Tag: sports

“Equality” means the girls must win

AD relates a tale of competition, such as it is:

Last year, my homeschooled son participated in a team puzzle-solving competition at the local college.  He had a blast, and when the alert came out for the event this year, he was the first to sign up.  My daughter wasn’t old enough last year, but was the second person to sign up this year.

The woman running the groups this year contacted my wife last night to inform her that my son had been cut from the team.  “Why?”

The woman admitted that my son had done quite well last year, had not upset or annoyed anyone, contributed heavily, and was definitely an asset to the team.  After quite a bit of beating around the bush, the woman finally admitted that the rest of the team was entirely female and she was afraid that they “might feel uncomfortable with one boy in the group.”

“So, you’re telling me that you cut my son from the team solely because he is MALE?”

“Um…well…er…yes, I guess.”

The punch line…the woman asked if my daughter would mind being the only girl on an otherwise all-male team.

The woman delayed talking to us (due to “bad email address, sorry”) until it was far too late to form a team of our own.

My son quit on the spot, knowing he was not welcome.  My daughter immediately quit in solidarity with her brother.  Both are looking forward to next year, when they form their own separate homeschoolers team and get even for the insult.

That’s the spirit. And this is an example of why no man should ever be chivalrous in competition with women. Crush the opposite sex without mercy every time they dare to step foot on a level playing field. Because far too few of them have any intention of playing fair with men and boys.

I’ve mentioned before that when I coached a boy’s soccer team, we once played in a tournament against all-girls team that was blatantly favored by the referee, so much so that my players were being called for their fouls and even had a goal disallowed for a nonexistent foul AFTER the goal was scored. And this was after I’d taken out all my starters since we were up 3-0.

So, I taught the opposing coach, the referee, and my boys a lesson by putting all of the starters back in and telling them to score at will. I don’t remember what the final score was, but it was in the teens and the girls never even came close to scoring. The boys were brutally unmerciful; both the starters and the subs were furious and each unnecessary goal was cheered as if  it was the winning one. The lesson was this: those who don’t play fair don’t merit any sporting mercy.

I don’t have any objection to genuinely gifted girls who really need to play with the boys in order to fully develop their skills. My favorite player on one of Ender’s teams a few years ago is now a junior international and will probably be called up to the women’s national team within the next two years. But in 42 years of playing soccer, she is the only girl I ever met who merited that sort of accommodation.

Anyhow, I hope the reader’s homeschooled team goes in and crushes the competition, particularly the team that wouldn’t have him.

The sins of the Pink Oktobrists

So, is the NFL going to fine itself for the behavior of its employees?

Several current and former National Football League TV Network employees, including former players and a former executive producer, were accused of sexually harassing a female employee, Bloomberg reported, citing an amended complaint by the woman. Jami Cantor, a former wardrobe stylist at the network, claimed ex-players including Marshall Faulk, Ike Taylor and Heath Evans allegedly groped and made sexually explicit comments at her.

The lawsuit filed Monday against NFL Enterprises in Los Angeles Superior Court also named Eric Weinberger, the former executive producer at the NFL’s TV network. Cantor, who was fired in October 2016, said Weinberger sent “several nude pictures of himself and sexually explicit texts” and told her she was “put on earth to pleasure me.” In the complaint, she also alleges Weinberger pressed his crotch against her shoulder and asked her to touch it.

While Faulk — an analyst with the network — would ask Cantor “deeply personal and invasive questions” about her sex life, Taylor sent Cantor “sexually inappropriate” pictures of himself and a video of him masturbating in the shower, Bloomberg reported, citing the filing.

Following the accusations, the network said in a statement that Faulk, Taylor, and Evans were suspended as an investigation is underway into the claims made by Cantor.

Weinberger is now president of sports commentator Bill Simmons’s media group. Simmons has praised Weinberger in the past, saying that “He’s a talented guy with an impeccable reputation, someone who is uniquely equipped to help me build an innovative multimedia company from scratch.”

Seriously, what are these guys thinking? Do such lame pickup attempts ever actually work? It’s almost as if these guys have never met nor talked to women before. And why are liberal bastions such hives of sexual harassment?

Emmitt Smith’s father’s rule about the end zone applies to women as well. “Son, show a little class. Act like you’ve been there before.”

NFL Week 14

The weekly open football thread. Discuss amongst yourselves.

UPDATE: The NFL is now hiring Fake Fans. What hath Goodell wrought?

Casting directors are now casting actors, models, and talent to work on Sunday, December 10th in Los Angeles, California.

Producers are seeking the following types:

We’re looking for LA’s biggest NFL fans to be a part of #NFLSunday’s Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles Pre Game Show!

Calling all LA Rams fans!

To audition for a role in the upcoming NFL Sunday pre-game show, check out the casting call breakdown below.

The NFL doubles down

I suspect the NFL is eventually going to regret signing up for more Goodell:

The Commissioner finally has a new contract. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL’s Compensation Committee has informed all owners that a new contract for Commissioner Roger Goodell has been executed.

The memorandum to all owners explains that a “binding contract extension has been signed by the Commissioner and by Arthur Blank, on behalf of the League entities.” The memo also cites the existence of a “nearly unanimous consensus” among the owners in favor of finalizing the extension now.

The answer to problems caused by SJW is always more SJW.

#MORETHAN4

I have to admit, the low percentage of cancer money dedicated to researching pediatric cancers kind of shocked me.

Joey Bosa, defensive end, Los Angeles Chargers. The other day, I was discussing with Bosa a column he was doing for The MMQB about a teenage boy he’d met in Houston, Sean, who had twice beaten cancer. Bosa decided to let Sean design his cleats for “My Cause, My Cleats,” the program in which the league allowed players to wear cleats designed to promote whatever cause is nearest and dearest to them. Bosa decided on pediatric cancer. So instead of asking Bosa for his Most Valuable Possession, I’ll let him pen his feelings about his Most Valuable Cleats, designed by his high-school buddy.

“Sean educated me on a lot of things about cancer. He told me, ‘Did you know that out of all the money raised for cancer research, only 4 percent goes to pediatric cancer?’ That just shocked me. That is not my world at all. I never even thought of it. I just thought how unfair that seemed. Four percent? Four percent? That just made a huge impact on me … I asked Sean if he wanted to design my cleats this year. I think he was pretty excited about it. I connected him with my rep at adidas, and I let Sean do whatever he wanted. You probably know breast cancer is pink. Pediatric cancer is gold. So they came up with these cleats.

“It’s Sean’s message to the cancer community: CHILDREN DESERVE #MORETHAN4. I love it. I think it’s fantastic. And I hope America gets to see his message from coast to coast.”

That’s ridiculous. It makes no sense to devote so much research and health care money to old people who have already lived their lives at the expense of children who haven’t had the opportunity to live them yet. The NFL should trade pink for gold.

The NFL is doing a lot that is wrong and is justly suffering the consequences of Roger Goodell’s stupid decisions. But one recent initiative I do like is the way they are permitting the players to use their cleats to support various causes.

A lack of self-awareness

Peter King of MMQB is a good football reporter, but he doesn’t seem to fully grasp the nature of his job is little different than the “social media screamers” he laments.

SOCIAL MEDIA SCREAMERS
In your MMQB this week, you made the comment that circumstances surrounding the Greg Schiano situation are “a disgrace to thinking people,” and that those that scream loud enough can overcome reason. I couldn’t agree with you more. To me, there are at least two consequences of this ongoing issue. First, the effort (or lack thereof) of decision makers, such as the Tennessee AD and his team, to perform due diligence and make decisions is becoming less relevant than making sure that the screamers agree with you. Second, thoughtful people are becoming less likely to be in positions of authority, as powerful people start to believe that only the decision’s reaction matters. It has become more important these days to scream than to think. Sports often mirror society, and I’m afraid that’s happening here. I’m hopeful that we’ve bottomed out on this issue, and that rationality and respect start coming back into vogue.​
—Benjy T., Statesboro, Ga.

Thanks, Benjy. We’re in a strange time in our country’s history. Intelligence and thinking have been devalued. Who can yell the loudest has greater value. We’ll see how long it lasts. I’m hoping it’s a passing fad, but I can’t predict it.

MEDIA HYPOCRISY
The result of mainstream media is in turn a direct result of people on social media using their platform to announce a  “guilty before proven innocent” verdict which is unfortunately the environment we live in now. How can you as columnist use your platform to continuously make it known your dismay for our current president? Can’t that be considered a mainstream media lynch mob attack, instead of a social media attack? Or can mainstream media also influence social media? However, this failed coaching hire is deemed a social injustice by you because the people/alumni of The University of Tennessee didn’t want a coach who potentially could have known about this abuse. This is now to be considered a social media lynch mob? Aren’t you in fact guilty of the same accusations that you are publicizing? I am fed up with the powerful left using every platform they can to push their agenda. I don’t want to see politics in my sports and I surely don’t want to see them in my sports articles. I know you probably won’t read this and some intern will, but at least I got someone to read it.  ​
—Chad H.

A lot of people feel the way you feel, and I can’t say you’re wrong and I’m right. I don’t know if I’m right. I just know that when the president does something I consider absolutely stupid and insulting to the American people and terrible for the country, I’m going to point it out on Twitter or maybe in an opinion part of my column. He has debased the presidency and in turn the country, and, obviously, I’m not afraid of saying so. I never want to wake up one day if something truly disastrous happens as a direct result of this president’s actions or inactions and say, “Why didn’t I say anything? Why was I silent?” I respect your right to criticize me, but to say it’s a media lynch mob … Chad, I assume you didn’t spend any time in journalism school in your life. I just wish you had. We’re about calling it the way we see it, most of us, and about trying to report—and comment on—facts.

Now, I think the decision of the Tennessee athletic director was abysmally stupid too, although I have been corrected as to the responsible parties, and it was not SJWs, but rather, deluded UT fans who think that their program merits a higher status football coach than Greg Schiano. Which is ironic, because the one thing Schiano can actually do is help a longtime underachieving program catch up to its historically more successful peers, which would seem to be a talent that is not irrelevant to UT football.

But Peter King’s obliviousness to the way in which his behavior is no different than people expressing their opinion on social media demonstrates the way the media resents the public having access to a voice of their own. Of course, this is why the SJW-converged social media giants have been increasingly trying to shut down everyone who is genuinely on the right, in order to maintain the Left’s control on the public discourse.

And be warned, if you’re going to use this as an excuse to talk about yourself and things you don’t do, I will spam you without hesitation. I am thoroughly sick of the precious snowflakes who believe anyone else cares about their opinion of someone else’s interests so I’m going to start spamming all of them. There are many things I don’t do, and I don’t leap in to express my opinion about any of them whenever someone mentions one. If you’re not interested in the topic of a post, that’s absolutely fine. Don’t comment on it.

UPDATE: As he so often does, Mike Cernovich explains this particular media phenomenon:

It’s HARASSMENT when the right does it, it’s ACTIVISM when the left does it. Understanding that key Rule to Social Justice (and its various permutations and implications)…. and it all makes sense.

UPDATE: As one might have anticipated, no one wants the UT job now.

The University of Tennessee’s comical/pathetic search for a head coach now includes being spurned by an alumnus. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will not interview for the vacant Volunteers job. After firing Butch Jones, the Volunteers offered/rescinded former Bucs coach Greg Schiano, and have been turned down by Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, a former Vols assistant, has also declined to interview for the job. 

Social media veto at UT

I don’t see how the University of Tennessee football program is likely to benefit from its decision to back out of hiring my fellow Bucknellian Greg Schiano because people were shrieking about it on social media:

As detailed by SI’s Bruce Feldman, the University of Tennessee on Sunday backed out of a deal to hire Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as its next head football coach. The two sides reportedly signed a “memorandum of understanding” or MOU. As explained below, an MOU for a college coach is a formal record of the understanding between the coach and the school as to the key terms and conditions under which the university would employ the coach. Could Schiano sue the university for breach of contract, fraud or other claims? If all of the necessary parties signed an MOU, the answer would be yes.

Tennessee’s football program is in disarray after a season in which the team finished 4–8 and winless in SEC play. Earlier this month, the school fired head coach Butch Jones. The firing was not a surprise, but that the school would target Schiano—best known as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rutgers before his time in Columbus—to replace Jones was surprising.

Schiano has a controversial reputation, in part due to his time as Penn State’s defensive backs coach in the early ’90s under former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexually abusing young boys. In a 2015 deposition for a civil suit between the school and its insurance company concerning the payouts to Sandusky’s victims, another former Penn State assistant coach, Mike McQueary, testified he had heard through another coach that Schiano had recounted witnessing Sandusky molest a boy. In interviews with media, Schiano has denied the allegation, and he was never charged or otherwise implicated by any other party in the lengthy litigation of the Sandusky scandal.

I’m not a particular fan of Schiano, as I wasn’t impressed with his performance in Tampa Bay, but what high-caliber coach is going to want to go anywhere near Tennessee now? It’s been established that the authorities will bow promptly to the whims of the sufficiently vocal, so what coach smart enough to have options would want to go anywhere near that maelstrom of lunacy?