Money money money money, money. This past week, Bryce Harper, MLB’s top free agent, signed a record contract worth $330 million over 13 years. This contract became the largest contract in pro team sports history, breaking the previous record of Giancarlo Stanton’s $325M deal. That is a lot of money for one player, but that’s […]
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Julian Edelman at the Top of His Game It’s nearly a month after the New England Patriots Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL Combine began today. But Julian Edelman still remains in sports discussions. Whether they are discussing his omission from the NFL Combine or his beard trimmings being auctioned […]
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A week into its inaugural season, the AAF received multi-million dollar investment to stay afloat, but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern, especially as ratings continue to rise The Alliance of American Football (or the AAF) received a $250 million investment from the majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Tom Dundon earlier last week, […]
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There are times it seems like the NFL and NBA do not live in the same universe. Despite all the negative press, the NFL now generates $14-billion per year in revenue. The NBA, which is viewed more favorably, will finally cross $8-billion mark this season. Still, NBA players generate by far the most endorsement money […]
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New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has been charged with soliciting prostutition from a day spa, which was part of a multi-week investigation into sex trafficking in Florida. Just weeks after the Patriots won its sixth Super Bowl Championship in the Tom Brady era, owner Robert Kraft, 77, is in legal trouble. Jupiter Police Chief […]
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Unexpectedly, Colin Kaepernick officially ended his collusion lawsuit against the NFL today. The former NFL quarterback has withdrawn his collusion complaint against the league and will take no further action in his case. Kaepernick had alleged the NFL owners conspired to keep him out after he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. The final hearing in his case against the NFL was set to take place this month. So, the timing of this withdrawal is a strong indication that the league reached a significant financial settlement with Kaepernick. People within his circle had previously spoken off the record that he would withdraw his lawsuit if the league compensated him significantly. The terms of the deal are subject to a “confidentiality agreement”.
The NFL and its owners would have been tremendously motivated to make this lawsuit go away if they believed it could be proven Kaepernick had in fact been blackballed. There is a provision within the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and NFLPA that could have voided the deal if the league was found to have colluded against players. An immediate work stoppage and a legal battle would have ensued that could have put the 2019 season and future of the NFL in jeopardy. This begs the question, how much money did it cost to make Kaepernick go away?
His protest against social justice and racial inequality issues started alone, but many other NFL players and athletes from all sports have picked up the torch. NIKE stated a campaign with Kaepernick as the spokesman.
The end of this lawsuit likely marks the end of Kaepernick’s career. If a team was unwilling to sign him to prove he was not colluded against, then why would they sign him after they likely paid him to end the lawsuit? Commissioner Goodell said at the Super Bowl, “I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that’s what they’ll do,” he added. “They want to win, and they make those decisions individually in the best interest of their club.”
*updated 7:43am 2/14/19
Reports came out Wednesday evening that the Oregon Ducks would be parting ways with their defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt. Yet, no official statement has been made by the university or Jim Leavitt. He did remove “Oregon LB coach/defensive coordinator” from his Twitter profile. And Bruce Feldman tweeted that Oregon and Jim Leavitt have reached a financial settlement. The biggest questions are why have Leavitt and head coach Mario Cristobal struggled to co-exist, and will he be fired, resign, or will they make up? There had been grumblings of discord within the coaching staff for the quite some time. Apparently, those frustrations have come to a head.
There are four possibilities in this situation: Oregon fires Leavitt and pays out the rest of his contract, Leavitt resigns, Oregon fires Leavitt for cause, or athletic director Rob Mullens and the rest of the decision makers get the coaches to work out their differences.
It seems unlikely that the Ducks would want to fire Leavitt who is under contract through January 31, 2022, at $1.7 million per year. Technically, that could be done, but that would be a high price to pay to get Leavitt to go away. It also seems extremely unlikely that Leavitt just quits without having another job lined up. He would forfeit the remaining money he is guaranteed. I don’t know one person who would leave that kind of money on the table. If Leavitt did something for Oregon to fire him for cause, we would have heard about it before now. So, that leaves Leavitt and Cristobal kissing and making up as a viable option.
What will the fallout be if Leavitt leaves? Will players enter the transfer portal? Who will be the next defensive coordinator?
Tom Brady won his record sixth Super Bowl, which is the most of any player in NFL history. Brady passed linebacker Charles Haley, who won five Super Bowls during his tenures with the 49ers and Cowboys. But is he the greatest athlete of your lifetime and generation? Do Serena Williams, Tom Brady, LeBron, Michael Jordan, Jimmy Johnson, and Michael Phelps make your list?
Brady stands alone on the mountain as winningest NFL quarterback to ever play the game. Over the years, as the wins, records, and Super Bowls began to accumulate, Brady has started to earn the nickname of the “Goat,” which stands for greatest of all-time. For what it’s worth, I do believe Brady is the greatest of all-time in football, but I understand there are many sides to the argument. I did not see Jim Brown play and many believe he is the greatest football player of all-time. I also did not see Joe Montana play in the NFL and many also believe he is the greatest quarterback of all-time. These are all fair points.
However, I’m going to specify the question. Who is the greatest athlete of your lifetime? The answers will all differ depending on what year you were born, but I believe it’s a fair way of determining “Goat-status.” These are the athletes you have watched the most during your time on Earth so it will be easier to narrow down finalists for your selection as opposed to encompassing the entire history of sports.
I was born in 1993 and I have narrowed my list down to four athletes. You can call it my Mount Rushmore of “Greatest Athletes of my Lifetime.” Here are selections (in no particular order).
Am I a prisoner of the moment for including Brady on this list? Absolutely not. Brady has earned the right to be called one of the greatest athletes of all-time. Brady has 207 wins and 60 losses in the regular season, which is a .775 winning percentage. The next closest percentage is Brett Favre at .618. Brady completely separates himself from the pack due to his postseason dominance. Brady has an unprecedented 30 wins in the postseason. Joe Montana is second with 16. Brady is the Goat quarterback in my book.
“You bro. Who is the Goat, Michael or LeBron?” Every time I hear this question, I want to gauge my eyes out. It’s unfair to both players because LeBron James is still playing. When his career is over, then start the debate. Anyways, LeBron is currently the greatest living and breathing basketball player on the planet. LeBron is a 3x NBA champion with 3x Finals MVP in nine appearances (eight straight trips to the finals and counting). The 15x All-star and 12x All-NBA First Team player is fifth all-time in scoring with 32,008 points. LeBron easily cements his place on my Mount Rushmore.
If I had to describe Serena Williams in one word, I would use “dominant.” Serena has dominated her competition ever since she turned pro as a 14-year-old in 1995. Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is most in the Open Era and second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court. Between singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, Williams has won 39 major titles, which is second in the Open Era. Williams has been the world’s No.1 ranked player eight times and has been the No.1 ranked player for 319 weeks total. Perhaps the word “dominant” is undervaluing Serena’s legacy. Serena is a Goat in my eyes.
Unlike the three previous athletes, Michael Phelps might have the best case for Goat-status. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all-time, having won a total of 28 medals in both individual and team events. Now you might think to yourself that because of Phelps’s silver and bronze medal totals, that is the reason why he has the most medals. If that was your belief, you would be wrong. Phelps has 23 gold medals, which is obviously first on the list. The second most decorated athlete in the Olympics is Larisa Latynina, a Russian gymnast, who accumulated 18 total medals. Phelps has more gold medals than any other Olympian’s total amount of medals. Phelps rarely lost in the Olympics and when he did, he’d usually walk away with a silver or bronze. Don’t expect any athlete to break Phelps’s record any time soon.
After laying out all of their cases, who is the greatest athlete of my lifetime?
I may need some more time to think…
Let me know who your greatest athlete selection is in the comments below!
*Disclaimer: I’m not selecting Michael Jordan because I was too young to watch and appreciate his greatness. Michael walked away from the game twice: once when I was five-years-old and then when I was ten-years-old. I simply did not see him play enough even though he is one of the greatest athletes of all-time.
Dakota Allen’s career at Texas Tech began as a promising one. The Red Raiders needed stability at the position, and he was, by all assessments, one of the cornerstone players in the 2014 recruiting class. Allen held offers from 12 schools, but it became clear that Texas Tech was where he wanted to play, and so, the three-star linebacker enrolled, with experts lauding his talents up and down the board.
Fast forward to the Summer of 2016 when Allen and two other Texas Tech football players were arrested on charges of burglary and gun theft, several speculated on whether this was the last we’d see of Dakota Allen.
Charges were dismissed, and the rest of that story is history, but it’s safe to say that Dakota Allen has created a legacy of an athlete who was able to make a triumphant return to fulfill the promises he had made to Texas Tech years prior.
Coming off his final and senior season at Tech, Allen has now accepted an invitation to participate and compete in the biggest job interview in his entire life, the NFL Scouting Combine. While this isn’t exactly uncommon territory for Texas Tech players, it is on the defensive side of the ball, making the stakes even higher, and the urgency for Red Raider scouts to build a true defensive arsenal under first-year head coach Matt Wells.
For Dakota Allen, the last few years have been an opportunity for reinvention, but you couldn’t watch a Texas Tech football game telecast without color commentators mentioning Allen’s backstory. Now he gets the opportunity to answer questions from all 32 NFL teams and set the tone for how he’ll be perceived and remembered in the National Football League.
After an injury last season, Texas Tech message boards were almost convinced Allen would sit for the rest of the season, but his commitment to the team quelled most of the rumors and should set the tone headed into the Combine.
The Texas Tech defensive unit as a whole last season made a few improvements, which included finishing No. 26 in the nation in red zone defense. With the NFL adapting to faster-paced offenses, Allen could be particularly useful in red zone scenarios. Allen is 6-1 and 235 pounds, which is slightly shorter than the prototypical NFL linebacker, although, that shouldn’t hinder any abilities.
At the end of Allen’s junior season, many wondered if he would leave Texas Tech and declare for the NFL Draft early, however, his decision to stay should have put to rest all fears from NFL personnel as to whether he had matured since the incident, and was ready for the big stage.
He’s cerebral, explosive, and a natural leader, so in terms of measurable statistics that scouts expect to see from Draft picks on Day 1, Dakota Allen fits the bill. Whether he’d be a Week 1 starter in the NFL is another story, as he needs to work on eying his targets with greater efficiency, and he can’t be afraid to hit or move around the field. If Allen can become more confident in his skills and stay healthy, he has a tremendously high ceiling in the NFL and could provide much needed veteran leadership down the line.
One thing that’s certain, however, is that when he was given another chance at EMCC, he learned very quickly things that take some athletes an entire lifetime to realize and grow from. With how Dakota Allen has learned to tell his story, NFL scouts and general managers can expect to interview a humble guy from Humble, Texas with a track record of working his tail off for people who believe in him.
Want More? Check Out: Dewan Hernandez’s Reinstatement Case Exposes NCAA’s True Purpose
The Super Bowl is not only the championship game in the NFL, but it’s the championship game for gambling. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest gambling days of the year. In 1991, $40 million was bet on the Super Bowl. In 2018, the total was over $158 million and 2019 is expected to be higher than that.
One of the reasons why the total has grown exponentially is the rise of the prop bet. Prop bets are bets that can be made that don’t necessarily impact the final outcome of the game. Instead of betting who will win the game, gamblers can bet things like score at the end of the first quarter, the coin toss, and the color of the gatorade that will be poured on the winning coach. Prop bets entice and allow non-gamblers to bet during the Super Bowl without knowing anything about football.
Prop bets elevate the Super Bowl viewing experience. What prop bets should you invest in? There are hundreds of prop bets that can be made, but I’m going to break down a few of my favorite ones.
*Odds were taken on 2/2 from Bovada unless otherwise noted*
The time of the National Anthem is my personal favorite prop bet. There is no better rush than pulling out your stopwatch and timing the national anthem. Type in “Gladys Knight National Anthem” and you will find dozens of articles that evaluate her singing ability and how it will translate to the National Anthem. FiveThirtyEight did on study on covers sung by Gladys Knight and learned that her versions were 7% longer than the originals, which is good for a bonus of 12.7 seconds. Plus, men tend to sing the anthem more quickly than women. I expect Knight to sing a powerful rendition of the anthem that is full of soul and high notes. Bet the over.
Over 1:49
During the regular season, Tom Brady threw over 37.5 passing attempts in only 5 games. However, Brady shattered that number in both playoff games with totals of 44 and 46. In his last three Super Bowls, Brady’s passing attempts average is approximately 53. With Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the Rams’ defense, expect Tom Brady to get the ball out of his hands quickly as the Pats should elect to throw a lot of short passes instead of runs. Bet the over.
Over 37.5
*Lines taken from OddsShark*
Who is ready for some Maroon 5 at halftime? Want to make their performance more interesting? To do that, bet on the first song they will sing! To break down this list, I’m using process of elimination. “Sugar” and “Animals” get the ax because they were not number one hits. I’m eliminating “Girls Like You” because Cardi B is not scheduled to perform. Even if Cardi B surprisingly shows up and performs the song, Maroon 5 would never open with a song that featured another artist. It’s the band’s time to shine, not Cardi’s time. I’m also eliminating “Moves Like Jagger” for the same reason I eliminated “Girls Like You.” Even if Christina Aguilera shows up to perform, it would not be for the first song. That leaves us with two choices, “Makes Me Wonder” and “One More Night.” My pick is “Makes Me Wonder” because it was Maroon 5’s first number one hit and it’s a more upbeat song.
Makes Me Wonder +EVEN
Enjoy the Super Bowl!
