8/26/2004
SPORTS FRAGMENTATION
Some random thoughts about matters athletic:
- I know he’s got a chance to be the first repeat Heisman winner since Archie Griffin, but every time I look at Jason White, why does the name “Gino Torretta” keep popping up in my head? Honestly, Jason White’s not even the best QB in his conference . . . that would be Brad Smith of Missouri. White is a good QB . . . but that’s all he is–good.
- I guess I’m officially sick of the Olympics now. Well, I’m not, I’m just sick of NBC’s narrow-minded obsession with American athletes and familiar events. And I’ll bet the Peacocks were real happy the gymnastics started early and ended early at these games.
- On the scale of sports curses, the one befalling the Cubs is bubkis compared to the weird hoodoo that keeps messing up the Philadelphia Eagles. However, I’m sure the Miami Dolphins have more than a few things to say about the matter.
- 20 years from now, I’ll be glad to tell my kids that I can remember when there was an NHL . . . I just hope that by then I can come up with a reason for why there isn’t one any more. Does either side think things are going to be better once the league ceases to exist and/or casts a jealous eye on the WNBA’s attendance numbers and television ratings? Because that’s what’s going to happen.
- Two new schools (North Dakota State and South Dakota State) start playing Division 1-AA football this fall. Do you suppose Kansas State has their athletic directors on speed dial yet?
- By the way, NDSU plays football in the FargoDome, which is not a dome at all but a very tall arena.
- Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star and ESPN says that people who want the US basketball “Dream Team” to lose are racist. I’ve wanted to say that it’s a silly point, but I’m forced to conclude that he’s right. Everyone I’ve heard criticizing the team’s performance has fallen back on the same line: they don’t play as a team, it’s all me, me, me. Which is the subtle stereotype many sports fans have of the black athlete, especially in the NBA. And I find it very interesting that people keep saying this team needs an outside shooter, like Wally Szczerbiak or Fred Hoiberg–both of whom are white. You tellin’ me the GOP couldn’t find a black man in Chicago and sports fans can’t think of a single black player with a decent perimeter jump shot?
- When the history of sports is written, and it’s time for the chapter on the greatest teams ever, the US women’s soccer team of the past decade or so had better be at or near the top of that list.
- Quick, name a top current men’s tennis player other than Andy Roddick or Roger Federer. You couldn’t do it either, huh?
- I started off with one athlete who kept reminding me of another . . . I’ll close by wondering if Tiger Woods is becoming the Todd Marinovich of golf.
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I don’t understand the appeal of White, either, but I don’t see him as a Gino Toretta lookalike. He was injured in both games he lost last year, and if he is healthy, he’s as good a pocket QB as you can get in college. He’s not NFL bound, though, and he’s only the second best QB in the Big XII (and would be third if Josh Fields hadn’t bolted to MLB).
As for the Olympics… we get the CBC as well as NBC. It’s more Canadian-centric, but we get live coverage of a lot of these events — and they tell us upfront that they’re time-shifting.
If the NHL collapses, it’s going to be interesting to see what rises in its place. I could see an eight-team Canadian League and an eight-team US League that play for the Cup. Everyone else is bound for Europe. Either way, the money will be 1/3rd as good as now, and even the Canadian teams will have trouble filling the arenas, esp. when the marquee Canadian stars are playing in Sweden or Germany.
While I’m thinking about it… the WNBA would do well to move some of their teams out of sports-exhausted cities and into mid-level markets without a lot of summer competition. For example, Oklahoma City has no pro sports competition except Arena2, AAA baseball, and the Sooners. They could handle a WNBA team — and even play games in Tulsa and Stillwater. Albuquerque also comes to mind. Portland failed because it was an ABL town, and the fanbase was still seething at how the WNBA destroyed that league.
These smaller leagues should really look to smaller cities with no entertainment dollar competition and stop trying to, say, put a bad product on the field in a top-20 city already saturated by baseball, NFL, and NBA. You build a following there, you can make your league strong enough to put teams in Seattle/Miami/Minneapolis.
Comment by dw — 8/27/2004 @ 12:21 pm
I going to disagree with the racism angle on the basketball issue. I think many Americans just don’t like what basketball has become…not black…but one-on-one play, hip-hop muisc nature. And that is what is getting exposed during these Olympics. Granted that culture is dominated by African-Americans, but that doesn’t mean its racism
If it were race, Americans would root against all African American athletes and that just isn’t the case.
Comment by Jon Enslin — 8/27/2004 @ 1:39 pm
Sounds to me like Jason Whitlock is on the Bush payroll, with the way he’s hurled a hurtful label at any one of us not finding it very excitable to just watch the U.S. teams roll over all opposition.
With each passing day, I am more and more convinced that the current Presidential administration does not give a damn about any soldier overseas who might happen to identify as Democrat or come from a left-leaning family. But I was very proud to be an American when I watched the women’s soccer team sing the National Anthem on Thurs. night (my favorite TV moment of the Games so far). They were just so proud to be together and victorious; at that moment, they were able to only think about and see the good in being from America. We should all be proud of them. Despite what Costas had to say, I’ve never enjoyed a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner more.
Comment by Paul — 8/27/2004 @ 8:47 pm
GW!
Sean, Mark - pay attention!
I don’t know what time, and I don’t know exactly what location (YET!) - however, President Bush is going to be in West Allis, Wisconsin on Friday, September 3rd. You can go down to the Grafton Republican Committee offi…
Trackback by Just A Girl — 8/28/2004 @ 6:24 pm
Since Todd Marinovich was never good in the NFL you’ll have to find another comparison.
Comment by Sean Hackbarth — 8/28/2004 @ 11:06 pm
Good point, Sean. Perhaps he’s the Kurt Warner of golf?
Comment by Mark Hasty — 8/29/2004 @ 10:49 pm
No. Kurt Warner had to fight his way through small time football to get up to the NFL. Woods is a prodgidy who is has slacked off lately. I would say more the “Drew Bledsoe of golf.”
Comment by Jon Enslin — 8/30/2004 @ 8:26 am
But Drew Bledsoe never won a championship as a starter… I’d say that Tiger Woods is becoming the Shaq of golf. Yeah, he’s won championships and plenty of them, but there’s people who are thinking that his time has passed for whatever reason.
Comment by James — 8/31/2004 @ 10:23 am