports shaped hand fans are great for games in the South during the beginning of football season. Choose from Football helmet or football shaped hand fans. These fans can be printed with the team schedule, and even a business sponsor name to help offset the cost. Any type of spirit item the fans can hold, such as hand fans, helps make them more comfortable, thus cheering more and louder.

10. Schedule Magnets- All fans need a game schedule and a schedule on a magnet is even better because they won't lose it. Most people will put a magnet on a refrigerator, and think how many times the average person goes to the refrigerator. Fans will buy a schedule magnet, and the profit margins are easily 400%-500%. This will help boost your attendance at games because your fans will always know your game times.

11. Car Magnets - Car magnets with your mascot and team name help to promote team spirit within your community. These are popular with fans because they are easy to remove and cause no damage to their cars. Not only do you make money selling these car magnets, but think how many people will see your team name and mascot on a daily basis. The more people that see you car magnet, the more community support you cultivate.

12. Megaphones - Cheerleaders have used megaphones for years and the the mini plastic megaphones are great for fans to use for cheering for their team. Personalized megaphones are a great way to get your fans loud.

13. Spirit Noodles - Spirit noodles are made of foam and are great to wave around while cheering. These are a great option when noise makers aren't allowed in your stadium. They come in varios shapes and sizes to tailor to your team or school.

14. Foam Fingers - Foam fingers and foam hands come in many different varieties and shapes. There are foam paws, foam talons, foam mascots, and many different foam hand shapes that are great for cheering for your team. These are also great for stadiums that don't allow noisemakers.

15. Sport Horns - Sports horns are unique noise makers that are really loud but come in a small package. These stadium horns take minimal effort to blow and will rock the house and a make a bold statement for your team.

16. Spirit Towels - Spirit towels are classic stadium items to show team spirit. They have a large imprint area and are great to wave around while cheering.

17. Sports Bottles - Personalized sports bottles are great items to fill with drinks at concession stands. The custom printed sport bottles give fans a souvenir to take home after buying a drink. This will encourage fans to buy a drink because they get an item they can keep that is useful after the game. Many concession stands charge an upcharge to get a souvenir mug. If you don't want to use sports bottles, consider stadium cups. Stadium cups are cheap and a great option to use to serve beverages at the stadium.

18. Stadium Blankets - During cold games, stadium blankets are much needed items that are often forgotten by fans. You'll be surprised how many fans will buy a stadium blanket because they forgot to bring their own blanket. Stadium blankets have the ability to generate large profits per sale.

19. Yard Signs - Don't forget about spirit items to promote your team outside from games. The custom yard signs can be sold to fans to proudly display in their yard. These also can have very high profits per sale, and are an easy way to generate large amounts of money in a small amount of time.

20. Hand Clappers - Hand clappers are one of those spirit items that never get old. They make a lot of noise and are fun to use when rooting for your team.

Whatever type of spirit items that you use, make sure they are allowed in your stadium. Most importantly, make sure you do have spirit items available for your fans. Spirit items are the easiest ways to generate team spirit, because fans feel more comfortable cheering when they have a spirit item to use. One important rule to remember is that you don't want to overprice your spirit items. You have to consider the area you live in when determining a reasonable price that the fans will not think is too expensive. School spirit items are easy to sell; therefore, generating lots of money for your school booster club or organization is very easy.

Copyright 2009 Patrick Black and Perfect Imprints. All rights reserved.

http://www.perfectimprints.com
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Kettlebell Training For Football Players

Are you looking for a football training program that will give you raw power, super flexibility, speed, and agility?

If you want to be a force to be reckoned with on the field, Kettlebell Training could be just what you've been looking for. Whatever your position on the field, your training program needs to give you superhuman strength, speed and power.

Kettlebell Training can give you the edge that you're looking for and will help you play your strongest game right till the end. Here is some helpful information about Kettlebells that can help you see for yourself why training with Kettlebells is so effective for athletes.

Fit for The Gym vs Fit for the Field

Ever sweat it out in the gym pumping iron all summer only to get on the field and feel like a wad of cookie dough?
Or perhaps you thought that you were in great shape when the season started, but now you find yourself huffing and puffing through the practice exercises.

What you are experiencing is the difference between being fit for the gym and being fit for the field.

Weight training may be able to help you build strength, but it's not the kind of strength you need when you're helmet to helmet with your opponent. That's when you need "real world" strength, the kind you can put to practical use on the field. Gaining this "real world" strength is where conventional weight training fails, and Kettlebell Training shines.

How Kettlebell Training Bridges the Gap

This is one of the tremendous advantages that working with Kettlebell Training can give you when you are on the field. For years now, Kettlebell Training experts have been working with professional fighters, elite members of the military, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and athletes to help them develop power, velocity and stamina that will prepare them for real situations.

You already know what the difference is between training with free weights and training with machines: The ability to control the position of free weights gives you a better balanced strength in the muscles. This is why most athletes have a very specific set of free weight exercises designed to get them the results they need to excel at their game.

Since Kettlebell Training is so convenient and versatile, training programs can be specifically created for just about any real world application. With the right training program, all the power, speed and stamina you build will actually be useful when you need it.

One world class power lifter used Kettlebell Training to prepare himself for performing a 700 pound dead lift, running a 26 mile marathon, and executing a full spread split. Think about that and just imagine how Kettlebell Training could prepare you for the playing field.

Getting the Ball Rolling

Getting started in Kettlebell Training is a little bit more than simply getting some Kettlebells and lifting at full speed. Because Kettlebell Training is much more versatile than traditional strength training, it is important to be able to properly execute the maneuvers to maximize your results and to avoid time wasting injuries.

Your first Kettlebell set may include 35lb, 53lb and 70lb kettlebells. This will ensure that you can cover a wide range of exercises and muscle groups. Then it is simply a matter of developing or learning a routine which is specifically tailored for your position and which will enable you to achieve maximum results.

Then you'll really rock the field with the strength, flexibility, speed, and stamina that will have the competition floored, and your teammates calling you MVP!

Stone Knox is an avid kettlebell enthusiast, athlete, and expert in Kettlebell Training techniques. He is dedicated to providing the tools, techniques and information that people need to create superhuman strength, endurance and a chiseled physique.

More information on Kettlebell Training, how to buy kettlebells, kettlebell workshops,how to start your training program, and information on Kettlebell Training for women can be found at KettlebellReviews.org.

Sports Logos

A sport is like religion to fans- for e.g. cricket in India or football in Europe. No doubt, a strong mark of identity is quintessential to all sports logos. They can represent a team, a company managing the sport, it can depict a sports channel or it could also denote a manufacturer making sporting goods and gears.

Take a look at WWE sports logo. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., (WWE) is an integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling. Their logo is made up of two 'Ws' in white- the small one contained in the bigger one with a red stroke underlining this monogram. The Ws are rough, violent and forceful strokes well representing the game of wrestling. The red stroke brings to mind blood as well as entertainment, which are highlights of professional wrestling.

In contrast the Adidas symbol is different. The company deals in training and sports wears, eyewear, fitness goods and apparels for men and women. The 3 striped Adidas logo was created by Adi Dassler, the founder. It was first used officially in 1967. The shape of 3 stripes on the Adidas Logo represents mountain, pointing out towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved.

All sports logos also communicate about the future plans of the team or company they represent. Since these logos appear on the jersey of the player, sponsors and other memorabilia they need to be designed with proper strategy. A good symbol carries positive vibes and helps to retain the winning abilities. They are like uniforms and should have a sense of discipline. The color schemes and fonts should reflect on the nature of the sport. The sports logo should also exude the fair competitive spirit.  

A sports logo is like the mascot and drives the team to win with self confidence. Even the fans like to have the sports logos on their t-shirts. It gives them a sense of allegiance to the team. A logo should be well liked to be used even by the spectators. Most recognizable ones are those which are simple and have attractive colors. Trendy and fashionable are the key to success for most sports logos. They should be inspirational and can also have a strong sporty message.

So, go, wear the logo you will swear by and set on an adventure or cheer till your throat turn hoarse!

Find pre-designed Sports Logos and exclusive Sports logo design at excellent rates here at Pixellogo.com.

Ticket Prices

Getting tickets to a major league baseball game can be quite expensive. This is especially true if you want to see a team play that is a perennial powerhouse. When it comes down to it getting tickets is all about what team you want to see.

For example, if you want to go to a Pittsburgh Pirates game you can probably do so any day of the week. Sure, there are games that get sold out thanks to special promotions. But for the most part you can get into any Pirates game for the low price of $9 or so.

But on the other end of things you may want to go to a New York Yankees game. Simply put you cannot do this by walking up to the box office. Every Yankees game is sold out, and if you want tickets you are going to have to do a bit more work. Not to mention the fact that you will have to pay a lot more money. This is the price you must pay if you want to go to a Yankees game.
There are many teams that fall into both categories. If you are lucky you cheer for a team that is easy to see, and will not break the bank.

Overall, ticket prices are on the rise every year all over the league. As long as there are baseball fans to pay the prices, the tickets will always increase slightly each year. But it is all worth while to see your favorite team play.

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Single Wing Football at the College Level Today

Have you ever heard "I don't see your offense being run in the pros or college"?

Well if you look hard enough you do see it lots of places. They may not call it the Single Wing, but it's part of nearly every football game you watch on Saturdays and even a few on Sundays. Mind you there are lots of fundamentals that do not change at any level of football, but youth football is not High School football, High School football is not College football and College football is not the pros. Each has its own different set of goals and limitations and should never be compared as equals.

While Mr. Tebow may look like your typical spread passing attack QB, he is just an old fashioned Single Wing Tailback. Look at his power off tackle runs, jump pass and isos. He has 16 rushing touchdowns so far this season and he still has 3-4 games left to play. He is a prototypical Single Wing tailback and he is running many staples from the olds Single Wing playbooks.

Is his coach some old codger from the 40s or 50s, the heydays of Single Wing football? No Urban Meyer is considered to be the offensive guru of this decade. Back to the future so they say, whats old is new.

Tim Tebow may very well be this years Heisman Trophy winner, with over 20 rushing touchdowns and 20 passing touchdowns, an NCSS first.

Here are a few clips from that offensive guru Urban Meyer:

College Single Wing Clips

For more youth football coaching tips or to sign up for Dave's free newsletter please go to his website.

For 150 free youth football practice tips from Dave or to sign up for his free newsletter: Football Plays

Dave Cisar-

Dave has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive. His teams have won over 94% of their games in 5 different leagues. He is a Nike "Coach of the Year" designate and his book has been enforsed by Tom Osborne.

Clips of his 2006 team in action: Football Practice [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-699579089183056593]

Copyright 2007 Cisar Management and winningyouthfootball.com Republishing this article is allowed if all links are kept intact, without them it is copyright infringement.

World Cup 2010 Face Painting Ideas

Face painting is one of the ways with which people express their feelings towards something they love and adore. Historically, it was used by warrior tribes as a means to express their anger and frustration. Today it has gotten a lighter and more pleasant side to it. It is considered an enjoyable activity at festivals, sports events and parties. It is an effortless way of entertainment even at home, just to break the tediousness. Even adolescents love to be a part of it, let alone the kids. Face painting has become more of an art today and there are many face painting designs which one can learn, if he/she wants to enjoy this activity.

The recent trend sees face painting as continuously growing among the passionate fans at various sports events. Be it cricket, soccer, tennis, car racing or golf, fans have always found means to express themselves outrageously; face and body painting being the most common and all time favourites. In order to show support for their teams, people dress audaciously and wear bright colours on their faces. This sort of consumer behaviour has in a way turned out beneficial for the marketers as well who do their branding through these teams.

Sports like football, cricket and tennis are followed fanatically in many regions across the world.
The vigour and the zeal that these teams and their followers bring together during a period of 3-4 hours is just amazing. Fans wear national colours, flags and the names of their favourite players on their faces. At such events face painters are hired. This has also been an attraction for the sports media who can use photographs and videos to support their news updates and programs.

World cups are the most awaited events throughout the year for sports lovers. They come up with all the crazy face painting ideas.

1. Flags
It is definitely about your national pride. Wearing the flag of your country during a world cup match is a true reflection of patriotism. This is one of the most common ways to demonstrate your love and support for your country.

2. Costume colours and country names
Spray your hair and paint your faces with the custom team colors to show your spirit. You can also wear official logos on your faces.

3. Favourite players
You can draw your favourite player on one side of your face and his/her name on the other side to show your fondness.

4. Wear props and accessories
To augment your face painting, wear hats and other fancy accessories. You can be as creative with it as you want.

5. Use a combination of ideas
You can spray paint official world cup logo on your hair; whilst paint the flag of your country on your face.

6. Face Mask
You can paint the football helmet on your face as a mask.

Face painting is just another means to enliven the world cup celebrations and to show your team the support they need to win. It all depends on your creativity and passion for the game. Use a combination of right design, colours and effects to give it the true feel. Paint your face delicately and with patience; so that you do not end up making fun of yourself.

For more information about face paints and other Face Painting Ideas please visit our website.

Johan Cruyff Retro Shirts - A Look at 3 Cruyff Jerseys Including His Famous Holland Football Shirts

It is not really surprising that Johan Cruyff retro shirts are so popular. Of all the many talented players in the "Total Football" Dutch side of the seventies, Cruyff stood out as being the star of the team. A striker, who was equally as comfortable in midfield or on the wing, he is probably most famous for an incredible piece of skill he developed that became known as the "Cruyff Turn".

There are many different types of Johan Cruyff retro shirts available, partly due to the number of clubs the Dutch master played for during his career, including Ajax and Barcelona. You are able to purchase each of his club jerseys as well as his best known Holland football shirts at specialist websites online.

Below we take a look at three of those Johan Cruyff retro shirts, all of which are fine examples of vintage football jerseys from the seventies.

Cruyff Classic Ajax Shirt

Cruyff began his club career at Ajax, where he was twice voted the European Player of the year, before leaving Ajax early in the 1973/74 season for Barcelona. Cruyff played a total of 318 matches for Ajax, scoring 250 goals, winning eight league titles, five Dutch cups and three European Cups, but decided that his time at the club had come to an end when his team-mates voted Piet Keizer as captain over him, something which really disappointed Cruyff.

In celebration of his 60th birthday, Ajax retired the famous number 14 shirt in honour of the player. The Cruyff Classic Ajax Shirt is based around a white jersey with a thick red stripe down the middle.

Cruyff Classic FC Barcelona Shirt

Cruyff moved to Barcelona for a then world record fee of £922,300. At the time, he was considered to be the best player in the world and his immediate presence in the team helped Barcelona win their first Spanish league championship in 14 years.

These Johan Cruyff retro shirts are based around the famous blue and purple stripes of the Barcelona home kit and really are a classic looking seventies retro shirt.

Cruyff Classic 1974 Holland Shirt

Johan Cruyff played a total of 48 matches for his country, scoring 33 goals. He famously wore a shirt with only two black stripes along the sleeves, as opposed to the usual design of three, which was a trademark of Adidas, and was worn by all the other Dutch players. He also wore the number 14, despite the fact that the Dutch squad numbers were arranged alphabetically and so he should actually have worn the Number 1 shirt.

So where can you get these Johan Cruyff retro shirts?

Retro Football Shirts features a number of different Johan Cruyff retro shirts, including his famous Holland football shirts.

Grooms Cake Designs

A quick search on Google Images for 'grooms cake designs' will reveal a huge array of wild, wacky, and weird cakes. Clearly, when it comes to grooms cakes, staid and decorous is not the norm.

The cake can vary from a simple, dull sheet cake (which is very rare, unless the bridegroom himself prefers simple, dull), or an exotic, 3D sculpted one. The latter is the more common design and can really make it stand apart.

The very idea of the cake - something that reflects the bridegroom's personality, likes and dislikes - entails that it be at least interesting to look at. Traditionally, this cake was dark, and was exquisitely sculpted. In fact, many will concede that it looks even better than the main bridal cake.

Grooms cake designs tend to be in dark chocolate fondant. The cost depends on your own requirements. If you want one shaped like an electric guitar, or one like a football helmet placed in the center of a fondant football field, you will have to shell out a lot more than for a plain sheet cake. Prices tend to range from $5-$15 per serving. Most cake makers require an order of at least 50 servings. This can easily set you back by a thousand bucks or so (taking into account the fact that most weddings have hundreds of guests).

Grooms cake designs, as said before, revolve around the bridegroom. As such, their designs tend to be more quirky, wacky, and outright hilarious. Tiered designs are not really in fashion when it comes to this cake (as opposed to the norm with the bridal cake), and sculpted or sheet cake designs are the more common ones.

To get the best info about grooms cake, you need to check out my website.

The Amazing Black Nike Shox NZ

The Black Nike Shox NZ is considered by many to be the most popular Shox ever created. This shoe is stylish, comfortable, offers high performance and makes your foot look extremely good. This article will provide a brief rundown of this shoe and what people should expect from it.

The All Black Nike Shox NZ is an amazing shoe and it has topped many shoe lovers list due to its design and the performance it gives. Below is a quick overview of the what this shoe has to offer.

• The shoes are comfortable and look extremely good on the feet


• Comes with the signature Nike Swoosh on the side


• Nice design and fresh color combinations


• Leather and patent leather uppers for a cool look


• Phylon midsole provides responsive cushioning


• Shox columns on the heel provide cushioning and a comfortable fit


• Durable rubber outsole for great traction

As you can see the Nike Shox NZ is a high performance shoe that everyone should consider. The shoe is available in a wide variety of colors, but the most popular one is all black. This color gives the feet this nice look and it is able to go well and match up with different outfits. If you want to look sinister when running, then the black color will fit this look very well.

In the end if you are looking for a cool shoe, then you should definitely consider the Black Nike Shox NZ. This shoe is designed for the individual who wants to look stylish when running, while at the same time getting the support that they need. This shoe is considered to be one of the most popular available and it would be a crime if you did not own at least one pair in your lifetime. Go ahead buy one, you will not be disappointed.

To get great deals and low prices on the Black Nike Shox , please visit the website. This site will give people access to the various all black styles that are available and much more.

Dress Like MMA Royalty With Dethrone Clothing

Dethrone Royalty is a relatively new brand in the MMA apparel market, but they've stepped into the arena like an invincible champion with endless stamina. Their designs truly have a royal quality to them, with the support of some of today's biggest MMA stars like Cain Velasquez, Jose Aldo, and Joe Stevenson. Dethrone Royalty clothing has a full line of shirts, shorts, jerseys, hoodies, and hats to dress up the best fighters in the business, as well as their fans.

The company's products are not just thrown together or made of cheap, trendy materials, either. Most of their shirts, for example, are made from 100% pre-shrunk cotton for supreme comfort, with a number of attractive features like silver foil details, side seams, double needle stitching at the sleeves and bottom hem, and a performance fit that breathes well as the action heats up.

The designs themselves are nothing short of spectacular, featuring a host of warriors and characters that capture the spirit of MMA competitors and their will to conquer their opponents whenever necessary. The unique blend of traditional and popular themes ensures that each original Dethrone clothing design is different from any other.

What makes Dethrone Royalty special is the unmistakable character of the apparel they offer to fans of mixed martial arts. The company's wide selection of t-shirts is where the best artwork can be seen. Each one covers the entire garment in imagery, with masculine colors like green, red, blue, and black providing the background for each shirt's exquisite details. The familiar "DTR" logo is another special touch that adds to the shirt's appeal.

Their shorts also have distinct features that make them worth the price, like embroidered text and logos, double Velcro closures, and stretch fabric in the thighs and crotch. These are the way in which Dethrone Royalty clothing sets itself apart from other manufacturers. Walking into the ring wearing these clothes displays a level of class and pride in competition, something that carries over into the fighter's mind and body during a fight. While other vendors attempt to duplicate their efforts, the Dethrone brand seems to do the best job at providing unique items of clothing for their fan base.

This is also the same attitude that draws the attention of big names like Cain Velasquez and the band Puddle of Mudd to sponsor exclusive designs. Their endorsement of Dethrone clothing is further proof that the company makes clothes people want to wear.

The company's hoodie deserves special mention for some impressive features and styling. The Dethrone Royalty Quilted Hoodie is a premium hooded fleece jacket with a smooth nylon fabric interior lining, and has heavy gauge ribbing at the waistband and cuffs. Once again, there is double needle sewing for all seams and the entire garment is lined with 100% polyester. It's also available in black or gray.

With such a wide variety of colors, designs, and style choices, it's easy to see why Dethrone is quickly becoming the preferred choice for top names on the MMA fight circuit, with clothes that make a fighter look and feel like a professional, not just an amateur with deep pockets.

Todd N Erwin is an avid mixed martial artist and a huge fan of the sport. He is also the owner and operator of http://CheapFightGear.com which is an online MMA store and blog which is a great resource for anyone looking to purchase quality and affordable Dethrone Clothing, MMA Training Gear and Dethrone Royalty Clothing.

Your Sports Apparel is Your Personal Statement

What's new in Sports apparel?

Apparently, just that there is a lot more of it around! As it has been for a while now, wearing sports apparel is quite popular. Some people only wear the gear from one or two teams while others have an entire wardrobe full of every team and state in the nation. Whether it is the colors or team spirit, we may never know, but sportswear is still "in." Remember back in the day when it was primarily hats/caps that were worn? Not anymore! There are shirts, tee-shirts, jerseys, caps, hats, and even accessories to go along with every sports team you can think of.

From coast to coast there is a wide variety of followers for any given team. You might see people with Chicago hats in Florida or you might see a Kansas NCAA cap in South Carolina. What it all boils down to is a combination of popular style and team spirit. There are plenty that fall into either category. There are few sports left out as the MLB, NCAA, NFL, and NBA all have lines of sports clothing available and believe me, it is being bought!

Sports are big business in the US at any level. Don't think that the teams aren't making money off of their licensed logos that adorn all of this sports apparel, because they do. More than that, though, is that the people have chosen a style. Wearing sports clothing is trendy, socially acceptable by most standards and popular. It is so popular that you would be hard pressed NOT to find a sports apparel store in any mall. More often than not there are several.

One thing that is fairly new is having the logos of the teams but not the colors. Maybe they did it to attract more women to wearing sports wear, but there are a lot of pink shirts and hats out there with every licensed logo you can think of. Also, for a while, New York had this pale blue color on a lot of the clothing, hats and tee shirts especially. That threw some folks for a while. The logo and the colors didn't add up but somehow it all worked out. What is important is that what the people want is sports apparel and that is exactly what they are getting. Whether your taste is more toward the traditional or the modern there is no need to worry because you will be able to find it.

Team spirit? Logo loyalty? Color craze? Who knows, but its working! The people are happy, the stores are happy and the sports franchises are happy. You even see the gear from teams you never used to see before, like the Tigers. Yes, they have been around for a long time, but you just didn't used to see so many people wearing their clothing. Perhaps there will be more of that in the future. Athletic teams who have gotten little exposure before will suddenly be seen in all of the sportswear shops. How refreshing!

From North Carolina [http://www.colorsandstripes.com/North-Carolina.html] to South Florida and everywhere in between. Make a fashion statement with team wear [http://www.colorsandstripes.com/New-York-Yankees.html] from Colors and Stripes.

Washington Redskins Quarterback Joe Theismann

Joe Theismann is one of the most famous names in football history, as well as one of the most renowned members of the Washington Redskins.

Between 1971 and 1985, Theismann broke records and became a threat on the football field that was unprecedented. He began playing for the Toronto Argonauts in 1971, while playing for the Canadian Football League. He signed on for $50,000 per season. He had been selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 39th round of the draft in 1971, but the negotiations he was having with the Dolphins failed.

In Theismann's first year with the Argonauts, they had a 10-4 record with Theismann as their quarterback. His first year was also the year in which he passed 278 passes and completed 148 of them. Those passes totaled 2,440 yards and 17 touchdowns resulted. Unfortunately, he played a short season in 1972 because he was injured and couldn't play.

The Redskins

Theismann continued to play with the Argonauts until the Washington Redskins acquired him. He was determined to be in the NFL and volunteered to be the punt returner for the Redskins. It was in 1978 that he moved to quarterback

From there, he would make two football appearances with the Redskins with one win under his belt. During his career, he would set a number of Redskins records, which included the most passing attempts and the most completions in a career. He also threw a total of 160 touchdown passes.

Theismann because the NFL MVP in 1983, which is an incredible honor. He also made two Pro Bowl appearances and won Player of the Game in the second game.

During play, Theismann would not wear helmets with the standard facemask, but, instead, wore a one bar facemask so that he could see. He claimed the two bar facemask obstructed his view.

Career End

It may be fair to say that Joe Theismann's career was ended prematurely because of an injury. He was sacked during a game and this caused him to sustain a compound fracture to his leg. It is this injury that has been cited as being "The Most Shocking Moment in History" due to a poll of television viewers on ESPN. It is said that no one who saw that hit could ever forget it. The image that was shown of Theismann's injury was burned into the minds of all who saw.

After Football

After football, Theismann has been involved in broadcasting. For 25 years he has offered his expertise in evaluating game films and so much more.

Theismann is also a restaurant owner. He owns the Joe Theismann Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. He opened it in 1976 and it continues to bring in a lot of business. So although his career was ended so abruptly, Theismann continues to contribute to the world of football and will for many years to come.

Different Types Of Sports Team Uniforms

Sports team uniforms do not only vary in their colors and logos, but also with regard to the fabric used in the making, the cut, and the specific functionalities that they are designed to serve. The following kinds of team uniforms are seen most frequently:

* Baseball Uniforms: There is a whole range of fabrics that baseball team uniforms may be made from-mesh, poly, polyester, spandex, speed-dry, warp knit, or double knit. The choice of the fabric of course, depends on the functionality that the team demands-moisture management or durability. For instance, if sturdiness be the demand, then a piece of clothing where mesh insets have been woven together with durable pieces of fabric will be chosen. If comfort be the reigning consideration, then a fabric blended with spandex will be the ideal choice.

* Basketball Uniforms: The most important consideration when designing basketball sports clothing is to come up with a design that regulates the body temperature levels. Thus fabrics with moisture-management properties are the choices of coaches and players. Basketball sports clothing for ladies usually sport the conventional racerback cut and the shorts are between 6 and 9 inches inseam. Those for the men have inseam lengths that range between 9 and 11 inches.

* Soccer Uniforms: Customized soccer clothing for players may come in a full array of color coordinated warm-up gear, shirts, shorts, socks, and even foot padding. The socks may be made of a variety of fabrics like nylon, polypropylene, acrylic, or lycra. Warm-up team uniforms may consist of open-bottom sweatpants and a hooded jacket or windbreaker. A team may also choose to order Under Armour Cold Gear for players to be comfortable in cooler temperatures.

* Swimming Uniforms: Team uniforms for swimmers may be made of a variety of fabrics like lycra, polyester, or spandex. These fabrics serve a wide range of purposes-colors stay longer on polyester materials while lycra and spandex have amazing stretching properties.

* Wrestling Uniforms: Clothing for this kind of a sport need to be sturdy enough to take a beating. Wrestling uniforms may be singlets or two-pieces. The latter may sport short-sleeved body-hugging tops and fitted shorts. Singlets may be jam-length or be more low-cut. Gripper-leg singlets are also popular amongst sportsmen.

There are also many other kinds of sports clothing like for those meant for football, lacrosse, softball, and volleyball players. So do you need to design team uniforms? Delco coaches and sports team managers may seek the services of expert and experienced designers at Ampro Sports.

Custom t-shirt Delco - Ampro offers custom screen printing for custom team uniforms, t-shirts, hats, jackets and polo shirts along with a comprehensive set of screen printing services. Visit Amprosports.com for more information.

Sports and Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property (IP) rights (patents, industrial designs, trademarks, copyright, etc) are usually associated with industry, typically the manufacturing industry. IP rights give exclusivity to the IP owner for a limited period of time. But organizers of sports activities are utilizing IP laws to take advantage of the interest in particular sports.

Sports activities started as a hobby or a pastime event to enable participants to enjoy the sports or as a form of physical exercise. Now certain games have evolved into giant international events, or more appropriately international businesses with their own "tailor-made" law. Such international events even challenge sovereign laws of countries.

Popular games such as football, golf, tennis, basketball, cricket, yachting, car-racing, and so forth have evolved into international events with a huge following, creating gigantic marketing potential for the organizers. The organizers of popular games such as FIFA (football), PGA (golf), NBA (basketball), and so on organize and manage the events, typically international competitions in such a manner to extract maximum value from others who want to exploit the marketing potential the events offer.

The organizers initially create a distinctive logo, emblem or phrase(s) to identify the event. If the logos or emblems are original, they would also be protected as copyrighted works.

As an example, the emblem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is protected as a trademark and as an artistic work under copyright laws. Terms such as "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa", "2010 FIFA World Cup", "2010 World Cup", "Football World Cup" and similar derivations thereof are also protected against unauthorized use and subject to applicable laws in the various jurisdictions.

As the logo/emblem/phrases ("event identifiers") are promoted heavily in the main media, they are easily and very quickly associated with the event by the public and thereby acquire a strong trademark value. Event organizers then proceed to exploit the trademark value to other businesses.

Let us look at various streams of revenue to the organizers. The first line of revenue is sponsorship fees. This includes the right to display the sponsor's trademark inside the games venue/stadium, the right to use the event identifiers on articles manufactured by the sponsors or the right to use the event identifier in association with a service (e.g. banking, credit card (VISA), business process outsourcing (Mahindra Satyam)), or placement rights (e.g., a certain luxury watch brand adjacent to tee boxes in golf courses).

The second line of revenue is gate collection. Even here the printing of tickets may be sponsored - the ticket bearing the trademark of the sponsoring party.

The third source of revenue is exclusive supply of products for the games, such as footballs, tennis balls, shuttlecocks (badminton), fuel and lubricants (car racing), etc. The supplier of the articles has the right to describe themselves as the "official supplier" to promote their articles and advertise themselves as the exclusive provider of such articles. Ironically, although Adidas was a top-tier sponsor/partner in the FIFA World Cup 2010, it was Nike that attracted more of the viewers' attention, whether through the players' football boots or clever advertising spots. Is this a case of poor sponsorship strategy by Adidas?

The fourth source of revenue, and increasingly the most lucrative source of revenue, is exclusive right of recording and broadcasting the event over television and radio, and possibly over the internet in the near future. The broadcasting rights are given to regional and national broadcasting networks. All copyright in respect of recording and broadcasting the games are retained by the organizers or licensed to specific entities.

Lastly, the organizers also grant exclusive rights to manufacturers to manufacture and sell merchandise of mascots or products bearing the event identifier in return for payment of a royalty fee.

The organizers have a broad stream of revenue, namely:

1. Sponsorship fees
2. Gate collection
3. Exclusive rights to product use in event
4. Broadcasting rights
5. Merchandising rights

Apart from the event organizers, other manufacturers and service providers take advantage by sponsoring the sports attire and games equipment of particular teams or players. Just consider the brand of the player's T-shirt, shorts, cap, gloves, shoes, socks, etc. In South Africa, shoes of a non-sponsor brand worn by the players stood out just as prominently (if not more so) than those of one of the official sponsors. In the case of race car drivers, have you ever seen plain drivers' overalls? On the contrary, the driver's overall, including the crash helmet is often plastered with an assortment of trademarks.

Even the refreshments/drinks consumed by the player during the game are sponsored, with full advertisement value taken advantage of. Here the advertisement of the trademark is not advertisement of the product, like what appears in a TV commercial, but the trademark or product is inherently associated with a successful player. What further convincing message can be produced, if not for a world-class player using the advertiser's product?

Apart from the organizers earning revenues as aforesaid, players, especially the top players in the games, often endorse sports-related and even non-sporting products or services or businesses. For example, Tiger Woods not only endorses golf clubs, balls, T-shirts, caps, etc but also endorses watches, consulting services, and personal hygiene products (Note: He was later suspended/dropped from the latter two following his transgressions); Maria Sharapova, one of the top women tennis players, endorses footwear and apparel, cameras, and watches, amongst others; and football player Ronaldinho has endorsement contracts with Pepsi, Nike and Sony.

In order to derive maximum profit from the revenue streams, organizers of big game events like FIFA have to strictly enforce their trademark rights and act against those who associate themselves with their trademark without the consent of the organizer. Unless the organizers take strict action against infringers, it is unlikely that they would command high sponsorship rates for future events, not to mention possible breach of sponsorship contract.

Unfortunately, IP laws were not designed for such periodic international events. Many manufacturers or service providers would like to be associated with such prominent international events that draw TV audiences in the billions, but either they do not have the opportunity or cannot afford the fees and costs. So they try to associate their product/service to the event without the consent of the event organizer. This is where "ambush marketing" comes into play. Event organizers have a field day taking action against such marketers. But whether a particular event or advertisement amounts to ambush marketing is not clear under conventional IP laws. To avoid this, countries, especially host countries, are often required to enact specific laws to deal with ambush marketing before they are given the opportunity to host the event. Britain had to enact the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 before the 2012 Olympics in London. The trademark "London 2012" is protected.

The next question arises as to how and what manner the revenue derived from the event, say the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is spent. Who benefits from the revenue? That, will be the subject of another article for another day.

Note: The trademarks and designs identified in the article belong to their respective owners. The author does not claim any proprietary right whatsoever; they are used merely for educational purposes.

Kandiah P is the Managing Director of KASS International, an established intellectual property firm with offices in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. He has been practicing in the area of Intellectual Property Law since 1987 and has vast experience in assisting local and international clients in obtaining patents, trademarks and industrial design rights on a global scale, and also specializes in identifying patentable inventions, designing around patented technology, creating new products together with clients, and advising on the commercialisation of IP Rights.

He has been identified as one of the most highly-acclaimed legal experts in the Intellectual Property field in the Asia-Pacific region by the Asialaw Leading Lawyers survey (2007-2009). If you have any queries or need more information, please visit http://www.kass.com.my or drop an e-mail to ipr@kass.com.my.

Decorating Your Bedroom and Showing Team Spirit

But before you get too caught up in your classes and demanding schedule, you need to take some time to unpack, set up your room, and decorate! Some students find the beginning of the school year a bit overwhelming and forget to take time to create that perfect "home away from home." Suddenly, it's the middle of the first semester, and your clothes and other items are still sitting in your bags and boxes!

So get those clothes into the drawers; your toiletries into the bathroom; and your books, pictures, knickknacks, and paraphernalia onto your nightstand and the shelves and walls! Once that's done, you can start thinking about how to decorate your dorm room and maybe display some college team spirit, too!

First, talk to your roommate(s), if applicable, to discuss your ideas. You might need to compromise or slightly alter or "tone down" your ideas to ensure your dorm room will be a stylish and comfortable haven for both/all of you.

Next, consider your budget. Extra furniture and décor can be quite expensive, so think about how much you have to spend all together before you make an impulse purchase on one particular item you think you simply "have" to have, which ends up being all you can afford.

Many students don't have oodles of disposable income available to them, so you might want to consider budget-friendly ways of decorating your dorm room. Look for sales and discounts, bring stylish pieces from home that you can use to accent your room, search online for secondhand items, scout out yard sales, and consider multi-use purchases (for example, a funky ottoman that can be used for storage, for sitting, for propping your feet, and for holding your jacket or bag). Also consider what might be available right at your college or in town for a reasonable price that you can use to show some team spirit.

Many students choose to display a little team spirit through the décor in their dorm rooms. This can be a great idea to help you feel a part of your college community, as well as to help make the college feel like home for a while. Some ideas for incorporating team spirit into your dorm room décor include putting up posters or banners, displaying a small plush-toy version of a college sports team mascot on a shelf, taking a good-quality outdoor photograph of the campus and framing it, framing your acceptance letter, displaying a blown-up version of the college logo on a bulletin board, or incorporating the colors of your college or college sports team into your décor (curtains, pillows, throw blanket, lamp, garbage can, bathroom accents, etc.).

You can also display team spirit in your dorm room using blinds or shades. One option is using college colors in the blinds/shades. Alternatively, you might consider PERSONA Custom Graphics' Collegiate Collection Roller Shades, featuring the official logos of leading colleges and universities in the U.S. These shades are available in a variety of quality fabrics and hardware options.

However, exercise caution when going the team spirit route-going overboard and doing too much with the space you have can make your room look tacky, like a walk-in advertisement for the college, and make you seem like you're trying too hard, without any taste or sense of style of your own. The overdone team spirit dorm room can be off-putting to your roommates and guests.

Instead, try to integrate the concept of "team spirit" into your overall décor and style, and choose a few items that particularly stand out and appeal to you, instead of going overboard with every kind of college paraphernalia that you can think of.

There are various ways to show your team spirit - from football team flags to MLB window shades; These are fun and exciting ways to keep your room decorated and full of spirit.

Sports Apparel - Pick Your Team and Show Your Colors!

What's your favorite sports apparel?

Oh, come on, you probably have a lucky Yankees hat or maybe an LA jersey that is your absolute favorite. Most people do. It's pretty interesting to see all of the different sports apparel that is available today. It's also interesting to see all of the different types of people wearing them. What used to be a "man thing" has grown into a universal thing that has men, women, young, old and even babies donning sports apparel of all kinds.

People from Carolina to Los Angeles and everywhere in between are buying hats, jerseys, tee shirts and even sports related accessories. It seems everyone has a favorite team that they want to support. It doesn't even necessarily have to be their local team! Take a look around some day while walking down the street or in a local shop. Notice how many people have on at least ONE item that is sports related.

It isn't just the big league teams getting the attention either. You can find NCAA apparel everywhere now days. That is especially true in places like Florida, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and other places that have loyal fan bases.

The NFL has a huge following and believe me, there is sports apparel for their fans too! The most popular item for the NFL fanatics seems to be the jerseys. MLB; hats and jerseys are the most popular items. Oh, and of course there are the shoes. Reebok even has sports lines. Jackets are pretty popular too. There is no getting around it, sports apparel isn't going to fade as a fad anytime soon. In fact, by this time it's not a fad at all but more the norm. Sports apparel may well become the "What was worn" of the 1990's into the 2000's.

You know, kids could get a real geography lesson by just keeping up with the different states and names they see on the sports gear worn by those around them. Seattle, Minnesota, Carolina, Chicago, New York...and the list goes on. Who knows, sports apparel can be the next big teaching tool.

Prices vary on the different sports wear that is available but all in all, it is pretty reasonable. Depending on where you shop, of course! Stores try to keep their racks and shelves stacked with the most popular and you can usually find all of the teams at specialty sportswear shops.

Game days are interesting. Everyone dons their team apparel for game day regardless of whether they are going to the game or not. You can see babies with tiny team cheerleader outfits on or grand parents with their tee shirts or caps proudly displaying their team spirit. Of course, some areas have more than one team so the population is divided. Still, team spirit is team spirit! There doesn't seem to be much coNFLict though, as long as you are supporting one team or another. Of course that may not be the case when we are talking about, say, Boston and New York!

Sports Apparel [http://www.colorsandstripes.com/College-Apparel.html] is getting bigger and bigger. Pick your team in the MLB [http://www.colorsandstripes.com/MLB-Apparel.html] and show your true colors at Colors and Stripes!

Which National Team Jersey Will Be the 2010 Best Seller?

With the World cup 2010 in South Africa fast approaching, many devoted fans are seeking a way to support there team and country. The most popular way to this by far has been to buy the national team jersey. The sales of soccer jerseys especially national team jerseys will be boosted by the World Cup and are likely to be some of the biggest selling shirts in 2010.

Many of the teams are coming up with new designs and materials for their Jerseys. Some of the national jerseys are already on the market and some who still need to be released for the up coming WC2010. The battle to see which team kit is the most popular is on!

The most popular shirts tend to change depending on not only the design of the shirts and how the team is performing but obviously also on the size of the country and the population following the team. Another strong indicator and factor of how well a certain jerseys will sell is the big names playing on the team.

Some of the big name jerseys to watch out for in the 2010 South Africa World cup are: Messi (Argentina), Ronaldo (Portugal), Kaka (Brazil), Xavi (Spain), Rooney (England), Van Persie (Holland), Ballack (Germany), Henry (France) and many more.

The success or failure of the 32 teams competing in the Word Cup will also determine which jersey will become the best seller. In 2008 Spain shirts were one of the biggest selling shirts of the year after their win in the Euro 2008 tournament. If they are able to repeat this feat in 2010 still remains to be seen.

For all the latest National team Jerseys and Club team jerseys come visit us at jersey99.com

Jersey99.com: Your favorite team's Replica football jerseys delivered right to your door. English Premiership Jerseys, Italian (Calcio) Series Soccer Shirts, Spanish La liga shirts, Bundesliga Jerseys, French Ligue football shirts, including the latest European & International Soccer/Football Shirts. All at unbeatable prices!!

5 Shopping Tips For Buying a Rash Guard

Are you on the market for a rash guard? If you're shopping for rash guards there are some very important factors you need to consider before you make a purchase. Maybe you need a rashguard for surfing, sports, martial arts, grappling, or just spf sun protection. Whatever your reasons for buying this type of garment, you need to make sure you're shopping decisions are smart ones because this purchase is sensitive to your health. There are very important things to evaluate before spending any money on a rashguard, such as the fabrics used, the comfort and protection guarantees, pricing considerations, the origin of the manufacturer and several other important variables. Read on and this short buying guide will help you become an expert rash guard shopper in just a minute or two.

1. Materials and Fabric

The best rash guards are made with Lycra and Nylon, which are two fabrics that when blended together provide the optimum rash protection and flexibility. The proper composition of fabrics is about 80% Nylon and 20% Lycra, which has been scientifically tested by various rash guard manufacturers. Some companies create a garment made of spandex, or blend of spandex and cotton because those materials are cheaper than good quality Lycra. These "knock offs" of real rash guards are often poorly crafted and fall apart easily. Not to mention the limitations in SPF protection!

2. Comfort, Sizing, and Satisfaction Guarantee

Clothing items are probably the most challenging products to shop for on the internet, especially form fitting rash guards. If you order a rash guard online, or any clothing for that matter, you'd be wise to make sure the company you're dealing with offers and exchange program. When you receive your rash guard, try it on and check for any bothersome areas, scratchy surfaces, and any areas that might cause irritation. After all, we want to prevent rash not create it.

3. Rash and SPF Sun Protection

Quality rash guards offer both rash protection and a strong SPF protection. "SPF" stands for "Sun Protection Factor" which is commonly measured as a percentage of how much of the harmful UV/UVA sunlight rays are blocked. You want a rash guard with at least 95% SPF rating because this allows you to wear it without having to worry about sunscreen. The company promoting the garment should be able to guarantee the SPF rating with certification from a radiation testing laboratory.

4. Affordable Price and High Quality

Rash guard prices on the internet generally range from about $20 to about $40 in most cases. Well known brands try to charge the higher amounts because they print their logos all over them and make them look more appealing to shoppers. However, these bigger surf brands are not offering any better materials, protection, or comfort guarantees than the smaller companies who focus on quality rashguards rather than branding. If you want to pay $10-15 more for a 'logo' that's okay, but if you are just interested in a high quality rash guard with a nice color, optimal comfort, and total protection, there are companies who offer that value without the big price tag.

5. Origin - Is It "Made in USA"?

If you buy a rash guard that was manufactured overseas in places like China, you are likely signing yourself up for disappointment. Specialty Lycra fabrics and professional "flat lock" stitching is required for achieving the sun protection, durability and flexibility you want, especially if your shopping for surf rashguards. Most overseas operations have goals to mass produce rather than use careful quality control in their manufacturing. Make sure the company you buy your rash guards from displays a "Made In USA" promise.

Now that you know what to look for in a rash guard and the company selling the rash guards, feel free to begin shopping. There are many good companies out there, so how do you know where to start? Well, like any online shopping experience you can start with any references that friends have provided you, and follow the resources provided by people offering quality information around the product. Shopping for a rash guard can be fairly easy if you're using the guidelines I've just provided you, so keep your eyes open and shop smart.

Tyler Collins is Vice President of Swell Marketing LLC, Orange County, CA. a company specializing in rash guard shirts, surfing apparel, beach wear, and sun protection technology in clothing. For more information about rash guards and sun protection clothing visit http://www.myrashguards.com.

Christian MMA Clothes Are Finding an Audience!

There is no bigger or faster growing sport today than the fighting discipline of Mixed Martial Arts, also known as MMA. With celebrities like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture and Anderson Silva, MMA is drawing more and more people to an already large audience. With momentum that has nearly bankrupted professional boxing, MMA is set to displace many American Past times on its rise in popularity.

Given that Christians. of one denomination or another comprise much of the population of the United States it is not difficult to see how the MMA market would encompass any fights fans that are Christian. Not to mention, the tough guy image of many MMA fighters is a draw to just about any person who views them self as tough, but many Christians like the image of toughness, but without the connotations that frequently go with the image.

For instance, some MMA fighters enjoy hanging out at the Playboy Mansion, and many men can understand that that behavior tends to line up with eh image of a tough fighter. But, because that image is lined up with a certain sector of the sex trade most Christian would not tend to be willing to wear it.

Other behaviors that may alienate more conservative people in our society are drug use and abuse. Many MMA fighters are extremely disciplined with a workout regime that would exhaust just about anyone, so the use of steroids and other illegal drugs is commonplace. As with many sports most MMA companies are diligently trying to weed out the drug users and abusers but it tends to be more difficult than most people think. Most Christians would tend to shy away from wearing clothes that depicted any obvious sexual or drug oriented portrayal.

There are many fighters, especially in the UFC, who are devout and dedicated Christians and if does show in their behavior and clothing. Fighters such as Matt Hughes, Quenton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva are all dedicated Christians and any of their fans would enjoy having clothes featuring them.

Gavin is the featured author for christian MMA clothing and enjoys the designs at http://christianmmaclothing.com.

Great Gift Ideas For The Man You Love

If you feel like you are stuck for ideas when it comes to shopping for your husband or boyfriend, you are not the first. Women everywhere struggle to come up with gift ideas their men will like. Even guys who are not that difficult to shop for may create a challenge if you need to come up with an idea holiday after holiday, year after year. There are a few surefire gifts that will leave your husband or boyfriend happy with what you have chosen. If the special man in your life is a sports fan, you have a huge variety of gifts from which to choose. Collectors will love baseball cards, especially Topps baseball cards. You can buy these in cases, small packages or individually. In some cases, you can even get ones that are signed by the player.

There are other sports-related options for gifts, too. You can get just about everything autographed, so consider finding a game ball signed, a helmet or other piece of equipment, or jersey. If it turns out an autograph is not in your budget, opt for the item without the signature. You can get many of these items with team logos, meaning your man will still be able to show his team spirit. If you opt for a jersey, personalize it with your boyfriend or husband's name or buy a replica jersey of his favorite hometown player. Remember throwback jerseys enable you to give a unique gift that does not look like what everyone else is wearing.

If you find you and the kids are always buying dad a tie or dress shirt for a gift, maybe it is time to give some casual clothes. A lot of guys do not enjoy shopping for clothes, so helping them build their wardrobe for the weekend can be a relief for them. Make a list of your man's sizes and head to the store. You can have a great time picking out stylish weekend wear for your man. Choose things that look great but that are also comfortable. If your man spends most of his week in a shirt and tie, comfortable weekend clothing will be appreciated.

Every guy loves to play games, so even if you are faced with an entire library of games and videos, there is a good chance your guy will be thrilled with more. As long as you are not getting a duplicate game, it is hard to go wrong with a new video game. Also be sure you buy the right game for the right gaming console. This may seem obvious, but if you are not an experienced video game player, it is something to look out for.

Finally, consider creating or adding to your man's space. The home has a tendency to be taken over by the kids, so be sure your husband has a space of his own. If you need to create a space for him, this would make a great gift. If he has already established his space, help him make it comfortable and take ownership of the space.

Stewart Wrighter recently sold his old baseball cards to a collector for a nice profit. His son ordered Topps baseball cards online to give to his younger brother for his birthday.

Athletics Is Not Just About Uniforms

Athletic teams are not only fit and versatile, they are also colorful and well dressed but, athletics is not just about uniforms anymore. With the variation of athletic groups comes a growth in the need for equipment. By equipment I do not mean balls, bats, gloves, or rackets. I am speaking of gear that focuses on support and protection.

Professional athletes do not need to worry about whether or not they have correct protective equipment because they are surrounded by physicians, trainers, and coaches who will supply them with adequate gear. Athletic gear businesses concentrate on the non-professionals, the everyday athlete who must purchase their protective gear on their own.

So who are athletic gear businesses? They are businesses with staff that are dedicated to the protection of athletes and they continuously look for better and more improved lines of protective and supportive gear. Their staff is made up of true sports oriented men and women. They have made it their goal to provide high quality protective and supportive sports apparel to men, women and children of all ages.

Athletic gear businesses have a reputation of carrying protective gear that can not be found anywhere else. They take pride in the fact that the staff will do whatever is necessary to outfit athletes with special gear. They offer a complete array of inventory and equipment sizes range from extra small to extra-extra large. There are many suppliers of support and protective equipment; you just need to find one to fulfill your need.

When you enter their store fronts you will see that they all offer gear for a variety of sports to include wrestling, lacrosse, and soccer; to name a few. All protective apparel is made of quality materials but, if any customer is not satisfied, they will offer a complete refund. Athletic gear suppliers want their customers to be thoroughly satisfied. The protection for athletes is their job and they take their job seriously.

Are you a woman in need of a pelvic protector? Does your daughter need hamstring shorts? Would your son benefit by wearing support briefs? Or are you a dad in need of a full-back athletic supporter? Whatever an athlete needs an athletic support store can supply them with it. The importance of protection and support is why athletic support stores were created. They want to help athletes remain safe and healthy.

Athletic supports stores proud companies built by professional and knowledgeable staff members who know about all types of sports. I suggest you to take a few minutes to browse the product selection, compare their prices, and learn about their company. Their contact information is available should you have any questions or concerns. Feel free to call any of them with special equipment requests. They want to fulfill your support and protective needs.

Remember, they are the only store that concentrate on gear specifically created for the support and protection of athletes. Athletic support products are impeccable, the prices are affordable, and the businesses customer service is provided by qualified athletes. Find that special business today.

New Sponsors for the New Season 2010-11 Premier League Jerseys

It goes without saying that running a modern football club these days costs a lot of money. To be able to keep a team competitive means paying ever higher wages for players, coaches and other supporting staff. It is for this reason that revenue is vital in the running of a football club. An important contributor to  a steady stream of revenue is having a wealthy financial backing in the form of sponsorship, especial shirt sponsorship.

The Premier League alone boasts £100m worth of Shirt Sponsorships for the 2010-11 season, seeing an increase of £28.11m from 2009-10.

This season there are a record five teams which have signed new deals with a new sponsor; Topping the revenue charts are Liverpool and Manchester United who both have signed new deals of £20m per year. Liverpool ended their 18 year affiliation with Carlsberg after agreeing a new deal with Standard Chartered Bank whilst Manchester United agreed a deal with AON, after they terminated their deal with AIG. Liverpool's deal with Standard Chartered will see them gaining an extra £12.55m per season when compared with their previous deal with Carlsberg.

Aston Villa and Fulham both agree a new deal with Forex trading. Aston Villa agreed a deal with FxPro after having their shirt sponsorship given to charity organization Acorns during previous seasons. The new deal with FxPro will see them earn £5m per year. Fulham also signed a deal with Forex Trading seeing them earning around £1m more than their previous deal with LG.

Blackpool, which is at the bottom of the list regarding sponsorship revenue have also signed a new deal with Wonga worth just half a million. This however still represents an increase of £300,000 from their deal with Carbrini last season.

Some teams in the premier league this year however will not see a change in the sponsors you will see on their shirts and in some cases such as Newcastle United and  Sunderland they have actually seen a decline in revenue stream from their sponsors. Newcastle's deal with Northern Rock fell from £4.8m to £2.5m whilst Sunderland agreed a deal with Tombola which will earn them £1.5m less than the previous season.

For all the latest Premier League shirts for season 2010-2011, including the new sponsors logos come see us at jersey99.com

Jersey99.com: Your favorite team's Replica football jerseys delivered right to your door. English Premiership Jerseys, Italian (Calcio) Series Soccer Shirts, Spanish La liga shirts, Bundesliga Jerseys, French Ligue football shirts, including the latest European & International Soccer/Football Shirts. All at unbeatable prices!!