Sports
Michael Jordan buys the Charlotte Bobcats
A few weeks ago, Robert L. Johnson put the pressure on Michael Jordan. Last summer, he revealed his intentions of selling the Charlotte Bobcats. Among the first people to show interest was Michael Jordan. But, as the season started, Jordan did not make a move. Soon, all talk of the Bobcats being sold was ended.
Last month, Johnson made a public announcement aimed at Jordan. He said that the team would be sold before the end of February 2010. With Jordan already being a part-owner of the team, he had a lot to lose if someone else bought the team. Right then, he assembled an ownership group and the announcement was made official over the weekend.
After nine months of speculation, it was official and Michael Jordan was the official owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. This comes after an unsuccessful stint with the Washington Wizards. His time as an executive was viewed as a major failure until this season with the Bobcats. The team is currently competing for a playoff spot and they are likely to become contenders within the next few years.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The NBA’s “College Rule” was made for Black Players
Before the NBA’s heyday of the 1990s, the league was very strict. They did not allow any players into the league that had previous issues with the law. Also, they did not allow any player under the age of 22 to sign a contract with one of their teams. In short, the NBA was doing all that they could from consisting of more black players than of any other race. But, when a rival league, the ABA was willing to allow these players, the NBA stepped things up.
Despite the league stepping up and competing for players, they still held no torch to the ABA, which allowed players to enter the league straight out of high school. When the ABA merged into the NBA, in 1976, the NBA began to allow high school graduates into the NBA. Even with the change in rules, there was only one player between 1976 and 1995 to do so. Kevin Garnett would break this tradition of going to college when he joined the league straight from high school.
Garnett would go on to have a successful rookie season. After watching the success of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant followed his trend and he joined the league following his senior year of high school. When Kobe rose to become one of the biggest stars in the NBA, the floodgates opened and it became almost a tradition for players to enter the league out of high school. Some saw this as a good thing, but the NBA became known as the league of thugs by the year 2000.
There were times between 2000 and 2002 when the NBA considered raising the age to enter the league. But, the draft class of 2003 was headlined by high school phenom, LeBron James. He picked up where Kobe Bryant left off and became the face of the league before he had even led his team to the playoffs. Even with the success of LeBron James, or in spite of his success, the owners of NBA teams voted to force players into waiting one year before entering the NBA.
The only players to ever come from high school and straight into the NBA are black players and they usually end up becoming successful. By the year 2005, LeBron James could have retired and lived off of the money he made through basketball without ever holding another job. The same remains true for Kobe Bryant, who could have retired before he even turned 20 years old. High school phenoms were entering the NBA and becoming millionaires before they were even 20. The NBA is full of young, black, millionaires and there are some people that hate this.
That is the reason that ESPN places a larger emphasis on March Madness than the NBA Playoffs. After all, which one is most important, the amateurs playing for an amateur championship, or professional basketball players playing for a professional basketball world championship? But, because of the fact that the league is full of black players and college gives many white players a chance to shine, it receives more attention. Now that players that would have gone straight to the NBA are beginning to take that shine away from white players, they are trying to reverse the rule that a NBA player has to be at least 19 to play in the league.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Allen Iverson takes Time Off to be With Daughter
Recently, Allen Iverson spoke on the status of his team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite some tough losses and their horrible record, he feels that they can still make the playoffs. There are two months left in the regular season, so a run can be made. This time of year is usually Allen Iverson’s time of year, but an illness with his daughter will keep him out.
While Allen Iverson loves basketball, he loves his family more. Last night, in a game against the Bulls, he placed his career on hiatus to tend to his sick daughter. There has not been any information given about his daughter’s problems, but she is only four years old and Allen Iverson needs to be with his daughter.
Eddie Jordan, the head coach of the Sixers, said that there is a strong possibility that Allen Iverson will not return to the team. Iverson began his career in Philadelphia with the Sixers and he played most of his career here, except for three seasons. He retired, but came out after it was revealed that he would be signed by the Sixers. So far, he has enjoyed playing with the team, but he may be done.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Media has bullied Tiger Woods enough
Yesterday, Tiger Woods apologized to the nation for his actions. Last fall, the golf superstar made headlines when he wrecked his car outside of his Florida home. Initially, the media questioned what was going on. The man was first accused of being an alcoholic, but when that did not stick, they decided to find something more legit. It turned out that Woods and his wife, Elin, were in the middle of a domestic dispute.
At a time when Tiger Woods needed to be alone with his wife, the media did not stop until they interviewed every woman that he had ever slept with. His wife was willing to forgive him and stay with him. But, every day, a new story broke about Tiger Woods and some new woman. It became too much for his wife and she left. The media tried to pass of pictures of her twin sister with some other man as Elin moving on.
When the story first broke, the first question asked was if Tiger Woods would lose any of his endorsements. Media analysts said that he would not lose any if the story went away. In contrast, they said that if the story stuck and lasted for the next month, his endorsements would be likely to decrease. In the past, the media has pushed something until it began to hurt the person involved. Tiger Woods learned that he was not special and he lost endorsements.
It has been over three months since the story first broke about Tiger Woods and his infidelity. He has been completely harassed by the media for the past three months. They took something as simple as a car accident and got to the root of the problem. Amidst all of his problems, Woods covered a magazine with no shirt on. In the picture, his muscles were a bit big for the media’s likes. They soon began trying to accuse Tiger of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
In yesterday’s press conference, Tiger Woods touched down on all of those issues. The sad part is the fact that he did not have to. What goes in the personal life of Tiger Woods goes on in the personal life of Tiger Woods. He was belittled yesterday and it was not the business of the media to force him into doing this and for them to analyze his every move on top of that.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Amare Stoudemire headed to Miami?
Last week, rumors emerged of the Miami Heat being interested in bringing Amare Stoudemire to join Dwyane Wade. Not long after their intentions were revealed, Wade said that he would most likely re-sign with Miami this summer. Predictions were made with this new and improved roster and many predicted the Heat to move up in the standings and possibly play in the Eastern Conference Finals. But, after it was evident that Miami wanted Stoudemire, the Cleveland Cavaliers made strong moves to bring him to their team.
The past few days have seen many sports media outlets speaking on a possible Amare-to-Cleveland deal as if it has already happened. It seemed as if it were all-but-done, but now Miami has re-entered the picture. At first, it was said that the Suns would want Michael Beasley in return for Stoudemire. Heat owner, Micky Arison, then personally came out and said that Beasley is being groomed as the sidekick for Dwyane Wade for years to come. Then, the Cleveland rumors went into high gear.
Read the full story at Fo’ Sho.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Reggie Bush finally Delivers
After two seasons filled with injury, the sports media began to pile on Reggie Bush. This was the same media that had embraced him only three years prior. It was as if everyone wanted him to be drafted first overall in 2006, but he was looked over. That led to an outrage from the media.
Instead of building a young franchise in Houston, Reggie Bush was forced to play for the New Orleans Saints. He came only one year after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. While he was happy to be in the NFL, Bush honestly and understandably did not want to play in New Orleans.
During his rookie season, Reggie Bush and Drew Brees formed a dynamic duo on the field and they led the Saints to the Conference Championship Game. It would not be long before Bush won awards for his stellar play in the 2006 season, but his team still fell short of the Super Bowl. After his rookie season, the sports media and early fans began to give up on the former star.
Motivated, Reggie Bush re-emerged from the injuries and he helped lead the lowly Saints to a 14-0 start. They would drop their final two games of the season, but they still managed to post the top seed in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Reggie Bush was solid as he scored touchdowns in every game that the Saints played. Bush was the key factor in the New Orleans Saints going to their first-ever Super Bowl.
In the Super Bowl, Reggie Bush was targeted by the defense of the Indianapolis Colts, but his rushes did enough to get other players open for easy touchdowns. Even being held by a tough defense, Reggie Bush did enough to help his underdog Saints win the title. Just like that, all of the criticism that had piled on Bush over the years was dumped off. Once again, Reggie Bush is on top again.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Michael Jordan has Three Weeks to purchase Bobcats
After a horrible stint with the Washington Wizards, Michael Jordan decided to leave the franchise. One of Jordan’s best friends happens to be Robert L. Johnson. Johnson is one of the most successful black businesspeople in history. For quite a few years, he was a billionaire.
In 2002, Robert L. Johnson applied to become the owner of the NBA franchise awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina. That team would end up becoming the Charlotte Bobcats. Started in 2004, the franchise struggled early on. But, starting in 2006, the franchise made moves to become relevant.
Michael Jordan brought a stake of the team during the summer of 2006 and he also took over the role of President of Basketball Operations. Initially, it looked as if Jordan did not know what he was doing, but he has made some very wise decisions. Last season, the Bobcats were having the best season in their young history. For most of the season, they were in the playoff race, but things fell apart late.
Despite missing the playoffs, there was a lot of interest surrounding the team and the future looked bright. After being with the team for five years, Johnson was looking to sell the team to the highest bidder. This risked the chance of the Charlotte Bobcats no longer being a black-owned team. But, just as soon as the sale of the team was announced, Michael Jordan expressed interest in purchasing the team.
After Jordan made his offer to Johnson, all discussion about the sale of the Bobcats ceased. Later during the summer of 2009, another ownership group expressed interest in purchasing the team. But, as the season approached closer and closer, Johnson remained as the owner of the team. Now, in the absolute middle of the season, Robert Johnson still wants to sell the team. He had never stopped any talks of selling the team.
Right now, the Charlotte Bobcats are having the best season in its franchise history. Because of that, it would be safe to assume that Johnson would want to keep his stake in the team. Regardless of the team’s record, Johnson is ready to move on. Out of respect to Michael Jordan, he informed him of his plans of selling the team. He is giving Jordan the remainder of the month to come up with the necessary resources to take the team.
If Michael Jordan truly wants to own the Charlotte Bobcats, he will have to come up with the funds in a little over three weeks.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Michael Vick prepares for BET series
It has been a long ride for Michael Vick. He spent years as a star in the NFL, hailed as the best quarterback in the league. Despite his accomplishments, he was known for a sub-par attitude. He was great and not afraid to remind people of that. While Vick was far from humble as recent as 2007, he has been forced to change his ways. A 2007 dog-fighting incident has changed his life.
Michael Vick went from being on top of the league to being banished from the league. Not only that, but the case would take a lot of his fortune. The former football star even lost his primary home in Hampton, Virginia, where the dong-fighting had taken place. He went from that palace to prison, where we would remain for two years. Now, when people speak of cruelty towards dogs, Michael Vick’s name comes up.
During the summer of 2009, Michael Vick was released from prison. Around this same time, he would be reinstated into the NFL. There were plenty of teams that needed a quarterback, but they passed on the opportunity to sign Vick. It was not until prominent members of the black community screamed racism that he was signed. Michael Vick played the 2009 NFL season for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The transformation of Michael Vick during this timeframe is remarkable. He has gone from being a complete jerk to the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award. This drastic change in personality has been documented by BET. The network has made hit television shows off of washed-up stars before. Currently, the biggest hit in the network’s history is “Tiny & Toya.” The network hopes to strike with another hit in “The Michael Vick Project.”
While the series is not expected to premiere until February, the network will begin running promos later this week. Michael Vick is excited about having the opportunity to show people that he is not the horrible person that most think that he is. There was some protest about Vick even getting a television show after the dog fighting controversy. Executives at BET quickly spoke on other injustices that have gone ignored and all talk of Vick was ended.
“The Michael Vick Project” will air on BET beginning on February 7, 2010.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Kobe Bryant makes Laker history
For fourteen years, Kobe Bryant has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. If there are any readers that remember his early years with the team, his position now is unbelievable. When he first arrived in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was far from a star. He was a great high school basketball player, but many criticized him for skipping college to go directly into the NBA. His rookie season saw Bryant buried deep on the bench with little playing time.
During his second season, Kobe Bryant was still buried on the bench, but his playing time was extended. Then, he was given the starting shooting guard spot in 1998, just in time for the playoffs. He teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal to form an explosive duo that went all of the way to the Western Conference Finals. They would fall three games short of moving on to face the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
It was in his third season when the world would see the talent that Kobe Bryant possesses. He went from being a benchwarmer to being an all-star. Kobe soon became the captain of the team, alongside O’Neal. Soon, Bryant became one of the top scorers in the league. For years, all of the attention went to Allen Iverson, but soon it would be Kobe Bryant receiving all of the attention. Then, in 2001, Bryant had the opportunity to face Iverson in the NBA Finals. It would be Kobe and his team that dismantled Iverson’s Sixers en route to winning a championship.
At the turn of the decade, Kobe Bryant was on top of the world. With the help of Shaquille O’Neal, he led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships. Then, two years after the third championship, Bryant led the team back to the NBA Finals. For the first time in his career, he came up short in the Finals, but he was officially the leading scorer for the Laker squad. After the season, the trade of O’Neal made it clear who the man in the Lakers’ locker room was.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )How is Tiger Woods still the Bad Guy?
Right at the beginning of the holiday season, Tiger Woods made news. He has been the golden boy of American golf for some time. It is ironic that Woods, a black man, would dominate golf, a game mostly played by rich white men. Because of his success and him leading to golf being considered as a real sport, he was often praised by the media. Tiger Woods had also become a darling on ESPN.
Along the way, Tiger Woods made some mistakes. First, he denied being black in spite of the centuries-old rule that one drop of black blood makes a person black. While Woods often denied being black, disgruntled blacks often said “wait until he slips up, he’ll know he’s black then.” He would eventually identify himself as a black man, but it was the case of too little too late. When he went off and married a white woman, he offended black women.
Regardless of the race of a person’s other half, their “blackness” should never be brought into question. But, Tiger Woods had denied being black. When his November 2009 car accident was revealed to have been started because of a domestic dispute, the media jumped in on him. This is nothing new for black celebrities. Everyone from Michael Jackson to Kobe Bryant have fallen victim to being media scapegoats.
For some reason, Tiger Woods felt that this would not happen to him. But, after it happened, there was nothing that he could do. It was revealed that Tiger Woods constantly cheated on his wife. The media used this angle to find women who claimed to have relations with Tiger, acting as if he is the only rich person to cheat on his wife. During the Tiger Woods saga, popular actor and star of “Two and a Half Men,” Charlie Sheen had actually hit his wife.
When it was revealed that Sheen had beaten his wife, the media was still more concerned with how bad Tiger Woods was. Cheating is wrong and illegal in some states, but Woods was beaten by his wife. Charlie Sheen was beating his wife and he is caught up in a legal battle. Tiger Woods has escaped to Mississippi during the Haiti crisis when the cameras were off of him. The media has found him and said that he is in a sex rehab clinic.
Repeatedly, Tiger Woods has asked for privacy. He wanted some time off to reconnect with his wife and they robbed him of that. During the 2008 Presidential Election, former candidate, John Edwards revealed that he had cheated on his wife while she was suffering from breast cancer. His mistress was a part of his 2004 and 2008 campaigns and she had a young child. Initially, he denied being the father of this child, perhaps to save the image of the Democratic Party. Now that the election is over, he has admitted to being the father of the child.
On Friday, “The Insider” asked the question of who was worse, Tiger Woods or John Edwards. Shockingly, some of the people on the panel chose Woods. Edwards had the audacity to cheat on his wife, the love of his life, and father a child. The same thing could have happened to Woods, but Elin has not suffered from cancer. John Edwards cheated on his wife when she needed him, undividedly, the most. Somehow, they felt that Tiger Woods was somehow more wrong than a man who would cheat on his ill wife.
Before Tiger Woods, there was Mark Sanford, who cheated on his wife and used taxpayer dollars to see his mistress. Then, there was Charlie Sheen, who beat his wife and admitted to it, he is currently in court. Finally, there is John Edwards, who went out and got another family, while his wife was suffering from cancer. The only difference between all of these cheating men is that they are white and Tiger Woods is black. If Woods was white, this would not even be that big of a deal.
But, because he is black, the mainstream media has criminalized him for cheating on his white wife. Then, the black media feels no sympathy because he did not cheat on his white wife with black women. All of the way around, this whole Tiger Woods controversy is ignorant. The man made a mistake and he is trying to correct it. The only other man in this type of situation that is ready and willing to make things right is John Edwards. Now, how is Tiger Woods worse than any of these other men?
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