We are three months removed from the Super Bowl.
We are four months away from the first touchdown pass, the first fumble and the first brutal hit of the next National Football League season.
That does not mean the most popular league in North America has gone dormant.
The NFL draft of college talent was watched last week by near record numbers of television viewers, even though most football fans have never heard of the vast majority of the 200-plus players chosen.
Three once-dominant running backs, now in their 30s with questions about the state of their legs, recently signed with new teams and inspired media debate for days: which player in the Adrian Peterson-Jamaal Charles-Marshawn Lynch geezer trio has the most yardage left?
Yes, the NFL never sleeps. But more importantly for them, it is a league whose analysts and fans never sleep.
Despite the fact that this year’s draft featured absolutely no quarterbacks — the glamour position — who were regarded as cannot-miss, franchise-lifting players, some 9.2 million people watched two cable TV networks broadcast the first round on the first night.
The average audience for the three nights was 4.6 million, up six per cent from last year, and the second largest in history.
Once upon a time, the draft was considered too boring for television. That would have been before 1980, when ESPN — then a fledgling network hungry for content — asked the NFL for broadcast rights.
A monster was born, spreading like gooey science fiction plasma into three separate prime-time telecasts.
Even though it often takes several years before anyone can accurately assess how each team’s choices play out, instant analyses are offered and argued.
The favourite talking point of this year’s affair centred on the Chicago Bears, who traded up one spot and took quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall. For the most part, the reaction was “What’s wrong with those people?”
A month ago, Trubisky was just one of a handful of flawed college quarterbacks. The consensus was that none projected as a definitive, big-time pro, worthy of a top three pick. The Bears disagreed, making sure they got their strong-armed man from the University of North Carolina who can move out of the pocket to throw.
On the downside, Trubisky started just 13 games in college, playing in near anonymity for a below-the-radar programme.
As usual, we will not know if Chicago were right or wrong for a while. The Bears just signed free agent Mike Glennon for three years and US$45 million (Dh165.2m), presumably to start while Trubisky learns which laundry bin to toss his sweaty socks into after practice.
Then there are the three famous running backs. Peterson, 32, found a new home in New Orleans after rushing for 11,747 yards for the Minnesota Vikings. He vowed “revenge” on his former employer for not believing in him.
Lynch, 31, was the NFL’s most bruising runner from 2011-14. He helped the Seattle Seahawks win one Super Bowl and go to another, then retired after the 2015 season. He just signed with the Oakland Raiders.
Charles, 30, once was the most dangerous dual threat back in the league for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he only played in eight games the past two seasons. He is now with the Denver Broncos.
Sadly, last seen, they all were limping off the field, downed by serious leg injuries. Still, memories fuel hope and debate over who is best equipped to overcome those damaged wheels.
Never mind if the answer turns out to be “none of the above”. In the 2017 off-season, they were as huge as ever, stars again on the NFL’s always-lit stage.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
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THE SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
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Power: 310hp
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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