So.
You’re John Drew, Kyle Griswould or Brandon Putnama — a freshman athlete at the institution of high learning known as Duke University.
You’ve read about and seen — it’s everywhere, you can’t miss it — NBA star Gilbert Arenas mess up his life by playing with guns.
You’ve read about and seen — I’m guessing you do follow SportsCenter, right? — three Tennessee basketball players mess up their careers by playing with guns.
So … you …
Play around with a semi-automatic pistol — actually fire some shots in the air — in an early-morning incident on campus, and get yourself kicked off your football team???
Well, yes, you do and now beside losing your spot on the roster, you’re facing felony charges.
John Drew, Kyle Griswould, Brandon Putnam, you are brilliant — positively brilliant.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A sweet move
In my Friday column, I mentioned athletes, including tennis players, who had had given money for Haitian relief. I should also point out something Kim Clijsters did on her own for another cause, pre-quake.
After winning Brisbane International title — a tune-up for the Australian Open, Clijsters donated her entire winnings, $37,000, to Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital, which she had visited the week before.
“It changes you, it stuck with me for days," said Clijsters, shown above with her daughter Jada. “It's terrible to see kids (suffering). There were boys and girls Jada's age, 17 months and 3 years old, with brain tumours and everything.
You wonder how it was possible for a young baby like that and it's not easy."
Clijsters said she hoped her "small” donation would encourage others to support the public hospital.
Friday column: Giving a darn about more than a score
Last week we learned that Mark McGwire took steroids.
This week we learned that John Edwards really is Quinn’s father.
My head be spinning.
I know what you’re thinking: Hey, people are people. And right you are. So I shouldn’t have been surprised Sunday when the aforementioned Mr. McGwire got a standing-O from Cardinals fans in his first public appearance since his tearful TV admission.
Any more than I should have been surprised when the Giants faithful cheered Barry Bonds or the Red Sox — and later the Dodger — faithful cheered Manny Ramirez. After all, fans just want to have fun, and winning — even by proxy, even with the help of a steroid cheat — is fun.
More than fun, actually.
In 2008, Drake Bennett wrote an article for the Boston Globe quoting studies that said, in his words, that “fans are not only happier when their team wins, they feel smarter, more athletic, luckier, and even more attractive.”
So what we’re really doing when we stand up and cheer for our favorite player on our favorite team in our favorite sport, is saying, “Please make me feel better about myself.”
Which might sound a bit pathetic, but the emotion involved is unquestionably powerful. Who doesn’t want to feel better about themselves?
Of course, there are other ways to accomplish that.
It’s long been understood that one of the best ways to feel better about oneself is doing something for somebody else. Jesus said it. Confucius said it. Mohammed said it.
One of the simplest expressions of the idea came from Booker T. Washington: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
The ways to lift someone else are myriad — they can be as simple as a phone call or a ride to the doctor’s office — but in some emergencies, like that of the Haitian earthquake, they often involve money.
Which brings us back to the world of sport.
The NBA and its union are contributing $1 million to help Haiti. Major League Baseball is pledging the same. The NFL and its union are giving $500,000. The NHL has donated $100,000.
Individual athletes have gotten involved. For example, Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade of NBA fame started a Haitian relief fund and by the first few days had gathered $800,000 in pledges from 27 athletes.
At the Australian Open, Roger Federer organized an exhibition of top tennis stars that raised $185,000. Players also made individual contributions.
Rooting for a team that scores more points than its opponent may be an time-honored American way to self-satisfaction, but it has competition. Vince Lombardi famously said, “Winning isn’t the everything — it’s the only thing.” When it comes to feeling better about oneself, I think substituting “giving” for winning is closer to the truth.
Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.
This week we learned that John Edwards really is Quinn’s father.
My head be spinning.
I know what you’re thinking: Hey, people are people. And right you are. So I shouldn’t have been surprised Sunday when the aforementioned Mr. McGwire got a standing-O from Cardinals fans in his first public appearance since his tearful TV admission.
Any more than I should have been surprised when the Giants faithful cheered Barry Bonds or the Red Sox — and later the Dodger — faithful cheered Manny Ramirez. After all, fans just want to have fun, and winning — even by proxy, even with the help of a steroid cheat — is fun.
More than fun, actually.
In 2008, Drake Bennett wrote an article for the Boston Globe quoting studies that said, in his words, that “fans are not only happier when their team wins, they feel smarter, more athletic, luckier, and even more attractive.”
So what we’re really doing when we stand up and cheer for our favorite player on our favorite team in our favorite sport, is saying, “Please make me feel better about myself.”
Which might sound a bit pathetic, but the emotion involved is unquestionably powerful. Who doesn’t want to feel better about themselves?
Of course, there are other ways to accomplish that.
It’s long been understood that one of the best ways to feel better about oneself is doing something for somebody else. Jesus said it. Confucius said it. Mohammed said it.
One of the simplest expressions of the idea came from Booker T. Washington: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
The ways to lift someone else are myriad — they can be as simple as a phone call or a ride to the doctor’s office — but in some emergencies, like that of the Haitian earthquake, they often involve money.
Which brings us back to the world of sport.
The NBA and its union are contributing $1 million to help Haiti. Major League Baseball is pledging the same. The NFL and its union are giving $500,000. The NHL has donated $100,000.
Individual athletes have gotten involved. For example, Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade of NBA fame started a Haitian relief fund and by the first few days had gathered $800,000 in pledges from 27 athletes.
At the Australian Open, Roger Federer organized an exhibition of top tennis stars that raised $185,000. Players also made individual contributions.
Rooting for a team that scores more points than its opponent may be an time-honored American way to self-satisfaction, but it has competition. Vince Lombardi famously said, “Winning isn’t the everything — it’s the only thing.” When it comes to feeling better about oneself, I think substituting “giving” for winning is closer to the truth.
Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
As long as we're clear here
Let me get this straight.
USC is facing possible NCAA sanctions — possibly severe — for violations in its basketball and football programs. So it hires Lane Kiffin to be its new football coach — the same Lane Kiffin whose program in one year at Tennessee was cited for six rules violations and is under investigation for its use of student hostesses in recruiting?
OK then. Just as long as we're clear.
Kiffin, 1st ad
Lane Kiffin has done some classless things in his young and so-far unproductive coaching career, but nothing more distasteful than having his staff — on its way to the left coast — contact Tennessee recruits to suggest they may not want to show up for their first day of classes this week but instead consider coming with them to Southern California.
We’re not exactly believing either one
So.
Mark McGwire has no idea what steroids he was taking all those years.
Right.
That’s a pretty unbelievable claim, but only slightly more ridiculous than that of former USC football coach Pete Carroll.
Southern Cal is looking at the possibility of major sanctions against its football program for violations involving Reggie Bush, violations that occurred on Carroll’s watch. These could be sanctions that cripple the program for years, but Carroll insists that that prospect has “nothing” to do with his decision to flee one of the best college programs in the nation and take a job coaching the mediocre Seattle Seahawks.
“Nothing.”
Right, Pete. Right.
This is news to us
I got a news release sent my way Thursday saying the Postal Service had issued new stamps in celebration of the Year of the Tiger.
2010 the Year of the Tiger? We’ll see.
2009 certainly wasn’t.
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