Fantasy football - for women too

Ah the joys of Sunday watching football. It’s a tradition that goes back generations. It’s a moment that can be pictured with ease. A father and son watching the television, maybe with grandfather and/or local friends as well.

Of course now that the internet has become a staple in the lives of virtually every American there is an added benefit. Fantasy football has expanded the drive of millions to see the pig iron game. Untold additional hours are being spent to get the perfect team, and taking the top prize – even if there is nothing more than being known as number 1 as the prize.

Of course this joyous image is not being met with the same pleasure everywhere. In fact there are nearly as many women upset about fantasy football as the actual game. Football widows are now finding that fantasy football means even more of the dreaded game invading their lives.

I even read about the fact that a site has gone up called Women Against Fantasy Sports. And many of these women are angry. Even though the site is a bit on the lighter side of the issue.

The site recalls many of the perils these women share, and ideas about crushing the dreaded enemy once and for all. And have no doubt there are hordes of women that are joining up.

To be honest, if a guy is spending untold hours committed to a dozen fantasy leagues, I can understand some annoyance. Ignoring the significant other is never the best plan for wedded bliss. But there is another way to view fantasy sports. Get involved.

I know many women that are avid fans of this or that football team. I know a slightly smaller group of women that are equally at ease with their fantasy teams. These women have a great time talking about the game and hanging out with the guys every Sunday. Their significant others love that they are as into the game as they are. And they often compete, or get tips on how to do better in their fantasy league from their spouse.

I also know of a very small group of women that have no care in the world about the Sunday without their other half. I’d say more about these women but I know so few and see them so rarely that I really can’t say more.

So let me say this to the men out there. Fantasy leagues are a great bit of fun. Being in 1 or 2 leagues is fantastic, and really amps up the game Sunday and Monday night. But if the game is keeping you up at night, and making your better half wonder what your name is and why you have a key to the house, slow down. Maybe even try to teach her about the league and the sport.

You might be surprised by how involved she may become. Especially if her picks are whopping your butt.

and by the way - Go Giants!

UFC fighters make money, but not as much as you might think

I was reading some news of late about upcoming UFC matches when I ran across something that I thought was interesting. How much do the UFC fighters actually make in each bout?

Now it’s not as much as you might imagine. Though the UFC is 10 years old now, it only recently started to get television deals. With the surge in popularity has come increased revenues, but also an increase in fees.

Notably there is the split with the pay-per-view carriers, and/or broadcaster. That takes a hefty clip out right there. And there is now news that the states where the programs orignate from are looking to take a cut too.

“A little birdie says Ultimate Fighting Championship officials weren't pleased about the 10 percent tax on their show that drew 15,082 to Target Center on Saturday”

10% off the top and possibly as much as 50% to pay-per-view really cuts out the profits. I don’t even think boxing has such extreme cuts.

But the remaining amounts get a bit better. The final cut that is awarded to the fighters depends on if they win or lose, and if they have structured their contracts to be weighted more on their ability to win. So the final numbers work out to about 29% up to 50% of the net goes to the fighters. That is all the fighters as a group. Which is a very good payout and greater than any comparable sport.

Now the individual fighter may not make all that much. Like any other sport, especially the WWE, the more popular the fighter the bigger the payday. On the lowest rung fighters tend to make about $2,000. At the top the winning fighter can make as much as $175,000 a match.

Now that isn’t prize fights in boxing, nor even the base salary for a lineman in NFL football. Then again that is per match, and far more than working as a fast food cashier. But if the sport gains more attention as it seems to be doing then we can expect to see a lot of loyalty from the fighters and more than just a few hoping to join their ranks.

So if you were wondering how much they make and if it matches their fame, now you know.

Don Imus - the offense is unending

Oh the humanity of it! Shock struck me yesterday as I learned of news that I could not believe. A radio personality made a comment that was racist, or so I was told by a friend of mine.

The radio celebrity was Don Imus and the above comment was sarcasm, if you missed it. Notice the race of my friend is irrelevant for my sarcasm to be used, and it does not change the impact of what I was trying to say.

My point is to the constantly recurring comments of Don Imus. Yesterday he was involved in this conversation.

WARNER WOLF: Defensive back Adams "Pacman" Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys, here's a guy suspended all of 2007, following a shooting in a Vegas nightclub.
DON IMUS: Well, stuff happens. You're in a nightclub, for God's sake. What do you think is gonna happen in a nightclub. People are drinking, and doing drugs. There are women there and people have guns. So there, go ahead.
WOLF: Also, he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.
IMUS: What color is he?
WOLF: He's African American.
IMUS: Ha ha, well there you go, now we know.

Now if you just read the words, it’s hard to tell what is actually meant. The comment could go either way. So I found a copy of his actual words.



Do I feel that was a sarcastic comment? NO.

IF Imus had no asked about the race of Adam Jones, then I might have had some doubt in the intent. If it were another radio personality I might have had reason to believe their words were poorly chosen. But Don Imus is very well known, especially for his offensive and racial remarks throughout his career – most recently and publicly for his attack on the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team.

Why Imus believes he can attack Black athletes (among other attacks on African Americans) is beyond me. His defense that he has 2 co-workers and a producer of his current show that are Black is stupid. They are not in his mind, they don’t control what comes out of his mouth. His racial bias does not change because of those around him, obviously.

When Kelly Tilghman called for the lynching of Tiger Woods, she was on national TV and tried to play the incident as a joke. It wasn’t and the fact that millions of people were watching did not make it any more funny or less racial. The same is true of Imus and his co-workers.

I was pleased with him getting fired after the Rutgers event. Yet I was willing to allow Imus to get a new job. I would have preferred him to have had more time unemployed, and the fact he received a speculated $50 million settlement for his contract really defeated the impact his firing was meant to convey. Still I had hoped it would slap some sense in to him. And this is perhaps why hope was the last thing that Pandora found.

But I will leave it up to you my readers. You have the transcript and his actual words recorded. Tell me what you think of his comment and what should be done this time?

Update on Sean Taylor of the Redskins Football team - 1.24.2008.1

I decided to do a search on Sean Taylor, the Redskin’s football player that was killed in his home at the end of November 2007. The reason for the search is because of the media attention to Heath Ledger's death. I am sorry that he is dead, but I am noticing the amount of time that is being dedicated to his death.

Similar to the months of coverage of Anna Nicole Smith’s death (or Stacy Peterson), there is no end to the rumors, minor insignificant facts, and minutiae that is being uncovered about the man. This is fine for TMZ and other institutions that waste your time. I can even see how Greta Van Susteren, of Fox News, would cover it [I find her program to be the equivalent of ambulance chasing news coverage]. But without outside factors (like a hint that this was a murder and not a suicide or accidental overdose – which often is the same thing), the time spent on this sad event is troubling to me.

Thus I wanted to go back and compare the on-going coverage to a recent death. Sean Taylor’s death was covered by all the major news media. It did get a few hours of news coverage over roughly 3 days. By news coverage standards that is huge. Of course the follow-up of the case has been sporadic and less well done. Like the fact, reported on Canadian Press that,

“Sean Taylor, the first player voted posthumously to the Pro Bowl, will have his jersey number worn at the game by two of his former Washington Redskins teammates.

The NFL announced Wednesday tight end Chris Cooley and tackle Chris Samuels will both wear No. 21 at the game Feb. 10 in Honolulu.”

Another fact that has been less covered is the Fund that has been created to take care of Taylor’s daughter.

“Cooley and Samuels will each wear his own name on the back of the jersey, above the No. 21. The jerseys will be auctioned after the game, with the proceeds benefiting the Sean Taylor Memorial Trust Fund that was established for Taylor's daughter, Jackie.”

The difference is this:

• Taylor was murdered, Ledger has been reported as not.
  
• Taylor’s murder seems to have been done by 4 individuals that have been arrested. Coverage has not fully confirmed this fact, thus his killers may be at large (though this is unlikely).
  
• Ledger has received sympathetic commentary by pundits. Many have explained his past drug use on various reasons, and drawn correlations to this being involved with his sudden death. None of the coverage has been accusatory or negative.
  
• Taylor was maligned constantly. Pundits gave as much time to rumors and past facts that indicated a negative view of Taylor, as actual facts in the case.
  
• Ledgers is portrayed as had having a positive growing future prior to his death.
  
• Taylor was portrayed as having a negative past, a complicated future, and minimalization of his achievements.
  

Why am I mentioning this, and why now?

I realize that Heath Ledger has just died. I can imagine how his family and friends are taking this sudden and shocking news. I do not intend to be insensitive.

But the fact remains that the media is unjust and biased in its coverage. And that pisses me off. I’m tired of reading about the death of an African American celebrity/entertainer a week after the event. Or that their life is minimized, and coverage short and sporadic. Then a White celebrity/entertainer dies and up to a week, or even months of coverage ensue.

I’m tired of hearing all the wonderful things about drunken drug addicted ignorant White entertainers (a la Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, ect) that need our sympathy. Then I get to hear all the negative mean items about African American entertainers that survived and overcame gangs, poverty, inadequate education systems, social bias, racism, and sometimes more.

But to say this in retrospect does not have the same impact as watching the news today and seeing the impact. Pay attention to the news, and note what is being said. See how much is said about the tribute to Sean Taylor. See how they describe Sean Taylor’s life. Then wait a few months and watch how Heath Ledger will be discussed in what I expect will be a grand scale when the next Batman movie comes out. Watch how much time will be given to remember the positive aspects of Heath, several months from now.

Is this the perfect time? No. But there never is in such matters. But if we cannot celebrate the past of our heroes and entertainers equally, then how can we expect anything else to be equal? If we are not the same in death, how can we be the same in life?

If the major news media can’t be colorblind in death, then I don’t need to know about that death. James Brown was not buried for a month and the major media never noticed. But Anna Nicole Smith, who’s body was a matter of legal debate – exactly the same as James Brown’s was and at the same tme, received multiple days of live coverage.

I don’t want to insult the dead. But I do want to criticize the living. Because the little things matter, a lot. And I’m tired of the lopsided commentary that only exists to subtly and directly stereotype and minimize the existence of any person of color.

New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl

Wow, what a close game. The New York Giants did it in overtime. After field goal kicker Tynes screwed up multiple attempts to win the game in regular time the playoff game went into overtime.

It was looking bad when Green Bay had the possession of the ball until Webster made a critical interception for the Giants. This lead to Tynes having another, and the longest, field goal attempt. 47 yards. The pit of my stomach felt empty considering his earlier attempts.

But he made the kick, with barely enough height to cross the bar. Now the Giants will be making it to the Super Bowl! I am pleased, especially with all those that thought they couldn’t do it.

Do I expect the Giants to win? Always. I can’t bet on their games because everyone knows I always bet for them. The Super Bowl will be no different.

So I congratulate the New York Giants on their win today, in the 3rd most cold football game on record.

Go Giants!

American Gladiators promotes physical fitness

Back in the late 80’s, when I was in the service, I recall a night over at a Coast Guard base. It was about 2 in the morning and I was with a friend. We were watching a show that I had never seen before, and I thought it was great. It was American Gladiators.

Being the fit and uber in shape Marine I was at the time I was wondering if I could compete in the television show. Unlike wrestling, and with no other “reality” programming existing on television it was the only program where regular people could display the physical fitness we worked on attaining. I never did try to get on the show, but in a year or so the program became an underground hit and goes to a more realistic timeslot.

Fast forward to today, and we see that American Gladiators has returned to television. With it has returned the opportunity for real people to show their stuff. Not like the unreal “reality” programs that dominate the airwaves these days. Just regular people, who have worked out and stayed, fit throughout their lives. Some even having started to become fit latter in life.

Now this is not a program that is high-brow in any sense. It’s physical competition. It’s a display of dedication that contestants have made over time, and none of them are professionals. And that’s why I enjoy it.

This is the one show where you or I could get on. That’s the motivation. We work out, maintain a proper diet, exercise on a regular basis, and without becoming an Arnold Schwarzenegger clone, we have a realistic chance of appearing and winning $100,000. It takes me back to my time in the military and that night at the Coast Guard base.

Sometimes we all need a reason to do what we know we should do anyway. Sometimes we need to see a regular person do something we can do as well. I love football, but there is no way I’m ever going to get into the NFL no matter how fit I become. But American Gladiators is a possibility.

Perhaps it’s unrealistic to think I will ever make it on television for such a program. But the next time I’m in the gym, or you are, seeing that Joe Average guy that did the same things we do in the gym might just help get one more mile on the treadmill, or that extra set of push-ups.

But does it matter if I don’t make it to the show? If I, we, gain the reward for being more physically fit does it matter what motivated us? If it only means I will live better, play golf better, and spend more time playing with nephews (not to mention get a second or third look from the ladies) have I not gotten the reward I really wanted?

There are many reasons why men get physically fit. If American Gladiators can add one more reason to the list, it’s a good thing to me. How about you?

Video game leagues now less of competition to WNBA - 9.14.2007.2

Imagine my surprise, the World Series of Video Games has closed it’s doors in the middle of it’s second season. You might be wondering, Who? That’s the problem.

The World Series of Video Games was an attempt to televise video game playing in a manner similar to NFL football, MLB baseball or other national sports leagues. For all the attention they received, the 1 hour of televised coverage on CBS Sports, and Intel as a sponsor the final outcome is what most expected. Watching people play a videogame on television is even less exciting than Bass fishing or the WNBA. That really is a low point.

Of course they aren’t the only ones trying to make this concept work. There still exists the World Cyber Games, and Championship Gaming Series. Ultra-couch potatoes that find turning on their respecitve game consoles and mashing the various buttons too strenuous still have a chance to live vicariously through the 2 remaining leagues. I suggest TIVO of the events (videotaping them would require too much effort) because I expect both to go the way of indoor football or the Canadian Football League.

Don’t get me wrong. I love video games. Competitions to see who is the bast gamer, whether among friends or large groups of strangers sounds like fun. I doubt I’d win such a competition but I’d enter just for the thrill of it. The key is active participation.

I can’t imagine how watching someone play a game would be more interesting that putting the same game on and playing it myself. Every gamer I know would do the same. So who is out there watching these programs befuddles me.

Well never fear, Games Media Properties, which owned the World Series of Video Games and funded in part by William Morris Agency (the people who give us all the stars that look good above most all else), has a back-up plan. Sticking ads into the video games we love to play. Talk about the top of my pet peeve list. Hopefully they are as good at that as they were in running the league.

Comments on Sandra Rose discussing Michael Vick Part 2 - 7.19.2007.2

Continued from Comments on Sandra Rose discussing Michael Vick Part 1...

It can be argued that the media is unbalanced in discussing African Americans, with or without fame and money, that they shine a spotlight at. Guilty or not bias exists. I’ve discussed it often on several cases including Jessie Davis and the Duke Rape case".

This is not that. The fact that Mr. Vick has money has nothing to do with dogfighting that occurred at one of his homes. The fact he is black has nothing to do with the accusation that he may have suggested, or helped to, electrocute a dog for fighting badly.

The government did not make Mr. Vick run, or allow to be run, dogfighting on his property. The Feds did not incite Mr. Vick to allegedly bet on the outcome of fights. The local, state, or federal law officials did not promote the drowning, electrocution or other tortures inflicted on these dogs – some of which Mr. Vick has been accused of doing. This is not a witch-hunt.

Would this have gotten the same media attention if this were a White male that was poor? No. Would the same charges exist? Yes. Would there still be an indictment based on the same accusations? Definitely. Is it still a display of a lack of humanity and compassion? In my opinion, yes.

With all the issues of racism and prejudice in this nation today we don’t need to create false issues. Emotional connection to an athlete on your favorite team, or the success of a Black man, is not reasons to excuse poor potentially criminal behavior. That same argument is the one used to excuse gangsta rappers for the language they use and the violence that often accompanies them.

I disagree with Ms. Rose, respectfully. Mr. Vick is culpable at the least. Dogfighting is reprehensible. Comparing one abuse of animals to another is, in my view, silly. To claim racism in an issue that does not involve it weakens the justifiable arguments where it does apply.

I will say it again, as a Black Puerto Rican man of nearly 40, I am familiar with racism. This isn’t that. The fact that Mr. Vick is Black, rich and famous make this a big media brouhaha, but still valid. No amount of wishing, nor accusations of prejudice change that.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Comments on Sandra Rose discussing Michael Vick - 7.19.2007.1

I can’t believe that anyone would stand up for Mr. Michael Vick, or dogfighting. While I understand that ALL are innocent before the law, and Mr. Vick has not convicted of anything; yet I cannot believe that he has no culpability in this situation, and that if the charges as made are correct he deserves to be punished harshly. I’ve already commented on this once.

Yet it seems that at least Ms. Sandra Rose will take the opposite position to mine. It seems that Ms. Rose thinks that the charges against Mr. Vick are related to his stature as an athlete, his salary, and his race. Ms. Rose even nullifies the cause of the indictment, dogfighting, stating that

“Why is dog fighting a felony in Virginia when bestiality or Zoophilia is perfectly legal in the same state?”

Let me take a stab at answering the question she has posed. Perhaps bestiality has not been rampant in Virginia, thus requiring no law. Perhaps the good people of Virginia have no need for a law of this nature as it does not occur. Perhaps if this is a major concern, a law covering this can be made. I honestly can say that I have never wondered if my state, or any, has laws against bestiality as I would hope that it is not something that is occurring. [Let me correct this a bit. I understand, but have not confirmed, that bestiality is a felony in Virginia. Enough said to that.]

That said, cruelty to animals, particularly dogfighting is against the law. The public has agreed that this is not

“… something dogs do naturally anyway”

The breed of Pit Bulls was created just for the ability to fight. They are tortured in their training, killed (and in this case viciously with the intent of inflicting pain) for lack of performance, and in general abused. That is not natural. Arranged fights and provoking trained animals to fight is not natural. Anyone who lacks the compassion to treat a pet kindly, to kill without mercy, to inflict pain for greed (there is massive betting in this genre – and Mr. Vick has been accused of betting upwards of $40,000 on various dogs) and pleasure is a dangerous person that might do the same to a human being. It’s not a far stretch.

Beyond that, this is not a Black thing. Like many African Americans I am aware of bias in the law. I have encountered situations where the law, or officers enforcing it, has been abused or ignored to my detriment. I like many have lived with the various forms of racism that occurs in this nation. This isn’t one of them.

It can be argued that the current charges against Mr. Wesley Snipes are racially motivated, on top of the fact of his income and entertainment stature. It can be argued that the media has created an unfair atmosphere about his case.

Continued in Part 2...

Michael Vick of Atlanta Falcons indicted - 7.18.2007.1

What can be said about Mr. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons? After a 3 month investigation, Mr. Vick has been indicted on charges related to dogfighting. Mr. Vick has denied all the charges.

This is another blow to the NFL, and seems to be a part of the recent mass of athletes that have violated various laws. While I presume Mr. Vick is innocent, and unlike some in the media I actually believe that, this is a bad situation. The fact that a dogfighting ring was found at a house owned by Mr. Vick is troubling. Even if it was run by family members and he had no knowledge of what was happening, he is culpable. He needed to know what was going on in his property.

Dog fighting, and the people that run it are sick individuals. To breed and train animals to fight to the death for the sheer pleasure of those watching is barbaric. This is an event that has its roots in the old South, and the reason that the Pit Bull was created. Twisted desires creating an animal equally as perverted.

Allegations have arisen that claim Mr. Vick was actively involved in the training and death of several dogs. If that is proven in fact, then the NFL must immediately eject him from professional football. Like drugs this is a zero tolerance issue. I’m no PETA advocate, but I also disagree with animal cruelty, especially in a form like this. I can only hope that further investigation finds that Mr. Vick’s claims are correct.

I don’t care if the NFL season is affected. I don’t care if Atlanta wins or loses. This is a crime, and no preference should be given, if he is guilty. IF he is innocent, then he deserves an apology, and a public explanation as his livelihood has been detrimentally affected. The news media should remember that.

Already there is a surge occurring in the media to proactively convict Mr. Vick. Today I have seen Mrs. E.D. Hill of Fox News equate Mr. Vick to Pacman Jones and essentially claim both are thugs. (She directly called Pacman a thug, the implication to Mr. Vick was not a direct statement by understood by her commentary). That was at 11:30 this morning. What will happen by 7pm?

And the media is not limiting itself to sports athletes. Mrs. Hill also attacked the colleges that the athletes attended. Without naming which colleges (which I feel was a copout) Mrs. Hill claimed they were responsible for placing thugs into sports. I for one am unaware of a college that is actively recruiting thugs to improve their sports programs. Obviously the fact that as younger, less educated players enter sports the lack of discipline shines through their ability to play a game.

Not withstanding the attacks on colleges, or the growing lack of discipline of sports athletes, the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons cannot stand by and do nothing. Already ESPN has reported an informant that claims Mr. Vick was an active bettor at these dog fights. The reported information states he would bet upwards of $30,000 at a time.

To take life, for nothing more than the sheer please to do so, and to place a price on that life makes my stomach turn. An educated, disciplined, successful, entertainer should know better. But Mr. Vick did not finish college, his discipline on the field is questionable and off the field even moreso. I hope these charges are incorrect, but if that is not the case he needs to have a harsh penalty that is equal to what he is alleged to have done.

This is what I think, what do you think?