Krazy for Kardashians

Everyone knows who the Kardashians are- Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, and their Jenner relatives, Bruce, Kris, Kendall, and Kylie- Not to mention their in-laws, Lamar Odom and Scott Disick. But why are they so famous? Why do they make so much money just for being Kardashians?

The trick is in everything that they do. They don't just specialize in acting or singing, but they specialize in everything. Aside from modeling and being on their popular reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the girls sell their name in many products. They create best selling books (Kardashian Konfidential), launch their own clothing line at Sears, market their own fragrances, and keep up with their fans through personal appearances and Twitter. Kim even launched her own single. The key for the Kardashians to making so much money is just putting themselves out there into every industry.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/the-kardashians-65-million_n_824747.html
This source can be considered credible because it comes from the entertainment column of the well-known current events newspaper, the Huffington Post. This article was also published fairly recently in 2011.

Synthesis and Plan

I have been researching how dancing can be incorporated into careers and how successful you can become from a dancing related career.  One of my main points is that dance costs a lot of money training for many years and will hopefully be reimbursed after making it big.  There is a big risk going into dance because you can not ensure that you will have a stable income. Your dance career ends when your body no longer permits you.  You will prepare all of your life for an entertainment career, but a simple broken foot can easily end it.  You will stop earning money as you age and can no longer dance as you once did. Another main point is that there are many options for dancers.  There is a wide variety of career involving dance with varying salaries, making the options seemingly endless. However, another point was that dancers are essential to make celebrities and songs famous.  By dancing in the backround of a music video, the video becomes an instant youtube sensation.  This fame you could bring, in turn brings you a lot of money.  I plan on talking about how, not only dancers make music videos famous, but how music videos can make them famous.  I also plan on discussing how early or late a career may start, affecting how you will be able to support yourself.

Don't Give Up Quite Yet

One of the biggest expenses for parents and students during this generation is the overbearing, rising cost of annual college tuition.  When you feel as if all hope is lost in figuring out how to pay for college, you may not need to worry anymore, because there are indeed ways to cut and avoid high college costs.

1) Use a net price calculator.

These calculators can give parents a personal estimate as to how much a certain college will end up costing them.  By using a net price calculator before applying to a school, students can avoid the more expensive colleges.

2) Check the four year graduation rates.

Students should not assume that they will graduate in a four year time period.  It is necessary to plan ahead to make sure you can pay for the number of years you will most likely be in school.  If the cost of  over four years is not going to be attainable, then tweak your plan and schedule in order for you to be able to get the education you need in a shorter amount of time.

3) Determine how much you will be expected to pay for one year.

Make sure you know how much one year tuition will cost for a specific college, not basing it right away on what you can afford.  Know your facts first before you eliminate any schools.

4) Don't over-borrow.

It is important to attempt to only borrow through federal Stafford loans, low-interest loans for students based on their financial needs, saving them large sums of the debt in the long run.


The more you know about the overall, and hidden, costs of college, the easier it is to decide which college to attend and how to handle your money and use it wisely.
What do you feel will help you cut the costs of college to the best extent?



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57546751/4-ways-to-cut-college-costs/
"4 Ways to Cut College Costs"
Lynn O'Shaughnessy is a best-selling author, consultant, and speaker on issues that parents with children going to college face.

Picture Source: http://www.minotstateu.edu/finaid/net_calc.shtml

Catastrophe!

In this post, I will be once again examining the role played by the housing market in instigating the economic crisis, however in more detail.

So, we have two groups of people: homeowners and investors. Homeowners buy houses, while investors invest money in businesses to obtain more wealth.

Before 9/11/2001, investors put money into treasury bills, which were very safe investments that offered a good amount of revenue for investors. After 9/11, the interest on these treasury bills was lowered to 1%, which produced too low of a revenue for investors.

So, investors turned to the housing market, where they bundled mortgages into packages called CDOs (which consisted of safe mortgages, average mortgages, and unsafe mortgages).

Investors, always looking to make as much profit as possible, would use a technique called leverage to sell these CDOs. Leverage is when an investor borrows money, sells a CDO at a higher price than they borrowed, and then makes a good amount of profit from the transaction.

When CDOs became limited in availability due to widespread home ownership, investors decided to obtain the homes of defaulting homeowners (people who could not pay off their houses), once they defaulted. They would then have a piece of property to sell.

This caused investors to buy more subprime, or risky, mortgages, which is when things became dangerous.

When more people defaulted on their mortgages (because they were subprime) investors were left with many houses, which then lowered the values of the houses located near these houses because of the oversupply of houses on the market. And thus, the catastrophe was in full swing.

After this happened, even more people defaulted on their payments, causing investors to be left with an enormous amount of debt, leading to bankruptcy.

How can we prevent this from happening again?

                                             www. flickr.com

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_LWm6_6tA

This is a reputable source due to its popularity and recentness.

Obama and The Economy

On his website, newly reelected President Barack Obama states that he wants to "grow the economy from the middle out."

So far, he has had some success at accomplishing this goal.

- He has been successful at increasing the amount of goods made in America, in other words, he has brought back some manufacturing jobs to the U.S.

- President Obama has supported tax cuts to small businesses, which are critical to our nation's economy - these cuts have allowed these businesses to enjoy more success.

-The President has made some much-needed changes to Wall Street - ensuring that no more foul play occurs there.

- To create more jobs for Americans, President Obama has opened trade with nations such as South Korea, and has been an advocate for technological progress, the latter of which creates new products which can be distributed abroad.

While such positive changes have been made, the President still faces some problems.

-Education funding, which is controlled by each individual state, must be increased in order to improve the academic performance of American Students.

- After the tumultuous events of the past four years, the President needs to regain the confidence of the American people in their government and its economic decisions.

- While efforts to increase American industry have been moderately successful, our nation still does not dominate all other nations in competition.

Where do you think the U.S economy will be in the future?

                                                    www.flickr.com
Sources:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/11/16/obamas-4-biggest-economic-challenges

http://49thward.nationbuilder.com/what_has_president_obama_done_for_the_economy

http://www.barackobama.com/plans/jobs-economy

My three sources are from the U.S. News website, a website operated by members of the Democratic Party, and Barack Obama's own website, respectively. All three sources are current and reliable.

The Famous Bottle

Coca Cola has the most iconic bottle in the world. I am going to look into how the company got the famous design and what to do with it.

Coca-Cola had a design contest who could come up a design the could set coke apart. The man who came up with the idea didnt know what coca cola was and thought it had to do with the cocoa plant that is the main ingredient in making chocolate. So the man won the contest and coke had an edge on the rest. Coca-Cola used to advertise it was the only bottle you could pick up and know its a coke before you read the label. It worked wonders somehow the company was able to change the way people thought about the bottle not as just a way to get the drink from us to you but to enjoy the drink with a luxurious and beautiful piece of art. The bottle is patented and is renewed every twenty years or so.  Coca-Cola also made some strides with the bottle in their invention of the aluminum bottle with the famous shape and the 2 letter comes in the iconic shape.

source: Google Scholar
source: (pic) http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=gtX&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1252&bih=548&tbm=isch&tbnid=Y8OB9gb-aiaP7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/11/13/new-coca-cola-aluminum-bottle/&docid=uCC03VIRI8V8KM&imgurl=http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/coca-cola-redesign-bottle.jpg&w=595&h=1734&ei=4N6mUKbUEM-DyAGZx4DYDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=72&vpy=51&dur=394&hovh=384&hovw=131&tx=66&ty=194&sig=108472664837938045408&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=56&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:77

Coca-Cola adding Chile?

Yes Chile the country not the delicious meaty snack.

The company plans on putting 1.3 billion dollars to develop themselves in the market. The plan includes the Coca-Cola Andina (a C0ca- Cola bottling company) and making a state of the art plant in the developing country. There is good reason behind the venture into Chile, Chile drinks a lot of soda so much so they rank third in the Americas behind U.S. and our beard (Mexico.) Coca-Cola will consistently put the money into the country until 2016.





 

Source: Coca-Cola Unbottled. This is a blog post about the company and their business ventures. Other posts matched up with other research  for previous blogs.

Source: (pic)
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/flags/large/ci-lgflag.gif

Success

These are what makes companies successful according to good to great  a book that took 5 years to write.


Who: According to Good to Great a key aspect in success is having the right people in the right places. Cokes leader is CEO and chairmen Muhtar Kent. But I would like to go back and determine how coca-cola became great and I would put that into the hands of Asa Candler. He was the one who put Coca-Cola on the map. I believe it was because of his amazing ability to innovate from a marketing stand point.

Confront Brutal Facts: Coca-Cola really only had one brutal fact to handle, cocaine. Candler wanted to keep the company true to its name so he put coca leaves into the drink which also put the addictive quality of  cocaine into the drink. eventually they removed the cocaine and were on the path to greatness.

Hedge Hog Concept: Being the best in the world is something that Coke and Pepsi have been fighting over for 100 years. Coke realized they could never be the clear best  so they diversified. They over 500 products now across the world.

A Culture of Discipline: I cant comment on the culture of Coca- Cola because i've never worked there but i can assume because of the greatness of the company.

Technology Accelerators: Technology has been a key part in making Coca-Cola great they have been innovators in bottling and the new machines that dispense over 100 product.

 The Fly Wheel and the Doom Loop: The idea is that one single action cant save a company. Success is a progression from good to great. Coca-Cola has been selling their product one bottle at a time it started off at 9 bottles a year and now they are selling millions a day.

 

Recourses: Good to Great by Jim Collins this is a reliable source because he took 5 years to write the book and compiled 15 years of data.

source: pic
 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFr3Kyar37qPfOhRS03bQ7Bp4p74LA7f_b67U7bBAoNx6_-Vs4zaVIjvV9Fe_K-qruT0AD_BiOBqguxkjJtXwK12nBTDhjijDCyw5Cc3QP0fxILuVQxuUofE2CX2B0rsuUM_GklFhHENAv/s1600/good-to-great1.jpg

Why the NBA?

  When looking at several graphs about the average athlete's salary, it's evident that basketball players receive the most money on average. I'm curious why this is because football and hockey seem a lot more dangerous and some people may believe that they should be compensated for risking their health. What other factors go into the popularity and/or salary of athletes?
  After some thought I decided basketball players made the most money because of the amount of players in the league. This sport is also popular because it is one of the least expensive sports to play, behind soccer. After all, all you need is a ball and a basket. Before I began research I thought that NBA teams could have a lot more players on their team than the amount they have in reality. Some teams will have as few as 12 players, and others can have up to 15. There are 30 teams in the league, so there will always be between 360 to 450 players.
  So to answer the question about the health risks relative to the amount of money they receive, think of football. There are 53 players allowed to dress from game day and 5 others who are on the practice squad. This is a significantly higher number than the number of NBA players allowed on a team, and there are 32 teams in the NFL.

As bad as it sounds, Americans don't care all that much about the injuries of professional athletes. There will be a lot of talk over a superstar's career ending leg injury on ESPN, but it only goes on for the rest of the season. We immediately look to see who else can play for our city's team for the remaining season or the upcoming year.

   So what else effects the popularity of sports? The conclusion I've come to is the expenses of the sport for children and recreation. Football requires a lot of gear but can be played for most of the year. Hockey is another sport that requires a lot of equipment and can only be played in the winter, unless you're willing to pay for an indoor ice rink.   Then there's golf. It's a very mature game and requires a lot of practice to become good at it. Most of the places where you practice this sport requires a membership (country clubs).  So there you have it. There is definitely a correlation between the amount of money a sport requires for recreational use to the popularity of the sport- leading to a higher salary for players of the specific sport.

Why the Lockout?

            As a fan of the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks, I have been wondering for the last couple of months why there is such disagreement between the players and the owners. When I think of a lockout in sports I think of billionaire going after millionaires. So what's the problem? The problem is the percentage of revenue that the players receive compared to the owners. The owners want a lower percentage and the players want a higher percentage. I think the real problem is how the NHL treats its fans. This is the third lockout in the last 25 years, and that is simply inexcusable. The two sides need to settle in the middle, because simply to many people rely on the NHL.

               source:cbssports.com

NHL lockout: http://www.askmen.com/sports/fanatic/nhl-lockout-2012.html

Cap or No Cap?

           

         

source:mutinysim.homestead.com           

           

                With the topic of 'athlete salaries,' the phrase 'salary cap' came up often. I started to wonder, what is this salary cap? I found out that a salary cap is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a sporting club can spend on player salaries. The salary cap sound like a good idea, why is this such a hot topic? Well although the salary cap was designed to help smaller market teams such as the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, these teams often times can't even afford the salary cap, which leads to top teams getting players at a discount. Salary caps often times lead to lockouts and players strikes which hurts the game also. So the real question is, do you think their should be salary caps in sports?

salary cap: http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-salary-caps-in-professional-sports-effective

History of Athletes' Salary

   The question "are athletes being paid too much?" has been a question that dates back to the 1920's. The most popular sport during that time was baseball, when Lou Gherig and Babe Ruth were hitting home runs on the reg. Once people heard that Ruth was receiving $50,000 dollars a year (keep in mind this is 1922), citizens immediately began to ponder on why he was getting paid so much. He didn't just earn his wealth through the amount of tickets being sold though. He had a candy bar named after him, his own underwear brand, and was featured on the cover of Wheaties cereal.
   The idea of endorsements sparked a new way of advertising for companies all over the world.  Today we see professional athletes on Nike posters, in beer commercials, and some players even have their own video game. Ever notice the amount of businesses' decals on NASCAR cars?
        

A Family Business

Acting dynasties- generations of families devoted to the art of acting, gaining power, money, and fame. As daunting as it may seem, this general trend is pretty common among many actor's and acting families today.

Like I've mentioned before, many actors and actresses become well known after starting in the industry at a young age. Related to this, some actors become famous not through their own abilities, but their families. The Kapoors, the Barrymores, the Fiennes'- the fact that so many in the family are successful isn't so much a coincidence as a case of knowing the right people. When one family member succeeds, they open doors for many future generations, and thereby create a sort of "acting dynasty."

While many Hollywood actors have famous family members that influenced their start, this is most common in Bollywood, India's popular film industry. Having seen many Bollywood films over the years (despite not being Indian and badly needing subtitles), I know first hand that many films feature the same faces over and over again- Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji, etc. Along with that, they all seem to be connected in some way or another, either their blood relatives, spouses, ex's... But most interestingly enough, it all trickles down from the two main Bollywood dynasties- the Bachchans and the Kapoors. Without getting too political, suffice it to say these two families hold a large amount of power in the Bollywood industry.

Is it fair for certain actors to, in a way, "piggyback" on their relative's success, or should they have to make a name for themselves without their family connections?

Source-

Sirs: "Bollywood's Hot-- and Getting Hotter"

How Do I Get Sponsored?

                                         photo credit- geograph.org.uk

I covered previously how sponsorship is huge in auto racing. A question still unresolved is how you go about getting a sponsor, or get hired by a team. The Road Racing Driver's Club and the FIA, who is in charge of safety in major race series across the globe,  put together a great resource for aspiring racers. Here is their page about sponsorship, but they cover a wide range of topics. I apologize for referencing a video, as if you wanted to watch, you would probably have to do it at home, but it really is a great resource. The videos feature reporters from SPEED channel and owners of prestigious racing teams giving their advice. These people all work in the field currently, and the video was made recently. When you sign a contract with a team or sponsor, you are signing a buisness agreement like any other. Also, you become the face of their team or brand. Because of this, it isn't always the fastest driver that gets hired. If you're the best racer in the world, but all the fans hate you, then no one would want to associate you with their team or brand. Conversely, even if you are an average racer, but have very good personal relations, then you are more likely to be hired. Sponsors want people to buy their product because you do, not the opposite. Another important factor is how you deal with the press. The reporters from SPEED admitted that they do like dealing with some drivers more than others. When you are respectful and go along with reporters, they are more likely to interview you more, which means more media coverage for you and your sponsor. Companies would be more likely to sponsor you if they were going to get more coverage by paying you instead of a competitor. What would you do to make yourself more marketable as a driver?

Evolution of Athlete Endorsements

         source: Faniq.com

                Some athletes don't just rely on their contracts with sports teams to earn money. Athletes in nearly every sport have some form of endorsement. Whether a basketball player or an Olympic snowboarder, endorsements usually work the same way. An athlete signs a contract with a company for a certain amount of years, and the athlete then starts endorsing the company, whether that be in commercials, magazine advertisements  or wearing the companies gear. Since the early 1900s athletes have been endorsing products such as cigarettes,shoes, and even underwear receiving good pay. In recent years, these endorsements have become more and more lucrative  In 2003, Professional footballer David Beckham signed, what was at the time, the biggest endorsement contract in sports history. For the rest of his life he will receive a percentage of profits from Adidas valued at over $160 million dollars. These type of deals have become more common, especially in the basketball world where it is common for a top draft pick to receive over $50 million dollars for a shoe deal. This past year, star point guard Derrick Rose signed a 14 year long contract with Adidas valued at $260  million dollars. These endorsements earn athletes a ridiculous amount of money. Do you think these deals are worth while for the companies?



 Five of the Biggest Athlete Endorsement Deals: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-11011486

So you really think you're dedicated?

It is common for bands to be very popular and at the same time very broke. They might be riding across the country touring in a beaten down old bus. On average a recording artist might only make $.75 on every record sold. Making it big in the music business takes dedication and most bands to not realize that. It is a business not just a rock and roll concert. The legalities of the industry are very complex and most bands do not understand them. In order to be a rock star, you must first be a business man.

Source: http://ethancramermusic.blogspot.com/2011/09/record-contract-do-you-really-want-one.html

 Source: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/152/8/8/dedication_to_music_by_wind_blown_wolf.jpg

Money artists receive from iTunes

I have always wondered how much artists get paid from their songs being bought on iTunes. How much of the money spent of an artists songs actually goes to that artist?

It is hard so say exactly how how much of a song's pay goes to the artist because it depends on their specific manager and recording label.  Most managers and labels have there own deal with how much they will get paid and how much the artist gets paid.  But with most purchases of a single song, only a few cents goes to the artist.

















http://appleinsider.com


The New Economics of the Music Industry
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-new-economics-of-the-music-industry-20111025
Rolling Stones is a reliable magazine about music. It is a recent article by Steve Knopper.


Should an artist receive more than a few cents when their song is downloaded on iTunes?

Value of Entertainment in 'Merica

   Americans value entertainment more than just about anything, studies show. The top leisure activity for Americans is watching television, which is how most of us enjoy professional sports. On a survey of 14,000 people, a total of 71.2%. The amount of money we spend on sources of entertainment is increasing annually. Back in 2004, a total of $705.9 billion dollars on entertainment (the amount of entire gross national product of Canada and Australia).
  So why do we enjoy spending countless hours watching tv, on the internet, or reading magazines? Many believe it has to do with the "self actualization" theory. Most other things we pay for are just necessities to stay alive, but entertainment is driven by emotion.



On another note, are we headed in the wrong direction as a whole? It's predicted that China will be the world's superpower in a few years because of their values in education. There's no doubt that we value entertainment more than education. The Chinese find the liberal arts, engineering, piano playing, etc. much more important than the big game on Saturday.

Becoming a Racecar Driver, Part 2

                                               Picture credit- indycar.com

So, you've raced some karts, club raced a bit, and decided that you would try and follow the Road to Indy. Getting to the top of the ladder is simple. Win in one division, and you can win a ride in the next series up. This is simple, but it is no easy feat. To race for free all the way into Indy Car, you would have to win the Skip Barber championship. Then you would have to win all of the rest of the championships as a rookie, which means winning USF2000, Star Mazda, and Indy Lights, the first year you are in them. The series' official websites talk about drivers and teams in the series and how competitive they are. If this feat is even possible, it would take a tremendous amount of skill and luck to accomplish. In short, that isn't going to happen. Your best bet is to get as high as you can on the ladder and then try to have a team at that level hire you the next year. Getting anywhere will take some amount of skill, and being a "good driver" on the street isn't going to cut it. You need formal training. Luckily, the Road to Indy starts at a racing school, Skip Barber. Start off with a few classes taught by professional driver coaches to strengthen your skills. The most important thing in becoming a better driver is seat time, so race whenever you can. There really isn't much more to say about becoming better, other than to practice, and get the advice of more experienced people. Hopefully, after a few schools, you will have the necessary skill to compete in the Skip Barber Racing Series, and continue to gain skills in preparation for F2000. Without being able to practice every day like you can in some sports, how do you maximize your gain from practice time?

MLS NO SALARY CAP?

The MLS (Major League  Soccer) has no salary cap, instead they have a budget. Which is different because the MLS is a single entity. The  league owns all of the teams and the franchises are simply owner operators. This means that the league pays the teams expenses i.e salaries. The teams however have to pay their designated players the additional amount. Example: David Beckham is paid $6.5 million per year, which is well over the budget for the entire team which means the MLS will pay a portion of his salary then the franchise is required to pay the additional amount to him.

The MLS has found a way around having a salary cap but they still manage to keep teams competitive.

But would this work in a bigger league like the MLB or NFL?


Source: http://www.wakingthered.com/2012/11/15/3637094/mls-salary-cap-details-la-galaxy-robbie-keane-toronto-fc

The source I got this information is a news site and is fairly realiable.

NFL players living paycheck to paycheck

Many people think that living life as an NFL player is full of wealth, fame and glamour. But in reality there are plenty of players in the NFL that are living paycheck to paycheck. Roughly 380 of the NFL's 1700 players are living paycheck to paycheck. Before the lockout happened many rookies worried that they weren't going to have enough money to get by. NFL owners are being selfish by taking all the money they get and not paying some players enough money. 
Do NFL players receive any health benefits after they retire?

You've made the great, times to sign the dotted line

Recording contracts can be scary to deal with for inexperienced bands. Mainly this is because contracts are binding. Once you sign you are legally obligated to do whatever the contract states. Record labels will try to make the language very complicated and this can confuse band members. It is very helpful to hire an entertainment lawyer to decode the contract. The lawyer can also help negotiate the terms of the deal. However, ultimately the leverage lies in the record label because they can choose to say "take it or leave it".

Source: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/recording-contract1.htm

Source: http://ethancramermusic.blogspot.com/2011/09/record-contract-do-you-really-want-one.html

Synthesis & Plan

Coca-Cola has been an American icon since its inception in 1886. I know this because of the first blog post highlighting the history of the company. I also learned about the either amazingly strategic or total failure that was New Coke. I enjoyed reading about the new coke machine that was designed by a company that when its not making cola machines it makes Ferrari's. I hope to learn more about what the future of coca-cola looks like. What new drinks, business ventures, and marketing strategies are in store for coca-cola.

Synthesis and Plan

I have been researching sports salaries. What I've been discovering is the reasons that some salaries are justified and unjustified.  I have looked at 5 different sports leagues. MLB NFL NHL NBA WNBA. I have looked at salary per game for each sport, and how many spectators each sport has.

I will continue to research but add in tv revenue.  I also want to look into Olympic athletes.  They train for for years only to compete for 2 weeks, how do they make their money and is it enough?

Is injury insurance too much?

This post addresses the issues of college athletes and injuries. Although this author is against paying college athletes, he believes that some type of injury insurance should be included within the scholarship. Football is a violent sport and there is a good chance you will get injured sometime during your career. Hopefully it is not career ending, but if it is then there should be some time of compensation for the athlete to receive. Marcus Lattimore would have been a first round draft pick no doubt, but after his second knee injury he most likely lost millions of dollars and a chance to play in the pros.

• College athletes are getting over 100,000 dollars of free education
• There is no reason for them to be paid, with their education they will be able to get a job after college
• Some type of injury insurance should be included in the scholarship
• This would protect many players who would be able to make a living off of playing their sport

http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/lattimore-down.jpg
Should benefits such as injury insurance be included in a collegiate athlete's scholarship? Even with all the things they get already?




http://www.footballnation.com/content/end-the-debate-college-football-players-and-athletes-should-not-be-paid/19190/







This is a blog written by Nick Louder, just an avid football fan.

Does the number of spectators increase salary?

Above shows a graph I constructed to show the comparison of spectators per game compared to average salary per game.

What does this data mean? Are there any outliers to the data?

What sport looks like it gets unfairly paid?

Synthesis & Plan

At this point in my research, I have discovered the causes of the economic crisis in terms of the housing market (subprime mortgages, investment banks, securities), and I have also found some methods that have been used to help out our economy. I plan on focusing my blogs more on solutions, answering questions such as "What is President Obama's specific economic plan?" and ultimately arriving at my own personal opinion on what should be done. I would also like to answer the question "What else has contributed to our country's economic woes?"

Child Labor isn't just overseas: Violations in America

A recent audit of Burger king franchises in Western Massachusetts has revealed that child labor isn't just a problem 4,000 miles away in a country you'll never get to see, its right here in America. MHC Services LLC, a company based in Massachusetts, owns and operates 7 Burger King Franchises, is the company in violation of labor laws. The laws violated include under aged employees working shift's later than the law allows, these laws were being violated at all seven of these franchises.  

Image source:Delish.com
MHC was very cooperative throughout the investigation of their restaurants. The seven franchises have been punished with a $50,000 fine as well as having to put rules in place in order to avoid further violations of this matter. How often does this happen in america? How can we ensure that it never happens again and that it isn't happening right now?

Source analysis:  This source is from a website called boston.com, which is one of the most visited websites in it's region. The article is also from only about a week ago, so it is still relevant.

WNBA Salaries

          After researching the top 4 sports salaries, I decided to look at a sport not as popular as the others, Womens Basketball.

          I assumed that they would not get payed as much as basketball players, but to my surprise, on average, wnba players make $55,000. This is only one one hundredth of what the nba average salary is.

         What other factors besides fan attendance contributes to this difference of pay?

How to Become a Racecar Driver

                                                       

    This is a picture of me. Photo credit Frank Siracusa


When you're a little kid, you want to have a cool job when you grow up. Maybe an astronaut, or a rock star, or a professional athlete. Or, you could want to be a racecar driver. Say you want to become a racecar driver. Your friend also wants to become an athlete, but he prefers playing football. Your friend already knows what to do to accomplish his goal. He'll start playing in high school or before, and try to get onto a college team. If he is good enough in college, then a scout from a pro team may hire him. Your career path is not as simple. Where does one begin to become a professional driver? The first step is commonly known. If you are too young to drive, then you must begin in go-karts. Find a local track, and go to a race. People there can offer you advice on where to begin. If you are at least 16, although some exceptions are made for younger drivers with karting experience, you can club race cars. A great place to start club racing is with the Sports Car Club of America. On their website, they have instructions on where to start for a new racer. Club racing can be very competitive and fun, but it is not the same as being paid millions to travel the world racing as a pro. Making that transition is the hardest thing to do in racing. Where do you begin, now that you have some experience? Until recently, there was no definitive answer. Now, there are a few ladder systems in place to train new drivers. The ladder system that is gaining a lot of publicity, and is the one that I am attempting to enter, is the Mazda Road to Indy. It is a ladder system of many race series that a driver can move up through, eventually ending at the IndyCar series. It all starts at Skip Barber Racing School. With a ladder system like this in place, you can at least have some direction in which to go with your career. How would you try to get a job if you do not enter a ladder system like the Road to Indy?

How do record labels work?

I am interested in how new talent is discovered. In my research I found out that record labels have a department called A+R. This stands for artists and repertoire. Their jobs are considered the most glamorous position in the record label. These are the people responsible for finding new talent and signing new artists. They are also responsible for as much as song selection, to choosing the song producers.

Source: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/record-label1.htm
 Source: http://recorddealmarketing.com/KSL/

Who gets what from recording music?

First to answer this question, I must explain what a royalty is.  A royalty describes the percentage ownership of future revenue from a given product. In the music industry, royalties are not always earned the same way, meaning the way a recording artist earns royalties is different than the way a songwriter/ producer earns royalties. For the most part the recording artists get only a small portion of the royalties unless they are "hugely successful commercially".

Source :http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-royalties1.htm

source:http://www.imtglobalinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Recording_Studio.jpg

Michael Cera Will Always Be An Awkward Teen

Do you ever wonder why Michael Cera always seems to play the role of a lovable, socially awkward teenager pining for some girl's attention? Or how Zooey Deschanel just has to be the cute, quirky girl who still acts like a little kid (in a totally sane, endearing way, of course)? How about how Johnny Depp continues to choose the most eccentric roles out there that allow him to experiment with his acting abilities? All of these questions can be answered with the simple trend of typecasting.

As I mentioned in a previous post, many actors become linked with a certain role or genre of film, which affects what roles they will hold in the future. Typecasting is exactly that- actors and actresses becoming associated with different roles based on their past archetypes (awkward teenager, slightly slow best friend), their race/culture, or what types of roles they've played in the past (villains vs. heroes).

As stated, Michael Cera is a prime example of typecasting- almost all of his roles feature him as different variations of the same character (Arrested Development, Juno, Superbad, Youth in Revolt...). And while some people may find his character a little overbearing, it seems to be working for him, and he enjoys it. As he said, "It's a real game people end up playing with their image. That's really not whats important to me. It's just not. And I don't know how to play that game or understand why people do." According to Cera, he'll continue to play the same archetype, and really, why wouldn't he?

In terms of race and culture, typecasting is a more controversial issue. Often times, the idea of being fit for a certain role is dangerously misconstrued as stereotyping or borderline racism. Omar Naim, a Lebanese director, best described the implications of this form of typecasting, saying "I know a couple of really excellent Arab American actors, some of whom don't speak Arabic, and all they play are Arabic roles where they're forced to fumble their way through some Arabic." Not only is it damning to the studios of those projects, but it also negatively impacts the cultures that aren't being represented properly.

In conclusion, how much does typecasting affect an actor's success, or lack thereof?

Sources-
Sirs: "Boy Wonder"
Sirs: "But Can You Play a Terrorist?"

The Value of Entertainment in 'Merica

No End in Sight: The Debt That's Always There

Most people have some kind of debt throughout their lifetime.  But who has an overwhelming, lingering debt that never seems to go away? College students.  Whether they have already graduated or are still in school, college costs tend to leave former students unable to ever pay off all their debt.

According to the non-profit organization Project on Student Debt, student loan debt is growing by $2,853.88 per second.  Marcos Cordero points out in his article "College Student Loan Debt Crisis and Its Effect on the Economy",  that college costs are increasing faster than the costs of medical coverage.  Students are having trouble paying back their student loan debt because of the incredibly high annual tuition to many private and public universities.  However, there are ways for families, or students, to decrease student loan debt early before it's already too big too control.  By saving early with a 529 savings plan, it is easier for parents to pay for college without having to get as much loan money.

There is no alternate way for students to pay for college yet, but by withdrawing less student loans and saving their money students can end up with more wealth less debt.  The large sums of student loans giving out are hurting the economy, and if student loans are still being used as heavily as they are today in the future, the loan money will slowly but surely run out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcos-cordero/college-loan-debt_b_2129777.html
"College Student Loan Debt Crisis and Its Effect on the Economy"
Marcos Cordero, author, is the CEO at Gradsave, a company that works with students to manage their tuition and helps them gain the opportunity of receiving an education.
This article is very recent, posted just a few days ago on November 14, 2012.

Synthesis & Plan

1. I've found that most companies that are successful spend a lot of money on advertising their products for example Nike uses professional athletes to wear their products so people who look up to them buy them. another thing I've learn is that companies like apple only makes products that they can improve upon and make them better every year leaving the customers to keep coming back. 

2.  how to find or create a product that keeps people coming back every year? 

     how do you choose the right  kind of advertising? 

Synthesis & Plan

1. The first thing I researched was how much money the owners take in compared to the players pay. I found that the owners make a huge amount of money while some players are struggling to get by. Each NFL team is worth about $900 million and the average salary in the NFL is $1.9 million. The difference between player and owners earnings in the NFL is significantly larger than any other sports.
2. Second, I read an article on how many NFL players are living paycheck to paycheck. 380 of the 1700 players in the NFL are living paycheck to paycheck. NFL owners are taking in huge amounts of money while some players are struggling.

I also plan on researching players lives after football and if the NFL is doing anything to make sure retired players can pay for surgeries and be compensated for life-changing injuries.

I will also be doing more research on the lockout that happened a couple years ago.

Synthesis & Plan

          After researching player salaries a little bit, I have found out many interesting things about many of the factors that go into the topic. I have researched athletes going broke and the reasons why they go broke. I have also researched the craziness of player salaries in professional baseball and how much they make compared to average Americans. I plan on discussing the NHL lockout that is in effect as of right now. I also plan on discussing the issue of salary caps in sports and how they should be used. One more topic I plan on discussing is the endorsement side of professional sports and how they play a factor on the salaries of professional athletes.

Synthesis & Plan

Why skateboarding is illegal with it's economic success?

Why are guns a debatable topic.

The underground economy.

Why markets are illegal when they can help the economy?

Why are these products illegal or even debatable of the legality?

Positives and negatives about these law being legal or not.

Synthesis and Plan

From what I have researched, I have found out about all the different ways one musician could make money.  A lot of professional musicians have multiple sources of income.  For example, someone could be in multiple bands, play as a session musician, and teach.  I plan on researching musicians who sell there music on different websites, and which ones work best.  I also plan on researching how often bands make it in the music business and how much is relied on connections, luck or talent.

Synthesis & Plan

  As I have been researching this topic I found one thing in common with all the articles I read. Entertainment.  Us Americans value entertainment so much, that it is almost valued more than our safety and well-being. Another example would be the small population of humans who are able to perform sports the way they do. If everyone could slam dunk or throw a ball 95 mph, would sports be nearly  as entertaining?

Why do people value entertainment more than things they actually need?
Does being idolized have to do with their fame and fortune?
What factors add to their salaries? (Endorsements, jerseys, etc.)
Have Pro athletes always been paid so much?

  I plan on answering the 1st and 4th questions because I think researching why we value entertainment so much, as well as some history of this topic would be beneficial to my understanding.

Synthesis and Plan

So far, I have discovered that over the past few decades annual college costs have increased by over 2,000 percent, increasing even faster than inflation.  Students are finding it difficult to pay for college, most likely due to their parents lower income or the overbearing costs of the college they want to attend.  Teens may be choosing a college just because of its cost, not being able to pay attention to any other factors because they can't afford the college of their choice.


Should colleges/universities be doing more to contain costs or should government provide more funding to families who can't afford the increasing costs of college?

Should financial ability determine whether someone goes to college or not? If the answer is no, who should pay for the disadvantaged?

Synthesis and Plan

Recording music can be a bit pricey. Most small young bands do not have the money needed to record their music. also it can be very hard to sign a record deal with little popularity.

Questions:

• How did famous bands start out/ gain popularity?
• Do a lot of bands sell out to gain popularity?
• Do record labels have complete control over the bands they sign?
• Who has the rights to the music?

Synthesis & Plan

So far, I've found a lot of information on what makes celebrities so successful and well known, but I haven't found much on authors or other types of artists, which was the second part of my question. As of right now, I'm considering honing in on just celebrities, but I'm not entirely sure.
The main ideas of what I've learned concern typecasting and similar movies (actors playing more or less the same role in different movies and becoming known for it), attractiveness (personality, looks, etc.), and how they get started (child star success versus having famous relatives). I plan on doing more research on all three of these topics, but the specific questions I have are about statistics and previous research- I want to find studies and graphs about success as a child star, how much an average actor makes, how much an actor's looks or personality outside of a movie affect people's perception of it, etc. Hopefully, this will help me better organize my research and back up some of my claims.

Synthesis and Plan

I have learned a lot about Salary Caps in professional sports. Most of the Salary Caps have a relationship with the amount of players that are on a team.


Positives
Competition between teams for players
Keeps teams equal in terms of ability
Allows smaller market teams(Kansas City) to pay same amount as big market teams (Yankees)

Negatives
Reduces Salaries of players
Players could go to international teams with no cap
Loose ceilings on salary caps can help big market teams

Questions
Who does the salary cap benefit?
Why is there no salary cap in soccer leagues?

Synthesis & Plan

So far, I've learned that the main reason that celebrities make so much money is because they are the only ones who can do what they do. Actors are needed because they're the only people who can act and singers are needed because they're the only ones that can sing. I also learned that it's not just talent that gets you a lot of money; it's also what you do after you get famous. Any publicity stunts that celebrities put out to the public can make them make more or less money.

Questions to answer:
1. If celebrities are needed because they have special talents, why are other people famous without having any talents? (ex. Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, Kardashians)

2. How does this theory affect the jobs of professional models?

3. How does this transfer to child stars like the Olsen twins who were in the business before they could even talk?

4. How do the paparazzi affect how much money a celebrity makes?

5. Does this theory apply to cartoons? (the people who play their voices)

Synthesis and Plan

So far, I have focused mainly on the business side of racing. I explored how sponsors can make money from racing, and how car manufacturers can benefit, along with consumers, from a spec series. For my next blog posts, I plan on changing my focus to single people. I want to explore how an aspiring racer can obtain a sponsor, or how you should get into racing, or what the fastest path is to the top. These topics are very interesting to me, as I am trying to figure these answers out, and begin my career.

Google: The Phone Bug

As technology is quickly growing, so is Google's outreach on products. Google has been dominating desktop searches for over a decade, and is now on the move...literally. Technologically, cell phones are getting smarter. With Google's interest in going mobile, there is no doubt that they will succeed in branching out to the cellphone industry.

*Photo courtesy of Alexandru Savu

Already, Google is powering Android and, although it is possible to choose one's search engine preferences, a popular choice for the iPhone. These types of phones are also becoming the most popular in the country, thus, increasing the popularity of Google. PR Newswire has reported that Visiongain estimates that Google will rack up a hefty $2.85 billion by 2016 just on mobile search engine advertising alone.

To capitalize on this mobile success, Google is committing some serious money to better their position in the market. The company has been very active in seeking partners and making many acquisitions in order to offer competitive products. In 2010, Google was reported to have spent more than $7.31 billion in acquisitions and $3.76 billion on research and development for the best software they can offer to companies willing to use the search engine in their smartphones.

Should smartphones, like the iPhone, have the choice of main search engine? Does Google seem to be monopolizing by branching out to the cell phone industry?


SOURCE: Google in Mobile 2011: Building A Sustainable Competitive Advantage

                The credibility of this source is unquestionable because it was obtained from the database Student Resources in Context. The article was taken from PR Newswire. This news agency has been trusted by Americans since 1954. Today, they're hired by corporations, public relation firms, and non-governmental organizations to deliver content to the public regarding multimedia.

Synthesis and Plan

I have found a lot on information on my topic dealing with college athletes and their scholarships. I can understand both arguments for if college athletes should be paid or not. Both sides have great supporting arguments.

Pros: College athletics is a billion dollar industry
         Crazy money is going to college coaches
          Over half of college athletes come from the lowest income families
          Endorsements would cause athletes to behave and have clean image

Cons:  Only two sports contribute to the net gain of a university (football and basketball)
            Other Programs will need to be cut
             Only 12 FBS schools broke even or made income last year
              Free or less expensive education
              Includes tutors and help from many people whenever needed

Questions: Do collegiate athletes have enough support and tools around them to help them succeed without needing money?
                    Is there a viable plan to pay athletes and not crush the university?
                   Should college athletes be forced to take a money management or financial help class?

Synthesis & Plan

 1. I have researched both sides of my topic. Whether or not professional athletes make to much money. I researched people who say that they are paid too much and those who say they deserve the pay.

2. What is the maximum salary a player can get paid for each sport? What is the minimum salary a player can get paid for each sport? What is the average salary of athletes? What sport pays athletes the most? How much Revenue do sports bring in each year? How much are athletes paid for product endorsements?

Halloween and child labor, hand in hand

  Halloween has always been a scary holiday between the scary movies and storys of killers but now theres a whole new thing to fear, child labor.  Child labor is being used to grow and harvest the cocoa beans on the ivory coast of africa, where candy companies such as Nestle and Hersheys begin their choclate producing process.  This year alone around halloween americans spent an estimated 2.4 billion dollars on candy.

One of the aforementioned companies, Hershey's, is now facing legal action for their child labor law violations. Why are these companies allowed to use child labor overseas with such little restriction? How were these crimes able to be concealed fro m the public for so long? Something needs to  be done, luckily some companies agree, the company in charge of producing kit kat bar's has recently been commended for using only chocolate that has been produced legally and without child labor. How can we get othe companies to do so as well?

Source:http://theithacan.org/27273
Trustworthiness: this source appears to be trustworthy, it is a small newspaper operated in Ithica, New York. It's articles are well written and the website is regularly updated leading me to beleive that it's a trustworthy source.
This specific article was posted on Halloween of this year, so it is very recent

Should Marijuana be legal?

Marijuana prohibition cost tax payers billions of dollars a year to enforce, and accomplishes little or nothing beneficial in terms of economic benefit. Legalization of marijuana would not only save tax payers billions of dollars a year in unnecessary costs, but would jump start the economy to 100 billion dollars a year. Reports states that legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana would do wonders to reduce inflated budgets and generate new revenue streams. 

"[R]eplacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation [...] would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods," say the economists. "If, however, marijuana were taxed similarly to alcohol or tobacco, it might generate as much as $6.2 billion annually."

Synthesis & Plan

          Generally when a person logs onto their computer for research, they are not thinking of all the apps and how surrounded they are by their search engine. With Google being the #1 search engine for the past decade, the company has branched out in many directions to not only help the population, but to generate as much revenue as possible. Through these little applets, Google partners with companies and creates space for advertisements on both their search engine and willing websites. Along with these modes for outreach, Google has infiltrated the cell phone industry through Android and many others. The innovative technology and business strategies displayed are moves of stealth and creativity among the growing possibilities of the internet.
Questions I plan on answering:

• How did Google rise to where it is today?
• What technology does Google use for its search engine?
• What does the future look like for Google?
• What are the smart moves the Google has made to make the company rise to the top?

should guns be illegal?

Just after midnight, police say a lone gunman walked into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and opened fire. Police say the suspect, James Holmes, shot 70 people. As of July 20th, 12 of those people had died.
Beverly Ann M. said making guns illegal would have a worse impact. “That would only leave decent people unarmed and unprotected while only criminals would still be packing.”

“If only one of those victims had a legally concealed gun, they could have taken the gunman down and saved lives,” Samantha C. wrote. “We have to be able to protect ourselves.”

HLN’s Ryan Smith pointed out that because the shooter didn’t have a criminal record, there would have been no way to prevent him from obtaining the weapons used in the shooting.

The release went on to say, “Firearms industry members were briefed on such remarkable statistics as the 30.6 percent increase in jobs between 2008 and 2011, a 66.5 percent increase in economic impact and a 66.5 percent increase in federal taxes paid by industry companies….

UPDATED Chart of sports salaries

		Regular season salary	Per game
MLB 162 games 30,352 spg	max	$30,000,000	$185,185
	avg	$3,310,000	$20,432
	min	$480,000	$2,962
NFL 16 games 67,509 spg	max	$19,035,000	$1,189,687
	avg	$1,900,000	$118,750
	min	$390,000	$24,375
NHL 82 games 17,460 spg	max	$14,000,000	$170,731
	avg	$2,400,000	$29,268
	min	$525,000	$6,402
NBA 82 games 15,860 spg	max	$68,700,000	$837,804
	avg	$5,150,000	$62,804
	min	$480,000	$5,853

I have updated the chart adding the spectators per game (spg)