The Superbowl

This weekend will see the Pittsburg Steelers taking on the Arizona Cardinals in what is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. For all of those not familiar with the Superbowl it is the final of the NFL competition to find out who is the best team in American Football.

The reason I want to talk about it is because in the UK we don’t really put on sporting events anywhere near the magnitude and razzmatazz of the Superbowl. At our FA Cup final the biggest domestic cup match in football as we know it we will normally have someone singing the national anthem and possibly a fly over from The Red Arrows and this is seen as big.

The Superbowl on the other hand is a weeklong event. In the build up to the match there will be press days where the media can grill the players, there will be lots of events for the fans where they can try their hand at playing some American Football an there will be entertainment shows up on with live music in the run up to the event. Across the country it will be what everyone is talking about and what all the press organisations are reporting on. This is before we have even got to the match itself. When the match is on they will have fireworks, pre-game entertainment, music and more. Before the match starts all the players are introduced and welcomed on to the pitch, at half time the pitch will be turned in to a stage where a major international star will perform the half time show and then at the end of the game there is a ceremony for the winning team.

I think the UK need to take leaf out of the American’s book and really hype the big finals like The Superbowl. The bigger and more exciting you can make the game the more young people you can inspire to take up the sport. Cup Finals should all be about capturing the imagination of the audience and making memorable events where the country comes together to watch.

The organisations behind these sports need to use them to get young people in to sport. In the run up to the event they should be running events that encourage young people to get involved all across the country and not just in the host city. Sporting bodies should be capitalizing on the attention these events get and using it to get as many young people involved in sport as possible.

I will be staying up late in the UK to watch it and even if you aren’t a fan of American Football why not give it a quick view to see what I am talking about I have many friends who aren’t fans of American Football but will tune in to the Superbowl. The NFL do a great job of promoting the sport over here in the UK and I think is a blueprint for what the English FA should be doing to promote our sport abroad.


Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

X-Factor Final – The Final Verdict

So who stayed in this Sunday to watch the X-Factor final? Millions of people across the UK tuned in to see who would win the forth series and the 1 million pound record deal that went with it. Being big supporters of young people with talent we here at Talented Young People were very glad to see four young people under the age of 25 vying to become the X-Factor winner.

As you probably already know the Scottish crooner Leon beat off competition from Same Difference and Rhydian to win the contract but not before a cracking final and series before it. What I thought was so great about it was what each contestant brought to the competition.

Many people watch X-Factor for a bit of escapism for every day life or the struggles they are going through. Regardless of whether they won the contest or not I though each contestant had one of the most awesome privileges there is which is to entertain the British public. Regardless of whether or not the people at home liked them or disliked them whether they voted for them or didn’t vote for them they were able to bring that entertainment in to people’s homes. When you perform on a show like that you never know who you may have just inspired which is why I think TV series like this need to be kept.

Now lets talk about what each contestant brought to the show:

Same Difference

It was great to have a bother sister duo so well in the competition. It is great to be able to show young viewers what your family and the support of your family can help you achieve. I think we need more positive family messages like this on our screens. It was also good to Same Difference do so well as it proves nice guys don’t always finish last and being a nice guy can help you win friends, admirers and supporters.

Rhydian

It was great to see how talent can win out in the need of a TV series and you don’t need an outrageous personality or a sad back-story. Some of the world’s greatest achievers have come from some of the hardest upbringings or experiences but we also need people that encourage and motivate people that may have nothing to fight against to succeed in life. So many people live life in relative comfort and it’s these people that could also achieve great things and the ones that need to be pushed as well. I believe Rhydian will get a record deal and have a successful life which proves that if you work and have a talent you will get your rewards regardless of whether or not you win every competition you enter, talent is the eventual winner.

Leon

It was great to see a young boy who had a dream and a reason to achieve something winning the competition. He wanted to change his mum’s life who had supported him by herself and I think he has already done that. It was also good to see someone with a talent so humble and that is the way it should be because young people need to be shown how to act and Leon is a great role model for that.

The one thing that show like these do is inspire people with many people vowing after watching the show that they are going to audition next year. The sad thing is that not all of them do. If these three acts hadn’t applied and gone to an audition there lives wouldn’t have been changed. In life it’s not the knowing whether we are good or not so good at something that stops us from achieving. It’s the not knowing which stops us from achieving and affects us for years and years. Don’t live your life not knowing and thinking about what ifs. You need to let talent shine and shows like this provide a great opportunity for that to happen. Shows like this won’t change your destiny they will help you get closer to success. If you go and they say you are not right for the show you then know you need to go and do some work on it or find a new direction for your life and if they say you have a talent and put you through you could have opened the biggest and best door in your life. So either way you are that one step closer to success.

We here at Talented Young People want to know your thoughts on the X-Factor in our discussion topic of the week on the forum. To post your views go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=293

Also to coincide with the final of the show we have interviewed top Professional Vocal Coach and session Singer Kim Chandler about how to become a great singer and how to make it in the business. To read the interview go to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/experts/index.php?page=article&id=43

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com