Did you know that in countries outside the US, field hockey is not just for girls?  That's right; the sport that's seen as a female-only game in America is played by both men and women in most other nations.  So when 13-year-old Keeling Pilaro moved to Long Island, New York from Ireland, he was ready to pick up a stick and play.

But according to the Associated Press, his school was hesitant to let him join the team, asserting that "Keeling's skills were too developed and could harm the girls' opportunity to play in interschool competition." With that, Pilaro was initially banned from playing the sport.  That's when the 4-foot-8, 82 pound teen decided to fight for field hockey equality.

A fight that he won yesterday.

The New York Daily News reports that on Tuesday "... [a] committee in Suffolk County, New York determined that Keeling Pilaro can continue to play."  The youngster immediately took to Facebook, writing, "I can play field hockey."  The statement was "met with over 140 'Likes' in less than 24 hours," reports the New York Daily News.

I've never played field hockey, and I have no interest in trying it out (I'll stick to surfing, please).  But I think Pilaro certainly deserves to be on that field.

When I was a sophomore in high school, a senior girl had joined the football team.  I remember at the time it seemed a little strange to me; how could a female stay safe on a field filled with angry 250 pound men?  Still, she was allowed to play.  She may not have become a football star, but she certainly made a statement.

In a way Pilaro's situation is unique; when it comes to sports, women are usually the ones fighting for equality.

But is Pilaro's struggle for equality really all that different? "If [Pilaro's] not allowed to try out for the team, that opens up the door for all kinds of discrimination," said Dana Edell, executive director of the SPARK movement, an organization dedicated to the equality of females in sports. "It's the coaches' responsibility to make sure the players are safe. And a boy should not be penalized because he's good." That's why I'm rooting for Pilaro! 

What do you think? Should boys be allowed to play field hockey?

I don't know what it is about promotional t-shirts but I love them.  I think this infatuation started a few years ago when a few of my co- workers and I opened an Italian ice shop called scoops.  We ordered tons of promotional products with t-shirts being the main attraction.  It was odd when people would come in and ask if they could purchase these wonderful yellow t's.  It was then I realized, EVERYONE LOVES PROMOTIONAL T-SHIRTS.  It's also another great way to get your brand out there!

Last night, Olha, Sam and I went to the weekly fitness classes that we signed up for on Groupons. We got a great deal - 10 fitness classes (ranging from ZUMBA, boot camp, yoga, pilates to kickboxing) at D-Fine Fitness for just $49. Of course, we didn't want to miss out on an opportunity like this, so we signed up right away. Being that the facility is close to our office, it works out perfectly going right after work. Yesterday was the first day I went and I absolutely loved it! I feel that I am in pretty good shape. I work out regularly, eat right, and try to be active. First we did ZUMBA, which was a good "warm up", followed by Boot Camp. I have to admit, no matter how "in-shape" I think I may be, boot camp really kicked my "behind" (so much that I feel sore all over today!).

The initial Zumba class was lots of fun. We were quite UN-coordinated at first, but after some moving and shaking, we got the hang of it and broke a good sweat. There was a 15 minute break between the classes, so I went and grabbed one of the promotional towels they were handing out. Good thing I got one, because it really came in handy during boot camp. I don't recall sweating that much in a long time! Luckily I also brought my promotional water bottle with me, so I was able to refill from the water cooler and drink up quite frequently. Despite the intense moves and exhaustion I felt during the class, I felt amazing afterwards. Now, I am totally excited and can't wait for next week's class, and I can't wait to see what kinds of promotional fitness products they will be giving out then.

Last night was the NFL Football draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  All 32 teams were eager to draft their (hopefully) future stars.  The draft has become a huge event over the years.  I think it has to do with the players being bigger and stronger than ever before, thus inadvertently shortening many of their careers, due to the huge hits and countless injuries the players have to deal with.  This in turn causes younger players to be that much more important to their team.  There was also a plethora of promotional products there.  Every player got a new custom cap from their respective teams.  It was an truly exciting event for many young players, and it will continue for the next two days, where many collegiate athletes hope to be drafted into the National football league.  Below is an example of the Jets custom cap.

Here in the northeast, we've had a very mild March. Experts stated that March 2012 was the warmest month in the US since record keeping began in 1895. According to the NOAA(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a staggering 15,292 warm temperature records were broken, (7,755 record highs and 7,517 record high overnight lows). Can you say WOW? Well I'm certainly taking advantage of this warm weather. This past sunday I just wore my promotional T-shirt with my custom MP3 player and went for a 5 mile run. It was tiring, but I felt good in the end. I'm hoping this weekend will be the same.

It might not be the most optimistic baseball season for us Met fans, but opening day 2012 didn't disappoint.  Johan Santana, back from an 18 month rehabbing of his pitching shoulder, pitched like the Johan of old with 5 scoreless frames of 2 hit ball.  The team’s unofficial captain David Wright jumped all over a Tommy Hanson fastball for a base hit scoring the first run of the season.  It was all the Mets would need after the revamped bullpen shut down the Chipper-less Braves for the remaining four innings.  Frank Francisco earned his first save as a Met and Ramon Ramirez (acquired in the Angel Pagan trade) earned the win with one and a third scoreless.  Who knows what the rest of the season will bring, but for a day, we are at the top.

Players of the Game: 

J. Santana
IP:  5.0
H:  2
ER: 0
BB:  2
K:  5

D. Wright
AB:  3
R:  0
H:  2
HR:  0
RBI:  5

Last night, Kim, Eric and I attended the Heat game where they hosted and ultimately beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was the first Heat game any of us had been to since the controversial big three erupted. The game was exciting, intense, and certainly not without promotional products! Before even entering the stadium, it was like Kim and I were playing "I spy." Being that Eric is already used my habit, he was not surprised to hear us point out each and every promo item we passed with glowing excitement. From "bangers" in the shape of McDonald French Fries, to promotional T-shirts being shot at us through an air cannon, and plenty of Miami Heat branded hats, we were surrounded. However, our favorite sighting of the night was the promotional Ultimate Hand - Number 1. Since it is one of the newer items to enter the promotional products playing field, we had to stop this nice young man for a snapshot! The way I see it, like Lebron, Motivators has taken its talents to South Beach!

This is an interesting time for sports fans. It's the calm before the storm, if you will. Baseball season is a few short weeks away, NFL hot stove is running rampant (please no Tebow references), the NBA season is in full swing, and although "no one cares about hockey Boomer", the regular season for hockey is wrapping up in another week or so. With the 4 major sports getting ready for some turning point in their seasons, college basketball is at its most exciting time! March College Basketball! It's the time when college basketball diehards and casual fans alike fill out their brackets, spend weekends at the local pubs receiving many logo March basketball products. Every college gives out tons of promotional products to help their students and fans cheer on their hopefuls for winning it all! So whoever you root for, wear your gear proud and good luck!

With over 60,000 different item numbers on the Motivators website now, it might be difficult to find the perfect item for your event or giveaway. 

I'm in the market for a new bicycle. It's been over a decade since I bought one and its already evident how outdated it is and how behind-the-times I am when it comes to researching. Models that seem ideal have been discontinued for years, are overpriced, fall apart easily, etc.
It's with the right salesperson that I know I will find the perfect bicycle. The perfect salesperson knows the in's and out's of the industry, knows what is selling, knows what makes people happy and keeps it within the price-range. Because my price-range is very vague and my knowledge on bicycle technology is miniscule, I know I will go on any whim and advice from my salesperson. 

Once my bicycle is selected, I will definitely talk to our salespeople here to find the perfect promotional sports bottle to adhere to the bike frame. I already have a handful of bottles in mind but it's always best to follow your salesperson's advice and instinct. They see and touch the items long before they end up in your hands. 

Call our sales team today at (800) 525 9600.

I am officially 28! Being that my birthday was on a Saturday (love when that happens) I had an entire birthday weekend! The highlight was going to the Knicks vs. Pacers on Friday night at MSG! It was nice walking around the city a little bit and grabbing some food beforehand. The stadium was packed, our seats were perfect,  and the Knicks played really well. I got my stadium hot dog, (my favorite part) and was very happy...until...the crowd behind the basket took out their custom imprinted noisemakers that MSG gave them. I have never caught a t-shirt, been on camera, won a prize...why wasn't I given a promotional Fan-Ta-Stick?! Bill did explain that they give it to the people behing the basket as a noise distraction, but still, I wanted one! All in all it was a great time, 28 is going to be great!