Average Guy Sports

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Here we find ourselves in early March and quite honestly my favorite time of the year as a sports fan. Spring training is going in baseball and the hockey playoff picture is coming into focus. Every couple of years I also pay attention to March Madness.

So, I will be listening to Chicago White Sox baseball while at work and watching when I can find the time. Hockey will be on the big screen given the Chicago Blackhawks are back in the mix. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they continue to play well and get a good playoff seating.

Last year I took the plunge and purchased both the MLB.TV and Hockeycentral.com. I could not have been happier. So, this year I picked-up both again. Living out of the Chicago market it used to be tough to enjoy live games. Now, it is just a couple of mouse clicks away.

So, back to all that is Spring sports.

Hope you enjoy all that is going on as much as I am.

Well, the dust has appeared to settle on Ticketgate at Super Bowl 45. I could go on and on about the weather and how ill prepared the DFW area was however, it was a weather anomaly. When this happens we just wait it out as the snow or ice usually melt in a day or two.

What I really want to sound off about is how Jerry Jones business sense appeared to take a hit. Here is a man who has been a successful in business for numerous years and some would say has enjoyed success as the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. I think that he and his organization really identified that there have been numerous mistakes made and in order to deal with them have gone silent when dealing with the media. Which is quite a change of pace as we all know that Jerry loves being in front of the camera.

I would like to know if a risk assessment was done by any of the various parties involved with bringing the Super Bowl to North Texas. If so, what was covered in these assessments? Did all parties involved become so focused on the people and the players that they forgot to factor in the temperamental weather of North Texas?

With the Cowboys out of playoff contention and one major event prior to the Super Bowl one has to wonder what kind of schedule was put to get the regarding getting the additional seating installed and approved. If I understand correctly they had a thirty day window from the previous event. If this is the case why would you not begin work the next day on the additional seats with your primary contractor. Yes, I said primary contractor. One would think that a project of this size and viability you would put a secondary contractor in place. This would not only reduce the risk of not completing but would also serve as a motivational factor for the primary contractor to complete on time. This would give the fire department plenty of time to approve the seats.

Suffice it to say that the discipline of project management was not used to it’s full potential. Hopefully there were some lessons learned form this experience. Not only internal to the Jerry Jones organization but also the various other companies that were involved in the Super Bowl. So, just remember if you take the time to plan your next project it will pay off in the end.

** Update **

With all the other distractions in the news in appears that both the NFL and Jerry Jones are accetping the blame for Ticketgate. Nice, way to have to fly under the radar.