How passionate should we be about football?

 Player safety concerns did not stop 59, 149 people from watching a Jacksonville Jaguars preseason game last weekend. PHOTO BY Will Brown 

By Will Brown

The newest season America’s favorite reality show will be kicking off next week. The opening episode will be in Denver, site of one of the most dramatic plot twists of the previous season.

In case you are curious, the show is the National Football League. The game is America’s passion no matter how unhealthy the sport may be to its players, or to our collective psyche.

More than 100 million people watched the Super Bowl this February, apparel sales are booming and interest has never been bigger. But is all of that coming at a cost?

For the National Football League that cost was $675 million. That is the figure the league will pay to more than 4,000 retired players who brought a concussion lawsuit against it. The settlement, which was announced one week before the 2013 season is slated to kickoff, will be used for medical exams, concussion-related compensation and medical research.

It averages out to approximately $170,000 per player listed in the lawsuit. Various news reports state the most any player, or his estate, can receive is $5 million.

Those figures may sound massive to the average American. But, are they?

Today’s players are bigger, faster and stronger than they were a generation ago. Since 2000, the roster of the Super Bowl champion has averaged more than 240 pounds 12 times. The 2006 Indianapolis Colts had the smallest average weight of any Super Bowl champion in the last 20 years at 234 pounds. This girth is much bigger than the size of an average man in America, which is 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds.

At the 2012 NFL combine a man who is 6-foot-3-inches and 335 pounds ran 40 yards in under five seconds. The person who is the consensus No. 1 pick for the 2014 NFL Draft reportedly ran 40 yards in 4.46 seconds. By the way, he’s 6-foot-6-inches and 274 pounds.

Even folks who failed physics know mass multiplied by acceleration equals force.

The orthopedic issues caused by the extreme force applied in pro football’s constant collisions may be one thing. The traumatic brain injury that scientists have proven has a connection with years of playing football is another.

There are inherent risks in athletics. Approximately, one third of all pitchers in Major League Baseball have blown their elbow out; ankle sprains and knee inflammation have been the most common injuries for NBA athletes; ligament injuries and muscle strains are commonplace in soccer. But those sports injuries typically do not have devastating long-term effects after an athlete’s career is over.

Headlines about players suffering with dementia at uncommonly early ages, not to mention player suicides, has led the media, public and even Congress to ask questions about the NFL’s position on some of these brain injuries.

Some of these issues were to be addressed in a partnership between PBS Frontline and journalists from the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. The documentary the two teams were working on was titled “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis”.

However, ESPN stated it would end its 15-month partnership last week. This announcement came days after two ESPN executives met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and one other gentleman at a New York restaurant for lunch.

As much as ESPN, and the NFL, tried to claim the disassociation was not due to the power lunch, the New York Times saw through that smokescreen in a damning Aug. 23 article.

It’s worth noting that more than 10 percent of the NFL’s revenue in 2012 came from ESPN in the form of the $1 billion the network pays to cover “Monday Night Football”. The amount of money the NFL receives from networks will skyrocket after this season as new deals with ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS all begin in 2014.

It can be argued the no one forces men to play professional football. One can also claim that football players are handsomely paid to wrestle muscular men to the ground.

In some ways the football industry — when an entity has nearly $10 billion in revenue it is more than a garden-variety business — is like the tobacco industry three decades ago. People were dying, or at the least, sustaining life-altering consequences from consuming the product, but the risks were dismissed by a corporate culture that was resistant to change.

Regardless of Thursday’s announcement, Goodell claims or how many paltry dollars the league throws at research initiatives, his sport is resistant to evolving like the men who play it.

When teams subtly pressure players to return from concussions before they are ready, or when teams leak to the media that a player may be milking a serious injury or when someone playing through pain is lionized by fans and media alike that is proof the game of gladiators has not changed nearly as much as it would like its fans to believe.

Besides, if Goodell did not have anything to hide, he would sit down for an interview the “League of Denial” journalists, rather than having private lunches with executives at their employer persuading them to back off the story.

Keep in mind this is the same man who has no problem applying pressure to cash-strapped municipalities in order to build or renovate stadia across America. South Florida lost a chance to host the 50^th Super Bowl because the Florida legislature would not kowtow to renovations for the existing stadium in Miami Gardens. Atlanta is ramrodding a $1 billion stadium initiative less than 25 years after the Georgia Dome was built.

There are other examples of the NFL fleecing taxpayers; however, the point remains that if pro football can convince communities and consumers to part with their money, the least these entities could do is demand the sport protect its players.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb

Who's next for American tennis?

By Will Brown

James Blake closed his 14-year tennis career with a heartbreaking loss to Ivo Karlovic late Wednesday night in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Despite winning the first two sets, the 34-year old could not cope with the power of his Croatian opponent. The American, who was once ranked in the Top 5, lost 6-7, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

As the fifth set tiebreaker approached, Blake looked cooked. Once Karlovic ratcheted up a couple serves well over 130 miles an hour, the longtime member of the U.S. Davis Cup team didn’t appear to have an answer. Despite a crowd sticking around until well after midnight it was not to be.

Blake’s departure means yet another black person has called it quits in professional tennis.

The legacy of Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Zina Garrison and MaliVai Washington was continued by former Harvard letterman who combined grit, talent and class to carve out a nice career. Blake may not have won a major tournament, nor appeared in a final, like the aforementioned quartet, but he was a valiant figure in post-Sampras, post-Agassi era of American tennis.

Garrison had retired and Washington was on the downside of his career in the late 90s when I started playing.

Well before I played organized basketball or baseball, my dad enrolled me in a tennis class at the YMCA. The teacher, a gentleman named Artie Guerin, taught the rules, basic tactics and reigned in my forehand.

For three summers I would take lessons and play in a recreational league that Guerin coordinated. Those mornings in the sun on the Florida hard courts cemented an appreciation for the sport.

The more interested I became, the more I realized there were few people who looked like me playing professional tennis. Washington’s surprise run to the 1996 Wimbledon finals was a false dawn. Eventually, the Williams sisters took the mantle and ran to the record books, while Blake was the standard bearer for African-American men during the first decade of the 21st century.

Blake’s retirement is yet another reminder at the paucity of blacks at the top level of tennis.

The women’s side has Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens and a handful of talented players behind them in Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend and even Victoria Duval, the 17-year old who stunned 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the first round of this year’s U.S. Open.

Once you get past Blake you have… .

Donald Young, a former phenom in juniors tennis, who is ranked No. 157 in the world. Former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. One of the most exciting, and erratic, players on tour in Gael Monfils.

None of those are names that resonate with the casual American tennis fan.

Dustin Brown had an interesting backstory that was told when he won two matches at Wimbledon this year. But, the German a 28-year-old journeyman, plays serve and volley tennis and has made the main draw of five Grand Slams in the last five years.

The U.S. Open has been the en vogue event for American tennis stars can exit to one final ovation. Agassi, Sampras, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick are all men whose swansong came in New York. Blake may not have been nearly as successful as those major champion winners, or like notable blacks before him, but the niche he carved in the sport will certainly be missed.

Laughs and liveliness,
-Wb

Do you know someone who wants to die?

By Will Brown

Chances are if you watched the Disney Channel in the 90s, you knew who Lee Thompson Young was. He was a good-looking child actor who most girls ogled over.

Young was the main character on the network’s show “The Famous Jett Jackson” an actor who played an actor who lived in a small Southern town where his family and friends kept him humble.

Young committed suicide Monday. He was 29.

Typically, those who believe suicide is an option, are depressed, have a family history of suicide, or a desire to end their life.

In light of Thompson’s death, social media lit up with tributes and surprise from people who grew up believing Jett Jackson was not the type who no longer wanted to live. His death put into perspective the phrase “kill yourself.” Sometimes people throw it out there as an insult, or a way to remind someone to sit down and stop being ridiculous.

After a good friend asked me whether I knew anyone who has killed themselves, I reexamined my levity about Monday’s news, as well my tongue-in-cheek demand that people occasionally “do us a favor and kill yourself.” The fact Young’s mother is a religion professor at my alma mater further shamed me.

Suicide is not a joke, especially for black men. In 2010, 2,144 African Americans committed suicide, more than 80 percent of those deaths were men — like Thompson.

What does Young have in common with the 1936 Heisman trophy winner, Florida’s fifth governor, Bernie Madoff’s oldest son and Meriwether Lewis, one of the men Thomas Jefferson trusted to map out the Louisiana Purchase? Don’t rack your brain thinking about it, the answer is suicide.

Some news outlets do not mention suicides. Others mention someone died, but not their cause of death. Celebrities, and pseudo celebrities, are not the only people who take their lives. Those are the deaths that receive the most attention.

Knowing that 105 people commit suicide daily is not as sobering

If you know someone needs help, offer it. Facebook tributes in death are not as valuable as conversations in life. If you need assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

as the fact there are hundreds of thousands of suicide attempts in America each year.

The American Association of Suicidology reports 38,364 people killed themselves in 2010, the most recent year statistics are available. White men accounted for 27,422 suicides in 2010, far and away the most of any demographic.

Family, friends as well as spiritual leaders are great resources to rely on in most circumstances. Mental health is not one of them. The National Association of Mental Illness found African Americans tend to rely on them, as opposed to licensed professionals. Part of it is due to the stigma surrounding mental health.

Weakness is frowned upon because it does not mesh with the protestant work ethic that so many falsely believe is what built America from an agrarian society to the world’s preeminent superpower. Asking for assistance is not a weakness. It’s an admission of strength.

Of course, all of that is easier said than done. Few want to be labeled as the person who sought counseling for a mental health issue. That means they suffer in silence.

Reality is suicide deaths outnumber murders in the United States by a 2:1 margin. The Centers for Disease Control found there were 16,259 murders in 2010. Suicide may be a more personal form of violence, yet both forms of violence leave people grieving in the finality of death.

Some may argue that suicide is the coward’s way out because other people are left to grieve over a person who decided to end their life. It’s hard to refute that argument. But the next time calling a suicidal person a coward crosses your consciousness; ask yourself how you can help someone who is going through a difficult time. It may save someone’s life.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb

Do Florida sheriffs know the definition of unanimous?

Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law has come under scrutiny in the last 18 months due to the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis.

The judicial process regarding the former was resolved last month, while the man accused in Davis’ death at a Jacksonville gas station in November 2012 had his trial delayed a few more months Wednesday.

In case you are curious about the specifics of Florida Statute 776.013 it states:

“A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity, and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”

Despite vociferous objections from the Dream Defenders and other groups, it appears the lawmakers in little rush to change that law. A poll of the legislature found there was not enough interest in Stand Your Ground laws to conduct a special session about them.

On Aug. 9 the Florida Sheriffs Association threw its support behind the legislation. They triumphantly trumpeted its membership unanimously supported the 2005 law.

Surely all the sheriffs in the state can count, or know people who can, because they were elected to public office. The fact 15 percent of Sunshine State sheriffs were not in attendance at this annual meeting last week did not stop the association from saying Stand Your Ground had unanimous support. The association even sent a statement to the press announcing this mathematical impossibility.

“The right to self-defense is well-established in law. The Florida Sheriffs confirmed this position by voting unanimously, at the 2013 Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference, to support the Stand Your Ground law as it is currently written. Our current judicial system is comprised of multiple checks and balances to ensure fair and equitable application of all laws, including Stand Your Ground.”

It turns out only 57 of the state’s 67 sheriffs were in attendance. The association didn’t bother to figure out the 10 who were missing when it sent out its initial press release.

It turned out the sheriffs in Broward, Volusia and Flagler counties, men who protect 12 percent of the state’s population, would not have supported the FSA’s stance. Figuring out the other seven will be left to enterprising journalists and concerned citizens to determine because the FSA did not record who voted in this pseudo-official poll of sheriffs.

In a state with a colorful history of botching elections, it should not be a surprise that those who protect and serve us cannot count.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb

How do you handle the heat?

This has been the hottest week of the year in Northeast Florida.

It’s one thing for forecasters to say that. It’s another to walk outside and feel the heat rain down on you. As comfortable as the air conditioning was Wednesday, leaving it to volunteer downtown at the City Rescue Mission is a very good way to insert some humility with the humidity.

Initially, I was uncomfortable in my role of wiping down tables when people were finished eating. The room had a capacity of 112. In the 90 minutes we were there, there were not too many empty seats.

As wave after wave trudged in to gobble up a meal of tuna casserole, green beans, carrots and bread I started to observe, as well as feel guilty for my initial reticence. Frequently, Jacksonville’s less fortunate would walk right in front of me as they collected their salad and peaches at the other end of the room.

Standing against the glass waiting for people to finish their meal gave me time to think. 

The most sobering moment was watching a young black man, who looked to be in his 20s, walk in, pump his hands under the hand sanitizer and continue on to receive his food. The fact he didn’t break stride when cleaning his hands is what stuck with me. That one motion said that he has visited City Rescue Mission so many times that he knew exactly where it was without looking and without wasting movement.

That one motion humbled me. I didn’t know his name, nor did I ever strike up a conversation with him. But, from then on when I cleaned a table, I made a habit of saying hello, asking people how their day was and treating them like the people they are.

Of course there were some quizzical looks, like when I couldn’t help by observe the gentleman who walked into the City Rescue Mission in a Boston Bruins hat, T-shirt and black jacket. Rather than judging, my heart hoped that he at least came from a cool place on an afternoon where temperatures were in the mid-90s with an ever-increasing humidity.

Every day, the City Rescue Mission feeds about 400 people. Of the people who ate meals Wednesday about 75 percent of them were men. Considering 40 percent of homeless men have served in the military and Jacksonville is a military community, it’s fair to assume that many of the men served by the City Rescue Mission are veterans. 

Though the number of homeless people is dwindling, there are still hundreds of thousands of people in the richest country in the world who do not have a consistent place to live. Jacksonville has approximately 3,000 homeless people. More than 630,000 people in America are homeless. That is taking every resident of Tampa and Orlando and leaving them on the street—along with 35,000 others.

In a perfect world, I would never have told anyone about my trip to the City Rescue Mission. To me, it cheapens an act of kindness by broadcasting it. But, Wednesday’s volunteerism convicted me. I have had ample opportunities and blessings in my life, even in this time of transition.

Homeless statistics can be cold and detached things. Seeing the warmth of the people who embody those numbers is a sobering cup of ice water on a sweltering summer afternoon.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb

Would you be tempted to cheat?

Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez for 211 games Monday. The 38-year old slugger was supposed to be the sport’s golden boy when he bludgeoned baseballs as a 20-year old shortstop for the Seattle Mariners in 1996.

Instead, he is suspended for his role in a performance-enhancing drugs scandal that has enveloped the game for the last 15 summers.

People, and the sports media, can pretend to be a moral authority and decry Rodriguez for combining his prodigious talents with PEDs. But they should ask themselves this question: would you take a shortcut if the payoff was a few hundred million dollars?

Rodriguez has the highest paid baseball player for each of the last 13 seasons. He has earned more than $300 million in salary during his career. If he indeed serves his suspension, which will encapsulate the entire 2014 season, Rodriguez will forfeit his $25 million salary. Nevertheless, according to multiple media reports, he is owed another $61 million dollars after the 2014 season.

Friday, the same night Rodriguez told the press he believed the Yankees and Major League Baseball were conspiring to keep him off the field, the U.S. Department of Labor released its jobs figures for July. Most of the new jobs created were either part-time or low wage positions that would leave someone hovering around the poverty line. On the surface, neither seems to be related. But, if you think about it a lot of those who are underemployed would like a position that offered financial stability. If someone offered them that stability—but told them they had to take an ethical shortcut—to get the position, they would probably take it.

Rodriguez did something similar, take a shortcut to enhance his career prospects, except there were many millions more at stake.

Baseball didn’t have an issue with the Steroid Era until a reporter exposed the Emperor of American Sports was not wearing clothes. When Associated Press sports writer Steve Wilstein spotted androstenedione in Mark McGwire’s locker in August 1998 and reported on his findings he was vilified by the St. Louis media, as well as others around the country.

It took years for Wilstein, and to a lesser extent former outfielder Jose Canseco, to be vindicated for their claims about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

(For context, Sammy Sosa drove in 158 runs, won the 1998 National League MVP award and helped the Chicago Cubs win 90 games. Few remember they were 12.5 games behind division winning Houston. St. Louis was a pedestrian 83-79 in 1998. In games, McGwire hit a home run, the Cardinals won 35 of them for a .593 winning percentage. Attendance that year jumped 3.5 percent, because the home run chase between the two syringe-filled sluggers captivated the sport.)

Through Sunday, MLB averaged 30,616 fans per game. Through the same number of home dates last year, the average attendance was 31,396. Neither figure tops the average attendance of the strike-shortened 1994 season when, on average, 31, 612 walked through the turnstiles at major league parks.

The point is, a lot of people made money off baseball players taking all sorts of substances. The sport recovered from the self-inflicted debacle of canceling the World Series because of a labor dispute, the owners made more money and player salaries skyrocketed.

Five years before Rodriguez signed a 10-year $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers in 2001 there were eight teams in baseball that did not have a total payroll of $25 million.

Rodriguez took a gamble and got caught. Despite today’s media moralizing, it’s a temptation most of us would struggle to table.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb