Who Will Be L.A.'s Next Football Team?

(page 4 of 4)

7. Mountain West: Yodeling into the Wind?
One conference that doesn't tend to get a lot of signing-day coverage is the Mountain West, which usually flies under the radar since they are not one of the six major BCS conferences. However, after a season in which three of the conference's nine schools finished in the top 16 of the final BCS rankings (by comparison, the Atlantic Coast and Big East conferences each had one), the Mountain West is demanding to be considered one of college football's elite leagues.

Last week, USA Today reported that the presidents and chancellors of the nine Mountain West schools, along with conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, are pressing for a meeting with BCS Coordinator John Swofford to discuss the possibility of the MWC earning an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game. Thompson is admittedly "not optimistic," especially because the current BCS contract extends through 2013. It is extremely doubtful that the six major conferences would ever concede a spot in a BCS bowl with a guaranteed payout of $17.5 million.

The smart move for the MWC would be to put on the full-court press to get top 25-constant Boise State to sign on for expansion. With a lineup that included Utah, Boise State, TCU, and Brigham Young, maybe come 2013, the Mountain West could take the place of the perennially weak Big East. (Just don't bet on it.)

8. The Odd Couple Plays Ball
One is a CPA; the other, a media mogul. One grew up in the Big Apple, the other grew up in Beantown. One is used to spending his springs in Arizona; the other has to get used to it. Not since Oscar and Felix debuted in 1965 has a couple been so decidedly…odd. Nonetheless, when pitchers and catchers report for spring training on Feb. 13, holding hands over Camelback Ranch, their joint spring training venture, will be Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

The new 141-acre facility in Glendale, Ariz., has been dubbed "the jewel of Arizona spring training venues." Each team will have 6½-acre practice fields to itself; the two will share a 10,000-seat stadium sunk into the middle of the complex. The White Sox hope to build a walk-of-fame on their side, while the Dodgers are planning a hotel and conference center.

The loser in this desert coupling is Vero Beach, Fla., and Holman Stadium, the 60-year home of the Dodgers' spring training facility before the team skipped town this year. Holman might be outdated, and the team may have worn out its welcome, but Vero Beach and the Dodgers certainly went better together than Jerry and Frank.

9. $erena
Serena Williams, the No. 1 female tennis player in the world, has surpassed golfing legend Annika Sorenstam as the all-time money winner in women's sports. Williams moved to the top of the list by advancing to the Australian Open singles final with a victory over Russia's Elena Dementieva, and by reaching the doubles final with sister Venus. After victories in both finals, Williams has now earned $23.5 million, overtaking the now-retired Sorenstam, whose career earnings totaled $22.5 million.

Williams turned professional in November 1995 at the age of 14, when she cashed a $240 check at a tournament in Quebec City. She passed the $1 million mark at the 1999 French Open, exceeded the $10 million mark in 2002, and the $20 million mark in 2008, both at the WTA Championships.

In her 14-year career, Williams has won 10 Grand Slam singles and eight doubles titles, and two Olympic gold medals (playing doubles with Venus). She is one of only six women, along with Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Monica Seles, to have won a championship at each of tennis' majors.

On a sad note, Williams was last seen buried alive under a gigantic pink blimp during her debut in the Double Stuff Racing League. No word on whether she, like opponent Peyton Manning, suffered "blimp in her milk."

10. Give Me a…What the ???
Is cheerleading a sport? Not only is it a sport, a ruling last week by the Wisconsin Supreme Court found that cheerleading is in fact a contact sport, in which participants cannot be sued for accidental injury. (Now don't go spitting your beer all over the couch.)

According to the National Cheer Safety Foundation, the decision, the first of its kind, likely sets a precedent for how courts treat all lawsuits related to high school athletic injuries. The ruling stems from a 2004 incident in which a varsity cheerleader was dropped by a counterpart while performing a stunt, causing head injuries. The plummeting pom-pom girl not only sued her bad catcher, she also sued the school district and its insurer, claiming that the coach was negligent for not providing the team with mats.

Cheerleading has accounted for nearly two-thirds of serious injuries to high school girls over the last 25 years. In the majority opinion, Justice Annette Ziegler wrote that cheerleading involves "a significant amount of physical contact between the cheerleaders that at times results in a forceful interaction between the participants," and cited stunts as an example. Judges ruled unanimously on the decision.

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel.