This week in FlaSports - September 24-30
 

Welcome to This week in FlaSports.  This space on the Florida Sports Foundation web site will give a weekly smattering of information about what's going on in sports in the Sunshine State.

Whether it be professional, amateur or recreational sports, and it's happening in Florida, look for it at This week in FlaSports.

Information on this page will be updated on Monday of each week.  To have your organization's events or happenings on This week in FlaSports, send an email to ngandy@flasports.com. 

Volume 1, Issue 5
September 23, 2007

 ► Jacksonville showcased on college football national telecast
 ► Women's college basketball draws dollars to Tampa Bay
 ► Cabrera’s Children
 ► Miami joins USOC Community Partner Plan
 ► Keep up with Polk County sports on PGTV
 ► This Week in FlaSports Calendar of Events
 ► Archive of previous issues of This Week in FlaSports

Jacksonville showcased on college football national telecast

Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium will be in the national spotlight this weekend when Florida State and Alabama meet in a neutral site college football game, dubbed the “River City Showdown.”

Kickoff has been set for 5:00 p.m. on CBS for the national telecast.  An overflow capacity crowd is expected on Saturday night. Tickets - nearly 36,000 have been allocated to each school - were sold out long ago.

FSU director of athletics Dave Hart believes this will prompt other schools to follow.  “I'm a big proponent of neutral-site games,” Hart said. “I don't know if that will become a trend, but I wouldn't be surprised with the success we've seen with this game to see more people going to it.”

Although a date is not official, FSU will play Air Force - the only military academy agreeable to playing the Seminoles - in Orlando in the near feature.

After a possible matchup with West Virginia in the Georgia Dome failed to materialize for next season, FSU will likely play a game in Jacksonville in 2008 rather than eight games at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Jacksonville has strong ties with FSU and the ACC in hosting events, including the first two ACC football championship games. Jacksonville, of course, hosts the nation's most successful traditional neutral-site event - the Florida-Georgia game.

Women's college basketball draws dollars to Tampa Bay

Published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal, September 17, 2007

When the Women's Final Four comes to Tampa next April, the players and coaches will be accessible to the fans, promised Sue Donohoe, vice president of Division I women's basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

It will be the NCAA's first trip to Florida for its women's championship and the event is already sold out. The St. Pete Times Forum will have a capacity of 21,509 for the three-day affair.

Women's basketball is still in a growth mode, but the Final Four has sold out for the past 11 years, Donohoe said. "Our challenge is that most of our fans are team oriented," she said.

For the first two rounds, fans tend to follow just their teams. But the Final Four draws basketball fans that follow the sport, regardless of the match-ups, Donohoe said.  Even as competition heats up in women's basketball, a spirit of sportsmanship overrides the wins and losses, she said. "Our players are great role models," she said.

If last year's Final Four in Cleveland is a barometer, Tampa and the surrounding area can expect an economic impact of $20 million for the tournament, promoters said at a press conference Monday. It's the type of event that the Tampa Bay Sports Commission has been courting since its inception in 1999.

Ticket prices have grown over the 25-year history of the championship. In 1982, the first year of the championship, tickets cost $5 per session. In Tampa, the ticket package will be $162, which includes all three games.

Media attention has also grown, from just 37 credentials in 1982 to 589 last year in Cleveland. Philadelphia, in 2000, issued the most media credentials at 692.

In conjunction with the games will be the 2008 Women's Basketball Coaches Association convention, which will attract coaches from across North America, including both college and high school coaches. It will be at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel, which is headquarters for the weekend events. Meetings will take place at the hotel and at the Tampa Convention Center.

Besides the three tournament games, the Final Four offers a plethora of fan activities, such as Hoop City, Youth Education Through Sports and Bounce by the Bay.  Hoop City is a three-day festival of interactive games and exhibits hosted by the NCAA corporate partners. Included are autograph sessions and celebrity appearances, battle of the Women's Final Four bands, mascot competition, dance and cheerleading teams competitions, and trampoline dunk teams. There will also be various basketball clinics hosted by NCAA coaches, a three-on-three basketball tournament and an NCAA Hall of Champions celebrating the history of NCAA sports.

As a warm-up to the Final Four, Duke, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Florida will participate in a basketball doubleheader on Nov. 15. ESPNU will sponsor the event, which will tip off the 2007-08 women's season. Duke will square off against South Florida in the first game; Oklahoma and Tennessee are matched up for the second.

Cabrera’s Children

"Special" is a word frequently used when baseball insiders talk about Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera's hitting.

Special also comes to mind when people make mention of Hall of Fame legend Roberto Clemente.

One of the game's most beloved all-time players, Clemente was an exemplary person who remains revered as a great humanitarian since his tragic death almost 35 years ago.

In a year where Cabrera is posting MVP-caliber numbers on the field, the Marlins' 24-year-old slugger is gaining recognition as well for his accomplishments off the field.
 

Cabrera is the Marlins' nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.

The award recognizes the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team. It is named in honor of the former Pirates outfielder whose spirit and goodwill will always be remembered. Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to transport relief supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972. The winner will be announced during the World Series.

Cabrera is active with the International Kids Fund (IKF) at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. "Children don't ever expect to have a Miguel Cabrera come and visit them, especially when they are in the hospital," said Maria Luisa Chea, executive director of the International Kids Fund. "When someone like Miguel Cabrera shakes their hand, gives them a pat on the back and gives them a cap, it makes their day."

Already this summer, the IKF raised money to help treat a number of children, including: A four-month-old Ecuadorian boy who had a heart defect, a 2-year-old Dominican with a damaged esophagus and a Dominican teenager with leukemia.

"When children have something that takes their minds off of their surgeries, it's a great way to help the healing process, I think," Luisa Chea said. "We are very happy that Miguel has made us his charity of choice."

Miami joins USOC Community Partner Program

One of only 10 communities nationwide, the Greater Miami Area and the Miami-Dade Sports Commission were selected to be a United States Olympic Committee Community Partner. As a partner, the Miami-Dade Sports Commission will collaborate with the USOC on Olympic and Paralympic training camps, events, and trials, while being given a priority status to host many of these exciting events. Additionally, the Sports Commission will also assist the USOC in increasing public awareness of Olympic and Paralympic sport in Florida, as well as distributing USOC education and outreach materials in schools and community/youth centers.

“The USOC Community Partner designation will help to promote the Olympic movement and present opportunities within Miami. We look forward to working with the USOC to generate ideas, and programs that will promote Olympism locally, create opportunities for Olympic development in Miami, and, ultimately, host a variety of regional, national, and international events in a variety of Olympic sports”, stated Mike Sophia, Miami-Dade Sports Commission, Executive Director.

Chris Sullivan, Director of the USOC’s Community Partner Program states, “On behalf of the United States Olympic Committee, I want to extend our gratitude for the strong partnership the USOC has formed with the Miami-Dade Sports Commission. We are certainly looking forward to the bright future our relationship holds, as we seek to deliver programs and initiatives that positively impact the American public.”

To find out more about the Miami-Dade Sports Commission and its partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee, visit http://www.miamisports.org/miamitobeijing08/index.htm.

Keep up with Polk County sports on PGTV

Besides their regular office duties, members of the Polk County Sports Marketing staff also serve as television show hosts for "Sports Central," a one-hour show on PGTV featuring sports events and personalities in Polk County.  PGTV is Polk County’s government access cable TV channel.

Among the guests on recent shows have been local synchronized swimming coach Lorraine Valerino, who assisted with the Sunshine State Games synchronized swimming competition.  If it's a sports event in Polk County, it's a good bet it has been covered on "Sports Central."

To find archived shows, visit

http://www.polk-county.net/county_offices/pgtv/archived_meetings.aspx

and scroll down the alphabetical listings to "Sports Central."  Hint: It's a bit of a ways down the page.


FlaSports Calendar of Events this week, September 24-30

 

This week in FlaSports Archive
Volume 1, Issue 1, August 27
Volume 1, Issue 2, September 4
Volume 1, Issue 3, September 10
Volume 1, Issue 4, September 17

Office Information

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