By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The
National Collegiate Athletic Association cares about colleges a whole lot more
than it cares about athletes. No debate there.
The
only shock is how often the organization goes above and beyond to prove its
true colors.
Maintaining
the sham of “amateurism” while coaches, conferences and assorted stakeholders rake
billions of dollars is the foundation. Preventing players from profiting off their
labor or likeness are the walls. Forbidding
unfettered movement among players – opposed to the freedom for job-hopping coaches
– is the ceiling.
Well
the NCAA raised the roof and lowered itself even further in ruling against offensive
lineman Brock Hoffman, who was seeking immediate eligibility this season after
transferring to Virginia Tech last winter.
Hoffman,
who started for Coastal Carolina the last two seasons, applied for a family
medical hardship waiver. He appeared to have a slam-dunk case, wanting to be two
hours closer to home to help his mother, still suffering aftereffects from surgery
to remove a brain tumor two years ago.
The
application originally was filed in late March and rejected a month later. On
Tuesday, after several appeals filed by Virginia Tech and extensive documentation
of doctors’ notes and Hoffman’s trips home, the NCAA reached its final decision
on the Hokies’ projected starting center playing right away:
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
There are two schools of thought regarding quarterback Andrew Luck’s sudden and shocking retirement from the NFL.
One is an enlightened view that values intellect over emotion and considers everything we know about pro football and the exhausting toil on its players. The other is a remnant of Cro-Magnon thinking and Neanderthal reasoning, full of archaic thoughts that limit masculinity to grit and toughness.
The latter paradigm was evidenced Saturday night at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, after news of Luck’s startling decision spread during the Colts’ exhibition game. As the four-time All-Pro walked off the field for, conceivably, the last time, fans said goodbye with a chorus of boos and steams of obscenities.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear the reaction,” Luck said during his retirement news conference later that evening. “It hurt.”
Words hurt? That only proved the point for everyone who parted their lips to curse Luck for retiring a couple of weeks before the season opens – and everyone else who criticized him for leaving three weeks before his 30th birthday.
They consider him soft and selfish for the act. They couldn’t care less about the cycle of injuries, pain, and rehabilitations that Luck said has “taken my joy of this game away.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
His
XFL franchise had yet to be named and he had been on the job for less than a
month. But in April, Washington team president Erik Moses received a sign that
his latest venture might resonate among folks in the nation’s capital.
Confirmation
came at a business event where the longtime D.C. sports executive bumped into a
woman he’s known professionally for more than a decade. After telling her about
leaving Events DC and his new job, he says they had a 30-minute conversation
about football. “Her excitement about us bringing in this team was surprising,
and startling in a good way,” Moses said Wednesday in a phone interview.
Now,
19 months after Vince McMahon announced he was resurrecting the XFL, we know
the eight teams’ names. Locally, fans will root for the D.C. Defenders, whose
logo includes a nod to the District flag.
“They
drew from a lot of resources, nationally and locally,” Moses said shortly after
the league’s live-streamed reveal event. “There was a lot of inspiration for
what the nation’s capital represents to the country and the world.”
(“Defenders”
will provide a wealth of material for cynics and comics, but we digress. It’s
still exponentially better than the name of its NFL counterpart.)
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Granted, I might be biased as a graduate of Howard University. But even objective observers have to agree that Howard is arguably the nation’s most prestigious HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities).
The long list of distinguished alums include notables in law (Thurgood Marshall), politics (U.S. Senator Kamala Harris), acting (Chadwick Boseman), writing (Toni Morrison) and much more. As noted on the website, Howard is among the highest producers of America’s black professionals in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, nursing, architecture, religion, law, music, social work and education.
But
golf?
Not
so much.
Future
Bison might never roam the links on the PGA Tour or LPGA Tour. Fortunately, that’s
not the ultimate goal of NBA superstar Steph Curry in his generous gift to the
school. Like other sports, golf offers its participants a host of benefits that
don’t include a paycheck.
That’s
why Curry is making a seven-figure donation as part of a six-year partnership
to sponsor Howard’s first Division I golf team.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER, Md. – NFL action – or at least the facsimile known as exhibition football – returned to FedEx Field Thursday for the first time since December, when Philadelphia laid a 24-0 whupping on the Washington Redskins.
Philadelphia
will be the opponent in three weeks, when the regular season begins and
everything matters. By then, the details of preseason game No. 2 will be long
forgotten, as will roughly three dozen players who suited up in the ‘Skins 23-13
loss against Cincinnati.
But
there is one memory worth savoring, a treat that made attendance worthwhile,
Members of the sparse crowd have bragging rights for life.
Facing
3rd-and-8 from his own 45-yard line, rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins took a
shotgun snap shortly before halftime and dropped back. Pressure came pouring in
from his blind side, with a pair of Bengals rushers blazing past either side of
left tackle Geron Christian Sr.
Christian
picked up the blitzing cornerback, which gave linebacker Germaine Pratt a clear
lane to the passer. Haskins was being enveloped in a bear hug around the waist
as he cocked his right arm. But the rookie hung in, stood tall, and delivered a
beautiful strike, hitting Robert Davis in stride at the 20-yard line.
Davis
had beat his man by several strides and pranced into the end zone untouched. It
was Haskins’ first NFL touchdown and he reacted as such, skipping to the end
zone for a celebration and congratulations.
“It
was exhilarating,” Haskins said. “It was fun. I will never forget it.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
“That was a very patriotic thing (Colin Kaepernick) did.” – USA Basketball coach Gregg Popovich on Tuesday.
“Frankly, I’d love to see Kaepernick come in, if he’s good enough.” – President Donald Trump on Aug. 9.
“Without question, our data tells us fans do not want us to cover politics.” – ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro, March 2018.
Pitaro
and many fans might want ESPN to avert its glance when sports and politics
intersect. On the surface, that seems like a perfectly reasonable stance. Syndicated
columnist Norman Chad recently wrote that the position is analogous to Disney Channel
and its fans not wanting commentary on news, just “magical kingdoms, fairy-tale
stories and a fantasy world of delight.”
That
works well when the content is based on Snow White, Mickey Mouse and fictitious
characters in sitcoms and movies. But real-life human beings like Kaepernick, Popovich
and Trump – and now, U.S. fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry – have
a way of slipping reality into our discussions about fun & games.
When
that happens, it’s news, not make-believe. And credible news organizations should
cover it as such.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Despite its torrents of revenue spouting like geysers, and its massive footprint on our socio-cultural landscape, the sports-industrial complex has seen better days.
Even
as the Little League World Series gears for its 66th year of national TV
coverage and MLB postseason contenders jockey for position, cracks in the sports
universe have surfaced. Even as NFL teams prepare for their next exhibition game
and college football teams study playbooks in fall camp, signs of wear are apparent.
Even as NBA and NCAA hoopers enjoy their last few weeks of vacation, there is evidence
of decline.
Concern
exists on the front end – those who participate – and more on the back end –
those who spectate.
Residents
of the D.C. metro area are examples of the latter. 24/7 Wall Street, in a
recent study based on attendance date from ESPN, identified 12 pro teams that are
“running out of fans.” The Washington Redskins ranked fifth on that list, having
experienced a 31.1% decline in home attendance from 2008-20018, and being the
lone team to fill less than three-quarters of its venue last season (74.4%).
Of
course, sluggish turnstiles are not unique to FedEx Field. For an idea of the
problem’s scope, scroll through the Empty Seats Galore account on Twitter. There
you will find photos of increasingly half-full and near-empty stadiums, ranging
across all sports and levels.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Not
content with its present system of exploitation the NCAA has devised a new racket.
Instead of merely keeping college athletes’ pockets empty, it wants to dip into
prospective player agents’ bank accounts.
This
cartel makes the Sopranos look like the Partridge Family.
In
the latest move to protect its own interests and trample everyone in its way, the NCAA has issued new requirements for
agents who want to represent basketball players testing the NBA draft waters.
Such players will lose their eligibility unless their agent: has a bachelor’s
degree; has been certified by the National Basketball Players Association for
three years; and passes an in-person exam administered at NCAA headquarters in
Indianapolis.
A
minimum for income level and investment portfolio is the only thing missing.
If
your first thought is, “Oh, they’re just looking out for college athletes,” remember
who we’re talking about.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Watching
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sweat and squirm on a witness stand would be
highly entertaining under most circumstances. However, as enjoyable as the
spectacle promises to be, we need to draw the line somewhere.
Put
him under oath for queries about the wildly inconsistent rulings on personal-conduct
suspensions? Sign me up. Ask him about the league’s historical resistance to
brain science and concussion studies? Make some popcorn. Administer truth serum
– or at least a lie detector test – to grill him on Colin Kaepernick’s lengthy unemployment?
I’m all for it.
But
force Goodell (and game officials!) to answer questions about a blown call in January’s
NFC title game? That’s going way too far.
Unless
you’re a Louisiana judge and, presumably, a New Orleans Saints fan.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Serious question: What’s
the difference between the Reds-Pirates ninth-inning brawl Tuesday, and the June
15 brawl between adults at a youth baseball game in Colorado?
Give
it some thought.
I
suppose money is the first thing that comes to mind. Participants in the MLB brouhaha
rake six-, seven- or eight-figure annual salaries for their time. Combatants in
the latter incident were mere spectators, parents and/or coaches whose livelihoods
don’t rest on the exploits of 7-year-old players.
The
level of dedication is another easy distinction.
As
per usual when benches clear in the majors, the vast majority of uniformed
personnel Tuesday were in peacemaker mode. For every player who charged – Cincinnati’s
Amir Garrett and Yasiel Puig, in particular – roughly 5.5 players tried to hold
them back.
Conversely,
video of the fracas in Lakewood shows more than a dozen folks throwing punches with
bad intentions, relentlessly beating and tackling one another. Multiple people were injured, including one
who reportedly suffered facial and back injuries and several broken ribs.
But
even with the dissimilarities in paychecks and haymakers, the melees have
plenty in common.
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