I love college sports, but if this is the double-standard these kids face, no thank you.
Now I don't have all the facts here. I don't claim to be a legal expert. But when I hear weekly of another college athlete, namely football players, in trouble for taking improper benefits, being in trouble for on-campus indiscretions, facing petty drug crime charges or actually facing allegations of actual serious crimes, I cannot help but think that this never seemed to be such a visible issue. Sure, we can blame much of that on social media. But the social media needs a culture to drive it and regurgitate it. Those stories of Jameis WInston stealing crab legs or Shabazz Napier saying he went hungry at night while at UConn were not actually stories. Ok, theft does end up in the police blotter, no matter how much Florida St. tries to cover up every crime and indiscretion. ALLEGEDLY. The fact is we are guilty of making big deals out of these usually small issues because even at 18-20 years old, these are guys and sometimes girls we put on a pedestal and assume that just because you can throw a football really well or run really fast, that makes you something other than a dumb kid. Now it comes out that a star player at Georgia might have received $400 for signing autographs from some sleazebag who tried the same scheme on other college stars who turned him down. This unlucky and dimwitted Georgia player might not play again this season as they investigate his sin. FOR $400 What a bunch of malarky! If he were treated fairly by his university and the cartel that is the NCAA he might not need anything from that autograph dealer. Or the same could be said about Shabazz Napier saying he went to bed hungry. The NCAA's regulations sort of put these kids in a bubble. You'll never be just like every other student, but if you do anything the least bit fun or infamous, it's all over tv. God forbid, you get in trouble. Now you stand to face two juries: the jury of international social media and then a jury of your peers.
I love college sports, but if this is the double-standard these kids face, no thank you.
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There was not a lot to be happy about watching the Detroit Lions pull a defeat from the jaws of victory Sunday afternoon. Several key players got hurt. More still were nursing injuries already. The kicker missed three field goals which all would have lead the Lions to sure victory. He lost his job today because of it.
But one nice story came out of the game. Running Back George Winn was active for the game due to a lack of healthy running backs and he actually ended up seeing a good portion of the carries due to the game situations, his own success, and incumbent Reggie Bush's ankle injury. WInn finished the day with 48 yards on 11 carries, leading the Lions in rushing on a day where no one could run the ball effectively on either side. He had a couple key dropped balls but the fumbles that plagued him in the preseason did not appear. Winn's story is one of perseverance. The 23-year-old back from the University of Cincinnati was an undrafted free agent out of college who saw time with 5 practice squads in 2013 before the Lions gave him an extended look in the preseason in 2014. Winn is a local story, growing up and going to school only 30 miles from Ford Field in Detroit so he had a wealth of family at the game to watch his first ever regular-season game. Winn looks to see more consistent playing time after he passed this audition this week; RBs Bush, Bell, and Riddick are all recovering from some kind of injury with each man's return as yet unsure. But what we do know for sure is that a hungry, young local kid is ready and able to fill in if the need arise. References Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 5, 2014. (2014, October 5). Retrieved October 6, 2014. Conway, T. (2014, October 5). George Winn's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Reggie Bush's Injury. Retrieved October 6, 2014. The sporting world has been blown away by the series of allegations, legal troubles, and apologies by the NFL, its players, and staff over the next few weeks. The Ray Rice scandal, the Adrian Peterson allegations, several other players being involved with domestic altercations, and the way the NFL has handled them have all made for a lot of bad pub and worse feelings for the fans and the league. Some people are calling for heads to roll. They want people fired, namely the Commissioner Roger Goodell and the players who have committed these alleged infractions. Due to backlash and scrutiny, the league and teams have all made good and at least taken the players off the playing fields and active rosters. But what will satisfy fans, rights groups, or advertisers? Will contrition and self-imposed penalties do the trick? The Commissioner made a press conference where he read an apology for his actions in handling the Ray Rice scandal. Most observers made a point to say that the Commissioner on behalf of the NFL dodged most or all direct questions and did not really tell us anything we didn't already know. An apology like that as students of apologetic ethics might tell you, really could do more to hurt the person than help them. Goodell looks like a guilty man trying to earn himself breathing room while hiding behind the legal process knowing that he had to make a comment. In my opinion, the NFL has not done nearly enough to make this right. They announced like always that they will be forming a committee to work on domestic issues and player conduct that is made up of mostly women. How novel. They announced stiffer penalties for domestic violence convictions (6 games for 1st offense, lifetime ban for 2nd). But the real damage may already have been done. How can sponsors trust the NFL as a brand or a partner if their employees are engaging in illegal, immoral behavior? Some sponsors have already stopped their partnership with specific teams or as a whole. But for the long-term health of the league, how can they be trustworthy to not make more mistakes that sully their reputation? Really, they best answer is to bring in someone who can act as a disciplinarian Commissioner or Director of Player Conduct to take the reigns from Goodell. Goodell has been a great CEO for the NFL if you will, but his record with discipline is spotty. Too harsh sometimes, not harsh enough other times. If you bring in someone with some knowhow and football background (say a revered old coach) I think you would increase the chan ces of positive stories outweighing negative ones.
On the field of sport, it is common to see taunts and celebrations. Our favorite athletes can actually create an image and a brand by separating themselves on the field with some colorful gyrations. There has been the Icky Shuffle, the Dirty Bird, the Lights Out, and Aaron Rodgers' title belt pose, endearingly known as the Discount Double check from Rodgers' role as pitchman for State Farm Insurance. Well sometimes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and sometimes that imitation is a bad idea. Enter Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch. In Sunday's game between Tulloch's Lions and the Packers, Tulloch secured a key sack of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and lept to his feet to celebrate. He left his feet appearing to mimic the Discount Doublecheck move but as he landed his leg gave out and he crumpled to the ground. He rose quickly but would not return to the game. It was later found that he had torn his ACL in that leap and is done for the season to recover. The Lions now have to forge ahead on a promising 2014 season without the leader of their defense. They have since been linked to a a couple linebackers to fill the void a little but the damage is done and it remains to be seen just how much they accomplish without him. All because of one silly, throwaway dance and some throwaway bravado. Sometimes you got to know when to dance and when to get off the dance floor. I am all for the humor and the fun of the the regular, harmless dancing and taunting of football. Even as they make more and more rules against it, I dig it. But if you are going to leave your feet or physically exert yourself in any way, you better be sure you can handle it and you won't be putting your health and the team in jeopardy.
Ok, I'll admit it: I was a Madden Football junkie. An addict. All hooped up on the foosballs. That was only a couple years ago. I broke my addiction over the course of a couple seasons as life got in the way and the product got a little...unsatisfactory. Don't get me wrong, Madden still delivers all the hits and features of the biggest, best (and only) NFL-licensed game on all the major consoles. You still got the closest-to-the-real-thing players, playbooks, and on-field play as ever. I felt the series lost a little steam is all. That doesn't mean the corporate sponsors felt that way. "GMC is the official vehicle of Madden NFL 25. What this means is that in-game advertising returns to the popular football series as the all-new 2014 GMC Sierra full-size pickup will be included in this year's installment. As the quote alluded to, ads in Madden have been common, if not overdone in recent years. Recent sponsors Doritos and Old Spice have been plastered all over the stadiums and load screens of the games. Those two sponsors even had deals where if you bought their products, you got codes for exclusive in-game content. While I'm all for some gamers purposely going out to buy body wash, that's too much.
References Celebrate your Madden NFL 25 Super Bowl with an in-game GMC truck. (2013, July 13). Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.gamezone.com/news/2013/07/16/celebrate-your-madden-nfl-25-super-bowl-with-an-in-game-gmc-truck It was often joked at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina that the fall is just another time to wait for and ask when basketball season is coming. The Duke men's basketball team under coach Mike Krzyzewski has set a standard for programs across the country with their continued success, excellent student-athlete reputation, and graduates who have gone pro. In fact, it is with that success that Krzyzewski has reached the heights that he has winning over 903 career games and has set the record for Division I men's career coaching wins. With all the success, the football program at Duke has rarely made a blip on the radar. And then came Coach David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe came to Duke in 2007after years of success in major college football as a head coach and offensive coordinator having groomed such quarterbacks as Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Erik Ainge,Thaddeus Lewis, and Sean Renfree. Those Six quarterbacks whom Cutcliffe coached in college went on to play in the NFL, while Todd Helton and Seth Smith both of Major League Baseball were QBs under Cutcliffe in their college football days. His pedigree was going to have to work wonders as Duke had for years been a football laughingstock after some rather prestigious years decades earlier. "The program has 17 conference championships (7 ACC championships and 10 Southern Conference titles), 53 All-Americans, 10 ACC Players of the Year (the most in the ACC), and have had three Pro Football Hall of Famers come through the program (second in the ACC to only Miami's four) ("Colleges"). Although Duke has mostly struggled since the mid-1960s, the Blue Devils are currently undergoing a renaissance under Cutcliffe. Duke is the defending Coastal Division champion, having secured their first division title on November 30, 2013 with a win over arch-rival North Carolina. Additionally, the Blue Devils cracked the top 20 of the BCS standings, the AP Poll, and the Coaches' Poll during the 2013 season" However in more recent seasons, Duke had serious trouble winning. "From 1999 to 2007, Duke's football win-loss record was at 13–90; from 2000 to 2001 Duke suffered a 22-game losing streak". That's when Cutcliffe was hired."Cutcliffe was hired as Duke's 22nd all-time head football coach to lead the Blue Devils football program in late 2007 (Baker & Rucker, 2007). Duke went 4–8 in 2008 and Duke's 2009 season was a 5–7 campaign, the closest the school had come to bowl eligibility since 1994 (Robinson III, 2009). Cutcliffe's Duke teams had back-to-back 3-9 seasons in 2010 and 2011. Duke's 2012 team, despite low preseason expectations, after a 33–30 win against rival North Carolina became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 (Carter, 2012). Extending its season to December 27, 2012, Duke fell to Cincinnati 48–34 in a close contest in the Belk Bowl, finishing the season with a 6–7 record (Associated Press, 2012).
Duke's 2013 season was a break-out year for the team, as the Blue Devils have continued to cross off many of their infamous losing streaks. On October 26, 2013, Duke achieved its first win over a ranked team since 1994 with a 13–10 victory over #14 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA, a rarity for the Duke football program (Associated Press, 2013). That win over Virginia Tech was also Duke's first road win over a ranked team since 1971 (Martin, 2013). Following a bye week, on November 9, 2013 the Blue Devils achieved their first winning season since 1994 with a 38–20 home victory over in-state rival NC State, (Associated Press, 2013) their seventh of the season. Extending its winning streak to 6 straight by defeating #24 Miami 48–30 on November 16, 2013, Duke appeared in the AP Poll for the first time since 1994, listed at #25 with a record of 8–2 ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a win at Wake Forest on November 23, 2013, Duke claimed its ninth victory in a regular season for the first time since 1941, the season in which the Blue Devils hosted the Rose Bowl. The win also gave Duke at least a share of the Coastal Division title and a #24 AP Poll ranking ("The AP Top 25 Poll", 2013). With a 27–25 win over North Carolina on November 30, 2013, Duke locked up their first 10-win season in school history, the Coastal Division title, and a spot in the 2013 ACC Championship Game against Florida State, during which time Duke was ranked #20. David Cutcliffe received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award in 2013 (Duke Sports Information, 2013). The Blue Devils were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they lost another close, hard-fought game 52–48 to Texas A&M to finish the season with a record of 10–4 ("Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl.", 2013)." The traditions are forming under Cutcliffe and the wins are coming. Perhaps Duke can form a winning program in the mold of Notre Dame, Stanford, and Brigham Young before them, winning because of their rigorous academic standards rather than in spite of them. Time will tell, but the future is bright for the Blue Devils. And it isn't even basketball season yet. References Baker, M., & Rucker, B. (2007, December 15). Source: Duke hires Cutcliffe. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Carter, A. (2012, October 21). Late touchdown lifts Duke to 33-30 win over UNC. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Colleges. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/colleges.aspxDuke Sports Information. (2013, December 6). Cutcliffe Named National Coach of the Year. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Johnny Manziel, Aggies rally, edge Duke in Chick-fil-A Bowl. (2013, December 31). Retrieved September 15, 2014. Martin, N. (2013, October 28). Record-setting day leads to historic win for Duke football. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Press, A. (2012, December 27). Cincinnati shocks Duke with 83-yard TD pass with 44 seconds left. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Press, A. (2013, October 26). Duke picks off Logan Thomas 4 times, upsets No. 14 Virginia Tech. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Press, A. (2013, November 9). Blue Devils beat Wolfpack 38-20 for 7th win. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Robinson III, E. (2009, November 11). Local & North Carolina state news from Raleigh, NC | NewsObserver.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014. The AP Top 25 Poll. (2013, November 17). Retrieved September 15, 2014. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Blue_Devils_football#cite_note-57 Professional sports is a multi-billion dollar business and yet the fans get so little of that. In fact, they often are the most likely to shell out money of any interested parties. No other hobby on the planet requires so much of its fans and followers. But over the years the fans have found more and more ways to be even more closely connected to their favorite teams and players. Social media has brought them closer, perhaps too close. And the advent of fantasy sports has made the average fan a statistics junkie. In some cases it can even make you rich. The ads shown above are just a sample of the sites you can find with a quick google search for daily fantasy sports. Fanduel and Draftkings are examples of 1-day fantasy sites where you can play with real money (and somehow it's not considered gambling). They offer all sorts of games, matches, and leagues in almost any major sport. Fans play these religiously, sometimes actually winning money. I myself have won almost $500 on fanduel in less than 6 months. Of course, I've only turned around and put it all back towards the games themselves. And therein lies the beauty and business model of the sites -- get them hooked and they'll never leave with their winnings. With a few ads, these sites must be racking in the dough!
I included rotorants.com on there as well because they represent a subsection of the industry*. Every day, they offer advice, lineups, and blogs about daily and weekly fantasy sports happenings. They offer their best lineups and content for a small fee, often daily or weekly charges. That's right - someone actually found a way to make money off OTHER PEOPLE playing fantasy sports! They offer some really good help for picking lineups so it actually should pay for itself. But what a capitalist world we live in! These games make fans more closely follow the sports and players, rather than just their favorites. If anything, it's the best advertisement the leagues and players could ever ask for. At its worst however, it's a dark and mean world where fans go to twitter to threaten the lives of the players when they don't perform or taunt each other for accomplishments they didn't actually physically perform. *In the interest of impartialness, I write for rotorants.com
As for some of Week 2's scores, here are some of the scores of the above games:
Doesn't seem very competitive, does it? The teams agree to schedule these games because one side gets money and gets to play on major cable television. The other gets an (often) easy win and a chance to play a game or two with less tension to ease young players into the season. It isn't as easy as agreeing not to schedule FCS schools; some FBS schools are probably worse than the best FCS school and there will always be payouts to be given to teams looking for an easy game against a bad FBS team. In the end, the financial constraints of modern college athletic programs will probably dictate that some schools will always be willing to fall on the sword to better afford more smaller sports for their student-athletes. References Press, A. (2014, August 30). FCS champion Bison stun Cyclones, extend FBS win streak to 5. Retrieved September 15, 2014. ESPN.com services. (2013, February 13). Big Ten won't be playing FCS teams. Retrieved September 15, 2014. Michigan Wolverines vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Box Score. (2014, September 6). Retrieved September 15, 2014. Oregon scores final 28, buries Michigan St. (2014, September 6). Retrieved September 15, 2014. TD Staff Reporter. (2014, May 28). Will Muschamp Does Not Want To Play FCS Teams. Retrieved September 15, 2014. |