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First and foremost, Super Bowl XLVIII is today! The Seattle Seahawks will play against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. You can watch it on FOX at 6:30 PM ET.
Previously, on Sparks Watch
Previously, on Sparks Watch
Today is also the arbitrary deadline for the Golden State Warriors' ownership to at least come to an agreement to buy the Los Angeles Sparks, with the assumption that that deadline is exactly 21 days after Day 11. If the league does come into an agreement with the Warriors' ownership, it's unlikely that it will be announced today, because the buzz around the Super Bowl will dominate everything in terms of sports. Even tomorrow, the Super Bowl will still have most of the buzz.
On the other hand, if the Los Angeles Sparks were to fold, and we can't count it out, today is not a bad day to do the announcement. The reason why would be because again, the Super Bowl would dominate the headlines. And considering that the WNBA isn't a Big Four league, it would give the Sparks a quieter death of sorts...
But overall, am I expecting an announcement from the league? On Super Bowl Sunday?
Nope.
If anything, the folks in the NBA and the WNBA are just as excited about the Super Bowl as we are. I want to see if Peyton Manning can win his second Super Bowl ring and make some haters eat crow because they say he can't win in cold weather. The Broncos have a great offense, and Manning has been playing some of the best football in his career. If the Broncos win the Super Bowl, when Manning gets asked where he wants to go, he better be ready to say "OMAHA!"
Check out our Super Bowl teams' SBN blogs!
Then for Seattle, can the Seahawks' defense quiet down the Broncos? I really like Russell Wilson who is definitely one of the rising star QB's in the NFL. And can cornerback Richard Sherman give us one more performance why he's the best corner in the game? I don't know about you, but I liked the passion he showed in his post game "rant" with Erin Andrews last week. He was just happy that the Seahawks won the game and will be in the Super Bowl.
And the Washington Redskins... they had a horrible season last year and RGIII lost a lot of the buzz he had in 2012. I know they hired Jay Gruden as their head coach now. Also, baby Shanny got a job in Cleveland according to reports. Good for him.
But once again, the hot button topic on their name has taken center stage with The National Congress of American Indians making a two minute long YouTube video that is trying to keep this issue in the limelight.
Also in that previous link, it should be known that even major governmental figures, like President Barack Obama, would consider changing the name of the team if it was in his control.
I'll also embed this tweet by former DC Mayor and current councilman Marion Barry which was addressed to Redskins owner Dan Snyder:
Dan, I ask you to make your legacy for our Nation's capital Washington. Attach it to a name we are all PROUD TO BE. http://t.co/oL0PgoeFwN
— Marion S. Barry, Jr. (@marionbarryjr) January 31, 2014
Let's say that Snyder does change the name of the team, even though I don't see it happening until a Supreme Court decision tells him to to be honest. Such a change would be significant for sure, considering that the Redskins are the lifeblood of DC sports, even when they're sucking and with the other Big Four teams: the Wizards, the Capitals, and the Nationals showing more promise for various reasons.
I don't know about other cities, but if the Redskins changed their name, DC would be the first city to see the name changes of two major franchises while staying in the same market. And almost definitely the only place in recent memory to see this happen.
In 1997, the Washington Bullets changed their name to the Wizards due to the negative connotation the word "Bullets" has with gun violence, and by extension, political correctness in the words of many fans of their team. And the Redskins would be the second if it happens.
But I digress.
Either way, we've talked about pretty much every possible issue that a relocated Los Angeles Sparks team could face, and also what could happen to Sparks fans and season ticket holders, so there isn't much to talk about those subjects, until the news tells us otherwise.
And besides, today is the day of the Super Bowl! That's why this mini manifesto was on that, as well as the Redskins.
So, enjoy your Super Bowl parties, watching extended cuts of commercials on YouTube, and let's hope we hear something today though I won't hold my breath on it. If not, we'll see you on Monday's version of Sparks Watch!
Update at 12:50 PM ET - We know the Cal-Stanford women's basketball game will be at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT later today and our layout will be updated accordingly for this nationally televised matchup between two major rivals.
