Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Mini Football Helmets

NFL football and college football continue to grow and are now dominating the sports scene world wide. Probably the most recognizable piece of a football player's equipment has always been the football helmets that they wear with the team logo proudly displayed. The helmets have been an object of desire for sports fans for years and the business of selling those replica helmets has been booming through many dealers on the internet. Whether you want to support your favorite team or want to collect them all can bring the game into your home.

The Mini Football Helmets are a fantastic item for the fan that either can not afford the full size helmet or doesn't have the room. Many places are even offering NFL mini helmets signed by their favorite player and mounted and displayed in a protective cased if the owner desires. The college football mini helmets are offered for all all college football teams teams and are an amazing replica of the helmets you see on the players on Saturday afternoon.

The mini football helmet can be a fantastic Christmas, Father's Day, or Birthday present for collectors and non-collectors alike. They can be added to the existing collection of memorabilia of your favorite teams. We all have a party for that big game. Why not put a mini football helmet on the snack table to really show your support. At tailgate parties you will be the envy of the other tailgaters when you display the actual helmets of the two teams who will be playing.




Chris Bishop is a football enthusiast who loves all things football and is a new internet blogger.

Mini Football Helmets

Mini Football Helmets

Monday, July 5, 2010

Preparing to Be a Youth Football Coach

As a parent if you have made the decision to become a youth football coach then congratulations are in order. This will be a remarkable journey for yourself and the youths alike. There will be many special moments for everyone. However before you step onto the pitch though, you will have to remember that this is a very important role and how you react with the kids and the impact you have on the pitch with them can have a very dramatic effect on them on how they feel about the game and even how they feel about themselves in years to come. Now apart from a clipboard and a whistle you will also need some good information as well to help you along the way.

Being a parent as we all know is difficult enough. So running a football team with your kid and others is probably going to be just as hard. First thing is most parents who get involved in coaching a football team, already have their own son or daughter playing in the team. So it is a good idea to find out from your own child how they would feel about you coaching a football team. Some kids will relish the thought of their parents coaching, but others would probably not find it so cool and may even feel embarrassed about you giving the training. So it is a good idea to ask how your child feels about you taking on such a role.

If you decide this is the role you are going to take on be aware there will be some issues that go along with the way. A lot of these will be minor but some may be a bit challenging. There maybe situations that you may never have dreamed of having, but you will need to take it in your stride and enjoy the challenge. As we all know sometimes the coaching of our own kids at home can be a bit challenging but it is well worth the effort.

Setting a good philosophy is a must when you first start to teach a team. Focusing on the best interests of the the kids and their well being is first. Then promoting the respect of players and coaches on both teams including officials is an important part of philosophy as well. Making sure you hold up the virtues of good sportsmanship and fair play is also one of the top of the lists of items. The other thing to think about is the placement of safety in skill development and fun ahead of any personal desire to win. With all these things in mind and putting this into your game plan, you could well have made the right decision to start coaching. So go for it and enjoy the journey.

Remember to be a football coach will also have to be CRB registered, which means having a Criminal Records bureau check done.




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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Suffering As A Boston Sports Fan

Being a Boston sports fan is a plight that's similar to being in the Mafia, every time you try get out, it keeps sucking you back in. You're given just enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, just enough to ensure your devotion, but then you're often disappointed. One thing is for sure, rooting for a pro Boston sports team is going to cause you to feel the full range of emotions, often all in the same season or even game!

I sometimes wonder why I remain a Boston sports fan. The Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox make you want to like them, but it's sometimes painful to remain a devoted fan throughout all their turmoil.

I grew up in a hockey family and my dad was particularly faithful to the Bruins. From a very early age I can remember him watching Bobby Orr and Esposito skate circles around other teams. By the time I was old enough to actually understand what was going on, the Bruins were comprised of some more awesome players like Middleton, O'Reilly, Pederson, and Milbury. I used to love to watch Boston play Montreal with my father, but it seemed like Boston lost a lot more than won.

It was great to see Terry O'Reilly beat the heck out of other players, and it was cool to watch all these veterans a few years later skate around without helmets while the rest of the players had to wear them because of a grandfather clause. These were tough guys. When Cam Neely and Ray Bourque started playing I enjoyed the Bruins just as much. But after Orr and Esposito were gone, none of these more recent players won the Boston Bruins a Stanley Cup, quite frustrating.

But not to fear, the Boston Celtics around this time were hot. Like the Bruins/Canadians, the Celtics/Lakers rivalry was a blast to experience, especially when the Celts won. And win they did. I remember probably one of the greatest NBA teams ever to exist, Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ and Ainge. They weren't the prettiest bunch of guys around, Bird being particularly funky looking, but they were so fun to watch. It was wonderful to see them beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983-84 championship and the Houston Rockets in 1985-86 championship.

Unfortunately the last few Celtics' seasons lately have been dismal. They don't even make it to the playoffs regularly any more. How many more "building years" do we need? Watching Pierce take off his shirt and wave it around his head while being ejected from one of the playoff games against the Pacers this year was sad. Witnessing the Celtics get a terrible pick in 2007 makes me think the Celtics are not going to be good any time soon.

But 1986 was the end of Boston championship teams for a long while. In fact, it was sixteen years until the Patriots finally won Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. That's a long wait. That's a lifetime for crying out loud.

The New England Patriots were another difficult team to watch and remain devoted to. Grogan was a decent quarterback and many would argue Drew Bledsoe was even better, but they never brought a championship home. Watching Drew throw numerous interceptions and trudge off the grid iron with hunched shoulders was disturbing. I like to think of Bledsoe as an 'almost' kind of player. He was almost awesome, was almost a championship quarterback. He almost won the game. Bledsoe actually drove me crazy. He was New England's franchise player, but he just didn't seem to ever do quite enough to win. It was so frustrating to watch him play. All big and gawky, shuffling out of the pocket like my nana.

But then the sports gods shined down on Bean Town, the tide turned. Third string quarterback Tom Brady took the place of an injured Bledsoe, and brought the championship home to Bostonians. The 2002 NFL playoffs were absolutely awesome to watch if you were a Boston sports fan.

Watching Adam Vinatieri blast it though the uprights in a blizzard to beat the Oakland Raiders, and again to win the Super Bowl beating the St. Louis Rams was monumental. Thank God for the Pats. They brought respect back to Boston. They showed what true grit is, what the word "team" actually means, in a day when everything in sports seems to be centered on individual feats. I loved it when they ran out on the field together as a team instead of being introduced one at a time at the beginning of the Super Bowl.

When the Pats won their third Super Bowl in four years, they were finally accepted as a dynasty. These wins will carry me for many years. Again, thank God for the Pats.

As the Patriots gear up for the next season I am seeing some fantastic draft picks, which is par for the course in off-season Patriots strategy.

But no good article about being a Boston sports fan can be complete without discussing the Boston Red Sox. What can be said about the Sox? They were the epitome of frustration. They were the Bad News Bears for so long. Of all the Boston teams, they were the most painful to watch. They often had the talent, they often played well, but they didn't win a World Series for 86 years! Between the ball rolling between the knees of Bill Buckner, and Grady keeping Pedro in against the Yankees during the 2003 playoffs, every Sox fan was pushed to the limit of what they could endure. Of course there were many other less notable, but just as frustrating moments in Red Sox history. Any Red Sox fan who remained a fan throughout should be given a gift.

And what a sweet gift it was when the Sox won the 2004 World Series. Being down 3-0 in the ALCS against the Yankees, and then coming back to beat them and sweep the Cardinals in the World Series was one of the greatest professional sports stories in history. In fact, it's been called one of the greatest comebacks ever. All those long years of no championships in Boston finally came to end with the Pats winning in 2002. But after 86 years of no World Series rings, the Red Sox win was the sweetest of all. 2004 was one of the greatest years in Boston sports ever. A World Series and Super Bowl win by Boston teams in the same year, almost unbelievable.

Being a Boston sports fan is like being in a difficult marriage that has lots of ups and downs only, but is worth working at to keep. Being a Boston sports fan is as frustrating as it is rewarding. Patience, loyalty, persistence, and faith will get you through. And in the end, it all works out. Just keep the faith.




Jason OConnor is a suffering Boston sports fan who owns this Boston Red Sox Tickets Website

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