The Cost of Winning

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do the right thing once in awhile; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."                       --Vince Lombardi

Sports are me. I am sports. From the moment I was born, loving sports was embedded in me by my father. He loved sports and clearly wanted to pass that passion on to me. He took me to the Swamp to watch the Florida Gators play football when I was a toddler and that was just the beginning. He took my brother and I to see American Gladiators, Texas football games, college bowl games, college baseball games, minor league hockey games, high school basketball games. You name the sporting event in the southern part of the United States and my father probably took my brother and I there at one point or another. The older I got the more I realized that this was common for most men. I had a natural common interest with my guy friends because most of us loved the same things; Super Bowls, March Madness, College football bowl season, Friday night lights, ESPN top ten plays, Stuart Scott saying "booya!", watching Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith debate Lebron's legacy. Some of my greatest memories in my life have been watching sporting events with friends or family. Though some channel it through die hard fan hood, other men channel it through hard work and the determination to win at any cost. These men are legends amongst fans and athletes alike. Names like, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, the late great Muhammed Ali, Vince Lombardi, Tiger Woods, O.J. Simpson, Peyton Manning, and Pete Rose. At one time or another these men have been idolized for their athletic prowess and their determination to be the greatest or the best. At one time or another these men have been aggrandized and used as role models for our young and adults alike.

"There is no I in team, but there is in win" -- Michael Jordan

This is not solely unique to the American experience nor is this a new development in the world today. This esteem we give to competitive athletes has been around since the Olympics began around 776 B.C. During the times of the games in Greece, neighboring countries ceased warfare and competed against each other in athletic competitions. In those times, Olympians didn't compete for money or prizes, although they did receive them, it was about the honor of victory and the fame that supervened it. "Although he did not receive money at the Olympics, the victor was treated much like a modern sports celebrity by his home city. His success increased the fame and reputation of his community in the Greek world", says The Perseus Project at Tuft University. This sounds all too familiar and seems to be similar to the times we live in now. So this is not just a recent American phenomena. There has been a pattern of athlete veneration for thousands of years across the world. However, there certainly seems to be an added focus on winning and being the best at all cost that is unique to the US of A. With the recent rape cases happening on the campus at Baylor University, and involving the Stanford swimmer and the Vanderbilt footballer. As well as numerous instances of professional athletes and coaches committing serious crimes such as Aaron Hernandez, Michael Vick, and Jerry Sandusky. Not too mention the constant barrage of abusive behavior towards women by athletes like Mike Tyson, Greg Hardy (case dismissed), Ray Rice (pleaded not guilty), Floyd Mayweather, Jason Kid, and countless others. It might be time for us to take a long hard look at what our priorities are as a modern and educated society, and why looking up to athletes can be as damaging as it is beneficial to our young men, our women and the country as a whole.

"We're gonna win, win, win and we're not stopping." -- Donald Trump

Athletes in the NFL appear to break the law slightly less
when compared to average adult men in the U.S.

It's important to establish that crimes are not abnormally higher in professional athletes than they are when compared to the rest of the population in the United States. The arrest rate for average Americans was at about 4% in 2012 whereas for athletes (if you take the numbers at face value) its drops down to about 2% for basketball and football and less than 1% for MLB and NHL from 2010 to 2014. However, when you move the focus from professional athletes to college you get a completely different picture. Unfortunately, that picture is of preferential treatment and higher rates of criminal activity. According to NCAVA (National Coalition Against Violent Athletes) a 3 year study found that while male student-athletes comprise 3.3% of the population, they represent 19% of sexual assault perpetrators and 35% of domestic violence perpetrators. This study also found that although the general population had a conviction rate of 80%, the conviction rate of an athlete is 38%. Also, a study by ESPN's Outside the Lines found that athletes from 10 high profile universities benefited from a confluence of factors that can be reality at major sports programs: the near-immediate access to high-profile attorneys, the intimidation that is felt by witnesses who accuse athletes and the higher bar some criminal justice officials feel needs to be met in high-profile cases.

"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits." -- Napoleon Hill

It is clear that there are contradictions in the data. Whereas male professional athletes might break the law slightly less than the rest of the population, male collegiate athletes break the law slightly more. This discrepancy isn't the focus here. These stats were not shown to prove that athletes are any more or any less inclined to break the law. This data isn't to prove that athletes are any better or any worse morally than the rest of us. It is there to show that the opposite is true. Athletes are us. We are them. It sounds a bit theatrical, but it's a fact. Tiger Woods is a profressional golfer who cheated on his wife. Floyd Mayweather was a professional boxer who has been charged with battery 5 times throughout his career. Brock Turner was a swimmer for Stanford University who has been charged with rape. Art Briles was a college football coach who allegedly was knowledgeable about crimes his players had committed. These are people who have either broken the law or allegedly engaged in immoral behavior. Does the fact that they are particularly good at a certain sport or a skilled coach make them morally superior to the rest of the population? If the answer is no, then perhaps its time to be reflective and acknowledge that we have a problem in America with winning at the expense of our values and morality. 

"Show me a gracious loser and I'll show you a failure." -- Knute Rockne

One thing my father shared with me some time ago was a variation of a famous quote from the sports world. He said that sports don't build character, but teachers and coaches do. Something that gets lost in all of the drama and publicity surrounding crime and athletes is our own responsibility for what we have created as a society. We point the finger at these athletes and tell them that they need to apologize to the "public" about their transgressions. Yet we fail to realize that we are in part responsible for not properly teaching our children that education is just as important (if not more important) as athletic achievement and winning. We surround our kids with baseballs, basketballs and footballs. We take them to sporting events, cheering loudly for our team and booing the other. We teach them to cheer for a team we want to win and to be angry when the other team wins. We put our kids in front of TV's that show our greatest athletes competing and advertising products we love. We take them to high school football and basketball games, to exalt teenagers' athletic performance. We teach young men to "man up" or "be a man" when they cry or get sad. We allow our young men to watch porn as a way to learn about intimacy and sex (93% of boys are exposed before the age of 18).  Then we wonder why men are four times more likely to commit violent crimes and ten times more likely to commit a sexual offense when compared to women. We fail to explain how sex in videos isn't how it is or should be in real life. We fail to teach our young men how to express themselves in healthy and non-violent ways. We fail to explain to them that, despite the fame, at the end of the day these athletes and coaches are human beings. They are not better or worse than the rest of the American people. They are not immune from making mistakes. They are who society has made them to be, fabricated role models. People our children idolize, but perhaps shouldn't. 

"Winning isn't everything, but it beats anything that comes in second." -- Paul Bryant

This is not to say that some athletes can't make great role models. It is simply saying that perhaps we need to better explain to our children not to idolize these athletes as much as we do. Perhaps it is time to stop asking athletes to apologize for the mistakes they make. Perhaps it is time to extol educators, engineers, doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and police officers to our children. Perhaps it's time to teach our young men how to reveal their feelings in healthier, non-abusive ways. Perhaps its time to teach young men a new approach on how to treat women. Perhaps its time to explain the benefits of finding a role model with ideals that are geared towards making the world a better place. Perhaps its time to say that winning at all costs isn't what we want sports in America to be about. Perhaps our focus should be on what we can do to better ourselves and leave a legacy that future generations will be proud of. Perhaps this is what type of winning we should be emphasizing to our children. Not winning some game on some field in front of thousands of screaming fans, but winning in the classroom, winning in our relationships, and winning at home.

Musings on Caitlyn Jenner

"Ladies and gentleman, the courageous, the stunning, Caitlyn Jenner." As the words rang clear out of the mouth of Abby Wambach, so many thoughts and feelings ran through me all at once. However, the most prevalent of all of these feelings wasn't happiness, surprise, or anger, but discomfort. I was scared to admit it at the time, but it was true. I was decidedly uncomfortable with a famous transgender woman winning the Arthur Ashe Award for courage. Yet, looking out into the crowd at the ESPYS I did not feel I was the only one with this awkward feeling. Many athletes at the ESPY's appeared as if they felt uneasy also. If you take a look at past Arthur Ashe Award speeches (on YouTube there's a plenty) and take a look at the crowd's reaction compared to this years, there is a profound difference in the response. Evander Holyfield said, "I just know that's Bruce Jenner and I'll leave it at that."

Uncomfortable is a word that so many of us are, well.....uncomfortable with using. We use angry, happy, sad, frustrated, motivated, disappointed, exhausted, and many others, but often times we refrain from using this word. After Caitlyn Jenner came out as being a woman who had been trapped inside a man's body all of these years there were so many differences of opinion about her situation, yet the word uncomfortable wasn't used as mush as other words. Entertainment channels were stunned at how "beautiful" and "stunning" she looked. They often would speak about her bravery and how she had to go through so much. There were contrast opinions in some more conservative news channels that would ask the question, "Is she really a hero?" "Is this really courageous and brave?" Little did we know that this contentious story would get even more dramatic, with her being given this award for courage. This clearly made many people feel awkward and anxious. Many on news channels didn't even know how to talk about it. Some anchors called Caitlyn a "he" when referring to the former Olympian, whether this was a mistake, jab, or some obstinately thinking she is still a man, who's to know for sure. The fact of the matter is this definitely ruffled the publics' feathers.

Interestingly enough, the most provocative part of this story is people criticizing the news channels usage of the word "hero" and "brave". Many have come out on social media and blasted her getting the award over other people who they feel should have deserved it like Lauren Hill. The 19 year old freshman from Mount St. Joseph University battled an inoperable brain tumor to achieve her dream of playing college basketball, while also helping to raise money for cancer research. She died in April. Another often cited is Noah Galloway, an Iraqi war veteran who lost two limbs but has continued to enter competitions, including an inspiring run on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." So clearly people have some misgivings about giving the award to someone who was not in a war or who was not going to eventually succumb to brain cancer. I take no quarrel with the fact that many people believe these athletes, among many other athletes were deserving of the award as well, possibly being more deserving in some ways. However, to question her being labeled as a "hero" or as "courageous" I do have trouble understanding.

Is Caitlyn Jenner a hero to you? Take a second and think about that. Then ask yourself this question. Is Caitlyn Jenner a hero to others? Clearly we will get some mixed results to the first question. However, you can't argue with the fact that Jenner is a hero to others, so we will check yes to the second question. Now another question presents itself. Should she be considered a hero? ...It is not my place to stand here on my pedestal and say who is and who is not hero. That's not the point at all. The point is...it doesn't matter whether she is a hero to me or if I think she should be a hero to others. The bottom line is that, she IS a hero to thousands, maybe millions of people. Take a second and think about this for a moment. Close your eyes and imagine you have a friend, co-worker, or family member that is secretly transgender. Imagine someone specifically who you care about deeply. Then imagine if that person who is very close to you, was one of the 40% of transgender people who had attempted suicide. Is that something you would want? Of course not. Now, if that's too far fetched to some of you then let's paint a more realistic picture.

Millions of people watched Caitlyn Jenner's speech at the ESPY Awards. The chances are that thousands of the people who watched that speech were transgender. Now, statistics say that 40% of those people have attempted suicide at least once in their life. There is a good chance that watching Jenner on stage gave many of those people hope and elation towards the fact that they could be treated as equals by the public. Regardless of your feelings on Jenner and whether or not she deserved the award, if Jenner's speech saved some of these trans people's lives, was it worth it to give Jenner the award? Do they not deserve the same feelings and thoughts as other people who go through struggles? The answer to this question is clear, but frequently trans people often do not get the same thoughts and considerations as others. This type of unequal thought process has been prevalent for years against other races, ethnic groups, and genders. It is the thought process of believing we are not being prejudice or bigoted, without having any self perception of our environment.

A scene in the movie GI Jane illustrates this ignorance profoundly. In this scene, Viggo Mortensen's character and Demi Moore's character beat each other senseless for about five minutes. After the fight scene Viggo's fellow officer apologizes and says that his unequal treatment of the woman soldier (Demi's character) will never happen again and Viggo's character responds by saying, "Yea it will, maybe not with you, or these guys, or with me.....She's not the problem, we are." It's a telling scene to unequal treatment in all cases. Viggo's character is conveying two messages, one is that unfair treatment will happen again, and the other message; the people who are the object of unfair treatment aren't the problem, it's we who combat them and treat them differently that are the real problem. 

At the end of the day, giving this award to a transgender person, instead of an Iraqi veteran who lost limbs yet is still competing his heart out or a student with brain cancer who raised millions for the same cause, is going to be controversial.  It's going to make people uncomfortable, which will lead to anger and frustration. However,  acts such as these are a sign that we are evolving into a society of less judgment and more understanding for people who are different from us. Moving past our uncomfortable feelings so that other people can flourish is something our country has done before and will continue to do. There is no doubt that there is some discomfort with regards to Caitlyn Jenner winning the Arthur Ashe Award for courage, however, this discomfort doesn't change the fact that she is a hero for many trans people and that her coming forward has had a tremendous impact on millions of Americans.

NBA Lockout: Except for the extreme NBA fans…does anyone else care?

by: Andrew Mayers

Today is Sunday and I am currently watching the New Orleans Saints play the Atlanta Falcons in a key inter-division game in the NFL. I am flipping back and forth between this game and an exciting offensive showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills. I find myself not even caring that there would normally be a “key” NBA matchup today at 2:30pm, if there was no NBA lockout. First off, I would probably watch some of the game if it were on TV, because the teams that they would have playing on ABC would probably be great. They would probably have the Heat v. Knicks, Lakers v. Mavericks, or Celtics v. Bulls, and to the common sports fan these matchups do sound exciting to watch. I enjoy watching the NBA, but I find that most of my friend’s who enjoy the NBA like I do, also do not care that there are currently no NBA games being played. The question is, will we feel the same once football season is over?

Football is totally filling America’s “sports fix” right now. When the NFL had their lockout, most sports fans in America got worried, because the NFL is our true pastime in this country. We did not know how we would fill up our fall schedule without, editing our fantasy line ups on Saturday night or early Sunday morning, We did not know what we would do on Sunday afternoons, We knew we would feel empty and unsatisfied on Monday nights, wishing we could hear Hank Williams Jr. ask us if we are ready for some football (little would we have known that he is not employed by ESPN anymore). We would have to hope that college football would re-schedule some of its games for Sunday’s to give us some resemblance of professional football.  But with basketball, aside from ESPN, nobody else is worried, because the NFL and College football are giving us all we need and more when it comes to sports. Even to some extent baseball, boxing, and UFC, if these tickle your fancy, have attributed to the fact that no one is worried about the NBA at this moment. Think about the slate of sports we had the courtesy of watching this weekend. We got to watch Penn St. play Nebraska on week that football meant nothing to some in Happy Valley, but meant everything to many in the same town. We watched number 8 Oregon, dismantle number 4 Stanford and Heisman Trophy contender Andrew Luck in Palo Alto. We witnessed the first 4 overtime game of the year when Kansas State pulled off a crazy victory against departing Texas A&M, not to mention another Boise St. kicker costing his team a BCS berth and possibly a national championship berth, when they lost to TCU 36-35. We also caught the first UFC event on Fox (though it only lasted a minute and a half) and for those of you who bought the Marquez/ Pacquiao PPV, you witnessed the third classic between these two fighters which ended in a split-decision win by Pacquiao. Sunday we got a battle between two division leaders in 49ers v. Giants, as well as a couple of division rivalry games, in Jets v. Patriots and Saints v. Falcons.

Yet, we watch ESPN day in and day out, tell us we are close to a deal….now we are not close to deal…talks are progressing….now they may never be a deal…there might be a season that starts in January…we may not play all season. I mean I get bored just writing about it. Who the heck cares…really?? We have more important sports events going on in America today, we can do without a couple of months of regular season NBA games, that a majority of people weren’t watching to begin with. You don’t believe me? On a Sunday in February of last year, AFTER football season was over, a NASCAR Spring Cup race DOUBLED the ratings of a NBA Sunday Showcase game, that same week WWE wresting got better ratings than a NBA game on a weeknight. Well you might say, that’s the regular season, once playoffs start is when people really start getting into the NBA, which may be true to some extent, but on a night in 2010 when the Lakers were playing the Thunder and the Cavaliers were playing the Bulls in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the NFL draft had better TV ratings according to Bloomberg. That’s right, on a night where the NBA’s two biggest stars in Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are playing playoff basketball, our country is watching THE DRAFT of another sport, think about that.

I consider myself a fan of the NBA and I was not one of those people watching the draft over NBA Playoffs in 2010, but the stats show the truth. What humors me is that usually when ESPN makes a big deal about a sports topic (Tiger Woods, Barry Bonds, NFL Lockout, or recently Penn State), the public discourse is huge on that subject. Remember all of the discussions you and your friends had about Tiger Woods and his marital problems, Barry Bonds and his big ass head, all the players talking noise about Roger Goodell during the NFL lockout, or your own personal take on the Penn St. issue…Have you been talking to your friends about the NBA lockout? My guess would be no.

I am not saying we could go a long time without the NBA, but I think a year without it may do the casual sports fans some good. It may make us miss it so much that we go crazy like the NFL Lockout….wait what am I saying, the owners better come to the realization that the NBA is the last player driven league left and give them what they want for both sides sake, because if they don’t, they may come to realize that we don’t need them as much as they think we do.

Junior Dos Santos didn't do the UFC any favors, but they didn't help themselves

by: James Brooks

Don't get me wrong, it was an impressive victory.  It took Junior Dos Santos all of one minute and four seconds to TKO Cain Velasquez, a man described just earlier by Joe Rogan as having "literally no weaknesses."  The problem was the timing.  This was the UFC's debut on FOX.  There were going be to be millions of people tuning in who have never really seen the UFC or quality mixed martial arts.  This was a chance for the UFC to win over the casual observer, a huge step for MMA.   So what exactly did they tune in to see?  30 minutes of pre-fight analysis between Kurt Menafee, Dana White, and Brock Lesnar, some packages on Velasquez and Dos Santos (which I liked), one, one minute fight, and 15 more minutes of post-fight analysis with the same three. 

(On a side note: What was with the NFL on FOX music played every time they came back from break?  I felt like I was about to watch the Packers and Cowboys play.  I swore the camera was about to cut to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman at any second.  I guess it's the "Fox Sports" theme but I associate it with NFL games.  It felt weird.)

The spectacle looked great though, and it was awesome being able to sit in my living room and watch the Heavyweight Championship on my couch in Hi-Def.  I usually go out to a local bar to catch the UFC pay-per-views so I was looking forward to this. 

I enjoyed the fight, because regardless of the outcome I would have been interested in watching it anyway.  I try to watch almost every UFC PPV I can.  Dana White will tell you it was a success.  But I got the impression from the casual observer, it was not.  The people I watched the fight with were people who were aware of, but not in any way knowledgeable about, the UFC.  And some had probably seen an episode of The Ultimate Fighter or UFC Unleashed, and perhaps caught a PPV out with their friends once or twice.  Sports fans who still hadn't been completely won over by the UFC.  People that won't miss an NFL game on TV but wouldn't know if they missed a UFC title fight the night before.  These are the people the UFC had the opportunity to impress.  And I was excited to watch it happen, ready for these casual fans to see what it's all about and how great it is if you are a sports fan. 

I have to say I was disappointed because they were disappointed.  They complained of too much hype and not enough action.  Some felt the fight was stopped too early and the fighters still had plenty in them.  (I understand by rule why the fight was stopped, I'm just telling you their feelings.)  They didn't understand why there was only one fight. 

Neither did I honestly.  At least if you air two or three fights, if one does happen to be a one minute knockout, you have a couple of other fights to put on a show.

All in all, I felt they left feeling the same way the came in, not really worried if they do or don't see a UFC fight. 

I think if the main event had gone longer, and there were more exchanges it might be a different story.  The bottom line is it wasn't really that exciting of a fight.  Some 1st round knockouts have you jumping out of your seat saying 'wow', like the Anderson Silva kick to Vitor Belfort's face.  But even the TKO was boring.  A punch to the back of the ear that doesn't so much rock Cain, but throws off his balance, and then a few shots to the head, Cain goes limp for a second, fight stopped.  Eh. 

You can't blame Junior, he was awesome.  He came in and did exactly what he had to, and won the title.   But I wonder how many UFC and FOX guys, Dana included, in the back of their head had hoped it would have taken him a little longer.  Did anyone notice his critique of Cain's approach?  It felt to me like he was disappointed the fight didn't go longer.  But that's the sport.  Especially when you get the best heavyweights up there with one punch knockout power, it happens.  Dana knows this. 

They might have been better off putting Light Heavyweights or Middleweights in the main event.  Silva almost always puts on a show.  They also would have been better off showing more fights.  The Guida v Henderson fight aired on Facebook was great, that would have been a perfect undercard to the Heavyweight fight.  And get one more quality fight in there and you might have something.

They are supposed to be doing this with future UFC on FOX events as they've signed a 7 year agreement with one another.  So ideally this is just the beginning.  I just worry it might be a little too late.  I'd say half of those people I mentioned earlier won't care enough to set aside time specifically for watching the next UFC event.  Dana White and the UFC didn't capitalize on their debut to millions of people like they could have and should have.  And it disappoints me as a UFC fan.

Connect the dots: Joe Paterno and other Penn State officials have known about, and been covering for, Jerry Sandusky for over a decade

by: James Brooks



Amid the scandal involving Penn State and former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, observers of the whirlwind that has taken place since the weekend, are left with numerous yet-to-be answered questions.  While the facts of the situation are still taking focus, light is beginning to creep through the haze almost by the hour.  As if what we know isn't horrific enough, it seems it could, and may be, even worse.

After reading through the entirety of the Grand Jury Presentment, (This is a tough read, the details of the testimony presented by the victims are very detailed and graphic) the chronology of certain events raise some very pertinent questions.  Just how long have Joe Paterno, Athletic Director Tim Curley, President Graham Spanier, and other higher ups at Penn State known, and allowed this abusive behavior to take place?  One day too long, I think most would agree is unacceptable.  Even more despicable would be years and years of layered cover up to stop exactly what is taking place this very moment, a firestorm, at the expense of numerous, helpless, child victims.

In 1999 Jerry Sandusky was at the top of the college football assistant world.  He was named the American Football Coaches Association Division 1-A Assistant Coach of the Year following the 1999 season (also previously in 1986), his top 2 defensive players in 1999 (Courtney Brown and Lavar Arrington) were drafted #1 and #2 overall in the NFL draft that year, he had won 2 national championships to that point, coached an undefeated season only five years prior, was credited with Penn State's reputation as "Linebacker U" boasting numerous All-American defensive players over his tenure, and was the protege and assumed predecessor to Joe Paterno.  From 1994-1999 Penn State had finished in the AP poll #2 (undefeated), #13, #7, #16, #17, and #11 respectively (some polls had Penn State as a championship favorite the following season).  To that point Sandusky had been offered the head coaching job at three different schools, including The University of Maryland in 1991 (whom he turned down in anticipation of becoming Penn State's next head coach) and The University of Virginia after his retirement in 1999 (he accepted the position but was eventually not hired, contract negotiations were reportedly the cause).  Then he abruptly retired following that 1999 season, heralded among college football for his coaching resume, never to be seen coaching or apparently interested in coaching college football again.  He slipped away quietly, no questions asked.

So why would he walk away from coaching when things were going so well with no perceived decline anywhere in the near future?  In fact, things were great, he was a highly praised coordinator with head coaching prospects.  Only months before it was still assumed he would be taking over for Paterno at some point.  But then he was gone.  He and Penn State will tell you it's because prior to PSU's 1999 bowl game, Sandusky was informed by Paterno himself that he was no longer the "coach in waiting" for PSU.  According to Sandusky, this was an opportunity for him to become even more involved with his charity The Second Mile, which he felt needed more attention than he could provide with his current coaching obligations.  It seems a bit unusual that this was the time chosen by Paterno and Penn State to make this decision.  At the time Sandusky was argueably the nation's best defensive coordinator.  Having coached under him for nearly 30 years, and helping him build one of the more successful programs in college football with no decline in sight, why all of the sudden? Why now?

Rewind a year earlier to 1998.  Sandusky was being investigated by University Campus Police, Center County District Attorney Ray Gricar, and the State Welfare Department.  Allegations were made by the mother of an 11 year old boy (named in the Grand Jury testimony as "Victim 6") that Sundusky had acted inappropriately with her son.  According to the testimony, the mother was upset that Sandusky has showered with her son and made inappropriate physical contact with him during the incident.  She reported this to the University Campus Police.  Another boy with a very similar story was the subject of the investigation as well and testified to similar actions.  According to University Police Detective Ronald Shreffler, he heard Sandusky admit to the mother in a phone conversation that he had indeed showered with her son and made physical contact with him in the process.  Sandusky told the mother his private parts "maybe" touched the boy.  She tried to make him "promise never to shower with a boy again but he would not."  Later, Shreffler was told to close the case by then District Attorney Gricar.  It was deemed "boundary issues, not sexual assault."

Are we to believe the investigation of Sandusky's sexual misconduct in 1998 and his subsequent discussion with Paterno and unexpected retirement in 1999 are merely coincidence?

It feels a lot more like the people in power at Penn State knew of this investigation and therefore knew they could not continue to have Sandusky in the spotlight at the risk of this investigation going public.  Some believe that given Joe Paterno's assumed power in the area, he may have had something to do with the original investigation being closed so quickly even with two separate testimonies of alleged victims.

Even more disturbing is that Sandusky was given a full retirement package with continued access to Penn State facilities and the children in the Second Mile program.  Between 1999 and 2002 these children were still brought to the Penn State facilities by Sandusky with no restrictions.  In 2002 then graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported to Paterno he had seen Sandusky performing anal sex with a 10 year old boy in the Penn State showers, and according to testimony, Paterno brought this to the attention of his bosses.  So now a second time it was brought to the attention of Paterno and Penn State officials of an incident involving Sandusky and the mistreatment of young boys in his program. Sandusky was then told he could no longer bring children to the facilities. (Sandusky still conducted camps with children at satellite Penn State campuses and high schools however through the Second Mile mentor program.)  No investigation was ever launched, no charges filed, and Sandusky was still given full access to Penn State facilities until as recently as 2 weeks ago. 

The ban on bringing children to the facility proves that the administration knew what Sandusky had done and chose to look the other way, so long as they were not involved.  In other words, just don't do it here.  Not for one second does it appear the welfare of any child was taken into account by Paterno or the administrators.  They valued their own reputation and the reputation of a school and football program over the well being of innocent children they knew to be in danger.  They stood by and enabled this to possibly happen an unknown countless amount of times, so long as they were not associated with it.

If this is true, I don't see how any person with knowledge of the investigation in 1998 with any authority cannot be held legally and morally responsible for any victim that was assaulted after Sandusky's retirement.  Even if you want say the investigation was closed in 1998 so he was acquitted, the second incident in 2002 should have caused concern.

Did it even shock Joe Paterno or AD Tim Curley to hear of the shower incident in 2002 when they knew of a similar investigation just 4 years prior?  How could it?  These same people are the ones who forced Sandusky to retire prematurely solely because of an allegation and investigation of the exact same nature.
We are looking at a cover up and corruption like we have never seen before.  A suspected, accused, and testified against, pedophile was allowed to continue his heinous acts under the umbrella of protection of Penn State's administration, Paterno included.

This is one of the most disgusting, self serving, corrupt, and unethical protections of reputation ever seen.  All at the expense of unprotected and vulnerable children.

*Also note that the District Attorney in charge of investigating Sandusky in 1998, Ray Gricar, went missing in 2005.  All that was ever found was an abandoned car, his laptop recovered in a river with the hard drive missing, and Internet searches for "how to wreck a hard drive." Read the story here.

 **In addition, there are some other glaring [although unproven to this point] accusations that may come to light in the near future.  We may soon find out that this goes much deeper and more vile than we could have ever imagined according to columnist Mark Madden (the man who broke this story back in April).  He alleged on WEEI radio in Boston that Sandusky "pimped out kids [from the Second Mile program] to Rich Donors," and that two prominent columnists were currently investigating this.   If this were true, we may have only chipped at the tip of the iceberg.  The evil that has taken place may actually be far beyond what any of us thought or feared we were dealing with.  What has been revealed to this point is sick enough, but if these accusations are true, brace yourself for even more gut wrenching details. According to Madden, "I hear a rumor that there will be a shocking development from the Second Miles Foundation ... That Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors."  Madden says the claims are being investigated by "two prominent columnists" and that "I think you'll find out that Jerry Sandusky was told he had to retire in exchange for a cover up."  These allegations are strong, but at this point who knows.  Keep in mind Madden was the one writing about this story back in April and nobody paid attention.  Listen to Mark Madden's interview on WEEI.

Could an alternate pro basketball league succeed?

by: James Brooks

Enough of this.  The NBA needs to be careful with how far they are willing to take this lockout.  They are quickly losing fans and if they go so far as to cancel an entire season, the repercussions could be irreparable.  I am a die-hard NBA fan, and more than likely even if the season is cancelled I will return and watch just as many games as before.  But I don't think I am in the majority.  A few games is one thing, especially while football is still on, but an entire season lost could turn many fans off. 

Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: Wide Recievers

by: James Brooks


I was excited to get into these rankings this week because I'm going to be breaking down the top 5 at the Wide Receiver position.  My excitement stems from the fact that this position, seemingly more than any other over the past year, has been the most volatile at the top tier (not counting the Peyton Manning injury).  Twelve months ago people could, and some were, making a case for Roddy White as the new King of Receivers.  Fast forward to now and those people aren't quite as boisterous. (Myself included.)  And Holy Calvin Johnson! But more on him later. Obvious spoiler alert, sorry.


There's a real fight for the crown now.  Unlike the other glamour positions, running back and quarterback, where not much has changed.  Adrian Peterson is reminding everyone who forgot about All Day, that he's still the cream of the crop at his position.  Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are taking care of business in a class of their own.  Whichever you prefer, there's no contest they are the 'Elite'.  Last years Superbowl Champ and Unanimous MVP on top again...whats new.  But don't worry, I see you Drew Brees.  Another day maybe.  Alright, enough about them, we're here to debate wide receivers.