Spanish Football – Matchday Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderon
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It is said that Football in Spain comes a very close second behind Catholicism as the national religion. If this is true then it can be said that, in Madrid, Atletico Madrid come a very close second behind Real Madrid as the capital city´s favourite sporting attraction.
Whilst the history of Real Madrid is one of European championships and domestic domination that of their cross city neighbours Atletico Madrid is one of “nearly men” and barren trophy cabinets. Such has become the commonality of spectacular capitulations from winning positions that the club and the fans are known as, “los suffrodores,” the sufferers!
If Atletico are that poor on the football field (and there is no evidence to the contrary) what drives 55,000 people to turn up week in, week out, at the traffic congested city centre Vincente Calderon stadium?
The matchday experience!
Take the party atmosphere of the Rio carnival and the passion of a political rally and you still have not arrived at the intensity generated on Atletico Madrid matchdays. From the devout Atletico supporters, known as “Ultras” and who populate the southern end of the stadium, there comes a three hour assault on the senses. The only brief respite from the barrage of noise being when the teams change ends at half time.
Football matches in “la liga”, The league, typically start at 1700 on a Sunday afternoon (this is frequently changed to meet TV demands) however the matchday experience starts far earlier at around 1300. In the numerous small bars around the ground and even up to 3km´s away the Atletico faithful are preparing to enjoy one of Spains other great traditions: Lunch!
As in the rest of Spain, Lunch is a two hour marathon of five or six different Spanish dishes accompanied by and washed down with copious amounts of beer or wine during which players of a bygone era are remembered, team selection criticised and games replayed in the minds of those present. Rapidly the Salt, Pepper and Sauce bottles are rearranged as a particular goal or movement is re-enacted to shouts, screams and arguments of those straining their memories of thirty years past.
With the relaxed affair of lunch over by 1500, and notwithstanding the vocal chords being sufficiently lubricated, the crowd begins to move towards the street party building in the neighbourhood immediately surrounding the Vicente Calderon.
Thoroughfares are closed off by the police as the streets rapidly fill with a sea of singing red and white punctuated only by the sound of drums and horns. This happens every Atletico Madrid matchday and every matchday the staff of the many small bars lining these roads try valiently and fail to serve refreshments to the crowds on their doorstep.
“Atleti! Atleti! Atleti!” Is the dull roar that becomes more distinct as you approach the stadium itself. Having arrived a good thirty minutes before the match is due to start the “Ultras” are starting to whip up the rest of the crowd so that as kick-off approaches the sound of singing, chanting, drums and trumpets has blurred into one indistinguishable noise. Five minutes before kick off and as the teams are walking out onto the hallowed turf the PA system crackles into life and fifty-five thousand voices sing as one the “Atletico Hymn.” Should the players have needed reminding how important the game is the flowers placed at the side of the corner flag in remembrance of those players who died in the Spanish civil war certainly brings things into focus.
What follows the referees short blast on the whistle to start the game is 90 minutes of continuous vocal encouragement of those who were the red and white stripes. Well almost continuous as this may be interuppted for the singing of a couple of choice songs questioning the origin or the virtues of the referee, the opposition or the other team from up the road (Real Madrid).
Almost as a relief the final whistle blows, as the referee brings proceedings on the field to a halt, however for the Atletico Madrid fans this signals a mad rush to the nearest bars and restaurants to analyize the days performance and to quench those parched throats!
With an atmosphere like this and an enterance price of less than twenty euros it is easy to see why those 55,000 hardy souls are willing to endure a stadium, that is only a quarter covered, to see their team flounder in rain in the middle of December.
Football Offensive Formations
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Offensive formations
Before the ball is snapped the offensive team lines up in a formation. Most teams have a “base” formation they prefer to line up in, while other teams leave the defense guessing. Teams will often have “special formations” which they only use in obvious passing situations, short yardage or goaline situations, or formations they have developed for that particular game just to confuse the defense. Because there are a nearly unlimited number of possible formations, only a few of the more common ones are listed below.
Pro Set
The Pro Set is a traditional formation commonly, a “base” set used by professional and amateur teams. The formation has two wide receivers, one tight end, and two running backs with the backs split behind the quarterback, who is lined up behind center. The running backs are lined up side-by-side instead of one in front of the other as in traditional I-Formation sets.
Shotgun formation
The Shotgun formation is an alignment used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used by many teams in obvious passing situations, although other teams do use this as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, he stands at least 5 yards back. Sometimes the quarterback will have a back on one or both sides before the snap, while other times he will be the lone player in the backfield with everyone spread out as receivers. One of the advantages of the shotgun formation are that the passer has more time to set up in the pocket which gives him a second or two to locate open receivers. Another advantage is that standing further back from the line before the snap gives the quarterback a better “look” at the defensive alignment. The disadvantages are that the defense knows a pass is more than likely coming up (although some running plays can be run effectively from the shotgun) and there is a higher risk of a botched snap than in a simple center/quarterback exchange.
The formation got its name after it was used by a professional football club, the San Francisco 49ers, in 1960. Combining elements of the short punt and spread formations (“spread” in that it had receivers spread widely instead of close to or behind the interior line players), it was said to be like a “shotgun” in spraying receivers around the field like a scatter-shot gun. Formations similar or identical to the shotgun used decades previously would be called names such as “spread double wing”. Short punt formations (so called because the distance between the snapper and the ostensible punter is shorter than in long punt formation) don’t usually have as much emphasis on wide receivers.
At times the formation has been more common in Canadian football, which allows only three downs to move ten yards downfield instead of the American game’s four. Canadian teams are therefore more likely to find themselves with long yardage to make on the penultimate down, and therefore more likely to line up in the shotgun to increase their opportunities for a large gain. Teams such as the Saskatchewan Roughriders utilize the shotgun for a vast majority of their plays.
Wishbone formation
The wishbone formation, also known simply as ‘bone, is a play formation in American football.
The wishbone is primarily a running formation with one wide receiver, one tight end and three running backs behind the quarterback (who takes the snap under center). The back lined up behind the quarterback is the fullback and the other two are halfbacks (although they may be called tailbacks or I backs in some playbook terminology).
The wishbone is often associated with the option as this formation allows the quarterback to easily run the option to either side of the line. It is also ideal for running the triple option.
History
The wishbone was developed by Offensive Coordinator Emory Bellard and Head Coach Darrell Royal at the University of Texas in 1968. Coach Royal was always a fan of the option offense, and in looking at the personnel on the team, Coach Bellard saw three great running backs. After experimenting with family members over the summer, Coach Bellard came up with the formation.
Coach Bellard demonstrated the formation to Darrell Royal, who quickly embraced the idea. It proved to be a wise choice: Texas tied its first game running the new offense, lost the second, and then won the next thirty straight games, leading to two National Championships using the formation.
It was given the name wishbone by the Houston Chronicle sportswriter Mickey Herskowitz.
A variation to this formation is called the flexbone.
I formation
The I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical (as viewed from the opposing endzone) alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players’ alignments in the now-archaic T formation.
The formation begins with the usual 5 offensive linemen (2 offensive tackles, 2 guards, and a center), the quarterback under center, and two backs in-line behind the quarterback. The base variant adds a tight end to one side of the line and two wide receivers, one at each end of the line.
Typical roles
The I formation is typically employed in running situations. The fullback typically fills a blocking, rather than rushing or receiving, role in the modern game. With the fullback in the backfield as a blocker, runs can be made to either side of the line with his additional blocking support. This is contrasted with the use of tight ends as blockers who, being set up at the end of the line, are able to support runs to one side of the line only. The fullback can also be used as a feint–since the defense can spot him more easily than the running back, they may be drawn in his direction while the running back takes the ball the opposite way.
Despite the emphasis on the running game, the I formation remains an effective base for a passing attack. The formation supports up to three wide receivers and many running backs serve as an additional receiving threat. While the fullback is rarely a pass receiver, he serves as a capable additional pass blocker protecting the quarterback before the pass. The running threat posed by the formation also lends itself to the play-action pass. The flexible nature of the formation also helps prevent defenses from focusing their attention on either the run or pass.
Common variations
Many subtypes of the I formation exist, generally emphasizing the running or passing strengths of the base version.
* The Big I places a tight end on each side of the offensive line (removing a wide receiver). Coupled with the fullback’s blocking, this allows two additional blockers for a run in either direction. This is a running-emphasis variant.
* The Power I replaces one wide receiver with a third back (fullback or running back) in the backfield, set up to one side of the fullback. This is a running-emphasis variant.
* The Jumbo or Goal-line formation further extends the Power I or Big I, adding a second or third tight end to the line, respectively. This variant has no wide receivers and is all but exclusively a running formation intended to reliably gain minimal yardage, most commonly two yards or less.
* The Three-wide I replaces the tight end with a third wide receiver. This is a passing-emphasis variant.
The I formation, in any variant, can also be modified as Strong or Weak. In either case, the fullback lines up roughly a yard laterally to his usual position. Strong refers to a move towards the side of the quarterback with more players, weak in the opposite direction. These modifications have little effect on expected play call.
In Professional Football
In the NFL, the I formation is less frequently used than in college, as the use of the fullback as a blocker has given way to formations with additional tight ends and wide receivers, who may be called on to block during running plays. The increasingly common ace formation replaces the fullback with an additional receiver, who lines up along the line of scrimmage. The I will typically be used in short-yardage and goal line situations.
Goal Line formation
Single set Back
Single set back is a base formation in American Football used by the offensive team which requires only one running back behind the quarterback. There are many variations on single back formations including two tight ends and two wide receivers, one tight end/three wide receivers, etc. The running back can line up directly behind the quarterback or offset either the weak side (away from the tight end) or the strong side(towards the tight end).
Creative Club Ideas For a Kid After School Activity
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School is back in session and you’re looking for a creative after school activity for kids. Whether you’re a parent or after school care provider, keeping kids busy, happy and safe can be a challenge. Between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. is when kids need fun activities to keep them from being bored. I have listed ideas for after school clubs that are easy to plan and fun for kids to do.
Organize a cooking club to make a nutritious snack for everyone. Make a healthy trail mix with granola or cereal, peanuts, pretzels, seeds and dry fruit. Mix up fruit smoothies in a blender with low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, honey and ice. Put together mini-pizzas with small bagels, pizza sauce, and cheese. Review math concepts such as fractions, addition and subtraction with the cooking lesson.
Physical fitness is an activity to plan each day. Kids need about an hour of physical exercise each day. Have a fitness club to organize a team sport such as dodge ball, softball, and volleyball to play with everyone. The club can also plan relay races and fitness and movement games. If weather is rainy or snowy, play indoor volleyball, basketball or set up an obstacle fitness course.
Putting on a play or puppet show is an activity that can be ongoing for several weeks or more. Have a drama or puppet club, which meets twice per week. The kids will pick a story or play that they like, design costumes or puppets, create props, and practice their parts. Pick a date for the performance and invite other students, friends and family to come see their production.
Eight more great after school club activity ideas:
Science Club: do experiments and record results
Chess Club: have tournaments
Book Club: read a book, discussion, and write book reviews
Dance Club: learn dance steps from all over the world
Language Club: learn sign or a foreign language
Photography Club: take photos of other clubs
Journalism Club: put together a monthly newsletter
Art Club: drawing, painting, sculpture, and cartooning
Plan on each club being between one half to one hour in length. Offer sessions so everyone can have an opportunity to participate in many of the activities. A different club or activity can be offered each day. Have kids sign up for a club that they are interested in. Involve the kids in the planning, preparation, and even leading the club. The more the kids are involved in the activity, the more successful the activity will be.
Haiti – Culture And Sports
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CULTURE
Like Katherine Dunham, Lillian Hellman, W.B. Seabrook, Erik Leonard Ekman, Alejo Carpentier, Selden Rodman, Noel Coward and Angeline Jolie, many people say that Haiti is the most beautiful country in the Caribbean. Known as the “Magic Land”, Haiti is famous for its culture. Certainly, Haiti its culture, its superstitions and its music. The superstitions or voodoo plays a profound role in the lives of many Haitians. The voodoo was introduced into Haiti in the late 16th Century. Haiti is also famous for its painting, and finally for its ruins…for example the Sans Souci Palace, the most famous ruins in the Caribbean. Exactly, this enigmatic palace is considered a Cultural Heritage for Humanity by UNESCO. Originally constructed by black slaves, now Sans Souci is one of Haiti’s main tourist attractions.
Since the late 1940s, Haitian painting, best known as “naïve art” or “intuitive art”, is famous all around the World. The most important figure was Hector Hyppolite. His work made its biggest splash in the United States in the 20th Century. Other artists known internationally include Rigaud Benoit, Castera Bazile, Joseph Jean-Giles and Jean-Baptista Bottlex.Haiti is famous for its traditional sculpture. The best Haitian sculptor is Albert Mangoes.
FAMOUS HAITIAN
Nelust Wyclef Jean (singer/Haitian-American): Original member of 1990s hip hop group The Fugees. Wyclef Jean is probably the most popular Haitian singer of all time. Jean was born in Croix des Bouquets (Haiti) on October 17, 1972. When he was just ten years old, he moved to the United States. Under leadership of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, The Fugees had several hits in the 1990s, including The Score (The Score album sold 6 million copies). Since 1997, Wyclef Jean, as soloist, became well-known on the international music scene. Like songwriter and producer, Jean collaborated with superstars as Santana, Withney Houston, Mick Jagger,Bono,Tevin Cambpell, Bounty Killer, Eric Benet, Sarah Connor, Claudette Ortiz, Tarkan, Michael Jackson, Youssou N´Dor, Shakira, Olga Tañon, Carlos Ponce and Julio Voltio. During the last seven years, he has sold more than 10 millions albums worldwide. In 2002, his single Masquerade was a great success.
Since then, Wyclef Jean is a man that always works with love for Haiti, one of the World’s poorest countries. Recently, he makes perhaps his best work: “Yele Haiti”, a foundation which works for the human development in the Island. Like Miriam Makeba in South Africa or Bianca Jagger in Nicaragua, Jean loves his roots. In an interview for Magazine, Wyclef Jean discussed about Haitian roots: “I am 100% Haitian. I am proud to be Haitian. I still have my Haitian passport. I represent Haiti in everything that I do. Every head in the industry knows that I am Haitian…they know what I’m about. I was Haitian forst. Haitian till die!”, said Jean.
Discography: Wyclef Jean Present the Carnival Featuring the refugee All-Stars (1997) / The Ecleftic:2 Sides II a Book/ Masquerade (2002) / The Preacher’s (2003)/ Sak Pasé Presents: Creole 101( 2004) /Hips Don’t Lie (with Shakira, 2006).
FAMOUS HAITIAN WOMEN
Michaëlla Jean (Governor-General of Canada)/ Yvonne Neptune (former Prime Minister)/Claudette Werleigh (Prime Minister 1995-1996)/Lina Blanchet (singer)/ Edwidge Danticat (writer)/ Michelle Bennett Duvalier(First Lady of Haiti 1981-1986)/ Luce Turnier (painter)/ Ertha Pascal-Trouillot (Head of State 1990-1991)/ Marie Casimir (journalist) / Sonia Sekula (Painter) / Marie Chauvet (writer)/ Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain (writer)/ Carmen Brouard (singer)/Dayana Bennett (journalist and actress) / Elie Price (singer)/ Blanche Bosselman (singer)/ Lina Mathon (singer)/ Georgette Moliere (singer)/ Simone Ovide Duvalier (First Lady of Haiti 1957-1981)/ Marleine Bastien (human rights leader)/ Garcelle Beauvais (actress and model)/ Deborah Saint-Phard (track and field)/ Antoinette Gauthier (track and field), Louise Pierre (track and field)/ Rose Gauthier (track and field)
Edwidge Danticat (writer): One of the Caribbean’s most famous writers in the 21st Century. She has written several novels and collections of shore stories, including Kri? Kra!, nominated for a National Book Award. Danticat attracted international attention in 1997 when she wrote perhaps her most famous novel Farming of the Bones, a story about genocide Haitians under the repressive dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.
Garcelle Beauvais (actress): She is the first Haitian actress to star on television. Although she has lived in the United States for many years, the actress and former fashion model Garcelle Beauvais was born in Saint Marc, a city in Haiti, in 1966. She is perhaps best known for her role as Francesca Monroe on TV’s the Jamie Foxx Show. Like Gerthie David, Joelle Apollon, Evelyn Miot, and Marjorie Vincent, she has the classic beauty of the Haitian black woman
SPECIAL AWARDS
Gerthie David “The Black Goddess”
In 1975, many Haitian people were shocked to open their newspapers and see photographs of Gerthie David Miss Haiti in El Salvador. On the night of July 19th 1975, in San Salvador, Gerthie David, Miss Haiti, was the second black woman to first runner-up in the history of Miss Universe Pageant. After winning the Miss Haiti title, Gerthie went to San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, to enter the Miss Universe Contest. The competence was exhausting, very hard, for example Miss Bolivia, Jackeline Gammarra, great favorite, was eliminated. This day, Miss Haiti looks like a black goddess. Her exotic beauty and charming personality are amazing! At 1,72m in height, she was the best in the evening gown competition, but her speech about the Haitian superstitions swayed thousands of applauses in the 25th Edition of the Contest. Certainly, Miss Haiti captive to the judges Sarah Vaughan (American black singer), Maribel Arrieta (Miss El Salvador 1955 and First runner-up at Miss Universe 1955), Jean Claude Killy (French sportsmen) and Leon Uris(American writer ).
When Bob Barker, the host this pageant, announces the final placements, Gerthie was cheered by the entire auditorium. Suddenly, her pulse rate beats at thousand per minute… “First runner-up is Miss Haiti!”, said Barker. She was one of the most exotic delegates in all history of Miss Universe. In the 1970s, Gerthie David was a model from Port-au Prince and she became a symbol to the Haitian youth.
Next months, in London, Joelle Apollon, Miss Haiti-World, came in sixth place at Miss World 1975.After sixteen years, Marjorie Vincent, formerly Miss Illinois 1991,won the title of Miss America Pageant. The first Miss America to originate from the Caribbean. In other words, Marjorie Vincent has Haitian roots. Furthermore, she was the second black woman to win the pageant.
SPORTS
Like in Brazil or Italy, the football is the most popular sport in Haiti. Certainly, the national pastime is the football. A different of the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, the Haitian people don’t like the baseball. In the 20th Century, football became the most popular sport in the Island, thanks to such heroes as Sylvio Cator, Joseph Gaetjens and Emmanuel Sanon. In 1974 Haiti qualified for the World Cup in Germany.
Emmanuel Sanon was one of the Haiti’s most popular players and played at the 1974 World Cup. Sanon made a great contribution to Haitian football because he played in more World Cup qualifiers any other Haitian. He is still very popular with local fans. Other phenomenal talent was Joseph Eduard Gaetjens. He represented both Haiti and the United States. He made FIFA World Cup History: When scored United States opening goal in the 1950 World Cup against England. Joseph came to the United States in the 1940s to play in the American Soccer League. His beautiful play in the Brookhattan Club made in a national star. In 1953, he played for Haiti for the first time.
It’s practically impossible to talk about Haitian athletes without mentioning Sylvio Cator. He is a legend in this sport. Cator won the silver medal in the long jump at 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Cator returned home to a hero’s welcome. From 1928 to 1930, he was record man in the long jump. Cator was a marvelous jumper and footballer. He also played an important role in popularizing football in the Island (it was the captain of Haitian National Team).
Since then, he is an example for young people in Haiti. He died in November 1938, but today the people of Haiti still think of him with respect. Many years after Cator’s death, the National Stadium in Por-au-Prince was renamed in his honor. Cator was the first of the great Caribbean sportsmen that would come to dominate world track and field.
FAMOUS ATHLETES
Bruny Surin (Canada-Haiti/track field)/ Edrick Floreal (Canada-Haiti/track field)/ Samuel Dalembert ( USA-Haiti/basketball) / Ronald Agenor (USA-Haiti/tennis)/ Sylvio Cator (track and field)/ Yves Jeudy (Box)/ Dieudonne Lamothe (marathon)/ Ludovic Augustin (shooting)/ Ludovic Volborge (shooting)/ Joseph Eduard Gaetjens (Haiti-USA/football)/ Dudley Dorival (track field)/ Fitz Plantin Andre (football)/ Emmanuel Sanon (football)/ Josmer Altidore (Haitian-American/football).
Dudley Dorival (track and field): Dudley Dorival was born on 1 September 1975 in Elizabeth (New Jersey, USA). Dorival is the son of Haitian parents and got Haitian nationality just in time for the XXVII Summer Olympics Games. Since the 2000 Olympics, Dudley Dorival has competed in international competitions under the banner of Haiti. In Sydney (Australia) Dorival finished 7th in the 110m hurdles. He became the first Haitian to Olympic finalist since Yves Jeudy (boxer) in 1976. He won the silver medal at the 1994 World Junior Championship, the bronze at the 2001 World Chanpionship and the gold medal at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games El Salvador. Dorival is one of the best sportsman in the history of Haiti.
REFERENCES:
-Bennet Patterson, Carolyn.”Haiti: Beyond mountains, more mountains”, National Geographic, Washington DC, January 1976
-Bishop,Randa. “Imponentes monumentos haitianos”, Americas, Washington DC, enero-febrero 1987
-Cobb,Charles. “Haiti against all odds”, National Geographic, November 1987
-Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year 1981, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, 1980
-Encyclopaedia Britannica Almanac 2003, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, 2002
-Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. Enciclopedia Mundototal 1999, Editorial San Marcos, Lima, 1998
-Hunter, Brian. The Statesman’s Year-Book 1991-92, The Macmillan Press, 1991
-Moritz, Charles. Current Biography Yearbook 1972, H.W Wilson Company, NY
-Sconfield, John. “Haiti-West Africa in the West Indies”, National Geographic, Washington DC, February 1961
-The International Who’s Who 1996-97, Europe Publications, London, 1996
-The World Almanac 2001, World Almanac Books, New Jersey, 2001
-Tibballs, Geoff. The Olympics´ strangest moments, Robson Books, London, 2004
-Vargas Llosa, Mario. “Haití: la muerte”, El Comercio, Lima, 25.4.1994
-Visión. “Imperio del Poder Vitalicio”, Santiago de Chile, 17 de marzo de 1967
-Wallechinsky, David. The complete Book of the Olympics, Aurum Press, London, 2004
-Wallechinsky, David-Wallace, Irving. The People’s Almanac2, Batam Book Inc
-http://WWW.Yotube.com”1975 El Salvador Miss Universe” (video)
Venture Capital Investments in Sports and Entertainment
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The venture capital funding world has entered a new sector – this is the always changing sector of Sports and Entertainment. Investments in the entertainment world have been around for a few years already, like the enormous 0 Million investment in the Da Vinci Code film in 2005. And (in a humoristic way) if we remember the book “The Godfather”, also there we can find an “investment” in the famous singer Johnny Fontane, a godson of Corleone’s, who has come from Hollywood to ask the Godfather’s help in getting a movie role that will revitalize his flagging career. Jack Woltz, the head of the studio, will not give Fontane the part, but Don Corleone (The Godfather) explains to Johnny: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
The costs estimates for creating and marketing a film, given by http://www.imdb.com, the 2005 average marketing cost of million a film. (Marketing costs may be higher for larger films but in many cases sponsors help settle these costs.) the calculation for what the return is from an investment in a film includes the factor that a studio naturally gets the proceeds from approximately half the tickets sold at the USA box office, and the overall take from the box office is roughly one-third of the money a studio earns after a film has gone to play overseas and becomes a DVD or movie on pay TV.
The new sector of sports investments is receiving millions of dollars. Recent investments in sports goods producers and distributors include an investment of Million committed by Allied Capital Corporation to support the buyout of Augusta Sportswear Group by private equity firm Quad-C Management. Augusta was founded in 1977, and is among the largest suppliers of blank athletic uniforms in the U.S. The company sells over 52,000 SKUs of team uniforms, athletic apparel, outerwear and school-inspired products to over 40,000 customers, consisting of uniform suppliers, custom decorators and promotional products distributors.
Another recent investment is of Million in Golf Club Maker Nickent in Equity Investment. “We are pleased to announce this investment in Nickent,” commented Anthony Moore, Co-Chairman and President of Equus and Chairman of Nickent. “This, combined with our debt financing in June, positions the Fund to receive dual benefits of current income and potential capital gains. We look forward to working with Nickent and its experienced management team.”
Nickent is a market leader in the rapidly expanding, hybrid club segment of the golf industry and is an emerging leader in game-enhancement technology.
All these investments are happening now. One last example is Seatwave. Seatwave, Europe’s largest fan-to-fan ticket exchange, is an online marketplace for buying and selling tickets for theatre, sports, music and other live events. Seatwave recently announced it has raised million in Series C funding led by Fidelity Ventures. Fidelity Ventures is joined by existing investors Atlas Venture, Mangrove Capital Partners and Adinvest. Seatwave was launched in 2007 and has more than 500,000 tickets on sale at any given time, 25 times more than eBay.
The History of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs
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Outlaw motorcycle clubs have existed almost since the origin of motorcycles. Almost as soon as motorcycles began production in the early twentieth century, clubs began emerging around the United States, although the outlaw label would come about later. These clubs brought together motorcycle enthusiasts for rides and other events.
One of the first long lasting motorcycle clubs to emerge was the McCook Outlaws in 1936. The group would later be called the Chicago Outlaws and is now known as the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The group supposedly formed for long distance touring and racing. Alcohol consumption and partying were secondary, but important, reasons as well.
With the end of World War II in 1945, young soldiers returned home looking for more adventure. Veterans often sought other war survivors out for companionship and understanding and the lure of motorcycle riding became entwined in some of these relationships. The American Motorcycle Association or AMA sponsored many clubs during the post war years.
In the late 1940s, after a disturbance in the town of Hollister, California, some individuals responded to a Life article by stating that the disorder was due to only a small percentage of the motorcyclists there. The statements seemed to many to have come from the AMA and some biker clubs broke away from the organization. Clubs not associated with the AMA would come to be known as the One Percenters or outlaw clubs.
Outlaw motorcycle clubs started emerging all over the United States and included clubs like the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, the Pagans Motorcycle Club, and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club. With the arrival of the Vietnam War, the clubs experienced sharp increases in membership as disenfranchised veterans found acceptance and solace in the clubs.
The influx of Vietnam vets also brought drug culture into the clubs, as many soldiers had been introduced to illegal drugs in Asia. The clubs received negative labels from the outside and were often targeted by law officials. Hollywood presented a number of movies that built on this negative, violent perception. A sub-culture developed surrounding the groups. Many members of the outlaw clubs insist that illegal activity happens with only a small percentage of the members and shouldn’t be used to label everyone.
While places like Canada have seen more violence and illegal drug activities in recent years (in what is known as the Quebec Biker War), perception in the United States has seem to shift somewhat. Popular television series, like Monster Garage, portray members of an outlaw motorcycle club in a more favorable light.
Outlaw motorcycle clubs have an important place in the history of the twentieth century. Although their image has not always been positive, the sub-culture of the clubs has influenced American culture.
Sports Clips
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If you are looking for sports clips, you have a choice of what to look for. You can get cartoon clips, art clips and even short movie clips. It all depends on what you are looking for.
When searching for clips for a child, there are many different sites that you can go to for cartoon clips. These are great to use on birthday cards that you can print from the internet. You can also use them in email when someone you know just won a trophy with their team.
Even though some children may not have a team that they play for, they may have a favorite sport that they want to play. You can put these clips on little notes just to add a little something special to your email or card.
There are also many movie clips that you can watch about sports. If you missed the big play on the football game the night before, you can log onto many sports sites or news sites and click on the video. This way you will feel like you didn’t miss a thing from the game.
With all of the many different types of clips that you can get, there are also art clips. These are actual pictures of different sports. You can see clips of fishing, boating, skateboarding, football and baseball just to name a few. These are great for adding to your emails to your friends.
Imagine sitting down at your computer and you typing an email to your best friend.
You can’t wait to rub it in their face that their favorite team lost the day before. Wouldn’t it be great to put a picture on your email of that particular sport and add your own little caption underneath?
You can pick and chose the different ways that you want to use your sports clips. Go online and find a site that offers short movies on the basketball game and then send it your friends. Add some of them to your FaceBook website or add a link to your blog website so that others can see what you are into.
The possibilities are endless. All it takes is a little imagination and a little click of your finger and creativity is just around the corner. You can find clips that are happy, sad and just plain funny. Whatever your mood, there is something for you to find. Happy searching in the wonderful world of sport clips.
Watch Live Soccer Games With A Single Click!
sbobet Soccer Online
Nowadays, due to the improvements of technology and the development of the Internet everyone can watch live football from a comfortable seat at home, and all this without paying expensive cable or satellite fees.
Now you can watch premiership games, champions league soccer, cup matches live, al broadcasted on the Internet, sometimes free and sometimes after paying a small fee. You can enjoy many quality football matches easier then ever. And don’t think that you have to buy some extra hardware or anything because all you need is an Internet connection, but it has to be a broadband connection if you want the live football stream to have a high quality.
How can you do this? Almost every soccer match that is taking place somewhere in the world is broadcasted through a live football stream that you can access from anywhere and furthermore most of the matches come with an English commentary.
If your Internet connection’s speed is high enough then the live transmission of the game will be uniinterupted, but this and the quality depends on how busy the server is.
There are many websites that are broadcasting live soccer streams and most of these provide high-quality streams and
they have more links to choose from because only one would make the line too busy.
You also need a player that supports live streaming if you wish to watch live football games. The most common players are RealPlayer, MediaPlayer and WinAmp.
The websites that provide soccer streams have a list with all the games taking place at the moment and all you need to do is click on the game and the player will open and you can watch it. As simple as that!
So whenever there’s a major football event you know that it’s certainly broadcasted somewhere on the Internet and you can watch everything and you only pay a few dollars!
Watch Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers Online For Free
sbobet Soccer Online
Well after many missed Lakers games, especially the one that Kobe Bryant went off for 81 points and made NBA history (still mad about that), I decided to find a way to watch the boys in purple and gold play besides the times that they were on the local channels and not have to pay for expensive satellite TV.
After about a month of constantly searching I figured out a way to do it, a very cheap and inexpensive way to do it, in fact, instead of paying the ridiculous monthly satellite TV payments every month to DirectTV or Dish Network, I paid a one time fee for lifetime access to being able to watch my beloved Lakers whenever they play with satellite TV on my PC.
I don’t know how computer savvy you may be, but even if you aren’t it doesn’t even matter because the only real computer knowledge you need is how to download and if you know how to do that (which anyone with an iPod does) downloading satellite TV on you PC software will be no problem for you.
This software isn’t limited to watching the Los Angeles Lakers or any other sports that you might watch like the NFL, NHL, MLB or international football (soccer), you can also watch anything that is on satellite TV like TV shows and movies. This is a 100% legal, no spy ware or ad ware and it will work anywhere in the world. I use it so much now that I don’t even watch television anymore, I can do anything I want online, awesome feeling and very, very cost effective.
How To Work Out Betting Odds
sbobet Sport Betting
Pricing is a way of expressing the odds on a bet… that is, how much you will win if you bet (thus giving you an indication as to how likely it is that you could win).
Although there are other types of pricing, we are going to look at the most popular pricing systems: first the US pricing system and then the European version.
To understand the difference, we need to clarify some terminology that follows. Imagine that you’re betting on the outcome of game. You put down an even money bet of 0 (which is matched by a 0 bet by the bookie). Your team wins.
You get back 0 but you’ve only won 0. Notice the difference?
- You get back 0 (your stake plus the bookie’s bet).
- You won 0 (the bookie’s bet).
Recognizing this difference will help you understand the difference between two of the major pricing systems.
US Pricing System: In the US pricing system, they show you how much money you could win (that is, not including your bet) and it is expressed as a percentage… as if you bet 0 on every single bet.
European Pricing System: The European pricing system is also called the digital method of pricing and it is an increasingly popular method of stating a price. This is because it is potentially easier to use and it is becoming more widely accepted around the world.
Unlike the American system, which represents how much you’d win, the European system tells you how much you’d get back. That’s a big difference in knowing how to read the systems.
And, rather than being expressed as a percentage, it is expressed in a “digital format”… that is, as a number greater than 1.0.
