I want my money back! Ok, I want my brother to get his money back.
The “Fight of the Century” was anything but that. It was more like a dance off.
But let me back up. We, the die hard sports fans, have been waiting five years for this fight. We sat and watched as folks on both sides of the aisle bickered about money, drug testing and how their opponent utilized their free time. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather. It was finally happening! Years of back and forth finally culminated in people all across the world tuning in to watch what we all hoped would be one of the best fights ever.
Welp. So much for hopes. I cannot recall the last time I was so bored watching a boxing match. Oh yes I can. It was the last time I watched Floyd Mayweather fight.
What does that mean exactly? Well, my life often revolves around sports. I have been known rearrange activities or even skip them because “the game” is coming on. I watch SportsCenter daily. I read ESPN.com daily to stay abreast on the latest happenings. And I answer at least one question a day from someone regarding something sports related.
Ya’ll know I have been itching to blog about this, right? I do not know which part of me was more anxious, my PR white hat or my sports management persona.
LIFETIME BAN. Those words echoed through my ears yesterday as I watched NBA Commissioner Adam Silver grab a hold of his early defining moment. Having only been on the job less than three months, Silver’s leadership was thrust into the international spotlight when taped conversations surfaced between Los Angeles Clippers owner and his archivist/assistant/ girlfriend/other woman/ Vanessa Stiviano, where Sterling expressed his thoughts about the black race. The conversation, in true WWE fashion, was no holds barred. If you had any questions about how Sterling felt about people with brown skin tones, he provided you with the answers you had been seeking.
The internet lit up. So did ESPN. CNN. So did barbershops. Churches. Checkout lines. How could an obvious racist own a team that has a roster loaded with black players, in a league loaded with black players? What will the players do? Should they play or not? Wait, this is not the first time Sterling has been deemed racist, is it? Lets see, he was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for housing discrimination. Lets see, he was sued by NBA Hall of Famer, Elgin Baylor, for employee discrimination. No need to be surprised. The pattern has been there.
Silver issued what he thought was a just punishment. He dropped the hammer, nails, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers and whatever else he could find in the tool box In his NBA, racism will not be tolerated, as it has been in the past. Yeah, I am looking at you David Stern. It did not stop there. Silver ordered Sterling to pay a fine of $2.5 million dollars and urged the other owners in the NBA to exercise their constitutional rights and vote Sterling out as owner of the Clippers.
The internet lit up. #Bannedforlife trended number one for hours. My social media feeds were full of opinions and discussions and the Clippers made their own statement by simply changing their website to a black screen with the phrase “We Are One” boldly situated in the middle of the screen above their logo. As the players and the league begins its healing process, the push to have Sterling removed continues. As the fans continue to attend games and purchase merchandise, Sterling’s pockets continue to get fatter. And this is a hot topic. I have encountered many whom seem to think that in the end Sterling wins because he is a billionaire and he is set to add to his fortune if he is forced to sale.
Now I am no millionaire. I am not even close but one thing I am certain of is that the one thing that most people who have his type of money crave more than anything is the power that comes along with it. Just look at the list of names of people who are rumored to interested in purchasing the Clippers: Oprah, Floyd Mayweather, Matt Damon, Dave Geffen, Larry Ellison, Rick Ross, Diddy, Oscar De La Hoya, the list goes on. None of these people are struggling. None of these people are in dire need of money. None of these people go out and pay their bills at the office like I do. The money they have has given them a power that most of us will never attain. Of course, $2.5 million dollars will be no big deal to Sterling but I am willing to bet my pennies that being him being stripped of his power will definitely have an effect on that ego of his.
This was defining moment for the NBA. The players will be criticized for years to come for playing, essentially for Sterling, one day after finding out how he truly feels about them. Although, I am willing to once again bet my pennies and say those players had some type of inkling that Sterling was not a fan of brown skinned people. Money talks.
I applaud Adam Silver for his swift and thorough action regarding this situation. He did not have to choose this route but he did and for that he should be commended. We will never erase racism but we do not have to tolerate it. Job well done, Commissioner.
Saturday night, I watched a clinic. A clinic that featured fancy footworking, swift bob and weaves and quick combos. There were jabs, uppercuts and hooks. The clinic also featured low blows, trash talking and a shirtless Little Wayne. If you missed the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight, you missed a treat. Mayweather put on a show. Yes, I can admit that even though I was pulling for Canelo.
I have never been a fan of Mayweather. His arrogance is just too much for me. I was hoping he would get some humble pie Saturday night. Wishful thinking. Despite my dislike for him, I can not ignore the fact that is the best boxer walking on planet Earth right now. Notice I said now, not ever. I know he is calling himself The Best Ever and I hope that refers to his weight class because if he thinks he is better than Muhammad Ali and “Iron” Mike Tyson….
Regardless of where he thinks he ranks, after that performance there is no denying his greatness. He is a master at his craft. The only chance Canelo had of winning was to knock Mayweather out. Unfortunately, Canelo was too slow to do just that. Give him a few years and I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He did not fight terribly Saturday night. Mayweather was just much, much, much better.
I am sad. Manny Pacquiao got knocked out Saturday night. Boo. That was not suppose to happen!!! Now that it has, I have a feeling we will never see a Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather. Boo.
I am not a huge fan of boxing. I find it to be quite barbaric. Blood all over the place, faces twisted, literally. Just barbaric!! Not as barbaric as UFC but it is still hard to watch at times. However, I used to love to watch “Iron” Mike Tyson fight. Probably because I did not have to watch him fight his opponent for long. He was dropping dudes in 30 seconds. SMH.
Anyway, back to Pacquiao. I did not watch Saturday’s fight and I have not even read an article about how the fight went. I do not know who won what rounds, if it was evenly matched or if Pacquiao was losing. I do know that in Round 6, Juan Marquez, hit Pacquiao with a right hand that sent him straight to the mat. I kept seeing pictures of the knockout, thanks to Twitter, but had managed to avoid seeing the actual knockout until last night while I was watching SportsCenter. That punch would have sent all of us straight to the mat. Wow.
So with that knockout, say bye bye to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Pacquiao let Mayweather off the hook. Boo. No way Mayweather fights him after this. I personally think Mayweather has been a little shook when it comes to fighting Pacquiao. I sat at home a few months ago and watched Pacquiao say on LIVE tv that he would agree to Mayweather’s terms when it came to blood testing and that he would take a 55/45 split of the pot for the fight. What else did Mayweather need to hear in order to agree to the fight? Did he need a guarantee from Pacquiao that he would let him win? Did he need to hear Pacquiao say how great of a fighter he is? Did he need to hear Pacquiao say he wants to be a part of Mayweather’s “Money Team?”
All of you true boxing fans should be mad at Mayweather. I do not think he ever wanted to fight Pacquiao and he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to justify his position. Well it looks like he got it. Mayweather has had plenty of opportunity over the past couple of years to meet Pacquiao’s camp half way. However, that is not his concern nor has he been concerned with giving boxing fans the fight they want to see. That reality is the true knockout in this whole situation.
Kassie Nette's Korner 