I think this is my favorite side of KD. OH WELL! (photo from Kevin Durant’s instagram @SniperJones35)

Prayers and well-wishes to everyone affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. According to news sources, this is one of the worst tornado occurrences in history. Thankfully, the death toll is less than many other storms past … but any loss of life (including that of animals) is such a tragic thing. 

Oklahoma Thunder star Kevin Durant (my fav player behind the illustrious Christopher Wesson Bosh) has agreed to donate 1 million dollars to relief efforts. That is awesome and I’m so happy he’s doing  that — I’m also not surprised.

When I saw Durant’s announcement it got me thinking about his image and the whole concept of the “nice guy.”  What does that mean? How fully can we understand an athlete who is burdened with that tag in part because of his own statements?

In a nutshell, I think of folks who are described as nice as being boring and having nothing else to offer up for a narrative. No intellectual curiosity of note, no tales of wild unruly nights to share, no particular physical gifts or markings, no sense of humor to speak of etc etc. In the dating world, when a guy is described as nice he might as well be a serial killer because I’ve no interest in someone unworthy of better description. 

Kevin Durant and his mother and grandmother. (photo from Kevin Durant’s instagram @sniperjones35)

But KD doesn’t really fit that mold. I think at first he provided a nice contrast to those extremely weird and very likely pathologically disturbed people who hated Lebron James. And in this “everyone-must-have-a-brand” economy we live in the media married him to this narrative. I think on some level Durant understands that in this media environment you’re either the good guy or the bad guy and he chose to help  pigeon hole himself as a dutifully humble big kid lest he become the giant selfish monster those crazies I described earlier pegged Lebron James as. Durant’s humble act is as much a product of being raised right as it is a necessity in avoiding the contrived wild-eyed ire of the Skip Baylesses of the world. 

[To finish this post click Read More]

But just as James has overcome years of being miscast as a villain, it’s time for Durant to de-emasculate himself. Durant will be 25 years old this year and he’s a grownnnn man who can do whateva he wants [Beyonce. 2013]. And if anyone is capable of giving the media a fully formed and multi-dimensional athlete to adore it’s Durant. KD might be a sweetheart with kind assessments of his more accomplished peers, a mother and grandmother he isn’t afraid to adore in public, a giving spirit, a willingness to admit being second all his life hurts, and a game that is less force than finesse…but he’s also a fashionable man who will curse out a rowdy fan in the first row, cover his body in tattoos, threaten to “slap fire” out of an offensive tweeter, show his irritable side in a presser, drop some good raps in his free time, and rack up double digit technicals during the season. 

Durant is no one thing nor should he be.

This season, Nike invested resources in the “KD is not nice” campaign which I wasn’t necessarily a  fan of. First of all, in black slang, the word “nice” in  basketball means great handles. So any time I’d see “KD is not nice” I’d have a visceral reaction because KD is clearly the nicest basketball player in the world aside from James. Secondly, besides the language issue, I wasn’t sure the point. Perhaps KD and Nike were trying to show us that Durant isn’t submissive to fiery teammate Russell Westbrook as many like to believe. Or maybe this was an attempt to make it clear that KD has an edge that is visually obstructed by the finesse of his game much like his many tattoos are kept hidden underneath his jersey. It all felt very blurry and unmoving. 

It’s time for Nike and Durant to regroup on his marketing. KD IS nice … but there’s more to him than being that or not. 

The NFL has created a new site called the Women’s Resource Initiative to reach out to the women that affect athletes’ lives – whether it’s moms and wives/girlfriends or bloggers and female fans. The site is a spin-off from the Player Engagement site which helps connect NFL players with the many resources that the NFL makes available to them. The site for women was designed to get women to take a more active role in players’ lives and also to connect with one another. 

I think the site is a great idea and I was excited when I was asked to contribute to it. I’ll be blogging about safety rules and initiatives the NFL implements as well as interviewing former and current players about ventures off the field. I’ll go into more details about this when we’ve ironed everything out and my first post is up. But as you know, player safety and advancement are two issues that are VERY important to me and I’m happy to expand my role in the discussion around those issues. 

I know you’re probably wondering if I’ll continue to be the largely disagreeable goodwitch I’ve been for the past 2 years and a few months that this blog has been in existence. Well, the answer is HELL YES. I haven’t changed and the NFL hasn’t asked me to. If you keep up with the way that the NFL conducts business you know they’re not afraid of edge…I think the NFL actually does a better job covering itself than any other network or outlet in many cases. If I felt my ability to give my opinion freely and with my normal vigor would be compromised here or on the NFL’s official site I definitely wouldn’t have agreed to contribute to the site in any way, shape or form. 

As I said, my first contribution to the site isn’t up yet, but still please make sure you pop over and peruse the site and spread the link around. I never thought I’d see my name right beside Donovan McNabb’s mom’s, isn’t that so cool? I KNOW RIGHT! Here’s the Washington Post’s write up on the site which features a great interview with New England Patriots Vince Wilfork’s wife Bianca. 

 [LINK: NFL Player Engagement Womens Resource Initiative]

I really don’t like @dlee042 but I really hope he has a speedy recovery. Hate to see guys get get hurt or injured.

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) April 22, 2013

I guess Hibbert isn’t over the fight they got into back in February that resulted in both of them being suspended for a game.

Lee went down in the 4th quarter of Golden State’s game against the Nuggets. The resulting injury was a “torn hip flexor.”  The Warriors were already not likely to overcome the balanced and aggressive play of the Nuggets, but now they will be without their second leading scorer (behind Steph Curry) and their top rebounder.

Lee’s birthday is coming up on April 29th. Hopefully, Hibbert doesn’t feel compelled to wish him a Happy Birthday. No telling how that tweet would look!

Full disclosure, Kerry is a friend of the blog. He helped me promote it with a contest when I first launched. I find him to be very kind and approachable. But even if not, I’d still be sick about what’s happening to him now.

It’s one thing when homophobic politicians are exposed to be dabbling with the kids or some holier-than-thou leader is found with a mistress…in those cases I can see the point and motivation in outing someone (although, to be honest, I can’t think of any instance in which the outing changed a damn thing!) But when a person is simply living their life, probably in shame, outing them just feels gross and wrong.

I know that there are many people like me who are ready to see the NFL become a safer space for gay players. But that doesn’t mean we want to see people thrust into sharing their private preferences (and pictures!). Plus, if what Hollywood said was true–that Kerry’s teammates saw them together and never bothered him about it– it really begs the question why anyone outside of an athlete’s immediate circle even needs to know anything. Maybe this is what “out” in the NFL is…”out” to those who need to know.  Besides, I don’t think NFL players, on a whole, are as close minded (and may have never been!) as people would like to believe. Lots of secrets are kept between teammates and coaches and agents and sexual habits are just one type.

Still and all, what this fame-seeker is doing to Kerry is a complete violation of trust, privacy, and human decency that I could have lived without. He just seems like an awful individual. 

I’m wishing Kerry the best as he searches for a new team. He played well last season and should get another shot. 

Via Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard

Knight was good enough to make training camp for the LA Rams but was cut before he ever played a game. But apparently he returned as a replacement player during the strike of 1987. I wonder what year he cut that curl off though.

You can view SI’s complete ratings of famous alumni here. I was offended that Bob Sager, an alum of my my alma mater, Temple University didn’t rate higher. A few folks said Bill Cosby should have been chosen instead of Saget. If so, he deserved #1. Still Saget is pretty cool. He had us all thinking he was some dopey goody two shoes on Full House, but in reality he’s a caustic potty mouth. GO OWLS.

The main point that folks against paying college athletes make is that it would be too costly and destroy the system. While it’s alarming to know that so many people believe  keeping their favorite tv show around in its current form is more important than treating young people fairly, the idea that people who spend all of their time figuring out ways to make money can’t figure out how to manage it in a way that benefits the athletes too bothers me the most. On top of that, it seems you can’t point out athletes should share in the pot of money they help produce without being asked to explain how you personally think it should be worked out. I don’t need to be a collegiate sports professional to know when young people are being hosed.

As Celebrity Hot Tub said:

Don’t believe for a second that an entire industry of business-minded people can’t figure out a way to give players some share of licensing revenue and keep teams running because it’s impossible. Realize that they won’t do it because nobody wants to make $500,000 a year when you could make a million.

He’s correct. This is not about “can’t” it’s about “want” and all the hemming and hawing about how hard it would be is nothing more than the usual pretend ignorance. What this comes down is what most modern corporate thinking is all about. Anything to make more money even if that means fairness and ethics are an afterthought. I’m exhausted by those practices not just in sports but in every facet of American life.

As I type this, Reed is back at the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium after spending most of yesterday with the Texans including a dinner that lasted well into the night. If he doesn’t sign with the Texans, the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts are still calling.

Yesterday, Reed told Comcast Houston the following:

“I think, as an organization, they kind of want things on their terms. Seeing how things have transpired over there right now, it’s like wow, I just kind of can’t believe how things are happening from a business standpoint when guys give you blood, sweat and tears and give you everything. And try to do the best for the team. Players definitely did that. Baltimore is a great organization over the years as we all know, and do the right things for the organization. You’ve got to respect that. Every organization does it.”

Reed is right, every organization wants things on their own terms and the Ravens’ refusal to extend Reed long before now seemed a clear sign that their commitment was waning. In fairness, Reed often publicly flip flopped on the possibility of retiring and thoroughly mishandled his off season last year. All in all, leaving the Ravens could be good for both parties despite the hurt feelings that are clear in Reed’s statement. If Reed leaves, the Ravens don’t have to face the likelihood that Reed pulls a Ray Lewis and angles to continue to play long after his effectiveness is gone and Reed gets to play for a likely contender with a great fan base the rest of his career (2  moreyears lol!).

My stance on Sherman vs. Revis is simple. There’s not a big enough sample at this point to say who is currently playing better. Revis was out almost the entire season with a torn ACL, but to Revis’ credit he has had multiple seasons being a top corner to which Sherman has exactly one. It’s also important to remember that stats don’t tell the whole story. Depending on the defensive scheme (press vs. man, for example) a corner may not have much of a chance to grab INTs. It doesn’t mean he’s not doing his job. Revis, certainly, doesn’t give up many yards or  big plays or catches at all for that matter. So the man to outdo remains Revis.  And I’m a huge fan of Sherman but my favorite corner is still Lardarius Webb. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk about Sherman’s chitter chatter.

Sherman talks a lot and I think he should continue to do it. Part of the reason Revis is so popular is not just because of his play. It’s also because he plays in New York , cause he had a controversial contract hold out and because he has a coach in Rex Ryan who has done the bulk of trash talk for him. Sherman has none of those advantages at the current time. Sports fans are NOTORIOUSLY slow to realize who is playing well vs. who has a reputation for playing well. If you look at the Pro Bowl, there’s plenty of evidence. It sometimes takes years for fan bases to realize that the guy who was once a pro bowl caliber player is now playing respectably but not great. Sherman shouldn’t wait for everyone else to catch up especially since he plays on the west coast and he’s 6’3 so the window for him to be a top corner is shorter as taller DBs tend to lose a step faster than the 5’11 guys like Revis.

If it wasn’t for Sherman’s big mouth, there’s no guarantee he’d be gaining the popularity he’s gaining right now. You don’t see Bleacher Report and ESPN and, by proxy, the average fan hyping Peanut Tillman or Tim Jennings who were stellar corners this year as well. It’s conceivable that with the Ravens having won the superbowl, had Webb not gotten injured he would be getting the bulk of attention right now rather than Sherman.

Guys talk trash about each other all the time…this is a sport where every dude is hocked up on adrenaline and you need to have confidence to survive. If it bothers people that Sherman is loud and abrasive, that’s fine. But I don’t think he should stop drawing attention to himself because people don’t find him “likable.” Likeability comes with time, access and success. Right now it’s most important for Sherman to stand out from the crowd.

I can point to numerous athletes who tried hard to be liked and were unsuccessful like Lebron James who people seriously hated for no reason. Or athletes who were completely abrasive but protected for various reasons like Michael Jordan. Or guys like Kobe Bryant who don’t give a damn if you like them or not and have succeeded just fine without mass personality approval.  Getting endorsements is what’s important not having the fans want to cuddle with you at night time. I think Sherman is headed toward being a spokesman for brands and it’s in large part due to making a spectacle of himself. Revis has a shoe, I’m sure Sherman would like one too.

If Sherman puts together another top season media types will be clamoring to write profiles singing his praises and the public will come around just like many did when they saw his Bleacher Report video (below). After this latest digital skirmish it’s probably time for  Sherman to shift the way he talks trash now that he’s gotten a general positive result from it.  You don’t want people to “tire” of you. Being disliked is fine, but when people groan when they see your name that’s heading in the wrong direction. 

If you’re interested in analysis of Sherman and Revis’ games check out this article by Pro Fooball Focus. They got you covered.

This post is about a random clip of Ray Lewis I found from back when The Best Damn Sports Show Period was still on the air. Lewis was a guest they hooked to a lie detector test and asked a series of questions. No, none were related to the murder people keep bringing up over and over. I thought they asked him some good things the one most relevant today being “if you knew you wouldn’t get caught, would you use PEDs?”

I don’t want to give the clip away but he looked nervous as hell. Maybe not quite as nervous as when they asked him about Trent Dilfer, but the faces he was making were HILARIOUS given the current deer antler spray controversy.

Speaking of which, I almost ordered some on amazon. I’m not saying I don’t believe Lewis when he says he didn’t use it. I’m saying whatever Lewis is using that has him looking so fine at 37,  I’m willing to try it as long as it doesn’t affect the size of my penis.

Enjoy the clip! BTW, given how stale sports shows are right now, BDSSP looks pretty progressive in restrospect. 

Rapper 2 Chainz posted this picture to his instagram when he arrived in Hawaii for a concert. Couldn’t you just see him participating in Pro Bowl in some way? Maybe I’m just nostalgic for the Rock N Jock days of old.

The Pro Bowl takes place this weekend and just like every year everyone will discuss how the Pro Bowl sucks and needs to be improved or done away with. Even the commissioner has fallen into this line of thinking saying that if “play doesn’t improve” he will consider scrapping it. 

I used to be a Pro Bowl complainer but I’m not anymore. Now I take issue with the very thought of having players go to work as some time of end-of-season reward for a job well done. Playing football is not the privilege that football players and fans have been brainwashed to believe it is. It’s a job and a very dangerous one. The end of season reward shouldn’t involve a 17th or 18th game for them to get hurt playing.

Also, talking about improving the Pro Bowl is kinda like talking about how you can improve the television show Scandal or Love and Hip Hop Atl. The best thing you could do quality-wise is take it off of television completely. But from a purely entertainment standpoint people are tuning into both trash television staples. I don’t watch Love and Hip Hop for quality television it’s more like “omgggg look at this!”  Sometimes I complain but mostly I enjoy it. 

I don’t think people tune in to the Pro Bowl for the game. In the past, I’ve watched it because it’s the loosest we get to see football players behave. They’re having fun with their colleagues and friends and showing off their amazing speed and acrobatics. The NFL takes itself so seriously sometimes, Pro Bowl weekend is a relief.

In a way, it makes us feel more a part of the game than any other game during the season because there’s such a degree of camaraderie that really shines through since the pressure is low. Threatening them to play harder during the game is just going to make even more guys skip it even though they’d love to have the check, the trip, and a Pro Bowl on their resume.

Improving the Pro Bowl wouldn’t be that difficult. An hour flag football game or maybe even a baseball or basketball game with celebrities a la MTV’s old Rock and Jock, and some great interview/feature segments would be appealing to me and I’m sure many other fans. NFL could even partner with MTV to pull the whole thing off. They could even move it back to Miami where fans could participate even more. 

But great ideas for improvement can only come to fruition if the NFL rids itself of the notion that an extra assignment at the end of a job well done is a reward for an employee.  Then they can focus on creating an experience “with” the players that  satisfies both the guys and the fans.