Author: Raghu
Bio: Texan. I think he mostly likes basketball. Pfft.
- More giveaways at live events: Look at the crowd. Yes, these were free t-shirts given to fans who OBVIOUSLY wore them to pump up their team. It created an atmosphere where each person became part of a larger group and not just individual fans.
- More televised high school games. Listen, have you seen this? There’s something to be said for watching the very best of the best in the NFL. There’s something even better for watching transcendent talents play real-life Madden ’11.
- NBA Dunk Contest has a 3 strikes and OUT rule. We don’t need any more of this.
- Let HS-ers in NFL head straight to the pros if they receive a 1st-round grade. There’s nothing about 2 years at Oklahoma that prepared Adrian Peterson more for the NFL. The kid was Earl Campbell v2.0 when he was 17 and a year or two of pro conditioning and top flight coaching would make him a beast at 19! If he split carries for the first two or three years, you’re getting him for 11 years before he hits 30 and not just 7 or 8.
- Let every single HS basketball player who wants to jump in the league do whatever he wants to do. One and done is a sham and ruining college basketball. Watching Derrick Rose now—did a year in college help him get anymore explosive or intense on the court?
- Interactive events: social media during the games. Let fans vote for one play a game. This is a very impractical request, but would be pretty fucking amazing.
- Eliminate the “all the yards until the spot of the foul” pass interference penalties in the NFL. College has it right: 15 yards. Jeff George, Randy Moss and the most improbably lucky offense in recent memory. Key play? Throw it deep and hope Moss catches it..otherwise we at least get 30 yards on interference.
- Pitch clock in baseball. I hate baseball because it takes so long. What takes pitchers so long between pitches? Get your ass in gear, guys.
- College rules for NFL overtimes. Give me Brady, Manning, Rogers or Brees and I’m taking offense every single time, scoring and you’re not going to win (because you don’t have my QB). It’s a flawed system and needs to go- the recent change was just a stopgap.
- Eliminate the Pro Bowl. It sucks. No one wants to be tackled after the season is over. All-Pro is the only individual honor (besides individual trophy awards) that matters. Plus, Superbowl players don’t show up. What’s the point of losing a QB on each side and at least 2 or 3 studs on offense and defense?
- Ban NBA draft scouts from talking about prospects’ “length.” Chad Ford, I don’t care how long he is.
- Ban Mel Kiper from talking about upside. Can he play or not?
- Let Maya Moore and Candace Parker play with the boys…at least for one game.
- Create a feature that allows someone to only watch the last 7 minutes of a basketball game. The first 40 are generally useless and games only get interesting at about the 85 point mark. Just do it already.
- 2 on 2 NBA All-Star Weekend bracket. Top two from each time battles it out video-game style. This is obviously an event made from Bron and Wade- but it’d be a huge pride thing and guys would come hard and at least play defense.
- Olympic style judging for NBA dunk contest, INCLUDING RULES, e.g. 1st jump must include backwards rotation, 2nd dunk must have two-handed element.
- Cheaper beer. Really? $7.50 for a Bud Light? Fuck off.
- Fan participation in GM decisions. In what universe is Joe Johnson worth over $100 million? The fans are screwed for the lifetime of the contract AND ARE STILL expected to show up to games and cheer. I call BS. Let fans interact with management…or at least have some veto power.
- At least 5 NBA games OUTDOORS each season. Chain-link fences, rabid fans, photographers all over the place, and that crazy And 1 Mixtape tour hype man narrating all the things that go down. Would make for an ELECTRIC atmosphere. Maybe put in shock fences so there’s no escape.
- Make the live experience better and more worth the cost. The TV experience now is amazing. HD has changed everything. I want cheaper food or more interaction or better amenities and not to pay for parking if I’m going to drive out to the stadium/field/court/arena and pay exorbitantly for the game.