Sports and Torts: Monica Murphy-Vargas

Monica is the founder/owner of SportsDivas, Inc. Her wesite — sportsdivasinc.com — is designed primarily for females but works for males, too. We\'ll learn more about her & the company in this interview.

Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Lenny Moore

Moore was the Colts first round draft choice in 1956. He won rookie of the year, and went on to have a Hall of Fame career, Number 24 won the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the National Football League in 1964. He was All-Pro and All-League five times and played in seven Pro Bowl games.

Monica Murphy-Vargas

Growing up in a small suburb of Cleveland as the middle daughter of three girls, I was exposed to professional sports in the same way most girls are, by watching games with my dad and picking up other pieces over time. I played softball, golfed, swam competitively, dabbled in basketball, but took the route of cheerleader in a high school of 500 students.

I grew up going to Indians games at Municipal Stadium with my Dad, learned football from watching the Browns, being a cheerleader, and from playing flag football with friends. I followed my folks’ footsteps and headed to The Ohio State University where I bled scarlet and grey and became an obsessed and annoying Ohio State fan.

It wasn’t until I accepted a job with ESPN in 2002 that my deep dive into the sports world began. Elated with my new gig, but concerned with my level of sports knowledge, I quickly inundated myself with sports rules, protocol, and news. It was then I realized that there was no quick way to really learn sports; no way to break through all the sports news and clutter targeted to educated fans. I didn’t have hours to spend watching games, listening to play-by-play, and I was embarrassed to ask others questions that I assumed I should already know the answers to.

Thankfully, over the last 10 years of building a career in sports sales and marketing, my knowledge and love of sports has grown exponentially; yet, I am constantly meeting women that are in the same place I was 10 years ago – interested in learning more about sports but unsure of how to begin and where to go. I’ve learned that most women, like me, were never taught the fundamentals of the game as our male counterparts were. We’ve been left to piecemeal our knowledge usually from listening to others, watching games and deciphering headlines. It’s no wonder many women find sports boring, confusing or not worth their time. Like anything else in life, if you don’t understand it, you’re not going to enjoy it.

Sports are the original reality TV. The outcome of the game, the drama that unfolds, the fans’ reactions – all make up the exciting story lines that we’ve come to expect and love from sports. It’s these stories that people buzz about the next day and how people socially connect. Let us help you discover the excitement and find the joy of understanding sports. Find the story in sports, with SportsDivas, Inc.

Sports Divas Inc

Lenny Moore

Moore was both a great runner and receiver. He lined up both in the backfield as a halfback and split wide as a flanker, and was equally dangerous at both positions in the offense engineered by quarterback Johnny Unitas. Moore averaged at least 7.0 yards a carry in several seasons. He made 40 receptions for 687 yards and seven touchdowns in 1957, the first of five straight years in which he would have 40 or more catches. In 1958, he caught a career-high 50 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns in helping the Colts win the NFL championship. Then in 1959, Moore had 47 receptions for 846 yards and six TDs as the Colts repeated as champions. Moore was tagged with a number of nicknames: \"Sputnik,\" for the fear he incited in opposing defenses; \"The Reading Rambler\" and \"Lightning Lenny,\" for his unmatched speed; and \"Spats,\" for the way he taped his high-top shoes, making them look like low-tops. After being injured in the 1962 season and losing his starting job, Moore had one of his best statistical seasons in 1964 when he scored 20 touchdowns, and helped lead the Colts to a 12-2 regular-season record and a trip to the NFL championship game for the third time in seven seasons.
Moore scored a touchdown in an NFL-record 18 consecutive appearances starting in 1963 and continuing through the entire 1964 season, ending in 1965. This record stood for 40 years until being equaled by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005. Because his streak was interrupted by a five-game absence due to injury in 1963,[1] he does not hold the NFL\'s official record for consecutive games rushing for a touchdown. Moore retired after the 1967 season. His uniform number 24 was retired by Baltimore, and in 1969 a sportswriters\' poll named him to the NFL\'s 50th Anniversary Team. In 1975, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, Moore was ranked number 71 on The Sporting News\' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He is also the only player to have at least 40 receiving touchdowns and 40 rushing touchdowns. Football Outsiders, in their book Pro Football Prospectus 2007, named 6 of his seasons among the top 500 running back seasons of all time, which was tied for the 5th most seasons among the top 500 of any player. Moore\'s retired number is honored along with all of the other Baltimore Colts retired numbers in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, home of the Baltimore Ravens.
On January 19, 2008, Moore was inducted into the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame class

Lenny\'s career stats