Sports Spotlight: Heat on Miami, NFL vs NFLPA, and Ali Art
Nick CarrawayGood evening, sports fans! As part of the Lunch Break's drive to bring readers the best in discussion topics, this feature is designed with the latest sports stories in mind. No matter if you are a diehard fan or a casual observer, it's my hope that these links will spark your thoughts and comments on sports and its increasing prevalency in our culture. Similar to the Carraway News posts, I'll try to present sports writings from across a few different areas. On the menu for today are some unusual perspectives on the NBA, the NFL and Boxing.
The current NFL negotiations between owners and the players' union are in their 13th day of talks, with today's session lasting over nine hours. If the two sides can't agree how to best divide the league's revenue by Friday, there is a good chance the collective bargaining agreement will expire and we might not see NFL games this year. The most fascinating part about the situation is the sheer amoung of money involved. While labor unions in the public sector fight to save jobs from bankrupt governments, the NFL players are fighting to get more compensation from their wildly successful bosses. The NFL brings in over nine billion dollars a year and much of its success is based on the league's socialistic business model. NFL owners have agreed to split their de facto monopoly over professional football amongst a limited number teams, each expected to equitably share the player talent pool. Unlike baseball where any owner can spend as much money as he wants on the best players, the NFL's salary cap tends to spread the talent around the league while also making it harder for veterans and prospects to stay on team rosters. In one of our most dangerous, but most lucrative American past times, I wonder why players haven't yet taken their frustrations with their high powered bosses out of the boardrooms and into the courts.
...unless you're in the Miami Heat locker room. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson made some insensitive off-hand remarks regarding rumors that Miami players were crying in the locker room following their loss to the Chicago Bulls. Apparently the zen master doesn't have much compassion for LeBron and his teamates who will face off against the Lakers on Thursday. Suprisingly, Kobe was a little more diplomatic and understanding when asked about the situation. But no matter how tactful your rivals are, leaks about crying in a big man's league can only hurt your team. My question is: Why/how could a team trying to snap out of a losing streak, invite any easy emotional blows by leaking their own private locker room drama to the public?
By Mark PellegriniOn this day forty years ago, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had their famous bout in Madison Square Garden. Whether you love him or hate him, Ali's staying power as a cultural icon is remarkable. Few athletes, especially those in boxing, have earned the fame and recognition as the Greatest like Ali has. To honor this icon, LA artist Michael Kalish decided to craft a monument that creates an image of Ali's face out of 1,300 punching bags. The pictures of the structure are definitely striking, but I wonder about the choice of artistic medium. Ali himself will no doubt think about the inherent irony as he hangs the final punching bag of the monument to the career whose punches have left him with a lifetime of terrible medical consequences.
Reader Comments (1)
This is a sad refelction of culture that the richest professionals of a juvenial sport are battling for the same respect that Wisconsin teachers are doing.
People have the right to collective bargaining, as much as they have a right to assemble. We can not allow laws to prohibit this right because we will lose our individual power against a capitalist system. As long as the workers still think alike, care for one another's families and livelihood, and realize that every job saved and provided is one that benefits their local society, we should support collective bargaining.
I am proud of the NFL players for standing up for their rights as much as the Wisconsin and Ohio teachers. Money is not the point and that is what the governors and business men do not understand. It is creating a total benefit package that protects the livelihood and respect of the worker. I will support them if they walk away because incredible wealth earned on the backs of workers and not shared equitable is wrong, espeically when the market for those workers are tight. They should do it while they can.
As for the teachers, they are blamed again and again for over drawn state budgets. Teachers are an easy pick because of willingness to accept the criticism. But the damage the maligning of a job that was meant to help society and attempts to deny them a decent living wage, is plain wrong. I don't think the governors realize the damage to public education they are doing when they attack teachers who serve the people of the commonwealth their entire life.
I hope the workers come out on top. My heart is with teachers who continue to fight for their collective voice. The NFL is following the lead as I hope all Americans will see state and private workers the same instead of some idea that we are not all tax payers and necessary for each other to succeed.