The Mixing of Sports and Politics

Editor’s note: Before I begin, I want to apologize for my long lay off. It’s been a crazy time and I’ve had a lot going on, but I’m back!

What inspired me to write this post was a film I watched Friday night called, “Not Just a Game: Power, Politics and American Sports” by the sports columnist Dave Zirin. Zirin has been pushing the discussion about politics in sports for years. Zirin with the help of All Balls Don’t Bounce brought the Canadian premiere of the movie to the Reel World Film Festival in Toronto.

The documentary challenges the premise that sports should only be between the lines and politics should never be part of the sports discussion. However the film illustrates that politics and American sports (I would dare say even outside of the U.S.) have always crossed paths. Athletes have taken political stands that were deemed unpopular at the time pertaining to race, gender, labour issues and a myraid of other topics. And at times the roles were reverse, where politics interjected itself into sports.

A couple of questions that came out of the film and the Q & A afterwards was: Do athletes have a responsibility to take a political stand when the opportunity arises? And how does the media frame the discussion for the public? Does the media bring both sides of the debate to the public or do they frame the debate to only give one side of the debate?

To be honest, I’m torn on this issue. I think you have to look at every situation on case by case basis because it depends on the character of the athlete and also how controversial the issue may be. An athlete must always consider the risk versus reward and come to terms of what the implications may be from their actions to speak out. It takes a ton of courage to dip your toe into the political waters regarding any issue and with more and more money involved in sports it does become tougher for the modern athlete to take a stand, but some of has shown that there are still a few athletes that have the courage to do so.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments on this.

Goodell on the Hot Seat

I’m not sure if this past week will be one that Commissioner Roger Goodell will cherish when he reflects on his time as commissioner of the NFL. Goodell had two issues he probably didn’t want to deal with this past week, Brett Favre’s off-field behaviour and setting heavier penalties on helmet-to-helmet hits.

Lets start with the investigation into Brett Favre’s conduct with Jenn Sterger the NY Jets game day host when Favre was on the team.  The last thing that the NFL wants to deal with is another harassment scandal following on the heels of the Jets and Inez Sainz of TV Azteca. For the last couple of weeks it looks like the NFL has been stonewalling this investigation. And I can understand for good reason why they would do so, no one at NFL headquarters wants to poke around their golden boy’s closet. That’s always a dangerous proposition because you never know what skeletons you may find. Favre has been good for the NFL. Let me rephrase that, he’s been great for the NFL. He’s always near or at the top of jersey sales and he’s historically a big ratings draw.

Now, I’m not here to judge Farve or to come down on one side or the other regarding his actions (not at least until I get all the facts), but the league’s tepid response I’ve found interesting and quite amusing. Goodell has the NFL security investigating the alleged incidents. I suspect a thorough investigation from the league may go something like this, “Brett, did you send in appropriate photos to Ms. Sterger?”, Brett’s reply, “No.”. “Ok, were done here. Get back to making that money for us.”. We’ll see how this all unfolds as there is rumour and speculation there may be more skeletons in Farve’s closet . Hopefully the league will have the same enthusiasm to review and investigate this situation as they’ve done with prior investigations.

The other big issue facing the league was exacting stiffer penalties to players for helmet-to-helmet hits. The fact that the league is trying to curb (what they deem as) vicious hits is fine, but once these decisions are coming from a pure place with no hidden agenda, that’s where things get murky. Here’s a league that’s played up the gladiator style of the game from day one. From NFL Films to DVDs playing up the big hits to sements like “Jacked Up” on ESPN Countdown (to be fair, ESPN has removed that segment due to the injuries and sensitivity to concussions). Even on the very week Goodell announced the new penalties, DVDs and photos were still being sold from the NFL.com.

The other element to consider is that the league and players still haven’t come to a new collective bargaining agreement and one of the biggest obstacles has been extending the season to eighteen games. Now, I’m sure that everyone wants players to leave the field of play under their on strength when they retire, but sometimes perception trumps reality and this maybe one of these times. The league has implemented quite a few rules to protect players in the last couple of years and those that objective include many defensive players who believe the league is trying to “soften” the game. If they are trying to soften it, implementing these rules is a good way to make your case for an eighteen game season.

The impact of the commissioner’s decision has already been felt. In two instances in today’s Ravens-Bills game, Ravens’ defensive backs pulled up on receivers to avoid a big hit and it ended up costing them two scores. It’s hard to train players to play a certain way for years and in one stroke – expect them to change their natural instincts. There’s other factors that play into how we got to this point like poor tackling habits that have crept into the game. But for the commissioner’s sake and the league’s, I hope he has a handle on the situation because if he doesn’t, he may have a bigger problem to contend with when the season ends.

The Steelers Give Thanks

The Steelers have a lot to be thankful for at the quarter mark of the season. If you asked Coach Tomlin at the start of the season – would he take a 3 and 1 record after 4 games without their Pro-Bowl quarterback? The answer would be a resounding “Yes.”.

This coming Sunday, the Steelers are coming off the their bye week with Big Ben Roethlisberger back in the saddle for the Steelers. It will be interesting to seewhat reaction he receives from Pittsburgh fans and fans from around the league. It will also be interesting to see how his teammates react to him being under the centre again. The media, I’m sure will play their part as they always do as they try to dissect if there’s dissension in Steelerland. Every stray comment from a Steeler will be examined to try and find chinks in the armor.

For Roethlisberger’s part, he’s also used the media but for damage control. This past weekend, he was on EPSN for a one-on-one. It was the typical interview that we’ve all become use to seeing, the journalist throws a few softball questions and gives the athlete a chance to “bear his/her soul”. “I’m working on being a better person.”, “I looked in the mirror and I didn’t recognize myself.”, “I have to earn the trust back of the fans and my teammates.”, blah, blah, blah and on it went. Did I expect anything less from ESPN, who was tied to Big Ben as much as babies and pacifiers as a famous man once said (R.I.P. ODB). Between promotions with the network, cameo appearances on their shows and it’s even been discussed that he’s come in as the “closer” to woo advertisers to the network, plus throw in their lack of coverage when the first story from the resort hit, are you surprised they would give him soft treatment. Heck, masseuses give rougher treatment to their clients compared to the questions Merril Hoge (a former Steeler by the way and his mentor) gave Ben.

On the field, the news has been great as his teammates have bailed him out from this season being a disaster. Batch, Dixon, a great running attack and the Steeler defense have combined to make the Steelers a force in the AFC this year. The schedule has also helped as they have only had to play the Ravens within the division, so they have 5 more divisional games with Big Ben at the helm.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I bleed black and gold but Roethlisberger has a lot to prove on and off the field. This week, he gets his chance to start the the recovery process on the field – off the field will take more time than a late game heroics from number 7 to win over the public.

McNabb Wins Round One

I wasn’t sure what to make of the Redskins – Eagles game. I’ve never been a McNabb fan or a fan of either team, but there’s no question the game would have drama, as a Football fan (at least it started that way). Eagles fan were fairly respectful to McNabb considering their reputation. The game started off with Washington coming out on fire and it looked like a route was impending. However, Vick lead the Eagles downthe field with an impressive drive that fell short of the end zone.

Then Philly’s worst nightmare happened, Vick was down on the ground and he wasn’t getting up. After the Vick injury, the game loss a lot of tension and drama. For it to be suspenseful, Vick had to play and hopefully play well. Vick was the other part of this equation and without him – it felt as if McNabb loss his dance partner. The game settled into a pretty dull feud with Kolb looking confused and McNabb being ineffective.

Donovan McNabb has always been an enigma, statistically he’s one of the best quarterbacks of  his generation, but too many times in big spots he’s let down the fans, his team and himself. It’s the inability to win the big game is what separates him from being discussed in the same breath as Manning and Brady.

For his sake, maybe in Washington he can turn his fortunes around and become the quarterback we thought he would be when he was drafted from Syracuse University more than a decade ago.

One Word: Rafa

It’s been a crazy few weeks, but with the NFL season and college football starting up, it would be easy to post about one of last week’s games. But after watching Rafael Nadal win his first U.S. Open and complete the career grand slam at 24, I had to give him his props. It took him two days between rain delay after rain delay to defeat Novak Djokovic. Djokovic put up a great fight, but it was asking too much from the young Serb to defeat Federer and Nadal back to back.

The scary part is that Nadal’s dominance may even grow in the coming years as Federer’s game continues to decline. I’m on the record as not being a Nadal fan, but I give him credit on adjusting his game to fit any surface. The big unknown is his health. If he stays healthy, he may have an opportunity to win the Grand Slam (all 4 majors in one calendar year). It’s a great time to be a tennis fan; there’s a lot of great young challengers like Murray, Del Potro and Djokovic fighting for Nadal’s crown.

I know it’s Fall and that means football but there will be plenty of time to talk about pulling starting QB’s and what defenses need to blitz more. For now I just want to acknowledge greatness when I see it because sometimes we take it for granted.

Reaction to Mixed Martial Arts in Ontario

I’m no expert on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but I know enough to understand that this is a big story. And it will only grow as we get closer to the first MMA event in Ontario. So I asked my boy Yves to post his thoughts on the decision, as I know he’ll be one of the first in line when tickets go on sale for the first event. Check out what he had to say:

What is my reaction to MMA being approved in Ontario by the McGuinty government? “What took you so long Dalton?” On March 23, 2010, “Premier Dad” as he is known in Ontario for his “I know what is good for Ontario and you don’t“ approach said, “I would be surprised if anyone said, ‘You know on my top three is we’ve got to get this new mixed martial arts (MMA) started in Ontario. That’s going to mean a lot to me and my family and our future together. It’s just not a priority for our families; it’s not a priority for me.’ (See: Ontario Premier ‘tapping out’ on MMA – March 23, 2010).

Like Johnny Gill used to sing My, My, My – what do we have here? MMA will be allowed in Ontario in early 2011 as per the Ontario government’s announcement on August 14, 2010. Ontario will now join six provinces and 46 states that have regulated MMA

Why the sudden change of heart? One word: C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) especially in Ontario where they see that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events have been held once in Vancouver in June 2010 and on three separate occasions in Montreal from 2008 to present. It has been a known fact that UFC president Dana White has considered Ontario as the “mecca” for MMA. As the host to a major MMA event , Toronto could generate a crowd of some 30,000 spectators with an estimated impact of anywhere from six to eight million dollars for the local economy. With numbers like those, plus growing popularity of UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality show on SPIKE TV, the UFC has been a successfully run MMA organization globally.

However, there are critics who contend that MMA is ‘human cockfighting’, ‘barbaric’ ‘violent’ etc. While I acknowledge that MMA is not for everyone, it is a combat sport. The problem I have is the hypocrisy by the Canadian Medical Association who recently called for a ban of professional MMA because it’s an “activity that leads to serious issues, including damage to people’s brains.”. I don’t see a rush for Ontario to ban hockey (partially known for it’s history of violence, weaved within the Canadian fabric), which experiences more cases that we can count (elbow issues anyone?).

MMA is safer than boxing, has more strategy involved with its various elements of combat sports which have been around forever. There has not been a death in UFC, there is lots of appeal on a global scale and a sport that teaches major discipline for participants like myself who have taken up combat training since May 2010. While being a novice in the sport, I have developed a greater appreciation for the dedication, training methods and the intensity of MMA fighters.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but boxing has been around and I don’t see a cry to ban it (except when Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps ducking Manny Pacquiao for no good reason!). If MMA is not your thing, you have the right to not like it but as The Rock used to say, “For the millions and millions of MMA fans”, Ontario will be bringing a UFC card near you.

On the Big Stage

I’m feeling under the weather, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. There wasn’t much going in the past week. Major sports stories are far and few between. It’s like everyone is holding back for the kickoff of the NFL season. So it’s either talk about the FIBA World Basketball Championship or Tiger’s divorce. For me that’s an easy choice. I can talk ball at any time.

Consider this post an observation more than a blog entry. I’ve taken a peak at the World Championships as Team USA has begun its defense as the best basketball nation in the world. Many of the big names from the 2008 Olympic team have decided to stay home for numerous reasons. Either by accident or on purpose, the powers that be from the NBA and the basketball media have conspired to push Kevin Durant to the next level (for all you wrestling hacks, you know this as giving the babyface the big push).

It’s the first time Durant’s been on the world stage and like it or not, this team will sink or swim based on his play. Team USA, a.k.a. The Durants as I like to call them, will not receive a lot of press from the sports media unless they lose. But win or lose, Durant’s play in this tournament will be a point of discussion within the basketball community. Especially with no marquee names on the card, it’s Durant’s show.

Some people will ask if he can be a leader of a team on the global stage? Can he be that marquee guy? It’s easy to chalk up wins with no national attention, try it if you’re LeBron, Kobe, Dwayne, Dwight or Carmelo and every move you make is scrutinized. Believe me, fans, media and the NBA are watching how he’ll react in this circumstance.

Durant’s got next? If you don’t think so, look at how the media fawned over his mild tweet when mentioned he resigned with the Thunder. It was too easy of a transition to LeBron who now wears the black hat. Media loves to position good guys vs bad guys. It’s an easy narrative for them, getting into the weeds is too complex a task for readers to understand or so they believe. So they simplify.

But let’s get back to the subject, young Kevin. Kevin, I wish you luck in this tournament and the upcoming campaign because after last year’s great run, it’s all downhill from here. You now have the dreaded “E” word thrust on to you – “expectations”. And if you don’t satisfy those expectations for the fans, media and even the NBA… well ask LeBron what happens next.