Monthly Archives: October 2014

Michael Sam Gets Cut

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By Kia Tyus

An article written by Tom Pelissero explains just how hard it is to make it in the NFL. Pelissero’s main focus is Michael Sam getting cut for the second time.

Pelissero jumped right into the article explaining how typically, no one would have noticed that the Dallas Cowboys cut a player from the practice squad. But, since Sam is an openly gay football player it is a bigger deal. I like that Pelissero jumped right into it because it gets an unimportant topic out of the way so Pelissero can focus more on what is important. While I understand that Sam being the first openly gay player in the NFL is a big deal, I don’t like how that particular story always seems to find itself in the news when there is more important stuff to discuss about the NFL.

Pelissero gave facts about the cut stating that linebacker Troy Davis would take Sam’s spot on the practice squad. Also this is the second time in two months that Sam is out of a job.

Something that surprised me about this article is how low of pay players receive for being on the practice squad. To be fair, you are not actually on the active roster, nobody knows who you are, and you don’t have to deal with all the extra drama and stress the active players and superstars deal with; but, Pelissero stated that practice squad member receive roughly $6,300 a week. Obviously for your average citizen that may not be half bad, but for billion dollar organizations I just figured that they would be paid a little more because they are the ones making the superstars better players.

Pelissero proceeded to then talk about Sam’s college stats. I liked the direction he took this because it shows that even someone who was an All-American and co-SEC defensive player of the year spot in the NFL is not guaranteed. Pelissero went on to say that may get you looked at by NFL scouts but, at the end of the day, size and speed play a big part in a player’s success in the NFL. I like how Pelissero explained that Sam simply is too small and slow for his position in the NFL. That just lets the general public know that being gay isn’t the reason why Sam currently isn’t making it in the NFL.

I like how Pelissero ended that article explaining how Sam shouldn’t give up hopes because many players have been cut more than they can probably count and still have succeeded in the NFL. It ended what seemed to be a negative article and giving it a positive light.

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Thon Maker: The Next Phenom of Basketball?

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by Kaleb Page

Every decade or even few years in the game of basketball, there comes along a talent that people look to in amazement and classify as the next big thing. It looks like the high school basketball class of 2015 or 2016 has what could be that once ever-so-often talent.

This talented player is named Thon Maker, a 7 ft. 210 lb. forward/center who is playing in Ontario Canada for the Athlete Institute (prep basketball team). Born in the Sudan and eventually moving to Australia and to the United States, Thon is now a sought after basketball talent with skills that are almost unmatched when paired with the physical tools he was born with.

For having a natural big man frame, Maker is not your typical big man. He runs the open floor like a guard half his size. He can rip down a rebound and within seconds be flying down the court with the ball, head up and looking to be a threat. From my experience playing with big men in basketball, their ability to dribble effectively on the break and look up the court is hard for them to do. That is why when you watch a guy like Thon, it blows you away with how fluid he moves on the court and the ability he has to pass, dribble, and shoot. He has the mid-range jump shot that is as smooth a motion you will see from a big man, and it almost reminds you of the days when Kevin Garnett would stop, face-up and take a 15-20 foot jumper. It can be seen in videos as well, that he can be effective from three-point range as well. Also defensively, his rim protecting skills place him in a special category for a young post player.

It almost seemed natural for Thon upon coming to the United States to make the jump from regular high school basketball to a prep academy. This would take him to an even higher level of basketball in order to prepare for the next step. From what can be seen so far, coaches across the country have to be salivating over what they could land in the recruiting process.

With two years of eligibility left, Thon could forgo his senior year of high school and go to college in 2015 instead of waiting for 2016. Either way he will be the number one player still in ESPN’s recruiting rankings. He has received offers from the power programs of college basketball: Arizona, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, etc. The choice on where he will go is still to be seen.

With that said there is room for the big man to improve, as any player in the game should do in order to maximize on the potential they have. Defensively, even though Thon is a great rim protector, he can have his troubles in the paint with big men who are bigger and can out muscle him at the point of attack. Definitely at his basketball academy they will look to boost his strength and add to his 210 lb. frame, so he can handle strong players in the paint. His finishing ability at the rim could take some polishing when it comes to receiving contact from defenders, but that will come with more practice and coaching.  Like with all great players Thon still needs some development, but with what he has shown already the potential to do something special has to be kept in mind.

Comparisons have been tossed around that he is the next Kevin Garnett, the next Kevin Durant, the next Magic Johnson or even the next Hakeem Olajuwon. While it may happen that he becomes this 7 ft. guard/forward/center combo that combines all of those great players talents; I say let the anointed ‘phenom’ of the time blossom. He is only 17 years old and needs to have time to grow and fill out his potential. It is important while we sit back in amazement at what we see in the highlights, we also look to let this naturally happen instead of forcing the issue. If we force this too much we could turn Thon Maker into a basketball player who had all this potential, but crumbled in the end because he could never live up to the impossible image we all created as to what he should be.

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LeBron Said The Bulls Are Better Than The Cavaliers, Or Did He?

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By Kate Roth

Since the moment that NBA superstar LeBron James announced his decision to come back to his home and join the Cleveland Cavaliers there have been countless news stories and headlines highlighting his name.

With the large amount of these stories popping up on the screen it started to become more likely for me to bypass the headline and move on to a different story. That is until I read the headlines about LeBron’s latest interview today. The headlines all read as different variations of LeBron telling reporters that he believes the Chicago Bulls look to be a better team than the Cleveland Cavaliers at the moment.

After reading these headlines I was a bit shocked to see that LeBron would say something like that about his team just a few weeks before the start of the NBA season. So I decided to watch the full interview and see what LeBron had actually said just to check and see if the media had blown his statements out of proportion.

For the most part the media did a great job reporting on this interview, however they did have one flaw in that they twisted some of the LeBron’s words around to make his statements come off as a little more serious than it seemed LeBron intended them to.

Yes LeBron did say that he believes the Bulls are a better team than the Cavs are right now in terms of chemistry, but we all already knew that. LeBron was just stating something that is obvious to all NBA fans, not trying to cause a panic for those fans predicting the Cavs to win it all this year. The core of the Bulls team have played together for a couple of years compared to the Cavs team who has many new members playing together for the first time, of course they are going to have more chemistry.

What you didn’t see in the headlines is that LeBron went on to say in his interview that the Cavs have spent time over the past month really working on team bonding to build that chemistry so they can be at the same level as the Bulls. He also commented that the team will need to play a few games together and even go through some disagreements before they can reach the same level of chemistry as the Bulls, but he believes that the team is well on their way there.

It seems as though this happens to us frequently while scrolling through sports media. We see a headline making claims about someone in the sports world and we instantly become interested and have to click on the link. Then upon reading the article we are disappointed to find out that the headline doesn’t quite exactly match up with the story.

In the media’s defense, I probably would have shown very little attention, if any, to these articles if they had headlines stating what LeBron actually said in his interview, so I cannot blame them for writing up the stories the way that they do. It’s all just a part of the business.

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A Royal Welcoming in Kansas City

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By Nick Muhl

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Royals took the field for Game 1 of Major League Baseball’s World Series. It’s been 29 long years for Kansas City fans, the Royals have not been to the series since 1985. However, one obstacle still remains in the way of the Royals and history, the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are looking to win their third World Series in five years, after they won in 2010 and 2012.

The Royals miraculous postseason run has been the topic of many sports headlines. Front pages across the nation have been spotted with headlines involving the Royals during the entire month leading up to and during the playoffs. “World Class”, “Royal Again”, Kansas City Wins in Dramatic Fashion”, “Salvation” “11th Heaven” are just a few highlighting the amazing achievements the Royals have accomplished so far this postseason.

Baseball fans around the country are flocking to join the AL Pennant Champions bandwagon heading into the series. Unless you happen to be a Giants fan, I’m not sure how you could root against this team. It has been refreshing for many fans and media for a new team to get back to baseball elite. We are just two years removed from the Royals coming off their first winning season in 2013 after 9 consecutive losing seasons from 2004-2012.

The Royals don’t even support a traditional baseball lineup. Thy only have two players, James Shield and Alex Gordon who make more than 10 million this year. Unlike teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and other major market teams, the Royals roster is made up of players who simply get the job done. Sure, the Royals don’t have a David Ortiz or Derek Jeter, but that’s what makes them so fun to watch.

Mike Moustakas’ diving catch over the dugout was a number one highlight for over a week. Their bullpen is highlighted by unheard of names by the non-traditional baseball fan, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera, who continue to close out games in the clutch. Starting pitchers James Shield, Justin Vargas, and Jeremy Guthrie out-performed big name pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Ubaldo Jimenez.

This week fans and media from across the country will flock to Kansas City to see the Royals play in the world series. Not only could it have not happened to a better team, but Kansas City as a whole deserves this. They have earned their spot among baseball royalty, even if it may only be highlighted for a few short weeks.

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Domestic Abuse in the NHL

By Savannah Malnar

Domestic abuse is a serious issue that has lately become a hot topic in professional sports, namely the NFL. Unfortunately cases can be found in multiple sports, most recently in the NHL. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was suspended indefinitely by the NHL due to him being arrested for domestic violence charges.

While the NFL has now made very strict and specific rules regarding domestic abuse (the player gets suspended for 6 games for his first violation, and the player gets a lifetime ban for a repeat offense), the NHL has no such regulations. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is aware of the new enforcements in the NFL, but does not believe any need to be implemented in the NHL due to their work in implementing educational courses and counseling for the athletes.

The case is being compared by the media to the domestic violence case against Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche goaltender. Varlamov was charged with abusing his girlfriend during the 2013-2014 season, but continued to play with the Avalanche and suffered no discipline from the league. The charges were later dropped due to “reasonable doubt.”

With the new attention being given to these cases, the media is questioning how the NHL handled Varlomov’s case last season. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News says about that case, “…the league kept its distance from the situation.” They seem to have a different attitude towards the Voynov case.

The sport media is asking the big question, “Why is this case different?”

The most obvious answer is that the climate regarding domestic abuse cases regarding athletes has drastically changed since the Ray Rice incident and the NFL’s failure to correctly respond. The NHL does not want to risk making a similar mistake; and the suspension is justified through the recently re-negotiated CBA which allows the league to suspend a player who is subject to a criminal investigation.

While the sport media has been covering this story as thoroughly as possible, the NHL themselves has only released one short statement regarding the situation, including a quote from the Kings organization regarding how concerning this event is to the team.

As this situation progresses, the NHL should act proactively to keep fans and other players updated to ensure that they are fully informed through a reliable source.

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SEC Bias

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By Nick Muhl

This past week the SEC became the first conference to ever place four of its teams in the top five of the College Football AP Poll. The poll, which is released each Sunday following the week’s games and is voted upon by sports writers who are members of the associated press, has been around since 1936.

#1 Mississippi State, #3 Ole Miss, #4 Alabama, and #5 Auburn are all members of the SEC Western Division. All of the teams still have to face each other, with the exception of Ole Miss and Alabama (Ole Miss beat Alabama 23-17 earlier this month). This fact may save the voters from facing controversy from the world of college football once again.

Since 2009, the SEC has placed 3 teams in the top five in the AP poll 16 times. The SEC conference has become the power conference in college football, repeatedly recruiting the best players in the nation and winning national championships. It is also well documented the bias that many fans believes exists towards the SEC compared to conferences including the Big Ten and ACC.

This week’s poll is no exception in providing further evidence of what some consider being an SEC favored bias by the media. Michigan State, Kansas State, TCU and Ohio State all with one loss moved only slightly or not at all in the rankings after earning victories over conference opponents. Meanwhile Alabama, Auburn and Georgia all with one loss on the season and playing conference opponents as well, climbed into the top five and 10 of the AP rankings.

The establishment of the new 13-person committee to select the 4 teams for the new college football playoff will eventually replace the AP rankings at season end and put a silence to much of the criticism. However, the AP poll has been an influence on the teams considered for the championship for a long time and it is hard to imagine a team outside of the AP top 5 making the playoff regardless of a committee.

What does this mean for teams like Michigan State, TCU or even Marshall? The Thundering Herd are currently 7-0, but only ranked #23 in the latest poll. The Duke Blue Devils, that’s not a basketball typo, are 6-1 and remain unranked – same goes for the Big Ten’s Minnesota Gophers. In fact only 5 of the Top 25 teams are from the Big Ten and ACC.

The existence of an SEC bias isn’t just located in the AP poll. It is also well documented that many college football fans believe ESPN and the NCAA have favoritism towards the conference. Fans on many forums make claims that the entire thing is a play just to make money.

The truth is, like in all sports, it will always come down to the play on the field. The SEC has won 8 of the last 11 championships since 2003 and someone will have to beat them before anyone can be silenced.

Rank Team Record Pts Last Week
1. Mississippi St. (43) 6-0 1480 1
2. Florida St. (14) 7-0 1433 2
3. Mississippi (3) 7-0 1404 3
4. Alabama 6-1 1235 7
5. Auburn 5-1 1231 6
6. Oregon 6-1 1142 9
7. Notre Dame 6-1 1133 5
8. Michigan St. 6-1 1066 8
9. Georgia 6-1 1055 10
10. TCU 5-1 962 12
11. Kansas St. 5-1 905 14
12. Baylor 6-1 858 4
13. Ohio St. 5-1 753 13
14. Arizona St. 5-1 643 17
15. Arizona 5-1 639 16
16. Nebraska 6-1 537 19
17. Oklahoma 5-2 461 11
18. East Carolina 5-1 445 18
19. Utah 5-1 437 20
20. USC 5-2 356 22
21. Clemson 5-2 283 24
22. West Virginia 5-2 272 NR
23. Marshall 7-0 184 25
24. LSU 6-2 177 NR
25. UCLA 5-2 118 NR

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Joseph Randle’s Quick Decision-Making Proves to be Helpful

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By Alex O’Connor

Last Tuesday, backup running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Joseph Randle, was caught shoplifting underwear and cologne from a local Dallas store. The theft was considered a Class B theft, which is between $50 and $500 worth of items being stolen. Randle was fined a week of his pay, which came out to $29,500. Once the incident occurred, Randle was in serious hot water with the front office and outside media. The Dallas Morning News interviewed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about the issue. Jones declared that Randle would ”pay a high price” for shoplifting cologne and underwear. However, less than a week later, Randle is trying to build good report by signing an endorsement deal with “MeUndies”, an underwear company. Randle is trying to “right a wrong” within the media, and is wasting no time in doing that.

The day before Randle shoplifted those items, he made the most of his opportunities on the field. Randle carried the ball five times for fifty-two yards, including a thirty-eight yard run. He negated all of the positive momentum he built up on the field by shoplifting just two days later. The Dallas Morning News report painted the issue as a matter that would have serious consequences. However, with help from his agent and “MeUndies”, Randle has swung the favor of the media back to his favor.

“MeUndies” is a Los Angeles based lifestyle brand that is finding a unique way to advertise their products. According to the agreement between Randle and “MeUndies”, he will donate $15,000 of their product back to the local community. Randle will also speak at local schools to negate stealing among youths. In addition, he is required to apologize, take action and take responsibility for these actions. Though this is an easy task, it will continue to repair the damage he has done. An additional benefit for Randle’s situation is that “MeUndies” will instantly have more media buzz associated with them. Numerous national media outlets such as ESPN, Yahoo Sports and NBCSports have acknowledged the goodwill Randle is trying to promote, and they believe he has taken steps to improve his image.

The ultimate lesson in Randle’s scenario is that he made something good about a bad situation. He coincidentally lost and gained back most of the media’s attention within a weeks time. Though Randle is not an extremely well known player, he now is more of a household name due to his actions off of the field. With the help of “MeUndies” and his agent, Randle’s reputation has significantly improved.

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Detroit Sports Landmark to be Destroyed in 2017

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By Ellen Chlumecky

This Thursday, the city of Detroit made the final decision to demolish their beloved hockey arena: Joe Louis Arena. The plan is to demolish the home of the Detroit Red Wings and sell the land to a creditor for development as part of the agreement to settle the city’s bankruptcy case. The creditor is bond insurer Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. The arena will be knocked down and will be replaced with almost nine acres of either a hotel, apartment condominiums, office spaces, or retail development.

Joe Louis Arena was opened in 1979 and has been a staple in hockey history since the doors opened. The arena is the fourth oldest NHL venue. Joe Louis Arena was one of the few arenas that was without a corporate sponsorship name. Joe Louis Arena is not only home to hockey but to basketball, professional wrestling and a myriad of concerts. Until the deal, the arena was owned by the city of Detroit. The plan as of now will be to move the arena just a couple of miles away.

The deal with Detroit will remove $7 billion of debt from Detroit’s bankruptcy problem. The lawyers, attorneys and creditor are very excited about the deal. Lawyers for the city believe that it will be one of the greatest steps in the right direction to solving the problem the city of Detroit is currently facing.

With the financial situation that Detroit is currently in, most would see the deal as a positive. However, Detroit Red Wings and fans of the arena are not too happy, especially long time fans of the Red Wings. While the update was needed, it will not take the sentimentality out of the decision. Detroit Red Wings fans are very upset about the demolition of their beloved stadium.

While removing the debt of Detroit is the top priority for the city, Red Wings fans hold heavy hearts for the demolition of their historic arena. Some fans are scared that the new arena will lose the old world feel of Joe Louis because it lacks the memories and traditions that Joe Louis held. Other fans are nervous that the new arena will follow the corporate trail and become a flashy, new arena that resembles a shopping mall rather than a hockey arena. Red Wings’ fans have many memorable, wonderful memories of great moments in Wings history with 11 cups, countless playoff seasons, several Hall of Famers, and the Original 6 tradition associated with the arena. At this point, there is really nothing anyone can do. It is now up to the Red Wings’ franchise to preserve the rich tradition.

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Broadcasters just now showing interest in Kansas City Royals

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By McKenzie Whiteman

While I must say that I was impressed by the showing that the Kansas City Royals gave in the American League Championship Series this past week, I was somewhat disappointed in the broadcasts that were given during the series, in which Kansas City swept the Baltimore Orioles. As in every professional sport, there are teams that are known to be stronger than others. Until this season, Kansas City tended to be on the weaker end of the spectrum. While other teams spend big bucks to attain high quality players, the Royals seemed to be a team that tries to acquire young athletes in order to build skills and technique. In other words, they’re often viewed as the underdogs in the regular season, much less the playoffs. While I feel it’s important that broadcasters mention the underdog element, I feel like it’s not something to be the main emphasis, especially during the hunt for a World Series title.

These types of comments were commonly heard during the Royal’s first series against the Los Angeles Angels…until they swept them. As the Royals quickly acquired W’s against the Orioles, it was evident that broadcasters had changed their opinions of the once lowly regarded team. I realize that the Royals haven’t seen the playoffs since 1985 and that an undefeated playoff run is an amazing feat, but broadcasters tended to show little interest in the team until they made this run. While it’s hard to not favor the team after the adversity they have overcome, I feel as if reporters should strictly report their view of the game to help fans further understand, rather than show what seems like a secret fascination towards the Royals organization.

I realize that this opinion may seem strict, but I’m afraid this same type of reporting will carry  on to the World Series, where it will not be appreciated by National League fans. I respect the Royals for performing so well in the post-season, but I feel like broadcasters should have shown interest even before their extra-inning fight for the wild card with the Oakland Athletics, instead of giving the spotlight to big name organizations. It almost seems as if broadcasters are becoming bandwagon fans of the Royals.

The moral of this is that broadcasters should show the same interest in teams whether they are undefeated or have a losing record. This way it doesn’t seem as if broadcasters are only taking notice to teams that pull off the unexpected, whether it be an unexpected win or loss.

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What’s So Funny About the “Williams Brothers?”

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This is part of an ongoing series of guest posts by those in academia and in the professional world of sport. This week’s post is written by Dr. Nancy Spencer Ph.D, a Sport Management Professor at Bowling Green State University.

On October 13, Shamil Tarpischev, head of the Russian Tennis Federation appeared on a Russian television show (Evening Urgant) with former player Elena Dementieva. During the interview, the host of the show asked Dementieva what it was like to play the Williams’ sisters. Before she could respond, Tarpischev interjected by calling them the ‘Williams’ brothers,’ and describing them as ‘scary.’ Merlisa Lawrence Corbett urged the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to respond to the derogatory comments. Several former players Martina Navratilova and Katrina Adams – both now members of the media – also tweeted their disapproval of Tarpischev’s remarks. Martina even called for the ouster of Tarpischev. By the end of the week, heads of both the USTA and WTA had responded to the derogatory comments.

This is clearly not the first time that sexist comments have been made about world-class female athletes such as Venus and Serena Williams or others. When former Wimbledon winner Amelie Mauresmo emerged on the tennis scene in 1999, WTA players Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis said it was like playing against a man. In 2013, after Marion Bartoli won the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title, BBC announcer John Inverdale made sexist remarks, suggesting she needed to become a great tennis player since she would never be a ‘looker’ (like Maria Sharapova). And when Baylor University star Britney Griner led her team to the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship over Notre Dame, ND Coach Muffet McGraw said it was like playing against a guy, a statement she meant as a compliment.

In 1988, sport sociologist Mike Messner wrote about the dilemma facing women athletes who become so good that they are said to ‘play like men.’ Messner called it a “double-edged” sword. He explained that on one hand, it appears to be a compliment about an individual woman’s skills (indeed, Tarpischev later claimed that was what he meant). On the other hand, the implication is that because she is so good, perhaps she is not a ‘real woman’ after all.

By the end of last week, Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA announced that Tarpischev would be fined $25,000 (the maximum allowable) and suspended for a year. Allaster also sought to remove Tarpischev from his position as Chairman of the Board for the Kremlin Cup, a position he has held for 18 years. In announcing these sanctions, Allaster said that Tarpischev’s comments were “insulting, demeaning and have absolutely no place in our sport.” She described Venus and Serena Williams as “outstanding human beings, incredible sportswomen, and amazing role models who have done so much to inspire women and girls around the world.”

Meanwhile, Dave Haggerty, the President and CEO of the USTA called on Tarpischev to formally apologize to Venus and Serena. Less than a week after making the initial comments on Russian television, Shamil Tarpischev issued a letter of apology that is now posted on the WTA website. In it, he apologizes for the “insensitive remarks” which he understands “could be construed as discriminatory by the public.”

The USTA and WTA have not always been swift to speak out on behalf of the Williams sisters. When Richard Williams reported that he and his daughters faced racist epithets at Indian Wells in 2001, the tournament director Charlie Pasarell replied that ‘those weren’t Indian Wells people.’ To be fair, that incident occurred before Stacey Allaster or Dave Haggerty were in leadership positions with the WTA and USTA, respectively. In reporting on Serena Williams’ response to Allaster’s fine, the New York Times’ Ben Rothenberg wrote that she “praised the swift and decisive action taken by the WTA.” If Serena can praise the actions of the WTA, that is good enough for me. Hopefully this incident and the swift responses of the WTA and USTA will serve to curb the thoughtless sexist (and racist) comments about female athletes at all levels.

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