by Mark O'Brien | Jan 23, 2017
When I was in my teens, Brent Musburger was on CBS covering the NFL. During one such telecast, my father told me Musburger was an idiot. I took Dad at his word and remained skeptical. In the 1980s, I was watching a college football game with my sons, both of whom are...
by Mark O'Brien | Sep 21, 2015
A post in The Cauldron, published by Sports Illustrated, is one of the most affecting things I’ve read on brand, marketing, culture, and their inextricable relationships in a long while. “The NFL remains addictive in America, but it’s losing ground...
by Mark O'Brien | Jan 2, 2015
Every year, in the eight weeks between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, a number of things can be counted on to take place. Each is a measure of our inexplicable humanity: First, the holiday season will vanish, leaving us to realize our spirits are none the kinder,...
by Mark O'Brien | Oct 15, 2014
Necessity is the mother of invention. (variously attributed) Historians are inching closer to consensus on the notion that if necessity is the mother invention, recreation must be the father of invention. While all of history has manifested evidence of males’...
by Mark O'Brien | Sep 8, 2014
On September 3, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a new report showing tailgate thefts increased 31 percent — 831 in 2012 to 1,090 in 2013 — based on claims data submitted by insurance companies between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2013. The...
