USA, USA, USA!!!

As posted earlier, NBA player Paul George broke his leg during a Team USA practice game last night. This injury has created a big conversation about whether or not NBA players should be playing games outside of the regular season. If players get injured in these non-paying games, they can hurt their team for the whole next season. I personally think that if players want to play, they should be allowed to play whenever they want, plus international competition is  a way for NBA players to play with other players they normally wouldn't be able to be on the same team with. Many NBA owners disagree with me.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is not known for being shy about his opinion. Cuban is against NBA players playing in international competitions, especially the Olympics, and has been for a while. In 2012, Cuban said "It's just the epitome of stupidity that we would allow ourselves to be used so other corporations can make tens, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars. There's some guys sitting at the Olympic headquarters going, 'Those dumb-asses, we're taking all their best guys for nothing.' " This Paul George injury has only added fuel to the fire. He is now stressing the financial risks to allowing NBA players to compete in these competitions. After all, owners are making an investment in these players, and part of that is hoping they don't get injured.

I can understand where he and other owners are coming from, but these same players would probably be playing basketball in their home gyms if they weren't playing with Team USA. Granted, they may not be playing as hard at home, but this sport is something they have put their hearts and souls in to all their lives, and they should be allowed to play whenever they want if they are healthy enough to do so. Plus, I'm sure if the NBA refused to allow international competitions, a lot of really tall, strong, athletic guys would get really pissed. That doesn;t sound like a good thing to me.

Oh Snap!

Last night during the White Blue practice game for the NBA's USA Team, Indiana Pacer's star player Paul George broke both his tibia and fibula with just less than 10 minutes left in the game. I've seen a lot of injuries in basketball, but this one has to be one of the hardest to watch. Warning, this video is graphic.

After being taken off the court and the game being cut short, fans and fellow NBA players took to Twitter to show George support. He Tweeted back saying "Thanks everybody for the love and support.. I'll be ok and be back better than ever!!! Love y'all!!" Twitter gave him the opportunity to reassure his fans and colleagues directly that he is feeling okay and optimistic. George has over 800,000 Twitter followers, and his daily tweets probably help his fans feel close to him. Especially now with his injury. He is probably going to appreciate all of the support he is getting since sources say he is out for the season. First Derrick Rose with his injury last year, now him?

Speaking of Derrick Rose, he is also playing for Team USA which has been pretty controversial. The Chicago Bulls super star injured his left ACL in a playoffs game again the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2011-2012 season. He returned the next season to play only ten games before tearing his right knee meniscus. These Team USA games are the first time he's played competitively since his second injury. It's controversial because he isn't being payed to play for Team USA, and if he injures himself again, he may be out for another season. After what happened to Paul George, anything is possible. After signing a 5 year, nearly 100 million dollar contract with the Bulls, I assume they'd like to have him play.

Inexcusable

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has made a terrible mistake. On February 15th Rice knocked his (then) fiance Janay Palmer unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator. Hotel cameras caught Rice carrying her unconscious body out of the elevator. Palmer and Rice have been together since high school, and it seems this incident haven't kept them from being together. They said "I do" to each other not long after. That is one forgiving woman! This incident has been brought back up to the surface this month after Rice received his two game suspension that will take place at the beginning of this upcoming season. Today he apologized again for his actions claiming that he made the "Biggest mistake" of his life, and that it was a "one-time incident." He also said, "My actions that night were totally inexcusable. That night I replay over and over in my head. That's not me. My actions were inexcusable. That's something I have to live with the rest of my life."

Ray Rice publicly apologizing earlier today

ESPN Commentator Stephen A. Smith 

The length of the suspension has been met with a lot of controversy, some thinking that it should be longer, and some supporting the decision. There has also been controversy over the hotel incident itself. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith was suspended for a week after commenting on the incident on the network's TV show First Take. He said "But what I've tried to employ the female members of my family, some of who you all met and talked to and what have you, is that again, and this what, I've done this all my life, let's make sure we don't do anything to provoke wrong actions." This understandably didn't sit well with viewers, and the complains started being tweeted in. Even ESPN's Michelle Beadle tweeted "So I was just forced to watch this morning's First Take. A) I'll never feel clean again B) I'm now aware that I can provoke my own beating." Smith has since apologized and will be back commentating next week.

Both of these guys royally messed up. I hope that it truly was a one-time incident for Ray Rice, and if I had a Twitter account, I would have been tweeting my disappointment and disapproval at Stephen A. Smith along with everyone else. Professional sports figures and commentators need to realize that people look up to them, and are always watching.

He's Been A Bad Boy

Cleveland Browns player Johnny Manziel, also known as "Johnny Football", has created quite the reputation for himself. At only 21 years old, there are years of offenses against him. As an athlete at Texas A&M, he created controversy by gambling, drinking under age, oversleeping, and more. Click here to see 16 outrageous things he did in college including a tweet saying that he couldn't wait to leave college. Fast forward to being drafted by the Browns in this years NFL draft, he soon after posted a picture of himself with a stack of money (seen below). He is known to be a risk taker on and off the field, making all of his actions unpredictable.
Since being drafted just a month ago, he has continued to create controversy and has even been accused of having a drinking problem.
He has made several sort of apologies and statements about his behavior including "Nothing on the weekends that I'm doing is hopefully hurting any of my teammates in the locker room, " and "I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me going out and having a nightlife and having a social life. I mean, I am 21 years old, and I do like going out."

Even with controversies making Manziel a household name, he is a great quarterback and is a favorite to start this upcoming season over Browns veteran Brian Hoyer. And even though he is known for his flashy life style, he recognizes that he's made mistakes saying, “There’s some things I wish I could have gone back and done a little differently, but (I’m) continuing to move forward and try to represent this organization and this team in a positive manner and in a positive light.” All of us looking at his actions need to remember that he's still young and only a rookie. He has amazing potential in the NFL, and if he can clean up his act, he is bound to surprise us all.

Golf... Since Nothing Else is Really Going On

It's true! There isn't much going on in the sports world that is really blog worthy, at least to me. I'm not a huge fan of baseball, and I'm still patiently waiting for my favorite sport, football, to begin. Golf feels like the only thing left for me to talk about. One thing I am cynically excited about is how bad Tiger Woods is doing. He hasn't won a major title in six years. Right now one of the four yearly major competition in in progress, the British Open. I objectively understand that Woods is still considered one of the greatest golfers of all time due to his past winning record, but since the news of his infidelity broke in 2009, he lost me as a fan. I'm now rooting for Rory McIlroy.

I admittedly care about athletes private lives, and info i learn about their private lives helps decide whether I'm a fan or not. Tiger Woods is not the first athlete to lose me as a fan for a personal scandal. He is however a great example of how sports media doesn't only report on athletic ability, and sports media aren't the only outlets reporting on athletes. There is a growing desire from fans to know more in depth information on our favorite athletes. That's why we fans follow their social media profiles, and why media outlets have been increasing their coverage of athlete's personal lives (Rowe, 2007). Back in 2009, Woods' scandal was big news and was covered by what felt like every media outlet there was. The negative attention lost him endorsement deals, and the public outcry may have been the largest contributor to his sub par game play (at least for his standards). Now, in 2014, anything in an athlete's personal life makes news and can be seen all over the internet, social media, TV, print, and even heard on the radio. None of their actions are safe since anyone can be a journalist with a smart phone, and with endorsements on the line, athletes better be on their best behavior.

Showing Some Love for Kevin Love

Let me set the scene: Minnesota Timberwolves player Kevin Love is not loving playing for the team anymore. His contract expires after this next NBA season, and he is very open about not wanting to stay a Timberwolf. In fact, he is "Anxious" to leave. He is arguably a top 5 player in the NBA, and will likely be highly sought after. The Timberwolves, knowing that he isn't going to stay with the team is now looking for a trade. At least that way they can get something good out of him leaving. The top two teams up for consideration right now are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. It is even rumored that super star, and returning Cavalier, Lebron James has reached out to Love to seriously consider Cleveland.

The Cavaliers have a good offer up to trade for Love; The number one pick from the NBA draft, Andrew Wiggins. Before Love was even rumored available, the Cavaliers probably wouldn't of ever though to give up Wiggins, but Love is a hot commodity right now, and the timing could be just right after Lebron returning. Sounds live a winning combination to me. No offense Wiggins. As for the Warriors, they could have possibly locked down Love weeks ago, but they don't want to give up Klay Thompson, and who can blame them? He is an up and coming star, and arguably the Warriors second best player, right behind Stephen Curry. Plus, if Thompson and Curry were separated, there would no longer be the "Splash Brothers," named for being two of the best three point shooters in the NBA.

My opinion? Trade with the Cavaliers! Since the Big Three (Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh) have been diminished, why not create a new one with James, Love, and Kyrie Irving? I'm down for that!

NBA 2K15 Coming Soon(ish)

Confession: I am not a video gamer. I have no interest in video games. I am however married to a man who loves the NBA 2K video game series. He gets them as soon as they come out each year. It was recently announced that the newest edition, NBA 2K15, will be released October 7th, 2014, taking advantage of the holiday shopping season (as always). The athlete on the cover of the game was also announced, and this year it will be Oklahoma City Thunder player, and 2013-2014 MVP, Kevin Durant (As seen above).

Each year the series improves the graphics and adds new features. So far, we know that more athletes are lending their voices to My Player mode, where video game players can play the game as a new player they've created. One of the athletes to lend their voice is cover man Kevin Durant. Also making news is that 2K Sports will be tracking how many gamers will play as the Cleveland Cavaliers in the game instead of the Miami Heat after Lebron James' recent announcement to return to Cleveland.

Aside from the 2K series being fun, there is some skill involved. Kim and Ross (2006) came up with three components to sports video games that are unique to them. They are Knowledge application, identification with sport, and fantasy.As I mentioned, my husband loves the game. He played basketball all of his life until college, and is able to use his real life understanding and skill to help himself in the game. He also likes to play because it is a way to escape real world problems for a little while and  lose himself in the sport he loves. Luckily, since this is not a violent video game, there isn't much of a chance of my husband becoming aggressive due to playing it (Anderson & Carnagey, 2009). As a wife, that is very important to me. As long as he doesn't become addicted, then he is welcome to continue to purchase the new NBA 2K games each year.