Mic Jagger's In The Super Bowl : Rolling Stones Are The Halftime Act For Super Bowl XL

This news was annouced on the ABC Monday Night Football Telecast of the Steelers - Colts Game this evening.

Steve Mariucci Fired; No Longer Lions Head Coach - Will The Lions Interview Black Coaches This Time?

Maybe The Lions will finally consider black head coaching candidates -- and hire one! Ironically, Mariucci was let go with two years remaining on his five-year contract, just as was Notre Dame Head Coach Tyrone Willingham in 2004.

On a personal note, I think Mariucci is a fine person -- I met him while I was Economic Advisor to Oakland Mayor Elihu M. Harris -- and a keen offensive mind. He deserves a better organization (the Lions environment was not the best) to work in as a head coach or offensive coordinator.

Mariucci out as Lions' coach - Associated Press


ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Steve Mariucci came to the Detroit Lions with a winning NFL record, a penchant for offense and raised expectations.

He leaves as just another in a long list of coaching failures.

At one point, Lions head coach Steve Mariucci did have fans on his side. He posted a 77 percent approval rating after a 17-3 Week 1 win over division rival Green Bay. Since then, however, the ratings show a displeased Detroit SportsNation contingent.
Mariucci's Lions did not win again until Week 5 and 7, when he posted ratings of 55 percent and 52 percent, respectively. Week 7 was the last time Mariucci received better than a 50 percent weekly rating. Even after the Lions' most recent win in Week 10, Mariucci only received a 38 percent rating. Take away Weeks 1, 5 and 7 and Mariucci never rose above a 38 percent rating.

He finished his tenure as Lions head coach with an 18 percent approval rating.

After two-plus seasons and a 15-28 record, Mariucci was fired Monday after he was unable to turn around a franchise with one playoff victory since 1957.

The Lions promoted defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to succeed him on an interim basis.

"We started off this season with high expectations," team president Matt Millen said. "We have underachieved as a football team."

Millen hired both Mariucci and his predecessor, Marty Mornhinweg, and drafted or signed most of the current players. Since Millen took over in 2001, Detroit is an NFL-worst 20-55.

Despite the results, the former NFL linebacker and TV analyst was given a five-year extension before this season.

Millen said he accepts accountability for Detroit's record during his four-plus seasons, but said a coaching change was necessary.

"This is a brutal business and at times, good people suffer a cruel fate," he said.

Millen also fired offensive line coach Pat Morris and tight ends coach Andy Sugarman, and demoted Ted Tollner from offensive coordinator to tight ends coach. Greg Olson will call plays as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, starting Sunday at home against Minnesota.

Jauron said his first inclination was to not accept the job.

"It's hard for me to stand up here in this position because Steve is a friend," said Jauron, who had a 35-46 record as Chicago's head coach from 1999-2003.

After Detroit lost 27-7 to Atlanta on Thanksgiving to fall to 4-7, reports swirled that the team was considering firing Mariucci. When Mariucci was not dismissed during the weekend, some thought his job was safe for the final five games of the regular season.

"I was angry after that game," Millen said. "It was disturbing to watch and I didn't want to make a decision based on anger. We wanted to take our time, go through it logically, and think everything through."

The Lions have lost four of five games since a solid start put them atop the NFC North with the Chicago Bears. The team has collapsed on and off the field with players failing to produce and some bickering with one another and questioning the coaches' game plans.

Offensive tackle Jeff Backus said players were not notified of the firing until a previously scheduled team meeting was held Monday night.

"Something had to give, I guess," Backus told The Associated Press. "It's not my job to judge whether Mariucci did a good job or bad job, but we're in a bottom-line business and our bottom line hasn't been very good."

Mariucci has more than two years remaining on the $25 million contract he signed in 2003. The Michigan native came to the Lions from San Francisco, where he was fired with a 60-43 record over six seasons.

Mariucci was cut some slack in the past because the team he inherited was crafted by Millen, but expectations were high heading into his third season.

"If we win 10 or 11 ballgames and make the playoffs, it would make us happy and make the fans happy," Mariucci said before the season.

Mariucci's agent, Gary O'Hagan, declined comment when reached Monday night.

Detroit's quarterback situation also hurt Mariucci's chances for success.

Joey Harrington, the third overall pick in 2002, has failed to be consistent throughout his career. The Lions signed 35-year-old Jeff Garcia to push or replace Harrington, but he has been nagged by injuries and an inability to throw deep passes.

The Lions' porous offensive line has added to their passing- and running-game woes while a decent defense has been hampered by being on the field too long, and by injuries.

Millen, who was fined $200,000 by the NFL because he didn't follow the NFL's minority hiring policy when he hired Mariucci, said he would follow league guidelines when he searches for a permanent coach.

Jauron, Detroit's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, was fired in 2003 after four losing seasons in five years with the Bears. He was selected as NFL coach of the year during his lone winning season in Chicago.

"We need to take these next five weeks, and we need to play ... and see what we can get out of it," Jauron said. "I don't have plans other than the next game."

Jauron began his NFL career as a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 1973 after starring at Yale. The defensive back and kick returner, who played in the 1975 Pro Bowl, spent his first five seasons in Detroit.

USC v. UCLA This Saturday; Tickets For Up to $4,500 each - Paris Hillton Should Take Michael Irvin

Click on the post title above as it's a link to the prices of tickets for the UCLA v. USC game. Then scroll down and you will see the asking prices jump -- to $4,500.

The cheapest ticket is $75 -- get that one -- and is in Section 27 a distance from the end zone and up in the stands. The vast majority of tickets available in the secondary ticket market represented here are between $100 and $300, and then there are the $1,000 set, which are in various areas, including four in Section 8 on the 25 yard line.

The most expensive -- $4,500 each -- set of tickets is also in Section 8 and between the 20 and 30 yard line. Yes, that's not a misprint.

The set of tickets closest to the 50 yard line are in Section 7 and going for $2,000.

Why the difference? It's just that someone out there thinks that someone else will want to part with half the cost of a cheap Honda Civic just to see a football game from a position not on mid-field and 45 rows up, so they post them for sale. Right; forget it.

It's indicative of the importance of this game as undefeated USC attempts to make it's winning streak longer than the time it took to unmask Deep Throat (just kidding), and against UCLA, which has only lost one -- one game -- this year. One could make a good argument that this is the real National Championship Game.

Given that Notre Dame lost two -- two games -- it's amazing the Fighting Irish are ranked #7 and UCLA is at #11. Whatever the bowl matchup, I'll bet the Notre Dame Ticket market doesn't touch the expense of this one.

Coors' Beer "Twins" Target of Inquiry - Does This Mean No More "Sex and Beer" Ads?

According to the Oakland Tribune:
Consumers offended by scantily clad beer babes or predominant placement of beer in PG-13 flicks will have someone new to appeal to come Jan. 1.
The Beer Institute, a trade and lobbying group whose membership includes Golden-based Coors Brewing Co., will appoint a panel to encourage compliance with advertising standards beginning Jan. 1.

Coors built a years-long campaign around its bikini-clad blond twins and is currently partnering with Maxim to sponsor a nationwide "Hunt for Hotties."

The Beer Institute's five-member panel will hear appeals from consumers who believe that beer companies haven't addressed their advertising issues, including complaints that beer ads violate decency standards or purposely appeal to those under 21.

The institute boasts about 100 brewer members from giants such as Anheuser Busch, Miller and Coors to small regional beer companies including Fort Collins-based New Belgium, said institute President Jeff Becker.

"What we want to provide is an opportunity for consumers who have complained and don't agree with the brewer's response," he said.

Under the new program, the institute appoints a five-member panel, any three of whom would hear consumer complaints and then recommend what, if any, action the brewer should take, Becker said.

The five panel members would be financially independent of both the institute and its membership, he said, and would address complaints only after the companies had been given a chance to fix the problem.

Part of the criteria the panel will use is the institute's six-page Advertising and Marketing Code, a voluntary guideline for members concerned about not crossing a line with their ads.

Of particular concern is that they market to a legal beer-buying audience and not to those under 21. Currently, the code calls for beer companies to only advertise products to audiences in which 70 percent or more are at least 21.

Coors has its own, similar code in place and already gets help from a third party. It uses "21 means 21" as a slogan in its current ads.

Detroit Lions Reportedly Considering Firing Coach Maricci - Mistake: Let Go of Off Cordinator Ted Tollner First and Hire Bengals Hue Jackson

Detroit Lions President and GM Matt Millen seems to make managerial decisions based on emotions first. He hired his friend Marty Moorningweg before bringing in Steve Mariucci and without interviewing a single black coaching candidate.

Even though Mariucci's record has not proven worthy of Millen's actions, he is a good coach. The problem is the change in the offense this season. Offensive Coordinator Ted Tollner -- hired to replace the retired Sherman Lewis -- has not taken true advantage of the personel the Lions have. They should replace him and bring in the one person who has had the most experience in all of today's state of the art offenses: Cincinnati Bengals Receivers Coach Hue Jackson.

Jackson was offensive coordinator under Mariucci at Cal and then at USC, and has served in the same post with the Washington Redskins under Steve Spurrier. He has the most passing game knoweldge and player relationships of anyone. Give him a shot and let go of Tollner.

Arbitrator Richard Bloch Upholds Suspension of Terrell Owens

The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA -- Terrell Owens' season is effectively over after an arbitrator ruled today that the Philadelphia Eagles were justified in suspending him for four games.

Arbitrator Richard Bloch wrote that the Eagles clearly proved that the suspension was justified, and were within their right to pay their All-Pro receiver but not allow him to return "due to the nature of his conduct and its destructive and continuing threat to the team."

The Eagles did not immediately comment after the decision was announced.

"We are pleased that the arbitrator has upheld the right of a club to suspend a player for conduct detrimental to the club," said Harold Henderson, the NFL's head of labor relations. "The ruling makes clear that Terrell Owens and his agent engaged in conduct that was disruptive to the Eagles and that coach Reid's decision to suspend the player was appropriate."

Bloch heard more than 13 hours of testimony last week. Owens' side argued the penalty is excessive and the Eagles' decision to deactivate him is too severe. Owens wanted to be reinstated to the Eagles or released so he can sign with another team.

Owens was suspended Nov. 5 after he again criticized quarterback Donovan McNabb, called the organization "classless" and fought with former teammate Hugh Douglas, who serves as team "ambassador."

Two days later, the Eagles extended the suspension to four games and told Owens not to return. The reigning conference champions are 0-3 without Owens and 4-6 overall, last in the NFC East.

Owens has five years remaining on a seven-year, $48.97 million contract that he signed when he came to Philadelphia in March 2004. His problems started when he demanded a new contract after an outstanding season in which he caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.

With Owens, the Eagles are 17-5 over two seasons. Without him, they're 2-5, including two meaningless losses and two playoff wins.

Eagles on Signed Running Back Brian Westbrook

The Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday signed running back Brian Westbrook to a five-year contract extension that runs through the 2010 season and is worth slightly less than $25 million. It includes bonuses between $9 million and $10 million. This spring, Westbrook signed a one-year restricted free agent qualifying offer for $1.43 million.

Utah to play in Emerald Bowl

SF Chronicle - Utah has been selected as one of the teams to play in the Emerald Bowl at SBC Park on Dec. 29.

The Utes (6-5, 4-4 Mountain West) became bowl eligible Saturday with a regular-season-ending, 41-34 overtime win over BYU.

Florida Marlins Planning To Move By 2008 - Angry With Florida Legislature

This backs the Oakland A's into a corner. They have to stay in Oakland or battle the Marlins for the few relocation spots open. Plus, the Marlins are serious about relocating -- the A's aren't.

MIAMI AP -- The Florida Marlins are cutting salary, and may soon cut ties with South Florida.

Following years of unsuccessful attempts to secure a baseball-only stadium in downtown Miami, the team announced Tuesday it will look into relocation, which team president David Samson said could happen as early as the 2008 season.

"There's no more fake deadlines or real deadlines," Samson said. "This is about the Marlins trying to save its franchise. We need a place to play after 2010 and we don't have one."

Samson said owner Jeffrey Loria's goal is to keep the team in South Florida, but added that no deal will be struck for a ballpark in the city of Miami. The Marlins said they received approval to pursue relocation plans from the commissioner's office on Monday.

"I would love nothing more than to get this deal done," Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said. "But I'm not going to put the taxpayers of the city of Miami at risk."

Las Vegas and Portland, Ore., which both failed to land the Montreal Expos before that franchise moved to Washington a year ago, are likely to try to lure the franchise. Samson said another possibility is building on land near Dolphins Stadium and owned by the franchise's original owner, H. Wayne Huizenga.

"We are all very disappointed that despite the efforts of three sets of owners, our office, two world championships, and a very significant economic proposal from the current owners, that plans for a new stadium have not been brought to fruition," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"A new ballpark is an absolute necessity for the team to survive economically and compete. The commissioner believes strongly that Major League Baseball can thrive in southeast Florida but only with a suitable facility. He remains hopeful that can still happen."

The Marlins' lease with Dolphins Stadium, owned by Huizenga, is in effect until 2007. The team has a series of one-year options that could keep it there through the 2010 season. Samson said the team will not extend its current lease at Dolphins Stadium under any circumstances.

"No longer can baseball in South Florida be assured," Loria, who was in Europe, said in a statement read by Samson. "It is now clear to us that there will be no baseball stadium in the city of Miami. So we must begin to explore other options."

Samson said some cities have called the Marlins to discuss possibilities, including Portland, Ore., which moved quickly after Tuesday's announcement.

"We made an introductory phone call," said Drew Mahalic, chief executive of the Oregon Sports Authority. "Hopefully this opens a dialogue with Portland and the state of Oregon as far as the advantages of relocating a team here."

The Marlins have already had a busy offseason, with the hiring of new manager Joe Girardi to replace Jack McKeon, plus a still-not-finalized deal with Boston that would send pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell to Boston for three prospects. A preliminary agreement on that deal was struck Monday.

Samson said other trades are being discussed, without offering any specifics.

"Where there's smoke, there's usually fire," Samson said.

But he cautioned against describing the Marlins' payroll-cutting as a fire sale, such as the one that occurred following Florida's 1997 World Series championship. The Marlins won 54 games the next season.

Samson used the term "significant market correction," and said the team, which may have lost up to $20 million last year, with only a $60 million payroll, would only spend what matches its revenue. And that may mean more big names could go, including Carlos Delgado, who's owed $48 million for the next three seasons.

"This is a deliberate effort by the Marlins to correct what ails them," Samson said. "And what ails us is the amount of money lost."

Gov. Jeb Bush and other top state lawmakers expressed hope the team remains in South Florida.

"I'm more than happy to work with the ownership of the team and the Florida Legislature to come up with a solution," Bush said.

The Marlins have lobbied for their own stadium since Huizenga sold the team to John Henry in 1999. Plans for a 38,000-seat retractable-roof stadium to be built next to Miami's Orange Bowl came apart this spring.

That ballpark had an estimated cost of $420 million to $435 million, including $60 million in state funding. While money was approved in April by the Florida House, the state Senate refused to go along.

"There's a lot of people to blame," Samson said. "And they know exactly who they are."

Music Deals Help Entertainment Category Capture Bigger Share Of Spending

According to IEG Sponsorship, sponsors will spend more on entertainment tours and attractions than on causes in 2004, according to IEG's forecast, lifting the category into second place behind sports. Data from 2003 reveals heightened interest in music sponsorship, with its potential to cross borders and cultures and impact the all-important youth market. That trend should continue in the new year.

While the entertainment category will see its share of the $11.14 billion increase by two points to 10 percent, festivals, fairs and annual events, as well as arts, will both see their shares drop by a point, to seven and five percent, respectively. Causes maintains its nine percent level and sports holds steady at 69 percent.

Projected dollar amounts by category are sports: $7.69 billion, up 8.6 percent from $7.08 billion; entertainment tours and attractions: $1.06 billion, up 21.5 percent from $871 million; causes: $991 million, up 7.5 percent from $922 million; festivals, fairs and annual events: $792 million, up three percent from $769 million; and arts: $612 million, up 0.7 percent from $608 million.

Speedo Announces First-Ever Sponsorship Of Winter Olympic Hopefuls

11/09/05

IEG Sponsorship: LOS ANGELES -- Speedo announced today that it has signed individual endorsement deals with American 2006 Winter Olympic sledding hopefuls Vonetta Flowers, Todd Hays, Noelle Pikus-Pace, Jean Prahm (formerly Racine), and Chris Soule. These are the first-ever winter sport sponsorships for the world's top-selling swimwear brand, whose Olympic heritage dates back to 1932. Today's announcement precedes the unveiling of evolutionary suit technology that will make its Olympic debut during the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy, February 10-26.

In 2004, Speedo launched FASTSKIN FSII, the world's fastest swimsuit. Developed with and worn by American Olympic Gold Medalist swimmers Michael Phelps, Amanda Beard, and Natalie Coughlin, FASTSKIN FSII underwent extensive research and athlete testing, including drag analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing, state of the art laser modeling and the fabric replication of shark skin. Ultimately, 47 Olympic medals were won by athletes wearing Speedo FASTSKIN FSII at the Athens Games, more than twice the number of medals won by athletes wearing the second most popular brand.

Speedo now turns its success from the water to the ice. Speedo athletes are expected to compete in Olympic sledding sports.

Toyota To Serve As Presenting Sponsor Of NBA TV Broadband; Other Sponsors Also Support Content

IEG Sponsorship: NEW YORK -- The National Basketball Association announced today the official launch of NBA TV Broadband, a new advertiser-supported broadband video product providing visitors to NBA.com with free access to the most comprehensive and exclusive package of NBA video highlights throughout the 2005-06 NBA season.

Through NBA TV Broadband, for the first time fans around the world will have access to in-game broadband highlights of every NBA game, TNT Overtime - a special online video channel showcasing TNT's network of marquee basketball announcers, and NBA TV all-access and fantasy programming. Additionally, fans can also have the latest NBA video highlights delivered directly to their computer desktop through new Video RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

Along with Toyota as the presenting sponsor, Reebok, Nike, Converse, Sony PlayStation, Hannspree, Finish Line, 20th Century Fox Home Videos and many others will support NBA TV Broadband with video advertisements during the season.

"NBA TV Broadband delivers the ultimate rich media experience that NBA fans crave," said Brenda Spoonemore, Senior Vice President of Interactive Services for NBA Entertainment. "This new service is a great way for Toyota and other advertisers to reach their customers while allowing our fans to watch their favorite NBA broadband video highlights on-demand and all for free."

University Of Texas Athletics Extends Multimedia Rights Partnership With Host Communications Inc.

11/11/05

IEG Sponsorship: AUSTIN, Texas and LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The University of Texas today announced that its athletics multimedia rights and sponsorship sales agreement with Host Communications Inc. has been extended through 2015.

Under terms of the agreement, HOST renews its rights to represent UT Athletics and its 20 - sport men's and women's athletics program in sponsorship sales, as well as radio, television, and internet broadcast production and distribution of athletics events, coaches’ shows and specialty programming. Additionally, HOST retains printing and publishing rights and the UT Athletics Internet platform for www.texassports.com and www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com. HOST also continues to manage endorsements, corporate sponsorship programs, game-day promotions and exposure at all UT Athletics venues.

"HOST has been our marketing partner since 1983 and has done an outstanding job for the University," said Men's Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds. "We feel this long-term extension provides opportunities to maximize revenue generated through marketing and multimedia efforts while helping us enhance the UT Athletics experience for student-athletes, coaches, fans, alumni and all of our constituencies.”

Lowe's Signs Sponsorship Agreement With NCAA

From IEG Sponsorship: MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- It's back to school for Lowe's Cos. Inc., which has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the NCAA and CBS Sports tying the home-improvement retailer into an alliance with college athletics.

The emphasis of the deal is on the men's and women's college basketball tournaments.
Next month, Lowe's will start offering store gift cards bearing the logos of 95 NCAA schools. The cards will be sold online and in stores.

In addition, Lowe's, which has a dozen Triangle locations, will be a featured advertiser during CBS Sports' coverage of NCAA events.

Where's the Sports Sponsorship Action? Try NASCAR

What does Toyota, McKee Foods, and The US Army have in common? Each just signed new NASCAR Sponsorships. According to IEG, the sponsorship consulting company, Toyota will become the title sponsor of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF and the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series. Toyota also will be the official vehicle of the Amp'd Mobil Supercross Series and support the K&N Filters presents BooKoo Arenacross Championship Series.

Meanwhile, McKee Foods' Little Debbie has signed on as the primary sponsor of the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Team and Ken Schrader for 19 races next season. Schrader will drive the Number 21 Ford Fusion during the 2006 Nextel Cup season. Motorcraft Quality Parts and the U.S. Air Force will rotate their sponsorship of the car for the remaining races. and the U.S. Army uses its NASCAR Sponsorship for a new public eduction program.

It may be that NASCAR has more "places" for corporate sponsors than the NFL, NBA, or MLB, but it also may be that NASCAR does a good job of creating them. Maybe the NFL should consider having a place for at least one other corporate logo on team uniforms.

...Oh, I can hear the fans scream now.

Snoop Dog and Pats' Willie McGinest to Start New Sport Agency Firm

Already friends and business partners in a new Southern California youth football league, Rapper Snoop Dog is teaming up with New England Patriots Linebacker Willie McGinest to form a new sports agent organization.

This is not the first time a hip-hop musician has entered the world of the sports agent. Master P did so in 1998, crafting the now-controversial contract between Running Back Ricky Williams and the New Orleans Saints. A contract that was stocked with too many incentive clauses to be fair to Williams.

Why is this trend occuring? I bluntly think it's a byproduct of a successful inner city black culture where relationships between athletes and musicians are so common that both seek to find business opportunities in the market of the other. It proves the old saying "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Rap artists know athletes and negotiate their own record deals, so it's logical that some would think they can transfer that skill into the sports world.

What I'm waiting for is the one successful musician that engineers a deal to purchase an NFL team. Stay tuned.

Why The Seahawks Don't Have A Super Bowl Trophy

Our writer Anja Crotts wonders why Seattle has not had a champion in any sport, particularly football. (You can read her work by clicking on the title of the post.) I will offer that teams that win it all -- at least in the NFL -- can point to some kind of product innovation. For the Bucs in 2003, it was their defensive scheme. Same is true for the '85 Bears and their 46 Defense. Or what about the Steelers teams, which used a trap-running-game offense, and a "Stunt 4-3" Defense.

And of course, there were the 49ers teams and the signature Walsh Offense.

The only innovation I can remember the Seahawks having was "The Sprint Draw" with Jim Zorn at QB. They did get as far as the wild card playoffs, but it wasn't enough to overcome a poor defense.

Perhaps Mike Homgren can install more innovative approaches. The Seahawks are 8 and 2. But the Indy Colts are undefeated and have the offense that everyone agrees is very much innovative and effective.

Why Stanford Lost The 108th Big Game - Cal's Great Defense and Stanford Coach Walt Harris Terrible Offensive Game Plan

I'm an Old Blue, so I'm happy Cal won. But I could see Cal was going to win big in the second quarter. By then it became clear to me that Stanford Head Coach Walt Harris devised an inflexible game plan which caused the Cardinal to attempt throw medium range and deep passes, and call middle screens using the running backs and tight ends.

The result: seven sacks by an occasionally blitzing Cal defense using 4-2-5 defenses and placing their strong safety up to either blitz or contain runs.

Harris' staff had no answer for this. Not that there weren't any. Even when it was obvious their game plan wasn't working, they stuck with it. Instead of spreading Cal's defense out with four and five wide receivers and throwing short three-step passes -- all the better to discourage blitzing and form one-on-one matchups -- the Cardinal remained in two-running back sets and used the I formation most of the time. The only really successful pass they had was out of the I and featured a square - in by the tight end.

Playing man-for-man, Cal snuffed out the Cardinals screens, and stuffed the running game -- except when the Cardinal ran wide and forced Cal to run to the ball.

But the Cardinal never made the adjustments necessary to make the game interesting. They pulled their quarterback Edwards because he was being beaten up -- the result of being made to be a sitting duck against Cal's pass rush.

Afterward Coach Harris remarked that Cal has bigger, faster athletes and that's why they won.

No Coach Harris, Cal won because they had a much better game plan. Stanford lost because they had an inflexible game plan.

If Harris maintains this attitude, he won't produce a winner at Stanford.

The "Big Game" : Cal 27, Stanford 3 - Steve Levy Is The Star, But Some Cal Fans Point Out "He's Jewish"...According To Ratto, He's Not

After losing four of the last five games, Cal clobbered Stanford 27 to 3, and retained "The Axe" four years in a row, something Cal has not done since 1939.

From the time Levy was annouced as the new signal caller for the Golden Bears to the game, I've been bombarded with comments that "He's Jewish." Well, great, I thought, but not much else. In fact, I was getting a little annoyed with the whole deal as it seems to reveal how knee-jerk racist American society insists on being.

Given that, I laughed when Ray Ratto revealed that Levy was not Jewish in his Sunday SF Chronicle column.

I laughed because it seemed as if God placed a giant trap for society. A way to bait some of us and see just how stupid we can be. I write this because after Levy's fantastic performance, I privately wondered if the reason Cal's coaches didn't invest more time in him was because they thought he was Jewish. Every time I've seen this young man in action at quaterback, he's performed well, including earlier this year. Well, he did have one mistep, but so does every other somewhat green signal caller with talent -- you work with him and cause him to improve.

There's a huge untold story here. But perhaps it's best forgotten in the shadow of his impressive performance at The Big Game. I hope this ugly matter never comes up again. Personally, I'm sick of racism. It is the product of a distinct lack of desire to think of people as individuals, and that's a byproduct of anti-intellectualism. In other words, a habit of being stupid.

Now, for those who were proud that they thought Cal was starting a Jewish quarterback, I understand -- I was one of them. It's those comments in the stands -- the negative ones regarding his assumed "Jewish" status I heard behind me in Section "L" and which came after he threw is his only interception -- that I'm referring to.

What I enjoy about being black is no one has to guess; it's obvious. It also makes me fully aware of how dumb some people can act, or maybe just plain are. Perhaps this giant trick God played on us will make some think before they talk so negatively about someone because of their race or ethnicity.

American society must be conditioned to expect diversity, to erase decades of social brainwashing to desire segregation. It's the only way to improve our condition.

"Big Butts, Thunder Thighs, Tomboy Knees" - Nike's New Ad Campaign Get's Em Talking

Nike -- in a move very much like the Dove commericials -- is featuring women athletes who have, well, more muscular features than the typical model used to sell apparel.

This has sparked a firestorm of emails and conversation. But sex does sell, according to a recent study. It drives men to spend money, and men are still the largest consumers of sports-related products.

But more to the point of the ad is this: it gets everyone talking about -- and thinking about -- Nike.

So, Nike wins.

More on this latter...

Eagles LB Trotter On Terrell Owens: "The Eagles Would Be Better With Him"

This was reported on ESPN today, and confirms what I've started to believe: the Philadelphia Eagles are a very dysfunctional organization. The tone is set from the top, and extends downward from there. This is true for any company: managment sets the culture.

The job of an athletic organization is to coax the best from its players. At times the most talented athletes are also the most tempermental. This is nothing new. If that's the case, why can't the Eagles get the most from their most talented receiver?

NCAA Minority Coaches - Black Coaches Association Gives San Jose State an "F" Grade; Notre Dame, "B"; Indiana University "A"; University of Utah "F"

From the BCA Report Executive Summary. See www.bcasports.org

"Since 1982, there have been 404 head coaching openings at the NCAA Division IA level.


African American coaches have been selected for 19 (4%) of the head coaching opening with 17 of the appointments
occurring after 1990 (Hill, 2005).

In the history of Division IA, African American coaches have been selected a total of 23 times as the leaders of college football programs (Hill, 2005). Since 1996, only 9 African American coaches have been hired (one each year) out of 165 vacancies. The same historical pattern of Division IA football is even worse at the Division IAA, II, and III levels. This year the pattern held true for IA with the hiring of Tyrone Willingham at University of Washington.

Last year,predominately white IAA schools had zero coaches of color; however, this has changed with the hiring of
Lou West, an African American, at Indiana State.

In the 2004-05 Hiring Report Card #2, the grades did not improved in terms of the overall letter grades.
Further, when each of the five categories of the Hiring Report Card is examined, low marks across the
categories empirically indicate the need for more improvement in the various areas..."

And the grade list (partial and for selected colleges)

BYU - C
East Carolina - B
Indiana U - A
Louisiana State - D
Notre Dame - B
Ohio U - A
Stanford - C
San Jose State - F
University of Utah - F
Western Michigan - A

_______________________________

Who got the F Grades? Well, San Jose State for one. Think about this. A major university in our supposedly liberal and diverse San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose Bay Area gets an "F" -- a "F" grade -- in minority hiring.

What the heck is going on down there? For San Jose State to receive an "F" grade means in part that they didn't even take time to work with the BCA Survey administrators, not to mention a total lack of minority coaches. Wow. I guess one can infer from this that San Jose State doesn't care. I'll bet it's easy for them to go out and locate a black fullback, right? This is all about stereotypes and how powerful a role they play in our society. The still new athletic director down there is Tom Bowen, whom I met when he worked at Cal Berkeley and was with the SF 49ers Foundation. I've even had cocktails with Bowen on several occasions.

Tom's a good man, so I'd like to think he's going to straighten this out. Hey, Tom. What's up dude?

"Urbantic": A Great New Community Website To Learn About Places and People

My friend Michael Bean, who's firm Forio Business Simulations hosts the Sports Business Simulations website, has developed an exciting new website called "Urbantic." It's at http://urbantic.com

The idea behind Urbantic is very simple: to allow people to learn about places and people. It's kind of a cross between community sites like Ryze and Friendster and your common restaurant or city review website. All you do is set up a profile on yourself and type in comments about your favorite places.

You will then see a list of other favorite places posted by others than are near that venue. You can also see who's going to those places, and an automatic Google map of the location of the destination is visible. In other words, anyone who may have made a comment about that place will be added to a list associated with that venue along with a location map. It's really cool.

"Places" can be neighborhoods, bus stops, transit statiions, bars, ...you name it. It's a pretty habit forming device. Check it out. I think it's going to become a very huge place to be online.

For example, there's actually a review of the Oakland Coliseum.

Taking Money From FUBU: NBA Looks Like Right Fit to Clothing Companies - USA Today

According to the USA Today's Mike McCarthy, clothing companies like Dockers are offering to outfit NBA Players with their latest fashions for the entire season and for a cost of $432,000.

"It would be a blast. It would be a lot of fun," says John Ordona, director of non-traditional marketing for Dockers, a unit of Levi Strauss & Co. that generated nearly $800 million in sales in 2004.

So would the players -- and even Commissioner David Stern -- get all the clothes for free? "We can talk about that when they give us a call," Ordona says.

Menswear designer Joseph Abboud is in negotiations to outfit up to 100 NBA players, according to Marty Staff, the fashion company's president and CEO. Joseph Abboud has an endorsement deal with New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury.

My take on this? I think the NBA's Dress Code is essentially taking money away from such brands as FUBU, which has a huge following within the NBA and in African American culture.

FUBU is an African-American-owned, New York-based urban sportswear empire started in 1992 by five childhood friends from Queens. (The ubiquitous "05" on FUBU jerseys is a coded reference to these five founders.)

Its name is an acronym for "For Us, By Us," a slogan that expressed the founders' purpose of creating a line of popular clothing designed for African-Americans, by African-Americans. At the time of FUBU's inauguration, though numerous clothiers were targeting black consumers for their urban wear, none of these companies was black-owned or black-run.

Hopefully, FUBU and Sean John will push its more "mainstream" fashions and encourage NBA Players to wear them, now that the NBA dress code is in place. Regardless, some of the NBA stars of the past -- and who are black -- see the dress code a welcome change.

I met former NY Knicks guard Walt Frazier recently at Aqua, a great San Francisco Restaurant. Frazier -- in town for the Friday night Knicks game versus the Golden State Warriors -- said "I'm glad to see the dress code. You had brothas showing up at the Ritz Calrton in street wear. Come on now!"

Watch Out NHL! Here Comes A Pro Hockey League in Europe

This is from Howard Bloom's Sports Business News site. It obviously curtails any international expansion plans the NHL may have.

Revolution in Hockey? European NHL Set To Emerge in 2006
Monday, November 14 2005

A counterweight to the NHL could emerge in Eastern Europe next year. Director of the State Sports Agency of Russia Vyacheslav Fetisov, an Olympic champion, NHL Hall of Famer and a two time Stanley Cup winner, decided to make the difference in the hockey world and came up with a new project that could materialize into a new hockey league that would unite the best teams of the post-Soviet countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan. It looks like a huge gamble to many, but Vyacheslav Fetisov is sure it’ll work out and take Russian hockey to the next level. Russian Hockey Digest is offering a review of what’s been happening and how the project has been developing ever since it was mentioned in the media for the first time.

This spectacular event came into being on September 16th 2005 when Soviet Sport published Fetisov’s interview in which he spoke about his intentions to establish a new hockey league which would build relations with the NHL on the basis of equality. In this interview Fetisov also said that a group of experts had been working on the legal matters of this issue for one and a half years and the preparations had reached a high stage of development. According to Fetisov, this project was approved by the Presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia. Fetisov also said he took a trip to Riga and got an approval from Latvian officials, too. Soviet Sport also mentioned that according to their information Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who is also the owner of the Chelsea English Premier League football club also favored this idea.

President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation Alexander Steblin was approached by Soviet Sport and asked for comments. Steblin sounded quite skeptical saying that ‘this project’s nothing but populism’. ‘We tried to establish a hockey league with teams from the former Soviet Union countries in the early 90s…Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan left due to economical reasons…there’s much more to it than has been said, how are Superleague teams going to get to Ust-Kamenogorsk? Planes fly to Alma-Ata but not to Ust-Kamenogorsk…we’ve managed to keep Soviet hockey, teams from Ukraine and Belarus participate in Russian championship…if we want to establish a united league we have to set equal requirements for every team, can you be sure that teams from the post-Soviet countries will fit into these requirements? In order to establish such a league we have to prepare all the legal documents, assign a task force, promulgate the regulations…that’s some serious work,’ – he said.

The NFL Oakland Raiders / Denver Broncos Game's Sold Out. So Why Aren't All The Choice Seats Filled?

I'm watching the first quarter of the Raiders / Broncos game, having elected to stay in and get work done after spending all day at Cal for the Cal - USC game yesterday.

I've gotten into the habit of looking at the stands to see how many people are actually filling the seats at NFL games. Why? I have a theory that a large percentage of tickets are purchased and then resold by ticket brokers. My theory is that this process starts with the firm that has "exclusive" first-sale rights at Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers Games -- TicketMaster.

From observation, it seems some of these tickets are purchased by other brokers, who bid up the price higher. The highest priced tickets? The ones between the 40-yard lines on the first level. The bigger the game, the more likely these tickets are to be resold. Note "re-sold" -- they were already purchased once by a broker, so they remain to be bought by someone else, but at a high price, or to be re-sold yet again.

I think this happened for the Broncos game, so the end result is -- because of the Raiders poor record this year, a set of choice tickets are not resold. But the game's sold out. I also noticed this pattern at the 49ers / Colts game earlier this year.

What's the answer? Well, break up the in-stadium monopoly held by TicketMaster, at least in the Bay Area. The ticket offices of the NFL should place them on an online tickets exchange, like Stubhub, thus lowering the price. The NFL team ticket offices can then set the ticket prices at below face value, and better control the level of prices of tickets from the start. Yes, tickets will still be purchased and resold, but at a lower price rate, increasing the chance that a person with a lower income can afford to get them.

Attorney: Ex-Carolina Panthers cheerleader wasn't having sex

NBCSports.com news services
Updated: 1:23 p.m. ET Nov. 9, 2005
TAMPA, Fla. - An ex-Carolina Panthers cheerleader charged with giving police a false name during her arrest at a bar has denied accounts that she was having sex with another cheerleader in a restroom stall.

Renee Thomas, 20, also accused of hitting a bar patron, is charged with giving a false name and causing harm to another, a third-degree felony punishable by probation or a jail term of up to five years. The second cheerleader, Angela Keathley, 26, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The cheerleaders have been approached by Penthouse with an offer to pose nude for the adult magazine, MSNBC-TV reported Tuesday.

...See the original story with a click here.

Cal Bears QB Joe Ayoob Rumored to Have Received Death Threat

Joe Ayoob, quarterback of the football team at the University of California at Berkeley, reportedly received a death threat. I received this unfortunate information from a Cal Alumni Donor who was sitting next to me at the Cal v. USC football game yesterday.

She -- who I will not identify to protect her -- reports that she is acquainted with the parents of the young man who replaced Cal's record-setting passer Aaron Rodgers, who was the 25th selection of the Green Bay Packers in the 2005 NFL Draft, and that the information came directly from them.

It's no secret that Ayoob has been a disappointing player for the Cal Bears. He was 9 of 19 against USC and eventually removed from play; the woeful statistics were more a product of Ayoob's poor throws and a terrible passing game plan than the Trojans defense. Cal lost 35 to 10.

Still, all of this does not warrant any kind of threat. The FBI should investigate this immediately, if this isn't already happening. I feel that the source of this death threat may be someone with gambling interests. The spread of gambling activity has been aided by the growth of the use of the Internet, and sports programs like those shown on ESPN. For example, the ESPN College Game Day and College Game Day Radio annoucers routinely discuss whether a team will "cover the spread" or what the "over / under" might be.

Indeed, "Bodog.com" a new gambling website was openly promoting itself at the Cal / USC game (in a fine example of ambush marketing), even to the point of hiring 30 scantly-clad young women to handout cup holders, hats, and cards with special offers for those who join the siite. The effort was managed by a sports marketing company called "Level One." How do I know this? Because I talked to some of the women, one of which introduced me to their "manager" who said he worked for Level One.

I'm not associating Bodog with the threat action at all. But it is demonstrative of the rapid mainstream spread of online gambling.

There's a lot of money being spent on what a simple young college player does or may do. I'm not sure the tide can be stemed given the Internet, but I do think some kind of specific action should be taken to protect college athletes, and before someone actually makes good on one of these threats against the life of someone who's barely old enough to drink.

Yeah. Yeah. The LA Lakers are 3 and 3 Now...

The LA Lakers are 3 and 3, having lost to the 76ers. So much for Phil Jackson, I guess. But it's early.

The Progress of My Friend Jody May As She Gets Ready for The Atlanta Bodybuilding Contest

I have to share this with you all, as my friend Jody May gets ready for her participation in the "Nationals" in Atlanta later this year. She's a terrifically lovely woman with a kind heart (an interview of her can be seen with a click on the title of this post). I wish the best for her. More on that later, but here's what she looks like, now:

My friends ask me why I like this kind of look, and I can't explain it except to say that it's been with me since I was old enough to realize I was attracted to this kind of woman. (Which was when I was nine years old and had the "hots" for a girl named Debbie who lived in the same townhouse we did in Chicago.) I also have always had an affinity for the way Robert Crumb -- "R. Crumb" -- draws women in his comics and cartoons. They have muscle and shape -- not skinny mini at all. (Oh, geez, nothing against the "thin" practiced by some of my women friends. You look terrific! Besides, it's not just the outside, it's the inside.)

But Jody's my friend and that's because she's just a good person. For me, it doesn't matter how great the woman looks, if she's not warm of heart, her outer beauty is diminished.

All of that aside, Jody -- in my view as a friend -- is at a major juncture in her life. I think bodybuiilding -- given its nature -- should be considered a stepping stone to something else. In Jody's case, I think she can be a terrific spokesperson for products and services. NO -- not one of those models than stands next to a car. I'm thinking more along the lines of commercials and ads. I think she's got a healthy and tight look that -- in a body-concious America -- can really sell. She can apply this to the medical industry to start, as that's her occupational home.

Beyond that, I think she can make a hellofa politician. She should run for some kind of office in Odessa to start.

My personal concern is that she listen to advice and get help from people who really are in her corner. I guess a large part of me sees her as kind of -- well, so "well-meaning" and trusting, that she can open herself to the wrong people. In that way, she's a lot like me! (LOL) I think that's why I kind of worry about her, and I shouldn't do that. But it's the way I am.

I'd like to see her develop a huge national network of successful friends -- women and men, but mostly women because it's good to have a connection with other successful women -- who really share their contacts wiithout some inner desire to "take" from Jody. There are a lot of people out there. I have such a small group of people I know, like my buddy Beth Schnitzer (an awesome person who will also make a great elected official). It takes time and determination and focus -- on building these relationships.

Baseball's Rafael Palmeiro won't face perjury charges

Washington (AP) -- The House won't seek perjury charges against baseball home run slugger Rafael Palmeiro for telling a committee in March that "I have never used steroids, period,'' but testing positive for a banned substance just six weeks later, congressional leaders said Thursday.

....I personally think President Bush worked behind the scenes to save Rafey's neck from any further embarassment.

Sacramento Kings Diss Detroit -- and Pistons. Why? Where Did That Come From?

The Sacramento Kings took time to reportedly make and show a video that displayed run-down buildings supposedly located in Detroit at it's home opener against the Detroit Pistons.

Makes you wonder why they elected to do that. Detroit is this year's host of the Super Bowl. Could the city actually sue The Kings for defamation of character? You bet. The question is will they?

Nancy Lewis - One Angry Female Bodybuilder - Complains to IFBB

Women's Bodybuilding, a sport I support, is under massive attack primarily from some of the male competitors of the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). Some have written columns in magazines like Flex making fun of the female competitors. I think it's wrongheaded, but I'm also not surprised considering the rampant unprofessionalism the sport's afflicted with.

If the women get their act together and form their own federation, they could zoom far past the men in annual revenue.

Click on this sentence to Read Nancy's complaint to the IFBB

...Also read the SBS interview with Texas' Bodybuilder Jody May

What A Difference Phil Jackson Makes - Lakers 3 and 1; Kobe Scores 120 Points in Four Games

Well, just when you thought they were gone and left to the place of irrelevance, The LA Lakers are back, posting a 3 win, 1 loss record. Yes, it's early. But look at the main component of their record: an old name Kobe Bryant. The same Kobe who supposedly couldn't play under Jackson. He's scored over 120 points in four games thus far. For more click on the title of this post to see the ESPN game recap.

Maybe they can win without Shaq...But then, it's Phil's steady hand at the wheel. They -- the Lakers -- have two-thirds of the trifecta that produced so many wins and rings.

From An Internet Economics Perspective, Terrell Owens Is Good For The NFL

I wrote about this in an SBS article that you can read with a click here. If Terrell Owens wasn't good for the NFL's overall Internet traffic, he wouldn't be on the front of NFL.com as he is as I write this.

Why can't the Eagles figure out a way to harness this?

Hmm.....

Prohibited From Dating Players, Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders Go After Each Other In Bathroom Stall. Story Overshadows "T.O." Online

This is a sign of the changing times. Maybe I should put it up on my "Zeitgeist" website. Why? Well, when was the last time you heard a news story about two cheerleaders being arrested for getting it on in a bar? In the past, it was always some guy and girl -- being thrown out, but not arrested. I understand Penthouse Magazine has already made an offer. Something else of note -- this, and not the "T.O." story -- is the one of the most popular subjects in the blogsphere, even though the Owens story is all over the sports pages and ESPN. It's the first time I can remember a total disconnection between what TV news shows and what is searched for online.



This from the AP Wire / Police Reports and "www.thekman.com"

Tampa, Florida -- Two Carolina Panther cheerleaders spent the night in jail after a rough night in Channelside. The Panthers were in town to play the Bucs Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses say Angela Keathley and Renee Thomas were engaged in some type of sexual activity inside a bathroom stall at Banana Joe's around 2:20 am Sunday. Another woman waiting to use the bathroom got into an argument with the pair.
Police say Thomas punched the woman in the face. When Thomas was arrested, she gave police the name of another Panthers cheerleader.

Thomas could face additional charges for lying to police, once they confirm her identity.
Keathley was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer, while Thomas was charged with one count of battery.
The two women were taken to Hillsborough County jail, where they both bonded out later Sunday morning.

The Terrell Owens Interview of November 3rd 2005 - Transscript

This is the transscript interview that, on top of everything else, may have gotten him into trouble. As to what the Eagles should do? My recommendation is that they hold a players-only meeting and pole the members of the squad.

Graham Bensinger: I've known you for a few years now. I can see (the strain) in your face. I could see it in the offseason, and I can see it now. Are you happy?
Terrell Owens: Yeah, I mean, right now, there have been some ups and downs. But overall, I think the things that have gone on, I put them in the back of my mind. I've put those things on the shelf, and when I go out there on the field, I try to have fun. But, yeah, overall, I would say that I'm pretty happy.
GB: Enjoying the season?
TO: Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, our record (4-3) really doesn't indicate the caliber (of) team that we are. But, we're maybe just a few plays here and there from really being like 6-1, something like that. But, you know, we really got our butts whooped down in Dallas. So, I think that's the only real whooping that we took. So, at this stage, we're 4-3, about to go into (a stretch of) divisional play -- the Redskins, the Giants and the Cowboys. We've got those guys coming up, so we're still in the hunt.
GB: You seem to have gone from enjoying the media attention, the hype, the craze, to completely secluding yourself from it. Why?

Despite not being cleared by doctors, Terrell Owens returned to play in the Super Bowl.
TO: Well, it's almost like I'm in a no-win situation with the media sometimes. ... You know, I know how the media is. I know how TV works. They'll throw a question out there and they'll edit it. You know, the way they want to put it out there to the world. So, my thing is I just to let my play do the talking for me, and that has been my stance this year.
GB: What's the biggest difference between Terrell Owens now and the Terrell Owens of one year ago?
TO: I just feel like I've learned a lot as far as the business side of football. It really hit home how dirty and cruel of a business that this is. Everybody always says that this is a fun game (and) that it is. But behind the scenes, it's a real dirty game. I mean, in my situation, I think there are a lot of people who can vouch for me when I say that, "Yeah, I deserve the money that I was asking for." And, I've seen so many guys that have gone and come in this league, you know, for no apparent reason at all. I've seen guys come in one week and they (get) cut the next. Or come in here for a couple of days and (they're) cut the next. So, it's a cutthroat business. I had to really not fool myself into thinking that there is loyalty with the franchises of these teams. ... I'm very reluctant to trust people now when they say things. And you just have to take a business approach to things, that's how it goes.
GB: What makes you successful?
TO: My determination, my drive. The way that I was raised -- just keeping my family and my grandmother at heart. I just try to put herself in my situation at times, almost like what would she do in this situation, or what would she not do? So, my family is very dear to me. When I came out of college in '96 and I had to do all those combine workouts, they were motivation enough for me ... (to) impress those scouts to have the best time or ace the shuttle drills and all those things. So, my family is very important to me, and I know they look up to me. So, if I'm successful in anything, success breeds success.
“ Even if it wasn't a contractual situation, I still have to be smart about my body. I mean, that was the same approach that I took when I got hurt prior to playing in the playoffs or in the Super Bowl. So my approach is still the same. If I can get out there and play, then I will play. But, I'm not going to risk my career or my health at the expense of the Eagles. ”
-- TO on whether his injury has changed his approach on the field
GB: If the Eagles win and you don't rack up the numbers statistically, are you satisfied?
TO: Yeah, I mean, that's the name of the game. Honestly, it's wins and losses when it all boils down to it. And, that's how I look at it. I always said that, even when I was in San Francisco. I just said as long as we're winning, I don't have a problem with it. But if we're not winning and I'm not getting the ball enough, that's when I have a problem. Because it doesn't matter statistically. I feel like with me being a big part of any offense, then the numbers are going to come. ... I think at some point during the course of the game, I will have an impact -- whether it's blocking or whether it's catching the football.
GB: What do you need from your team, or your teammates, to enable you to achieve success?
TO: Well, obviously, in my situation the quarterback is a big part of my success. I think it goes hand-in-hand. Obviously, a quarterback that has the weapons like Donovan has with this team -- with me, LJ (Smith) and Brian Westbrook -- obviously that helps him to be a better quarterback...
GB: What's your relationship like with your teammates?
TO: We have fun. Every day, it's interesting. ... (In the training room), we have a lot of fun doing just different games in there. Even with rehab, there are a lot of games that we play that are competitive, but it coincides with our rehab. And (it's) the same with a lot of guys on the team. We have a lot of guys sitting back in the lounge that play Halo. Me and (Greg) Lewis and Hank Fralee, we play dominos. So, a lot of guys do different things.
GB: Why do you think there were some who were not as supportive of you?
TO: They probably felt like (if) they said something, (it) will put them in an awkward situation where they may get cut if they say the wrong thing. I kind of put them behind the eight ball, so to speak. And, so, some guys were supportive of me. But (others) just didn't feel it was necessary, or that they had the authority to speak up on my behalf.
GB: Has there been something (you've) said or done over the past year that you regret?
TO: No, not at all. I think the thing is, I know deep down inside that I've always been honest, and I've been truthful about the things that I've said. Like the saying goes, sometimes the truth hurts. And, a lot of people don't like to hear the truth. So, as long as I'm honest with myself, I can live with it.
GB: You just said that following the Super Bowl, you obviously said that you weren't the only one, or you weren't the one that got tired, in referring to Donovan McNabb. Do you think your honesty becomes detrimental at times?
“ I said it probably in regards to my own conditions because I hadn't practiced with the team since my injury. I never referred to Donovan in that comment. A lot of people speculated, and they just assumed that I was talking about Donovan. That's not what I mean, and that's not what I meant. A lot of people, take a lot of things that I say out of context. If I didn't say his name in particular, then I wasn't talking about him. ”
-- TO, denying he was criticizing Donovan when he said he wasn't the one who got tired in the Super Bowl
TO: No, not at all. I think with that comment, I said it probably in regards to my own conditions because I hadn't practiced with the team since my injury. I never referred to Donovan in that comment. A lot of people speculated, and they just assumed that I was talking about Donovan. That's not what I mean, and that's not what I meant. A lot of people, take a lot of things that I say out of context. If I didn't say his name in particular, then I wasn't talking about him.
GB: And, that's why, then, you're reluctant to do some of the interviews because people ...
TO: Exactly.
GB: ... take things out of context. What was it like for you, playing in the Super Bowl last season?
TO: What I was doing and what I experienced was bigger than the Super Bowl. Number one, I was just exercising my faith in God that I could go out there and do the impossible -- according to a lot of the media, according to the world. But I had a lot of people who supported me, and I had a lot of confidence that I was doing the right thing. I know my body better than anything, better than anybody. The doctor who performed my surgery didn't medically clear me. Despite all that, I still went ahead and went out and played because I knew I was ready to play. Although I wasn't 100 percent, I knew I was a percentile that I could go out there and be effective.
GB: What was it like for you going out there on Super Bowl Sunday?
TO: It was fun. I've always envisioned myself, since I was in San Francisco, of a moment when I played in the Super Bowl. It was almost like I had been there before, because I've always kind of played it in my mind before. You know, I've been to the Super Bowl (city) before, and I've never gone to the game. But I've always been there in that atmosphere. So, I've always said, if I ever get that moment, that I was going to try to shine, and I was going to try to play to the best of my ability.
GB: You did all right.
TO: I didn't do bad. Like I said, I probably could have been a little bit more effective had I been 100 percent healthy.
GB: You've never won a championship at any level. Not in high school, not in college, not yet in the NFL. What was it like to be that close against the Patriots?
TO: It was an interesting feeling. It was very exciting, you know. After it was over, it was just, you know ... After playing nine years in the league, some guys have played this game all their life, and they've never gotten to that point. So, I didn't take it for granted. ... Whatever I could do, I left it on the field. I played hard. We just came up short. I think there are opportunities that we had to win the ballgame, and you know, we played a great team, and a great team beat us. I don't feel like it was a cakewalk (for New England). We took it to the wire with them.
GB: Any lasting damage from the injury?
TO: No, not at all. I think I've recovered from it 100 percent, and I've spent most of my offseason rehabbing and getting treatment and trying to get it back to the point where I can perform this year. And, so, I haven't had any effects of it.
“ What I was doing and what I experienced was bigger than the Super Bowl. Number one, I was just exercising my faith in God that I could go out there and do the impossible -- according to a lot of the media, according to the world. ”
— TO on playing in the Super Bowl
GB: You say you regret playing in that Super Bowl. Why?
TO: I would say just from the reasons of me putting my career on the line, and then my agent (Drew Rosenhaus) going in, trying to get what I deserve, as far as my contractual situation. Obviously, he thought I deserved more once he looked over my contract from my former agent. You know, I've always felt that way and I have made that top value, being one of the top guys in the league. So, I just felt like it was worth it. (Then) I just felt disrespected when they didn't even acknowledge him at all. ... They kind of just blew it off.
GB: You've also said the Eagles made you sign this secret waiver, essentially barring them from any responsibility if you were injured. They adamantly deny it. Take me through what happened.

Owens says Donovan McNabb's injuries have hurt the Eagles this season.
TO: Well, like I said, I know there was a waiver that we talked about. Obviously, they're saying they have no knowledge of it. So, it's not something phantom that I've made up. So, if they're saying that just to save face, then you know, that's what they have to live with.
GB: Why do you think they have to deny it?
TO: Not sure, not sure. But why would I openly say that I signed a waiver? Because it would have released them of any reliability, had I gotten hurt in the Super Bowl, because number one, the doctor didn't medically clear me. So, if anything would have happened, they wouldn't have been responsible for it.
GB: Is that frustrating for you that the organization almost tries to make you out to be the villain?
TO: Well, I mean, I've said it, and I've heard it. If you align expectations with reality, then you'll never be disappointed. So, this particular time and point in my career, and things that have happened since training camp ... you know, I expected worse.
GB: You said you always have a passion to win, but sometimes that passion is misdiagnosed by people. How so?
TO: There are a number of ways -- even just the way that I score touchdowns and I celebrate. At one particular point in time, especially in San Francisco, I remember commentators saying I should just get in the end zone and act like I had been there before. And probably because I had played with one of the greatest receivers of all time in Jerry Rice, and that's what he did, and they always talked about Barry (Sanders) scoring so many touchdowns, and he doesn't do anything. But, now you know, I have a good friend in Chad Johnson who does it. And now it's like, everybody is applauding it. You know what I mean? So, it's almost like I feel like sometimes it's me against the world.
GB: You just recently scored your 100th career receiving touchdown, which puts you in remarkably elite company with only you and Marvin Harrison as the two active players to have accomplished the feat. What does it mean for you?
TO: I didn't really think too much of it. Obviously, it's a great accomplishment. I guess if I look down the road some time, I'll look back on it and and see how special it is. But to me, it was just another touchdown. You know, I expect to score every week ...
“ It's almost like I feel like sometimes it's me against the world. ”
— TO on his philosophy on life
GB: Obviously, it's not necessary, but everybody likes to be complimented, everyone likes to be congratulated for accomplishing something. And you did something that only five players in the history of the NFL have done. So, how surprised were you then when the Eagles just made no public acknowledgement of it?
TO: Probably just like the statement that I said a while ago: If you align expectations with reality, you will never be disappointed. You know, their reaction shows you the type of class and integrity of an organization that they claim not to be. You know, they claim to be first class and the best organization. I just felt like it was an embarrassment. It just shows the lack of class that they had. My publicist talked to the head PR guy, and he made an excuse about (how) they didn't recognize it, or they didn't realize that it was coming up. But I know that was a blatant lie. If it would have been somebody else, they probably would have popped fireworks around the stadium. ...

Owens says it was an "embarrassment" when the Eagles failed to recognize his 100th career TD catch.
GB: What do you make of the Eagles' 4-3 start this season?
TO: I think a lot of the injuries have played a big part in some of our losses. I just feel that if Donovan wasn't hurt as he was, our record probably would indicate we were better.
GB: Donovan has obviously had trouble throwing, especially deep. He didn't complete any of his first 12 passes vs. Denver. How has that affected the team?
TO: Well, obviously I think our wins and losses are really predicated on how he plays. I just feel like, you know, everybody can point fingers at our defense, but it doesn't matter. Even when we were 28 (points) down, I still had in the back of my mind that we could come back -- had our offense gotten in sync. I just honestly feel with playmakers like myself, LJ (Smith), and obviously Brian Westbrook, that we could have gotten back in the game. And that we did. You know, like I said, it's hard to win ballgames when you have turnovers, and we had a turnover right when we were about to go into probably tie the game. That killed our momentum, and it killed our drive.
GB: Your friend Michael Irvin recently said that if Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, they'd be undefeated right now. What do you think of that comment?
“ I just felt like it was an embarrassment. It just shows the lack of class that they had. ”
— TO on the Eagles' failure to recognize his 100th career TD catch
TO: I mean, that's a good assessment, I would agree with that.
GB: How so?
TO: I just feel like just what he brings to the table ... I mean he's the guy. Obviously, a number of commentators will say he's a warrior. He has played with injuries. I just feel like (with) him being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd be in a better situation.
GB: With your ankle injury, will you play Sunday night against the Washington Redskins?
TO: Yeah. At this particular time, I will say that I'm closer to playing than not (playing). Where earlier in the week, Monday, Tuesday, I kind of basically ruled myself out. I'm kind of mad at myself, because I'm a very confident person, and I didn't give myself a chance. That was early in the week, and within the last 24 to 48 hours, I've felt tons better. And, I think my healing comes from obviously, number one, God, and just the way that I take care of my body.
GB: Has the Eagles' reluctance to renegotiate your contract (made) you less willing to play hurt?
TO: No, not at all. But at the same time, I still have to be smart. Even if it wasn't a contractual situation, I still have to be smart about my body. I mean, that was the same approach that I took when I got hurt prior to playing in the playoffs or in the Super Bowl. So my approach is still the same. If I can get out there and play, then I will play. But, I'm not going to risk my career or my health at the expense of the Eagles.
GB: What do the Eagles need to do to get back on track?

TO: There's nothing the Eagles need to do in particular. I just feel like, obviously, injuries have taken a toll -- especially on the offensive side of the ball. And Donovan, obviously, is a key component to our success and our wins and losses. And if he doesn't play well, sometimes it's kind of hard when we're going three-and-out as an offense, and we're putting the defense on the field -- like short minutes at a time, and obviously they can't sustain those long drives and teams are scoring back-to-back on us.
GB: I've always wanted to hear this from TO. Your theory of "If you got it, flaunt it."
TO: It's basically just being confident in who you are. It's like if you and I were in a contest or we were going out to the beach, you would probably be reluctant to take your shirt off. Right, but in my case, I work out, I feel like I have a nice body, then I wouldn't have a problem taking my shirt off. I have a number of friends who tell me if they had my body they would probably walk around naked. So that's basically where that comes from. You just got to be confident in who you are, and don't let anybody say or tell you anything different.
GB: Take me through the process of coming up with a touchdown celebration.

When you carry a Sharpie in your sock, you're definitely thinking ahead.
TO: Some of them are spur of the moment, and sometimes during the course of the week I try to think of some things that are creative. And, whatever comes to mind, if I feel like it's going to be within the confines of the celebration rules, then I do it. If not, it really depends on the game. Like last week when I scored a touchdown but (it was an) inopportune time for me to be celebrating.
GB: How much time do you spend coming up with them?
TO: Not too much at all. I could be driving home and if I'm thinking about it, then I will try to come up with something. Or, if I'm in the locker room and I'm playing Dominos and messing around with some of the guys or we get on the subject of celebrations when we see highlights. Guys will start chiming in and start talking about different things and that's when my mind starts to work a little bit.
GB: Do you practice them beforehand?
TO: No, not really. If it's something simple, it's just something that you can do right on the spot.
GB: Never?
TO: No, I haven't.
GB: Your favorite?
TO: Probably with the pom-poms. And probably second, everybody liked the Ray Lewis. So, other than that I just go out there and try to have fun and try (to) go be creative.
GB: The one you haven't yet done that you'd like to.

When Owens hits the end zone, he usually has something special planned.
TO: I don't know yet. I haven't thought about it, but I got a couple up my sleeve. But they'll come out.
GB: You've told me that the NFL's very contradictory in its touchdown celebration regulations in that you play as a team, yet you can't celebrate as a team. Your thoughts on the rules?
TO: They allow us to celebrate individually. I think if I could celebrate with my teammates and come up with some group things, then that's what I would do. But, unfortunately, according to the rules, I have to celebrate by myself. So, I think that's where a lot of people can look at me and say I'm selfish and that I'm (not) celebrating with my teammates, but I can't. You know, some people are just not up to par with the rules of the NFL.
GB: Jerry Rice once told you, as you stated in your book, "At some point you're going to have to learn to be politically correct, give in and give them what they want." What do you think of that?
TO: Regardless of the situation, I'm a person who is going to be honest and straight up and I'm just going to tell you, sometimes, the brutal honest truth. So, I understand where it's coming from, but I don't think it has really helped him in any situations to be politically correct. Because I feel like, if that was the case, then he probably would have retired a Niner. Even after going to a couple of teams, they would have given him the opportunity to retire as a 49er. But, unfortunately, being politically correct all his career didn't cut it.
GB: How so?
TO: I think they would have given him the opportunity to retire as a 49er. And I think that's what he wanted to do once he got cut from Denver.
GB: How do you think the Eagles organization would have responded if your desire for more money hadn't gone more public?
TO: I'm not sure. I think at some point it would have gone public. I think guys have taken the silent route and still haven't gotten contracts. I think that was the same situation with Brian Westbrook. According to some sources, that's the approach that David Akers tried to take. Neither one of those guys have gotten their contracts resolved, either. And they took the silent route. So who's to say which route is better than the other? We're all in the same boat.
“ I'm just going to play the season out. I'm going to go out there and let my play do the talking for me. I'm done with the contract situation until we have no more games to play. ”
— TO on when he'll revisit the contract situation
GB: When do you plan to revisit the contract?
TO: It will be an issue after the season. I'm just going to play the season out. I'm going to go out there and let my play do the talking for me. I'm done with the contract situation until we have no more games to play.
GB: Jeremiah Trotter recently said on WUIP radio that the way the Eagles handled contract disputes with veterans affects the way players viewed the organization. Your thoughts?
TO: I can agree with that. If you look at the number of veteran guys who have tried to re-do their deals and probably end their careers with the Eagles, it hasn't been done. Think about it -- Troy Vincent, Duce Staley, Corey Simon, Bobby Taylor. I'm sure all of these guys would have done that. Even Hugh Douglas, he was a big critic of mine to say that I didn't go about the situation the right way. And here's a guy who was trying to get more money out of the organization, they cut him, and he went down to Jacksonville to make more money. He didn't make it there. Look where he ended back up. Right back in Philly, man. And, he only lasted a year here. Now he's out of football.
GB: How does this all play out for you?
TO: Like I tell everybody since I've been here, I'm just here. That's just my attitude, I'm just here. I think I'm doing all the necessary things that I'm supposed to do. I'm being professional, I'm going out there and I practice hard, I'm at my meetings. That's it; you should go out there and play.
GB: Do you feel, though, it's almost gotten to the point of no return?
TO: Point of no return as far as what?
GB: In the sense that everyone knows where you are, your stance, everyone knows where the Eagles are, their stance, and no one's going to budge.
TO: Somebody's going to have to budge sooner or later.
GB: Not you, though?
TO: Somebody got to win. Somebody got to lose.
GB: You previously told me you need to do what's best for yourself, and not worry about anyone else. And you need to do what's in the best interest of your family. Explain where you're coming from.
TO: Growing up in a single-parent family I reflect to the times of my mother having two and three jobs and raising four kids. She's a seamstress, she's sewing, doing odd jobs, just to make ends meet. Those are the types of things that I think about -- the hard work that she went through for us as kids. Right now, I'm not married, I have two kids, so I have to do what's best for my family. I think it's misconstrued -- I think Howard Eskin may have said something that I'm not making enough money to put food on my table. That's not the point. He's on the radio making it seem like I'm making all this money. Yeah, I am, but with the contractual situation that I'm in, nothing is really guaranteed but my signing bonus. Anybody can look at my contract and see seven years, $49 or $48-point whatever million. I'm not guaranteed that money. It's not like $49 million is in my bank account. I'm only getting my base salary, plus my signing bonus.
That's what a lot of people don't understand. Fans are being passionate, obviously they want the best for their team. And if I'm one of the best athletes who's going to get the team to that next level, then obviously I feel their frustration when they feel that I may slip away, that I don't want to play for that team. But it's not about that. I love to play here in Philly. But I feel I'm one of the top guys, just like anybody working in the work force. If you work in a corporate job, if you're working at the top echelon of your group, then you expect to get paid like that. And I'm not.
“ Why would you be satisfied, especially when I know what I've done in the offseason, the toll that I've taken on my body, things that I've done to stay on the field. When I've gotten injured, when I've had to go to doctors in the offseason the last three years. I've had to take countless number of shots just to rehab, just to get my body ready for the next season. ”
GB: Some people would even listen to that, whether it be your fans or others, and say, you know, why isn't he just satisfied with it? What would you say to those people?
TO: Why would you be satisfied, especially when I know what I've done in the offseason, the toll that I've taken on my body, things that I've done to stay on the field. When I've gotten injured, when I've had to go to doctors in the offseason the last three years. I've had to take countless number of shots just to rehab, just to get my body ready for the next season. A lot of people don't understand that. They think just because it's offseason that I'm just going to all these lavish places, just laying on the beach, having a good time, partying. That's part of it, but the last two, three years or so, that's not what I've been doing. I do that to kind of just get away from the grueling rehab and workout regimen that I have during the offseason. But it's not like that. If I know I'm the number-one guy, or a big piece of the puzzle like I am here with the Eagles, I prepare and I train hard to go out there and score all those touchdowns. To do what I do on the football field. So, I don't expect them to understand. But, if they were in my situation, I guarantee you they would understand.
GB: How do you feel about your relationship with Philadelphia fans?
TO: I love the Philly fans. I know I've lost some, but I think there are a lot of fans out there who understand where I'm coming from and they enjoy what I do on the football field.
GB: Should Eagles fans be concerned you're putting your house up for sale?

Owens says he has played through pain, and he expects to be rewarded for it.
TO: That's my prerogative if I want to sell my house or not. Maybe there is a reason why I'm putting it up for sale. My thing is I'm really not looking to be here, probably no more than the next three to five years, so who knows. I just want to be happy. If it's here then I would love to be here. If not, then you've got to move on. I have enjoyed (playing here), and I'm still enjoying football. If there is a situation where they have a change of heart and they want to come to their senses and do the right thing, I would be more than happy to be here. But, at this time, I'm being honest with myself and really trying to look toward the future. And I just don't see myself really being here. And, that's not because I don't want to be here, but I just don't foresee them trying to do the necessary things to keep me here.
GB: Then what do you see happening beyond this year?
TO: I'm not sure. That's something not a lot of people are waiting to see. But I'm really just focused right now on just trying to make it to the playoffs and get the team back to the Super Bowl. So, who's to say? We may get to the playoffs, win a Super Bowl, and they might be like, "Hey! Let's pay him!" Then again, they may get to the playoffs, win or lose, get to the Super Bowl and we may have to part ways. Either way, I'm fine with it, because I'm confident in whatever I do, I'm going to be successful. It doesn't matter what anyone says about me or what anybody thinks about me, when I get on the football field, the best relationship I need is with that football. And once I get it in my hands, I make plays.
GB: I'm sure you'd love an additional pay day after the Super Bowl, too, from the Eagles. If that didn't happen and you had your choice of any team in the NFL to go to next season, who would it be?
TO: I'm not sure. I obviously talk it over with my agent. I would probably go with the best offers out there, and the best possibilities for me to go in there and fit in their system and succeed. I don't really want to worry about not playing to the best of my ability or going somewhere and failing, because that's not going to happen. I just got to go somewhere and help a team get to the next level. If they feel like I'm a missing piece to get them to the playoffs or even to the Super Bowl, then that's where I want to go.
GB: What was it like for you growing up in Alexander City, Ala.?
TO: It wasn't rough. I didn't know anything more than Alexander City, so compared to what I know now, it was very slow. Very slow, compared to California and being out here in Philly and being in the nightlife of Atlanta. But it's just like any normal small town. Everybody works, everybody knows everybody, you go to the football games on Friday, same with basketball. During the summertime you have your Little League sports.
“ I'm a good football player. If you start questioning my character, my integrity, that's not a fair assessment of who I am, especially when all it is is hearsay. ”
GB: How much has your grandmother impacted your life?
TO: Man, so much. I think she is the person who has made me as strong as I am. And I'm proud to say that I am who I am because of her. And a lot of people may not like who I am, but hey, if you don't like me, then you don't like her. And, if you don't like her, then I got a problem with you. I know my mom, my brother, and my sisters love me. And they will be one of the first ones to tell me if what I was doing was totally wrong.
GB: What values were instilled in you, growing up, that you tried to pass on to your children?
TO: Honesty, being truthful. Going to church, putting God first. Whatever my situation is, (it's) faith, family and football, in that order. I think what I've learned that I didn't have is how to love. And I didn't have that growing up, even though I knew they did, they just didn't show it. So now it's not a problem to tell my son that I love him. Not because I didn't experience it, but I've learned how to say those things. I've learned how to love.
GB: How are the wedding plans coming?
TO: Hey, they're coming. That's something I'm looking forward to that's going to be exciting that I've never experienced as a little kid. I never experienced going to a wedding of my mom or my dad. So it will be something special.
GB: Finally, you have your enthusiasts, you've had your critics. It certainly wouldn't be right to say either perception of you is accurate. What's a fair assessment of who Terrell Owens is?
TO: That I'm a good football player. That if you start questioning my character, my integrity, that's not a fair assessment of who I am, especially when all it is is hearsay. Especially if you're getting reports about who I am as a person and you haven't really been around me, then I don't think that's fair to say. Other than that, you can only say that I've been a good football player, and I've been productive the number of years I've been in the league.

T.O. Gets The Boot - Terrell Owens Suspended From Eagles and Deactivated

According to The NFL Network, he stands to lose $800,000 over the next four games and his entire salary for the remainder of the year.

I read on a Yahoo Group that T.O. got into a fistfight and wrestling match with Hugh Douglas in the locker room. I don't know if it's true, but Douglas did say that he thought Owens had personal problems.

I've been a T.O. fan, but I'm disppointed that he did not at least take a try at not saying things about his team. But, I also think The Eagles themselves are to blame.

Head Coach Andy Reid has been totally outcoached many times this year. For example, he gave QB Donovan McNabb such an inflexible game plan against the Denver Broncos that when the Broncos came up with a max blitz defense formation, The Eagles didn't change to a three step drop, and "cut" block the line to form quick passing lanes.

I also think the team's a bit too thin-skinned, and thus comments that I would tell my players to ignore were blown way out of proportion.

He's filed a grevance with the NFLPA, and he may win that battle. For some reason, God's causing this to happen for both -- TO must learn to appreciate what he has and The Eagles must learn that they can't just do anything they want to a player.

I hope the intelligent coach is out there that can fashion a game plan to employ his gifts, but I've not seen that person.

...Yet

San Francisco Bay Area baseball teams see slump in 2005 game attendance

The Oakland A's suffered a 4 percent drop in attendance, which can be expected when they unload stars like their pitchers Hudson and hitters like Jermaine Dye, who now has a championship ring from the Chicago White Sox.

Paris Riots - Police Teargassed Mosque; Insulted Women

Wow. This article at Indymedia reports that on Sunday French police entered a mosque, used teargas on the people in it, and insulted the women. And the French wonder why the young and Muslims are angry.

The Paris Riots: Attacks Spread To European Cities

According to this Associated Press article printed in the Chicago Sun Times, Sunday night saw over 1,400 cars burned and a death -- the first. Also, the attacks have spread to other cities in Europe.

Oakland Can Afford A Baseball Stadium for the Oakland A's: My Plan For More Oakland Redevelopment Money - Phasing Not Forgotten

I found an online newspaper link regarding a San Francisco Business Times article about my idea for generating more money for redevelopment project areas in the City of Oakland. It can be seen with a click on this link Zennie's "Phasing" Concept

It proves what I have been trying to say -- through the press -- to current Oakland Redevelopment Agency head Dan Vanderpriem, who tells everyone that the Oakland Redevelopment Agency can't raise a lot of money for projects like a baseball stadium for the Oakland A's.

I created this concept in 1996. Oakland's legal consultants called it a perfect legal loophole. Then - Oakland Assistant Attorney Donnell Choy was wrong in his assessment of the matter of the "illegality" of the method of tax collection I created, because California Redevelopment Law does not concern that specific matter and the case history on it is non-existent. Oakland's legal counsel of McCutcheon, Doyle, Brown, & Enersen admitted this in a meeting we had on the subject.

The idea still exists today and has never been tried. I contend that Oakland' s affraid to be innovative -- it's not that they're bureaucrats, just that they don't want to really find and use an answer to a problem.

Sports Marketers Wake Up - The Paris Riots Feature Your Demographic

According to this NY Times report, many of the rioters are as young as 13 years old.

The Paris Riots, Terrell Owens, The NBA Dress Code - What's the Connection? Part Two - Paris Is Burning

My skills at Francais are not what they used to be -- and that wasn't so hot -- but from reading "tf1.fr" Saturday saw 1,295 cars burned. "No Pasaran" reports that Paris was hit for the first time, and...

"Two schools burned down in Grigny along with a paper recycling plant. 23 cars burned in Essone. A school and 35 vehicles burned in Vigneux (before 10PM local time). In Seine Saint Denis "many" cars have been torched and a gymnasium in Noisy le Grand is on fire. In Seine et Marne an 18 wheeler was torched just in front of the technical high school -- fireman arriving at the scene were pelted with rocks.

Fire bombs are being used in Avignon, Saint-Dizier, Soissons, Nantes, Montauban, and in Loir-et-Cher.

Numerous attacks are reported in Northern France : Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, and Mons-en-Baroeuil. Firemen report an 18 wheeler on fire in Lille and a bus burning in Auby.

Marseille has reported 3 burning cars (before 9PM local time). Cannes and Nice also report torched vehicles. Firemen have been attacked in Nice.

Toulouse reports half a dozen cars torched before 9PM local time."

...And that was just on Saturday night.

What Is The NBA Dress Code?

Oh. And just what is the NBA Dress Code? If you click on the title, you can read the entire set of NBA Dress Code rules.

The Paris Riots, Terrell Owens, The NBA Dress Code - What's the Connection? Part One

At first glance, the Paris Riots, where 1,300 more cars have been burned on this Saturday alone (and 3,500 total), the suspension of Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens, and the establishment of The NBA Dress Code would seem to have no connection what so ever. But I contend that they are tied together and what relates them should be of alarm to the sports industry.

Some of you will already answer "race" and you're mosly right. But it's more bleak than that. All of these events are the result of a kind of global class war, where the monied white class has either intentionally or institutionally discriminated against the lower classes of color. In the case of Paris, the counter to this has been on going riots by young people, most of color, but many not -- the rampaging shows no signs of reducing in intensity. Indeed, it may be spreading in reaction to the World's attention as expressed via the media.

The young are expressing frustration caused by the white French establishment, which is at times open hostility toward immigrants from Africa and Muslims as well -- in other words the white French have treated blacks inappropriately, and the result has been compared to the social scars revealed by the Katrina Hurricane disaster here in America. It was only a matter of time before the young revolted.

It reminds me, in a way, of the "May Riots" of 1968, where French student youth were protesting what they perceived as oppressive and pro-war French government policy. Where the May Riots were not by people of color, the current riots are, but I think more young Whites will participate over time, and as a way of connecting with the youth of color.

Why?

Remember that Hip Hop Culture has successfully bound together all young people both black, Asian, Latino, White, and so on around the World. This, even though Hip Hop is an African American creation. Remember that the vast majority of consumers of Hip Hop music are not black -- they're white. This phenomenon has meshed the colors together and formed a new social style that has impacted everything from commercials to clothing styles. Hip Hop is an expression of what is really now a global urban culture, thus the same problems experienced in America are also seen in --- France.

This is why the NBA's attempts to curb the advance of Hip Hop Culture with the implementation of the "NBA Dress Code" are totally hilarious and an unintelligent business practice. If it's true that NBA stars wearing the latest Hip Hop clothing styles help "move product" then the NBA's Commissioner David Stern has just taken billions of dollars out of the pocket of his own organization. Those who agree with the dress code seem to want to identify with a kind of upper class view of society that seems to say "Hip Hop is bad and expresses prison culture." Those who advance this view are myopic at best and racist at worst.

Again, Hip Hop is an expression of lower and middle class urban life -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. To the extent that unpleasantries like the prison experience are expressed in music, it's only because those undesirable aspects of life are a large part of the inner city experience. Logically, if we as a society agree that we don't want such "undesirable aspects of life" to be seen, then we should act to reduce their occurence. In other words, our worldwide urban policies have contributed to the development of these places in the city where jobs are scarce and crime is high.

In France, the unemployment rate of the immigrants of color has been reported to be as high as 25 percent. This problem was also true in New Orleans, a city with a majority black population. In London, the organizers of that cities Olympic Bid openly touted that the initiative would reviatalize a poor minority neighborhood -- the website read as if they were reviving the "Negro Removal" objective that was behind some American attempts at urban renewal in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, Hip Hop has creatively taken these social pathologies and spun them into a billion dollar money-making machine. While this fact is undoubtedly not lost on the NBA, they have not fashioned a way to deal with it, because -- I contend -- the collective ability of the NBA to form and use a creative solution is effectively blocked by their own prejudice. As long as that prejudice -- expressed in the Dress Code and in the attempt to limit playing in the NBA to athletes with college educations -- exists, the league will not only fail to make money from the evolving urban culture of which it's a part, it will alienate the very young people it should be trying to court -- excuse the pun.

This is where the money is -- and it's not in the white male audience the NBA thinks it's responsible to. The NBA's illogic can be exposed by asking this question: why are so many retailers trying to capture the attention of the key 18 to 30 year old demographic, and yet, the NBA -- which is essentially a retailer -- seems to be working to draw an older and more conservative demographic that's not shown a desire to buy the latest products and drive cultural change? The NBA can learn from Apple Computer and the iPod. But it needs to open it's eyes and eliminate its prejudice -- and stop trying to control it's players, many of which are black.

It's this silly attempt at control which is driving Terrell Owens crazy. I think "T.O." is a creation of NFL organizations that work more to control what a person does, than monetizing the behavior of that person. (See "T.O. is Good For The NFL") In Owens case, he is an exceptional talent who's almost consistently misused in offensive game plans, yet has the ability to take over a game. To understand Owens, you must know that he comes from a deep South, mostly black background and with his talent, was catapulted into a mostly white culture where blacks are still treated more often than not as second class citizens. He's told to go here, go there, and do this or that. Yet his amazing ability on the field -- and his desire to express himself -- are his only tools to demonstrate the frustration of being "shackled."

The whole constellation of events behind his suspension are silly to me. The man was basically upset that his 100th touchdown catch was not acknoweldged by the Eagles. The situation exploded from there. Also, the Eagles are not winning, and their game plan against Denver was just north of terrible. I am not going to technical details here, but I must take an aside an express my own displeasure with what's becoming a stereotyped style of NFL offense that is not flexible and all too predicatable. The Eagles certainly fall into this problem -- the Colts don't as their system is adjustable.

At any rate, Terrell Owens is popular and his popularity will only increase as he's perceived as anti-establishment at the perfect time where anti-establishment ideas are growing amoung are youth.

The sports establishment is at a critical juncture: it can resist this tide of cultural change fuled by youth anger and expressed in Hip Hop and continue to lose money and fail to captialize on business opportunities (as is the case with the NBA), or it can work to monetize this tide, and at the same time fashion a plan to improve the civic environments from within, thus reducing the pain and suffering of the lower middle classes and insuring a broad base of fan support that will last through this century.