Without Kliff Kingsbury

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

Back in 2002, Detroit rapper Eminem released his fourth studio album “The Eminem Show,” an album that featured one of his biggest hits, “Without Me.” In typical fashion, he mocks everyone from boy band members to then-Vice-President Dick Cheney in this song. He also compares himself to Elvis Presley as a White man getting rich and famous off a primarily Black art form (rap) and that his influence on hip hop was so big, it could not prosper without him (thus the “Without Me” title.) 

2002 would also be the last year Kliff Kingsbury played quarterback at Texas Tech. Following that season, Kingsbury was drafted by the New England Patriots and received a Super Bowl ring that year despite being on the injured reserve. He spent the next several years being an NFL and Canadian Football League journeyman. He would begin his coaching career with the University of Houston leading up to his present-day coaching position with the Arizona Cardinals.

Eminem in “Without Me” surmises, given his stature in rap, he’ll always be important and relevant, and remember he mentioned being a White star in a “black” arena. 

Well… 

NFL head coaches bank their success on players whose racial makeup is 70 percent Black; yet all but 4 of the 32 head coaches in the NFL are White and, with the exception of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, have a mirroring White owner. 

The past two years have truly been awful for the hiring of Black and Brown coaches. Of all the Black coaches fired last year, all but Brian Flores in Miami, were replaced by a White coach. Most like Kingsbury, who had NO NFL head coaching experience prior to being offered the position. Same this season, six open head coaching positions, all but one, Ron Rivera to Washington, were White. I believe Marvin Lewis with the Cowboys was the only Black coach to be offered an interview. 

Kliff Kingsbury’s hiring is the epitome of coaching in the NFL. White coaches are given praise and promotion without merit or substance, while Black and Brown coaches can’t even get an interview. Kliff Kingsbury’s career is typical of most younger newly hired White coaches. Coaches who’ve been around, possibly coached, had coffee with, shared an Uber whatever connection to be made to justify recent hirings, they’ve been made. 

You be the judge:

Kingsbury ‘s quarterback during his coaching tenure…

University of Houston – Case Keenum (finished Houston career with multiple NCAA Division I passing records) 

Texas A&M – Johnny Manziel (won the 2012 Heisman Trophy)

Texas Tech – Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes (do I need to explain these guys)

Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray (number overall pick 2019 NFL Draft) 

It’s important to note that Kingsbury so far as a head coach has a losing record. As Texas Tech’s head coach he went 35-40, and in his first season with Arizona, 5-10-1. Despite having at Texas Tech the greatness of Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes, Kingsbury had four losing seasons out of the six he coached for Texas Tech. 

How does a guy with a losing college record get an NFL head coaching job? Just because he smiled at Baker Mayfield a few times? While guys like Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, you know the one Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback for, can’t even get an interview. 

We can all talk about this. We can see it on sports debate shows. We can read about it in the papers. The only force capable of truly making a change is the NFLPA (NFL players association). Said association has an upcoming collective bargaining agreement and we hope, this issue is a top priority.  

Similar Read: Segregated Rosters 

IS KAEPERNICK THE NEW FACE OF CAPITALISM?

by with One Comment FeaturedNFLSports

While everyone is excited about Kaepernick being the new face of Nike, and rightfully so, we must realize the capitalism at play, and ask a pivotal question, what is Nike going to do regarding real change now that they stand to profit from Kaepernick’s Civil Rights protest?

But why would Nike attempt to profit from Kaepernick’s protest? Maybe supporting him and his protest was inevitable. After all, one of their biggest athletes in LeBron James has become more vocal on social issues. They can’t sway too far from his off-the-court mission, right? So despite the perceived controversy, why not sway towards it. As a publicly traded company (NKE), increasing shareholder value will ALWAYS be their number one priority. So odds are management wouldn’t make such a decision that could possibly threaten their revenue if they didn’t believe they could somehow flip it and capture the value they’ve sought to highlight and attach to their brand.

This is an interesting move by Nike considering Kaepernick is actively suing NFL owners for colluding to keep him out of the league, and they (Nike) just signed an 8-year extension to continue being the official sponsor for the NFL’s sideline apparel and game-day uniforms. If you’re Nike it sounds like a hell of a conflict. So why jump head first into this controversial issue?

A few reasons come to mind… 

#1 They truly agree with Kaepernick’s protest, and unlike most brands who are trying to avoid this issue, they realize their involvement at some point is inevitable, so why not be the first brand to get behind it?

#2 They realize the value and potential revenue that can be made from jumping behind this issue. They’ve calculated the risk or potential pushback by being the first brand to do so, and they’re willing to experience the short-term pain in return for long-term gain… or…

#3 Some weird combination of 1 and 2.

Whatever the reason might be, it’s done. Just remember, Nike is a public company (NKE). They don’t make moves without thinking about their shareholders, specifically how to increase shareholder value and ultimately maximize it. So while a publicly traded company in Nike has decided to recognize Kaepernick’s protest, I think we’re within bounds to question how genuine it is if they likely stand to profit from it, and more importantly… what are they going to do regarding real change specific to why Kaepernick decided to protest in the first place, police brutality and other injustices in the criminal justice system? Time will surely tell. 

What do you think? 

(On August 31, 2018, Nike’s stock closed at $82.20. Let’s see how their stock is doing in 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.) 

Anthem Penalties? They Are Who We Thought They Were

by with No Comment Featured

Don’t let em off the hook. 

We’ve all seen it and laughed each time we watched it. I’m referring to the classic line, “The Bears are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!”, press conference rant by the late great NFL head coach Dennis Green. To recap, Coach Green was referencing his Arizona Cardinals blowing a 4th quarter lead vs the top team in their conference, and eventual Super Bowl-bound Chicago Bears. Chicago was down 20 and made a great comeback to win the game, one of the greatest in the regular season.

Related: [2017 In Review] Kaepernick Vs. The NFL… The LCR Responds…

Keeping with the NFL theme, this week the 32 NFL owners and commissioner Rodger Goodell have concluded players must stand for the playing of the national anthem or face punishment.

The particulars of how the rule should be implemented and the corresponding penalties haven’t been mapped out just yet. And though owners and commissioner haven’t consulted the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) with this ruling, they did state if players did not want to stand they could wait in the locker room. See, that was nice of them.

And this is where the Dennis Green reference comes into play. The NFL owners are who we thought they were. Yeah yeah I know some owners have come out and stated they would pay the fines of their players. Some owners have expressed they believe in the players’ right to protest, and others are somewhere in between, reluctant to order players to stand but concerned about the bottom line… money.

These expressions come from a collective of owners whose average age is 70, that’s the average… 70. They make Congress look like Freshman orientation. They’re ALL billionaires and ALL except Shahid Khan are White. In other words, they literally have nothing in common with their employees, the players. And they don’t care to have anything in common. As Dennis Green said, “we let them off the hook” and the NFLPA is on the verge of doing so if they let the owners get away with enacting such a draconian rule without their consent and input.

The NFLPA must not allow the narrative to be spun around as if the players have presented a problem with kneeling during the anthem to protest injustices against Black people in America. They must not allow the virtually lost point of the protests, that they have NOTHING to do with the American flag or anthem directly. It has everything to do what the protests were about. If the protests were for cancer, the storyline would have lasted a week and nothing else would have been said about it.

The owners are exactly who we think they are. They’re a bunch of super rich old men who have allowed the national anthem protests to empower and transform the role and importance of players, specifically Black players. They want that power back, not to mention they completely disagree with why the protests started in the first place. The NFLPA once had a lead with the protests and now the owners are staging a comeback. Don’t allow the owners to come back and snatch victory away in the fourth quarter. The stakes are too high.

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NFL Owners Cave to Trump… “Show Respect”

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

You can tell me where to line up. How to defend a certain play. Even what I should eat before a game. All that falls under what we call “coaching,” and the NFL probably does more of it than any other professional league. But when the NFL, or any organization in America for that matter, starts telling their employees what and who they should respect; as Americans, we should all question them and the current state of our country that makes anyone think it’s acceptable to render such a “rule.” This is America, and in America, it’s our right to stand… or not.

In 2018, the fact that our government, our institutions, or an employer, regardless of how powerful they might be, can make such demands is troubling. Times change, and democratic nations must make sure that change is always progressive and inclusive.

The NFL owners are a wealthy-predominantly-white-older-group of men. To say they lack diversity is an understatement. More than 70% of their players are Black, but it’s clear they didn’t consider their opinions, or consult their Union, prior to voting on this issue.

There’s only one reason for such a ruling. And believe it or not, it started at a Trump rally in rural Alabama. Yup, Donald Trump has done it again. The seeds he sowed months ago by rallying his base over this non-political issue and calling NFL players sons of bitches, has now blossomed and come to fruition. Despite many NFL owners being caught on tape at recent meetings criticizing Trump for his comments regarding their league and players, they’ve essentially caved to his far-right isolationist demand.

“All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.”

…That’s the language released from the league office this morning.

Show respect for the flag and anthem. Because in America, we now threaten your employment and income if you choose to exercise your constitutional right.

But… there’s an exception… Players will not be required to be on the field during the anthem. So say 45 of the 53 active players decide to stay in the locker room week after week during the anthem, and Trump gets back on his bullhorn to criticize them and the owners for allowing them to do so via their new rule, should we expect the owners to be strong and not cave in this time? Probably not.

Gotta love strong-arm patriotism that ignores constitutional rights.

[Expect LCR Contributors to weigh in.] 

NFL Owners Respond To Trump: “We’re Proud of Our Players”

by with One Comment Sports

In a recent rally in Alabama (9/22/17), President Trump used the term “son of a bitch” to refer to NFL players who’ve decided to take a knee in peaceful protest. Professional athletes, The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL players union (NFLPA), and several others immediately denounced his statements. Yet, many people were calling on NFL owners to make individual statements, and now they’re coming in…

“Comments like we heard last night from the president are inappropriate, offensive and divisive. We are proud of our players, the vast majority of whom use their NFL platform to make a positive difference in our society.” – Co-owners of the New York Giants, John Mara and Steve Tisch 

“The callous and offensive comments made by the President are contradictory to what this great country stands for. Our players have exercised their rights as United States citizens in order to spark conversation and action to address social injustice. We will continue to support them in their peaceful pursuit of positive change in our country and around the world. The San Francisco 49ers will continue to work toward bringing communities, and those who serve them, closer together.” – San Fransisco 49er’s CEO Jed York

The New York Giants are considered a class organization and one of the best in the league. Their statement should prompt other owners to speak up in defense of their players and their decision to let them peacefully protest, despite many of them disagreeing with the way they’ve chosen to protest and others like the president suggesting they fire (cut or release) these specific players.

Many NFL analysists and other pundits have stated that Trump’s comments will only cause more players to protest. If they’re right this issue only gets bigger, which is the last thing the NFL wants to see happen.

Trump’s initial statement regarding NFL players and their protesting:

Trump: “Get That ‘Son of a Bitch’ Off the Field Right Now!”