In just a few days, we will be completely set, heading into the Conference Semi-Finals in the National Hockey League. Soon after, we can look in the mirror and see the exact same image, but this time with the big boys of the NBA. All this while simultaneously enjoying the craziness of the early MLB season, and feasting on the NFL draft.

Well, I’ll delve into the draft later.

However, the point is, we are at a truly tasteful part of the year in which just about every American (or Canadian) can pick their favorite sport(s) to watch and enjoy competition at its highest quality. Let us take a moment to appreciate it all.

Ice Hockey…On Television?!

Ah, I’ve been following the NHL’s contract negotiations with respective television networks for a long time now. Ever since the lockout of 2004-2005, I have been incredibly critical of the lack of a major television contract between the league and a mainstream network. However, news came this past week that the NHL had extended their contract with the NBC Sports Group to continue national broadcasts of their games on NBC and Versus as part of a 10-year, $2 billion deal.

First off, kudos to the league and Commissioner Flip-Flop (err, Bettman) for getting a deal done in the first place. When ESPN/ABC opted out of broadcast rights following the lockout, the NHL took a huge hit. Not only would they lose out on games being sent out to a larger audience, but they also missed out on more highlights being given priority (thus creating more hype) on the various ESPN programs.

In this case, however, ESPN/ABC did apparently bid significantly. Their offer was reportedly higher than their previous $77 million deal from 1999-2004, but they opted to pull-out upon reviewing NBC’s handout.

As part of the new agreement, Versus, which will receive a new NBC-branded name, will extend their coverage from 52 to 90 games throughout the season. This also includes the NBC network continuing its coverage that it already withholds, with more promotion.

The problem here is that still, many cable-watchers have difficulty watching Versus. DirecTV recently had difficulties acquiring its rights, and in 2009, even blacked out the network for a period of time. The channel, which is owned by Comcast, will have to receive a serious publicity push from its new NBC name, all in an attempt to reach out to more sports fans (considering this deal is to mainly attract more interest from the “casual” fan).

Ultimately, it is money that has won out for the NHL though, as they receive their richest television agreement in league history. Hopefully, popularity will catch on with the potential relocation (cough, hack, spit, Winnipeg) talks. But that’s another story. In the meantime, they’ll take their playoffs and enjoy the rest of the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

After all, television is the only thing that can outshine…television.

Spike Lee, Where You At?

“Embarrassing.” “Sickening.” “Rajon Rondo.”

All words that can be used to sum up the New York Knicks Game 3 113-96 demeanor-crushing loss to the Boston Celtics. The Boston point guard dropped 15 points alongside 20 assists and 11 rebounds, surmounting himself in playoff galore as the epitome of a game-changer.

As Adrian Wojnarowski takes a look into Rondo’s performance alongside his history with “The Big Three”, he brings to light the importance of the 25 year-old to his squad. Rondo is the ideal point guard, who only comes to light once every ten years or so (the last being Jason Kidd, of course). He adds a new dynamic to an already extremely-efficient Celtics squad that looks destined to be playing in South Beach next week. Regardless of if you hate Boston or not, it is imperative that we all stop for just one moment and appreciate the type of player that we are witnessing play, restoring credibility to a league that has become associated with ego.

Meanwhile, the Knicks enter a stage of disaster. They dealt away their entire team in favor of a superstar who has been able to hit the big shot. Even while dropping 42 in their defeat to the C’s in Game 2, Carmelo Anthony has failed to become the savior that many Knicks fans viewed him as. While one of the ultimate goals for Knicks and Carmelo is to attract a big name point guard (who finds himself in New Orleans as we speak), the lack of depth from this deal at this moment in time is extremely prevalent.

Not to mention, that Doc Rivers character has out-coached Coach Pringles on a level that we’ve seen few other times. Happy trails, New York.

10 Teams? Sounds Good Bud

Just hours after his hostile takeover of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bud Selig spoke about further expanding the MLB playoff structure to 10 teams, up two from the current standards.

“I would say we’re moving to expanding the playoffs, but there’s a myriad of details to work out,” Selig said this past Thursday at a meeting with the media. The move comes as no surprise, as he had expressed such interest as recent as last fall.

Under the new system, two additional wild card teams (one from each league) would reach the playoffs. Then, the two wild card teams in each respective league would face one another in a single-game playoff, with the winner moving on to face the division winners.

This layout would allow for greater market coverage, more upsets, and more excitement for the MLB postseason. All of which, I am fully in favor of. Go for it Selig.

Brandon Marshall Stabbed

On a serious note, it was unfortunate to wake up this morning to the news that Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall had been stabbed by his wife and was in the ICU for treatment.

Marshall’s wife is already in police custody, and is currently behind bars as the primary suspect in the stabbing. Thankfully, Marshall is expected to recover just fine, and should be discharged from the hospital today.

Brandon had 86 receptions last year for 1,014 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Tale Of The Draft

To finish up today’s column, are you ready for some football…draft picks?!

Ah yes, the 2011 NFL Draft is just days away, and yet nobody is focused on it like they have been in years past. Even with ESPN’s Adam Schefter claiming there’s an 80% chance the Carolina Panthers take Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton with the first-overall pick, the bottom line is, nobody cares.

Instead, all of our eyes are on the NFL lockout, which is currently reaching Day 39802726297. I think.

Ultimately, the NFL has left three weeks space in the recently-released schedules for making up missed time, though the fans wish that won’t even be a worry. Time will tell with these negotiations, though I can’t agree with many NFL employee’s claims that the draft with receive “record ratings” this year.

Final Thoughts

Alas, I have reached my finish for today. For my final thoughts, I want you to head on over to new SFC writers Mia O’ Brien and Richard Dooley respective Twitter pages. Give them a follow, and keep it with SportsFullCircle as well!

The United Football League announced its formation back in 2007, but would not begin its formation of teams until 2009. Four teams were formed, in California, Florida, New York, and Las Vegas, with names forthcoming, The names would be the Redwoods, Tuskers, Sentinels, and Locos respectively. The league furthered their announcements with the intent of playing its games from September through November, with the UFL Championship Game being played the day after Thanksgiving.

The first season of the UFL saw dominance by one, and mediocrity for another. The Florida Tuskers dominated the regular season, finishing it undefeated and locking into the UFL Championship Game. Meanwhile, it took a season-ending game between the Las Vegas Locos and California Redwoods to determine who would join the Tuskers, with the Locos winning the game. Finally, the New York Sentinels were the laughing stock of the UFL, finishing with no wins and ugly losses to all teams.

Finally, the UFL Championship Game brought excitement, and the first overtime game in the league’s history. After dominating the first half, the Florida Tuskers felt they had locked up the championship. However, Las Vegas rallied back in the second half to force overtime, where a clutch field goal vaulted Las Vegas over Florida, ending Florida’s hopes of the perfect season.

As the first season of the UFL came to a close, plans for growth became evident. UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue has promised a franchise to Los Angeles and to Texas, while the New York Franchise has been moved to Hartford.

For the second season of the United Football League, all of its games will be televised on Versus and HDnet, mainly on Friday and Saturday nights this coming fall.

As we kick of 2010, major changes are underway to bring change to competitive pro football. After the limited success of the UFL, United Football League, that was in direct competition with the NFL, new upstart leagues have surfaced with the intent of playing in the near future. Though true, these leagues need to make some changes:

Get Some Marquee Sponsors:  With any league of play, there needs to be money flowing in. The easiest way to obtain this money flow is through investors and sponsors. Leagues like the NFL and the defunct AFL have major sponsors like Russell Athletic, ADT, Visa, and more. New leagues need to reach out to get the same level of sponsors. The UFL was somewhat successful at this by bringing on sponsors like Men’s Warehouse, Motorola, and AOL.

Get a TV Deal, Even a Minor One:  Another key to the success of a new league is a television deal. The only way that the UFL was truly able to launch effectively was there TV deal, even though it was small market. With their TV deal with HDnet and Versus, the UFL was at least able to obtain the attention of a select audience.

Keep the Fans in the Flow:  The downfall of many upstart leagues, including the UFL, has been a lack of communication with its fans. The New USFL, a league that has delayed their start twice, has infrequently updated their site, which had led to numerous reports of trouble for the new league.

Over the next five Sundays, I will be bringing you, the fans, in-depth analysis of five new football leagues:  the United Football League, the New USFL, Arena Football One, the All-America Football League, and the UNGL. I hope to bring to light the triumphs and struggles of these new leagues, all playing in the near future.