WHY I STOPPED WATCHING (PART II OF III)

     Although I had watched very little NBA or NFL competition in the past five years, during the 2011 lockouts, it only turned me off more from watching. 

     You have the NBA, the owners, and the players.  The owners and NBA make shitloads of money from NBA jerseys, ticket sales, commercials, etc.  Kind of like, say, John Deere.  People buy their hats, shirts and boots....but also have workers building the tractorst that those same customers own.  Well, the problem is that players were pissed they didn't get a bigger cut from that money.  Don't mind the fact that some players make over $10 Million a year.  In the NFL, a player that sits on the sidelines all season long makes no less than $380,000 a year.  Not a bad deal huh? 

    The tipping (forgive the pun) point for me was when I saw these players on television complaining about how much they make and how 80% of NFL players and 60% of NBA players are bankrupt after retirement.  Of course they are worried about the young players to:

“The biggest concern right now is that we have some young players who don’t have insurance and who have to pay COBRA and who may not have the ability to pay COBRA over a long term,” NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said Thursday at the organization’s annual meetings. “Is it a ton of players? No. But is it concern enough for us? Absolutely.-Kevin Mawae

     You are worried about a kid paying his medical insurance when he makes more than a million dollars a year?  Sorry, I am not buying it. 

     So this is my rub; a bunch of "professionals" playing a boy's game and getting paid millions and millions of dollars in salary and then millions more in endorsements.  But, bitching about how owners are not giving them enough of the share of profit?  I would like to say that considering they play six months on the road or half the year...away from family and work hard...they deserve a good pay check.  I think they get it. 

     Considering just those facts, I have no idea how any fan of the NBA or NFL can respect the guys on the field that participated in this ridiculous process.  Frankly, the NBA action is not really that good.  Three or four teams are fun to watch, but aside from that the NBA would be a hobby to keep up with considering the amount of games they play and the number of franchises they have added to the conferences.  I use the NBA as most of the example, but NBA, NFL, NHL...doesn't matter.  If you try collective bargaining for more wages when you are making millions and your job is a ball game (or puck) you are wrong.

    Overpaid, underplayed and spoiled is what they are.
 
    This is a big reason why I enjoy NASCAR.  They don't complain about how much money they make or how much the owners make.  They share their earnings with their crew and nine times out of ten appreciate the fact that they are fortunate to do something as great as race stock cars and get rich while doing it.  However, I do have a bone to pick with NASCAR in part III.

WHY I STOPPED WATCHING (PART I OF III)

     First of all, reading sports articles with the term "post-racial" would give the idea that race doesn't matter anymore in pro sports.  After all, that is what "post-racial" indicates; however, although I read article after article that uses that term, authors just cannot help themselves but turn their article into the exact opposite of what point they want to make.

     Regardless, pro sports are not post-racial.  It will only be such, when the media decides that it is.  It no longer requires equal opportunity for all or what fans want to read about, instead the media obsesses about race and about gender because they can make another story about it. 

     The real motivation behind this post is why I stopped watching pro football and pro basketball.  Sick of the incessant concentration of the media, the players and the owners on race.  Success in today's sports is dependent on two things; smarts and physical ability.  Therefore, to even mention color of skin or gender in my opinion is a waste of breath.  Save your breath and talk about the talent.  (

The second reason will be revealed in part II)

     What has recently sent me over the edge on this subject is the new kid on the block in the NFL, Robert Griffin III.  I have seen article after article referring to how finally the NFL has a black quarterback that is both smart AND fast.  Of course, the recent comments from an ESPN commentator saying RG was "not one of us."  He is just one commentator (and was suspended for his comments), but the incessant concentration on race is absolutely ridiculous. 

To give an example, here are just a few titles of articles written recently in reference to the new kid on the block (references will follow the post):

"African-American Quarterbacks such as  Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III had road to NFL paved for them by many pioneers"

"Media OK with NFL's New 'Black Jesus' Quarterback "

"The Plight Of The African-American Quarterback In The NFL"

And this gem:  "The Black Quarterback Is Dead - The NFL quarterback position is post-racial"

     The real problem with sports, politics and even in the private industry is that focus on race takes away from the more important factor of performance. 

     Why, in 2012, this focus on a kid who worked hard in school and on the field?  Because he is black?  RG is coming into a sport and a position on the field that has had numerous talented and successful black quarterbacks.  RG is coming in TWENTY-EIGHT years after the well known Warren Moon stepped on the field to play for the Houston Oilers. I watched Warren Moon play as a ten year old on ESPN numerous times.  That was a time I was encapsulated with all pro sports.  NOT ONCE do I remember ANY commentator referring to race...not once.  But today, in the "post racial" atmosphere...talent is overshadowed by what color a kid's skin is. 

     There are no racial barriers...unless the media is really going to focus on each position on the field and court down to water/towel boys to see when a barrier is broken.  Most people that even casually watch sports can easily name many present and past black quarterbacks---where is the barrier? 

Where is the story? 

Next:  Overpaid, Underplayed, and Spoiled Pro Sports
 

Beaten At Our Own Game

This is a long introduction to an article at the bottom:

Growing up having my grandfather, all my uncles and my dad working and retire from General Motors, I have developed a certain amount of loyalty toward General Motors and have been inclined to have an enormous amount of unwavering loyalty to American made vehicles period. I wanted to work at the same plant that they all retired from, even when I was sixteen I wished the plant would not shut down, I wanted to work there.

I am like a Christian on a crusade when I hear someone talking about buying a Camry or a VW Jetta or a Kia (why somebody would ever buy a car made in Korea is beyond me anyhow). I make myself sound crazy preaching to them that they should buy American, crazy or not I will continue to do that, because I think it is patriotic to buy American, and if I am buying a NEW car that is all I will ever buy, think that is taking it too far? Try this on, one of the first questions to the guy who wants my blessing to marry my daughter is going to be “would you ever buy a foreign vehicle?”



I absolutely hate continuing to monitor the dwindling situation of General Motors. It irritates me to see such an icon of American history (this goes for Ford as well) continue to flail its arms in the water to avoid drowning. I am convinced that the article below is accurate by saying that turning GM around is like winning the war on terrorism; it is going to take a lot of time and a lot of sacrifices and if people are unwilling to share in the sacrifices it will take that much longer.

What it comes down to, is I feel beaten (personally). Although I know that General Motors has turned into this enormous machine that is completely out of control with overhead, too many plants, a misconceived reputation of non-reliability, and a grim future of snowballing health care costs for its employees and retirees, I feel like we have been beaten on our own field at our own game.

To me it is like the 1984 hockey game during the cold war when we defeated the USSR as the underdogs, beat them at their own game. Today, Asia playing off of an old reputation (and as far as I am concerned untrue reputation) and using the advantage of selling cars in the United States and Asia, they are beating us at our own game.

I know and am sure that twenty years from now, GM will rise back to the top, and may not be a car giant but will be a streamlined, efficient, profit spewing, Toyota stomping machine that is so well greased that it runs like clockwork…Until then, GM will be in the Intensive Care Unit close to needing life support with doctors running around like crazy trying to figure out what it will take to get GM healthy again. If you are at the least interested in the behind the scenes problems with General Motors.....read on :-)

Read GMs Unfortunate Tragedy of General Motors