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

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Photo: Don Juan Moore, Getty Images

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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J. Cole Haters Should Take a Chill Pill and LIVE ABUNDANTLY!

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Photo: Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

Approaching life with the abundance mentality is the key to meaningful relationships and success.

When speaking with ESPN, Basketball Africa League player Terrell Stoglin provided his thoughts on J. Cole receiving the opportunity to play for the league’s Rwanda Patriots, suggesting that Cole took an opportunity away from other, more deserving players. Furthermore, he believes that given Cole’s privileged position as a hip-hop star, he doesn’t need the opportunity, and that his spot should have gone to other players who work hard to obtain a roster spot. This mentality is emblematic of our approach to life through the scarcity paradigm. If we want to be successful and live fulfilling lives, we have to stop thinking that one’s opportunity represents something being taken away from us. Success is contingent on approaching life through the abundance paradigm and seeking to establish meaningful relationships that can help to facilitate our own success.

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Kyrie Irving is Making a Mistake By Not Talking Basketball to the Media

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Photo: Michael Conroy, Associated Press

When keeping it smart goes wrong.

During a Brooklyn Nets postgame press conference, NBA star Kyrie Irving declared to the media that he would no longer be answering questions about basketball – something he is contractually obligated to do – because basketball isn’t the most important thing to him and he only wants to talk about societal issues that he is impassioned about. This is a mistake. Kyrie is painting himself as a social elitist who is smarter than everyone else, all the while undermining awareness of his causes and alienating potential allies. People should not replicate this strategy. This is what happens when keeping it smart goes wrong.

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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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NBA Player Paul George is Clowned for Relationship with Ex-Stripper, and We Talk About Simping

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Photo: Heavy.com

What Paul George being clowned for his relationship with an ex-stripper can teach men about simping, knowing their value, and how to seek successful relationships.

We talk about the remarks that Damian Lillard’s sister made toward Paul George when she involved herself in her brother’s social media back-and-forth with George, who infamously got with a stripper and now shares two children with her. We talk about simping, whether it’s a real thing, and how it has fundamentally changed dating, relationships, and the way men and women interact with one another.

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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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Dwayne Wade Supports Son Zion’s Gender Transition

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Photo: George Pimentel, Getty Images

Retired NBA superstar Dwayne Wade jumpstarted a national debate around parenting, family values, and acceptance when he publicly showed support for his son Zion’s decision to be identified as a woman.

We give our thoughts on Dwayne Wade’s support for his son Zion’s gender transition. More than the story itself, we also highlight our current social climate, ideological control in the media, and the overall lack of tolerance for different, reasonable points of view.

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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…]