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.

The OTHER Second Coming

If you've been living under a rock the last two days, then you've missed out on some major NBA news. Lebron James has made his decision where he is going to play ball next year... and announced it without an hour long ESPN interview about it! He is headed back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers where fans were burning his jersey for leaving the team just 4 years ago. James wrote an essay to Sports Illustrated to explain his decision. The summary of the essay is that he had always envisioned himself ending his career back in Ohio where it started, and he wants to bring championships to it. He also thinks it will be a good fit for his family. James has two sons with wife Savannah, and a little girl on the way. I predict that there are about to be a lot more Cavaliers fans.

James took a 2 year contract for $42.2 million. That's a lot of dough, but not nearly as much as he is going to be making the Cavaliers. Forbes estimates that James will bring in $400 million for the franchise by playing for them again. Seems like the Cavaliers made a good deal on this one.

Free agency news doesn't stop there! Chris Bosh announced that he is staying with the Miami Heat after being offered a 5 year, $118 million dollar contract. Many speculate whether or not Bosh is worth this much money without the other members of the Big Three,  Dwyane Wade and Lebron James. Whether he is or not, the Big Three are officially split up, and an era has come to an end.

The final name making news, and his final free agency decision is New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony. He is also staying put with a 5 year, nearly $130 million dollar contract. No other team even came close to the amount of money the Knicks offered him. I say that all three players made smart moves this week.

I Was Wrong about Lebron! And Other News about Free Agency

Last week, I reported rumors about Lebron James being altruistic and making a pay cut for the Miami Heat. It was rumored he was doing this because he wanted to open up salary cap space for other promising players to join, in hopes for another NBA Championship title. I'm not saying that it absolutely wont happen, but he has been staying silent through all of the speculations, and his agent has been meeting with other teams about what they can offer him. It seems that James is looking for a maximum salary deal, and is willing to relocate to achieve one. Fans were heart broken when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, and heart break may be back on the table again.

On the other hand, who can really blame James? He is arguably the best player in the league, and I would think that most people would agree that the best player should get compensated the best. Go get your money Lebron!

James isn't the only free agent making waves. Carmelo Anthony is also looking for a maximum salary deal. the front runners right now are the New York Knicks, where he has played for several years, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Chicago Bulls. Anthony has said that he is not only concerned about money, but also that he lives in a place where his family will feel comfortable, even if that means sacrificing a championship right away.

It's still unknown what  Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are going to do with their free agency. As a fan of the Big Three I want to see them and James stick together, but Wade and Bosh don't even know what James is doing yet. Their free agency is bound to end eventually, and fans like myself will just have to be patient and inevitably speculate until then.

Taking a Bite Out of Life

If Luis Suarez wasn't a name you were familiar with before, it sure is now! While playing Italy in the World Cup, Uruguay team player Suarez bit an opponent on the field for the third time. First was in 2010 when he bit Otman Bakal on the shoulder, then there was Branislov Ivanovic in 2013 who as bit on the arm, and finally Giorgio Chiellini who was bit on the shoulder last week during the match against Italy. Biting seems to be nothing new for this soccer player, but the evolution of his apology of his most recent biting is something to look at. 

Originally after the incident with Chiellini, Suarez defended himself with non-apology claiming that he lost his balance, making his body unstable. He said "At that moment I hit my face against the player, leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth." Poor him, right? After receiving no sympathy, no one buying his story, and being banned from playing for four months, he tried to repair his image and save face by officially apologizing and promising to never bite another player again. Kruse (1981) would probably agree that this is a situation where an apology is need, and categorize this apology as the athlete stressing a strong desire to be a team player. Hey, at least his team won the match 1-0. The following video shows all three biting incidents. Ouch!

Suarez's world famous bite has made him alienate some fans, while gaining others. Time will tell if his apology and promise to never bite another player will earn him back the fans he lost. Rumors are circling about him possibly being traded to Barcelona after the World Cup is over, and if he is, will his new fans follow him?