Wake Up with Dominika Cibulkova

With the world’s top players out with injuries, real or imagined, Dinara Safina of Russia coasted in the final of the Rogers Cup, but it was 19 year old Dominika Cibulkova who caught my eye.

In a punishing season compressed by the Olympics in Beijing, the week long tournament here drew the world’s four highest-ranked players, all of whom either withdrew or were eliminated by the quarterfinals. Their ailments included a debilitating shoulder injury and an undiagnosed sore thumb.

Three of the top 10 players were dispatched by No. 31 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, who lost the final Sunday to Safina, 6-2, 6-1.

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When Europe comes calling!

by James Borbath… I love to write about sports because it can be an escape from everything else that goes on in the world. But sometimes issues of the “REAL WORLD” invade into pro sports. There have been obvious ones that come to mind. When athletes get arrested like Michael Vick last summer. But there are lots of examples of those almost daily. You have major earth shaking events like September 11th in the United States. Also you have an event like the hurricane that took apart New Orleans. But the focus of today will be about economics.

When I write here it is mostly about Basketball. In fact 98% of the writing that I do is basketball related. So that is where we will start with this story. Josh Childress, Carlos Delfino, and several others have all said yes to Europe. Part of the reason for that is simple economics. Former Raptor Jorge Garbajosa said in signing in Russia with the same team as Delfino that he would not lie money played a role. The money being paid is euros. There is also none of that being paid in taxes. There is also the issue of the fact the NBA operates under a cap system. So there is only so much money that you can spend. Europe does not work under a cap system and can pay whatever amount they feel like.

Brandon Jennings is a name you might know if you are a hoops junkie. This young man decided to sign in Europe instead of going to the NCAA and pretending to be a student. He will be collecting a pay check instead. This could have a major impact on the NCAA. The NBA put in place a rule to block high school players from entering the NBA draft. Forcing them to play a year in college before they can leave to enter the draft. But Jennings has decided to create his own euro loop hole. If he is successful he could become a trailblazer that is not anything to do with Portland franchise. I am not a huge hockey person but could this have an impact on the CHL at some point? The chances are less likely as the NHL does not have as high an age to enter the draft.

There is much made of the 2010 free agent class that could include names such as Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Wade and others. Some people are even starting to talk about what if Lebron or some other big name took the big money and went over to Europe? This would mark a historic moment in Basketball and would truly make the game global. It is a problem that would rock the NBA to it’s core.

The NHL faces this same issue with the development of a new league based out of Russia. The NHL has also lost it’s share of talent this off-season to this new league. The same things apply as this new league does not have a cap and can offer whatever they see fit. The NHL does not have the big money T.V deal in the states that the NBA has. They struggle for attention and getting considered in the United States as being considered a “Major Sport”. Losing talent to a new league will not help matters.

These issues have yet to impact Baseball and Football. They may not have to face these challenges. The NFL really does not have another league in a global sense that will have the money and fan base to fight with them for talent. Baseball is also far stronger and even though more global leagues are out there, none have the money of the MLB.

Ultimately the globalization of the world as a whole is entering the sports world. If the economics remain the same this could mean a whole new type of sports world. David Beckham came to the MLS in soccer. It was seen as a major step in establishing soccer here in North America and these signings in Europe could mean a whole new world for Basketball and Hockey. What has been taken for granted for years may become a point of conversation. The NBA and NHL have always had the unofficial titles of best leagues in the world. This still is the case but if big names should make the jump to Europe that status of best league in the world may be up for debate.

It is not something that could have been imagined by many sports fans. But it could actually be the start of a very different sports world. The idea of a global free agent is becoming a reality. So the folks at MLSE that run the Raptors and Leafs will have a lot more people they must consider when they have players that go on the market. That market now is expanding well beyond just the NHL and NBA. It really makes sports fans have to stop and think. The cap systems that were introduced to help make teams able to compete on even terms. But that same system is actually keeping them from being able to do that on a global level. It is interesting to see what the future holds. It is actually a little scary for the NHL and NBA. It makes you wonder if you favourite player, who ever that is, went to Europe would you attempt to follow him? Would we see coverage of these leagues on Television or on the Internet? At the end of the day there are a lot of questions and few answers. But it is clear a challenge lies ahead for the NHL and NBA. It could all change if the economics were to change. However if they remain this is a legit concern for these leagues, and teams, and fans of those teams.

A brave new global sports world is here and it is not going away.

If this topic interested you. I have wrote one in the blog I write awhile ago mostly focused on basketball. Euro Impact on NBA and the folks here at T.O Sports are always welcome to read my site The Dino Nation Blog. Share your thoughts on what you think about this topic of the Globalization of the Sports World.