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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Ronda Rousey and the Quest for an Undefeated Lifetime Record

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By Kaleb Page

In a sport world like MMA where men dominate the scene, the baddest person on the planet, no matter the division, is actually a woman.

Ronda Rousey has earned her nickname “Rowdy” convincingly throughout her fighting career that began in 2011. Another nickname I think is fitting and should be considered is “the arm collector” due to this statistic: 8 of the 10 victories Ronda has, come by way of submission due to armbar. Even though people know what is coming it seems like she has her way with them, which unanimously led to her becoming the number one pound-for-pound female fighter in the world.

It can be said that the fire behind what Ronda is doing in the women’s bantamweight division in the UFC, is fueled by her competition in Judo as a representative of the United States. Her success of winning three gold’s, two silver, and two bronze medals over various competitions came with their fair share of losses as well. Ronda had a thought during Judo that ultimately led to her crossover into the MMA scene. In an interview with Jim Rome this week Ronda said, “I did all my losing in Judo, which is a lot of the reason why I wanted to do MMA so much because no one ever beat me in Judo that I couldn’t beat in a fight.” This quote so far has been proven time and time again, with Ronda convincingly winning every fight she has been in on her way to a 10-0 record.

Another thing that separates Ronda from any other fighter in her division is her win or die attitude. In the same interview she recalled a fight against Liz Carmouche and feeling like she could die in that fight. Liz put Ronda in a tight neck crank and dislocated Ronda’s jaw in the process. However, unlike some fighters who by that point would be tapping out, Ronda’s mindset was, “I would rather break my neck than lose this fight.” She did live up to her word and defeated Liz Carmouche with her trademark armbar later in the first round.

Ronda is a female icon in the world of sports that needs more attention than she is already receiving. Her ultimate goal of course it to end her UFC career in a fashion nobody at the highest level on the women’s side has done: retire undefeated. Her next opponent is rumored to be Cat Zingano, which is in the works to take place early 2015. Another stout test for Ronda with this opponent being undefeated as well.

If I had to put money on any athlete in a competitive sport like this to go undefeated, it would be “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Just by the way she carries herself alone, puts her on a whole different level than any of her counterparts. Her relentless attitude and training are world-class in part to her time training as an Olympian. Even though in the world of MMA it only takes one punch, kick, or submission to end this dominating run; I just don’t see it happening. Especially when you have such a driven fighter who has only seen the second round once in her entire career; an insane number in MMA, and in the best fight league worldwide the UFC.

As to anyone else who has doubts as to why I am on the Rousey Bandwagon or as to why she could end up retiring undefeated, Ronda has a message for you: “All the ones (opponents) they bring are legitimate; I work and prepare so hard that there’s nothing they can do about it.” So if you got a challenge to bring Ronda’s way suit yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you already about what you are going up against.

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Merging World and Sport Headlines: Sport Media Coverage of Ebola

By Savannah Malnar

Sports are so integrated into our society that when there is a significant world event, it is inevitable that said event will slip into ESPN or other sport headlines. The Ebola epidemic is no exception.

It was only a matter of time until this major headline seeped into sports. When going to ESPN’s home page, right above the major headline ticker is a small tab that says “Ebola Concerns in the NFL.” This should be no surprise, with the primary cases of the disease in America being centered in Dallas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants are scheduled to play in Dallas this Sunday, October 19th. Local news sites in both Dallas and New York are littered with headlines all telling the same story: The Giants were briefed by their medical staff about the disease and on ways to be cautious while there.

The fact is, all NFL teams have this information available to them through the league and their infectious disease partner, Duke Infection Control Outreach Network.  Despite this, it was reported by Dan Graziano of ESPN that the Cowboys themselves have barely talked about it as a team. Jason Garrett, coach of the Cowboys, was asked if addressed his team regarding the disease. He responded: “Really haven’t, to be honest with you. I don’t think it has directly affected us. So it hasn’t been something we have addressed directly with our players.”

The world media has certainly been all over the Ebola epidemic. The sport media may be soon as well. Already it seems every sport media source, local and national, has published an article regarding the Giants’ briefing on the disease.

While it is still very early to be extremely concerned, the sport media needs to be careful to present the information fairly and not over exaggerate. All the articles regarding the Giants were fair in saying the players were not concerned about going into the region where the disease was (though they may not bring children and wives along to this game, as a precaution), with Eli Manning saying, “I’m not worried about myself or the team. With what we’re doing and where we’re staying, I think we’ll be fine.”

Ebola is a fair concern in sports where traveling is a necessity, but the sport media should consider to err on the conservative side of reporting on it until it is clear whether players in any sport are in any real danger of contracting it through travel.

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Tough Love From Media in Cleveland

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By Kate Roth

The Cleveland Browns improved their record to 3-2 this past Sunday with a dominating 31-10 victory over their rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Through his performance, quarterback Brian Hoyer, showed us once again that he is capable of leading an NFL team and is deserving of the starting spot over fan favorite Johnny Manziel. For once, everything seems to be clicking for the Browns considering they have a quarterback they can trust, their star running back in Ben Tate has just emerged off the injured and is performing well and their schedule over the next few weeks seems to be playing out in their favor. This is something that Browns fans have been looking forward to for years and now that everything seems to be falling into place, I’m not sure the media knows how to handle it.

Following the win on Sunday I was fully expecting this week to be filled with local (Cleveland) sports articles regarding the success of the Browns, and the potential to really make a statement in the up and coming weeks. The last thing I was expecting to see is negative comments about the team and especially not the “Hometown Hero” Brian Hoyer.

Unfortunately the media caught me off guard and this is exactly what I ended up reading. Stories claiming that Hoyer is considering not signing a contract extension with the Browns and instead looking for the next big contract, comments that Hoyer later denied. Other articles discussed how the injuries to center Alex Mack and defensive lineman Armonty Bryant could be very costly to the Browns, preventing them from winning the games coming up on their schedule.

There was even an article that criticized Hoyer for wanting to turn current Dallas Cowboys fan and Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James into a Browns fan, claiming that Hoyer needed to stay focused on his job as the quarterback of the Browns and not worry about who LeBron is cheering for.

It’s almost as if the Cleveland media is so used to watching the Browns lose that they’re not quite sure how to react to the success of the team.

Instead of picking out anything negative they could find about the team they needed to be applauding them for the great performance they put up over the weekend and throughout the season thus far. After a 31-10 smack down on your rival there should be plenty of positive things to talk about.

Even though it is still very early in the season and may be too early to tell how the team will perform throughout the year, things are still looking up in Cleveland and fans are really starting to believe and get behind this team. Now it’s the media’s turn to jump on board and enjoy the ride for as long as it may last and create positive news stories instead of negative.

It’s time to turn this Factory of Sadness around and an easy way to start this is through the media.

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DaVaris Daniels is #NDNoMore

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By Ellen Chlumecky

The Notre Dame athletic department athletic department made the vote to suspend three out of the five football players involved in the academic fraud investigation who will now not be playing for Notre Dame this season. The three men who are suspended are: DaVaris Daniels, Ishaq Williams and Kendall Moore. All three have made comments about what their plans will be from here.

Ishaq Williams openly stated that he would wholeheartedly like to return to the team for the following season. Kendall Moore, already a current graduate of Notre Dame, stated on Instagram how he was disappointed about the decision but has decided he will not return to Notre Dame for next season. Moore placed a long post on his Instagram expressing his gratitude towards Notre Dame and while he is upset about the decision he will move forward.  Both expressed how they were both looking forward to the new chapter of their lives and believe their integrity remains intact as they leave Notre Dame.  While DaVaris Daniels, also already a current graduate of Notre Dame, has made it known quite profoundly how much he would love to return to Notre Dame next season.

DaVaris Daniels has taken to Twitter to make his voice heard about his desire to return to Notre Dame. Daniels tweeted a few posts on Twitter expressing his gratitude towards Notre Dame and how he has no intentions to transfer schools. His father, Phillip Daniels, has also taken to Twitter to talk about the situation. He first posted how DaVaris will be suspended for this upcoming season. The next post was about the possibility of DaVaris returning in the 2015 season and how it would be a great opportunity for DaVaris.

While it is easy for all these young men to take to social media to rant or post nasty messages about the situation, none have shown any signs of this particular behavior. They have only posted positive remarks about the wonderful education they have received, the opportunities they were given and the people who have supported them through this time.

Notre Dame holds high academic and ethical standards. The way these young men are handling the situation show that while they might not believe they are in the wrong, they have yet to blame the institution for their mistake. These players were in the wrong for what they did and should be punished for their actions, they at least showed maturity in leaving the institution without blaming anyone in the process.

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Florida Panthers Struggling to Attract Fans

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By Alex O’Connor

Attendance at Florida Panthers games is once again becoming an issue for their organization. Last night, just 7,311 fans came out to see a 1-0 loss against the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers dropped to 0-2-1 on the season and are now under scrutiny not only for their product on the ice, but the lack of hockey interest in southern Florida. NBCsports.com focused specifically on Florida goalie Roberto Luongo, noting that he has played for packed houses with the Vancouver Canucks on a regular basis. In addition, The Miami Herald interviewed Luongo after the loss and he plainly said, “If we want to get some people in the stands, we need to start winning some games.” However, Luongo added that “He doesn’t pay attention to that stuff”, so it may or may not have a large effect on the team’s performance as a whole. Through the media’s attention on attendance and the team’s’ poor performance, the Panthers could be in for a tumultuous season that may put doubts in the minds of many who believe they will be in Florida for an extended period of time.

Social media also had a profound impact on the reach of this story. Numerous accredited sport commentators, writers and analysts were tweeting pictures of the empty stands from their vantage point. The pictures are stunning, as there are almost hundreds of seats open among each section. The most notable picture came from Bruce Garrioch, an award-winning sport journalist from the Ottawa Sun who tweeted a picture of the crowd at game time. The post has almost four hundred re-tweets and was one of many to point out the low attendance.

Another aspect that is hurting the Panthers organization is their lack of incoming revenue from ticket sales. On September, 17th of this year, an NBCsports.com article was published that pointed out the financial woes that the franchise was in. The title was “Panthers owners say they’re committed even though team has lost ‘tremendous amounts of money.'” These losses are between $20-$30 million annually, and are losses that they have asked Broward County in Florida to cover. This is an expense that will not be easily fixed and could loom over the organization for many more years. However, new owners Vinnie Viola and Doug Cifu wrote a “vote of confidence” letter to Panthers fans in mid-September. In the letter they highlighted the acquisition of star goalie Roberto Luongo and how moves like this one is their commitment to the Panthers producing a Stanley Cup caliber team. Though this is encouraging that the owners are on board, they may need to find another avenue in which fans can once again become excited about their organization.

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Positive Spirits for Michigan State

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By Kia Tyus

An article written by Mike Griffith of Mlive.com touched on the expectations about Michigan State.

Griffith starts the article off touching on the point that Michigan State has gone from being hopeful to win a Big Ten Championship, to it being expected from the general public that they are going to win the Big Ten Championship.

I like how Griffith used facts like how the Spartans are 5-1 and ranked 8th in the nation, and how he noted major wins against Nebraska and Purdue respectfully.

Griffith also compared two of the nations top coaches: Mark Dantonio and Nick Saban.

Griffith explained how Dantonio has a calmer approach when dealing with pressure. Griffith even goes into detail about how Dantonio is more worried about his players being happy and embracing the moment, even stating “I think it’s a good problem to have.”

Saban on the other hand had more of an aggressive approach complaining about how it pisses him off that the public puts so much pressure on his players to win, but still isn’t satisfied enough if he doesn’t win by a lot. At the end of the day, Saban is more concerned about his players fighting through a hard fought game and coming out with the win. Saban just cares about his player’s happiness.

The way the editor edited each coaches approach made Dantonio seem nice and calm and Saban seemed like a loose screw. In fact, both coaches wanted the same thing, for their players to be happy. They both went about the interviews in different tones but there is no wrong to the way they answered the question.

Both coaches are passionate about the game and most importantly, both coaches care about there players.

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