Shaq Is Not Getting Any Younger

At nearly 36 years of age, Shaquille O'Neal is continuing to struggle with his game on the court. With Dwayne Wade still out due to last season's injury, Shaq is expected to lead his team to victory, a responsibility he would rather not face alone. At 0-5 after a recent loss to Phoenix, the HEAT are in need of some help and they have not been getting it from the big guy. With his knee still proving to be a problem, it is obvious that his body is no longer in the shape it used to be and he is not putting up the same amount of points as in previous years. Yet fans still believe that he is capable of winning a few more championships. When is enough, enough? At what point should Shaq begin wrapping his career up to be able to save his body? When will fans be able to just say thanks and allow their star player to leave in peace?

From a marketing standpoint, it goes without saying that Shaquille O'Neal is a brand name himself. Everything he touches turns to gold. Whether it be Pepsi, Spalding, Reebok, Nestle or other big name brands, Shaq has done it all. He has even created his own vocabulary with words such as Shaqnificent, Shaq Attaq and his most recent Shaq Diesel. People all over the world associate the game of basketball with Shaquille O'Neal as he is one of sports most recognizable and influential players. For the NBA, having Shaq in their league has certainly contributed to its tremendous growth in popularity over the years. I mean come on, this is Shaq we are talking about. Everyone knows and loves him regardless of what team he is on. You could give this man anything and he will be able to sell it. So what happens if he decides it is time to go? Where will the league stand then?

Although I was born and raised a NY Knicks fan, I have all the respect in the world for Shaq. I think he has done wonders for the NBA organization. He has always displayed this larger than life persona and that's what makes him unique, other than his enormous size. As a 14-time All-Star, 2-time All-Star MVP, 4-time NBA Champion, 3-time NBA Finals MVP, and 2000 NBA MVP, he has certainly established himself as one of the NBA's greatest players of all time, minus his inability to shoot foul shots. Therefore, I don't think there would be anything wrong if he decided to make this season his last, with or without another championship ring. I think he owes it to himself and his body to simply walk away. For fans to continue to expect him to play the way he did when he was in his twenties is ludicrous. As far as pro athletes go, he is getting older now and his high scoring days are slowly coming to an end.

I think we all need to say farewell to our beloved superstar and allow him to enjoy the retired life of living on Star Island and driving around in expensive foreign cars. Let him pursue his music and acting career, or perhaps improve upon his golf game. However, I do believe that the NBA will take a direct hit in ratings and sales. Yet this is natural anytime a big name athlete calls it quits. Nevertheless, with its global expansion on the rise, whatever losses occur, I am sure it will not be for long. The NBA is moving in a positive direction and continuously growing in popularity each and every day. So now we must sit back, enjoy the rest of the season, and ultimately let Shaq know that we thank him for all of the memories.

Give the Marlins a 1,000 seat stadium

This past Wednesday the Marlins held a home game against the Washington Nationals. It turned out to be a very exciting game that ended with a Marlins win in the 12th inning. The problem is no one was there to see it. When attendance for a Major League game is in around 9,000 then attendance is considered very poor. The Marlins would have been ecstatic about a number like that. Instead the estimated attendance was around 400 people. No that's not a typo it really is a four with 2 zeros behind it. That number was at the peak time. It is estimated that the attendance by the end was around 200 with a whopping total of 9 people in the outfield seats.

This number is appalling to me. Sure this is a match up of the basement of the NL east division and it was a day game but honestly the Marlins must be doing something wrong to put up a number like that. The Miami Herald argues that this is a good a advertisement for why the Marlins need a new stadium. Does a team that is going to draw worse than a class A team in the middle of nowhere really deserve a brand new stadium complete with a retractable roof? I would say no. The truth is that even if the stadium wasn't so far away from downtown they still wouldn't have drawn a crowd for a mid-week day game. The problem isn't the stadium. The problem is within the organization. They don't try to sell their product and when they do they apparently market to the wrong people. It's about time the Marlins realized that, in the popularity contest that is Miami, they are the nerdy unpopular band geek in high school and not in the popular crowd. It's about time to pack up, move to a new town, completely change their appearance, and hope for better popularity somewhere else.

What is just as interesting to me is the lack of attention that a crowd of 400 people earned on a national media scale. If you want a sign of the coming doom of watching sports live then here would be the perfect example but instead the Doom Sayers seemed to ignore the fact. The only mention that I heard in the next couple of days was during the broadcast of the Cardinals game on FSN Midwest. The topic of the Marlins was brought up in connection with a discussion of the small crowds they had seen on their recent road series in Cincinnati. Of course the Cardinals announcers are spoiled with a brand new stadium that is nearly sold-out every night even for a sub-500 team. The the question becomes what are the Cardinals doing that the Marlins aren't? The Cardinal's announcers had no solutions. The only question they had was why should the Marlins stay in Miami? This is a very valid question and I would love to hear the Marlin's front office's reply to that. Why stay?