Too Obvious to be Oblivious?

To be honest, I don't really know what to make of the Cam Newton situation. It's been pretty well determined that his father shopped him around, but the only school that's been proven guilty is one he never went to. He left Florida to basically avoid expulsion after getting caught cheating academically. Then, he attended Blinn Junior College and was extremely successful on the football field. It was there that Cam's father, Cecil, negotiated with people with ties to Mississippi State about paying him for his son to go there. It was ultimately decided however, for reasons unknown, that his son would go to Auburn.

It's hard to imagine that Auburn got him for free. But, nothing's been proven. Even if something is proven, the NCAA seems to have inexplicably set the precedent that as long Cam doesn't know about it, he is eligible. However, I would think that if he didn't know at the time, but does know now, then that would make him culpable. And how could he not know? I can imagine him not knowing before his father's actions became public, but I can't imagine him not remembering things or tying events together after he found out. If he didn't downright ask. The only way he would not know is if he didn't want to know. It would be the Ken Lay defense and it's not a very good one.

It seems like his father is the bad guy in this situation. And he is. But, he's not the only bad guy. He exploited a corrupt system. He knew what he was doing was wrong and everyone involved knew the same. It may have been a common occurrence that just got brought to daylight, but that doesn't excuse it or make it less wrong. A corrupt system can never be blamed for individuals making bad decisions. Corrupt systems exist because of many people making many bad decisions and using it as an excuse only serves to perpetuate it. So, Cecil Newton has to be painted as a bad character in this situation, but so do many other people. But, I guess the only real question is whether or not Cam Newton is one of them.

To answer that, there are only two possibilities. One is that he knows absolutely nothing. He did what his father told him and never asked questions. His father did an exquisite job of keeping it quiet and never slipped up or let on to anything. That is the only solution in which Cam could be cleared. But, unless Cecil is a former CIA agent and Cam just isn't that bright, it seems pretty unlikely.

The only other possibility is that he knew. Either he knew something was going on but just never asked, or he knew all along. Even if he didn't want to be part of it and avoided knowing anything, or if his father protected him from it and ensured that he knew nothing, he still must've known there was something going on. To think that his father could be found guilty of offering him up for sale to one school and then let him go to another for free is pretty hard to imagine. And it seems like Cam must realize that too.

Well, I did leave out one solution. It's the one in which Cecil asked for money from one school and then sent his son to another school for free. But that's not really a possibility, is it?

I also can't figure out how I feel about Cam Newton. If he's simply a pawn, as he claims to be, then I feel sorry for him because his father treated him like a commodity and tried to sell him to the highest bidder. To know nothing and simply be told what to do doesn't seem very pleasant. He seems to appreciate his father, though, so maybe it's not so bad. I just wouldn't want to live like that.

However, I can't imagine him not knowing so I'm a little perturbed. It seems like he's smiling in our faces and knows he's pulling a fast one on us. He just doesn't care. Cam Newton and his father exploited a corrupt system, profited, and now he's about to play in the BCS Championship game, Heisman in hand, and then make millions in the NFL. He beat the system and he knows there's nothing anyone can do about it. But, maybe that's because no one is willing to. The fans want to watch him play and the schools and sponsors want to line their pockets. Everybody wins. Nobody wins.

Mild Christmas

I'm dreaming of a mild Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the sweats not glistenin',
While to the forecast we're listening,
Hoping it'll be sixty or below...

An Unbroken Record

Note: I often forget that not everyone watches ESPN as much as I do. This blog post is in response to their coverage and reaction.

First of all, congratulations to the UConn women's basketball team. Winning as many games in a row as the UCLA men's basketball team is extremely impressive and deserving of praise. But, it's not the same. The level of competition and depth of talent throughout the league is not even close. The difference is the same as non-automatic qualifying conferences compared to BCS conferences. Why can a team like Boise State go undefeated and still possibly get beat out for a spot in the championship game by a team from the SEC with one loss? Easy answer: the schedule.

For a team like Boise, they have a monopoly on talent compared to the other teams in their conference and if they don't go undefeated, if not blowout all their competition, then they don't get consideration. They had an easier road to their record than a team in a tougher conference that has a bigger talent pool and more parity. For the BCS conference team, each game was a more difficult challenge and therefore an undefeated record at the end of the season is a more impressive and greater accomplishment. Not that a non-automatically qualifying team going undefeated isn't an accomplishment and proof that they are a great team, it's just that it shouldn't be compared to a school from the SEC doing the same.

That's the same with the UConn women's team. They're the Boise State of women's basketball. It's not their level of play is any lower, it's just that compared to the competition their talent level is so much higher they should be expected to win. Not only should they win each game, but if they don't win by a large margin it's a disappointment. For UConn, winning 88 games in a row isn't a triumph of overcoming opponents, it's a triumph of not blowing it. They've been favorites by a wide margin in almost every game they've played. Of course, during UCLA's streak they probably played quite a few outmatched teams, but the prevalence of them was much lower. That is, some of the time as opposed to pretty much all the time. UConn is bringing a Formula 1 car to a street race. They are so much more dominant and have such a discrepancy in talent that even on an off-night they may win by twenty.

Again, the UConn women's streak is impressive. It's a result of a commitment to excellence, great coaching and constant recruiting of the best players in the country. They're a traveling all-star team and they dominate like they should. They may win more games in a row than UCLA, but they won't break their record because they don't compare. It's not strictly about whether it men's or women's basketball either. It's that UConn has a much wider margin of talent and thus an easier road. In other words, it's not a gender versus gender thing, it's a Boise State versus Alabama thing.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

A thought occurred to me today. It may be the best idea I've ever had. You know how it's pretty much assumed that kids right out of high school would get broken into pieces if they went straight into the NFL? Well, with that being the case, wouldn't it be pretty cool if there was a place where they could go to hone their skills while their body matures? Wouldn't it be neat if that place offered world-class facilities along with the training and coaching necessary to prepare for a million dollar career as a professional football player? If I were a young kid with the hopes of playing in the NFL, I would pay to be able to go to a place like that. But, what if it was all free? Wouldn't that be amazing? What if they even gave them a place to stay? What if they also gave them the opportunity to learn and experience things they never would have otherwise? What if they had a shot at glory and the admiration of millions of loyal fans? If a place like that existed it would be the greatest thing to ever happen to kids with a dream of playing in the NFL. It's just a shame it doesn't...

For the most talented, the fact that it's really the only way to get the training and coaching necessary to get serious consideration by the NFL should be payment enough. For the others, without a chance of going pro, the education and experiences should make it worth it. If they think it's a corrupt system making billions while exploiting an unpaid workforce, then they don't have to be part of that workforce. Someone will gladly take their place. On the field and in the classroom.

Furthermore, if you think players should get paid because it will solve problems with recruiting and boosters, it won't do that either. Someone will always be willing to pay a little more and someone will always be willing to take it. But even worse, it would be giving up. It would be like getting rid of speed limits just because you know people speed. It would be admitting that people can't be honest and, even though it seems to have been proven time and time again, I'm still not ready to do that.

Magic Breakfast Land

Since I've seen it all day during NFL games, I think this counts as sports related...

Every time I see that McDonald's commercial where the little girl asks her parents where breakfast comes from, I always think that it'd be funny if they told the truth rather than come up with some "Magic Breakfast Land."

So...

"Where does breakfast come from?"

"Well, honey, it all starts with the birth of a cute little piglet. You know, like the one in Charlotte's Web? Eventually, after spending most of its life in a cramped feed lot, they send the fattened-up little piggy to a processing plant. That's where the magic occurs. First, they send its soul to piggy heaven. Then they gut it, slice it up into pieces, and turn into the sausage you're eating right now.

Oh, sweetie, don't cry. The pig's life was miserable. You're doing him a favor by eating him. He was probably counting down the days until he could put a smile on the face of a happy McDonald's customer. The moment they ran that blade across his neck was the first time he'd been happy since the day he was born. Plus, if God didn't want us to eat pigs, he wouldn't have made them taste so good.

And do you remember that time we went to the petting zoo and you saw those cute little baby chicks? Remember how you wanted to take one home so bad and we wouldn't let you? Well, the egg in your breakfast could have become one if you hadn't eaten it. So, in a way, you get to take one home now.

But, the bad news is that if you really cared about chickens you'd have ordered a chicken sandwich rather than the egg. At least then the mother hen would have felt the sweet kiss of death rather than being kept barely alive, standing around in its own filth and longing for the day that its egg production goes down enough to make it no longer worth keeping around.

Oh no, no, honey. You're not a terrible person. Chickens are actually really dumb. They have no idea what's going on. I gave them feelings they probably don't have. I was just having fun. Pigs, on the other hand, they're pretty smart. Though, I guess they're not quite smart enough or I wouldn't have just finished my second sausage biscuit.

So, to answer your question, breakfast comes from dead animals and unborn baby chickens...aren't you gonna finish that sausage?"

Native Run

We seem to be forgetting that LeBron never chose Cleveland. He didn't choose to be born and raised in a nearby town. He didn't choose to be drafted by them. He may have never even wanted to go there in the first place. When Cleveland won the lottery that year he may have been secretly disappointed. He signed an extension to stay, but maybe that's because they were an up and coming team and he thought they had a good chance to win. Or, maybe he felt obligated because the town had adopted him as their native son. Either way, when the time came to sign another extension and there seemed to be a better option, he bolted.

Cleveland got dumped. They got a drink thrown in their face and humiliated in a crowded restaurant, but when it comes down to it, they simply got dumped. Now, they've had time to think of the perfect thing to say. The one thing they know will make him feel as bad as he made them feel. Tonight, they finally get to say it.

The Scared Little Leprechaun

There once was a punk named Finnegan,
Who started a fight he could never win,
Three shots to the face,
Put him in his place,
He may never feel his chin again.

Who Made Whom?

Sure, I may have some deep-seated hatred towards Derek Jeter because he lives out my childhood dreams on a daily basis, but who doesn't share that hatred? Beyond that, I like the guy. However, based on how much money he's asking for he seems to think he made the Yankees. He seems to think that the Yankees owe him more than they've already given him and are willing to give him for the rest of his career.

Of course, Jeter has done a lot for the Yankees. He helped to pull them out of their irrelevance of the early 90's and was part of making them a championship team again. He has been the face of the franchise for well over a decade. But, he's also been paid handsomely for it. He wasn't doing them a "solid" by performing well everyday and representing the team with pride and integrity. He wasn't doing it for the free uniform and the all-you-can-eat sunflower seeds.

On top of the millions and millions that the Yankees have directly paid him, simply being a Yankee has also done quite a lot for him. Their aura and history have a lot to do with the millions in endorsements. That brand was built and grown long before he got there. That instantly recognizable logo on his hat pretty much made him the ubiquitous figure that he is. Had he been drafted by San Diego he'd still have been a well-known All-Star, but he'd also still have two names.

Plus, let's not forget about the hundreds of millions they've spent surrounding him with the best team money can buy.

So, if Jeter (and his agent, of course) is just strategically asking high and then taking what he can get, that's fine. I have no problem with someone trying to get as much money as possible. But, if he thinks the Yankees owe him more than market value due to services rendered then he might need to ask himself a question: Who made whom?

When it comes down to it, finishing his career as a Yankee is much more important to Jeter than it is to the organization. Undoubtedly, the Yankees would take a public relations hit if he went away, but the stain of finishing his career elsewhere would stay on Jeter much longer than it stayed on the Yankees.

It Came from the Sky

The battle had come down to this,
One last stand,
Frozen with fear,
As the ball left his hand,
With bated breath we watched,
As it fell from the sky,
Only left to be asking,
"Why, God, why?"

We all stared in disbelief,
The vision so shocking,
The bars went quiet,
And no one was talking,
Hands went up to the head,
Faces were covered,
The dreams of a city,
To death had been smothered.

It came from the sky,
And then crashing down,
Taking with it the dreams,
Of an entire town.

He did the best he could,
The coaches had taught it,
But a broken city was left wondering...

What if he only had caught it?

A Mossy Divorce

Randy Moss is like a rolling stone...

After forcing his way into a trade out of New England, the Minnesota Vikings waived Randy Moss after only four games. They ate what they gave up for him and told him to get out. They probably emptied his locker and threw all his stuff on the curb.

As nasty a break-up as it was, it seems to have been the right move for everyone. Moss was unhappy and his heart just wasn't in it. He could no longer look past the flaws. The Vikings wanted to make it work, but parting ways was the only way to keep their self-esteem.

It does seem difficult to blame Moss for being a little upset about his new situation. He just went from possibly the best-run organization in the league to a slap fight between an aging diva quarterback and an inept coach who goes by the nickname "Chilly." If you even once considered calling Bill Belichick "Billy" he'd probably jump across the table and strangle you to death with the strings from his hoodie.

Moss just fell into the trap that so many of us do. He didn't realize what he had until it was gone. He felt he deserved better than his current relationship and clamored to get out. He left the girlfriend who was stable and attractive, but didn't really offer much for the future, and got set-up with an ex-girlfriend who had become neurotic.

The first couple dates went fine as they were just getting to know each other again, but by the third date he just quit putting as much effort into it and by the fourth he had just given up.

Crossing paths with his ex seems to have been the breaking point. It made the realization of what he had done hit him with the speed of a pass from the Ol' Gunslinger (that he didn't even try to catch). He realized he wanted back what he had tried so hard to get out of. He wanted back the girl who may not be flashy, but always cooked a good meal and never served some "bleep" he wouldn't feed his dog.

He knew the grass on the other side may offer more green, but when he got there he could only peer over the fence and long to be back.

Fair Jordan?

Michael Jordan should have demanded that the Bulls trade Scottie Pippen.

I say this in jest, of course, but while he called out LeBron for wanting to play with elite talent he seemed to have no problem whatsoever with sharing the court with another Hall of Famer.

With that said, the question then becomes if Pippen would have been a Hall of Famer without Jordan. We can never know for sure, but the evidence points to yes. He was on eight All-NBA Defensive First Teams and of the three times he made the All-NBA First Team, two of those times were without Jordan. Following Jordan's retirement before the '93-94 season, Pippen lead the Bulls to the second round of the Playoffs and finished third in MVP voting. In fact, they only won two fewer games than the previous season.

Of course, Pippen didn't do as well after leaving the Bulls, but his career was winding down at that point and he did have a couple good years in Portland.

So, if the two seasons Pippen spent in the prime of his career without Jordan are any indication of what the rest of his career would have been like, it seems pretty fair to say that he would have made it to the Hall of Fame. He might have never won a championship, but neither did Stockton, Malone, Barkley, Ewing, or Reggie Miller. They were all victims of the Jordan era. Or, is that the Jordan and Pippen era?

Before you accuse me of blasphemy, I'm not saying that Jordan needed Pippen to win. Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all-time and always will be. I'm just saying that the next time Jordan calls out a player for wanting to team up with another elite player (Bosh is good, but not that good) he might want to take a look at his championship team rosters. Two of the best players in the league were always on them.

Oh yeah. And Phil Jackson.

I guess it comes down to this: Scottie Pippen was drafted after Jordan's third year. He was there pretty much the entire time. If the Cavaliers had drafted a player the caliber of Scottie Pippen after LeBron's third year he'd have won at least one ring by now and would still be in Cleveland.

OverTweeAction

Just because a guy says something doesn't mean it should be news. The coverage of James Harrison's threat to retire was laughable. How did that even make SportsCenter? It's like a little kid getting upset playing a board game, flipping the board off the table and then exclaiming, "I'm never playing this game again!" A day later, he's ready to play. Had Harrison actually retired because he can't play without trying to hurt people, good riddance.

Though Harrison's "retirement" didn't come out through Twitter (I doubt he can use Twitter because he probably can't use a computer without trying to smash the keyboard), the overreaction by other players has taught us a good lesson: just because someone tweets it doesn't mean it needs to be reported.

In terms of the league's decision to more strongly enforce existing rules, if you can't play the game without trying to hurt people, then don't play the game. It's possible to separate man from ball without trying to separate man from head. Helmets are for protection, not weapons. Hit as hard as you want below the shoulders, but no respectable coach has ever taught a player to go for the head.

The NFL isn't going to eliminate the big, legal hits that fans seem to love. They're smarter than that. They're just trying to get rid of the vicious, unnecessary hits that leave players lying motionless on the ground. They're just trying to prevent the time when one of those players never gets up.

Note: This is coming from a guy who was a 5'10" 140 pound WR in high school.

Rotten Apples

When it comes to controlling highly recruited, high-profile athletes the NCAA is a joke. Those who choose to abuse the system do so without regard to future punishment because there won't be any. The NCAA has no power to punish people who are no longer a part of their system. In fact, going pro basically forces you out of their jurisdiction. As long as players are somewhat smart about it and don't attend penthouse parties in Miami hosted by sleazy sports agents, they can take all the money they want and get all the privilege they want without fear of retribution.

If a player does get caught taking money or committing some other infraction, so what? If they're good enough it won't matter. If they aren't good enough it didn't matter to begin with. Players who take money don't care about college, they care about getting paid.

I don't want to hear about agents who try to make it sound like they're just helping out a poor kid. If they cared about the kids they'd give a little spending money to the guy who barely got a scholarship and is there to actually get an education. I'm sure there are a couple players out there who come from tough backgrounds and have very little money, but just aren't good enough for the agents to care. Can you run a 4.2 forty? Here's a couple bucks. You're a third-stringer with 3.7 GPA? Go away.

The NFL doesn't care either. A player may move down a couple spots in the draft, but players like Dez Bryant will soon change that. He didn't take money, but he did get caught and punished for another infraction and teams that passed on him because of it won't do it the next time.

For what it's worth, the NCAA does all they can to prevent abuse of their system. The problem is that they're slow and by the time they can prove someone guilty, that player is already holding up a Super Bowl trophy and dating a reality star.

Players like Reggie Bush look at college like an obstacle to making millions. Sure, it's fun and they get all the perks, but they'd probably rather not be there and if you're stuck there, why not make the best of the situation?

The problem with the NCAA is not the NCAA. It's the players who choose to take the money and the slimy agents who offer it. We act like it's a widespread problem, but only a tiny percentage of players are given the chance to take money from agents and only a small percentage of agents even offer it.

The argument that players should be paid because of how much they make for the schools is also a joke. First of all, they already get paid. Ask anyone who has ever paid for college if playing a sport and making the school a millions dollars in exchange for a free education is worth it. Most would jump at the opportunity.

Also, for the ones who make the most money for the school the exposure of a national stage playing against the top talent in the country is worth more than any education. Even more, there are people in the business world everyday who make much more money for the company they work for than what they get paid. It's a fact of life.

Perhaps there could be a hardship stipend for those who need it, but that won't solve any problems. It'll be great for the honest players, but players who choose to abuse the system will do so anyway. Being able to see a movie on the weekend won't be enough motivation to turn down the advances of a corrupt agent.

The agents are, in fact, the root of the problem. But, they're almost like a drug. They're out there lurking in the shadows and everyone knows it. They can make you feel good, but nobody blames the drug when someone starts using it.

Even if you get rid of one, another will take its place. The supply will always be there. All we can hope is that the demand is not.

The only solution seems to be putting some sort of contractual agreement into the letters of commitment that would hold a player responsible even after he leaves college. Of course, there could be a ton of legal issues that I have no idea about, but it seems like the only solution. Until then, we'll just have to accept that a small fraction of players will make bad decisions and that the NCAA is inept when trying to stop them.

Creating a professional minor league system for players with no interest in college wouldn't work either. For one, the NFL would have no interest in creating it because they don't want to spend millions of dollars when they already have a free minor league system. And if the NFL didn't run and control the league it would soon be overrun by the same dishonest agents that mar college football because the players would not be held accountable by the organization they're trying to join.

If the players, who would all be kids just out of high school, were free to profit as they choose more talent would be squandered by excess and outright bribery than would be fostered. Plus, the agents would then infiltrate high school football. Wherever the last amateur step before going pro, the agents will be.

The problem of players taking money from dishonest agents and the NCAA's inability to control it stains what is an overall great system. For the vast majority of players the chance of going pro is almost none. They never even see an agent. For them, the payment is representing their school by playing the game they love and getting a free education in the process.

For every player that takes money and treats college like just another privilege there are a thousand who give it their all on the field, give it their all in the classroom and should make us all proud to be fans. Don't change the entire system because a few choose to abuse it. Let's, for once, not let the very few ruin it for everyone.

Straight Cash, Homey

Almost out of nowhere Randy Moss is once again a Minnesota Viking. The suddenness of the trade left people wondering what went wrong. What did Randy do that made the Patriots trade him so quickly? Was it because of an argument with the quarterbacks coach? Did Moss and head coach Bill Belichick have a confrontation in the locker room? The speculation flew.

Though he was lying, Belichick came out and said there were no discipline problems with Moss and it was "in the best interest of the team" to trade him. So, what were the best interests of the team? Why did the Patriots basically trade away their chances of winning the Super Bowl? It's actually simple and the words of Moss himself probably say it best: "Straight cash, homey."

It's fun to speculate and try to come up with reasons why Moss got traded, but any reason that doesn't have to do with money isn't the real one. Moss was a commodity, as all professional athletes are, and he knew that. He made it clear he wanted to get paid and the Patriots knew they weren't going to pay him.

The trade was a simple financial transaction. It had nothing to do with helping the Patriots win more games this season. It had everything to do with dumping a commodity before it lost all value. The "best interest" of the team probably has a rate of about 2%.

When it comes to the NFL wins and losses matter, but profit is the bottom line. Winning isn't everything...money is.

Know When to Hold 'Em

This whole LeBron and race thing started with a question from a reporter. A question she knew the answer to before it was even asked. A question so loaded that she needed a concealed handgun license to carry around her notebook.

Reporters too often show up with an agenda hidden in the form of a list of questions. They seem to show up to the press conference knowing what they want to hear and won't give up until they do.

In a sports marketing class I took the professor informed us that it's not really about getting an answer, it's more about getting a reaction. That's why reporters will ask the same mundane question over and over again or ask the same question three times, but just phrased in a different way. They don't want an answer to their question so that they can be more informed. Instead, they want something they can take to their editor and say, "I got the lead."

Sure, LeBron could have said that race played no part in the response to his decision, but that would only have been the first time it was asked. Next, he'd get, "So, you don't think race played any part, at all, in people's reaction to your decision?"

"No, I do not."

"None at all?"

"Well...maybe a little."

Whether he wanted to or not, I don't think LeBron was leaving that interview without saying that race was a factor. Maybe he jumped at the opportunity to deflect some blame, but it would have been coaxed out of him nonetheless.

That's because CNN has an agenda. An agenda that's nothing more than ratings, but when it comes to television, that's really the only agenda that matters.

Of course, there was no way that LeBron could have honestly said that race had absolutely nothing to do with it. Race always plays a part. But, in this case, it's better to ignore it. Sometimes when walking life's path, it's better not to stop and focus on every crack in the sidewalk. Otherwise, you'll never reach your destination.

So, CNN you got your wish. You asked a question you already knew the answer to and got the response you wanted. You have a new lead-in to your show and a quote you can use to promote it. You added the race card to a deck that surely didn't need it.

Deeds Undone

Andy Reid has decided to go for the jugular against Jacksonville this week and make Michael Vick his top dog. Reid explained that Kevin Kolb is not in the doghouse, but rather Vick just seemed to "electrify the team." It's hard to disagree. The team seemed hungrier when Vick was leading the pack.

"He played with a ferocity that can only be taught," Reid said. "He just grabbed the opportunity and wouldn't let go."

"I just wanted to go out there and show the team what I can do," Vick said. "I knew that I was on a short leash and any mistakes could kill my chances to be a starter."

As for Kolb, he'll just have to lick his wounds and hope that he can eventually have his day. "It's not like I'm getting taken out back and shot," he said. "I've still got a future as a starting quarterback in this league."

Even with Kolb's potential, Vick's stellar play backed the Eagles into a corner. The decision they made to go with Vick proves, once again, that when it comes to being an NFL quarterback, it's a dog eat dog world.

Am I My Player's Keeper?

A report just came out saying that Florida has had twenty-seven players arrested under the watch of Urban Meyer. How is this allowed to happen? How does he keep his job as a mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? Only the head of a certain major church could keep his job if that many people had been arrested under his watch. Yet, he's able to keep cashing million dollar checks as often as his players are posting bail.

Coaches, of course, will pull out the old, "They're grown men, I can't control what they do all the time." But, it's funny how the players can change from grown men to "just kids" in the blink of an eye. When they make a major mistake they're grown men. When they make a minor mistake they're kids again. Remember, "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!"? Had a typical coach been talking about the arrest of a player he'd be saying "Go after him! Not me! He's a man! He's 20!"

Actually, the coach would probably never even talk about it. In fact, it seems like they never even get asked about it. Somehow, in this world of instant reporting and instant knowledge, it was a revelation that so many players had been arrested. We hear about it in the news when it happens and I'm sure that many people probably knew what was going on, but it seems like the scope of the problem was kept quiet. Did the president of the university just find out last week that so many players had been arrested? Did he not know all along? Or, was he blinded by the stacks of booster money that two national championships bring in?

Even the media seems to gloss over it. You can't tell me that there's not one reporter who covers the program everyday that didn't think it was newsworthy that so many players were being arrested. Were they thinking, "Well, once about twenty-five or so players get arrested, then we'll report it?"

I don't think that's the case. I think that the overall reputation of the program is more valuable than a couple of good stories. Especially to the people who cover the program everyday. Why would they devalue and hurt the popularity of the product that they get paid to cover? If people lose interest, they lose a job.

The media, as well as the schools, are both selling a product that relies heavily on its reputation. People may buy a paper or two, or read a blog or two, because there's a story about a player getting arrested. But, over time, they'll buy many more papers and read many more blogs about the school that they root for. In this way, the fans are also responsible. Often, they're just as willing to turn a blind eye. But who wants to root for a program that they can't be proud of?

Of course, the players get suspended or kicked off the team, but the coach just says how disappointed he is and moves on. A single player is never bigger than the program. But, when it comes to a coach the caliber of Meyer, he is the program.

So, how does a guy keep his job as mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? He wins.

Starting Reluctantly: A Fantastically Hyperbolic Tale of Sisyphean Hope

The sweat begins to protrude from the pores above my brow. My hand begins to shake. The possibilities run circles through my head. The pressure is almost unbearable. But this is something I have to do. Something that once done, cannot be undone. 

The decision I make now will impact my life in an almost indescribable way. It will lead to either utter elation or utter depression. The highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This decision, this moment, is the most important thing in my life right now. Do I? Don't I? Is there anyone who can offer guidance?

Forget guidance. I've gotten all the guidance I need. This is the time for me to make the choice for myself. I'm the one who will have to live with the results. I want to bear the burden on my shoulders. If it's the right decision, I want to know it was me. If it's the wrong decision...

The moment has arrived. The clock is ticking down and it's time to end this quandary. My finger almost pushes back against me as I move it towards the button. I'm startled by a drop of sweat that splashes as it hits the table. I wipe the sweat from my brow and run my wet fingers through my hair. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and use all the force of will in my body to push my finger down on the button.

I take another deep breath. This time accompanied by a sigh of relief because the decision is over with. The deed is done. I hold my hands behind my head, stand up still exhaling, and walk away knowing that what's done is done.

I can only hope that I made the right decision. If I haven't I won't be able to live with myself. If I have I can bask in the short-lived glory.

If only the highs were as strong as the lows. If only the bad decisions didn't sting so bad. If only knowing that I did the best I could was enough. But, it never is. The pain never goes away. But, the pain is what makes the glory feel so good.

Having made my crucial decision, I can only sit, watch, and wait. I am now helpless. I am at the mercy of things I cannot control. I can only hope. Hope with all the energy inside me. Hope that things go my way.

But, hope is not a very powerful thing when you have no control. Sometimes it isn't enough. That's when things get really hard. When the decision haunts you. When it won't let you sleep. When the thoughts of what could've been wear tracks in your brain like a five-ton dump truck doing donuts on a muddy road.

The cold sweats. The regret. The regret is what drives me. Or, at least the fear of regret. But, perhaps I have nothing to fear. Perhaps I have made the right decision. Perhaps hope wins out this time. Or maybe I didn't even need hope. Maybe some insight I've gained has led me in the right direction. But again, maybe not. That's the thrill. That's the agony. That's fantasy football.

Well...maybe only for those of us who take it a tad too seriously.

The Bell Does Not Toll For Thee

I don’t mean for this blog to be about bashing the media, or bashing anything at all really, but this issue is somewhat related to the first one and I’ve been thinking about it for a while:

Sometimes the media protects their own, sometimes they unwittingly protect the ones they cover…

This is a touchy subject, but one that I think needs to be addressed. There is a very famous NFL player who has to sit out some games to begin the season. He’s a player with a somewhat checkered past. This isn’t even the first time he has been accused of something like this. Yet, he may be the luckiest player in the NFL. Not lucky because of anything he’s done, but lucky because of the attention placed on his life. Those who chronicle his life alter it remarkably. Often, he resents these people, but in this case they saved him. Their mere presence allowed him to move past one of the most damning experiences of his life. A time in his life that he wished to keep quiet was forgotten because so many wanted to talk about it. Gossip killed justice.

In this case, it appears that the relentless and selfish pursuit of the scoop got in the way of the noble pursuit of justice. Is that the media’s fault or the fault of the audience? Do they fulfill a public hunger for knowledge or do they prepare an unhealthy buffet that we can’t resist? Either way, a star gets to return to his life of fame and fortune and a woman gets to return to the anonymity she so desired. But in exchange for what?

Maybe nothing criminal happened, maybe the worst happened. We will never know. We will never know because we all wanted to know and they were more than eager to tell us.

Note: "The Smoking Gun piece reveals that the lawyer for the accuser wrote a letter asking prosecutors not to pursue the case any further.

The attorney wrote:

'What is obvious in looking forward is that a criminal trial would be a very intrusive personal experience for a complainant in this situation, given the extraordinary media attention that would be inevitable.'" (nowpublic.com)

Unheard of Silence

First, let me say that the situation involving Jay Mariotti is a terrible ordeal and I hope the woman involved was not hurt. I really hope it was blown out of proportion and Mariotti really didn’t do anything. Even so, I really feel no remorse for jumping to conclusions. That’s what Mariotti does everyday. Had this happened to a famous athlete, he would have sat on his high horse and railed against the guy to no end. He would say the athlete’s a terrible human being and should be kicked out of the league. It would be evidence of a wide-ranging problem to which only he had the answer.

It’s going to be really frustrating to see how ESPN responds to this. Were it an athlete, Rachel Nichols would be in their front yard and they would hound and hound until they got some sort of answer. But, in this case it will be swept under the rug. They did acknowledge it on SportsCenter, but since it’s one of their own, they’ll probably wait until all the details are out and they have the true story before they report anymore on it. If they report on it at all. Can you imagine it? A news outlet respecting someone’s privacy? Only when it’s one of their own.

I do realize that ESPN is a business. Their main reason for existence is not to report on and broadcast sports. It’s to make money. Vilifying one of their own makes no business sense, so there’s no way they’ll do it. That’s their prerogative. What worries me is that all sports media will protect Mariotti because the media protects themselves above all other. Say something bad about the media and prepare to be dragged through the mud. Remember when Mark Cuban bad-mouthed the media? They didn’t respond to what he said or even say it was a ridiculous statement. All they did was personally attack him. So, when someone in the media screws up it brings to reality that news outlets aren’t around to keep us informed or entertain. Thier primary purpose is to make sure they look good in order to keep the money rolling in.

Even if it comes out later that Mariotti was falsely accused and is innocent, the damage is done. He will never be seen on ESPN again.

I think what really bothers me is that they know we are curious. They know what we want to know. Yet, this is the only instance that they aren’t delighted to divulge.