I don’t know how to explain it, except to say that every sport has a major problem, problems that could destroy the sports as we know them today.
We’ve already discussed golf, how the LIV Series is taking some of the best players away from the PGA Tour. Now I’m all for competition between the two organizations – an idea to which a lot of people object.
Next is college football. Two teams from the Pac-12, Southern Cal and UCLA, have been accepted for membership in the 2024 season in the Big 10, which is actually the Big 14 and will then be the Big 16. I’ve read that Washington and Oregon are next. That’ll make it the
Big 18. They’re moving because of money. In fact, all of this is because of money. Notre Dame, of course, would be the big catch.
Kirk Herbstreit, the announcer and former Ohio State quarterback, says the future will be 50 teams in the Big 10 and 50 in the Southeastern Conference. That ought to take care of college football. Even now, with USC and UCLA moving east, the Rose Bowl is dead. Other bowls will follow. How can football survive if there are only two conferences? What happens to the College
Football Playoff? You tell me. What happens to the minor sports? How do the West Coast teams, say tennis or baseball, manage to travel several times to the Midwest?
How about the NBA? Oh, I’d be very happy to welcome Kevin Durant to the Miami Heat, but as more players project moving to other teams, what happens? Other than the players ruling the teams, not the coaches, the general managers or the owners? Durant, in fact, went to the
Brooklyn owner, not some underling, to tell him he wanted to be traded and his first two destination choices were Arizona and Miami. Kyrie Irving was next to ask for a trade. James Harden had already moved to Philadelphia. Those moves destroy the “super team” that the
Nets were supposed to be before they lost in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Now, they’ll be starting over.
In free agency, the Heat lost strong forward P.J. Tucker, who took $33 million for three years from the Philadelphia 76ers instead of the $27 million for three years that the Heat offered. The Heat did wrap up reserves Dewayne Dedmon and Victor Oladipo. The Heat was not able to lure Gary Payton II, who went from the Warriors to the Blazers for $28 million over three years.
All this talk about big trades has kicked up salaries around the league. Witness Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, who will get $224 million over four years. Before long, owners will realize they can’t afford their players. Then, what will happen? This is what I mean. What happens when players’ salaries become out of reach?
As I write this, the big catch is still Durant. It appears it may take a trade among three or even four teams, giving up several (maybe four) first-round draft picks, lots of money (millions) and a top player, all going to Brooklyn.
I lost interest in the Tour de France cycling event when Lance Armstrong came clean.
Let’s give the Russians a prisoner they want and bring Brittney Griner home. Her return will make the Women’s NBA whole and once again worth watching.
Ronaldo wants to leave Man United, I guess to Chelsea.
I’ve continued to watch NASCAR, but I miss Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson. Last Sunday,
Tyler Reddick, in the No. 8, became the fifth first-time winner this year. Interesting, but not exciting to me. He beat Chase Elliott, who would have been exciting. It was a clean finish, no bumping.
Serena Williams lost in the first round at Wimbledon to unranked Harmony Tan, who kept winning, strange as it may seem. I would have preferred Williams to have had the winning streak.
After not playing at all last season in Houston, now Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has continued to be paid millions while not playing, had his day in court, but may not hear his penalty for some time. It’ll probably be a year’s suspension, which will hamper the Browns at the QB position for a year. According to the New York Times, Watson “has settled 20 of 24 civil lawsuits accusing him of a pattern of coercive and lewd behavior. He now awaits the results of his NFL disciplinary hearing.”
Have I missed any sport? Baseball? They, especially the Miami Marlins, keep winning exciting games. Maybe they’re our saviors.
I’ll leave it at that.
