This year marks the third annual Autism Awareness Campaign launched by the Business of Sports Network. Each year, we reach out and ask that for a few moments sports is set aside in favor of spreading the word about the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as it is developmental disorder that is reaching alarm levels bordering on epidemic. This year, we have reached out to the sports and entertainment community to help lend support. In doing so, we have seen individuals that simply wish to help, but also those that are touched directly by autism. Be it the granddaughter of Seattle Mariners President Chuck Armstrong who has autism, Dodgers’ outfield Matt Kemp who has a brother with autism, actress Alyssa Milano who also has been directly touched by the developmental disorder, or Shonda and Curt Schilling, who is our featured interview this month, in reaching out to the community we have seen just how far reaching autism is.
With today being the beginning of International Autism Awareness Month, all the Business of Sports Network sites have been rebranded to remind you about this campaign, and within each post this month, we will be providing a link to Autism Speaks for those that wish to donate to assist in funding research on autism. We have also partnered with Autism Speaks to help promote their efforts, such as the “Light It Up Blue” campaign (for more see Fenway Park to Be Lit Up on Eve of 4/1 for "Light It Up Blue").
Autism Speaks is also granting space for a guest article by Maury Brown on their website next week which will give some further insight into how it touches not only him personally, but how autism reaches across every spectrum of life.
The main point of the autism awareness campaign is for you to spread the word, and reach a better understanding of the developmental disorder.
Here is how the Autism Society of America describes autism:
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.
Autism is treatable. Children do not "outgrow" autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.
Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:
Lack of or delay in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects
The following information is provided by Autism Speaks:
Did you know ...
Autism now affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys
Autism prevalence figures are growing
More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism
Prevalence vs. Private Funding
Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million
Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million
Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million
Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million
Autism: Affects 1 in 110 / Funding: $79 million
National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation
Total 2009 NIH budget: $35.9 billion
Of this, only $196 million goes directly to autism research. This represents 0.5% of total NIH funding.
IF YOU ARE WITHIN THE MEDIA, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN THE CAMPAIGN, AS WELL AS AUTISM SPEAKS EFFORTS. LINK OR REPURPOSE THIS MATERIAL TO HELP THE CAUSE.
The following have lent their name in saying they support autism awareness, if you wish to be added to the list, please contact Maury Brown, president of the Business of Sports Network, for more details.
Corporate Endorsers
Autism Speaks
Populous (Stadium and Global Design)
Sports Management Worldwide
Triple-A Portland Beavers of the PCL
Portland Timbers FC of the USL, soon to be MLS
Oregon Sports Authority
Yardbarker Network
Sports Business Radio
Sports and Entertainment Endorsers
Matt Kemp (Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers)
Peter Gammons (MLB Network, MLB.com, NESN)
Chuck Armstrong (President, Seattle Mariners)
Larry Cancro (Senior Vice President of Fenway Affairs for the Boston Red Sox. Also Chairman of Autism Speaks, New England. Board member Melmark, New England a school that specializes in autism and similar cognitive disabilities)
Gordon Edes (ESPNBoston.com)
Peter Abraham (Boston Globe)
Chuck Greenberg (Pittsburgh sports attorney)
Jim Duquette (Sirius/XM Radio MLB Home Plate, former GM Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets)
David Kahn (President, Basketball Operations, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Victor Rojas (Television play-by-play voice of the LA Angels, formerly with MLB Network)
Will Carroll (Baseball Prospectus)
Jesse Sanchez (MLB.com)
Devon Teeple (Business of Sports Network)
Jordan Kobritz (Business of Sports Network)
Joe Tetreault (Business of Sports Network)
Alyssa Milano (Television, screen and stage actor)
Ken Rosenthal (FOXSports.com, MLB Network)
Dave Sims (Television play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Mariners, radio play-by-play for Sunday Night Football on Westwood One, television play-by-play host for UFL on VERSUS)
Joe Hamrahi (Baseball Daily Digest, Baseball Prospectus)
Brent Gambill (Executive Producer, MLB Home Plate, Sirius/XM Radio)
Dave Barr (Producer, Sports Talk With Bo Mattingly. KREB 1190 Fayetteville, KTTG ESPN 96.3 FM Ft. Smith, KABZ 103.7 FM Little Rock)
Pat Courtney (MLB spokesperson)
Mike Dilorenzo (NHL spokesperson)
Jason Rosenberg (It’s About the Money, Stupid blog)
Jason Collette (DockoftheRays.com)
Todd Radom (Graphic artist, sports logo creator)
Gary Armida (Full Count Pitch blog)
Jeff Levine (Business of Sports Network)
Pete Toms (Business of Sports Network)
Click to donate to Autism Speaks
The Biz of Hockey is part of the Business of Sports Network. For details on our interviews, latest new on MLB, the NFL, the NBA,and the NHL from outside the lines, check www.businessofsportsnetwork.com for information and links to the Network's sites.
CONTACT: Maury Brown President, Business of Sports Network (Office) 503-892-5722 Contact Maury Brown (Select name from dropdown)
"BIZ" SITES GO SOCIAL NETWORKING WITH TWITTER
SITES ADD ABILITY TO POST TO TWITTER DIRECTLY, EACH SITE NOW HAS TWITTER ACCOUNT
The Business of Sports Network announced today that has made "going social" part of each of their award winning sites in two dynamic ways that will get you more info, more often by adding Twitter to all of the sites within the Network's family, including The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Basketball, The Biz of Football, and The Biz of Hockey. The additions mean breaking news and information will be available to those using the popular social networking location.
"Social networking is not just a fad, it has become a powerful tool for sports information as leagues, those that report on sports in the media, and professional athletes continue to break news via Twitter, "said Maury Brown, founder and president of the Business of Sports Network. "The addition of Twitter to the Business of Sports Network family of sites is something we are excited about as we look to continue to offer new ways of giving our readers the best information on the business of sports."
Each Biz Site Now on Twitter Getting even more great content from the Business of Sports Network now comes through individual accounts for each site on the popular social networking application, Twitter. Get breaking news, information from those that we follow. Follow the Business of Sports Network sites through the following locations:
Post to Twitter Directly from the Biz Sites Looking to make each of the Business of Sports Network sites even more interactive, you can now post directly to Twitter from each of the "Biz" sites on any page, anytime. Each of the sites now comes with Tweetboard functionality that allows you to login to your account, and post by clicking on a tab provided across each page of the sites, expanding the Twitter interface.
Look for updates 24/7/365 from the staff at the Business of Sports Network to the Twitter accounts, as well as updates from Maury Brown, founder and president of the Business of Sports Network.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK: The Business of Sports Network is a series of resources dedicated to sports news outside the lines. The network includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball, The Biz of Hockey, and our portal, the Business of Sports Network. The focus of BSN is on providing coverage of breaking news events in sports as it happens, provide expert analysis, provide interviews with those that work in sports business, and provide data and documents to allow readers to see deep into the issues and news confronting sports today.
All the sites across the Business of Sports Network provide the following:
Reporting on news, as it happens, at the major, minor, and collegiate levels.
Provide interviews with sports executives, or those in the media that cover sports.
Data and documents
Thought provoking original articles and commentary from the staff at the Business of Sports Network
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OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Press Release: The Biz of Baseball, Other Business of Sports Network Sites, Upgrades with Twitter Access
Rockford RiverHawks To Join The Northern League in 2010
David Ortiz Addresses Media, Red Sox Issues Statement in Support
MLB Releases Statement Regarding 2003 Drug Test
Prior to Ortiz Press Conference, MLBPA Releases Statement Regarding 2003 Drug Test
Astros Minor Leaguer Einertson Suspended 50 Games for "Drug of Abuse"
The Significance of Michael Weiner at the Ortiz Press Conference
With 10 Days to Go, "Signing Strasburg" Watching Kicks Into High Gear
NOTE: The Biz of Hockey has been updated with a new document.
As the Chapter 11 efforts of Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes are tied to a proposed sales transaction to Jim Balsillie, who is looking to relocate the club to Hamilton, OntarioCanada.
Now, a copy of an email from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman reveals how the league is looking to move quickly on a sale to keep the club in Phoenix, but that due to the dire financial situation, relocation is becoming more and more of an option.
In a sign that Bettman is looking to protect the Toronto Maple Leafs’ territorial rights, the email mentions Winnipeg as a preferred relocation market.
The email also talks of how MLB and NBA owner Jerry Reinsdorf factors into the equation as part of a possible purchase of the club with designs of trying to keep it in Phoenix… if the club can dig out of the sea of red ink.
NOTE: The Biz of Hockey has been updated with several key documents
For those that are interested in the attempted Chapter 11 filing by Jerry Moyes, owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and the proposed sale to Jim Balsillie who plans to relocate the club to Hamilton, Ontario Canada, The Biz of Hockey now has five documents (one of which, is divided into 3 parts) pertaining to the Coyotes situation.
For those interested, select the link below, or going forward look for this link name under "Biz of Hockey Documents"
At midnight tonight, the calendar sheds another page, and April turns to May. With that ends what has been designated as World Autism Awareness Month.
But, for millions of families around the globe, autism awareness is a daily affair.
I, and my family, are but one of a growing number that deals with autism’s effects.
Last year, when my wife and I learned that our youngest son Travis had been diagnosed as being on the autism scale as “classic”, I reached out to the sports community and offered up a challenge:
Spread the word. Help parents with young children look for the signs of autism. Be aware of your surroundings and realize that the boy or girl next to you in the checkout line may be on the autism scale. After all, it is a growing developmental disorder.
This year, I hope you will do the same. If you are involved in sports media, I encourage you to write about the Business of Sports Network Autism Challenge. If you are a producer in radio, I hope you will give me 5 minutes on the air to help spread the word.If you are an athlete, a sports executive, or a sports organization, I hope you will extend a hand.
We chose to offer up this challenge on the last day of World Autism Awareness Month in the hopes that while the designation drops from the calendar, it does not drop from view, and that no matter the date on the calendar, you help make society just a bit better by simply acknowledging the ever growing presence of this developmental disorder.
Our challenge is to make others aware of autism. The following information comes by way of the Autism Society of America:
1 out of 150 children in U.S.
1 out of 90 boys
Affects four times as many boys as girls
Lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism: $3.5 to $5 million
Current annual cost to U.S.: $35 billion
Estimated annual cost by 2010: $90 billion
1.5 million Americans affected
Researching has found information that has been valuable to my wife and I, and some indications that we saw early on as classic traits of autism spectrum disorder within our son’s behavior. Passing some of these behavioral traits along may help you, or someone you know, get their child to their pediatrician for an evaluation. Early detection is critical as the earlier a child is enrolled in therapy, the better the odds are that when they grow older they will be able to function in society.
Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:
Lack of or delay in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects
Reaching a development milestone only to see regressively disappear
Odd dietary behaviors, such as eating only starches
No fear of danger
If your child is diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, we highly suggest reading the “100 Day Kit” available on Autism Speaks,. The 81 page PDF is an indispensable walk through everything from the emotions that parents go through when they receive word that their child has ASD, how Autism is diagnosed, the variety of symptoms of Autism, how the extended family and siblings are impacted and much more.
As mentioned, autism reaches across all spectrums of society. This month, a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring professional golfer Ernie Els, and his six year old son, Ben, designed to raise awareness about autism and to urge parents to learn the early warning signs of this developmental disorder was released. See the video below for details.
Finally, autism is simply a name. It does not define those that have the disorder. Here is the face of a child that has autism, but is instead simply called “Travis”.
Travis Brown. Diagnosed as being on the autism scale, April 9, 2008
No, it was not due to Demi Moore saving someone’s life, or Oprah, or Shaq. It’s just that, well, it’s a great way to get info fast.
Being more than fashionably late to the dance, I have begun to track the Business of Sports Network through Twitter. But, as many of you know that use the social network phenomenon, it’s a great way to do far more.
So, while I’ll be covering sports and business, and all the other stuff outside the lines, who knows what else I will be Tweeting?
For those interested, follow the Business of Sports Network (and yours truly) on Twitter here:
For those that visit The Biz of Hockey, you have most likely noticed the links and images to other sites in the Business of Sports Network. Those sites (The Biz of Basketball, The Biz of Football, and The Biz of Baseball), along with The Biz of Hockey cover a broad spectrum of professional sports in the U.S. and Canada, but it’s only a portion of the key news happening outside the lines.
To that end, BusinessofSportsNetwork.com will shift from simply being a portal of RSS feeds, and contact info for Bizball LLC, but instead will begin to cover all aspects of sports business. From auto racing to golf to MLS to MMA to tennis and beyond, BusinessofSportsNetwork.com will be expanding. We’ll also be highlighting key aspects from the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL via our “Focus On” series highlighting research and stories on our “Biz” sites.
Lastly, I have shifted my personal blog into a more traditional platform, with link dumps being done daily to a variety of mainstream and alternative platforms across the internet.
I hope you will swing by these two new resources, see the changes, (a first glimpse is The Influence of Tiger Woods Return on the Business of Sports Network, as well as links to key stories on maurybrown.com), and make them part of your daily stop for sports news off the playing surface.
Maury Brown President Business of Sports Network Bizball LLC
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Elbow Ligament Reconstruction Appears Not to Affect Future Pro Advancement in Baseball - The Biz of Baseball
Royals Land Reliever Cruz - The Biz of Baseball
The Goverment's Persecution of Barry Lamar Bonds - The Biz of Baseball
Site Update: End of Year MLB Player Payroll (2002-2008) - The Biz of Baseball
Injury Update: Santana, Bonderman Out Longer Than Originally Reported - The Biz of Baseball
Lincecum to Grace Cover of ESPN the Magazine's MLB Fantasy Preview Issue - The Biz of Baseball
Transaction Round-Up: Lincecum, Mientkiewicz Reach Deals - The Biz of Baseball
Death of a Newspaper: The Rocky Mountain News Folds. Ringolsby Reflects - The Biz of Baseball
Yankees, Bank of America Break Off Sponsorship Talks - The Biz of Baseball
Celtics Set to Sign Marbury - The Biz of Basketball
NBA Expected to Borrow $175M Today - The Biz of Basketball
Nike Unveils the “KD1” – the First Signature Shoe for Kevin Durant - The Biz of Basketball
Charles Barkley to Serve 5 Days in Jail for DUI - The Biz of Basketball
NBA Unveils New Digital Strategy - The Biz of Basketball
The Biz of Hockeyhas now been updated to allow those that register to get occasional updates on breaking news, new interviews, and key content in their in-box. Also, we will be adding "registered only" content to the site shortly that is only visible when a user logs in.
The Business of Sports Network is working to expand other additional functionality shortly that will add even more value to the sites. Check back often for details.
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No, it was not due to Demi Moore saving someone’s life, or Oprah, or Shaq. It’s just that, well, it’s a great way to get info fast.
