The college football season begins this Thursday. Over the past seven months, we have heard one of three topics: Alabama going for a three-peat, Ohio State improving on perfection, and Johnny Manziel's off-the-field issues.
On Monday, Manziel reportedly met for over six hours with the NCAA at College Station. Reports say that this meeting is to determine whether or not Manziel accepted money for his autograph and if he will be suspended for any games in the 2013 season.
I can promise you that he will not be suspended, and not because he is innocent.
All sports groups are becoming more and more hypocritical. When will
the hypocrisy stop? The NFL fines for "illegal" hits make no sense when
career-ending hits don't get penalized. The NCAA profits on the names of
players on their online store, yet will suspend players like Terrelle
Pryor and now maybe Johnny Manziel for profiting. They even sell Joe
Paterno "409 Wins" memorabilia when the NCAA themselves vacated over 100
wins. MLB wants to protect its players, yet suspends a pitcher for
throwing at Alex Rodriguez, and that suspension isn't long enough for
Ryan Demptster to miss a start.
What's Wrong With Sports? #BilasForPres
What do these three star athletes have in common, besides
being considered some of the best athletes in the world?
All three have been accused in the past week of using
Performance Enhancing Drugs in the past week, even though no evidence exists
that any of these three stars have doped.
Yesterday when I was supposed to be doing work and preparing lessons, I naturally found my iPhone in my hand and the Facebook app open.
I know, shocker.
As I scrolled down my news feed full of the usual picture postings and status updates and memes, I saw a rare posting from an old college friend, Jordan Crolly. His status update was titled "Top 10 Reasons I Don't Want [People] Making Negative Comments on My Facebook Statuses Anymore."
I usually only hear from him twice a year (the weeks where his Giants play my Cowboys). So naturally I was intrigued to see what negative comments he had been getting.
As I read through his post, I just lit up. I loved and agreed with every sentence.
New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez was arrested this morning in connection to the death of his friend Odin Lloyd just a mile from his Massachusetts home. About 90 minutes later, the Patriots released Hernandez from their team.
First of all, all thoughts and prayers begin with Odin Lloyd and his family. That's where they should be.
However, we need to look at the big picture happening here with the National Football League. A total of 29 NFL players now have been arrested since the Super Bowl in February. This is an extremely troubling trend in the NFL, one that needs to be addressed for sure on a league-wide level.
First off, we need to examine what's happening on a team-level. The Patriots and owner Robert Kraft acted swiftly in releasing Aaron Hernandez. But is this the right decision? Should a franchise stand by their player until a verdict is reached? Or is it appropriate to sever ties immediately?
Baseball season has begun! That means 162 games over the
next six months. And that doesn’t even include the extra month for playoffs in
October (and into November).
When you think of baseball, what do you think of? Eating
a hotdog in left field while soaking in the summer sun? Or bundled up avoiding
snowflakes in 30 degree weather?
I think it’s quite obvious which scenario is more
synonymous with the great American pastime. Then why is it that the season
begins with snow still on the ground? Why is it that the most important games
of the year, those playoff and World Series games, are played in 30-40 degree
weather more often than not? The legitimacy of a World Series champion is
compromised in my mind due to weather.
Why not fix this? There are a couple of very simple
options that could make a baseball season that doesn’t last until the near
winter months.
Now let me guess, upon reading that the Final Four is
nearly here, your first thought was something along the lines of “oh ya, that’s
right!” instead of “I know, I’m excited!”Am I right?
College basketball has been in the news ALL WEEK, yet
there has been no preview of the Final Four matchups. There has been no talk of
the “Don’t call us Cinderella” Wichita State Shockers taking on #1 overall
Louisville. There has been no talk of John Beilein never defeating Jim Boeheim.
Absolutely nothing.Yet college hoops is in the news not only on sports channels but on
national news as well. When that happens, you know that there is something
wrong with sports right now.
What's wrong with sports? Just look at what happened today in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.
On the last lap, Regan Smith leads Brad Keselowski toward the checkered flag. Keselowski can't get around him, Smith chops him, and "the big one" occurs. Over a dozen cars end up crashing across the start/finish line.
All drivers walked away without major injury. However, at least 15 (maybe 17 according to some sources) were injured. A couple were seriously injured, one confirmed with head trauma. Kyle Larson's car got airborne and went into the catch fence. His engine literally went right through the catch fence and ended up in the stands. A tire flew over the fence as well and landed about ten rows up.
Everybody is pointing the finger at who or what is responsible. CNN blames Keselowski for starting the wreck. NASCAR analysts confirm it was Smith's fault (and he said he would block like that again). Fans on twitter say the fence should be stronger or that the fans should be moved back.
Point the finger wherever you want, but one thing is clear: something needs to change.
What's wrong with sports? Student-athletes are no longer in existence. The student part is completely gone, and all that matters is the money. Between Kevin Hart wanting to be a part of "the show" by making a fake recruiting story, and college athletes leaving early for the money (and/or because they cannot pass a class), things are in need of change.
There’s an old saying: Money is the root of all evils.
In sports, this has never been more of the case. There is
more emphasis on the money surrounding the game than the game itself any more.
It's not just one specific sport, but practically everything associated with athletics starts with moola. Just look at some of things happening in the world of sports in the a 72-hour span this week:
Over $1 billion dollars gambled on the Super Bowl, just
as much on prop bets such as “Gatorade color” or “length of the Harbaugh
handshake” or “length of the National Anthem” as the game itself.
$8 million dollars for a 60 second commercial ($4,444 per
FRAME) during the Super Bowl. $4,444 per frame to watch the GoDaddy nerd make
out with the supermodel. Take that $4 million commercial and give it to charity
or something please?
Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco demanding top five QB salary
and in his interview basically saying he didn’t care that it would mean likely
losing major contributors like Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones.
A guy betting all he has to his name in Silver Linings Playbook on an Eagles
game and a dance competition. (Okay, this isn’t within 48 hours, but I saw the
movie for the first time last night. Great flick, an absolute must-watch!)
High school prima donnas getting up on stage and putting
a hat on to say where they will go to play college ball. Do you know how much
money goes to the school (and yes probably the player) by media going and
shoving a camera in the young kids’ faces?
However, all of these are nothing compared to the latest
scandal in sports: a match-fixing ring that affected over 600 soccer matches
worldwide since 2008.
On Saturday, the day before Super Bowl XLVII, up to seven
new members will be named as the 2013 induction class for the NFL Hall of Fame.
15 modern era players/coaches/contributors as well as two senior nominees are
among those in consideration for induction by the Selection Committee. To be
elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80%.
There are too many things wrong with this system. Some of
the greatest players in NFL history are having to wait year after year to get
into the Hall of Fame. The system needs to change.
Over the years, fans have scratched their heads at odd
rules and where silly little violations have occurred. West Virginia had to
report a violation for their players wearing too MUCH padding at a practice.
Joe Paterno reported what ended up being a violation for, while taking his
typical walk around campus, watching a player throw the football around outside
of his dorm room. Urban Meyer got in trouble for wishing a recruit good luck in
his upcoming game! Oh, and don’t forget about the spread to go with your
bagels…
Most of those can go overlooked due to the harsh and
necessary actions against institutions, dating all the way back to the West
Point academic cheating scandal. Recent punishments against North Carolina,
Miami, USC, and Penn State have shown all members of the NCAA that they need to
shape up their act.
Maybe the school members aren’t the only ones in need of
shaping up. Maybe the NCAA as a whole should do so first. Maybe they should
practice what they preach.
Is nothing what it seems? You hear it more and more every year from sports fans: The NFL is fixed. Proof of that fact, according to conspiracy theorists, is in the big game. Since the first Super Bowl, some questionable results in the Super Bowl have caused people to claim that the whole game was a set-up. From Joe Namath's guaranteed win in Super Bowl III to this year's "Harbaugh Bowl" we can see the possibility of some questionable outcomes.
We break down the top ten Super Bowl conspiracy theories from the past 47 years. Does your "the NFL is against us" story make our list? Who tops the list for the biggest conspiracy in Super Bowl history? Find out in our newest podcast!
Another Patriot woman has opened her mouth and caused
controversy.
Last year after the Super Bowl, Tom Brady’s wife Gisele
Bundchen lashed out at her husband’s teammates. “My husband cannot (bleep)
throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!” She, like so many others,
was critical of key drops on the final drive of the Patriots’ 21-17 defeat.
Deion Branch, Aaron Hernandez, and Wes Welker all dropped passes on that final
drive.
A year later, and Welker is making headlines again. This
time, instead of being the target of a player’s wife’s comments, it is HIS
woman who is doing the yelling.
Anna Burns Welker posted a (now deleted) strongly-worded
status on her Facebook page after her husband’s team lost 28-13 in the AFC
Championship this past weekend. “Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way,
if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis’ Wikipedia page. 6 kids, 4 wives.
Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A
true role Model!”
Now look, I’m not going to get into a debate about
whether or not Ray Lewis is a murderer. I’m not going to extend that to whether
or not Ben Roethlisberger raped that girl, whether Kobe raped his accuser, and whether
or not O.J. Simpson’s glove truly fit.
However, there are plenty of things that are indeed wrong
about this whole situation, and they all stem from the fact that they deal with
sports.
So Lance Armstrong finally came clean that he in fact was
dirty. He admitted to doping during his cycling career in an interview with
Oprah Winfrey on Monday. Oprah questioned Armstrong extensively for
two-and-a-half hours. The interview will be broadcast later this week on OWN.
Understandably, the Armstrong legacy is being tarnished from this doping allegation and now admission. However, it's the collateral damage that severely bothers me regarding Lance Armstrong.
So for only the eighth time in history, no player will be
elected into the baseball Hall of Fame this year. Thanks to the “Steroids Era”
in Major League Baseball, no players who would be good enough to enter the Hall
are deemed “clean” enough to be enshrined forever. The voters have spoken: if
there’s a possibility that you did steroids, then you will not be in
Cooperstown.
Seven head coaches fired so far in the NFL. Who will end up filling those spots? Will any of those fired find work again? Will they be replaced by retired coaches? Or maybe from the college ranks? Any coordinators getting a head coaching job? Canada? We debate and discuss the "silly season" of the NFL and predict who will fill the head coaching vacancies!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the college
football bowl season! Over the next three-and-a-half weeks, 70 teams will
partake in 35 bowl games across the country. It is one of the biggest and best
traditions in American sports.
It also might be too much.
There are many things that are wrong with the bowl season
in my mind, not even mentioning the word “playoffs” or “BCS.” Trust me, I
absolutely LOVE seeing teams play in bowl games every year, but there are some
flaws to the system. Maybe you agree, maybe you do not. But one thing is clear
to me: some things need to change in the college football postseason BEYOND
going to a four- or eight-team playoff format.
We've about had enough with happenings in the NFL. From Ndamukong Suh kicking a player in the groin to players asking from each other for autographs, from the definition of an elite QB to fans thinking they can control their teams by petitioning the President...it just needs to stop. Enough is enough.
The Lions had many chances to win today. They missed an OT field goal, fumbled in OT in field goal range, and got sacked in the 4th quarter twice knocking them out of field goal range.
But they shouldn't have even needed it to begin with in their 34-31 OT loss today to the Texans. The loss knocks the Lions out of playoff contention, and it was largely impacted by a new rule that doesn't make sense.
When instant replay was first instituted into the NFL in 1999, everybody was excited. Calls that were missed on the field were finally able to be looked at a second time and be corrected.
However, it's becoming way too frequent where the instant replay system DOES NOT WORK!
For the NFL, the worst of these occurrences came on arguably the most-watched non-playoff game of the year: Detroit Lions Thanksgiving.
Houston running back Justin Forsett runs for about a six yard gain, gets tackled, but pops back up and runs 75 more yards for a touchdown. The refs did the right thing in not blowing the whistle. All scoring plays are automatically reviewed, meaning they would go to the monitor and see that his elbow and knee had hit the ground, so they would correct the call on the field. However, Lions coach Jim Schwartz threw the challenge flag, which is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the team. Further, because of the inappropriate flag throwing, the Lions cannot be the beneficiaries of any subsequent review. The result: an 81-yard touchdown run (Texans franchise record) that is a fraud.
So let's further break down not only this rule regarding the challenge flag on a non-reviewable play, but also the NFL instant replay system in general.
What do these three star athletes have in common, besides
being considered some of the best athletes in the world?
Now let me guess, upon reading that the Final Four is
nearly here, your first thought was something along the lines of “oh ya, that’s
right!” instead of “I know, I’m excited!”
Am I right?
