The Evolution Will Not Be Televised, But it Damn Sure Will Be Live

*We are now live on The Sports Fan Journal, please click the photo and join the movement!*

Today will be the last post on Ed The Sports Fan, starting at 12:01 am tomorrow the launch of The Sports Fan Journal will begin. For Ken and I, this is the beginning of our evolution into something bigger, bigger than anything we initially thought when we first started blogging back on February 21, 2008...

Where would we be without evolution?

In a literal sense, the world might not exist and we as humans would still exist in the stage of a formative ape. (All the Alphas in the house chill for the present time, thanks)

In the current form with sports, we've seen evolution in many forms:

• To create more excitement in the game
• To provide more safety (thus providing prolonged opportunity) for the players
• To adapt to the preferences of media and the fans who support
  
• To improve gameplay and competition

In the initial phase, the process of growth can be a difficult one. Over time, folks who would complain about the change will inevitably be the biggest apostles for it. (Think Facebook) Evolution can be a necessary evil, but its keyword is that is in fact, necessary.

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The Sad, Troubling End for Joe Paterno and Penn State

**By now you've had the opportunity to get to know the third man of the ETSF operation, The Rev. Paul Revere. The man is also an alum of Penn State, and today the floor is his to speak his piece on his school, his coach, and his beloved program.**

I want to preface this by apologizing for the emotional nature and tenor of this piece. As a lifelong Penn State fan and dedicated alum, my emotions are running deep. Many more people out there have covered and are covering the horror in Happy Valley much more eloquently and professionally than I have and am about to, and I feel obligated to share that with you. But as someone who has spent his entire life in admiration of Pennsylvania State University and Joe Paterno, and as someone who became part of the university's family, I feel it is my duty to share what I'm feeling and thinking right now, as my alma mater goes through the single worst scandal in NCAA history. And yes, that includes the troubling murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the attempts of cover-up. As terrible as that was, it was a one-time tragedy. Jerry Sandusky's predatory actions on adolescent boys was a disturbing pattern over decades, maybe even longer. This is the reaction of one stunned lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association.

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Learn your history

Last night, while I was finishing up Sweetness, the latest biography about Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman, I got a message on Facebook about the recent passing of Joe Frazier. After that, I logged onto Twitter and saw a stream of respectful wishes for the man and his family.

What is ironic about the entire thing is, for someone who takes pride in knowing some history, I don’t know much about Smokin’ Joe, and that has to change.

See, it’s one thing to talk about a subject and have another to lean on. That’s something I’m not a fan of. For instance, if someone makes the case that a certain athlete is great, the best, phenomenal, etc., then it should be done without the aid of another athlete.

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What If November 7th, 1991 Never Happened?

I was 8 years old.

Today you're going to hear poetic wax spit about arguably one of the most shocking press conferences of all-time. The day that Magic Johnson announced to the world that he had contracted the HIV virus, and that he'd be taking his talents...home. My mother openly cried. My Uncle Bill was at a loss for words, which is unfathomable. I remember truly not understanding what was going on, what HIV meant, or the ramifications of the announcement...other than #32 in forum blue and gold wasn't going to be hooping anymore.

To be fair, I was just truly learning about the game of basketball at eight years old. It was the only time I'd ever openly root for the Lakers, outside of the Nick Van Exel/Eddie Jones era, but that interest was rooting in the phenomena that was Showtime. In actuality, I was just learning how to love basketball. Now, one of basketball's greatest curators was being taken away from me.

Its a shame too, because we were ready to see Magic be revered by a generation of players who all wanted to be...him.

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Three Games That Were Also The "Game of the Century"

Maybe its just me, but I've taken offense to hearing that this LSU vs. Alabama game is supposed to be the "Game of the Century." Don't get me wrong, I'm as geeked as anyone to see what's going to have in Tuscaloosa as the Mad Hatter takes his Tigers from Baton Rouge down to 'Bama to face Nick Saban's Crimson Tide. However, to hear that this game is the "Game of the Century" almost seems disrespectful (especially when both teams quarterbacks are subpar) towards other phenomenal games that have taken place in the 21st Century.

When you have games of this magnitude that aren't bowl games or conference championships, the buildup of hype and drama becomes unreal. So lets cross our fingers and hope that this LSU vs. Alabama is better than these five games that were pretty damn dope in their own respect.

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ETSF Fan Handbook: Vol. V - the enjoyment of watching teams when you don’t have a dog in the fight

For the past week, I was in a state of detachment with the world of sports. ESPN hasn’t been able to keep my attention like it usually does. The NFL is the NFL, which means it will always be fun, but the excitement level with them is so-so.

There’s no NBA season right now, which has a particular family member not feeling so hot. As for what transpired last week in the Fall Classic, well, my feelings towards that are clear as day.

So what’s left to do when I, as a fan of the game and an admirer of the culture, felt detached from what was going on? I went to the one place where the competition is at its most pure. Also, it helped that all that was asked for was a good game, for both teams to play hard, and whatever result came about, I’d be cool with it. I went to watch some high school football last night and got all of these things and more.

However, a fan doesn’t have to go to a high school game to get that. To take it a step further, fans BETTER NOT seek out a high school game to find this, due to the alumni element when their team is involved. If their team is playing, then it defeats the whole purpose of going to watch with no ulterior motive.

Simply put, the enjoyment you get from watching sports when you don’t have a dog in the fight can be just as high as when you do have one in it, and that is the theme for volume five of the ETSF Fan Handbook.

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