NBA Players Motivated by Jersey Sales

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Lebron James recently announced that he will retire his number 23 to honor Michael Jordon. This initiated discussions throughout the league about whether other teams should follow suit and retire number 23 altogether. Clearly this is a respectful gesture on Lebron's part, but is there an ulterior motive? After all, despite his MVP season in 2008-09, the top selling jersey belonged to the Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant. Even if The King doesn't switch teams, switching numbers will surely catapault him to top-selling jersey status since his biggest fans will buy his new jersey. Even Shaq, now in the twilight of his career, has managed to have his jersey reach top 10 status this year by switching teams. Clearly a change in number or team will provide a reasonable bump in jersey sales.

Lets look more closely into the motivation behind such a move. We know it's not driven by money. In the NBA, the total receipt from jersey sales are lumped into one big pool and then all the players are paid equally from that pool. So yes, the Celtics' Brian Scalabrine gets the same amount as the Paul Pierce and is grateful to Pierce every year for that paycheck. So if not money, could it be ego? Let's see, millionaire athletes competing against one another on the biggest stage of their sports. I think it's safe to say there is an element of pride. It's like winning a popularity contest, and better because it's measurable. And Lebron's not the only one by any means, Kobe himself changed his number from 8 to 24 and experienced a big jump in new jersey sales.

Aside from being number one, at some level, NBA players must love the idea of having so many fans out there wearing a jersey with their name on it. It's a clear demonstration of love and adoration. What could be better than having thousands of fans wear your jersey, even years after you retire in some cases?

The good news for fans is that in order to reach the stratosphere of top jersey, the player has to achieve something. For instance, two other top jerseys were Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose. Howard led his team to the NBA finals, while Rose pushed the previous champion Celtics to a thrilling 7-game series during the playoffs. And as a result of their on-the-court success fans rewarded them with jersey sales. So in the end, winning on the court leads to winning in jersey sales.

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Pelé - 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 FIFA World Cup Classic Players

Eternal greatness Throughout his career, Pele was a record breaker. His 1000th goal, a penalty, came in 1969 in front of a delirious crowd at the Maracana. He scored five goals in a game on no fewer than six occasions, managed 30 four-goal hauls and netted 92 hat-tricks. In one match against Botafogo in 1964, he hit the back of the net eight times. In total, the great man struck 1281 goals in 1363 games. Pele quit what he called o jogo bonito (the beautiful game) in 1974, before returning the following year to play for the New York Cosmos in order "to bring the world's game to the American public". He would hang up his boots for the last time in 1977. JB Pinheiro, the Brazilian ambassador to the United Nations, was quoted as saying: "Pele played football for 22 years, and in that time he did more to promote world friendship and fraternity than any other ambassador anywhere". And who could contradict him? In warring Nigeria a ceasefire was declared when Pele played in Lagos in 1969. The President of Brazil declared him a "national treasure" to thwart any potential transfer to a European club. And in the port city of Santos, 19 November is forever 'Pele Day', to celebrate the anniversary of his 1000th goal. Since his playing career ended, Pele has used his ambassador's status to promote his country, the UN and UNICEF. "Every kid in the world who plays football wants to be Pele," he said, "which means I have the responsibility of showing them how to be a footballer but also ...



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Basic Rules For Soccer Players

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Basic soccer rules originated in England (1815), and were refined in 1863, as the game gained popularity and as people began to have more recreational time. Soccer today, known in most of the world outside the U.S. as "Association Football", is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with its own World Cup games that outdraw even the Olympics by multiples. It has invaded the home living room through television and video games.

Basic soccer rules are for adults, with modifications for youth games. It can be played indoors or outdoors, and on different size fields as long as they are rectangular. A regulation soccer pitch is between 90 and 120 meters long and 45 to 90 meters wide. Referees regulate the play, call fouls and time-outs, stop the game, and enforce rules. There is one referee with two assistants. A fourth may be added for high level games. They are the only people who can call stoppages or injury time outs. Team managers direct team play formations and strategy.

Soccer teams consist of two teams with 11 players each. The minimum number of players is 7. Players must wear shirts, socks, shorts, footwear and shin guards. Headgear is optional. Jewelry is not allowed due to potential for injuries. The goalkeepers wear easily distinguishable clothing that is unlike that of other players or officials.

The goal of soccer is to win by scoring the most goals. Ties are settled with extra time, penalty shootouts, or called a draw. There are specifications for the single leather covered round soccer ball. Games begin with a kickoff from the center spot by one team. Should play become stopped, there are approved methods for restarting ball action: thrown in, goal kick, corner kick, indirect free kick, direct free kick, penalty kick, and dropped-ball.

Basic soccer rules call for two periods of fifteen minutes each, with a fifteen minute break. Extra time is two 15 minute periods. Misconduct fouls result in a yellow caution card or red sending-off card. Players sent off may not return and the team will not get a replacement. The most complex law is offside, which limits the ability of the forward to remain ahead of the ball, the second to last defense player, and the half-way line.

For players, moving the ball without using arms or hands is the primary rule. Only goalkeepers may use hands or arms to move the ball, and only when they are within their own penalty area by the goal. Players may use feet, and occasionally head or torso. They can move the ball by dribbling, or passing to teammates to score. Opponents get possession of the ball by tacking or intercepting passes. Each team has 10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. Strikers attempt to score goals; Defenders try to keep the opponent from scoring; Midfielders try to intercept and control the ball. They can switch positions at will. Substitutions can be made three times, however the substituted player may not return in that game.

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How to Coach Soccer Players to Handle Pressure

When you are learning how to coach soccer, you need to keep in mind that one thing that is guaranteed during a soccer match is pressure. Whether your players are on offense or defense, they will experience pressure from the other team. Part of what you need to figure out when learning how to coach soccer is learning how to teach your players to handle that pressure.

Pressure on the Ball Handler

How many times have you seen a young player blindly kick the ball away whenever a defender gets within five feet of them. They become so panicked when pressure comes that they lose confidence in their own ability, and make a poor decision with the ball. You will see this scenario played out time and again on soccer fields across the country, even on older teams. Soccer clubs that consistently field winning teams have learned how to prepare their players to handle pressure on the ball.

To learn how to coach soccer players to handle the defense, you have to start with making sure they are comfortable with basic ball handling skills. Can your players dribble the ball at various speeds without losing control, or allowing the ball to get too far in front of them? Can they change directions to the right and the left using the inside and the outside of both feet? Most importantly, can they control the ball without watching their own feet?

Skilled ball handlers dribble with their head up. They are constantly looking at what options are available. They can see any defenders in front of them, and they know where their teammates are. When the time comes for them to make a pass, they already know who the pass is going to. There are no last minute, panicked decisions that cause your team to lose the ball.

Once your players become comfortable handling the ball you can begin to practice putting pressure on the ball. At that point your players should begin to get comfortable shielding the ball. To shield the ball your players simply maneuvers their body so that it is between the defender and the ball. By holding their arms away from their body it makes it harder for the defender to reach around to poke the ball away. When the defender starts to get too close, the ball handler can lean back and use their body to force the defender to back off. Just like dribbling, the ball handler must learn to do this with their head up. That way they are able to see an opportunity to dribble to the open field, or to make a good pass to an open teammate.

Pressure on the Defender

Just like a ball handler, your defenders need to get comfortable facing pressure. It is not unusual for a good offensive team to come with multiple attackers as they try to position themselves for a score. An inexperienced defense can sometimes fall apart when there are more attackers than there are defenders.

When running drills to train your defenders, make sure to include drills that create mismatches and where the offense out numbers the defense. This will give your defenders experience in knowing who they need to cover, and who will have to be the keepers responsibility. Most of all, work on patience with your defenders. When they are outnumbered, they cannot afford to make silly mistakes. Make sure they square up, and that they do not lunge for the ball, and get themselves out of position.

A basic concept to remember when you learn how to coach soccer is that game play is much different than running controlled drills. The more you can create situations in practice that your players are likely to see in a game, the better prepared they will be on game day. There is a lot of information available to teach you how to coach soccer. Take advantage of as many resources as you can.

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