The REAL. BIG. Blog

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

Blame me.  Go ahead.  I don’t know how you’ll do it, but judging from some of your past emails  - your “get back” will be both creative and devestating.  Sure, I may have known for months…and, sure, knowing might have saved you some big bucks on your holiday shopping.  But in my defense…things get REALLY busy at Fathead during the holidays and, honestly, it just slipped my mind!  For the few of you who don’t know yet, here’s the skinny:

Every day, Fathead.com offers two HOT products at HALF OFF called the REAL.BIG. Deal of the Day to members of Fathead Nation.  When I say hot, I’m talking some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment like Emmitt Smith and the Dark Knight!  Or LeBron James and Homer Simpson!  Or Brett Favre and Hannah Montana!  If you happened to click on any of the previously linked superstars, apologies, those are past and potentially future deals…but still pretty sweet wall graphics, huh?

To make up for my memory lapse and prevent reader retribution, here’s some super-secret inside information that nobody else in the world knows.  Only you are privy to this, my friend.  Tomorrow’s REAL.BIG. Deals of the Day are…

Peyton Manning and the Superman logo. Either can be yours at HALF PRICE - TOMORROW -  when you sign-up for Fathead Nation.  Just go to Fathead.com tomorrow and click on the ad that says “REAL.BIG. Pride.”  Then score yourself a Petyon Manning or a Superman logo Fathead for 50% off the regular price.

So…we’re cool now, right?

By Rebecca Moodie

Dare I say it, but after watching the coveted Brett Favre underthrow pass after pass against a woeful Seahawks secondary, a Jets fan has to wonder…would the Jets have been better off this season with Chad Pennington at QB???

Of course we all did back flips when we heard the announcement that the Jets had signed Brett Favre.  I still have the newspaper announcement taped to my front window.  But is Favre just a has-been, washed-up star who should be spending his final days playing BINGO and shuffleboard?

Entering week 16, the AFC East remains locked in a three-way tie.  The New York Jets, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, all with 9-5 records, are battling for the title of division leader with just two remaining games in the regular season.

Each of these teams has there own little Cinderella story upon arriving to this point.  The New York Jets finished last season with a woeful 4-12 record.  But BIG off-season acquisitions (perhaps the biggest being the arrival of Brett Favre to be posted behind a revamped o-line) have helped them snap back from last season’s demise.  The Miami Dolphins almost succeeded in achieving the dreaded winless season last year, but instead finished with a 1-15 record. 

New York Jets Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

By Rebecca Moodie

New York Giants Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

On Sunday, the New York Jets gave me the best birthday present ever; they all but DESTROYED the undefeated Tennessee Titans 34-13, executing a consistent offense and a dominant defense.  The defense held the Titans to just 3 points in the first half and although we don’t see Brett Favre as the gunslinger he was in his early Packer days, he has developed into so much more for the Jets by becoming the on-field leader they desperately needed.

So with this one W, the Jets have achieved the unthinkable. As division leaders and arguably the best team in the AFC, their game seems to be more complete and balanced then ever before and they look to be unstoppable right now. They have suddenly made their way into the conversations about the “big game” and they are finally getting the respect they deserve from outside their fan base.

So with the Jets and New York Giants playing the way they are, dare I say we may see the first ever “Subway” Super Bowl??? (Knock on wood.)  It would be the game of many lifetimes, a story to pass down to generations come, possibly the most exciting game in sports history! (Okay so I’m obviously from New York.  But come on, it would definitely be one for the books).

I don’t want to jump the gun, as there are still many weeks to play.  As they say, “any given Sunday”.  Of course, anything can happen at this point, but there is still a flicker of hope inside me for that headline… “Jets Take on Reigning Super Bowl Champs in Tampa”.  Maybe we can finally end our 40 year drought.  Fingers crossed!

By John Fontana

“Old-timer” use to describe a single day event reserved to honor storied athletes of season’s past.  Now, it could just as easily define tonight’s pitching duel or next year’s Tour de France champion.  Why the change?

In professional sports, retirement is a four-letter word. It’s the end of a rewarding relationship with the game, teammates and fans.  When a once-in-a-generation athlete hangs up his cleats (or high tops, skates, racing shoes, etc), the moment is necessarily cathartic – the fall comes when an athlete must admit that they’re no longer the powerhouse of past seasons, but a mere human whose talent has been eroded by the grindstone of time.

When it was time to hang up lucky No. 7 after 16 years in the pocket, John Elway broke into tears.  In stark contrast, former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre (who turns 39 in October) didn’t think football looked very good from the couch.  Everyone knows what happened there. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong (now 37), retired three years ago to Austin, Texas, but is now living and training in the high country and plotting his return to the big French race next summer.

Clearly the competitive beast that dwells within these “old-timers” doesn’t retire when they hang up their jerseys. Others aren’t even bothering to do the retirement flip-flop.

Major League Baseball pitchers – some well past their best fastballs and change-ups – routinely stay on the mound past their prime. Jamie Moyer (45), Mike Mussina (40), and Trevor Hoffman (40) – for example.

Fans, the reason for any of these athletes existence in the spotlight, love watching these transcendents. Parents highlight faded but performing athletes as links to their own childhood and pass along that passion to their sons and daughters. The players of their youth are now old-timers.  Love ‘em or hate ‘em, history is still fun to watch.

Modern medicine may be responsible for keeping an athlete functioning at a professional level. But these athletes posses a fire deep within that fuels their drive to compete. Of course, the hoopla, fans, competition, camaraderie and pageantry are nearly impossible to pass up. Who will cross over next?

Michael Strahan has turned down the New York Giants once, but as the season progresses and his old teammates make another run at glory, he could get itchy feet. Daunte Culpepper seems a lock to strap on his helmet again.  One wonders if Shaq will rescind his 735-day retirement countdown just to prove he’s the baddest old-timer of them all?

Who do you think will be the next “old-timer” to return from retirement for another season or two?

By Drew Bufalini

Don’t let the title deceive you. This story isn’t about Lance Armstrong…but about the good his courage and passion has inspired in so many people, including a Detroit teacher named Sean Shearon.

This summer, Sean walked eighteen marathons in eighteen days in an effort to raise $10 million for cancer research.  More than mere mileage, this was a highly personal journey for Sean.  When he was nine, his mother developed cancer. Three years later, he too was diagnosed. While Sean survived, his mom did not.

Life has taught Sean some harsh lessons, but neither his face nor his spirit bear evidence of his agonies.  He transformed what could have been a devastating experience into something life-affirming.  What’s more, for every step he took on his journey across the state of Michigan, he not only raised money and awareness for cancer research - he inspired others to follow in his footsteps.

As I monitored Sean’s progress on his blog (www.thevictorywalk.org), I began to question myself in ways I never had before.  What can I do to inspire others to do good with their lives?  How can I help assuage humanity’s suffering?  What will it take of my passion to plant a seed capable of bearing similar fruit in my fellow man?  If you read Sean’s story, you’ll see what I mean – for the Victory Walk isn’t simply about overcoming cancer.  It’s about the viral nature of passion and our own ability to do good and inspire it in others.

So what does Sean’s Victory Walk have to do with Fathead?  Absolutely everything.  If you’ve ever read our web site or scanned our blog or watched our commercials, you know Fathead is a company built on, by and for “fan passion.”  But what does that mean – really?  For some, it’s the rush of endorphins that comes with success - like Aaron Rodgers first Lambeau Leap (Or any of Bretts’ Leaps, for that matter).  For others, it’s the thrill of a hard-fought victory over an indomitable opponent – like the Red Wings in any of their 11 Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example.  Still others find that passion is belonging to something larger than themselves: being a member of the armed services or first responders; or being member or fan of a legendary team like the Cowboys, Yankees or Lakers; or even spending a moment in the shadow of someone willing to sacrifice so that you may find your own inspiration. That sense of being part of a team, the inertia that drives us beyond what we believe ourselves capable of toward an impossible goal – that is fan passion.

And that’s what Sean Shearon carried with him from the Detroit side of the Ambassador Bridge to Charlevoix to Royal Oak, Michigan. Mile after mile.  Through shin-splints, debilitating cramps and excruciating infection.  In the driving rain and scorching summer sun.  That’s what people saw when they lauded his sacrifice, shook his hand and patted him on the back. But what they took home with them was something bigger: they discovered Sean’s passion was contagious.

The sacrifice of his body and time, he says, was a small price to pay when compared to the gratitude of strangers, support and cash for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit. “We need to do something about cancer as a society. We can’t just keep waiting for other people to do it. We are all in this together.”

All of the money raised from The Victory Walk will be donated to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in downtown Detroit. “We just couldn’t keep doing what we do without people like Sean,” said Patricia Ellis, spokeswoman for the Karmanos Institute. “He is definitely not sitting back. He is taking it upon himself to raise awareness, and he has done just that.”

To talk to Sean, read his blog or watch his video for Livestrong.com (http://www.youtube.com/video_response_view_all?v=9S9vlgtt264) is to go toe-to-toe with courage and hopefully walk away with enough to both carry yourself forward…and bring someone else with you.

Fathead salutes Sean Shearon and those rare people out there like him with the courage to live their passion.  Visit www.thevictorywalk.com to blog with Sean, learn more about his journey or make a donation.

Looking for a way to support your Presidential candidate that won’t result in daily dinnertime fundraising calls? Get a Fathead wall graphic of your favorite candidate!

From the creators of life-size sports and entertainment wall graphics of heroes like Brett Favre and the Dark Knight come the two leading men of Presidential politics… Barack Obama and John McCain…in Fathead form! Like other Fathead wall graphics, these are hi-def, easy to apply, safe for walls and will never fade, tear or flip flop. They’re a fun way to display your passion for either candidate and are infinitely more compelling than a button, bumper sticker or straw barber shop hat.

Vote early for the next president of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Fathead.com and you’ll get 10% off your next order. Live results of the vote minus controversy and Supreme Court intervention can be viewed when you cast your digital ballot.

Support your candidate in a REAL.BIG.® way and have fun doing it when you buy a Barack Obama or John McCain Fathead wall graphic on Fathead.com. Don’t forget to vote to get your 10% discount! (Note: regardless of Fathead election results, the official Presidential election will be held as planned on November 4th.)

By Drew Bufalini

Today, on Fathead.com, registered and unregistered voters alike can cast their ballot early (not often) for Barack Obama or John McCain. Not only can people vote with a mouse click, they can vote with their credit cards by purchasing life-size wall graphics of both candidates!

Just like their real-life counterparts, the Candidate Fathead wall graphics are colorful and glossy on the front with their back sides covered at all times. The advantage of a Candidate Fathead is that you can take it down, move it or stick it somewhere else whenever you please. We’ll be stuck with the winning Presidential candidate for at least four years - no matter how much we wish he’d fade away. Fatheads, incidentally, never fade, tear or flip flop.

Seeing both American icons on the wall in our office, I realized that these two men battling for the helm of our nation are both heroes. You see, to become a Fathead and have your face on thousands of walls across the country, you must be considered “Fathead-worthy.” No amount of Boy Scout merit badges can earn you this honor. You can’t buy your way into Fathead-dom – lobbying firms have tried and been summarily rejected. You must actually be a hero. Of course, there are different kinds of heroes: sports heroes like Brett Favre and Derek Jeter; super heroes like the Dark Knight and Super Man; secret heroes like Homer Simpson (who, I think, is the secret hero of every man). On this Mt. Olympus of American pride, the Presidential candidates have certainly earned their place. Alas, the vote on Fathead.com is only between the Presidential candidates. (You can’t write-in Homer. Sorry.)

The folks at Fathead and their voters will soon know which candidate will take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this January. Which means I can turn off CNN and return my attention to what really matters: the beginning of NFL training camp.