Sports Getting Soft

Ok. So here we go. Let's give this a shot. This is something that's become a major problem in sports today. The NFL. The NBA. Both of these leagues had for years prided themselves on being physical games. Hell. Football? That's probably most physical game in the world. But now they've got a newly implanted rule about hits deemed by the league to be "too physical." How is that even possible? I mean, don't get me wrong. I understand it's implementation. These teams, owners and the league all spend millions of dollars on these men and they are simply trying to protect they're investments. I would be the same way if I had $500 million dollars lying around and could buy a pro sports team. However, this season has been ridiculous. James Harrison has been fined $100,000 (used to be $125,000 until he had his fine reduced) this season alone for his hits. Sure. Some of his hits are to the head and have caused concussions (see Josh Cribbs) but that's not the point I'm trying to make. Harrison is right, physical is the way he was taught to play the game. You expect one of the league's best defensive players and most physical presence's to suddenly change the way he's been playing the game his entire life? I feel like that would be asking Bob Dylan to suddenly change the music he writes. Or ask Willie Nelson to suddenly stop hanging out with Mary Jane. You can't. It's their way of life.

Now. I've seen all the hits that Harrison has been fined for this season. I've reviewed the tapes. I have to admit, these hits are bad and he definitely deserved some punishment FOR SOME. I truly believe that physical hits are a way of the game and you can't simply fine a player for playing the game the way they've been taught. I don't think he intentionally goes for the head all the time (except on the Fitzpatrick hit, he definitely could have on lower on that hit). I guess what I'm trying to say is that both the players and the league need to find a middle ground on this. The league needs to understand that though they are investing millions into these players, they are investing this money into them going out and hitting other players as hard as they can. There are going to be hits that are going to result in injuries. Or hits that look tough. But I don't think that the players should be fined for all of these hits. I think the tapes need to be more closely reviewed to look for intent. It's pretty obvious when hits are intentional. I also think that it's not fair to punish a player for a hit that he was not initially flagged for during the game. That's like saying, "Oh well we went back and threw a flag. Here's a fine." Ridiculous. I know this doesn't really all make sense so I guess I leave you with this: The NFL needs to rethink their policy. I get it. Protect the players. But don't simply fine a player for a big hit. They're part of the game and trying to remove them from the game is creating a different game altogether.

My next rant is about the NBA, because clearly, I mentioned them at the beginning but haven't mentioned them since. For years, NBA players I've felt have been getting fouls called for what on TV looks like nothing. Now, there may be a completely different perspective from a ref, so please know that I write this from the point of view of someone who has watched all of this on TV. Derek Rose drives down the lane. Dwight Howard simply moves in his way and bumps D. Rose. Sure. It might be a foul. But sometimes its not. Let them play! If Howard has his arms straight up in the air, personally I don't think that's a foul. I've never truly agreed with the idea that the littlest of contact means a foul. Not fair.

Just last night I saw plenty of fouls in Stanford's domination of the UConn's women's basketball team that followed this exact policy. The defensive player was there with her arms straight up and simply moved with the play. What does anyone expect the defensive player to do? Let the offensive player go around? No. There were also tons of calls one right after another. Not only does this slow down the game for the fans but it ruins the natural flow of basketball.

Now I know that women's college basketball is not the NBA so I guess I am retroactively changing this to basketball in total.

My other problem, and this will be quick, is this new "Respect the Game" initiative by the NBA. Look, the NBA is rife with players who many in society would by the looks of them would want nothing to do with. Chris Anderson. Rasheed Wallace. Andre Miller. I'm sure they're all harmless but these players, especially Wallace and Miller stick out like sore thumbs to me. Miller sometimes looks homeless and I think we've all seen Wallace as a penchant for bad behavior. I don't think that simply arguing a call, ESPECIALLY IF DONE RESPECTFULLY, deserves a technical foul. Last night Howard was given his 12th tech of the year. I mean. It's these players life to play the game, and when things don't go well, they have to get some frustration out. It's not fair to give a player a tech simply because he's showing his emotions. Sure, if he gets in the face of the ref and is yelling about it, tech him up. If he's being persistent with his arguing, even if politely, tech him up. But simply walking to ref to say you don't agree with a call? That doesn't deserve a tech. Stern needs to change this rule.

Ok well that's it. Atleast for now. Topics to come:

1. Brett Favre (his annoyingness)

2. Brett Favre (his sexual harassment allegations)

3. UConn Lady Huskies' 90 game win streak

4. LeBron and Contraction

Welcome: Round 2

Well, here we are again. It's 1:24am and I'm sitting in my Brooklyn home, restarting this blog for a third time. The first time was just to ramble. The second time was to ramble about music. This time, it's to ramble about sports.

Recently I've been having a lot of thoughts in my head. As I head towards graduation and a new life away from home, I realize that I want to be able to say what I want, but I do not necessarily know who to talk to. About sports, life, music, hell - about fucking anything.

I'm hoping that this will be a good way for me to say what I want. I read a lot of articles and sports related material, but the one thing that I do even more is watch ESPN. Ah, ESPN. The best channel in the world. Bill Rasmussen. The man who started it all. What a genius. I wonder what it took for him to wake up and think, "I want a channel that will be 100% completely devoted to everything sports." In freshman year of college my roommate and I thought it would b cool to have a channel devoted to sports where the anchors would talk like normal people. Make fun of the athletes, curse on air - essentially they would be given free reign to say whatever they want. However, even this idea was spurned by the already existing ESPN channel. Pure. Simple. Genius. That's what ESPN is.

Ok. So this is a bit of a rambling post. When I first decided to restart this blog (about an hour ago) I didn't intend on having this post be about ESPN. That was simply a thought that came to my head that needed to be said. ESPN is the reason I wanted to start this blog again anyways. I mean, people like Woody Paige and Jay Mariotti (you know, the guy who was arrested over the summer for domestic battery) get paid to say what they want about sports, why can't I? For the record, I'm pretty sure Mariotti doesn't get paid to do so anymore. AOL dropped him after his arrest and so did ESPN. Either way, if they can do it, why can't I? I love making fun of athletes and things in American sports today. I also love sitting at a computer and writing my thoughts, but usually I'm forced to do it in the form of some history paper or lesson plan. Well not anymore!

First blog is going to come within the next few days. I've got some ideas for the first couple of posts. Here they are:

1. Brett Favre

2. Modern sport becoming soft

I don't know why I've been writing this entire thing as if there is actually someone reading this or even listening but it helps to make the words come out.

Happy Fuckin' New Years.