Category: Belgrade Sports

Green Bay Packers: A Money-Making Machine

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I apologize to my readers about not blogging much lately. With the passing of my father and jet lag, I really didn’t feel much like writing. I do want to do two a couple of blog posts on my time in the USA, and then I’ll start again this week with my blogging about Serbia.

The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin is the largest regional airport near my home village of Caspian, Michigan. It is also the closest American Airlines gets to Caspian. Before we flew back to Belgrade, we spent the day in Green Bay and due to my son’s interest in American Football, we took the tour of the Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. The stadium is like the Wembely of American Football. The Packers were one of the original teams in the NFL and have more championships (13) than any other franchise. The Packers won seven of those titles in the 1930’s and 40’s, but they did win the first two Super Bowls, in 1967-68, and they won two more in 1996 and 2010. The field has seen many historic games, and being located so far north, it is nicknamed the “frozen tundra.”

They are also a unique major professional sports franchise in that they are publicly-owned team. The league started in small towns in the midwest, and they are the last remaining. It is amazing that such a small city as Green Bay, which has a metropolitan population of just over 200,000 can support one of the best teams in one of the richest leagues in the world. The city and surrounding area are fanatical (borderline obsessed) about the team, and support it both financially and emotionally.

For example, we took the official stadium tour on a Wednesday afternoon in February. Our group had about 20 people and it was one of the six tours going that day. It was a very interesting tour and we got to see the atrium, luxury suites, go down on the field, and even run out of the players’ tunnel, just like the team does on Sundays. I couldn’t get over how much money the team generates! We went into a 25-person suite that charges $102,000 to rent for the season. The stadium seats  over 80,000 people and they have a waiting list of season tickets of 96,000 people. Last summer, they wanted to raise funds for a $143 million stadium expansion, and so they printed “stock” certificates and charged $250 each. They sold out immediately, even though the stock is worthless. In the stadium there are restaurants, bars, conference rooms, etc. They even offer to get married in the stadium! The gift shop is two floors and is the size of a Wal Mart.

Owen and Ollie loved the tour and they both bought jerseys. Owen especially loves the game, as Ollie is a bit young. We’ll have to try to make it back for their summer camp one of these years. Unfortunately, I am not a Packers fan. People in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are mixed between supporting the Packers, Detroit Lions (my team), Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears. I say unfortunately, because the Lions have not won any Super Bowls and only 4 championships, despite starting in 1930 and the last championship was in 1957.

There is a small football following here in Belgrade, and there is even a league, the Central European Football League, with the Belgrade Vukovi, the defending champions. We will check out some of the games down at Ada Ciganlija. The season begins in two weeks and runs through June. A

In thinking about the impact of the Packers on the city, they do take a lot of money that would go to other businesses. However, I think that they bring in as much as they take. Without the team, Green Bay would be a non-descript mid-sized town near the Great Lakes. Instead, it is known throughout the nation. The Packers are one of the “national” teams and due to the influence of television and the internet, also have a national following.

I recommend

My Visit to Wimbledon

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During my visit to London last week I made the pilgrimage that all tennis fans should do once in a lifetime, I took the train to Wimbledon. The grounds are located in the suburb of Wimbledon, which was a good 40 minute train ride and walk from my downtown hotel. The museum/gift shop was open and they even featured a look at centre court. I thought it was cool that the last match played at last year’s tourney was still on the board. Looking at it now, I see that it was a short, 4 hour and 43 minute victory for our beloved Serbian champion, Nole!

It was great to go through the museum and learn about the history of the game. Professional tennis does not really have a long history. For hundreds of years it was a recreational game played by royalty and the upper classes. The highlight was a talking hologram of John McEnroe talking about his Wimbledon tournies.

Wimbledon is one of the four grand slams and I see how the traditional and reserved British culture is appealing to the players and tennis fans. It is a much different tourney than the other grand slams – a lot less commercial. Centre Court is very small and the grass is surface that few tourneys are played on. It was like visiting Lambeau Field for American football or Wembley for soccer. I hope to come back in July and see it in action.

 

Backyard Football

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We continue to play North American football in the back yard with the kids. I wish I had video of my playing when I was a kid. We played all the time in the Caspian School Field next to my house. Great times following the NFL and NCAA in the 1970s and playing with the kids in the neighborhood.

I took video of the games and you can follow the game by clicking on the links below.We are playing a mock NFL tourney. We have everyone’s favorite teams. Oliver likes the Pittsburgh Steelers, Owen likes the Green Bay Packers, Diego likes the Patriots and Dolphins, and I asked for the Lions to be included in the tourney.The first game is the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There is North American football in Belgrade. The Central European Football League has five teams including the Belgrade Vukovi (Wolves). They play their games from April to June down at Ada Ciganlija.

Red Star & Morrison Lose to Radnički

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Morrison versus Scott, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Last night I took the kids to the Red Star versus Radnićki game in the Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA). Radnički are the Detroit Pistons of the ABA, being from the motor city of Serbia, Kragujevac. They beat the Belgrade hosts, 83-79.

I was disappointed in Red Star and their American import, Adam Morrison. I heard a lot about the ex-Gonzaga player and was anxious to see him perform. He spent most of the game standing in the corner (see above) while the rest of the team handled the ball. They set no picks for him and he did not move without the ball at all. They also had him guarding the top player for Radnicki on defense, which got him into foul trouble in the first half. If you are paying for an import, you should use his strengths in the team’s offense. I was not happy with Morrison, he didn’t make much effort to get into the game and spent most of his efforts arguing with the officials.

The most impressive player for Red Star was a young guy off the bench, Andreja Milutinović, a 21-year old guard. He looked about 15 years old, but drove to the basket strongly and had a nice outside shot. Red Star is falling down the standings of the ABA and it doesn’t look to be a good year. It is hard to support a team that is not putting out a full effort. I should be cheering more for Partizan who this week came from 21 points down in the second half to beat Armani – Milan in the Euro League. I want to support Red Star but they are making it difficult.

Owen and Ollie had a nice time and we had great seats with our friends Jeff and Travis.

Serbia Ties Italy

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Last night we attended the Serbia versus Italy in a Euro Cup Qualifying Match at Red Star Stadium here in Belgrade. It was exciting to see one of the greatest soccer teams in the world, Italy, live with great seats at almost mid-field. It was an entertaining game but Serbia only managed a 1-1 tie. The extra point did help however as next week is the final round of group play. The Serbians are 2 points below Estonia and in third place. They play at Slovenija Tuesday and have to win to get second place in the group. The second place team then enters a playoff. The Euro Cup is this summer and hosted by Ukraine and Poland and it would be nice to have Serbia in the competition.

The stadium had a great atmosphere, but Italy quieted the crowd with a goal in the second minute of play. The Serbs fought back however, and with aggressive play, got an equalizer mid-way through the second half. They continued to play hard in the second half, but Italy shut them down and dominated the last 20 minutes. Serbia had no options but long passes to their 6-8 forward, Nikola Žigić. I can see why the Italians are so powerful, Serbia desperately needed a goal to secure the second place finish, but they couldn’t do anything.

Best of luck to the Serbs as they take on their former countrymates in Ljubljiana. I would like to thank Eric and Luiz for the tickets.

Marakana!!!!!! Srbjia Navija!!!!

Kralovec Boys Join New Soccer Club

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In an explosive European Soccer Transfer, Owen and Oliver Kralovec moved from the Atacante Soccer Club to Poscico “Little Posco” Club. The 3,000 RSD move was announced this week at a Press Conference at the Kralovec Apartment in Dedinje.
The headline is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but we did put the boys in a new soccer school. The club is closer to our home and the times are more convenient. The club is owned by former Serbian professional soccer player, Rade Bogdanović, who has quite a story as you can see on his wikipedia page. He is a really nice guy who actually helps out at the trainings. Owen is flourishing at the practices because he is the oldest member of the club. Oliver is also much more focused this year and a heck of a player, although he is struggling with the team play. He demonstrates much more abilty in the back yard where he has the freedom of movement. I’ll be blogging more about the club as the season progresses. The facilities are great, reasonable costs, and good coaching. I highly recommend it.

Serbia Still Alive in Davis Cup Semifinal

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Nadia and I attended the Serbia versus Argentina Davis Cup Tennis match at the Belgrade Arena yesterday. On Friday, Argentina won both of the singles matches and could have won the best-of-five competition with another win.

The second day of the competition is the doubles match. Serbia featured Nenad Zimojnic, one of the best doubles players in the world and his partner, the up-and-coming world number 16 Victor Troiki. They were up against the world #23 Juan Chela and world #27 Juan Monaco. Serbia won in straight sets 3-0 to keep Serbia in the competition.

Serbia has to win both matches today. In the photo above are the key players and the Davis Cup trophy. On the far right is Novak Djokovic, who did not play on Friday due to an injury. He will play tomorrow and if his season continues like it has been (65-2), he will probably win against Del Potro, the world #17 and former US Open Champion. He is still not listed as playing, but he was practicing on the court right after yesterday’s match. He looked fit and ready to go.

In the other singles match, it will probably be Janko Tipsarevic (world #13) going against David Nalbandian (world #74). This will be the deciding match. Nalbandian, although he has a low ranking, beat Viktor Troiki on Friday and will be a challenge for Tipsarevic.

I am predicting a Serbian victory tomorrow. If they do win, they will most likely host Spain, who is leading France 2-1 in the other Davis Cup semifinal. It would be great to see Novak against Rafa that first week of December to end the season. I would also like to thank my friend Angelo for the tickets!

On a side note, Serbian President Boris Tadić arrived right after we did and stood near the tunnel, about 20 feet away from us, and watched the entire match (see photo below). There was a bit of controversy after the second set. The Serbian doubles team ran to the locker room between sets. As Nenad Zimojnic was jogging towards the tunnel, he accidently bumped into the President. When his partner Victor Troiki followed, one of the body guards grabbed Troiki and gave him a rough bear hug. He then let go and eventually, President Tadic had a word with both the Serbian players when they left the tunnel, wishing them luck. It was like a soap opera which Nadia and I enjoyed watching.

President Tadic (gray hair with black spot) and body guards

Djokovic’s Home Court

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But if you have to pick just one essential starting point, perhaps it is best to drive south from the capital toward the still-disputed border with Kosovo and follow the serpentine mountain road to Kopaonik, Serbia’s leading ski resort. Like so much of this diminished nation, Kopaonik has seen better days and is preparing to see them again.

It was here that Novak Djokovic’s family, much more familiar with schussing down slopes than hitting balls over nets, once operated several small businesses — including a pizzeria, a sports equipment shop and an art gallery — on the ground floor of a large complex during the winter and summer. And it was here that the state-owned Yugoslav company Genex, which developed much of Kopaonik, chose to build three tennis courts just across the parking lot from where the Djokovics opened their Red Bull restaurant in the late 1980s.

Now full of cracks, holes and undulations, the green hardcourts are hardly a playground for the elite. It is hard to believe that the world’s third-best player, the man who held off Roger Federer at the United States Open in September, emerged from this.

As the excerpt from last year’s New York Times article describes, above are the home court of the current world’s best tennis player, Novak Đoković. On Sunday morning we took the kids and rented the courts for for 8 euros. We were the only ones there early in the morning and it was cool to play on courts where Nole got his start. Nadia and I played a set and the kids played around. She got off to a quick 5-1 start, and it looked liked I was going to lose. I then looked for inspiration in the Kopaonik pine trees and mountain landscape and made a Đoković-like comeback to win 7-5. I also think the reporter from the NY Times was a bit melodramatic with his description of Kopaonik and Serbia. It is quite nice there!

We made it back safely from the mountains and are now back in Belgrade. We had a bit of trouble with the brakes coming down from a high elevation, but after a consultation with our maintenance man Goran, the car settled down and made it home. The kids were good while we were waiting for a solution to the problem. They are shown below all watching a movie on Nadia’s iTouch. I was a fantastic weekend! Hopefully Novak can win the final tonight in the US Open. All of Serbia is watching!

Serbia Controls Their Destiny

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Tuesday evening I attended the Serbia versus Faroe Islands European Cup Qualifying Match. Serbia is in Group C and is trying to qualify for this summer’s European Cup hosted by Poland and Ukraine. With a 3-1 defeat of the Faroe Islands, they move into second place in the group.

Italy, the first place team in the group, are 8 points clear and guaranteed a spot. The second place team in the group earns a spot in a play-in round against another second place club in one of the nine groups, or if they have one of the best records for a second place team, they earn an automatic bid.

The second place spot in Serbia’s Group C is tightly contested. The good thing is Serbia controls their own fate. The other two teams behind Serbia (14 points) are Estonia (13 points) and Slovenia (11 points). Let’s break down Serbia’s chances of winning the second place position.

Serbia has two games left while the other two only have one game remaining. Serbia is hosting Italy and traveling to Slovenia next month. How they need to do depends on Estonia. Estonia travels to Northern Ireland. Let’s say Estonia wins the game in Belfast to finish the group with 16 points. That would mean that Serbia needs win at least one of the games to qualify. Both matches will be difficult. The Italians will be coming with a second-rate team because they have already qualified. It will be an emotionally-charged game. Last fall, Italy was granted a 3-0 forfeit over Serbia because the game could not be played due to a few hooligans in and out of the stadium. The match in Slovenia will not be easy either. All of the ex-Yugoslavian Derby matches are hard fought, and Slovenia has a decent team as evidenced by their qualification in the last World Cup.

We really enjoyed the game. Because no one expected the Faroe Islands to win, the stadium was only about half full and we had excellent, comfortable seats. It is a joke that the Faroe Islands can compete as an independent nation. They are located half-way between Scotland and Iceland and have a population of around 50,000. We were joking that the balding, slightly overweight striker, took a couple days off postal duties to play in the game.

I have to give the Faroe Islands team credit however. They gave a good effort, scored a goal, and they even had a cheering section behind us. Normally, young men in the Serbian crowd would look menacingly at the opposing cheering section, but because of the quirkiness and small size of the contingent, they were more laughing and staring as anything. The group has an odd chant as the their team approached the goal or had a corner kick. They even had one guy with a Viking helmet in Faroe Island colors. (see below) They even have earned 4 points in the group with a win over Estonia, which could ultimately determine Serbia’s fate.

It would be great for the “Orlovi” (Eagles as the Serbian team is nicknamed) to qualify. They had a tumultuous group stage with a coaching change, and a forfeit in Italy which also resulted in a home game against Northern Ireland in an empty stadium.

It is nice for once for Serbia to control their own destiny in trying to get into a European event. This is much different than their attempts to get into the EU. Go Serbia! Navije Srbija!

Serbia Defeats Germany

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Dirk Nowitzki, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

This is something you might not see for awhile – Dirk Nowitzki playing basketball. Last night, Serbia defeated Germany in the European Basketball Championships hosted by Lithuania. I enjoyed watching some of the game last night, especially big Dirk! He scored 25 points but he was not mixing it up and playing with the aggressiveness that he does in the NBA.

The Serbs are now 4-0 in the competition and play France tonight to determine the winner of their group. After tonight, then the knockout phase begins. Serbia has looked very solid with contributions from many different players. They have the deepest team in the tourney. My favorite player, Dusko Savanovic scored 25 points, mostly from the three point line. They also have a smooth point guard, Milos Teodosic, who many consider the top point guard in Europe. Nenad Krstic, the Boston Celtic center, also played well last night, taking it right at Nowitzki in the post.

I am looking forward to see who Serbia handles Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spur and French point guard. The winner will earn first place in the group and get a higher seed in the Round of 16 knockout phase. Germany also qualified as the third-place team in the group.