Jimmy Spencer, Content Lead Staance.com

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The Weird Psychology Behind the NBA Finals: Who's the Real Favorite?

The NBA Finals begin tonight, and Las Vegas considers the San Antonio Spurs the favorite (-140) to win the series against the Miami Heat. What that means is if you bet $100 on the Spurs, you’d only win about $71 on the wager if they win the title.

Vegas’ labeling of the Spurs as the favorite seems somewhat crazy when you consider the superstar-loaded Heat are back-to-back champs, and they beat the Spurs in last year’s finals.

But the odds reflect how incredibly locked in the Spurs have been this postseason, and because they own home-court advantage.

NBA fans don’t necessarily agree, though there’s an interesting twist according to our Staance Insights:

Only 41% of NBA fans agree the Spurs are the favorites.

but … 55% of NBA fans believe the Spurs will beat the Heat.

While these results may seem contradictory, they’re not. People truly believe the Heat should be recognized as the favorites while still believing the Spurs will win.

Miami is seen as the perennial favorite, a LeBron-led team loaded with talent. That scenario makes the Spurs an “underdog,” and people would prefer to root for the underdog.  

People want the story line to be “The gritty Spurs take down the big, bad powerhouse Heat.”

But that’s not the reality. The truth is that most people believe the Spurs will win the series, which reflects what the oddsmakers are telling us. They just don’t want to admit it.

It’s interesting stuff about the psychology of the NBA fan.

Visit Staance.com or follow Staance Content Lead @JimmySpencerNBA on Twitter.

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Offices will be obsolete in 10 years.

Working in pajamas doesn’t make you lazy.

Sure, the remote worker has a bad reputation: They’re still thought of as the slacker who rolls out of bed, pulls open a laptop, and works through the distraction of daytime TV.

But hold the gchat.

Those who work from home (or anywhere for that matter) are just as productive as those who crawl themselves into the office each morning. Popular opinion backs that sentiment, as 78% of people disagree that a remote worker is less productive.

Let’s be real; the office creates its own set of obstacles:

- Commute time - Chatty co-workers - Lunch distractions - Unproductive, lengthy face-to-face meetings

Not to mention the office costs incurred by the company itself. Renting the building, paying for Internet, printing, copying, coffee, cleaning and so on. It’s quite expensive.

And with the growing technologies that allow remote workers to succeed — face-to-face video chat, shared drives and documents, and chat services — little is lost from not being physically present in the office.

The evidence adds up. Offices as we know them will be obsolete in 10 years.

Let us know what you think: http://www.staance.com/business/14194

Visit Staance.com or follow Staance Content Lead @JimmySpencerNBA on Twitter.

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NBA Finals: Is Popovich more valuable than LeBron?

This may sound like a bit of a stretch, but a 65-year-old curmudgeon might end up being the most valued talent in these NBA Finals — yes, even more important than basketball’s greatest player.

Sure, it sounds a little cray-cray. But a majority of NBA fans (53%) agree: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is more valuable than Miami Heat superstar LeBron James.

Popovich is the greatest coach of his generation, and he’s proven himself more than James. He’s created a program that mimics a collegiate powerhouse contrary to today’s come-and-go NBA model. Pop’s players buy in to his system, and it creates an offensive and defensive efficiency that even the wizardry of James can’t re-create.

Scheming can outplay talent, and that’s exactly what the Spurs coach is trying to do in these finals. He almost did it last year if not for Ray Allen’s last-second 3-pointer, a variable even the greatest coach or player couldn’t have avoided.

But you tell me. Is Popovich more valuable than James? Agree or disagree here: http://www.staance.com/tag/nba/14171

Visit Staance.com or follow Staance Content Lead @JimmySpencerNBA on Twitter.

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Will Kim Kardashian and Kanye West really last in marriage?

Celebrity love is not real love. At least that’s one thought.

  So when it comes to the latest marriage of Kim Kardashian, this time to an electric celebrity equivalent in Kanye West, of course people have doubts. Only an average of 34 out of 100 Americans believe the marriage of Kimye will actually last.

  There’s even more negative emotion around the validity of the marriage, as most people (53%) don’t believe Kim and Kanye are actually in love.

  Where do you weigh in on pop culture’s latest marriage?

  Visit Staance.com or follow @StaanceApp on Twitter.

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The media glamorizes mass shooters.

Elliot Rodger has stolen the nation’s attention — and there’s something disturbing about that.

  The Santa Barbara shooter killed six people and, because of it, his face and story have been publicized everywhere. But that’s not a good thing.

  According to reaction on Staance, 76% of people agree the media glamorizes mass shooters.

  It's a drum that's been beaten for decades: making a violent psychopath famous only breeds more violent psychopaths seeking a platform.

  But what can the media do? Fear sells.

  Society is fascinated by evil people; the faces of these villains intrigue the public more than stories on the the “good guys.” Catastrophic events mean ratings, clicks or retweets, and promoting the latest prince of catastrophe only feeds the beast.

  Don’t expect the media to take a high moral ground at the expense of ratings or traffic.

  If the majority of consumers feel the media is glamorizing the shooter, then these same people need only to shut off the media when it starts pushing ethical bounds of coverage. In turn, the public can ask for some middle ground:

  1. remove the photos and in-depth background of the killer;

2. do not promote the killer’s agenda or motive;

3. focus on the facts without turning it into theater.

  The media can remove the celebrity while still telling the story.

Jimmy Spencer the Content Lead for Staance.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimmySpencerNBA.

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Bold Statements on March Madness

There’s nothing like the opening rounds of March Madness. It’s tough to beat the flurry of games and bracket-busting upsets.

The party isn’t over, though. Staance.com is bringing you some bold insights just in time for the Sweet Sixteen.

Florida will not win the Tournament.

We trust the voices of Staance, since they’ve been right more often than they’ve been wrong when it comes to Tournament picks. Just fewer than one in five (19.6%) college basketball fans think the Gators have what it takes to win the tournament. Sorry, Gators.

All eyes are on Kentucky vs. Louisville.

Friday’s matchup between the Cardinals and Wildcats will be the hottest ticket of the round. The majority (57%) of hoops watchers agreed Louisville vs. Kentucky is the showcase game of the Sweet Sixteen.

Pac-12 domination?

Arizona (No. 1), UCLA (No. 4) and Stanford (No. 10) aren’t getting much love on Staance. Despite the three Pac-12 schools being just one game away from the Elite Eight, a whopping 81% of NCAA basketball fans disagreed the Pac-12 is dominating March Madness. Maybe “dominating” was too strong of a Staance.

UCLA gets some love, though.

Maybe the Pac-12 hasn’t fully impressed in the Tournament, but UCLA star Kyle Anderson certainly has. A staggering 82% believe the 6’9” guard/forward should be a top-five pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.

Embiid is gone but not forgotten.

Many analysts believe Kansas center Joel Embiid, already booted from the madness, will be the best player in the NBA Draft. So do 7 of 10 college fans on Staance.

People dig the Cyclones.

The Cyclones advanced to the Elite Eight despite losing key player Georges Niang. Fans called that one on Staance, as 58% disagreed that Iowa State had no chance without Niang.  Now, the Cyclones are getting even more love on Staance, with 76% agreeing they are Final Four bound.

Michigan State won’t advance.

There isn’t much hope for Michigan State to advance to the Final Four, at least according to Staance. Yup, 78% feel Spartans coach Tom Izzo will have his Final Four streak ended. Good news, though, MSU fans: An average of 6 of 10 hoops fans agree Izzo will never leave the Spartans for the NBA.

We’ll bring more insights as we head into the Final Four. For now, though, continue to explore the March Madness section of Staance.

Jimmy Spencer Staance, Content Lead @JimmySpencerNBA [email protected]

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Staance Insight: Love and Tolerance Must Defeat Hate

Christianity has an image problem.

More than 7 in 10 Americans associate the faith with hate, rather than love or understanding, according to Staance.com.

The numbers swing heavy like a sledgehammer against a cross: the faith that calls for love has become an accomplice to hate — at least according to popular perception.

To me, it’s a heartbreaking insight. A sign something is terribly wrong.

As content lead at Staance.com, I have the ability to explore a multitude of conversations regarding social justice and popular opinion across our many categories. I am, however, most fascinated by responses to faith and religion.

I am a Christian.   

And as a man of faith, this public distaste for Christians absolutely depresses me. The attitudes are consistent: Christians are hateful, intolerant and ignorant.

Living in San Francisco, I am a minority. Being Christian has become an alternative lifestyle. “You go to church? That’s crazy! I’ve never met one of you.”

That statement is generally followed by a puzzled look, and something along the lines of: “You’re actually pretty normal and accepting, ya know, for a Christian. I am actually surprised.”

A loving and accepting Christian? Shocker.

There seems to be no problem attacking Christians for their intolerance while at the same time displaying that same level of intolerance. When a person has a singular, biased impression of millions and millions of unique personalities, that’s wrong.

Yet somehow it has become acceptable for popular culture to preach against the narrow-mindedness of a Christian while displaying distaste for all Christians.

There are plenty of flawed people in this world and, yup, many of them happen to be Christian.

Being a Christian doesn’t make you immune to flaws. In fact, it’s supposed to be about recognizing those flaws in oneself and accepting those flaws in others. It’s about understanding and loving every single person you come across, especially those who are different from you.

This is where the popular anger toward Christianity gets confused. Like any culture, there are extremists. The extremists of Christianity hold up hateful signs or spew hateful rhetoric, and for that they show up in headlines. They have become the misrepresentative mascots of a faith that, for most of us, is truly about love.

The primary job of Christians is simple: love this world and everyone in it. The Bible is clear on this.

So when the majority of people in America, as revealed through Staance insight, feel more hate than love — well, that’s a problem.

And it’s one us Christians need to figure out how to solve.

Tolerance must be rewarded both ways. In this age of personal opinion, we have become intolerant of anyone who disagrees with us.

But we must learn it’s all right to disagree on things and still love each other. Opposing perspectives are good. Understanding each other's perspectives is good. Loving each other is so, so good.

Once we, both Christians and non-Christians, begin to live that model, only then will we see the truth of Christianity has nothing to do with hate and everything to do with love.

Read what others are saying: http://www.staance.com/religion/12901

Jimmy Spencer Staance.com, Content Lead Twitter: @JimmySpencerNBA [email protected]

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