The Game of Politics

     Throughout this election season, we have seen too many endorsements by celebrities in an attempt to bring the brains and/or beauty to the candidate’s ticket, using fame rather than facts for political gain. But who brings the brawn to the ticket? Whose endorsement will, in all honesty, draw men to a ticket? Athletes may let their play do the talking; however, they are often unafraid to voice their opinions with their money and platforms.

     Recently, two of the most influential people in the NFL, Broncos Vice President and legendary quarterback John Elway and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson have come out in support of Mitt Romney, both donating to his cause. Romney, interestingly, is named after a 1920s football player, perhaps that is why he has a lead over Barack Obama in NFL-related fundraising and donations! Among NFL owners, the Republican challenger and his party receive roughly 58% of all NFL political donations, most of it coming from Houston Texans owner Robert McNair Sr., the aforementioned Johnson, and the Chargers’ Alex Spanos. Among supporters of the President is Steelers Owner Dan Rooney. Rooney was actually an ardent conservative, until he, true to devious Steelers form, was offered a position as the Ambassador to Ireland-suddenly prompting a massive, Romney-esque, shift across the political spectrum. Among players however, it is important to note that the incumbent has an advantage. Despite that, many of the most talented players in the league have come out to support the GOP. Quarterback Tom Brady is believed to sympathize with the political right, and his rival, Peyton Manning, has actually donated to Republicans running for office in the past and may continue to do so. However, while the GOP, true to the stereotype, receives most of their football donations from the uber-rich, the sport leans right nonetheless.

     The NBA, on the other hand, leans farther right than any other major sports league in the United States of America. Barack Obama, who has been known to play basketball with NBA players on a court in the White House, reaps the benefit of the donations from the likes of future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Chris Paul; even playing with James midway through his term. The president also has supporters in the NBA’s administration, with commissioner David Stern among his biggest donators. Stern, despite his far-left beliefs, was surprisingly tough against the union during last year’s labor negotiations, and made waves intervening into the trade market in a way some may say Obama has with the private sector, striking down a trade sending Chris Paul to the Lakers. Obama even attended some of the US Olympic team’s games. However, among the owners, the Republican Party has received the lion’s share of contributions, though the total amount is dramatically smaller than the NFL’s. Mark Cuban, never a stranger to controversy, commented that the US was better off than it was four years ago and voted for the President in 2008, despite his admiration for conservative hero Ayn Rand. 

 

     Major League Baseball, like the NFL, leans to the right of the political spectrum. While both candidates are fans of their hometown teams, the Obama prefers the White Sox, and Romney the Red Sox, the bulk of funds the two receive are from other organizations. The Yankees, Giants, Rangers, Reds, Braves, and Tigers are all among most generous to politicians, and they all give at least 75% of their total donations to Republicans. Teams like the Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics embody the GOP ideals of doing more with less and efficiency as well. Taking low-cost yet effective teams to the playoffs despite claims of claims that ‘you didn’t build that,’ the Cardinals and Athletics give 98% and 74% of all donations to Republicans respectively. It is also interesting to note that the teams that lean right are also the teams that go deep in the playoffs, while the teams on the left, get knocked out early. 

     This election is likely to be the closest in decades. In a nation where conformity is key, one man’s, or woman’s, endorsement may be the key to victory. Neither candidate is a stranger to athletics; Romney ran the 2002 Winter Olympics and, true to form, turned a deficit into a surplus, and even held a football game between his staff and media reporters, while the President plays basketball with supporters and was photographed holding a baseball bat while talking to members of the Turkish Government. Romney heads into November 6, 2012 with the support from the NFL and MLB, and fittingly, the PGA, a league in which personal responsibility and honesty are key. Obama is popular among the ranks of the NBA, and even a Chicago ping-pong company. This election will be a turning point for the nation, and athletes are among the most popular and scrutinized supporters, but ultimately, their vote is no more important than anyone else’s, and we can only hope that they, and the citizens of the United States of America make the right choice this year.

Love of Country?

     The Olympics have always taken my breath away. I remember watching US swimmer Michael Phelps win a record eight gold medals in one year. I remember watching Jamaica's Usain Bolt utterly destroy the competition, winning the race in style while beating his chest, though it cost him an even lower world-record time. I remember watching dreams come true, and I fear all of that may be coming to an end.  I am worried that the Olympics, arguably the one pure form of competition left and where athletes compete for love of country, not for money, will become akin to what people are trying to make college athletics-a moneygrab for it's competitors and nothing more. I fear that those who do compete for the love of the game are few and far between, and most likely do not come from the United States of America.

     When Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat came out and said that he wants to be paid for his time on the Olympic Basketball team, I immediately asked myself, "Why?". Wade already has his millions, and I assume he loves his country, so why would he want to demand payment for something millions of people would do for free? He's greedy. It's a natural instinct to want to be fairly compensated, I get that, and I understand where Wade is coming from in regards to his desire to receive payments, or at least a percentage of the profits from every jersey bearing his name, but why? Because the Olympics are becoming the world's biggest advertisement for an athlete's talents and endorsement opportunities. Get on the podium, get your millions in watch deals. It's simple really. I'm fine with that. Companies need a face to be competitive, whether it be a gorgeous supermodel  or a talented athlete, and the Olympics give an athlete a stage to audition on. But in their heart, the Olympians know that the hopes of a nation rest on their shoulders. They compete for the love of the game, not for money. At least they're supposed to. Wade's comment sounded eerily similar to the argument made by proponents of paying college athletes. People go to college to prepare themselves for the rest of their lives, and play sports because they can, not to play sports then drop in on a few classes. Collegiate athletes will tell you that they play to win a championship, not for payment. The same goes for some professionals, who stay with one team their entire careers for the love of the game, even though they could move to more marketable teams. Therefore, if one college can offer more money to a player than another university could, the player would almost always go to the school offering more money. The same concept applies to the Olympics. If John Doe is theoretically able to compete for three different countries, then he will most likely compete for the nation offering the most money to compete, not necessarily for medals as is custom now, putting smaller, less developed nations at a disadvantage, sucking the soul out of the games in a ruthless monetization of citizenship.

     The real issue, at least for me, is where is the love of the country? The Olympics are the embodiment of nationalism, or heroism, of athletic immortality. There is no drive to compete if one knows they will get paid regardless. The only incentive someone should need for competing in the Olympics is knowing they are going to battle for their country in a (mostly) bloodless war for dominance. Do you think the Miracle on Ice would have happened if there was no drive to compete? The ragtag team beat the Soviet Union for a reason--that they were representing the free world-- and they knew it. They accomplished the impossible, but they had to continue competing. Would there have been a drive in the gold medal match against Finland if they received their compensation beforehand? I'm not sure, but it's a valid question. The true beauty of the Olympics lies in an athlete's desire to perform for his country without getting paid for simply showing up.  Why even have a competition between nations if it is simply another way for athletes to make money, not to represent their love of their country? The moment Olympians start getting paid will be the moment it will lose it's soul.

Images Retrieved From: www.geotravellers.com

Never the Same

     LeBron James has been permanently labeled as THE villain of not just the NBA, but the entire American sports universe...except in Miami. He is the only member of "Most Disliked Athletes in America" list to be completely scandal-free or not an ex-husband of Kim Kardashian, ranking right up there with Tiger Woods and Michael Vick, showing just how much people love to hate LeBron. It started off like a storybook, the highly touted phenom goes to play in his hometown, wins a bunch of games and gets to the championship series, albeit they lost both times they got there. During his stay in Cleveland, which is definitely not the most interesting place in world, trust me on this, I've been there, he won the MVP twice. He was the toast of the town, singlehandedly turning the moribund Cavs into perennial contenders. The key word, of course, is singlehandedly, as James never actually found a decent Scottie Pippen to play to his Jordan. This is when the story starts getting rocky, as Cavs owner Dan Gilbert tried to bring in premeir talent to appease him, knowing that if he couldn't get a suitable sidekick, James would leave. Gilbert, owner of Fathead, tried bringing in Hall of Famers, like center Shaquille O'Neal, and former stars, such as point guard Baron Davis and forward Antwan Jamison, but nothing worked.

     James was suddenly in high demand, and celebrities like rap mogul Jay-Z were courting him with their fame, most notably in the song Empire State of Mind. Ohio governors event went on to write a cover of Michael Jackson's We are the World titled Please Stay LeBron. The tension was obvious as the final season of his contract drawing to a close, and James was going to report is contract on a TV special known as "The Decision." Rumors swirled that Cleveland was the frontrunner and the Cavs even fired their coach in an effort to sign James, then New York, then New Jersey, even Dallas, but he eventually said the line that will live forever in infamy..."I'm taking my talents to South Beach." Riots ensued, James jerseys went up in flames, and the price of a LeBron James Fathead was set at $17.41, representing the year Revolutionary War turncoat Benedict Arnold was born. A book titled The Whore of Akron was written about him. For me, it didn't matter as much that he left, I mean, we all saw it coming, but how he actually did it. It was like a slap in the face for fans around the world. James and the Heat only made things worse when they set the bar for failure at winning fewer than seven championships. They came close to ring number one last season, but they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

     However, James' deal expires in potentially two years and at most four, and he has recently stated how interested he is in returning to Cleveland. However, it wouldn't be the magic cure-all he will need to save his legacy of the hometown hero. He hopes that if he returns the fans will welcome him, and even if they do, he will always be the guy who screwed his hometown over and tried to come back, kind of like that friend who goes to hangout with someone cooler, then comes back after a while and tries to be your friend again, long after you have moved on. No matter how many championships LeBron James would win if he returned to Cleveland, it would never be the same or have the same value compared to if he had never left. His legacy is forever scarred with the indelible stigma only a traitor, and to top it all of, a golddigger, can have.

Images from: www.someecards.com and www.travel-newyork.org

Sent Out to Pasture

     The Dallas Mavericks are the exact opposite of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are young, talented, and have a bright future. The Mavs on the other hand, are old and their window of oppurtunity is all but slammed shut. The Pack, led by quarterback and likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, started their campaign for another title with a 14 game winning streak, and are headed to the playoffs with a first round bye. The Mavericks, though they won an NBA Championship last year, are old and frail. To be honest, I predict they'll barely make the playoffs unless a miracle happens. Tyson Chandler was the reason they won it all, sure Dirk Nowitzki certainly helped, and so did J.J. Barea, but Chandler's defense and leadership put the Mavericks on a whole new level. Chandler and the aforementioned Barea haved departed in free agency, and Chandler's impact can already be seen in the New York Knick's great start, and in the 0-3 start Mavs have had without him. Mark Cuban has claimed that he hasn't given up on this season, pointing at the trade for Lamar Odom, but it takes more than one player to make a team, even Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Whether or not Odom will be Nowitzki's Pippen has yet to be seen, though his recent ejection isn't a good start. The league may be overreacting, the Mavericks came out of nowhere last year, and they may do it again, but an 0-3 start isn't a promising start on the road to back-to-back titles. Plus, last year's finals victory may have been a fluke .after the Miami Heat, their opponent in the finals, flat out destroyed them in their opening game.

Image from: http://www.fansedge.com/offer/nba-finals-champions-apparel.htm

The Minnesota Timberwolves' Power to Destroy the Draft Boards.

   The Minnesota Timberwolves have the potential to change the entire NBA draft. Recently, they have talked to both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns about the injury prone Andrew Bynum and future Hall of Famer point guard Steve Nash respectively. The previously untouchable stars are both being dangled in an effort to receive Minnesota's number two pick in the draft, who is most likely to be Arizona's Derrick Williams for any team selecting at the spot. Minnesota is able to deal this pick because they already have former number two pick and forward Michael Beasly on their roster.
    
     However, there are  obvious flaws for both trades. If the Suns trade Nash and pick Williams, who has the range and skills of a small forward but the size and power of a power forward, the Timberwolves have an interesting problem. That particular problem happens to be...if they do get Nash in the deal, what happens to the newly signed Ricky Rubio, who is also a point guard? And then  Jon Flynn?

     For the Lakers, who were mentioned in my previous post, if they trade Bynum and get the pick, who would they choose? It seems strange to me that they would pick Williams because they already have Ron Artest and Pau Gasol as their starting forwards. So I think they could choose center Enes Kanter, who could have been the top pick in the draft if he was not ruled ineligible by the NCAA for playing professionaly in his native Turkey. That also means that the Lakers might not be able to trade for Dwight Howard if they deal Bynum and pick Kanter, unless they trade his draft rights to the Magic.

     That leaves Williams falling to to the Utah Jazz, who could select Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight. That leaves the Jazz with a problem as well, because they need a point guard after trading Deron Williams to the Nets, but they also need a playmaker like Williams. If they do go with Knight, that leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers to pick their man. They wanted both the first and second pick of the draft to pair Kyrie Irving with Williams, which may still happen. But if Williams falls to them, the Cavs have found their star pair for the next six years.

     The Timberwolves have a lot of power in this year's draft. But the question is, how will they use it?

It's Time

It's time for a change in Los Angeles. While traveling in Italy, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard once again told reporters that hw would not seek or sign a contract extension with the Magic. That's the Lakers' cue to make a trade offer, or risk the increasingly likely reversion to mediocrity. Yes, I understand that they won two championships in the last three years, but this year, especially in the playoffs, Kobe Bryant finally looked his age. He's played over 48,000 minutes in his NBA career, not including all the international games he's played. He had his lowest scoring average since he had to share the ball with the recently retired Shaq, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton, and this year he didn't have to share with superstars like them. It's time for the Lakers to make a move and bring an heir to the throne, and by trading for Dwight Howard, they can have the superstar center they desperately need, because, honestly, Andrew Bynum is too fragile to be relied on when much better players are available. LA is also believed to be the ideal landing place for Howard, so it is a deal that works out for him and the team.

     On Orlando's side, they pretty much have no choice, for because he will not resign, he will become a free agent and they won't get anything in return. Because of this, they will trade him, and will receive some pretty good players in return, possibly Andrew Bynum, for if the Lakers get Howard, why would they need Bynum?

      It's time for a change in LA, and Howard is the best option for all sides. The Lakers get their new Superman, Howard gets his big market, and the Magic can at least get something in return, which could be the aforementioned Bynum.

Pippen says LeBron might be better than Michael Jordan

     Scottie Pippen recently said in an interview that LeBron James could be, "The greatest player to ever play the game." He might be on to something. MJ may be a great scorer, but he never fully trusted his teammates as LeBron has ever since he joined the league. LeBron may have a career scoring average of 27.7 ppg, but he has done his time on the boards, and dishes the ball with point guard like efficiency, something Jordan could never do, highlighted by James' averaging more assists per game in his second season than Jordan ever did. LeBron is also a force on the defensive end, but so was Jordan, who averaged two steals per game over his fifteen year career. When computing the two players' total  contribution, a sum of a player's career averages of assists (worth two points, because they too are baskets, but by another player) and points, LeBron is the better and more complete offensive player. Jordan is without a doubt the best raw scorer in NBA, but LeBron James is the more complete player. However, LeBron will never be universally considered as the greatest player ever until he wins at least four championships.  However, Pippen is onto something and I agree that in time, championships pending, LeBron James will recognized as the greatest player in NBA history.