Monday, March 14, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Fab Five
No team in my opinion, college or pro has had the effect on the game like the Fab Five. Ushering in an era of hip hop into the game when it had become come stilted and stale. This Sunday a documentary about these young men will be aired on ESPN. I would definitely suggest watching it, it could be better than the 30 for 30 documentary on the University of Miami.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
NCAA...Still A Bunch of Hypocrites
I have said it numerous times to anyone who will listen to me. The NCAA is filled with hypocrites and it is almost equal to unfair working conditions of a sweatshop to be honest with you. The latest example of how the NCAA is just a massive joke is the “suspension” of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
Allow me to give a little background into this situation. A few months ago it was revealed that several starters from the Ohio State football team sold some of their jersey, championship rings and trophies in exchange for tattoos. Now allow me to say that according to the rules the players were wrong, they deserved to be punished but the university’s methods seemed odd. You see if Ohio State had a financial reason to let these guys play because if they won they would receive a payout from the Sugar Bowl. So Tressel decides to make them promise to come back for another year forgoing millions of dollars if they wanted to play that game and would be suspended the first 5 games of the 2011 season.
Flash forward to yesterday when it was revealed that before the season even began the good old vest wearing coach knew of everything that happened and didn’t do a thing about it until 9 months later, AFTER the season was over. How is Tressel being punished? He’ll miss two games against the world beaters Toledo and Akron which went a combined 9-16 last season. So let me get this straight, a coach is complicit in the cover up of NCAA infractions and gets a slap on the wrist? If you can explain to me how a coach who covers up something that directly affects his 3 plus million dollar salary is worse than some dudes selling things the spoils of their victory I’ll give you control of this blog for a month.
This is just the latest in line of downright idiotic decisions by the NCAA, from suspending A.J. Green for selling his jersey to effectively ending Dez Bryant’s career over lunch with Deion Sanders. While these young men see their jerseys and likenesses used to sell video games and posters, greedy athletic directors and coaches are reaping the benefits. Not every member of the coaching or AD fraternity is evil, but enough are that makes the need for a rehaul of the system more necessary.
I’ll end by saying what I always say when this topic comes up, if you believe that a full academic scholarship is payment enough you are insane. You can’t compensate these kids with something worth $30,000 when they are bringing in BILLIONS of dollars. That my dear reader is damn near slave wages.
Allow me to give a little background into this situation. A few months ago it was revealed that several starters from the Ohio State football team sold some of their jersey, championship rings and trophies in exchange for tattoos. Now allow me to say that according to the rules the players were wrong, they deserved to be punished but the university’s methods seemed odd. You see if Ohio State had a financial reason to let these guys play because if they won they would receive a payout from the Sugar Bowl. So Tressel decides to make them promise to come back for another year forgoing millions of dollars if they wanted to play that game and would be suspended the first 5 games of the 2011 season.
Flash forward to yesterday when it was revealed that before the season even began the good old vest wearing coach knew of everything that happened and didn’t do a thing about it until 9 months later, AFTER the season was over. How is Tressel being punished? He’ll miss two games against the world beaters Toledo and Akron which went a combined 9-16 last season. So let me get this straight, a coach is complicit in the cover up of NCAA infractions and gets a slap on the wrist? If you can explain to me how a coach who covers up something that directly affects his 3 plus million dollar salary is worse than some dudes selling things the spoils of their victory I’ll give you control of this blog for a month.
This is just the latest in line of downright idiotic decisions by the NCAA, from suspending A.J. Green for selling his jersey to effectively ending Dez Bryant’s career over lunch with Deion Sanders. While these young men see their jerseys and likenesses used to sell video games and posters, greedy athletic directors and coaches are reaping the benefits. Not every member of the coaching or AD fraternity is evil, but enough are that makes the need for a rehaul of the system more necessary.
I’ll end by saying what I always say when this topic comes up, if you believe that a full academic scholarship is payment enough you are insane. You can’t compensate these kids with something worth $30,000 when they are bringing in BILLIONS of dollars. That my dear reader is damn near slave wages.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Get These Albums Now!
Stop reading this and go get Lupe Fiasco's Lasers and download the new Childish Gambino EP like right now if you have any kind of sense of hearing.
Friday, March 4, 2011
My Thoughts on the Brandon Davies/BYU Situation
This is Brandon Davies. He is a player that any team with a shot at winning the national title needs.
This is BYU. A private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Anyone who attends this institution must agree to adhere to a strict honor code which among other things states that its students abstain from premarital sex.
Where the two collide is Davies is a member of BYU’s nationally ranked and he admitted to having premarital sex of a consensual nature. What did the university do? They kicked him off the basketball team. And I for one applaud the move. It shows that in an environment that stresses wins over all else that standing up for what you believe in can be truly inspiring. Now allow me to state that I don’t think the kid did anything wrong, but he signed an agreement with the university to adhere to their rules. He did not; he now faces the consequences of said actions.
I think both this young man and the university deserve to be applauded for how they have handled the situation. This kid could have lied and continued to play when confronted but he owned up to it and faced his punishment. That to me is the definition of a real man, flawed but honest enough to take responsibility for his actions. The university suspended a player that has been key to their success which ensures they will most likely not advance very far in the NCAA tournament but it is refreshing to see a college put its standards before that of wins.
Do I believe he should be permanently banned for doing something 9 out of 10 of us were doing at that age? No, the difference between us and this young man is we didn't agree to abstain to attend that institution. So hopefully this young man gets another shot, BYU remains highly ranked, and other schools take note that while winning is great it shouldn't come at the expense of our principles.
This is BYU. A private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Anyone who attends this institution must agree to adhere to a strict honor code which among other things states that its students abstain from premarital sex.
Where the two collide is Davies is a member of BYU’s nationally ranked and he admitted to having premarital sex of a consensual nature. What did the university do? They kicked him off the basketball team. And I for one applaud the move. It shows that in an environment that stresses wins over all else that standing up for what you believe in can be truly inspiring. Now allow me to state that I don’t think the kid did anything wrong, but he signed an agreement with the university to adhere to their rules. He did not; he now faces the consequences of said actions.
I think both this young man and the university deserve to be applauded for how they have handled the situation. This kid could have lied and continued to play when confronted but he owned up to it and faced his punishment. That to me is the definition of a real man, flawed but honest enough to take responsibility for his actions. The university suspended a player that has been key to their success which ensures they will most likely not advance very far in the NCAA tournament but it is refreshing to see a college put its standards before that of wins.
Do I believe he should be permanently banned for doing something 9 out of 10 of us were doing at that age? No, the difference between us and this young man is we didn't agree to abstain to attend that institution. So hopefully this young man gets another shot, BYU remains highly ranked, and other schools take note that while winning is great it shouldn't come at the expense of our principles.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My Two Worlds Colliding
If there is a more epic photo on this earth I have yet to see it. As it relates to this picture Kanye said it best "swagger on a hundred thousand, trillion."
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