Businessman Blank and Atlanta's Deal A Win-Win

Arthur Blank is a businessman. His background that makes the Atlanta stadium a good thing.

The stadium deal caused a massive uproar around the city on radio and television airwaves and newspaper columns because it was originally proposed as a "publicly-funded" project. But the deal states he will pay $800 million of the $1 billion price tag out of his own pocket (Just imagine making that monetary promise to anyone or anything. $800 million...).

The other $200 million is coming from the state's hotel-motel tax, and estimates from Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed show that up to 85% of that revenue comes from outside of Georgia. And up to $150 million of that $200 million the city has promised will come back to the Atlanta economy when the Falcons host a Super Bowl, which has been promised by the NFL if they built a new stadium.

Blank owns this little company known as Home Depot which will presumably serve as the primary funding party. (Does this mean he can get discount prices on the building materials for the stadium, ths saving Atlanta money?) Blank's businessman past will make sure that the building is done right; being that he is funding 80% of it, I am sure it will be done at a much lower cost than if the state's taxes were footing the bill.

He is a businessman who also understands that building it now, not later, is important. Now is when the Falcons are experiencing unprecedented success as a franchise, with three consecutive playoff berths and coming up 10 yards short of this year's Super Bowl.

The often-accused-of-being-lazy Atlanta sports fan has come out to watch his or her Falcons as of late. And for outsiders who don't believe it, check ticket prices online and try to get one for reasonably close to face value. Sans Bobby Petrino-post-Michael-Vick-dog-fighting-days, Falcons fans have routinely filled up the Georgia Dome as well as any NFL fans, even before their present-day success (with the exception of Green Bay whose fanbase is absurd). Because of the city's newfound love for the Falcons—and its history of not always being so faithful—Blank knew he must get the deal done while morale is as high as its ever been.

In addition to the money he is putting towards the stadium, Blank has promised $15 million to the development of the surrounding areas. For those of you unfamiliar with Atlanta, you don't want to be caught around Georgia Dome too late at night, which is the case with many stadiums across the United States. Along with the neighborhood development, jobs will be created during the construction.

Blank is showing Atlanta that he cares, not only his football team but for its home city.

Plenty of jokes have been made, myself included, about how impatient the city of Atlanta and its football organization was towards getting a new stadium. Nostalgia becomes a large part of the negativity towards the deal because the Georgia Dome serves as more than just an NFL stadium to this state (hosting state playoff games, the 2007 and 2013 Final Four, the SEC basketball and football championships and other various college football games).

But now is the time to move past that because that stadium is going up. If you don't like it then don't use a hotel in Atlanta the next few years and don't go to a game at the new place when it is finished. I'll go ahead and thank you if you don't go so I will have a ticket at lower cost.

The stadium is a good thing for what it will bring to the city. You have an owner who is investing in Atlanta because he wants to win in and for Atlanta. Few fans are so lucky.

Why Does Ash Wednesday Matter?

The parties of Mardi Gras are over. The beads have come out of the air, and all of the King Cake is eaten. Most people could not tell you why there was a party in the first place, but the celebration Fat Tuesday leads into what I believe is the most meaningful time period of the Christian calendar.

Following the bravado and somewhat brashness of Mardi Gras is the more somber, yet powerful, Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent for Western Christian calendar. The Eastern Orthodox tradition begins Lent on "Clean Monday" (because doesn't every good diet start on Monday?). The Ash Wednesday service is a ceremony in which Christians begin the process of waiting, purification for the return of the Lord by preparing their hearts for the 46 days until Easter.

Traditionally, this service is one of the four most solemn moments of the church year (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday being the other three), as the magnitude of what we as humans did to God's son, and preparation for Maundy Thursday sets in.

Mardi Gras is popular for obvious reasons, but its lesser-known cousin Ash Wednesday kicks of
 Lent. These 40 days of fasting are more renowned outside of church because it leads to "he or she gave up (insert vice) for Lent." Jokes are made about giving up exercise, eating healthy, or being on time. If you're clever enough like devout Catholic Stephen Colbert you come up with things like this:

It's Ash Wednesday-- and we all know what the pope gave up for Lent!
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) February 14, 2013

We must remain wary to view Lent as simply the time, or even more of a reason, to forfeit your Facebook or candy addiction. Your carbonated drink or french fry obsession should not be given up for Lent because that is what you do; nor is a vice simply given up "for Lent"'s sake. A sacrifice is made as a reminder of what was given up for us on Good Friday. It is not given up on behalf of the season.

I am not calling for a change in the common vernacular, just its understanding. The fact that a season in the church calendar has become somewhat "common" is remarkable. On the other hand, the term "giving (it) up for Lent"'s common implication? That the world and Christians alike see it as someone giving up something because it is a simply a church thing or it is that time of year again does need attention.

It is time to refine the colloquial so that Christians--and eventually those outside of the church--see "giving (it) up for Lent" as an act of sacrifice, a worshipful action toward God, instead of a popular action among church friends or action because it is a certain time of year.

"You are dust and to dust you shall return." -Genesis 3:19

Here is a more historical view of Lent and its origins from last year's "No More Radio" post.
Two years ago, I gave up Facebook

National Signing Day 2013

Alex Collins and his father (sans mother) signing his Letter of Intent. Collins said he wore a camo suit "for the fans."

Usually at this point in the game, 24 hours later, writing a National Signing Day column is considered late. Thanks to Alex Collins' mama drama, deadline has been extended. This day seems to get wilder and more unpredictable as the years pass, and as social media continues to grow along with college football's importance nationwide, there is no where but zany for it to go. Here are a few things that stuck out to me looking back at this year's big day:

ALEX COLLINS' MOTHER STOLE THE SHOW- It would not be Arkansas football if there wasn't a circus involved, and thanks to Collins' mother we got a party. Collins, a Miami native, was all set to sign his Letter of Intent to play football at Arkansas, a decision he made on Monday night on national television. It should have been a time to honor the hard work he has put in earning a scholarship and a time to celebrate his decision.

However, as has been well reported, his mother came to the signing ceremony at Collins' school and took the binding paperwork because she wants him to play at Miami University in Florida. What makes this story even more difficult to understand is that Collins does not even live with his mother.

This afternoon he signed official paper work, cosigned by his father, which officially makes him a Razorback. His mother on the other hand has hired lawyers from a Johnny Cochran law firm to try and prevent his move to Arkansas. Her reasoning per her lawyer: "her only concern is Alex's well being." Give it a break, lady.

THE OLE MISS SURPRISE- Don't get me wrong. I loved my experience at The Grove and weekend in Oxford when the Rebels hosted Samford in 2010. But before Rebel fans get too excited about the future, thinking under coach Hugh Freeze you will challenge the SEC West big boys, namely Alabama, let's take a look at what happened in order for you to land the No. 7 class in 2013.

Ole Miss landed the No 1 recruit at the following positions: defensive end (Robert Nkemdiche), offensive lineman (Jeremy Tunsil), wide receiver (Laquan Treadwell), and a top-notch defensive back (Antonio Conner).

Nkemdiche has an older brother already at Ole Miss, who did some serious recruiting, and a mother who made it public that she wanted her boys to play together. Conner is from South Panola High, a Rebel stronghold for years. These two would have made a good class for Ole Miss alone on most years. They also recruited other top players and sold them on the idea that this could be the class to change the Rebel's fortune, instead of going to Alabama and continuing their championship tradition.

It was a perfect storm, but before we crown them Division Champs, know that other schools in the division have been doing this kind of work for five-plus years.To rise to the top it will take more than one class of stars to change the culture. Coach Hugh Freeze applied the full-court press to haul these guys in. SI.com writer Andy Staples reveals one of Freeze's assistant coaches exchanged more than 800 Facebook messages with Tunsil and another 400 with his girlfriend to help culture their relationship which turned into a commitment. Hard work paid off to bring this class (three 5-stars and 9 4-stars) to fruition.

TIE-DYE SCREAMS SWAG- There was nothing this year that compared to Isaiah Crowell pulling out a bulldog puppy to declare he would attend Georgia a couple of years ago. There was some impressive fashion from some commitment ceremonies though:

WR Stacey Coley (above) commits to Swag U. The only way this gets better is if a Vanderbilt or Stanford commit had donned a "Nerd" hat at their commitment ceremony.

DL Montravious Adams (above) commits to Auburn and proves tie-dye is alive and well. And yes, that is a picture of himself on his shirt. Love his humbleness.

ONE CONFERENCE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER- Not that long ago the Big 12 was being compared to the SEC. There were some who thought it might be able to challenge the SEC for dominance in college football. Hindsight is 20/20 and we know that thought is comical. Thanks to conference realignment (Texas A&M and Nebraska leaving), Texas and Oklahoma's steady decline, and now recruiting we know who stands above the other.

Not one 5-star prospect according to Rivals.com chose to play football in the Big 12, meaning the Big East, the conference just waiting its demise, had more top players commit to it than Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and the like. Kentucky--yeah that one--would have had the fourth-best class in the Big 12. These are signs your conference no longer has the gravitas it once did.

The SEC went out and collected seven of the top 11 spots in the team rankings, according to 247sports.com. Which means what former LSU receiver Russel Sheppard tweeted may be all the more true:

From the looks of the recruiting classes the #SEC will win the next 4 National championships again !!!!
— Russell Shepard Jr.. (@LSUShep10) February 6, 2013

Clemson RB coach Tony Elliot

Speaking of other conferences, Clemson does some serious recruiting, taking prospects from Florida and Georgia just like the big boys year in and year out.

Coach Dabo Swinney knows what he is doing in getting high schoolers interested in his program. Is running backs coach Tony Elliot the secret into their minds? Notice the Twilight posters surrounding him:

It was a great day, and one that started early for this college football fanatic. I made sure to go to bed early the night before and was up at 5:30 a.m., waiting for the first faxes to be sent.

Yes, they still use fax machines which is a whole other issue: The NCAA at its finest, only 20 years behind the curve.

Column from National Signing Day 2012

NAIA National Championship: There's No Place Like Rome

Upon finishing my next-to-last semester of graduate school, I headed home to Rome for a couple weeks of rest and relaxation. However, I write this on the road, right outside of Birmingham, on our family’s trek to Arkansas to visit family.

When I got home on Thursday I obtained tickets to the NAIA National Championship game which is held yearly in the world’s finest little river town of Rome, Georgia. The game pitted two teams that I, nor you, have ever heard of Morningside from Iowa and Marian out of Indianapolis. 

For a town of Rome’s size, about 30.000, to host a national championship of any sorts is a pretty big deal to me; and while there are politics which may soon take the game away from my hometown, it is something my community supports with fervor—maybe not the game itself, as not every Roman has the budget to pay $25 for tickets to ultimately meaningless game. The game generated over $1 million for the Rome economy. 

From steak dinners at local churches for the players and coaches to a multitude of different activities for the visiting fans, cheerleaders, and band members, Rome holds its own—and the Northerners naturally love our Southern hospitality. To finish the week, the game is held at historic Barron Stadium, my high school's stadium.

How many people can say their high school stadium is also the sight of a national championship? Very few. Only four other cities in the entire nation can boast of hosting a football national championship.

Keeping with tradition, my sister and I headed downtown for a cold night of football and in hopes of a good game. We, as we have the last few years, sat with the former mayor of Rome and his family. His two grandsons are boys with endless energy, who my sister half-raised as much as she babysits and hangs out with their family. The boys do not feel pain from falling down on bleachers, remain hungry, and make for great entertainment as if the game was not enough.

The game was enough though. It was an overtime thriller, though the team we were pulling for, Morningside did not win and Marian eventually scored the game-winning touchdown. 

How and why did we choose the Mustangs from Iowa? They were the team assigned the home side of Barron Stadium and ate dinner this week at our church. This is when I would give you my take on the game, but you can read the gamer from the RomeNews-Tribune website.

My sister and I got exactly what we wanted in the form of an overtime national championship game, other than some ice-cold, seemingly unthawable feet. One can only hope the game on January 7 will be as entertaining. Here are a couple of pictures from the night…

The Marian Knights with one of the nation's ugliest championship trophies.

Our Mustang neighbors were much like Mississippi State fans, relentless with the cowbells. 

No Pat Summerall, but it was a nationally televised. 

The old marching grounds and field access after the game. Many a cold night were spent pointing my trumpet's bell to that pressbox. 

Note: This post is a week late going up because, while both grandparents' houses are active on the internet, neither have yet to embrace the wonderful world of wireless.

My Television Debut

There is a lot of news coming out of the college football world, as the BCS rankings become tighter and the No. 1 team in the country goes down. No worries. In a "down" year, the SEC still has six of the top nine spots in the latest BCS rankings with an outside shot of another appearance in the national championship.

Big news out of the Graham Reaves camp this week is that I made my television debut on Thursday morning. WACH, the local FOX affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina needed someone to come on their morning show and preview the Arkansas-South Carolina game this weekend. Yours truly filled that void.

While the game was something no Razorback fan wants to remember, it is one I will never forget because of my contribution to the local game fervor. Below is the video and here is a link to my write-up following my appearance.

Another word of thanks goes to you the readers of this site. Thank you for reading my previous post about why Mark Richt needs to stay the head coach of Georgia. It became the most read piece on this site.

My old man took the link and sent it to  Richt's office and the Athletic Director of UGA. He did get a response from Richt's secretary saying thank you. I like to think he read it, posted it in his office and he brings it up after he leads the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship.

It has been a busy semester between school and writing a couple of things each week this Fall. For those of you who were not aware, I have also been covering local high school football for The Times here in Gainesville. Doing so I have had the chance to get paid to watch football (always a plus), meet some great people within the community and in the local sports media.

Thanks to all of you for your support and words of encouragement over the past two years in my venture into this world of sports journalism.