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College Football Playoff Expansion: It’s Time to Pony Up and Pay College Players

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Pay College Athletes Their Worth!!

With the recent development that the College Football Playoff committee is considering expanding the number of teams that make the playoff from 4 to 12, the business that is college football could go from an annual revenue of $4 billion to some insane amount beyond that. The only problem is that the labor force that is most responsible for the success of the sport – the players – don’t see a piece of that revenue pie. It is way past time for college players to be paid what is commensurate with their contributions to this enterprise, and people need to stop being hypocrites and wake up and realize that.

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How Race IS A FACTOR in the NBA Fan and Player Interactions

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Photo: Elise Amendola, AP

Are fans who show disrespect toward NBA players motivated by race?

During the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, several negative interactions between fans and players took place involving spit, alleged racial language, water bottles and popcorn. Because the optics are white fans and black players, the conversation immediately jumped to whether race has anything to do with the incidences. While race does play a role in these situations, the question as to whether the fans are racially motivated in their behavior is a different issue entirely. Race does have something to do with this, and it involves an understanding of the current – and historically ongoing – economic climate of America.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Vs. Logan Paul: Is Exhibitionism Bad for Boxing?

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Until the promoters get out of the way and give us the fights we want to see, exhibitionism will continue to be the big draw in boxing.

Floyd Mayweather will briefly come out of retirement to fight Instagram and Youtube sensation Logan Paul on June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL, marking another exhibition event in boxing. There is a debate taking place in the boxing world as to the merit of these exhibition fights and whether they are good for the sport. Some think they help boxing, while boxing purists are resistant to them, feeling as though they dilute the sport and turn it into a sideshow. If you don’t like the exhibition fights, you can blame boxing for creating this problem. Until the promoters get out of the way and give us the mega-fights that we want, exhibition fights will continue to be the big draw in boxing.

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Dan LeBatard CREATES HUGE HOLE in Programming After Leaving ESPN

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Photo: ESPN Images

What ESPN stands to lose from Dan LeBatard’s departure is far more than what it stands to gain. They are going to miss him in the long-run.

If you’re a follower of ESPN Radio programming, you’re probably aware that commentator Dan LeBatard, after a lengthy partnership with ESPN, has departed the network. I wanted to wait for the dust to settle a bit before opining on what I thought of the landscape of ESPN’s programming slate in the wake of his absence, and the prognosis isn’t great. As a fan of LeBatard’s, I believe that his off-kilter brand of comedy and levity with respect to sports is needed. Couple that with his willingness to call out arbitrary sports rituals that we blindly worship, and you have what amounts to a brand of sports commentary that the world needs more of, and that ESPN will sorely miss.

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Dwayne Haskins’ Failure TEACHES Us the Value of Discipline and Seizing Opportunity

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Photo: Daniel Kucin Jr., AP

Let Dwayne Haskins’ current status as an unemployed pro football player serve as a lesson to all those who aspire for greatness: be disciplined at all times, and never take an opportunity for granted.

After sustained poor performance, followed by being exposed for having a night out with strippers at an unmasked party, the Washington Football team said enough is enough and released 2019’s number-15-overall draft pick Dwayne Haskins. We discuss the societal implications of his release, whether there are any implications for black quarterbacks at-large, and how this teaches those looking to build something for themselves the importance of maintaining discipline and not squandering opportunity.

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NBA Player Boycott – Our Reactions

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Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE via Getty Images

How practical were the NBA player boycotts in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake?

In the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, NBA players collectively banned together to refuse play for two consecutive days on August 27 and 28. We discuss the practicality of the walk-off, whether it’s appropriate that professional athletes are being placed on the frontlines in the fight against racial inequality, and how others are being let off the hook.

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The NBA is Back!

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Image courtesy of Clutch Sports

After a shutdown lasting over 4 months, the NBA returns for a bubble format at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL.

We discuss our thoughts on the long-anticipated return of the NBA after the COVID-19 shutdown. We talk about what we’re each looking forward to, as well as whether there is an asterisk on the season given what has happened. Plus, we talk about how this season, depending on the outcome, can affect LeBron James’ storied career.

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Kyrie Irving Does Not Want to Resume NBA Play to Keep Focus on Black Lives Matter – Our Thoughts

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Photo: Mike Strobe, Getty Images

Is opting not to play the most practical way for NBA players to help keep the focus on Black Lives Matter?

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving recently expressed not supporting the NBA resuming play via a “bubble” setup at Disney World because he fears it will distract from Black Lives Matter. We discuss whether there is merit to this concern, or whether it actually makes more sense to play in order to keep the focus where he believes it should be.

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VIDEO: Kobe Bryant: 1978 – 2020

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Photo: Getty Images

NBA legend Kobe Bryant tragically loses his life in a helicopter crash on the morning of January 26, 2020. We give our thoughts as best we can.

For a special edition to the platform, we gather to discuss the tragic death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who along with his daughter Gianna Bryant and 7 others, perished in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. We reflect on what he respectively meant to us both within the sports context, as well as symbolically. [Read more…]

VIDEO: People Urge NFL to Drop Michael Vick from Pro Bowl – Our Reactions

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Michael Vick

Photo: Gene Puskar/AP/Rex/Shutterstock

Three petitions and 1 million signatures later, public outcry against Michael Vick as an honorary captain at the 2020 Pro Bowl shows that in the world of pro sports, second chances are hard to come by.

The news that the NFL has invited former quarterback Michael Vick to be an honorary captain at the 2020 Pro Bowl has sparked outrage. Many people don’t believe he deserves the honor after being convicted of dogfighting in 2007.

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