Category Archives: Sports

The NFL Doesn’t Suck

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NFL doesn't suck.Is it possible for an organization to have a worse P.R. week and a half than the NFL has? Multiple NFL players have committed or are accused of committing horrid abuse upon defenseless woman and children.

And we the fans (short for fanatic, unbalanced or obsessive behavior according to http://dictionary.reference.com/) continue to watch. In fact, according to onlyagame.wbur.org, NFL Ratings rose.

Should we football fans feel guilty for watching the NFL, despite the actions of the players and the league’s handling of these actions? Should we shrug and say we’re simply out of control fanatics who need our fix of football? I say no.

And that is not only because the team I root for – the Philadelphia Eagles – have begun the season 2-0 despite falling behind by 14 or more points in their first two games. This, by the way, is the first time that has ever occurred.

No, that is not the reason the NFL doesn’t suck. The NFL is a huge organization which includes nearly 1,700 players plus owners, coaches, trainers, and other personnel.  As has been brought to light, some of those associated with the NFL have conducted themselves in ways that they should be ashamed of. However, as everyone has heard many times, don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Devon Still reminds us that not all NFL players are uncontrolled brutes.

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Figuring Out How to Be a Penn State Fan In the Post-Sandusky World

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Penn State FootballIt’s early in the college football season. My alma mater is 2-0, including a win in its opener on a last second field goal.

On Monday, the school got even better news. Penn State—my alma mater—had its post-season ban lifted and will receive its full allotment of scholarships next year.

Yay, go State. Rah Rah.

I should be feeling all that, I suppose. And I am to some degree, but I don’t necessarily want to talk about that.

It’s been nearly three years since the horror of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal has been brought to light. Much has changed about the University. Sandusky (who was no longer a coach on the team) has been convicted and is serving a minimum 30-year term. Graham Spanier, the president of the University, was forced to resign. Tim Curley, athletic director, was fired. Legendary coach Joe Paterno was also fired. The University has paid out millions to the victims.

The football team itself has undergone onerous sanctions. The team had its second new coach (not including the interim coach who completed the 2011 season)—James Franklin—on the sidelines since Paterno was fired.

– See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/tmb-figuring-penn-state-fan-post-sandusky-world

Pic is courtesy of Google Images

Hey, Baseball Screen: Look at Me, Look at Me, Look at Me

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Family at baseball game.Look at Me, Look at Me, Look at Me.

Earlier this week, my family and I went to the Yankees game. It was our first time at ‘new’ Yankee stadium. For SJ the game was more momentous: it was SJ’s first professional baseball game. He was more interested in getting a hot dog than the actual baseball game.

BR, Ms. MMK and I were more interested in the actual game.

We wanted to see Derek Jeter one last time. The certain Hall of Famer is retiring this year. I wanted BR, a baseball fanatic, to be able to say he saw the great Yankee, Derek Jeter, play.

Derek Jeter at the plate.

Derek Jeter at the plate.

We wanted to do something as a family. Soon, the school year will start and schedules get hectic. It’s generally Sunday or bust.

Between and during the middle of innings, fans’ attention at the baseball game was called to the big screen that sits high above center field. Such a screen was once a novelty. Simply having the screen was cool, and it was not perpetually on. Well, times have changed. One must be constantly entertained during their stadium experience.

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Tony Dungy and What Makes Sports Great

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Football/Sports fieldAcross the NFL, teams are beginning training camp. Endless analysis is available about every imaginable aspect of the game. However, the biggest story is only marginally related to the game itself. That story, of course, is the controversy related to Tony Dungy.

Here’s some background for those of you who are not football fans or don’t know who Tony Dungy is. Dungy played briefly in the NFL before becoming a coach in the league.  Eventually, he became a head coach. His first head coaching job in the NFL was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He is most famous for his second head coaching job which came with the Indianapolis Colts.  It was with the Colts that he led a team to a Super Bowl victory. Dungy has since retired and is now a football analyst for NBC.

While I don’t know Dungy personally, the sense I get from listening to him and hearing others talk about him is overwhelmingly positive. He comes off as decent, respectable, and graceful. To be clear, Tony Dungy has been a stand-up guy.

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