It had been a while, prior to today, since I have dedicated a blog entry to sports, and I cannot count the blog entry about Floyd Mayweather just prior to that big fight with Pacquiao, since that was not so much about sports, as about his personal conduct, and how amazing it is that he keeps getting away with criminal behavior - particularly domestic abuse. So, it seems that it should not count as a "sports" blog entry.
However, a lot of things are going on in sports right now. That includes the NBA playoffs (what a game between Atlanta and Washington last night!), as well as the NHL playoffs, where the Rangers just won to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay. Out West, the Blackhawks are taking on the Ducks. I will be pulling for the two "Original Six" teams to win and meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, now that there are no longer any Canadian teams left.
How tiresome that is.
Going back to the NBA, Stephen Curry was crowned the NBA MVP for this season, while he leads the Golden State Warriors in an explosive, back and forth series against the Memphis Grizzlies. The LA Clippers, in the meantime, have looked hot, but are struggling to close out their series. And another great series is taking place in the East between the Cavs and the Bulls, where it appears Cleveland might finally have a sports team to cheer about that won't let them down.
Let's see what happens there!
In tennis, you have Djokovic really starting to look like he is capable of winning the French Open. This might be the year, given Nadal's struggles and injuries. He recently acknowledged that he is not as good as he used to be, which is rather a sad thing for tennis fans to hear from him. It seems that he played so hard, for so long, that it has taken a physical toll on him. Hopefully, he will prove very tough for the coming French Open, because it really would be bizarre to see a French Open tournament where he is not a significant factor. And Andy Murray seems to be making some strange headlines lately, having said out loud during a match that he hates the other player, literally. I'm guessing that was a heat of the moment thing, since Murray always seemed classier than that to me - although I could of course be wrong about that impression.
Then, of course, there's the NFL.
The draft is over now, and some teams stand out for having had particularly strong drafts - notably the Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets. We'll see about the Jets, since they are often billed with a lot of hype, and then let down once it matters most.
What has been making news is Tom Brady and "Deflategate", once again. Brady has been suspended for four games, although he is appealing that, and getting some fine legal minds apparently to do so.
I saw one headline from comedian Andy Borowitz that jokingly said that Brady's punishment would be to play for the Jets for this next season!
All kidding aside, however, I read one interesting article that suggested now would be the perfect time for Tom Brady to retire, and to state Roger Goodell outright as the reason for his retirement. The gist of this argument would be that Goodell has already proven to be a terrible commissioner for the sport, issuing report after report, and trying to hold everyone else accountable but himself. His response (and the league's) to all of those domestic violence incidents last season was, quite frankly, pitiful. It underscored the culture of sweeping things under the rug, and only straightening up and taking them seriously once they came under public scrutiny.
Yet, this man suddenly gets serious about discipline when it comes to allegations about Brady possibly deflating balls before a game that the Patriots won by 37 points?
So, if Brady were to retire and cite Goodell as the reason for it, this would possibly irreparably damage Goodell's reputation, to the point that he might not recover, since it would be clear that he had driven one of the sport's top talents out of the game.
What do you guys think?
Here is the article that got me on this particular topic:
Tom Brady should retire to punish Roger Goodell and the NFL by Kevin Kaduk of Shutdown Corner, May 11, 2015:
No comments:
Post a Comment