Posted on October 28th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
You know the thing about common sense? It’s not that common.
The NFL proves as much time and again in deciding what’s a fineable offense and what isn’t. The league often hits when it should stay, and stays when it should hit.
Under that formula of reverse psychology, New England tight end Rob Gronkowski will be a little lighter in the pocket shortly.
In case you missed it, Gronkowski was all over the news this week for being pictured with porn star Bibi Jones, who wore his jersey while he went shirtless in one of the photos that surfaced on Twitter. He spent part of Wednesday apologizing for the act. “I didn’t intend anything to hurt the reputation of anyone on the New England Patriots or on behalf of [team owner] Robert Kraft,” he told reporters. “It was just a simple picture, and that’s all.”
Hardly. It was a boon to Ms. Jones‘ career, as scores of men who never heard of her undoubtedly turned to Google for, um, more information. And it likely cost Gronkowski some cool points in the locker room, because Ms. Jones said she wanted much more than a photo op with him but nothing happened.
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Posted on October 27th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
It’s dubbed the “World All-Star Classic,” a proposed series of six games over two weeks played on four continents. The expected headliners are Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Amar’e Stoudemire, among the NBA’s best players and biggest stars. They’re the guys who get the max contracts and TV commercials, the sneaker lines and endorsement deals.
They’re also the guys who apparently couldn’t care less about rank-and-file players, the bulk of the league’s workforce.
These all-stars are sending several messages, each worse than the other. It’s a far cry from the USO’s “Hoop for Troops” tour, designed to entertain troops and their families. It also lacks the quaintness of the star-studded exhibitions across the nation.
No, this all-star tour looks like a selfish, self-centered money grab by the league’s elite, oblivious to the tour’s effect on their fellow players, labor negotiations and the general public.
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Posted on October 26th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Using “brave” to describe athletes and their feats is almost always a poor choice of words. But it’s quite appropriate in describing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who has been exhibiting a form of courage that’s rarely seen in sports, especially the macho world of pro football.
Marshall holds the NFL record for most receptions in a game (21), but he’s about catching more than just footballs. He’s on a mission to catch men and women living with borderline personality disorder. He addressed about 250 students Monday at Harvard University, telling them how therapy helps him cope with the NFL’s pressure and fame.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Marshall said. “I’m excited to use my celebrity, my fame, whatever you want to call it, to be one of the faces of mental health.”
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Posted on October 24th, 2011
NBA All-Star and Montrose Christian School alumn Kevin Durant
By DERON SNYDER
It’s easy to be jaded and cynical and skeptical about the merits of big-time youth basketball, in which teenagers fly around the nation, play on national TV and grace magazine covers.
It’s easy to surmise that the attention is excessive and premature, contributing to larger problems in college and beyond because it puts teens on pedestals and instills a sense of entitlement, merely because they’re good ballplayers.
But it’s harder to reach those conclusions once you learn about some of the players or watch a documentary like “Prayer For a Perfect Season,” which debuts Tuesday on HBO.
This exceptional, behind-the-scenes look at an elite-level prep program provides much more than the sliver of sports — the actual games — we’re accustomed to watching.
“Prayer” clothes the players and coaches in humanity we typically forget when discussing rankings, records and statistics. Though it chronicles the 2010-11 season of St. Patrick High, the Elizabeth, N.J., school that finished No. 2 in the USA Today Top 25, the documentary details storylines undoubtedly found at other national powerhouses.
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Posted on October 21st, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
The descent has been startling in angle and suddenness, a sharp decline seemingly out of nowhere.
Two years ago, Donovan McNabb was enjoying his 11th season as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, in the midst of leading his team to yet another first-place finish in the NFC East. Philly advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive season and the seventh time in McNabb’s tenure.
But the Eagles decided they were set for the future with two younger quarterbacks – Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick – so McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins in April 2010. That could’ve been the first red flag, the fact that Philly didn’t fear shipping its quarterback to a division rival.
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Posted on October 21st, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
HBO host Bryant Gumbel made a few accurate points Tuesday in his rant against David Stern, especially the part about the NBA commissioner being “infamously egocentric.” But in trying to climb inside Stern’s head and assess Stern’s intentions, Gumbel invited questions about his own perceptions and motives.
Gumbel said that Stern “has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys. It’s part of Stern’s M.O., like his past self-serving edicts on dress code or the questioning of officials,” Gumbel said. “His moves were intended to do little more than show how he’s the one keeping the hired hands in their place.”
Comparisons between pro athletes and slaves or leagues and plantations are cringe-worthy and totally inappropriate. They diminish the horrific experiences of the Diaspora, forced labor, ripped-apart families, raped women, sold children, lynched men, etc.
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Posted on October 18th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Females who play tackle football against males are rare and usually found at a particular position: kicker. That keeps them from virtually all contact, but it doesn’t ensure their acceptance or safety, as evidenced by the ordeal of Katia Hnida, who in 2003 became the first female to score in an NCAA football game.
Eighth-grader Mina Johnson plays positions that are much more physically demanding — nose tackle, guard and linebacker — for Virginia’s Southampton Academy junior varsity, but she doesn’t worry about acceptance from her teammates. The same, however, isn’t true for North Carolina’s Lasker Northeast Academy, which threatened to forfeit last week if Johnson played.
So she decided to sit out for her team’s sake. “[They] said they wouldn’t come to the game and would forfeit because I am a girl,” Johnson told the Tidewater News.
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Posted on October 15th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who is also president of the NBA Players Association, is a pretty sharp individual and has represented his side well in the ongoing lockout. But even smart guys can make dumb mistakes, and Fisher made a doozy as the NBA was canceling the first two weeks of the season.
Fisher thought that it would be a great idea if players flooded people’s Twitter timelines with the catchphrase “Let Us Play” and the hashtag #StandUnited. The NFL Players Association used a similar tactic last spring during that league’s protracted labor dispute.
But the responses were totally different because perceptions of the two leagues and their athletes are totally different. NFL players are in a violent, often debilitating sport where contracts aren’t guaranteed and fans are virtually rabid in their passion. Conversely, NBA players are considered spoiled and pampered in a driveway sport that nets them goo-gobs of guaranteed money for playing hard sometimes, which makes them much less sympathetic characters.
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Posted on October 12th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
The odds of most NBA players making a successful transition to the NFL are the equivalent of them making a length-of-the-court heave. But not for Miami Heat superstar LeBron James. It’s a virtual slam dunk that he’d become one of the NFL’s best tight ends the moment he signed a contract.
James caused a stir in the Twitterverse Tuesday when he inquired about the NFL deadline for free agent signings. Harmless fun after the NBA canceled the first two weeks of the regular season? Perhaps. But if he’s at all serious about trading his headband and sneakers for a helmet and cleats, he’d garner interest from plenty of teams.
We’re talking about a 6-foot-8, 250-pound athlete with freakish athleticism, speed and hands. That combination of size, coordination and agility would make him a nightmare for any defensive back and most linebackers. Even if James was used primarily as a red-zone specialist, featured when his team neared the opponent’s end zone, he’d have a dramatic impact on games.
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Posted on October 12th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Between its blighted houses, shrinking population, downsized auto industry, high crime rate and scandalous “hip-hop mayor,” Detroit has come to symbolize despair. The coolest thing about the Motor City lately had been those Chrysler commercials with the Eminem beats.
But the city is enjoying a revival of sorts under former NBA star and businessman Dave Bing, who was elected mayor in 2009. And now another athlete-turned-executive is doing his part for Detroit’s rebirth on the football field.
As general manager of the Detroit Lions, Martin Mayhew heads the NFL’s most resurgent team. Following their victory against Chicago on Monday Night Football, the Lions are 5-0 for the first since 1956. Just two seasons removed from an NFL-record winless campaign (0-16), the Lions have won nine consecutive games dating to last year.
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