How'd you like that Downton Abbey ending last night? Yeah, that was the spoiler I knew weeks ago and even then they certainly waited long enough to do it. Poor Kelly was watching the scene in the hospital with the new baby going, "so where is this spoiler you claimed you knew about?" Then they cut to the car.
Still sick. So gonna keep this short today. Two news stories for you...
Cubs may part ways with WGN-TV after 2014 season, ending half-century relationship covers the about-to-begin negotiations over tv rights and the possibility that the Cubs may end a historic run that has gone on since 1948. Part of the Cubs mystique is being on national tv during summer afternoons and building a loyal audience of fans across the country. But the Cubs want to start their own tv network.
Ask the Blackhawks how making games less available worked for them. Essentially, Chicago couldn't have cared less about hockey and the United Center sat empty while the previous leadership restricted tv access. It's hard to build a fanbase without eyeballs on the screen for games. Nobody wants to go to games for a team they can't watch regularly. The minute the Hawks were on TV more, the United Center filled up and they became more popular. Well, a Stanley Cup championship didn't hurt. The Cubs wouldn't have to worry about anything if they'd just win the fricking World Series.
The Cubs can't quite seem to figure out that fans are fans for a reason beyond winning. The stadium, the atmosphere, the respect for history, the lack of pandering...up until now. Now, it seems like the new ownership wants to drive fans away. Ticket prices, poor team quality, renovations, they need a lesson in PR. And most Cubs fans are National League fans who aren't going to easily turn things over to the less popular team in Chicago. The White Sox don't have a fan-friendly stadium. The American League is less watchable. In short, Chicago may be shifting from being a baseball town.
Don't Rule Out Having Children Because You Want to Have a Career is a follow-up by Anne-Marie Slaughter to her continuing pieces on work/family balance, dual income households, etc.. Here, she covers the decline in the number of women who say they plan on having children...opting for a career instead. She covers the enjoyable side of parenting and today's article certainly fits in well with my other discussions on falling birth rates and the like. I especially enjoy the part about how we need to quit leaning so heavily toward the career side and focus more on the child-rearing.
More to say...but blech. Gotta go sneeze.
Still sick. So gonna keep this short today. Two news stories for you...
Cubs may part ways with WGN-TV after 2014 season, ending half-century relationship covers the about-to-begin negotiations over tv rights and the possibility that the Cubs may end a historic run that has gone on since 1948. Part of the Cubs mystique is being on national tv during summer afternoons and building a loyal audience of fans across the country. But the Cubs want to start their own tv network.
Ask the Blackhawks how making games less available worked for them. Essentially, Chicago couldn't have cared less about hockey and the United Center sat empty while the previous leadership restricted tv access. It's hard to build a fanbase without eyeballs on the screen for games. Nobody wants to go to games for a team they can't watch regularly. The minute the Hawks were on TV more, the United Center filled up and they became more popular. Well, a Stanley Cup championship didn't hurt. The Cubs wouldn't have to worry about anything if they'd just win the fricking World Series.
The Cubs can't quite seem to figure out that fans are fans for a reason beyond winning. The stadium, the atmosphere, the respect for history, the lack of pandering...up until now. Now, it seems like the new ownership wants to drive fans away. Ticket prices, poor team quality, renovations, they need a lesson in PR. And most Cubs fans are National League fans who aren't going to easily turn things over to the less popular team in Chicago. The White Sox don't have a fan-friendly stadium. The American League is less watchable. In short, Chicago may be shifting from being a baseball town.
Don't Rule Out Having Children Because You Want to Have a Career is a follow-up by Anne-Marie Slaughter to her continuing pieces on work/family balance, dual income households, etc.. Here, she covers the decline in the number of women who say they plan on having children...opting for a career instead. She covers the enjoyable side of parenting and today's article certainly fits in well with my other discussions on falling birth rates and the like. I especially enjoy the part about how we need to quit leaning so heavily toward the career side and focus more on the child-rearing.
More to say...but blech. Gotta go sneeze.