Collectible Sports Memorabilia

COLLECTING sports collectibles or sports memorabilia, antique or modern, is limited by two factors: the money available and the space to be filled. Having determined these basic essentials, it is then a personal matter. The taste of the collector may lead to Baseball Memorabilia, Basketball Memorabilia, Football Memorabilia, Golf Memorabilia, NASCAR memorabilia, Diecast Collectibles, Bobble Heads, Hero Posters, or innumerable other things. The lucky acquisition of an admired piece may lead to a determination to get more of the same, or at least to find out what the admiration is all about.

An encyclopedia definition of Sports Collecting would go something like this: "The hobby of sports collecting consists of acquiring specific sports items based on a particular sporting interest of the sports collector. These sports collections of sporting things are often highly organized, carefully cataloged, and attractively displayed." A sports collectible (or collectable) is defined as a manufactured item designed for people interested in sports to collect. The term sports memorabilia usually refers to items related to sporting that can be directly connected to a recent or historical sporting event or sports personality. There are many people that collect these sports memorabilia and collectibles.

Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, it may deal with almost any subject including sports collectible & sports memorabilia. The depth and breadth of the collection may also vary. Some collectors choose to focus on a specific subtopic within their area of general interest, for example Baseball memorabilia of the New York Yankees, Basketball memorabilia of the Los Angeles Lakers, Football memorabilia of the Dallas Cowboys, Golf memorabilia of Tiger Woods, NASCAR memorabilia of Tony Stewart, Diecast collectibles of fire trucks, Bobble Heads for any sport, & posters of heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Others prefer to keep a more general collection, accumulating any or all Baseball memorabilia, Basketball memorabilia, Football memorabilia, Golf memorabilia, NASCAR memorabilia, Diecast collectibles, Bobble Heads, or Hero Posters.

When the NBA, MLB, and NFL began selling their basketball, baseball, and football jerseys in stores during the 1980s, game used jerseys also became a hot item among sports memorabilia collectors. Former NBA player Dennis Rodman was famous for taking off his jerseys and throwing them to the stands after his games were over. Michael Jordan is probably the basketball player whose memorabilia is most sought after by collectors. Today's stars include Ben Roethlisberger, Shaquille O'Neil, Nomar Garciaparra, etc. These players seem to be pushing the already popular area of sports collectibles and memorabilia to a new level of acceptance to the public.

Collections can take the form of a single item such as a signed baseball, football, or basketball. Collections can also take the form of a series of items, such as jerseys from each member of a particular baseball, basketball, or football team. A NASCAR collection of hats from different drivers is very popular. Golf balls with different logos are especially popular. The cost of any sports collectible memorabilia item is directly proportional to the popularity of the sports figure with which the item correlates. The more popular the sports figure, the more money the sports collectible memorabilia item will demand. The whole sports collectible memorabilia industry is driven by supply and demand. The more demand the higher the price and vice versa. Also, the more supply of an item, the lower the price. Sports cards would be a good example. Only so many of certain cards were ever made. Those carry a higher price than those that were made in bulk. Quality is a very big determining factor in the price of any sports collectible memorabilia item. In general, the better the quality, the higher the price.

Kevin is the husband of Becky and the father of 2, Nicholas and Kirsten. He is an avid sports fan and over-all good guy. He has taken his love of sports and developed web sites that offer that love of sports to others.

Hitch Covers, Hitch Plugs

http://www.GolfClubsHome.com

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A Career in Sports Medicine

Do you want a rewarding career that also lets you work with a lot of people? Do you enjoy sports and physical activity? Do you want to be a doctor? If you answered yes to any of these then you may be interested in a career in sports medicine. A career in sports medicine has many advantages for you. Not only is it an excellent career, but people educated in sports medicine are always needed. You know you will always have a job in the field of sports medicine.

Sports medicine has two fields of expertise. Sports medicine first focuses on injury treatment and injury prevention for athletes. The second focus of sports medicine is to provide an athlete or athletes with performance enhancement. This can be for any type of athlete. In sports medicine you can treat: runners, bicyclists, football players, soccer players, hockey players, baseball players, and many other types of athletes. Sports medicine is open to many fields. The goal of a person who works in sports medicine is to make sure the athletes he or she treats achieve top performance and optimal health at all times.

There are many careers in sports medicine. One is called a sports medicine physician. A sports medicine physician goes through medical school first and then gets educated in sports medicine. This is when they learn to diagnose and treat sport related injuries that athletes have incurred. A second career in sports medicine is called a sports medicine physical therapist. A sports medicine physical therapist works with athletes to rehabilitate them from sports related injuries, muscle problems, joint problems, etc. For A career as a sports medicine physical therapist you will need to get certified as a physical therapist after your initial medical school training.

Many college campuses offer courses in sports medicine. Some even have job placement for people that wish to start a career in the field of sports medicine. One great school to look into is The American College of Sports Medicine. They offer certification in this field and are world renowned. For more information about sports medicine you can check out a book called The American Journal of Sports Medicine. It has details on sports medicine education and articles about sports medicine.

This career is an excellent choice for many of you out there. It's great to know when you are the one that helps an athlete perform his or her best. If you are really good at it you may even get to treat the athletes that are in the Olympics! Perhaps you will get to treat some of the world famous basketball stars or football players! Then you too can world famous!

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.buy-meds.info a blog focusing on the Medicine, resources and articles. This site provides detailed information on Medicine. For more info visit his site: Medicine

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Can You Really Make Money Betting on Sports?

Can you really make money betting on Sports? Although for the masses, the answer is a resounding "No", when you take heed to the following information, you'll be armed with a surefire sports betting system that will empower you with a 97~100% probability of winning your sports bets and leaving the masses way behind to suck up the dust after you make money betting on sports - even if you have absolutely no experience betting on sporting events right at this moment. So, by the time you finish reading this article, your answer will be a resounding "Yes, you really can make money betting on sports" when you get access to the right sports betting system...

Many Professional Gamblers actually make a good living betting on sports. However, such Pro Gamblers are quite a rare breed. Whether you're a pro, newbie, or somewhere in between, just like the casinos where the house absolutely rules, in when it comes to betting on sports, the odds are stacked in the bookie's or SportsBook's favor, NOT yours--unless you've got a surefire sports betting system to do the hard work for you plus enable you to make money betting on sports and avoid going to the proverbial "poor house", wherever that is...

Some of the biggest fallacies within the realm of sports gambling are that you've gotta be passionate and very knowledgeable about whatever sports you are placing bets on. Another fallacy is that betting on sports requires extensive research on your part. Perhaps that used to be true before a proven surefire system of placing sports bets that enables you to consistently win at a 97~100% accuracy level was invented by Cornell University graduate and sports enthusiast John Morrison, who earned his PhD in statistics.

But those do-it-yourself sports bet days are now a thing of the past! Since John is an extremely knowledgeable sports fanatic, you don't have to be so knowledgeable and fanatical about sports anymore in order to make money betting on sports! And of course research certainly has to be done - it's just that YOU no longer have to do it when you have a 97~100% accurate surefire Sports Betting System to do all that grunt research on your behalf...

Even if you place your sports bets according to John's proven surefire sports betting system, there is still one hard and fast rule that you should adhere to, which is to never bet more than 10% of your "bankroll" on any particular sports event. For newbies or beginners, your "bankroll" is the overall amount of money that you are comfortably willing to lose on all of your sports bets. As a prudent Sports Better, you should put considerable thought into setting your own bankroll and adhering to this 10% rule.

The only way to consistently make money betting on sports is to constantly pick the winners and minimize your losses on a consistent basis over an extended period of time. Now you can either spend countless years of trial and error devising and tweaking your own sports betting system, or you can use the proven surefire sports betting system meticulously developed by Professional Statistician and seasoned sports betting pro John Morrison.

The choice is yours, and the most amazing aspect of John's sports betting system is that some of the people who make money sports betting using his system have absolutely no interest whatsoever in sports--just in making money on a consistent basis, which is precisely what just some of those Successful First-Time Sports Bettors have done as you'll see when you see them up-close & personal and listen to what they have to say from the heart about how this system has vastly improved their lives and financial status.

Since this sports betting system is so accurate in terms of winning MLB, NBA, and NFL Picks and it's so revolutionary, it actually shifts the overriding question from "Can you really make money betting on sports?" to "Why not make money on 97~100% of your sports bets starting right this moment?" Now that you've got access the right system, just give it a shot and see for yourself that you really can make serious money betting on sports with this "Done For You" sports betting system - even without any prior sports betting experience @ all...

Shane Alexander is a real estate & stock market investor who has recently been transformed into a successful sports better once he overcame his ignorance & tremendous fear of sports betting after taking a bit of time to learn and apply the information on how to make money betting on sports that you can find on this life-changing website:

==> http://www.MakeMoneySportsBetting.com

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Sports Arbitrage - A Path to Regular Risk Free Profits - Learn More

Sports arbitrage betting

Arbitrage sports betting is a proven way to get regular risk free profits from the massive online fixed odds betting market. In a way it's like a swoop and scoop of regular small profits from pitting one fixed odds bookmaker against another.

Sports arbitrage betting takes it's origins from arbitrage trading in financial markets. In financial markets an arbitrage trade exploits the difference in the price of a listed company on a stock market in different countries.

Sports arbitrage trading is where someone regularly trades price inconsistencies between fixed odds bookmakers on the same sporting event. After all bookmakers are only human and they make mistakes. These mistakes can be exploited by someone who wants to spot them.

In truth a lot of fixed odds bookmakers don't want you to know this information....but sports arbitrage betting is legal and doesn't harm the bookmakers business in any case. The returns you can expect from sports arbitrage trading are limited only by the fixed odds bookmakers who cap the stake size. The only investment needed with a 'sport arb' is your betting stake, which as you'll learn is totally guaranteed.

What sort of budget should I start with for sports arbitrage trading?

Well, this is your decision. Depending on your level of experience we would suggest free sport arbitrage betting with the free bets available from online fixed odds bookmakers. You can increase your budget with your level of confidence. The winnings with sport arbitrage trading can be added to your bank. If you decided to invest a percentage of you bank each time your stake and you profit will increase accordingly.

How do bookmakers lose their money?

Sports arbitrage trading is all about spotting inconsistencies between different bookmakers' prices that regularly exist. As a result of mistakes by fixed odds bookmakers an under round occurs. An under round forms the basis of a sports arbitrage bet. Simply the under round is when the total number of probabilities priced by the odds on that event are below 100%. A typical under round is where you would have to invest £96 to get the bookmaker to pay you £100. Using this example a sports arbitrage bet would give you a return of 4%. You can expect a return of around 4% for sports arbitrage bets. Sometimes you will get more than 4%.

Sports arbitrage bets win regardless of the outcome of the event without any need for expert knowledge of sports betting or sports. This is one of the reasons sports arbitrage betting has a popular following.

There are two sides to any fixed odds bet, back and lay. Sports arbitrage bets come as back / back bets or back / lay bets.

Lets have a look at how these sports arbitrage bets might look.

Back / back sports arbitrage

In the week of October 7th there were many arbs between 3% and up 9.17% for the European Championship Qualifiers played that week. Several of these sport arb opportunities lasted longer than normal because of the massive amount of interest in the games.

An example of one sport arb that week is given below: -

Poland Vs Latvia You could bet: - Latvia at 15.0 with Bet365 or Eurobet The Draw at 7.0 Luvbet Poland at 1.35 with several bookmakers including Unibet.com and Nordicbet.com. The odds have been converted to a percentage to make it easier to visualize.

By splitting your total stake Poland 77.951%, Draw 15.033% and Latvia 7.016% you would guarantee a profit of 5.23% regardless of the outcome of the match.

i.e.

Poland 77.951 x 1.35 = 105.23 Draw 15.033 x 7 = 105.23 Latvia 7.016 x 15 = 105.23

Why do these pricing inconsistencies or under round prices occur?

As bookmakers can now operate online, there are now hundreds of online fixed odds bookmakers. They are all competing with one another and are located in various countries and time zones. To be the person who actually prices a particular sportsbook you have to have a massive amount of knowledge of that sport. To compete, fixed odds bookmakers offer loads of sports in their sportsbook, but there isn't the expertise to cover every sport. They may have the relevant stats but they can't possibly know every participant and every event. In short mistakes can and do happen. Taking this into account and the difference in time zones you get hundreds of opportunities for sports arbitrage trading every week.

Take two examples.

When England play soccer most bets with UK bookmakers will be supporting England. Bookmakers may offer the opposition at an inflated price to create a balanced book.

A typical week with four golf tournaments and a couple of tennis events bookmakers may have to price up 800 or so outright odds plus over 400 matches just in these two sports alone. We only need two bookmakers from the many available to have a difference of opinion in one of these markets to create an opportunity.

Back / lay sports arbitrage betting

You can also find a sport arb between the back and lay price (win / lose) for the event. Back / lay sports arbitrage betting has been made easier due to betting exchanges like Betfair. A betting exchange allows members to lay an event (e.g. for a horse to lose). A back / lay sports arbitrage bet occurs when the price offered by a bookmaker is higher than the lay price available on a betting exchange for the same selection. The difference between the two represents your profit. Often a bookmaker can be slow to change the price on a favourite when something has happened to reduce the odds. As the price drops on the betting exchange you profit by laying low with the betting exchange and backing high with the bookmaker.

How do we find sports arbitrage bets?

Finding sports arbitrage bets can be time consuming. Spotting them is relatively easy. You just convert the opposing odds on an event to a percentage and see if they add up to less than 100%.

Instead of trawling odds comparison sites we recommend using one of the sports arbitrage services which are available. These companies use software to search for sports arbitrage bets for you.

What is the first step to successful sports arbitrage trading?

Sports arbitrage opportunities can spring up anywhere; a fixed odds bookmaker in the USA, UK, Europe or Australia. The first step is to open an account with a selection of online fixed odds bookmakers. There are some specific bookmakers who suit sports arbitrage betting because they allow a high stake size. As you'll learn it is important to have a bookmaker who allows a high stake when you consider you are making around 4% on each sports arbitrage bet.

How do I set up a sports arbitrage bet once I have opened by fixed odds bookmaker account?

When you know which fixed odds bookmakers are presenting a sports arbitrage opportunity log into your account with each bookmaker. Have the fixed odds betting terminal of each bookmaker open in a separate browser window. Enter your stake in each one. Click confirm quickly one after the other and you sports arbitrage risk free profit is secured.

You may want to visit our site to find out more about sports arbitrage betting. We look at which bookmakers are good for sports arbitrage betting and we review the sports arbitrage services available on the internet. From our website you can also choose various free bet offers to start sports arbitrage betting.

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The Sports Industry - How to Find Your Dream Job

Though jobs in the sports industry might seem to be plentiful, it is a very competitive field. Divided into ten sections, this industry contains thousands of jobs in, sporting events, trade shows and meetings, sport sponsors, sport related media, sport facilities, sport retailers and manufactures, and professional sport services.

This industry in particular has a large turnover, a complex infrastructure, and an influence on many people's lives via the media and participation. To completely understand the nature of the sports industry, one must know that it is composed of different components:

Different Components in the Sports Industry

o Sporting goods - equipment manufacturers, high street sports retailers

o Facility management, provision and maintenance - motor sport facilities, stadiums, sports and leisure centers

o Sports coaching

o Sports tourism - packages for fans attending the world cup matches, or Olympics

o Sports development - sports development initiatives, governing bodies for various sports, local authority sports development officers

o Sports-related gambling/betting

o Professional sport

o Health and fitness - health clubs, GP referral schemes, personal fitness

o Trainers

o Sports medicine -sports injury clinics, physiotherapists

o Outdoors and adventure activities - mountain biking, climbing, canoeing

To know every section of the sports industry, you must understand the type of activities that take place and the respective organizations that provide them. For instance, if you are planning to get involved with sporting goods, you should know the different types of goods that are available through specialist equipment manufacturers and high end retailers, plus names of the various companies involved.

Likewise, to seek a job in sports development, you should be aware of what 'sports development' is and the various jobs available for sports development officers, as well as the organizations that employ them, like the local authorities and charities governing bodies of different sports.

In general, people take it for granted that jobs are restricted within the sports industry. However, there are many other opportunities available. A job in the sports industry could range from that as a professional athlete, to a ball girl/ boy, to a general manager of a professional sports team. You don't have to work for a professional sports team to get into the industry. You could start working as a trainer or coach for a high school team, a journalist, or a sports agent, or even work as a television broadcaster.

Salary Range in the Sports Industry

The sport, the team and the type of job, are some of the aspects that influence salaries in the sports industry. Following are examples of salary ranges of some jobs in the sports industry:

Coach: $20,000-$400,000+ (College) and $20,000-$70,000 (high school)

Sportscaster: $18,000-$1 million

Sportswriter: $15,000-$1 million

Sports Event Coordinator: $24,000-$90,000+

Education largely depends on the type of job one is planning to pursue. A college degree may not assure a job in the industry but may provide numerous opportunities for employment. Besides, it is almost impossible to get into the sports industry without experience. The best way to prepare for a job in the sports industry is to get maximum exposure.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

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Sports Magazines For The Sports Enthusiasts

Sports journalism in dedicated sports magazines offers reports on events like competitions and tournaments and related sports news. There are many sports magazines that have been mocked and called "toy magazines" for showing no concern for the 'serious' topics covered by various news desks. Today, sports coverage has grown in importance, just as the different sports themselves have grown in wealth and influence and a lot of subsequent power and recognition.

Sports journalism in sports magazines is an essential component of the news media organization. Sports journalism in sports magazines includes a sports department that is devoted solely to diligent sports reporting. Some of the world renowned magazines dedicated to sports are Sports Illustrated and Sports Round Up.

The reporters of various sports magazines have a tough time with sports teams from around the world. While some are not always very accommodating with sports journalists, others are known to allow sports reporters into locker rooms for interviews and some extra information. There are also sports teams that provide extensive information support, even if the reporting proves unfavorable to them. There are certain countries where sports coverage is often barely tolerated by the clubs and players.

Sports journalists who work for the various sports magazines are like any other reporters. They too have to find the story rather than simply rely on information that is generated by the sports teams or institution or the dedicated coaching staff. The reporters on sporting events are expected to first and foremost be conversant with the particular game they are covering and the nuances involved. Sports journalists have to verify facts given to them by the teams and organizations they are covering, before getting the content into the sports magazines.

Often, the coaches of the different games and teams and players and even the sports organization management rescind the access credentials of the reporters covering a particular controversy or sporting event. This is done entirely in retaliation for printing accurate, but disparaging information about a team, player, coach or the organization in question.

Today, sports reporters cover extensively sports journalism for professional and intercollegiate sports such as American football, ice hockey, basketball, baseball and football. The sports magazines are segregated to either cater to the target 'reader' group for a particular sport or into sections within that cover different sports and offer better coverage to the sports enthusiasts. The sports magazines are headed by a team of professionals either from the games themselves or avid enthusiasts from around the world, who have followed the games religiously.

Sports magazines all over the world have now become a part of the integrated world online. The online sports magazines are increasing in popularity due to the private and comfortable access to live news and reviews possible because of the internet technology. There are many sports magazines that cater to both, the online and virtual segments successfully.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about magazines and comics. When looking for magazines and comics, we recommend you shop only at the best magazine and comic stores for sports magazines, used sports magazines, and usedcomics.

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Self Promotion in Sport - The Key to Success

After years of hard work, dedication and effort to become the best in their chosen sport, an increasing number of talented sports people find that they can no longer cope with the financial burden of competitive sport and quit before realizing their true potential. The key to a successful and sustained career in sport not only relies on performance and results but a good support network comprising family, friends, fans and business contacts. All this is provided through Self Promotion in Sport.

"Why would anyone be interested in me?" people might ask, "It's not like I am on the TV winning major events every week". In reality, if sports people were on the TV on a regular basis winning major events they would have already achieved their goals and therein lies the big "Catch-22" in sport - the rewards are there when you make it to the top but you really need the support now to be able to get there! In response to the question of who would be interested in me, the answer is simple; those who know about you, which again comes back to Self Promotion in Sport.

Self Promotion in Sport starts with friends and family. Sports people need to keep their friends and family regularly updated regarding their efforts, goals and achievements. One of the most efficient ways to provide this is through a personal sports website, which should be regularly updated. Well-informed friends and family should be thought of as the sports person's free marketing team and be encouraged to spread the word about the person's efforts, goals and achievements. Once the free marketing team has been assembled and briefed, the team should be asked to help you build your fan base and develop business contacts, as necessary.

In the same way as the sports person should create a buzz amongst people that they know, the sports person should also ask their friends and family to do the same. If a sports person has a personal sports website, friends and family should be asked to email links to the site to as many people as they know. People are more likely to click on a link on an email to visit the site than type the address into a browser; however, when the sports person or their friends and family meet people who might be interested in following their career, a business card with the address of the website or at least an email address, creates a good impression.

Media exposure can be achieved in many ways. The internet is becoming the easiest way to gain exposure, as sports people can create and post their own articles, blogs or message board threads. All such methods can present opportunities to insert links to the sports person's personal sports website. Printed media exposure can be more challenging to achieve; however, can provide excellent results. Free local newspapers are often looking for local residents with interesting stories to produce an article on. When approaching local reporters, sports people should first write down a list of content that would make a potential article interesting to the general public. Interesting content may consist of achievements, funny stories, career aspirations, charity work or an insight into the sport such as "a day in the life of a ......." Again, sports people should ask their friends and family to help generate interesting content.

For those who are eligible to accept financial support, equipment, clothing, modeling work, product endorsements, etc. members of their fan base could one day become excellent business contacts, so building a fan base at an early age is essential. Sports people should set realistic goals for business contacts. Many automatically think about lucrative contracts with the major sports equipment and clothing companies; however, they are unlikely to come to fruition until such companies can reap significant benefits from an agreement. The key to building successful business contacts is to think "small, local and multiple". It is not only the major companies who are looking for sports people to do product endorsements, modeling work or to help with branding and reaching their target audience. It is not only the companies who are related to a sports person's particular sport who could be considered good business contacts either. Sports people should think about the products that personalities in their sport promote and find several small local companies who may benefit from their affiliation. If the sports person has been proactive in their self promotion efforts, there is a chance that the local companies may already know who they are!!!!

It is important for sports people of all ages and levels to understand that they need to play an active role in Sports Self Promotion. If they don't, they could just be giving their competitors the edge!!!!

Please visit EdgeSportsSites.com to view their affordable, personal sports websites and learn more about Self Promotion in Sport.

Lisa Seary is a former England International, US Collegiate and Professional Golfer who created http://www.EdgeSportsSites.com to empower others like her to take control of their sports careers by providing essential self promotion tools and tips.

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Sports Logos - Qualities Of A Sports Logo Design

Logo is an element, symbol or a trademark for a company. In short we can say it is an identifier of a product or any organization. Logo reflects an organization's style, personality and goals to the outer world.

Sports Logo Design

It is obvious that logo designs for a sports company are very different from that of any business company or food chain. Colors, font, size and style play an important role in giving us an outstanding sports logo design. It speaks volumes about the determination and winning spirit of a particular team. Any sports logo design should be vibrant and sportive with symbols used for that particular sport.

Importance of Sports Logo

A professional sport's logo design is a sign of allegiance and it signifies a person's love for his/her team. A strong sport logo creates a relationship between the sports fans and their sport's team. Fans have started buying an endless stream of sport-related collectibles, using the sports logo to trumpet their contact with a particular sport. The uniqueness of a sports logo design binds the sport and its lovers.

Things to be considered for a Strong Sports Logo Design

A few things to consider are for a sports logo design are:

(1) What does that particular sport represent? (2) Who is our targeted audience? (3) What the sports logo should symbolize about any team?


Characteristics of the Sport Logos

Sports represent energy, determination, focus and a willingness to compete. At logo labs it is seen that a sports logo must emulate those qualities. Other characteristics' that helps to enhance a sports logo are:

1) Choice of colors for a Sports Logo: A graphic designer tries to integrate with our choice of colors according to the sport logo theme. Generally sports logos include flag colors of the team so that its triumph is signified as their nation's success. For a sports logo the colors are generally vibrant and eye-catching so they are easy to recognize and remember. 2) The Type used: The mode of the sports logo being designed for any team should be technically proper. 3) Sports Logo should be different from a Corporate Logo: It should be seen that sports logo should have different outlook than that of a business logo and should focus targeted people. 4) Using different symbols in a Sports Logo: Different symbols are used while designing a sports logo. For instance, it has been noticed that animals like hawks and eagles are commonly used for basketball teams to highlight their will power and energy level.

Your sports logo design conveys the message of your team and establishes a unique identity that reflects the success of the logo design. A sports logo design plays a great role in the success of a team and its position in the sports world.

More info about Sports Logos
Copyrights Premade Logo Designs

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Online Sport Betting In Today's Society

Online sport betting is a game of skill. For that reason online sport betting is big business the world over. Sport betting is a popular past-time all over the world; in fact it is deeply rooted in the culture of almost all civilizations. Sport betting is the art of predicting sports results by placing a bet or wager on the outcome of the specified sporting event. Sport betting is competitive not only for the bettors but also for the sports books, so shop around for the one that offers the type of bets that you are interested in betting on.

Betting On Sports

Sport betting is the general activity of predicting sports results by making a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. Perhaps more so than other forms of gambling, the legality and general acceptance of sports betting varies from nation to nation. Proponents of legalized sports betting generally regard it as a hobby for sports fans that increases their interest in particular sporting events, thus benefiting the leagues, teams and players they bet on through higher attendances and television audiences. There are professional sports bettors that make a good income by betting on sports. Aside from simple wagers, betting a friend that one's favourite sports team will win its division, for instance, or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is commonly done through a bookmaker. Bookmaker shops that cater towards professionals generally have higher (or no) upper betting limits and offer lower vigorish, while making some of the money back on fees for withdrawals or minimum bets.

The Sport Of Laundering

Sports are part of our lives just as betting is a part of sports. Sports betting can be a lot of fun. Sport betting online has become more and more popular through the years. Historically, sport betting has been associated with a number of unsavory characters, which has a lot to do with its desultory legal treatment throughout the world. Organized crime notoriously has relied upon sports betting for money laundering or funding purposes. However the general perception of sports betting is now one of a common and acceptable pass time in most societies.

Online Sports Wagering

Online sport betting provides you with many different options because online sports books are in competition with one another. Online sports books are very safe, very friendly, and very efficient. Online sport betting has made it possible for anyone to take advantage of the great incentives offered by many of the online sports book providers. The main question, before you start with online sports betting is how to decide which online bookmaker to choose. Making a right choice when you select a bookmaker to bet with is an essential step for successful online betting.

In summary sports betting is as old as the sports themselves. Online betting, particularly sport betting is very popular and continues to become more popular each year. Online sport betting is estimated to be 5 times bigger than Las Vegas sports betting. Sports Betting is pretty simple, all you have to do is learn the ropes. Sport betting is easy to do and if you enjoy watching sports anyways, it could add to the fun of supporting your favourite team.

Nigel is a successful webmaster and publisher of an Internet Shopping website. This site showcases, among other topics, Online Sport Betting sites and Sport Betting Providers from the UK’s leading bookmakers.

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Love Sports? An Exciting Sport Franchise May Be For You!

Truth be told, starting your very own sports business may not as hard as you may think. In fact, a franchise business opportunity might be just what you need to get your foot into the door of a lucrative career in the sports industry.

Consider for a moment the potential for sport franchises in today's marketplace. It goes without saying that a business that provides sports oriented products and services can attract consumers of all ages and backgrounds.

Additionally, fitness and physical activity are both encouraged and promoted in today's society; thus, a large percentage of people may be interested in purchasing and participating in various kinds of sport promotions that you could offer through your own sport franchise.

For example, golf attracts both adults and children. And, a sport franchise for an indoor golf or driving range could be profitable year round.

Where to start?

Interested in a sports franchise, but not sure where to start? First, take a look at the growing list of sports-related franchise business opportunities and decide which one is the most appealing to you, paying close attention to your own areas of personal interest as they relate to sports.

In fact, the best way to chisel out franchise success in this unique arena is to find a sports niche that you have a natural interest in and then pursue a franchise opportunity in that area.

For instance, if you are sports-minded and enjoy spending time playing, organizing or just providing sports-oriented products and services to the general public, a sports franchise that provides you with an opportunity to capitalize on your love for fitness, golf, sportswear, baseball or even go carts, is sure to lead you to victory.

In short, choose a franchise that suits your experience and interests then build your dream business!

Attractive start-up packages and low investment requirements

Getting started couldn't be easier when you have a proven game plan already at your fingertips - all from the company itself, which will be provided for you in play-by-play detail. That's because sports franchise companies want and need their franchise outlets to succeed and are willing to give you as much information and detail as you need to make your franchise both highly profitable and highly successful.

And with a proven game-play and rule book to follow, you're sure not to foul out, which makes sports franchise opportunities much more attractive than trying to start your own sports-related business from scratch.

This said, you should know that franchise opportunities relating to fitness, golf, sportswear, and even sports photography are available right now with low investment and attractive start-up packages. The Athlete's Foot®, Snap Fitness, Nevada Bob's Golf and Future Stars Sports Photography are just a few of the sport franchises ready to purchase.

Now, just ask yourself, which of these is best suited to your unique sports passions.

Initial investment- what to expect

Once you choose the sport franchise, you will find that the initial investment required for start-up is usually low. In fact, some franchise companies can even help with financing so that you can start your business as soon as possible. For example, a Simple Golf Solutions franchise requires start-up funds as low as a $5000 liquid capital with financing assistance available!

Additionally, purchasing a sport franchise gives you a framework from which you can start to build your own business, as mentioned above, and will provide you with the support you need to be up, running and profitable in no time.

Sure, you are responsible for maintaining the franchise according to the company guidelines but you still have your own business. Consider Kinderdance® where a complete training system is in place combined with a low start-up cost and simple business procedure make operating your own franchise a reality!

Additional benefits of owning your own sport franchise

As the global economy incorporates massive growth with business performance, the outlook is good for sports franchise owners. Because most consumers associate a "brand name" with superior quality and customer service, when you purchase a well-known sport franchise, your customer base may already be established since your business is largely generated by the consumer's experience with the company.

The combination of the franchise base, your investment in time and effort, and customer service satisfaction may be your game plan for success in the sports franchise arena.

And. as a sports franchise owner, you can forget about the day- to-day grind and experience the freedom to choose your own hours and paycheck as you lead your own team to new-found success.

And, as your own coach, so to speak, you have total control, which means no more dead-end jobs, no more overly demanding bosses.

Now, it really can be you and your team.

Low-risk makes some sports franchises look great

Suddenly, it is not such a huge risk to operate your own franchise. Because you can carefully examine every sports franchise opportunity and crunch the numbers and compare the businesses more important details, you can find one that suits your unique needs and your budget.

You can choose one that allows you to get it on a level you are comfortable with and if you want to add additional players to increase your start-up pool of funds and decrease your personal risk, that's entirely up to you.

Sports-themed businesses you should know about

As you consider sports franchise opportunities, there are a few top producing ones that you may want to look into first, including:

The Athlete's Foot®
Specializing in high quality athletic footwear, The Athlete's Foot® is the world's first franchisor in this particular product line and is recognized today as the world leader in this type of franchise.

Snap Fitness
Snap Fitness caters to its members through its flexible 24/7 operating system where the facility is available at any time regardless of individual schedules and time constraints. Combining a unique 24 hour a day card-locking and surveillance system plus a highly trained and knowledgeable staff ensures a positive and convenient fitness centre experience for each and every client.

Nevada Bob's Golf
This sport franchise offers a wide selection of specialty golf products and services to meet the needs of the amateur to professional golfer. With over 25 years of success in the golf retail industry, Nevada Bob's Golf has everything for the prospective franchise owner and customer!

Future Stars Sports Photography
With a state of the art production facility, unlimited support and extensive training program, any franchise owner can see picture perfect results every time with a Future Stars Sports Photography sport franchise. An amazing product and customer service mean business success for any entrepreneur interested in sports photography.

Franchise opportunities are ready for the taking with low startup cost and turn key operation. And sport franchises are becoming some of the most popular and profitable businesses in the marketplace today.

When you sign on the dotted line

When you purchase your own franchise business, you can start with the knowledge that there is a well-established company behind you that will provide plenty of support and guidance whenever you need it.

Sport franchises are one of the best ways to have a solid and profitable business without investing a huge amount of money to get started. Once you make the decision to purchase your own sport franchise business, you are on your way to realizing the future that you always dreamed about but didn't know how to get started.

A look ahead at sports franchises

Sports are big business. From individuals to elite professional teams, almost everyone is involved in some kind of sport activity. Whether it is just throwing a baseball in the backyard or participating in a worldwide competition, some element of sport is everywhere.

Owning a sport franchise allows you to participate when you provide the products and services. Your business franchise may be geared specifically to one sport or many depending on your interests and business goals. Check our franchise directory to find the sport business opportunity that's just right for you!

Find franchises, franchise opportunities and information for entrepreneurs at Franchise Gator.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Lawrence

Online Sports Trading - A Viable Investment?

What if there was some way to tap into the ever-growing popularity of world-wide sport that could turn the gambling factor of sports betting into an investment vehicle producing sustainable results over the long-term such as equity trading?

Sports Trading was conceptualized and bridge between conventional sports betting and real-world stock trading was built.

Please note: generalizations are used in this article because sport trading exchanges can differ in nature and offerings.

What is Sports Trading?

You may immediately associate sports trading with that of card trading but until fairly recently, sports trading has taken on another exciting meaning.

Although the actual definition of sports trading may differ exactly depending on the type of exchange in question, it is essentially the act of investing in virtual sports issues or contracts (i.e. sports teams, players or markets).

Sports trading is not to be confused with sports betting (betting against a bookmaker) or some other form of fancy gambling, sports trading runs along the same investment lines as trading on a conventional stock market exchange (e.g. Wall Street).

Participants of:

* Fantasy sports games
* Stock trading simulation games
* Sports betting exchanges

will identify a commonalty with a typical sports trading exchange.

Although sport trading is still somewhat dwarfed by the sports betting and real-world trading industries, there is no question of the future popularity for this concept as people from all backgrounds are coming together to trade be it virtual stocks or issues or real contracts for real money on any sports related market, offered by the online sport trading exchange.

Sports trading exchanges are developing sophisticated technology, commonly employing a proprietary trading platform and in most cases, with a Level II type trading interface.

It is typical of a global sports trading exchange to offer around-the-clock (i.e. 24/7) trading as exchange members are not inhibited with limited or set trading hours so are free trade anytime, from anyplace around the world.

Advantages over Sports Betting

Sports trading has the thrill of sports betting but without the inherit risk of gambling that sports betting produces.

Some notable advantages sport trading has over conventional sports betting are (trading exchange dependant):

* Far less risk; eliminates the 'all or nothing' situation
* Can still profit even from an event loss
* Capital appreciation
* Dividend income
* Not solely competing against professionals
* Greater chance of success (not limited to above reason)
* Can be invested with minimal effort


Sport trading eliminates the gambling factor associated with sports betting; traders seldom lose their total investment in a stock holding (i.e. they have the ability to trade out to prevent further loss), the sports bettor loses their entire wager with an incorrect guess.

The sports trader is not competing solely against professional bookmakers whose job is to get the better of you - more often. Sport trading exchanges are about people-to-people interaction so you are pitting your skill, judgement and knowledge against fairer competition. Learn to be savvy and you end up with the edge.

Once invested, the sports trader can theoretically sit-back and monitor their investments passively; the sports bettor must normally wager every time to potentially make money and therefore, incur greater risk on each and every bet.

Advantages over conventional stock trading

Participants of stock trading already will find other useful benefits from a typical sport trading exchange such as:

* Lower trading fees due to being solely online trading
* Greater participation from a wider audience
* Not being exclusive to professionals
* Around the clock trading (no set trading sessions)
* Wider-economy independence
* Readily accessible sport information for all
* Global trading stock exchanges


The global online sport trader is conveniently afforded time-zone irrelevant trading from an online trading environment that typically does not shut for trading.

With the world-wide following sport increasingly enjoys (activity is seldom subject to prevailing economic factors that affect conventional trading exchanges) and the substantial amount of publicly available information not subject to a privileged few, sport traders can finally compete on fairer terms with other traders.

Online sports trading on virtual trading exchanges provide a wonderfully unique cross over between conventional sports betting and real-world stock trading in essence; they combine many of the advantages of the two, in a single investment product.

The opportunities that exist on these virtual exchanges and the resulting advantages are too long to detail here but it is the hope of this article to spread further awareness and the investment advantages of sport trading because this is a viable form of investment worthy of promotion.

The Sports Trading Investor - games of strategy and skill, markets of excitement and opportunities. Providing informative resources to help make you become a winner!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Beatty

Modern Technology has Given Us a Wonderful Range of Sports Sunglasses

Modern technology has given us a wonderful range of sports sunglasses frames and sports sunglasses lenses made to both enhance and stand up to the demands of the sports enthusiast with lightweight, flexible, durable materials, no-slip frames and a wide variety of lens options. The sports sunglasses and discount sunglasses are made to suit whatever sporting activity you might be considering whether it be golfing, skiing, snow boarding, playing tennis, motorcycling, cycling, kayaking, boating, water skiing, fishing, mountain climbing, snow shoeing, mountain biking, playing baseball, running or jogging the options have never been more abundant.

One of the most important aspects of the sports sunglasses is the lenses. The optical quality and visual enhancement of sports lenses has never been better. Lens colors such as brown, yellow, green, gray, rose, amber and orange can help enhance your sports performance by filtering out colors and allowing you to see what is most important. Polycarbonate lenses are a popular choice as they are impact resistant and very strong which is helpful when it comes to sports. Having lenses that are impact resistant is also a necessary factor when it comes to children wearing sunglasses, impact resistant means the lenses won't shatter if bumped or knocked.

The sports sunglasses frames available are just as important as the lenses you choose. Sports sunglasses frames can be found in lightweight and durable frame materials such as polyamide which keeps it shape even when under stress. Goggle frames made of softer flexible materials like rubber, nylon and propionate prove to be excellent as they hold their shape and will not become brittle in the cold temperatures when skiing or snow boarding and therefore will not injure your face. It is possible to find good quality discounted sunglasses, replica sunglasses and sports sunglasses frames to accommodate whatever sporting activity you choose to participate in.

When it comes to sports sunglasses polarized lenses are another popular option as they are ideal for water and winter sports where water and snow can increase the reflective glare, especially on flat surfaces. Polarized sunglasses lenses absorb approximately ninety eight percent of reflective glare offering glare free vision for your sporting activities. Polarized sunglasses are excellent choices for boating, water skiing, skiing, snow boarding, golfing, motorcycling, cycling and jogging with polarized lenses also available in ski goggles. Polarized sunglasses come in a wide variety of designs, colors and styles and can be found on discount sunglasses sites at affordable prices for everyone.

With so many wonderful sports sunglasses, polarized sunglasses, discounted sunglasses and replica sunglasses to choose from you might have difficulty selecting just one or two pairs of sunglasses. With that said the following are just a few of the sports sunglasses trends you might encounter and can include; no-slip temple grips and nose pads (quite often made of rubber); polarized sunglasses lenses that enhance sports performance by absorbing ninety eight percent of reflective glare; lightweight and durable sports sunglasses frames made with polyamide which keeps it shape even when under stress; sports sunglasses with changeable lens systems that allow you to use dark lenses under sunny skies or clear lenses for darker conditions; and sports specific sunglasses with color enhance lenses.

Ski goggles like sports sunglasses have also benefited from modern technology with the materials used to make them. Ski goggles not only provide protection for the face but for the eyes as well, with some ski goggles covering the whole upper portion of the face (smaller goggles are also available). Ski goggles are made with a lens area large enough to give the wearer a wide field of view and good peripheral vision. Unlike sports sunglasses ski goggle frames are made of softer more flexible materials like rubber, nylon and propionate as they hold their shape and will not become brittle in the cold and injure your face. Available in rose, yellow-orange and pink tints ski goggles allow you to make out the shapes, objects and bumps in the snow. Like sports sunglasses ski goggles are also available with polarized lenses which filter out the glare.

Due to the large number of sports related eye injuries each year, the importance of athletes wearing protective sunglasses and sport eyewear becomes obvious.

Whether you wear ski goggles for snow boarding and skiing or protective eye shields made of polycarbonate (impact resistant) for baseball eye safety is necessary.

Sports sunglasses will not shatter or bend like regular sunglasses might. Another reason for wearing protective sports sunglasses is simply for their UV (ultraviolet) protection, you should look for at least ninety eight percent UVA and UVB protection when selecting your sports sunglasses because without proper eye protection keratitis (sunburn) of the eyes can occur. The tinted ski goggles available can also assist with seeing the subtle bumps and lines of the ski hill which in turn can ensure your overall safety.

A popular trend in sports sunglasses is that of sunglasses for enhancing sports performance. Some of the sports enhancing sunglasses can include; yellow tinted sports sunglasses used for tennis where the balls are usually yellow; green tinted sports sunglasses excellent for golf as they give more contrast and visual acuity so the objects in the course such as flag stick and ball will stand out; specially tinted sports sunglasses for trap shooting and baseball; amber or rose ski goggles which enhance the soft grays that mark shadows on a ski slope, these shadows allow you to distinguish the ridges or bumps in the surface. The sports sunglasses that you select should also offer protection for your eyes.

There are sports sunglasses available for whatever types of sports you and your family are interested in. Whether you purchase your sports sunglasses or polarized sunglasses from discounted sunglasses, replica sunglasses or fake sunglasses sites you should always be sure that the quality of your sports sunglasses is high. By selecting high quality designer sunglasses lenses and sports sunglasses frames you will be protecting your eyes from damage, while at the same time enhancing your sporting activity to the fullest.

Valerie Giles owns and operates Eyewear-4U http://www.eyewear-4u.com, an eyewear site featuring fashion eyewear, sports eyewear, prescription eyewear, discount sunglasses and contact lenses as well as accessories.

The accompanying article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Giles

Kart racing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motor sport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher and more expensive ranks of motorsports.

Karts vary widely in speed and some (known as Superkarts) can reach speeds exceeding 160 miles per hour (260 km/h),^[1] while go-karts intended for the general public in amusement parks may be limited to speeds of no more than 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). A KF1 kart, with a 125 cc 2-stroke engine and an overall weight including the driver of 150 kilograms has a top speed of 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). It takes a little more than 3 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph with a 125 cc shifter kart (6 gears), with a top speed of 115 miles per hour

Basketball

U.S. high school basketball

Before widespread school district consolidation, most United States high schools were far smaller than their present day counterparts. During the first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana's Franklin Wonder Five, which took the nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition.

Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition^[16] Basketball's popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In the 2003–04 season, 1,002,797 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents' devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball's depth of meaning to these communities.

Racing Sport Technology

The 2010 season sees Bridgestone start its second year as the Official Tyre Supplier to the MotoGP World Championship, supplying tyres and technical support to every team and rider on the grid.

The short animated video below examines the stresses and strains placed on tyres when on-track, and looks at the importance of tyre temperatures and how they are affected by acceleration, braking and cornering.

It is the second in a two-part animation that delves under the skin of Bridgestone’s tyre technology and examines in detail the important role of tyres in motorcycling’s premier class.

Racing Sport Technology

One-make racing

See also: One-Design

One-make, or single marque, championships often employ production-based cars from a single manufacturer or even a single model from a manufacturer's range. There are numerous notable one-make formulae from various countries and regions, some of which – such as the Porsche Supercup and, previously, IROC – have fostered many distinct national championships. Single marque series are often found at club level, to which the production-based cars, limited modifications, and close parity in performance are very well suited. Some of the better-known single-make series are the Radical European Masters, John Cooper Mini Challenge, and Clio Cup, and at a more modest budget, Ginettas, Caterhams, BMWs, and MX5s. There are also single-chassis single seater formulae, such as Formula Ford, Formula Renault, Formula BMW, and Formula Vee, usually as "feeder" series for "senior" race formula (in the fashion of farm teams).

sport shoes

The Olympic Games- Design and Technology We find ourselves in the midst of Olympic games fever once again. Our top athletes are competing at the highest level and strive for top honours in their chosen fields.
How much has technology been used to improve sports shoes therefore enhancing the performance of our Olympians? Before we investigate the type of footwear used by our athletes let's examine a modern football boot. If we look carefully we can see that it is made from a variety of materials chosen because of their individual properties.
Material Why used Kevlar 10 times the strength of leather Leather/canvas which is a composite material This material is thin, stable and low density Foam-blown polyurethane This gives a shoe extra cushioning Thermoplastic polyurethane This makes a shoe both strong and pliable Kangaroo leather Gives a footballer that extra spring in his or her step. It offers good elasticity
Question: Which one of the above materials is synthetic and from which natural source is it derived? Question: What exactly is a composite material? When two or more materials with very different properties are combined together they form a composite material. The different materials work together to produce a new material, which combines all of the properties of the previously separate materials. Within the composite it is still possible to easily tell the different materials apart. They do not tend to blend or dissolve into each other. Composite Materials can be either man-made but they may also exist in nature. Fibreglass and concrete are both composite materials. Car tyres, mud bricks and drinks cartons are all made from composite materials.
Question: What does the terms stability, elasticity and density mean? Discuss the meaning of the terms with your fellow students and then compare your answers to the ones below. Stability This is a material's resistance to changes in shape and size. Timber tends to 'warp' and 'twist' due to changes in humidity. Plastics and metals deform when subjected to certain forces and stresses for long periods of time. The extension of a material under a load over a period of time is called 'creeping'. Aeroplane turbine blades are exposed to high temperatures and rotational speeds. It is important that they are made from creep resistant materials. Elasticity This is the ability of a material to bend and flex under the influence of a force and regain its normal shape and size when the loads are removed. A product with good elastic properties is an elastic band. Most structures like bridges or buildings need to have this quality to a certain extent. Buildings or bridges without this quality would tend to collapse if exposed to high winds and extreme weather. Density Density can be explained as the amount of matter in an object (mass) has per unit or space occupied by the matter (volume). Relative density is the ratio of the density of a substance with that of pure water at a temperature of 4 degrees centigrade.
Question: What is polyurethane? Polyurethane is a unique material that offers the elasticity of rubber combined with the toughness and durability of metal. The flexible type of polyurethane is used to make upholstery, mattresses, earplugs, chemical-resistant coatings, specialty adhesives and sealants, and packaging. It also comes to the rigid forms of insulation for buildings, water heaters, refrigerated transport, and commercial and residential refrigeration.
What do the terms strength and pliability mean? This term is used to describe a materials ability to resist force without breaking or permanently bending. Different forces require different types of strengths to resist them. There are various types of strength such as tensile strength, compression strength, shearing strength, Torsional strength and bending strength.
Question: What is Kevlar? The Properties of KEVLAR®. KEVLAR® is one of the most important manmade organic fibres ever developed. Because of its unique combination of properties it is used today in a wide variety of industrial applications. The fibre possesses a remarkable combination of properties that has led to its use in a variety of commercial products since the 1970's Fibres of KEVLAR® consist of long, interconnecting molecular chains produced from poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide. General Features of KEVLAR®: · High Tensile Strength at Low Weight · Low Elongation to Break High Modulus (Structural Rigidity) · Low Electrical Conductivity · High Chemical Resistance · Low Thermal Shrinkage · High Toughness (Work-To-Break) · Excellent Dimensional Stability · High Cut Resistance · Flame Resistant, Self-Extinguishing Applications of KEVLAR In the almost 40 years since its discovery, Kevlar has many applications: · Ropes that secure the airbags in the crucial landing apparatus of the Mars Pathfinder · Small-diameter, lightweight ropes that hold 22,000 pounds and help moor the largest U.S. Navy vessels · Shrapnel-resistant shielding in jet aircraft engines that will protect passengers in case an explosion occurs · Run-flat tires that allow for greater safety because they won't ruin the rim when driving to the nearest assistance · Gloves that protect hands and fingers against cuts, slashes and other injuries that often occur in glass and sheet metal factories · Kayaks that provide better impact resistance with no extra weight · Strong, lightweight skis, helmets and racquets that help lessen fatigue and boost exhilaration
A brief history of the sports shoe Most of the teachers but probably not many of our students remember the rubber-soled plimsolls that were traditionally worn in PE lessons throughout most schools in Europe. 'You could have any colour you liked as long as it was black or white'. These have been replaced by air cushioned, gel filled capsules with superior technical performance. They come in a variety of colours, shapes and forms and are purchased as much for their appearance as their performance. The groundbreaking manufacturing technique that allowed the development of the plimsoll was called vulcanisation, which is still used today. This process uses heat to meld rubber and cloth together. Sulphur is used during the process. Plimsolls were revolutionary at the time as they provided comfort, were lightweight and allowed the user to move around silently. Plimsolls became known as sneakers and were sold on a mass scale by the Keds Shoe Company in America as early as 1917.
Spike shoes You may think that spiked running shoes are a relatively new invention but they have been around for at least a 100 years. In 1890's a British company, which is now called Reebok created running shoes with spikes in them. The spiked shoe was developed out of necessity. The founder of the company enjoyed running and wanted to develop a shoe that would increase his speed. In 1925 a company called Adi Dassler now known as Adidas created a range of shoes with hand-forged spikes. They offered a range of shoes for different distances. The company used the strongest and lightest materials available at the time to make the running shoes.		Adi-Dassler who founded the company Adidas, his brother Rudolph founded Puma.
The involvement of science and technology In the 1970's sports shoe manufacturers employed experts to conduct research into how humans run. They also investigated the shock effect to the body caused by the collision between the feet and the ground. Their finding helped to develop new, improved sports shoes. Their research found three types of running styles: Neutral: This is where the heel of the runner makes contact with the ground and the foot travels in a straight line as it moves forward. Pronation: This where the heel hits the ground but this time the foot moves to the side as it travels forward. It refers to the inward roll of the foot. Supenation: This is where the heel hits the ground and the foot rolls outward. Question: Have you ever examined the way in which you run? Ask a friend to watch you run and ask them to decide which one of the above you are. It is worth finding out before buying your next pair of trainers as most are tailored to suit either Neutral, Pronation or Supenation.
Question: What have become the most important aspects of modern running shoes? Discuss these aspects in class or you may consider conducting research homework into this subject. Modern technological developments In your answer to the previous question you may have discussed materials such as foam, silicon, air or gel. These have been used to create cushioning systems in modern running shoes. In the 1970's a plastic called 'ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)' was developed. This material revolutionised the construction of sports shoes. It was made up of tiny air bubbles that provide cushioning and absorbs shock. This material is injection moulded into shapes, which serve as heel supports.
A better grip Following the introduction of Nike shoes, a technical breakthrough occurred in 1972 when Bill Bowerman, while studying the pattern on a waffle iron, came up with a great idea -- waffle soles. Bowerman then cooked some rubber in his waffle iron and glued it to the bottom of a pair of shoes, which he later gave to athletes to test. The athletes came back with great reviews and the sneakers were well received in the market. The patented outsole revolutionized running by offering better traction in a lighter-weight, more durable shoe. Nike Air: The air bubble Nike's Air technology, which used a gas-filled bag of air inserted in the sole of the shoe to cushion the impact of running, first appeared in 1979. The pair of sneakers was named; Tailwind and these technologically advanced air-soles had provided a good foundation for which further Nike advancements are based on. Since then, athletic shoes have become increasingly specialized and prices for various sneakers have grown in accordance to the advances in technology and its value-added features. The basketball shoes below were sold in the 1980's and even included a pump valve. Customers were encouraged to pump up their trainers as if they were bicycle tyres. Purchase of the trainers included a pump.
Nike Air Pump (Pump details)		Nike Air Pump (sole details)
Facts… Did you know? In 2003 American spent on average 50 dollars (£28) on a pair of sports shoes. Companies sponsor most top athletes. This means that they are paid a fortune to wear the company's products during a sporting competition. The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world attracting worldwide television viewers. This offers an ideal opportunity for sports companies to get their products seen. Questions: Different types of sporting events require differently designed sports shoes. Can you list a number of track or field events and then attempt to describe the differences in the types of shoes used for these events. You should be able to create specifications for each type of shoe. You may consider borrowing a variety of sports shoes from the physical education department in your school and conducting a full product analysis. How about conducting this simple test. Ask two equally matched runners to race against one another on a sports track. One of the runners uses spikes and the other uses ordinary trainers. Interview the two runners after the race and write down their comments. The runner with the spikes should feel that he had more grip on the track.
Sports shoe guide The following table provides details about specific sports shoes. When viewing the table consider how much trainer technology has advanced in the last 100 years. High Jump This type of shoe has a much thicker sole. This gives maximum support and comfort.The shoe is light and flexible which helps the athlete achieve speed over a short distance before jumping.This shoe has to have spikes. The spikes at the front help the athlete to gain speed in the run-up. The four spikes t the heel provide grip when the athlete takes off. Javelin This type of shoe has to be robust and durable. Athletes drag their feet along the ground during the throw. As a result the shoe has to be made from a tough, hardwearing material. Support is crucial. Javelin shoes look more like boots with protection around the ankle. Most of them feature strapping. This prevents the foot from moving in the shoe. Jumps and pole vault These events require speed both on the ground and in the air. In most cases straps have replaced the laces. The sole tends to be both firm and flexible allowing extra bounce in the jump. The spikes are once again very important. They provide the grip before the jump.Notice the spikes tend to be just at the front of the shoe. The Throws The shoe has to allow the athlete to throw and spin. A hooked strap over the toe helps to prevent the feet from moving sideways during the build up to the throw.These types of shoes do not have spikes but have a hard sole. This lengthens the lifespan of the shoe. The sole tends to have circular grooves on the balls of the feet. These help the athlete to spin Sprinting This type of shoe has to be lightweight and offer flexibility at the front. They all tend to have spikes, which are located at the front. They are able to cope with lots of different types of surfaces. Most Olympic Athletes have their shoes specially made. Long Distance These shoes have to be both durable and flexible. Comfort is a real priority, also this about the sweat factor.A mesh is sometimes added in the upper part of the shoe to allow the foot to breathe. The cushioning is also very important.Spikes are sometimes added but are not essential.