Category: Controversy

The No Fun League??

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

A lot of fuss has been made regarding the National Football League(NFL). Oh, it has gotten too soft. Oh, they will not let you hit  hard anymore in games. Oh, why not just make it flag football. Earlier this week, the owners voted to ban players from using the crown(top) of their helmet as a means of making forcible contact. This rule change has been criticized by players and fans.

Look, I get it. You all know how much I love the NFL. You all know how much I love big hits but lets face it, the NFL is changing. What worked in 1970 does not work in 2013.

A few years ago, former NFL player, Dave Duerson, committed suicide with a gunshot wound to his chest. The reason he did not choose to shoot himself in the head was because he wanted his brain to be used for medical study. He wanted doctors to study his brain to see if the mood swings, erratic behavior, depression, etc were directly connected to the hits he had sustained in the NFL during his 11 year career. The news of his death and his request sent shockwaves through the sports world.

In 1994, the NFL formed the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. The committee was established to provide additional support to teams who had players suffering from concussions as well as provide information to current and former players about the short/long terms effects of concussions. Many former players have claimed that the committee was misleading in terms of providing accurate information to players. Not happy with the committee, commissioner Roger Goddell determined in 2010 that new leadership was needed and a new direction for the committee needed to be established. The committee was renamed the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Medical Committee. Chosen to head the committee were Dr. H. Hunt Batjer and Dr. Richard G. Ellenbogen, both neurological surgeons.

Look, I get it. You want to see the NFL of old. You want players to be able to ram into each other with no consequences but lets face it, the NFL is changing. What worked then does not work now.

Many have criticized Goddell for “watering down” the game, for taking all the fun out of it. Football is a violent sport, period. No amount of rule changes and penalties will ever change that. However, we are all aware that their have been studies done that show direct correlation between football and brain deficiencies. How do you propose that issue be addressed?

Well, on one hand you have a commissioner who is trying to eliminate “unnecessary” hits. You know those kinds where the players only mission is to severely injure someone. Or those hits where the main point of impact is at the head. You know those hits. On the other hand, you have players who complain that the NFL has not done enough to prevent them from sustaining concussions or that they have not provided much assistance to those who are suffering long term effects from concussions.

Bottom line, you can not have it both ways. You can not want the commissioner to do provide more assistance without allowing the commissioner to try and make changes that may decrease the amount of assistance a player needs over time. Players can not complain that not enough is being done and then turn around and get mad when the commissioner adjusts a rule that will hopefully result in there being less head injuries. You can not have it both ways.

I like what Goddell is trying to do. I would rather the changes be made now than for some player to have to suffer tremendously in his latter years. Now I know it is not realistic to think that all these changes will guarantee that players will not suffer ill effects from playing football. However, if it can lessen the pain then I am all for it. Hey, maybe it all goes back to what is being taught. You know the fundamentals of football. Maybe we can start there. You know teaching kids how to properly tackle, run with the football, quarterback, etc. Art Rooney, President of the Pittsburgh Steelers, probably said it best in reference to the change of players not being able to make contact using the crown of your helmet as it related to fundamentals, “Jim Brown never lowered his head. It can be done.”  I agree Mr. Rooney. I agree.

Until next time….TOODELLS!!

Enough already!!

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, Controversy, NBA, SportsLeave a comment

If I have to hear the analysts on ESPN discuss LeBron James entering the NBA dunk contest on mo’ time, I am going to scream!!! I might as well get prepared because I know it is coming.

Before the All-Star game, there were complaints from analysts and fans about the lack of “star” power in the dunk contest. During the contest there were complaints, which were warranted, about the lack of “star” power and creative dunks. After the contest, the same thing. However, this has gotten out of hand. Last week, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, created a big stir when he offered James one million dollars to enter the contest. Yep, one million dollars. To dunk. Since then the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant has sweetened the pot by adding $1000, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon has offered up another thousand and ESPN First Take’s great debater Skip Bayless is willing to put in $2,000. Seriously?? The dunk contest is 11 months away!!!! I do not want to hear about this until next February.

Furthermore, why all this pressure to get James to dunk? If he does not want to dunk, that is his prerogative. People are acting like he owes it to us to dunk. He does not. People act like they are surprised the “stars” do not want to participate in the contest. To me the lack of “star” power in the contest is reflective of the NBA itself, watered down. Between the flopping, lack of defense, me-first attitudes and Twitter beefs, the NBA, in my opinion has been on a downhill slope for years. So it does not surprise me when the stars use All-Star weekend to socialize, rest and Instagram pictures. The league is reflective of the generation that is represented in it.

Up until a few weeks ago, I have never been real impressed with James’ creative dunking ability. He is strong and that is reflective of the force in which he throws down his dunks. However, James has been putting on a show in the pre-game warmups with his own personal dunk contest. I have seen a few dunks that are contest worthy and probably would have won the contest for him this year. Wait, I am getting like the analysts. Let me stop. Catch me next February. We can revisit this topic over hot chocolate. For all of you who are craving a great dunk contest, just do what I did, watch the 2000 dunk contest. Best one ever. Two words. Vince Carter.

Enjoy!!! Until next time….TOODELLS!!

Serving notice…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, NASCAR, SportsLeave a comment

In the famous words of Darrell Waltrip, “Boogity, boogity, boogity!! Let’s go racing!!!” NASCAR season is upon us. Whooop whoooop!!!

We all know the  big story leading up to the start of the season was Danica Patrick winning the pole at the Daytona 500. And we all heard the talk from some about how big of a deal that was. And we all heard talk from some about how it was not a big deal given her record. And we all heard about how if she did not win the race, she needed to finish in the top 10 in order to be considered “victorious.” Well, BAM ladies and gentlemen, she was “victorious!” With one lap to go, Patrick was running third only to get passed after a wreck occurred behind her.  Unfortunately, she did not win but she did finish in 8th place and became the first woman to finish in the top 10 at the Daytona 500. Earlier in the race, she became the first woman to lead a lap at the Daytona 500. And to top it off, she is one of only 13 drivers to have ever lead a lap at the Daytona 500 AND the Indianapolis 500. POW!!

Even though the rules say she did not win, Patrick was a winner in my book. She accomplished so many things on that track. Things that had never been done. Things that people said would never be done. Things that no one expected her to do. With her accomplishing so much, people will now expect a lot more from her. This season will be considered a failure for her if she does not finish top three in a race. Some will even consider it a failure if she does not win a race. You will not hear that from me. I think what she accomplished on the track yesterday spoke loud and clear. If you are not convinced, just ask the 35 men who finished BEHIND her.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Follow me on Twitter @KassieNette

Round of applause…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, NASCAR, SportsLeave a comment

I have been debating all morning about which topic I want to write about, Oscar Pistorious or Danica Patrick. I woke up this morning and saw that Oscar was trending on Twitter so I was leaning towards that until I watched ESPN First Take. One of the topics of debate was Danica. There has been a lot of chatter about Danica not deserving the “hype” surrounding her.

I agree that Danica has gotten a lot of publicity and “hype” that is typically reserved for those who have proven over a period of time that they are winners. I agree that a lot of the “hype” stems from the fact that she is a pretty woman and in our society women are typically judged on how they look, first, before they are even recognized for their abilities. However, that is not her fault and I do not think she should be ridiculed for it. Has she capitalized on it? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t? Happens all the time. Just ask the dude who sings “Gangnam Style.”

The media hypes up the “next” such and such on a daily basis. It happens all the time in football, ie Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Reggie Bush. It happens all the time in basketball, ie Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison, Michael Olowokandi. Do I need to continue? What has happened to Danica is no different than what has been happening for years. The difference is she wears makeup and everyone I listed does not.

No one knows what type of career Danica will ultimately have but I find it deplorable that members of the media, especially women, have taken it upon themselves to call her out for what she has not done opposed to what she has done. Yes, I know she has participated in almost 200 races and has only been declared the victor in one. By society’s standards she has failed. In my opinion, she has succeeded. She is participating in a male dominated sport, one where there is not a separate league for women. Her peers do not look like her. Just because she has not won a lot does not mean she does not have an impact. I think her not winning speaks louder than winning does. It shows us that even when the odds are against her she is willing to get in the ring and fight even if she knows she has little chance of winning. That is what life is all about, right? Getting knocked down and continuing to get back up to continue the fight.

Even if Danica never wins another race, she has already helped pave the way for female drivers that will follow in her footsteps. The truth of the matter is not everyone will make it to the mountaintop. Some of are here to make the path easier for others to follow. That could be Danica’s purpose. Judging by her actions, I think she is ok with that. And for that, she deserves a round of applause.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Follow me on Twittter @KassieNette

He admitted it and cancer still does not care….

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Cycling, SportsLeave a comment

Before I went to bed on Monday night, I browsed my Twitter timeline to see what was happening in the world of the people I follow. While browsing, I begin to notice tweets about ESPN anchor, Stuart Scott. I found out, unfortunately, that he is battling cancer for the third time. I immediately begin pray for Scott, his family and his friends. Yesterday morning, I tweeted Scott a picture of us taken a few years ago at UNC’s Late Night with Roy. Scott in his blue and I in my red. Along with the picture, I tweeted well wishes and my favorite Bible scripture, Luke 1:37. I ended my tweet with the word #LIVESTRONG

…………

Sad. Disappointed. Frustrated. I wanted it to not be true. Confused. Deceived. Relieved. We now know the truth. Lance Armstrong was using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) during the time that he won seven straight Tour de France titles. In an interview scheduled to air on Thursday night, Armstrong will admit to Oprah Winfrey and the world that he lied for years. Undoubtedly, Winfrey will ask why and we may or may not get a straight answer. There are a lot of questions that can and need to be asked but it may not make a difference to most.

In a sport where doping is normal, many will fail to understand why Armstrong did what he did. I would assume he did it to give himself a better chance of winning. I would assume he kept doing it because “everyone else was.” I would assume he kept doing it because the more he kept winning the more endorsements and exposure for his charity. Maybe I am wrong but I doubt it.

Back in October when I wrote about him, I supported him 100%. At the time, naive as it may sound, I still wanted to believe that he was telling the truth. He had done so much good that I wanted him to be an “hero.” Back in October my stance was that regardless if he did it or not, the man had raised over 500 million dollars for cancer awareness and research. Back in October, I did not want hear what I heard this week.

…………

Sad. Sad that he doped. Disappointed. Disappointed that he felt the need to lie about it for so long. Frustrated. Frustrated because what he did wrong actually helped churn out a lot of good. Confused. Confused about steroid use, in general. Deceived. Armstrong owed it to his supporters to come clean years ago. Relieved. Breathing a sigh of relief knowing that the initial witch hunt is over.

Now what? To completely dismiss Armstrong means you dismiss what the LIVESTRONG movement means to so many. Yes he lied. Yes he was wrong. Yes he has made his supporters look foolish. And yes there is a good chance that the LIVESTRONG foundation would not be the global force that it is today if Armstrong had not taken PEDs. Did the end justify the means? In the world of public opinion, probably not. In the world of cycling, yes. It was the norm. Maybe Armstrong could have accomplished the same feat without the use of PEDs. Maybe the will to accomplish all these things was inside of him the whole time. Maybe, just maybe, he could have had am bigger impact on the world if he had not used PEDs.

What we do know is that a man who “cheated” to gain an advantage in his sport also gave a lot of people hope. They saw he beat cancer and felt they could to. With one single accessory, Armstrong changed a whole world and made it easy to identify all those who were in the fight, literally and figuratively, against cancer. Is that something we just forget because of what he did?

Before he even asks, I accept his apology. I will never understand why he did what he did nor will I try to. I commend him for finally allowing himself to be freed from that dark place. He could have easily, without any positive tests, taken this lie to his grave but he has chosen to admit his mistakes and face whatever consequences are waiting for him on the other side. Often I remind others that none of us are perfect. We all have our skeletons. We all make mistakes. The true test is in how we respond to those mistakes. Do we let the mistakes consume us? Do we crawl into a corner and wither away? Or do we put on our boxing gloves, get into the ring and fight until the end? I look forward to seeing how Lance Armstrong responds in this heavyweight bout.

Now that he has come clean, going forward there is only one acceptable way for Lance Armstrong to respond…..LIVESTRONG Lance. LIVESTRONG.

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I am sorry…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, Sports2 Comments

I owe someone an apology. I have never met her. However, over the years, I have found myself making statements about her that have not been very nice.

Behind the humor, big smile and bubbly personality is a sensitive and compassionate woman who turns her head every time she passes an 18-wheeler carrying pigs or chickens on the highway. That compassionate side of me gave me a nice reality check earlier this week. On Sunday, while I was out and about, I checked in on Twitter to see what was trending. I immediately saw that Pam Oliver’s name was trending and thought to myself, “Anytime she is trending, it is never a good thing” I was correct. The usual slander was about the usual topic: her hair. When I arrived at a friend’s house later we discussed the topic and if I recall correctly, I remember saying, “I wish she had some girlfriends who would be honest with her about her hair.” Oh Kass. Smh.

It was not until the very next day that what I said started to bother me. I have commented on her hair for years. Then it hit me. I was essentially doing the same thing I felt Rob Parker did to RG3 a few weeks ago, tearing a person down instead of lifting them up. It was not a good feeling. Had I not learned anything from the Gabby Douglas hair controversy? It was not a good feeling. Then it dawned on me and I had that “ha ah” moment. Had I ever stopped to think that maybe the reason she had not changed her hair is because she likes it? I remember when I made the decision to stop getting relaxers and let my hair revert back to its natural state, there were people who expressed their dissatisfaction in my decision. Yes, my decision. Some of the comments were hurtful but for the most part I was not concerned about what others thought I should do to my hair. IT IS MY HAIR!!!

The slander directed at Oliver has been happening for years and with the emergence of social media, it has only gotten worse. While I would think the comments, to some extent, have been hurtful, she seems to be very confident in who she is and how she chooses to wear her hair. Ultimately, that is all that matters. Instead of focusing on trivial things, we should be focused on cheering her on. She was an all-American in track in college. She is a graduate of FAMU. She is also one of three(I think) black women reporting from the sidelines in major sports. Her employer and former employers seem to not be phased by her hairstyle and neither should we. That is irrelevant. She should not be torn down because she does not conform to a stereotype. She is a pretty woman. She is great at what she does. She has worked her way up the ranks and should be celebrated for that.

From this point forward, I vow to be more conscientious of my words.

I hope that someway, somehow this letter reaches her so she knows that for all those that are tearing her down, there are thousands more lifting her up.

Ms. Pam, I am sorry. Keep doing what you do so well. You are a trailblazer and I thank you for carving out a path for women like myself to follow. YOU ROCK!

Until next time…TOODELLS!

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Wildcard Weekend Roundup

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Controversy, Football, Hockey, NFL, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

What an interesting weekend of football!!! It was great, right? Lets rekap.

The biggest story of the weekend had to be Ray Lewis playing his last home game as a Baltimore Raven.

As I stated on Friday, his story of resilience and redemption is one that all can learn from. Lewis had a team high 13 tackles, wore a menacing face mask that made him look like he was going to war with the Deceptions and was on the field for the final kneeldown. Doesn’t get much better than that. He sealed his farewell with his patented “squirrel dance” (yeah, I just found out yesterday that it had a name) and exited to a deafening ovation for the crowd. Very fitting for a man who put a franchise and city on his back and gave it everything he had. On Saturday, my faves will go head to head. Peyton vs. Ray Ray. I think I shall remain neutral. Go Broncens!! Go Ravecos!!!

Oh, I guess you know the Ravens beat down the Colts.

Now onto Sunday’s other showdown…Rookie vs. Rookie. Elusive QB vs. Elusive QB. Russell vs. RG3. I know there was not any question as to who I was pulling for. Was it just me or did Russell look like he had been playing in the league for years? His composure in the pocket especially during a blitz is a thing of beauty. He does not get razzled easily. I tweeted last night that I was so happy that the nation was getting a chance to see what us Wolfpackers got to see for years. Russell is a baller!!! That Seahawks team makes me nervous. The combination of Russell, RB Marshswn Lynch and that defense is scary. I fully expect to see them in the NFC Championship playing against my 9ers. My boys better be ready!! By the way, Russell, the 75th overall draft pick, is the last rookie QB standing. Whoop whoooop!!

Yes, I talked about Russell before I addressed the RG3 controversy. Hey!!! I had to give Russell his flowers. I know you are waiting on my opinion about the RG3 debacle. I missed the first half but I heard he got hit early, was limping and was not very effective from that point on. I get the warrior attitude especially in the playoffs but when does a player’s health become bigger than the game? It is obvious that RG3 should have been pulled early in the game. Give the team a chance to win. It is not like the Redskins do not have a decent backup. Knees are nothing to play Russian Roulette with. Keeping RG3 in did not produce the result the team was hoping for. Putting Cousins in earlier could have changed the story.

As much as I talked about Sunday’s games, I almost forgot about Saturday’s. I was pulling for the Bengals because I wanted Coach Marvin Lewis to get that elusive first playoff win. As usual, the Texans found a way to win. They do not impress me, at all. I fully expect the Patriots to send them back to Texas for an early start to their summer vacay.

The Packers vs. Vikes game….snoozefest. I just woke up! Woke up to see Vikings back up QB, Joe Webb, on the ground, again. Po fella. Vikings did not stand a chance. Better luck next year.

:: My picks ::
Broncos vs. Ravens….Broncos
9ers vs. Packers….9ers
Texans vs. Patriots….Patriots
Seahawks vs. Falcons….Seahawks

:: Championship Weekend ::
9ers vs. Seahawks….9ers
Broncos vs. Patriots….Broncos

:: Super Bowl 47 ::
My 9ers vs. My boo #18 and the Broncos…..I will reveal my pick later this week :-}

P.S. The “melt” is on!!! Hockey is back!! Yes! Yes! Yes!!

Until next time….TOODELLS.