Basketball Referee Troubles

I was watching Sportscenter and found it interesting that a theorist from Cornell said that white basketball officials tend to call more fouls on black players than white players. This racial bias has been seen as blacks players like Tim Duncan and Stephen Jackson have been tossed from games for laughing and clapping. The theory is supposedly statistically based and seen in the studies of the game's boxscores. Many of those that are part of the NBA feel the whole ordeal is ludicrous. Lebron James said "It is stupid" and TNT voice Charles Barkley points to the fact that there are far more African American players in the NBA game. Are these white officials racially calling fouls or our these statistics being taken too seriously?

60th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson

On April 15, 2007, Major League Baseball honored Jackie Robinson's 60th anniversary in breaking the game's color barrier. Players all over the league represented Robinson by wearing his number in remeberance. His debut to American's pastime led to other African Americans such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. to assist in the civil rights movement. Robinson affected a rush of African Americans into the league and broke down the adversity that came his way. He was a role model on and off the field and added so much to the sport by equaling the playing field. In 1972, 27% of the MLB players were African American since then the statistics have fell below 9%. Due to the downfall, has Robinson really made in impact in the game? Or is he the reason that the civil rights movement took off?

Don Imus's Comments about Rutgers Team

This year's women final four games was overlooked as it usual is by the men's section of the games. With the women's games getting little to no press, Don Imus thus came into the picture. Women's basketball has slowly been making steps to becoming more popular and lowering any forms of gender stereotyping. After the women's finals, Don Imus called the Rutgers women's team "some nappy-headed hos." Also, he added to his disgusting statements by saying that the Tennessee team "all look cute." I commend and praise MSNBC for cancelling his show because of his disrespect to women and in some ways progressive sports media. While sports media is trying to level of the amount of men and women's games being broadcasts, we have idiots like Imus that ruin it. I feel that it is people like him that have created these gender and racial stereotypes that, as bad as it sounds, influence the way we think. Therefore, to improve sports media we must weed out newscasters and media people that convey these horrible thoughts. How do you feel about the whole situation? Is it a big deal in your mind?

Poker Broadcast

ESPN carries itself as the world wide leader in sports. They try to broadcast and communicate to their sports hungry audience through their variety of shows. In the most recent years, ESPN has spread its realm to the world of poker. Though variety is necessary for success, is poker worthy of broadcast time? Should it be aired on a sports network?