Faithful Cherry and White

On my show this week (links posted at the bottom this page), we talked a lot about football as usual, but now the season is on the brink of being a huge success -- bigger than anyone expected and, as a result, it could be a huge failure.  Temple has started to convince everyone that it should win, at least against its foes in the MAC East, and because of that Temple might have more pressue to win than ever before.  In Golden's weekly press conference this past Tuesday he mentioned how it's been a good season, but that he wouldn't be happy until they finished buisness and that means that he expects this team to win a MAC Championship at this point.

On show this semester, we've constantly talked about what the feeling is like around the student body and the feeling about this team.  For a long time no one was paying attention to Temple, becasue they weren't winning. If they can't win a championship or a Bowl game they're not going to get students to come out and support them, but now they are getting attention, attention from the Nation -- they received 25 votes last week in AP polls to get into the top 25!  

Ever hear the cliche "if you ask, you shall revieve," or "becareful what you wish for?" Yea, well I'm the last person who likes to use those old-worn out cliches, but they do the job here.  If Temple collapses down the stretch, what is going to happen to this team and more importantly how will the student-body react. 

The one thing missing from this team, that most other top 25 or 50 teams have, is a packed stadium full of students and fans at every home game.

When Temple plays Penn State at home, there are more Penn State fans than Temple fans -- that has to change.  Temple, besides the Villanova game, has averaged about 13,000 in a attendance and that's probably including everyone within eye sight of the stadium.  And when that can change maybe Temple will get more national coverage, because ESPN and other networks that carry college games are not going to want to film a game where there are no fans in the stadium -- it looks terrible, just watch a Florida Marlins baseball game.

Listen to more football banter by listen to Temple Sports Hour on WHIP radio at www.temple.edu/whip on Monday and Wednesday from 10am-11am.  Every show is archived and posted on the Facebook Fan Page "Temple Sports Hour," or links are posted to my twitter page at e_pellini_SU34.

 Last show (Wednesday, 11th)

 http://www.4shared.com/file/154765888/12bbf88c/TempleSportsHour_11_18_09.html

Having read about the recent SEPTA strikes while abroad, I’m starting to realize just how lucky I am to be using London’s public transportation system for the semester. The first section of London’s underground was completed in 1863, making it the oldest subway system in the world, and a classic model for subways everywhere. The Tube (“Choobe”…in phonetic British), as it is nicknamed by the locals, consists of 268 stations and about 250 miles of above-ground and subterranean track, also making it the longest metro system in the world.

When I was first handed a map of the Tube at orientation, my head started spinning, as I pondered over what looked like thousands of colorful routes throughout the city. After all, I was used to the good old blue and orange lines of Philadelphia. But because London’s streets are thousands of years old, the city is perhaps as far from a grid-system as you can get. This map offered twelve different lines, most of which ran haphazardly through central London and then outwards, across the Thames and to every corner of the city.

“The Tube Map is like a complex version of chutes and ladders,” explained Meghan Hughes, a junior Temple London student. Although it may seem random, the system is actually very logical, and can take you practically anywhere you want to go. The appropriately named Circle line, for example, runs along the north bank of the Thames and then circles around, touching the east, north and west sections of the city. Running through the middle of the city are the Central and Piccadilly lines, as well as the District, Jubilee, Bakerloo, Victoria and Northern lines, which then run all the way out to the suburbs of London.

And not only is the design of London’s Tube so efficient, but the entire system is really made to please its customers. I’ve never had to wait more than five minutes for a train to arrive, the carriage interiors are almost always spotless and furnished with cushioned seats, and the stations themselves are clean, well-labeled and look more like old-fashioned train stations than subways. At each stop, a friendly British voice echoes “Mind the gap!” as passengers step from train onto platform, and if there’s a delay, the conductor will always alert travelers of fact and apologize profusely afterwards. There is always a heavy presence of London underground officials in the Tube, brilliant artwork and advertisements, and occasionally you’ll find a five piece orchestra serenading passers-by in the Oxford Circus station. Even the names of the stops are a quaint reminder that I’m in Britain, and not Philadelphia. Allegheny, Olney, Girard and Race-Vine have been replaced by Swiss Cottage, Parsons Green, Queensway and Bromley-by-Bow.

However, because the Tube is so old, periodic construction is needed for up-keep. Sometimes on the weekends, certain stations or even entire lines are closed for repairs. Or maybe you’re out past midnight, partying the night away and return to a closed underground station. When this is the case, we conveniently turn to London’s other famous mode of public transportation: those shiny, cherry red double-decker buses. The bus system is just as efficient, if not more so, than the underground. I could essentially step outside my flat in southwest London and onto a bus, and disembark somewhere in northeast London without ever having walked an inch. The buses are my favorite mode of travel during the day at least, because a seat up top is more like a scenic amusement park ride rather than a commute. And at night, of course, it’s always entertaining to watch hordes of drunken people stumble up the stairs of a double-decker in motion.

And the best part is that all of this can be accomplished without tokens or tickets. An Oyster Card is all you need in London to get you moving. The convenience of being able to quickly swipe through any gateway in an Underground or bus is worth the price of purchasing a card, especially for zones one and two, which encompass the entirety of central London.

In a few weeks, I know I’ll be sad to leave my frequented Tube stop of Gloucester Road and wave goodbye to the number 9 bus, but I’ll be looking forward to hearing “Cecil B. Moore” echo through the tunnels of North Philly again.

As we dive into the fall season, the leaves are changing colors and the beauty of the city is enlivened with reds, yellows, oranges and browns, especially by Kelly Drive and the Art Museum. Here is where the well-known statue of  Rocky Balboa stands.

To Italian-Americans, Rocky Balboa represents an Italian-American man with a lot of heart and integrity. His statue reminds people that with hard work and dedication anything is possible regardless of what others say. This is especially important to the Italian-Americans who immigrated to America, most specifically to Philadelphia, because of the discrimination and hard times they encountered. They managed to work their way up in society and established the Italian-American influence in the city.

Visitors from around the world put the Rocky Balboa statue on their must see list because he has grown into a universal symbol for the American Dream regardless of nationality.

Everytime I walk by the Art Museum I make sure to stop by the statue and each time there is a new group of tourists taking pictures, imitating the statue and reenacting a fight from the movie. It makes me happy to know that there are no longer many struggles for Italian-Americans in the city and people are actually celebrating them.

So not only are the Rocky movies awesome, but also the legendary symbol the character represents goes beyond Hollywood and touches the hearts of those that visit the statue each day.

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Temple Athletics, as a whole, is having a pretty good fall season to this point, but now it's up to the two major revenue sports to put a stamp on a successful and hopefully a lucrative season for Temple University.  Of course, I'm talking about football and women's and men's basketball.

This is not to put down other athletic teams, let's review a little bit before we go any further.  

If you were watching and listening this season, you know that field hockey finished second in the Atlantic 10 in a wrenching loss to Richmond after beating Richmond in the last game of the regular season to make the Atlantic 10 tournament.  This was the first time the Owls made the championship game in six years and also marked the first time the Lady Owls had ever beaten Richmond.

Men's Soccer didn't reach the expectations most, including my self, had set for them, but they still made it exciting and had one of it's players receive national recognition -- J.T. Noone, center-midfielder.  Men's soccer failed to reach the A10 tournament needing to win their last two games on the last weekend of the season; however, even though they fell 1-0 nothing to St. Louis they beat 15th ranked Charlotte 2-1 in their  final game of the regular season.  

Women's Soccer had a dismal season, but they too did win the final game of their season, beating cross-town rival St. Joes.  

And now volleyball has secured a spot in the A10 Tournament.  They will fight for a top seed this weekend with match-ups against Charlotte and St. Louis.  Both games will give great insight into the Owl's chances of winning a crown, because the Owls could see both teams in the tournament. 

 The Owls are heavily scored as the underdog vs. St. Louis, but the match-up could give the Owls good insight into stealing a win in tournament play ( this is a stretch, but think of the New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl two years ago --Giants played them on the last game of the regular season before beating them in the Super Bowl).

But, of course it comes down to football and basketball.  

Football has already had a season for the record books -- heck they're going to have to put Bernard Pierce's name in their at least four or five times.  Perhaps, just maybe, men's basketball can trump a football MAC Championship with a three-peat of the A10 championship, which would only be bested by UMass' five-peat from 1992-96' ( four of those wins were against Temple).

Women's basketball has come so close to hoisting an A10 championship banner in the last three seasons, after winning three from 2004-06'.  They still have bragging rights to being one of the best teams on campus, though, with a 68-32 record over the last three seasons and they have not missed a beat since legendary coach Dawn Staley left and Tonya Cardoza took over the helm last season.

Still, we can't help but keep our attention on football and men's basketball.  Who is to say whether Temple can win the MAC this year or the A10, or both?  Any amount of statistics will tell you that it's going to be difficult, but that they have a chance.  

This is what is comes down to...I'm an advocate of stats, but forget the stats on this one.  Al Golden and the Owls will win a MAC Championship if one thing happens...they score more points than the other team.  

I know that sounds really obvious, but Temple almost lost to Miami (Ohio) last weekend, but they didn't because the Owls were 6/6 in scoring when in the red zone and Ohio was 5/5.  We have been used to the Owls defense stopping the opposing team, but Miami proved that the Owls can and will give up points to a good passing attack and the MAC's western conference has a Central Michigan team that can throw the ball...yea, be weary.

 It's going to be a close game and the Owls have shown they can win those games this year, plus what do they have to lose -- they weren't picked to win this year?

Men's basketball, on the other hand, is just starting their season and their starting a core group of guys that have never played an entire season together.  

They're starting Micheal Eric at center this year, who is as athletic as they come, but he still needs a lot of work on the fundamentals of the position ( you can listen to my interview with head coach Fran Dunphy on Temple Sports Hour by downloading the link at the bottom of this page).  
They're also starting Juan Fernandez, the international super star from Argentina, and he hasn't played an entire season with the Owls yet.  

The Owls will feature a lot of players who will be asked to carry responsibility they have not carried before.  Never the less, I'm excited and optimistic this team will win a lot of games -- how many? I don't know, but they have a chance early in the season to put it together as they play Delaware in the first game of the season, which should be a light match-up for the Owls.

If you're a Temple Owl fan, this is the best time of the season so break out the the cherry and white!


Interview with Fran Dunphy & Tonya Cardoza:

Interview with Dunphy can be found at about the 30 minute mark into the show.  Cardoza follows directly after the commercial break when Dunphy interview is over.  Enjoy!

http://www.4shared.com/file/150289354/f3929172/TempleSportsHour_11_11_09.html

Also, enjoy the video previewing the Owl's season, which was filmed and edited by Temple Univeristy videographer Dan McKinney

They kicked in any door that was locked

 "You know everyone comes here to tour Temple and thinks it's in such a horrible neighborhood because of how it looks, but once you get out there and start talking to your people it's really not that bad at all." -Greg Trainor (Me) about four hours before being robbed.

Last year when the Phillies won the World Series my friend Anthony Bender, a senior at Temple University, was mugged, hit by a car, and then jumped by another group of guys. This all occurred within about twenty minutes.

Bender is from the same nice suburb as me back in North Jersey, and when our friends back home heard this story, they made jokes about "The Philadelphia Experience."

The jist of the Philadelphia Experience is that you haven't really experienced this city until you've had some kind of awful confrontation with violence, crime, or poverty.

Bender is not alone in this. Another friend of mine, Shaina Abney, had to force a deranged man from her apartment in the supposedly secure Temple University dormitory, The Edge, last year. A friend of mind that emigrated from Syria, Nabil Mimari, had his Philly experience when he was woken up in his bed by a man with a gun pointed at his face. He was one of a series of robberies of night time home robberies that took place in the Temple neighborhood last year. My housemate, Paul Emmett, has been mugged twice this last year.

It seems to me that we are no longer talking about the Philadelphia Experience here. This is the Temple Experience.

Well, I had my Temple experience this last week, and like Bender's, mine was the result of North Philadelphia's criminal element taking advantage of the World Series.

Our house was robbed in the hour and a half window in which we were directly across the street watching the game at our neighbors. The timing of it makes it pretty clear that they were watching us, they knew that our house was Temple students, and they literally saw us leave the house before they went in.

Our back window was closed but not locked, and even though there are bars over our windows they were able to reach through the bars to undo the deadbolt on our backdoor next to this window. Once inside they went room to room, kicking down any doors that were locked, and stole any electronics that could be easily carried out. My house had three laptops, and four Ipods stolen.

They stole my macbook, my xbox, and my backpack, most likely to carry the other stuff out. I can't imagine they noticed at the time that my checkbook, IPod, jump drive, and voice recorder were in the side pockets of my backpack. They dumped out the notebooks, but took the agenda and Tigre Hill's documentary on John Street, The Shame of a City, which was inside. I suppose they wanted to learn more about the scandal surrounding his 2003 election. Maybe they voted for Sam Katz.

Unbeknownst to them, the macbook, IPod, and Jump Drive were the three places I had over 300 pages of the book I've been writing backed up. Just to throw this out there in case they are reading this (Hah!), I would give anything to have so much as the jump drive with the back up copy of my book back.

This is a part of the deal when you choose Temple University. The deal is you go to great school, and you pay over twenty thousand dollars less a year than your friends at UPenn or Drexel, but you take the risk of having this particular Temple experience.

It's not like any of us are unaware of where we go to school. Most Temple students make jokes about attending college in the heart of a ghetto, some like myself (until recently) doubt the real danger, and girls are afraid to walk anywhere alone.

Temple students also pride themselves in this experience. We are proud to shop at the run down deli store without a sign that sells cheese steaks for two fifty. We are proud that we are diverse. We are proud that no one can ever accuse us of living in an ivory tower or a bubble, because the world we see on the walk to classes every day is very, very messed up.

Last night, a week to the day of the robbery, a girl who I knew was supposed to be walking home at the time didn't pick up her phone right away, and for the first time I freaked out. I almost pressed the emergency button on one of the blue police emergency poles. She was fine, but I realized afterwards that I can no longer play the idealist or pretend that I'm not afraid. I have the fear now.

I worry about my friends. I worry about the girls I know. I worry about my stuff. I feel this way because we were so deeply wronged, and there is nothing we can do about it except cross our fingers that the police catch a lucky break. I'm angry more than anything.

Many tried to provide solace with words, but it was my housemate John Browning who finally touched on something real. A couple days after the robbery we were standing on our stoop discussing the uncomfortable subject of how we no longer trusted our neighbors. He pointed out that this is was the way it's been and why it doesn't change.

People get robbed and then they stop trusting. They stop saying hi on the sidewalk, and they stop making small talk with their neighbors. Soon enough we're all locked in our houses scared and oppressed in equal parts by the few bad men that terrorize us and our own personal demons of fear. Meanwhile we've handed free reign of the neighborhood over to the criminals who need anonymity to operate.

Realizing this epiphany is not a happy ending. I'll never recover from being robbed of my book, and we no longer feel safe here. I'm not going to sleep well because I learned an important lesson, but looking back to my first visit I remember now that it was the Temple Experience that drew me in.

Like how young men want to know what war is like, I wanted to understand poverty. It's an education and an experience that Temple University provides. It's a part of the deal we make when we come here.

We learned about poverty and crime the hard way. We have to make the choice now to not let the fear take hold, because if we can learn what to do about poverty with this new understanding of it, we'll have had an education that no money can buy.

Blogger Rosella Eleanor LaFevre.

In real estate, it's all about "Location, location, location!"

In life, it's all about "People, people, people!"

In this blog, I'll write about interesting people who are part of the Temple community. You'll learn who they are, what they think and feel about the world around them, all manner of good stuff. Keep an eye out for the next post!

Maggiano's Little Italy sits at the corner of 12th and Filbert Streets in Center City. With its extensive menu of Italian classics like calamari, linguine and clams and chicken parmesan, Maggiano's is just the perfect Italian restaurant for visitors and locals alike to visit for a great meal. However, those living gluten-free lifestyles, are sure to stay away from these Italian foods because they think they are not able to find anything to eat, especially when there are pastas and breadings involved.  There is an option though! Maggiano's Little Italy works to accomodate gluten-free customers with their corn flour pasta substitute. This is especially good for me because I have just adopted the gluten-free diet about two months ago. Over the years I have learned the vegetarian, non-dairy way to live, but recently I have discovered a sensitivity to wheat and certain flours and grains, so I experimented with a gluten-free diet.....so far so good.  

Once I adapted the gluten-free lifestyle, I asked myself how am I, an Italian, going to do this? (Pretty serious question :))

Being a vegetarian was manageable, but now no regular pastas or breads or pizzas? Wow! I knew it would take a long time to figure my way through the diet and though I'm still learning, places like Maggiano's (that just happens to be an Italian restaurant) are taking the time to make sure their customers are satisfied and sticking to their health diets. Couldn't ask for anything more- health concious food with incredible taste being eaten in a beautiful city. This shows the willingness to change as society's demand changes. Kudos to Maggiano's!

Now I can have a peace of mind that I am able to eat Italian food without worrying about dietary restrictions. Other choices are in supermarkets like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Wegman's, etc. Gluten-free pastas, frozen pizzas, breads, and more are out there! Products like rice flour pasta, rice flour breads, corn flour crusts do exist! Seek and you shall find...

Felice di mangiare!

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Temple was supposed to walk over Miami (Ohio) last night at Lincoln Financial Field, but it took a game winning field goal from Brian McManus with three seconds left to win the game.

The Owls started off the game with a commanding 14 point lead, both touchdowns scored by Bernard Pierce, but Miami (Ohio) charged back to make the score 24-13 at the half.  It wasn't until about mid-way through the third quarter when everybody started to realize that this might be close game.  The Owls forced four punts and one interception in the first half, but only forced one Miami punt in the second half and that was largely the difference.

Enough can't be said about the Job Miami did, though, red-shirt freshman quarterback Zac Dyesert connected with 9 different receivers’ for over 400 yards passing and three touchdowns.  Despite the Owls five sacs, Dyesert went most of the game largely unpressured, and when he was, he stepped up in the pocket and broke wide of the pocket to find an open receiver in the Owl's soft zone coverages.  Middle-line backer, Alex Joseph, was busy all night patrolling the short middle of the field and even for the former high school safety it arguable was too much space for one man to cover.

There were plenty of story lines from last night's game though, the Owls had another huge performance from freshman running back Bernard Pierce and a big game from second-string quarterback Chester Stewart, although, after last night I'm guessing it will be his job to lose from this point on.

If you're Al Golden, there was plenty of ways to spin this victory...as I sat in post-game room listening to reporters ask Golden about Charlton and Stewart, or how the defense gave up 32 points to MAC's worst team this year, he had every chamber filled with a bullet, thanks to the last minute heroics of Stewart, Pierce and McManus.

Stewart started his first game of the season last night, in front of a small, but loud Temple crowd and looked the part -- it wasn't the numbers on the stat sheet that impressed anyone, 6-11 for 143 yards isn't anything to get excited over.  It was when and where Stewart made plays that mattered.  When it came down to it, he hit the open receivers that Charlton is struggling to hit; the Owls were finally able to cash in on some play-action and move the ball up the field with their passing game.  In only six completed passes, Stewart hit four different receivers, including Joe Jones in the fourth quarter for 31 yards into Miami territory with under two minutes to play.  Golden wouldn't say who would start next week, but you can bet that Stewart will be the starter the rest of the way.

As I was sitting in the press box, around all the other reporters, it felt like there was more hype around how Stewart played than Pierce, there was just this feeling that Piece wasn't having that great of a game.  Obviously, when you look at his numbers he had an amazing game, but it was perhaps his most quietly successful game -- if I can say so. 

One reporter even asked Golden after the game if he was surprised, or not as impressed with Pierce  (I'm not quoting that because I don't remember his exact words, but you can listen for it the post-game audio below, I almost fell of my chair!  I don't know who let this guy in the room, but 178 yards on the ground, 3 touchdowns with a 4.4 yards per carry is a great game.  Golden, responded perfectly saying, "If that doesn’t impress you, I don't know what will."  But, I think that the reason that happened was because the lime light is starting to shift away from Pierce and more towards Temple winning -- even Pierce has become more reserved in his interviews after games. 

I think for the fist time the win was bigger than Bernard Pierce, or at least everyone allowed it to be.  In a lot of ways you can’t blame anyone for that, every time Pierce touches the ball he is a threat to break another record.  He needed one more touchdown last night to tie two Temple records.  He would've tied the record for most touchdowns in a season (Record held by Paul Palmer with 15) and in a game (Record held by three different players with 4).  He, also needs 19 more yards to pass Tanardo Sharps for third all-time in rushing yards for a single season.  He probably would’ve broken both those record, but the Miami defense did a great job of tackling Pierce in the open field last night.  Piece was gained 178 yards on the ground last night, because he was meeting first contact until about three or five yards past the line of scrimmage on a lot f his carries, but Miami (Ohio) was making some great open field tackeles.(40 carries for two consecutive games)

Things are starting to fall Temple's way and that's why I implore all Temple student's to start attending Temple football games -- this is the team that most college students on Temple's campus complain they don't have and now they do.

For more play-by-play of what happened in the game go to http://www.owlsports.com/news/2009/11/5/FB_1105090544.aspx

Post-Game Interviews (Full):

Al Golden:

 http://www.4shared.com/file/147592259/728827e1/ALGolden_Miami.html

Chester Stewart:

http://www.4shared.com/file/147594178/10949470/BrianMcManus_Miami.html

Brian McManus:

http://www.4shared.com/file/147594178/10949470/BrianMcManus_Miami.html

Alex Joesph:

http://www.4shared.com/file/147594713/d59196cc/AlexJoseph_Miami.html

Bernard Pierce:

http://www.4shared.com/file/147595401/987e1f9d/BernardPierce_Miami.html

As I wrote in my inaugural post for this blog, the more the green movement gains steam as a pop culture phenomenon, illustrating green lifestyle as a beneficial trend rather than a divisive political issue, the more likely it is that the importance of the message will trickle down to those who are uneducated about environmentalism.

Thanks to an economic recession that has left the country reeling, city and state governments are finally taking the environment seriously by imposing green standards on any new buildings, hoping to significantly cut energy costs and carbon emissions as a way to save money. This newfound environmental awareness has carried over to sports franchises, where many teams in the three major sports, baseball, basketball, and football, are setting precedent by acceding to the environmental demands of their respective cities. While the primary motivation may be to create a more cost-effective business model, with the clout that sports teams carry with their fans, the potential is there to leave a green footprint and help promote a sustainable way of life.

The Phillies and Yankees are in the midst of a dogfight for the championship, but how many fans knew that they are also battling for the top spot in the Greenest Team sweepstakes? According to a recent report by MLB.com, the Phillies are the only carbon-neutral team in the major leagues since 2008. The team's success in this area can be partially attributed to an increased emphasis on recycling, with 35 recycling containers placed around the city, and 16-17 percent recycling rate, as well as using biodegradable plastic on food utensils and shopping bags, and selling locally grown and organic food products. The Phillies have also purchased 20 million killowatts of renewable energy credits that will offset all of the electricity used during the 2008 season, the largest purchase of 100% renewable energy in pro sports. 

The two brand new stadiums in New York City, the new Yankee Stadium and the Mets' Citi Field, have followed suit with green initiatives of their own. Yankee Stadium has installed lighting improvements that save 207,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per night. They have also recycled 8,879 gallons of cooking oil to create 7,192 gallons of biodiesel fuel. Citi Field is built from 95% recycled steel and has 65,000 square feet of porous pavers on the field and a 3,700 square foot drainage bed to control stormwater runoff. It almost makes up for the tean's controversial naming rights scandal in wake of Citibank's government bailout. 

NBA and NFL teams are following suit with prospective stadiums and arenas. The Orlando Magic awarded HOK Sport, a pioneer in eco-friendly sports venues, with the opportunity to build their new arena, hoping to grab the coveted LEED certification that measures building sustainability. The new Meadowlands stadium for the New York Giants and Jets has also set goals of installing seating made from recycled plastic and scrap iron and cutting water usage by 25% in order to become one of the greenest venues in the NFL. Similarly, the San Francisco 49ers have included a green roof in their plan for a new stadium.

The most encouraging development is that established stadiums and arenas such as the Miami Heat's AmericanAirlines Arena, the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field, and the nation's oldest stadium, the Boston Red Sox Fenway Park, are striving for green certification, proving that old dogs can learn new (green) tricks. Installing solar panels and increasing recycling output are things that all stadiums can easily do to become more sustainable, and it is certainly a positive sign that teams are becoming more cognizant of these options.

So what does this mean for the future of the green movement? Imagine that instead of hawking cell phones, sneakers, or Under Armour, Lebron James, Peyton Manning, and Albert Pujols became the faces of a green future. You think that will get people to pay attention to environmental issues? Athletes are paid millions of dollars to play their respective sport but also to serve as role models for their fans. The three major sports all have very strong community service initiatives, such as the NBA's reading program, the NFL's partnership with the Boys and Girls Club for America and MLB's RBI program. It would be a waste of these resources if those leagues did nothing to further green education, especially given the steps they have already taken. Why stop at green venues? We need green fans.

Teams should also educate their own players on how to live green. Every league has a rookie symposium that serves as a seminar for new players on adjusting to life in professional sports. If every symposium included a segment on being a positive green influence, or better yet mandated it as part of the community service requirement for every league, we may see less athletes on MTV cribs showing off their gas guzzling SUV's. Tom Brady driving a Prius? Dare to dream...