Gamechanger Spring 2018
Sneak Peek:
New soccer team moving to Austin? p. 12
There’s More!
Get the insider scoop on money in sports! p. 4
Letter from the Editor Courtesy of Sebastian Reyes
This magazine is a creation that required the hard work of four people. Everyone put in a strong effort. We decided to make our magazine about sports because sports is a large part of all of our lives. We wanted to explore and learn more about aspects of sports that we didn’t really know much about. Each story has its own unique information. The four stories in this magazine are about the winter olympics, technology in sports, a soccer club switching locations, and money and sports. From the beginning we wanted this magazine to be the coolest and greatest magazine ever created at LASA High School. Everything, from the pictures for the Meet the Author page, to our uniform feature story layout was picked for the sole purpose of having a magazine that is better than the rest. We are certain that you will find this magazine to be a Gamechanger. Enjoy,
Table of Contents 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Gamechangers The stories behind the hard-working individuals that made this magazine.
4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Money Ball How finances are impacting what is happening in the world of sports.
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richest Players The superlatives of what is spent on sports.
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sailing the Ocean Blue Everything you need to know about Columbus Crew’s rumored relocation.
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Cleats A short history of how soccer cleats have evolved.
16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snowed In The changing equipment and products in winter sports.
20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Medals per Country The countries with the most winter olympic medals.
22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Techin Over How companies in the sports industry are incorporating technology more.
26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TopTech at TopGolf Fun facts about TopGolf.
28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fun Crossword A crossword about everything in this magazine.
Cover Page Designed by Henry T. Chibib.
Gamechanger|1
The Gamechangers Maverick Trumpler- Layout Editor Maverick Trumpler is a freshman at LASA High School. Maverick really enjoys the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, , 21 Savage, and Cosmic Brownies. Although BlocBoy JB is not his favorite artist, “Rover 2.0” is Maverick’s favorite song. His 40 yard dash time is easily 4.4 seconds. His inspirations are Yung Gravy and Chief Keef. Also, Maverick’s favorite cereal is Cap’n Crunch. When Maverick is not doing LASA homework, he is balling on the court near his house. His goal is to work out on the court every day during the summer of 2018, so he can obtain the necessary skill to be on the Junior Varsity Basketball team for the 2018-2019 season.
Max Weinreb- Fact Checker Max Weinreb is an awesome freshman at LASA. Max plays lots of soccer outside of school and likes listening to music, watching sports, and solving Rubik’s Cubes. His favorite soccer team is Tottenham Hotspur from London, and he watches a lot of their games. In his free time he enjoys to code and make computer programs. When he’s not doing all his homework, Max is usually busy being cool and pulling pranks on his friends. He is going to be a millionaire by the time he is 21.
Photos Courtesy of Sebastian Reyes
2|Gamechanger
Henry Chibib- Graphics Editor Henry Chibib is a creative freshman at LASA who enjoys making videos for Youtube and listening to rap music. His favorite song is “Bread Winner” by YBN Nahmir, but his favorite artist is himself. He dreams of being a professional breather when he grows up, but knows that if that doesn’t work out he will fall back on his “safety job” of being an astronaut. His favorite food is steak despite the mesmerising appeal of corn on the cob. He brings a lot of energy to wherever he goes and inspires everyone in the room with his marvelous creativity.
Kenneth Kleiman- ASF Editor Kenneth Kleiman is a freshman attending LASA high school. Kenneth likes playing soccer and other sports in his free time along with watching Ninja Fortinite live streams. His favorite teams include the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia Eagles, (He is not a bandwagon, he was a fan before the most recent season in which they won the super bowl), and Arsenal FC. He also enjoys aggressively debating with his Ezine group frequently. When he is not doing these things, he is probably hanging out with his many many friends.
Gamechanger|3
Money Ball
How the increasingly changing market affects sports By Max Weinreb
ports teams may have a more expensive is actually quite simple: people different motive than some keep on buying them and coming to the games. might imagine. As players The sports teams and companies realize and stadiums become more expensive, teams rely on continued support to put money in the bank, not necessarily loyal fans. Sports as an industry has begun to make more and more money over the years, for both athletes and teams. Ticket prices have skyrocketed as well as player wages and transfer fees. Many people ask whether or not money has become too inflated, and how on earth a player can be worth close to $300 million. There are many factors at play, but ultimately, it’s all up to the industry. -Ben Crawley, former pro soccer player One factor for why ticket prices are becoming
“Nobody is worth $200 million, but if somebody is willing to pay it, god bless them.�
4|Gamechanger
and golf. “Every sports team looks to make money, and these days it has become more and more about profiting and becoming the biggest team you can be,” he added. Sometimes a team can be built from the ground up with a generous donation or new president, and outstrip older more experienced teams because of one factor: money. “When you have money involved I think it really detracts from the experience,” Ben Crawley said, director of River City Rangers soccer club in Austin. During his time in a professional German club, Crawley noticed the difference in team dynamic when money was involved. He believes
Balls from Columbus Crew Soccer Club’s training ground. The club is currently valued at 123 million dollars. Courtesy of Columbus Crew Communications.
the potential for profit, and while it may not make them very popular with some fans, it can dramatically increase profits. “If the games are too expensive and they’re not going to go, and if they stop going, the team is going to lower its ticket prices,” explained Lee Nichols, a member of the NASA board, a local soccer club. He believes that ultimately the free market will decide what the prices in sports will be. Sports teams are like businesses, and almost every monetary transaction they make is for profit whether it’s tickets, players, or sponsors, the CEOs want to become wealthier. “Well I think it’s definitely becoming more and more for business at all levels,” said Sean Cartell, assistant director at UT for womens basketball
“If the players ask for too much the team’s not going to pay it.” -Lee Nichols, local Austin soccer team board member
playing without money on everyone’s mind makes playing better. Athletes have been given more and more of a value in today’s society, as they build up followings on social media and teams begin to pay increasingly more for the best of the best. Over the summer of 2017, Neymar Jr., a brazilian soccer player, moved from F.C. Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain for $263 million dollars, a record transfer. This reignited the debate on the prices teams pay for players. “Nobody is worth $200 million, but if somebody is willing to pay it, god bless them,” Crawley said. As long as teams are willing to pay the Gamechanger|5
increasing prices that athletes demand, the prices will continue to rise. The overall value of sports has arguably never been higher. As more and more children participate in sports and watch their favorite teams, the value of each team continues to grow, and in turn they will have more money to spend. “So you know whether that’s from a business perspective or societal brand perspective that values certainly there,” Cartell said, “because if the value didn’t exist those athletes wouldn’t be making that money.” Teams are increasingly trying to become more than something you watch on a Sunday: they are trying to become a brand, and with that comes big money. “If the players ask for too much the team’s not going to pay it,” Nichols said. Cartell thought that overall the rise in prices was a good sign for athletes and the sports industry. “It shows you what a huge value that people the public place on athletes and professional sports in general,” Cartell said. Sports are becoming even more popular to play and watch these days and with the rising prices of tickets, stadiums are still being sold out. At the end of the day, prices of players and tickets will be determined by teams and fans. So as a fan of a team, the best way to make the prices decrease, is to not show up, however as sports continue to increase in popularity, that isn’t happening any time soon. “Ultimately I think that the free market is going to determine how much players should be paid,” Cartell said. There is a very direct correlation between the value put on players through media coverage and how much they are paid. Overall sports teams are becoming more of a business venture, and less of a hobby like they used to be. Sports is truly becoming a game of money. 6|Gamechanger
College football players are often the first athletes that get big money offers to play professionally. Pictured are two players from the airforce football team. Courtesy of U.S. Air Force. Photo by Mike Kaplan.
Gamechanger|7
2018 Highest Paid Athletes By Max Weinreb
$93 mil
$86 mil
$47 mil
2005 Highest Paid Athletes
$32 mil
$33 mil
$37 mil 8|Gamechanger
Over the past 20 years, player wages and transfer prices have skyrocketed. A player that would have cost $1 million in 2000, would cost 20-30 million now. Stadium prices and tickets prices have also gone through the roof. The CEOĘźs of these teams have gotten significantly richer through foreign investments. It begs the question: is money getting inflated in sports? Sources: Forbes Magazine
Richest Sports Teams
4 Billion 3 Billion
3.4 Billion 3.7 Billion
Neymar Jr. became the worldĘźs most expensive player when he transferred from Barcelona to Paris, for $263 million dollars.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the worldĘźs most expensive sports complex, costing 1.5 billion dollars
Gamechanger |9
Sailing the Ocean Blue The Columbus Crew SC Relocation Effort to Austin By Kenneth Kleiman
rofessional sports teams move all the time in the changing world of sports, but each move has a unique reason and process and is exciting for different groups of people. The MLS soccer team known as Columbus Crew Soccer Club has, in the last several months, been negotiating a move to Austin from Columbus, Ohio, starting with the 2019 season. It began in late October when the owner, Anthony Precourt, and his company, Precourt Sports Ventures, showed displeasure with the 10|Gamechanger
the current location and stadium claiming that business was struggling based on metrics such as low attendance and an aging stadium. Precourt expressed his frustrations and announced that if the city of Columbus refused to give the Crew a stadium closer to the downtown city center on public land, the team would explore the possibility of a move to Austin. A few weeks later some Columbus officials including the mayor met with Precourt and the commissioner of the MLS, Don Garber, to discuss keeping the team in Columbus and possible solutions, but
programs,” McNeely said. This research was based on common concerns faced by professional sports teams. “What were the profiles of those particular spaces? How much land did they need for a Stadium? Did they have parking or not have parking? What kind of community benefits did those particular entities bring to those cities?” McNeely explained the location choices have not been finalized. “None of them were a specific recommendation that there should be something built in that space,” McNeely said “It was more of something that may look interesting, and it’s really important for us to spend more time analyzing these spaces to determine whether it’s even a good fit.”
“Austin is the largest city in the United States that does not currently have a professional sports team.”
Columbus Crew current stadium: Mapfre Stadium. This stadium is concern for the club and a major reason for the proposed move to Austin. Courtesy of Columbus Crew Communications.
nothing came of these talks. A resolution was passed by the Austin City Council instructing a team led by the active director of Austin parks and recreation, Kimberly McNeely, to put together a list of possible sites for stadium and practice field locations. McNeely put together a list of eight possible locations by the deadline a month later. “I researched and actually some of my team members helped me research different stadiums throughout the country that seem to have been successful or that have successful soccer
- Andrew Erickson, Reporter with the Columbus Dispatch
These locations were mostly public-owned land which is what the team wanted, but not all locations were perfect for all people. The team’s ideal downtown Austin location at Butler Shores was met with some opposition from the city government and the Austin people due it being on central public parkland, and the disruption it would cause. Because of this, the location was taken down from consideration by the team, and a few other sites like Roy G. Guerrero Park have been met with opposition. Despite the push back, Precourt seemed set on trying to find something in Austin. Andrew Erickson, a reporter covering the Gamechanger|11
(above) Columbus Crew fans cheering at a game. Columbus Crew forward Gyasi Zardes sliding for the ball (below). Defender Lalas Abubakar running (right). Photos courtesy of Columbus Crew Communications.
12|Gamechanger
Columbus Crew for the Columbus Dispatch said “For some businesses in Columbus and Austin is a major attraction to franchises. potential corporate partners I think it’s a bit of “Austin is the largest city in a wake up call just that you know a large city the United States that does not asset in theory could be gone,” Erikson currently have a professional said. sports team,” Erickson said. “So Erickson also believes that next there is certainly the draw there season could be an interesting time in terms of population. Their polling for the team and its fans. has shown that people want a Major “Who is going to be coming League team in Austin. They see a out to the games? Will there be lot of the tech companies moving people that come out because of either their second headquarters nostalgia or come out because or investing in the city of Austin. they want to show a change So there’s a lot of momentum in narrative of support? from their viewpoint Or will it be impacted with respect to by that?” Erickson said, the city of describing possible Austin. I factors next season. “My gut think that’s tells me that it might be the latter what’s made it going on that you know that the the interactive place for them.” announcement of a potential The Austin City Council is in the move would adversely affect works of finding a usable space for a attendance, but I think that stadium, but it will not just accept any remains to be seen.” plot of land. As of spring 2018 Precourt “Council Member Alter has a very seems to have one foot in high bar that any potential site would Austin and the other in have to meet in order to gain her support,” Columbus. Nobody really said April Brown, the communications knows how this is going and outreach coordinator for City Council to play out. With trouble Member Alison Alter. “At this point, we have securing a stadium site yet to see a proposal that meets those standards. in Austin, will Precourt Council Member Alter is a longtime advocate for turn back to Columbus parks and open spaces and is strongly opposed or will he decide to take a to the sale of any public parkland for a private less desirable stadium site in endeavor.” Austin? Maybe nothing will Meanwhile in Columbus, the government come of this at all and the Crew will has not done a lot to negotiate with the team. It not move stadiums. It should be seems to be waiting for Precourt to take Austin found out within the next several off the table before negotiating any deals, but months, but no working solution that does not mean that losing the team won’t has come up yet. affect the city. Gamechanger|13
1526 - 1800s The first pair of cleats is reported to have belonged to King Henry VIII in 1526, but it is not known if he actually played any soccer. As the game started to grow though, factory workers began to play after work in their working boots. To improve traction, some people put nails in the bottom of their shoes. These would go on to be the paradigm for soccer cleats.
Evolution .of the A Short By Kenneth Kleiman
Photo courtesy of Soccer Maniak
1850s - 1920s In the 1800s, leather cleats and leather studs began to appear both because of a rule disallowing metal studs and to improve weight and performance. Cleats still stayed pretty heavy, and more built for protection rather than performance with high laces and ankle protection. Other than that though, cleats did not develop a whole lot during this time.
14|Gamechanger
Photo courtesy of FootballHistory.org
Soccer Cleat History
1990s - Present The last few decades saw a huge design change in cleats. Companies began to experiment with color in the 1990s, and since then cleats have become sleeker and more modern and colorful. More cleats are synthetic than leather nowadays. Also, studs on the bottom of many cleats are now bladed to improve stability and grip, and most cleats now have ridges to increase control. To fit the foot better, cleats with sock-like designs have become popular along with personalization and customization.
Photo courtesy of Karen Kleiman
1920s - 1990s Photo courtesy of SoccerShoeGuru
In the mid 1900s, two German brothers made the first cleats with interchangeable studs to adapt for field conditions. Also around this time, cleats became less protective, lighter, more flexible and built more for performance than protection with lower ankles for more mobility. Cleats like the Adidas Predator and Copa Mundial, two of the most popular cleats ever, were made in the late 1900s.
Gamechanger|15
SNOWED IN. By Henry Chibib
Courtesy of Pixnio
16|Gamechanger
Winter sports have been an important part of many cultures across the world for centuries, but the participation of warmer countries in these sports is fairly recent. Winter sports have now spread into every corner of the world. What has caused winter sports to grow so much?
Gamechanger|17
Snowboarder lifts off the ground while utilizing refletive goggles and a Burton snowboards.
inter sports have had major advancements in the past decade, allowing for higher quality sports and easier accessibility to new players. Many areas that get little to no snow in their average year have traditionally lacked the forces to compete in winter sport competitions like the winter olympics, but as these sports continue to grow and advance, they are becoming much more available to these areas. Every year we see new technology being implemented into snow sports which allows for more people to join, creating an overall more diverse and entertaining game. 18|Gamechanger
“Certainly the technology has changed in Equipment,” explained the guest service manager at Aspen, Carolyn Barabe. More recently, major advancements in the technology in sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and even curling have been seen. Before the revolution of the fabric broom, curlers used brooms made out of corn strands called corn brooms. “It was very difficult to do,” said Buck Krawczyk, the president of the Lone Star Curling club. “Then they came up with the … brooms that we have now which are the pads that are on the ice. So it’s much easier to sweep and to actually get
a big difference and allowed people to learn to ski quicker and easier,” said Carolyn Barabe, a guest services manager at Aspen Mountain. In warmer areas, winter sports have been fairly uncommon until now. “I’ve noticed an uptick in the service,” Dolan said. Sports like curling are typically starting to see a lot more new players due to the increase in accessibility and it being showcased in popular competitions like The Olympics.
“Certainly the technology has changed in equipment.” -Carolyn Barabe, manager at Aspen Mountain
Courtesy of David Laroche
the rock to go farther down the ice.” Advancements in equipment are also very prevalent in other sports. Changes in skis and snowboards have a big impact on their respective games. “You notice a lot more variety and even construction and even just the way they’re designing the boards is totally different,” said Mike Dolan, manager of Sun & Ski. These changes not only improve the game for professional athletes, but they allow new players to learn the game and start playing sooner and better. “When they started shaping the skis, it made
“The U.S. Curling Association has done a lot to make our Olympic athletes more competitive this time around,” Krawczyk said. “I expect the sport in the United States is going to continue to grow”. Although accessibility has certainly increased for people in warmer areas, it is still harder to get into than most conventional sports. “It’s kind of an expensive sport to get in to,” Barabe said. “we’re [also] seeing warmer temperatures in the spring. Things have changed and we’re just not seeing the amount of snow that we used to see and we’re seeing shorter seasons.” Winter sports are growing at an incredible rate, and the potential is limitless. The accessibility of winter sports has already grown so much and it is very exciting to see how these sports will grow more across the world. Gamechanger|19
Most Winter Olympic medals By Henry Chibib
368 305
408 * Germany
Norway
U.S.A. Source: Los Angeles Times
20|Gamechanger
Source: Los Angelas Times
* *
Germany includes Germany, East Germany, West Germany, and Unified Germany Russia includes Soviet Union, Russia, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia
354 * Russia
232 Austria
Gamechanger|21
Techin’ Over The story of how technology is playing an increasigly bigger role in sports By Maverick Trumpler
s the world continues to progress forward, so does technology. One industry that uses all the new technologies in the world is the sports industry. From entertainment to science to professional sporting teams, there are endless uses of technology. TopGolf, a sports and entertainment venue, bases its entire game off of technology. TopGolf is a driving range that prides itself on having a very unique quality. TopGolf has targets that players aim at, contrary to normal driving 22|Gamechanger
ranges which have players hit the ball as far as they can. TopGolf ’s technology is so important and unique to them that they are not allowed to disclose information about it. The basics about the coveted technology is that each golf ball has a chip in it, and the location of where the ball lands determines the number of points that a player earns. For example, if a player hits a target that is farther than the other targets, they receive more points. The closer the ball lands to the center, the more points the player receives
TopGolf Austin is located on Esperanzsa Crossing in North Austin. TopGolf receives many different visitors every year from all beckgrounds. Courtesy of TopGolf.
development, and business decisions involved with sports organisations all use technology frequently so that these events can be done efficiently. “A lot of people have never been there, and others come back a lot. It’s cool to either see the same faces, or get people there,” said Kylie Alecander, a TopGolf employee, when describing what’s great about TopGolf. TopGolf has a commitment different than other driving ranges.
“Instead of watching thirty games to try and figure out tendencies, you can just plug it in to a software.” -Nicholas Lagios, basketball operations coordinator
as well. So the way to get the most points is to hit the ball to the center of the farthest target. Many universities across the country, including the University of Texas, utilise technology to get research and data in different areas of study. One department, the Department of Kinesiology, the science of body movements, needs many different technologies to record how different athletes’ bodies move and react. Technology also fills the realm of professional sporting teams everywhere. Practices, games, player
“You can also be any regular person, and come there,” said Kylie. “I think a lot of people like the food, the people, just the environment of being there. And it’s a sports and entertainment facility as well.” A fun and entertaining venue like TopGolf is not the only part of sports that expresses its value of technology. The University of Texas’ Kinesiology Department, which studies the mechanics of body movements, recognizes the value of technology. “My work… is mostly focused on how technology can be used to measure athletes’ performances, mostly in a laboratory setting but occasionally during competition,” said Lawrence Abraham, professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas. “The majority of my research has been to examine how athletes move and then to suggest changes in their movement Gamechanger|23
South Bay Lakers starting center, Thomas Bryant, hangs on the rim after dunking the ball. Courtesy of South Bay Lakers.
patterns that should improve the outcome in competition.” Primarily focusing on how athletes can just improve the mechanics of their movement, the South Bay Lakers, the Gatorade League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, use technology to improve all aspects of their player’s game. “It saves hundred of thousands of hours” said Nicholas Lagios, basketball operations coordinator for the South Bay Lakers. His team’s coaches have “seen the value of these new technologies, [and] they are going to save you a lot of time; instead of watching thirty games to try and figure out tendencies, you can just plug it in to a software.” The South Bay Lakers have a large depth of technology that is used to make the team the 24|Gamechanger
best that it can be. “So we have cameras that track the ball,” Lagios said. “So during practice, we don’t need anyone to film it, we can play games and we have this technology that follows the ball and films everything. They have software where they have cameras in the stadium that record everything that happens and start to recognize the different players; it kind of does analytics for you.” Professional teams are now able to use statistics and develop faster thanks to all the new technologies. Many teams are heading in the South Bay Lakers’ direction and becoming more adaptive to technology. “I think that it keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it will even get bigger in the next couple years,” Lagios said.
(Above) South Bay Lakers starting power forward, Travis Wear (right), drives in on a player on the OKC Blue. (Below) South Bay Lakers players celebrate during a timeout. Courtesy of South Bay Lakers.
Gamechanger|25
s t c a F p o T
t u o Ab
Source: TopGolf Website
26|Gamechanger
f l o G Top By Maverick Trumpler
Gamechanger|27
Gamechanger Crossword 1 4
2
3 6 5
8
7
9
ACROSS: 2. ________ Crew could move to Austin 5. Many sports, like Soccer and Tennis, use these. 7. Maximilian _______ 9. Buck Krawczyk is the president of Lone Star _______ Club
DOWN: 1. The name of this Ezine 3. Nicholas Lagios is the president of basketball operations for the South Bay ______ 4. Henry ______ 6. Kenneth _______ 8. ________ Trumpler 9. ____ Crunch is Maverick’s favorite cereal.
Answers: 1. Gamechanger, 2. Columbus, 3. Lakers, 4. Chibib, 5. Balls, 6. Kleiman, 7. Weinreb, 8. Maverick, 9A. Curling, 9B. Capn
28|Gamechanger