Michelle Obama famously said when they go low, we go high, but that message definitely didn’t reach UFC welterweight Colby Covington. “Chaos” has realized the value of controversy from the beginning of his UFC career, but he hit an all-time low in the lead-up to his UFC 296 title fight against current champion Leon “Rocky” Edwards.
During the press conference, Covington took his crass version of fight hype to the gutter when he disrespected his opponent’s dead father.
“On Saturday night, I’m going to bring you to a place you never want to be,” Covington shouted at Edwards. “I’m going to bring you to the seventh level of hell. We’ll say what’s up to your dad while we’re there.”
Immediately, Edwards threw a water bottle at Covington and tried to rush him before security stepped in to stop a potential melee. Covington knows the tragedy that hit the Edwards family, and using it to sell their beef is out of bounds.
When Edwards was 13, his father was murdered in Birmingham, England. Edwards grew up in Jamaica, but the family moved to England for a better life. However, his father was shot and killed in a nightclub over what Edwards believes was a dispute about money.
“It was probably like 2 a.m.,” Edwards said to the Daily Mail in 2022 after he defeated Kamaru Usman to become a champion. “I was in my room. Mum was in her room. We hear the phone ringing. I heard her crying, and I knew from then something bad, you know.
“Eventually, she came into my room and just told me this, your dad’s just got killed in London. It was something to do with money. I don’t know what exactly. It was some mad s***, but I knew that it could happen.”
Leon’s father was involved in crime, and Leon as a young teenager got into gang life. His mother introduced him to mixed martial arts to keep him out of the streets, and Leon took it all the way to becoming a UFC champion.
Covington has run the gamut in his fights, calling Brazilians “filthy animals” and bringing his MAGA Donald Trump-loving rhetoric to the UFC and making it his signature shtick.
His presence and the depths that he will go to sell a fight are what makes the UFC a sideshow, but this is the same company that owns Power Slap, so what else can be expected?
Michael Jordan‘s sale of a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets earlier this year meant there were no longer any Black majority owners of NBA teams. There are still 12 Black owners with minority stakes in teams. But this begs the question who will be the league’s next Black majority owner?
First, let’s name the existing Black owners with minority shares.
Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter, President and CEO of V&J Foods (Milwaukee Bucks), NFL All-Pro Myles Garrett (Cleveland Cavaliers), businessman Damian Mills (Hornets), actor Jada Pinkett Smith (Philadelphia 76ers), rapper J. Cole (Hornets), basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade (Utah Jazz), entertainer Usher (Cleveland Cavaliers), basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs), basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill (Atlanta Hawks), actor Will Smith (Philadelphia 76ers), entrepreneur Sheila Johnson (Washington Wizards), and Jordan.
Ten of the 12 on this list are very rich. Multi-millionaires. Even in that group there’s levels, with Daniels-Carter having an alleged net worth of $10 million and Will Smith a reported net worth of $350 million.
Johnson and Jordan are on another level. Wealthy. Johnson’s net worth is a reported $840 million, and Jordan’s is $3 billion buoyed by the majority stake sale.
Let’s be clear. None of these 12 people is worried about paying their electricity bill. But these distinctions are important.
If you want to own an NBA franchise you need serious dollars. The NBA is moving away from consortium groups as owners. They want one, at most two people, as the principal owners. This also prevents issues with decision making, etc. These franchises are multi-billion dollar businesses.
Let’s assume none of the existing 30 franchises are up for sale at the moment. If you wan’t in this exclusive club, the league’s pending expansion is your way in.
Commissioner Adam Silver has gone on record saying that once the league’s next broadcast rights deal is made, he will turn his attention to expansion. The two cities believed to be in line get teams will be Las Vegas and Seattle.
According to reports, the NBA will be looking for $4 billion each as the expansion fee for the new franchises. That’s a lot of cash. A lot of these wealthy people are “cash poor” or not liquid. Which means they’ll have to borrow a portion of that fee. The league will have strict rules about how much it will allow a new owner to be leveraged to buy a team.
Which means the next owner or ownership group will need very deep pockets. There just aren’t that many people with that kind of money who don’t already own a sports franchise and/or want to.
Add onto the expansion fee the cost of an entertainment complex, arena, hotels and restaurants and this becomes limited to a very few. A local report in Las Vegas has an ownership group rumored to have $10 billion in budgeting for an entertainment complex and basketball arena.
A quick look at the Forbes top 10 wealthiest people in the world, and the only person who would likely want to own an NBA team is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($114 billion). But he’s been rumored to want an NFL franchise for a while now and might be in line to buy the Seattle Seahawks from Jody Allen who also owns the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, courtesy of her late brother Paul Allen.
As you scan down that list there are people who already own teams or have never been linked to or made any public interest in NBA ownership.
One name that comes up, as it relates to the potential Las Vegas franchise, is LeBron James. The game’s greatest player has made no secret that he wants to own an NBA team and he wants the team in Vegas.
Bron is a wealthy man, with a reported net worth of $1 billion, but he’s going to need another heavyweight with him or Silver (along with the other owners) will have to make some concessions on their requirements to let him in.
It’s possible they do. It would be good PR for the league if Bron owns a franchise at some point. His ownership of a team, depending on when that happens, could drive revenues in ways Jordan couldn’t with the Hornets.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund, aka the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, has total assets of $776 billion. These are the kind of pockets that make Silver and his 30 bosses excited. They would have no problem with an expansion fee, infrastructure builds etc. It’s the sixth-largest sovereign wealth fund in the world.
The PIF owns professional golf, four domestic soccer teams, has interests in boxing, horse racing and Formula One racing. Owning an American sports franchise seems like a logical next step if you’ve been paying attention.
If I were a betting man, my money would be on the Saudis being one of the next majority owners of an NBA team. Will Bron ever own a franchise? Time will tell.
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant wants to fight ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith and Barstool CEO Dave Portnoy.
Bryant apparently has an issue with how the two men have talked about him and made his thoughts clear on X. This is where sports media has evolved, to and if we’re not careful it will get worse.
“I really wanna get in a boxing ring with @stephenasmith and @stoolpresidente. Folks like them talk the way they do because they know they can’t get touched. But I wish they would agree to get in the ring with me so I can unleash my frustration against them. I can beat the sh-t outta them without going to jail. I need that blessing,” said Bryant on his X account in a now deleted post.
Naturally, Smith responded on his eponymous show.
“Dez, I’m sad that you sent that tweet, my brother. For the record, to the audience out there, I’ve never had a problem with Dez Bryant, not one time. I love the X. I used to troll them when they were Cowboy fans but I never had an issue with Dez.”
The problem is this type of adversarial relationship with “media” and athletes has been celebrated, encouraged and promoted.
Since the explosion of social media, early blogs, and the need for virality it has created the perfect storm for this environment of negativity. Conflict sells. It’s why we watch sports. One team against another or one individual against another. That feeds a certain part of our brains and nervous systems.
In today’s world anyone can say anything about anyone else and there is a chance that it goes viral. Once that happens you either add fuel to the fire or you wait until it dies out and the next incident takes over the cycle.
It’s annoying, repetitive and a real disservice to all parties involved. But these things wouldn’t happen if there wasn’t an audience for it. A lot of people enjoy this type of content.
Media exists to report on sports and give fans insight into what they don’t have access to. But with athletes being all over social media and on their own platforms, many media companies have pivoted to this type of content, and as a business model it works.
As Smith said he’s never had a problem with Bryan,t and maybe he’s right. But maybe Smith said something many years back about Bryant that the former All-Pro filed away. As for Barstool and Portnoy, they say all sorts of wild things.
Braynt has since backtracked, saying his problem isn’t with Smith.
“You right @stephenasmith my problem is not with you but I do plan on speaking my story on how I feel about a lot of things,” Bryant said on X.
But Bryant is no innocent victim. Since his playing days ended he’s been on social media saying wild things too, about current athletes, media members, etc.
We already have online personalities like Jake and Logan Paul who’ve turned their fame into wrestling and boxing careers that pay lucrative money. This is probably the next thing.
It will only take one media member to agree to getting into the ring with some athlete and the floodgates will open. People will spend absurd money to watch this conflict.
The Los Angeles Clippers are the hottest team in the NBA. They’ve won six straight, and eight of their last 10 games. The vision of their big three is coming into focus and they are legitimate title contenders.
“I think since we were so far behind in a sense that we didn’t have a training camp or you look at teams like Boston, whose core has been together for a minute, Milwaukee, even the Lakers, you know what I mean?” James Harden said after a Clippers win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, Dec. 11.
“Just to name a few, whose core has been together for a few years. You know what I mean? See, they already have the advantage of chemistry being together, being in close games and postseasons and things like that. So I think the more amount of games that we can play alongside each other, it’s beneficial for us.”
The Clippers are seventh in aNET rating, 14th in aORTG, and eighth in aDRTG.
Integrating Harden into a team with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook (the Hall of Fame Four) was always going to take time. That’s not because any of these players execute the wrong way, but because each has unique talents and gifts, and you need repetitions to see how they complement the whole and what head coach Ty Lue wants to see on the floor.
The Clippers run two styles. With Harden starting it’s much more methodical to take advantage of his elite surgical passing and pick and roll play with big man Ivica Zubac. That unit can still get a little sticky with Leonard and George’s isolation preference. But Lue is working in sets to get some off-ball movements and actions into quick shots.
The bench unit led by Westbrook can play with pace and take advantage of his still-elite ability at getting to the rim. He’s not finishing well, but is still getting the team out on the break.
This team, and specifically Leonard, has been the definition of the ire of NBA fans, mainly due to load management. But Leonard and George have been hurt over the past few seasons. Managing their bodies was essential as they were coming back from injuries.
“I mean, I talked about this before ā coming off of the ACL was definitely ā we were definitely monitoring my minutes and my workload to make sure that I stayed healthy,” Leonard said after Tuesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings.
So far this season, Leonard has played in all 24 games and George has played in 23 of 24 games. Health is the key for this group. The more minutes they play together and build chemistry, the better prepared they will be for the postseason.
This Clippers team is scary and can be elite at times, but they’ll need luck in the form of good health to win the first title in franchise history.
As the 2023 NFL season winds down, the attention on the 2024 NFL draft takes focus, and for the second consecutive year the Chicago Bears will have the No. 1 overall pick. After trading the top pick to the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2023 draft, the Bears are once again in prime position to either draft a quarterback, another position player, or trade back to gain more picks.
The team made a decision to stick with quarterback Justin Fields in the last draft which is why they traded the pick to the Panthers, who took Alabama Crimson TideĀ Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young.
But with the Panthers a league-worse 1-12 and the Bears owning their pick this time around, how the draft plays out is in their hands again.
GMs Say Right Your Wrong, Take A QB
Several GMs around the league believe Chicago should take a quarterback this time around which will likely be USCās Caleb Williams, the projected top overall pick. That means trading the aforementioned Fields, which those GMs are more than OK with doing.
In a survey taken by Yahoo! Sports, hereās what some of them said about the pick.Ā
āWhen you pass on talented quarterbacks to lean into a guyās development, which the Bears did when they traded the No. 1 pick last year, you have to be completely sure of that decision to do it a second time,ā an AFC general manager told the Yahoo! reporter. āFields doesnāt get over the hump, you donāt want to be the guys that passed on both Stroud and Caleb Williams.ā
ā[Caleb Williams] worries me, but he is definitely talented,ā an NFC general manager said. āIt just buys you more time and a much cheaper contract to keep adding pieces to build the team.ā
Bears Are In Do Or Die Mode
The team canāt afford to miss on another QB prospect after choosing Mitchell Trubisky No. 2 overall in a draft that had Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Add last yearās draft that netted Stroud and to a lesser degree Bryce Young, whoās in a no-win situation in Carolina this season.
Fields has been very solid since Week 4. In fact, the former Ohio State standout has the third-highest QBR in the league since Week 5. The team, which began the season 0-4, has won five of its past nine games to get to 5-8 and basically save the job of head coach Matt Eberflus.Ā
At times, Fields has been dynamic, but more importantly, he’s protecting the football, while passing for six touchdowns and just one interception since that 0-4 start. He did miss four games with injuries, butĀ he returned, it seems, at even a higher level.
His play is also being monitored by prospective trade partners should the Bears brass decide to move in a different direction. Thatās highly plausible for several reasons, first because Fields isnāt the present executive regime’s quarterback, they inherited him.
There’s also financial upside to trading Fields and drafting a new QB. Itās cheaper for Chicago going forward to have the No. 1 pick on a set rookie scale and under team control for five years.
With Fields, a new deal would need to be discussed in the very near future and if the organization is still unsure about him at that point, negotiations could get muddy.
A change of scenery might be the best situation for both parties involved. Former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham didn’t start executing his aerial assault until he got to Minnesota in the correct offense and was unstoppable. Atlanta, which is not too far from where Fields is from in Georgia, would be a comfortable landing place. Imagine Fields with running back Bijan Robinson (leads all rookies with 790 rushing yards, 320 receiving) tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London.Ā
Has a nice ring to it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to break a two-game losing streak that has turned a winning season into a desperate one. Both losses came at home to teams with a combined 4-20 record.
After looking like a definite playoff team just two weeks ago, the Steelers (7-6) will be fighting for their postseason lives over the season’s final four weeks. The struggles have led folks to believe that head coach Mike Tomlin could be on the hot seat, which he isnāt, and it has others questioning is the āSteelers Traditionā still a thing?
Thatās what future Hall of Famer and legendary former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is starting to believe. The six-time Pro Bowl selection seemed a bit perturbed this week when talking about his former team, which is unrecognizable to the two-time Super Bowl winner.
Roethlisbergerās reservations have some real validity to them, and, unless things change, the team will be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start.
During a recent episode of his podcast, āFootbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,ā he questioned some things about the product formerly known as the Steelers.
āMaybe the tradition of the Pittsburgh Steelers is done. Maybe it needs to be formed a new kind of way. I donāt know,ā he proposed.
āYouāre not seeing, in my opinion, the toughness on offense, and I say toughness in the sense of Steeler toughness,ā Roethlisberger said. āWhoās grabbing someone by the face mask and being like, āNuh-uh, thatās not what we doā? Is that happening?ā
āYes, you have guys on defense doing it, but you need guys on both sides of the ball doing it, because when youāre in offensive meetings, when youāre in offensive huddles … you need someone to stand up in that room on offense and be like, āHey, this isnāt what it means to wear the black and gold.āā
Big Benās calling out the teamās offense, and with good reason, because theyāve been bad all season. Part of it is on the players for not executing, but head coach Mike Tomlin has to take the brunt of the blame for not making a change to his offensive coordinator until a few weeks ago. This is a team that went 58 games without having 400 total yards in a game until the first game after Tomlin relieved Matt Canada of his duties as the coordinator.
Not much Tomlin can do about the talent level of his quarterback room and its truly among the league’s five worst. they don’t have anything close to Roethlisberger.
With second-year signal caller Kenny Pickett looking like heās regressed, and backup Mitch Trubisky looking like a lemon, itās been rough.
Benās expectations are high, but he must realize that this isn’t a normal Steelers team. Tomlin has to scrape and scrap for every win.
And while Pittsburgh managed to go a very respectable 34-23-1 in those 58 games, itās totally unacceptable for a team with the Steelersā talent to go that long without 400 yards in a league that caters to the offense.
Roethlisberger must realize that this team doesnāt have the likes of Hall of Famers Troy Polamalu and ‘The Bus’ Jerome Bettis. Or the enforcers like James Harrison or Hines Ward, who led by example on and off the field. Or players will the talent level of Antonio Brown and Santonio Holmes.
The old adage is a tiger doesnāt change its stripes, so donāt expect this team to. They are what they are, and that doesnāt include the Steelers tradition or way.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl or de facto Black college football national championship game will take place in Atlanta on Saturday.
It will feature the Howard Bison, champions of the MEAC conference, versus the Florida A&M Rattlers, the champions of the SWAC conference.
The game, which began in 2015, has been dominated by the MEAC who own a 6-1 record in the game. The SWACās lone win came in a 2016, when the Grambling State Tigers defeated the North Carolina Central Eagles 10-9 in a defensive slugfest.
In 2021 and 2022 the belief was Deion Sanders, and the Jackson State Tigers would bring a couple home for the SWAC, but they lost both games. Now with Coach Prime at Colorado, the FAMU Rattlers under head coach Willie Simmons are poised to end the MEACās five-game winning streak in the annual affair.
Heading into Saturdayās matchup, the Rattlers are the better team. Since joining the SWAC in 2021, they boast a 22-2 record versus conference opponents with their only two losses coming to Deion Sanders’ Tigers in the Orange Blossom Classic in 2021 and 2022. That means theyāve dominated the conference since leaving the MEAC, and thatās why theyāre poised to end the SWACās Celebration Bowl title drought on Saturday.
Simmons, whoās been the coach at FAMU since 2017, understands what it means to be the conference representative in this game, and he elaborated on it at media day.
āWeāre elated to represent the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl,ā Simmons said.
āWe know the history, the historical significance of the game, and the MEACās dominance over the SWAC since the gameās inception. So, weāre excited to turn the tide and bring the trophy back to the SWAC where it belongs,ā he continued.
Simmons has won often at FAMU, boasting a 44-13 record overall, including 32-5 in the MEAC and SWAC combined.
While the Howard football team is a great story under head coach Larry Scott, itās the Rattlers time, and Saturday will culminate in a first-ever SWAC title for the program and university.
What Makes FAMU Special?
Led by the aforementioned Simmons, who was named SWAC Coach of the Year, the Rattlers also boast quarterback Jeremy Moussa, who passed for over 2,600 yards, 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions this season.
He was named SWAC Offensive Player of the Year. For the second consecutive season the Rattlers have the conference Defensive Player of the Year on their roster, now in Isaiah Major, who joins Isaiah Land, winner of the award in 2022. Major, the leader of the Dark Cloud defense, has 94 total tackles (55 solo) and 11.5 tackles for loss.
That trio is a huge reason why the Rattlers are poised to get it done this weekend. Plus itās time for the SWAC to win one again, isnāt it?
This is also a chance for football fans to see FAMU (11-1, 9-0) and Howard (6-5, 4-1) on a national stage.
While the game wonāt feature Coach Prime this time around, it should still be some good football, with the Rattlers winning 31-17.
Fans can expect to see Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance, as the Howard alumna is expected to make the trip to Atlanta to support the Bison.
Kickoff is noon on ABC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl safety Jordan Poyer has overcome some demons in his life and credits ayahuasca to putting him on a path to better understanding, which allows him to perform better on the field.
Is this the new trend for pro athletes?
“People try to control it, but you can’t,” Poyer told The Athletic. “It took me about five or 10 minutes to figure it out. The ego has to die so the medicine can work. In order to let go and let the medicine do what it’s supposed to do, we have to just breathe.”
Poyer entered the league in 2013 as a heavy drinker and kept it up throughout his first five years in the league, developing a dependency.
During those years he got married and he and his wife Rachel had a child, but the drinking continued and he was close to losing his wife.
“I’d find him drinking in crazy places, like under the bathroom cabinets, hidden like a child,” Rachel says.
Poyer went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and got his drinking under control and at a gathering at a teammateās house in 2020 he made a significant step forward, refusing a drink.
“When I put that drink down for the first time, it was almost like I overcame a demon,” Poyer said.
He had no desire to drink and the smell of alcohol now activates his gag reflex.
Despite the major step in sobriety, Poyer still dealt with feelings of anxiety and depression. The alcohol was used to medicate and manage those feelings.
After the 2022 season with the Bills, Poyer found Resonance Costa Rica, a retreat in the Central American country that invites you to “move to a Higher Vibrational Living.”
It was during a visit to the center that Poyer tried ayahuasca for the first time. Initially he was very skeptical. Poyer also changed his diet and physical activity to include yoga and specific breathing exercises to deal with his anxiety.
He was given the psychedelic brew by a shaman and began his path to better self understanding.
“It’s brownish and really thick. It almost looks like oil, but it’s darker and thicker. It’s one of the worst things you could ever taste…At first what it felt like was my soul left my body for a good two minutes,” Poyer said.
Poyer said the highest version of himself lectured the current version on how to be present and thankful for what he had.
“He was basically saying, ‘Jordan, look at your life, bro ā what are you mad at?'” Poyer said. “It was what I needed to hear because I wasn’t appreciating anything ā not my wife, my daughter, my family, my house. It was all about me and what I wanted.”
Poyer credits the experience with making him a more selfless teammate and good human.
“After he did ayahuasca, he became like my dream husband,” Rachel says. “I was nervous about what it would do to him, but he came back a totally new man, so appreciative of me and our family.”
Poyer is more appreciative of his family, and he is a better leader on the Bills as one of the team captains.
Pro athletes are no different than people in other professions. Theirs just pays them well and there is a relative amount of fame. They are not immune from the challenges, problems, etc. that come about in life.
If Poyer believes ayahuasca was the key to taking him down the path of enlightenment and it helps him deal with his anxiety and depression and allows him to be a better husband, father and teammate, who are we to say no?
It’s IG model season, and for those affluent and celebrity men who can afford the lifestyle and the women that come with it, things are grand.
Rappers, our beloved athletes, and notable coaches of all ages are ending relationships the public thought were solid and are out in public courting younger women during the holiday season.
We’ve seen wild cards like Bronny James, who popped out with model and TikTok influencer Malia Gee.
And former LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who was running with several much younger women after he split with his ex-wife.
These cases are perpendicular to what some of the Colorado guys are doing right now.
More specifically, some of the Sanders men.
Deion Sanders Splits With Tracy Edmonds For Fitness Model
Head coach Deion Sanders, after recently announcing his mutual split with his longtime girlfriend Tracey Edmonds, is now rumored to be dating a model.
The 56-year-old now has been linked to Qiana Aviles, who is in her late 20s, and, according to a popular blogger Tasha K, he chose to be with the model over Edmonds.
Shedeur Sanders Dating Much Older Woman
His son, Shedeur Sanders, may not have left a longtime girlfriend to be with a model, but he does have a new model on his arm as well and she actually has a few years on him.
Reported by WAGS Unfiltered, the 21-year-old supposedly is dating 28-year-old model Jasmine Rae.
While a seven-year gap between these two is not the worst thing in the world, the Colorado faithful likely would much rather Shedeur focus on his game and leading his team in the offseason after the Buffaloesā disappointing first year under the Sanders regime.Ā
Colorado got off to a hot start, going 3-0 before absolutely bombing the season and going 1-8 in their last 9 games. Colorado’s offensive line was exposed, and even with Shilo Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter on the defense, they were routinely getting routed by opposing offenses.
But like rapper Future said, “You do what you want when you poppin’,ā which is the case for Deion and Shedeur, because regardless of how the season culminated for them, Deion Sanders is still at the top of the world, and Shedeur’s college football profile is only rising after he showed the world he could ball against competitive conferences and teams.
Rapper Offset Spotted With IG Models
Speaking of rappers, even outside of the sports realm, models are a hot commodity for celebrities recently removed from long-term relationships.
Rapper Offset, who recently went through a very public breakup with fellow rapper and wife Cardi B, was seen dating a model as well.
Offset, one-third of the legendary group Migos, was seen out on Tuesday night with model London Perry, looking happy as ever even though his marriage is going down the gutter.
The Daily Mail wrote this week: “Cardi Bās estranged husband Offset looked in great spirits amid his marital split as he enjoyed a cozy chat with glamorous model London Perry at Kanye Westās album listening party in Miami on Tuesday.”
New Women, New Inspiration
While Offset and the Sanders have very similar storylines happening, they’re in very different situations moving forward.
Offset has the opportunity to go full Taylor Swift mode and draw inspiration from heartbreak and the ending of his relationship to make some very compelling music while having a beautiful model by his side.
Meanwhile, Deion and Shedeur shouldnāt be too distracted during the offseason.
Hopefully, the Sanders men can block out the noise and have a successful season as well as successful love lives.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high and franchise record 64 points on Wednesday night. After the game he was looking for the game ball and what ensued was a possessed two-time MVP who needed to be restrained and calmed down after barging into a locker room and yelling obscenities Do we have a new NBA rivalry?
“I have a ball, but I don’t know if itās the game ball,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand-new ball. I can tell, I played, what, 35 minutes today? I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I will take and I’ll give it to my mom, for sure, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball.”
Yes folks, all of this commotion was over a ball.
The NBA has a new rivalry. The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks have played in a high-stakes game, the teams don’t like each other, and they’ve both engaged in petty gamesmanship.
This all began early in November when these two teams played their first game and Pacers ascending superstar Tyrese Haliburton hit a late three to sink the Bucks 126-124 despite 54 points from Antetokounmpo.
The next game was earlier this month in Las Vegas in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament. The Pacers were up 63-51 at the half and then the Bucks came out like a buzzsaw in the third quarter, scoring 43 points. But they only led by three heading into the fourth.
In that last quarter the Pacers and Haliburton destroyed the Bucks, causing all kinds of defensive miscues. Haliburton hit a big three and did the “Dame Time” celebration, which the Bucks’ Damian Lillard made famous as a Portland Trail Blazer. The Pacers won the game and the Bucks didn’t like the celebration.
“For as many times as I’ve done it to people, I can’t be upset when somebody else does it. I think that’s also a sign of respect and acknowledgment for knowing my history, knowing what I do. I didn’t mind it, it was what it was,” said Lillard, following the game. “I’ve also known that when you’re having your moment, it’s important to be careful and be humble… because you just never know how the table turns and it when it’s gonna turn. I respect it. We shook hands after the game. I wasn’t moved by it left or right.”
Clearly Lillard was moved by it. Nothing about the “Dame Time” celebration is humble. That’s the whole deal when the world’s best ballers one up each other. It’s full of ego, testosterone, and machismo.
Move ahead to Wednesday night’s game and the Bucks had yet to beat the Pacers, and wanted to exact some measure of comeuppance to the young upstarts.
The game was physical from the start and Antetokounmpo was relentless in attacking the rim and dishing out physical punishment. He went to the free-throw line 32 times in the game.
Antetokounmpo forearm shoved Haliburton in the first quarter, knocking him to the ground, and received a foul. Aaron Nesmith had a hard foul on Antetokounmpo, which caused Bobby Portis to react and go at Nesmith with “crazy eyes.” Antetokounmpo’s brother, Thanasis, had to be “held back” from leaving the Bucks bench.
There was a lot of hullabaloo.
Then the game ball incident at the end of the game, a Bucks win. But it turns out it was a misunderstanding.
As the final buzzer sounded, video confirmed a Bucks’ security team member got a game ball directly from the referee.
The Pacers also had a game ball for their two-way rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who recorded his first official NBA point. But that was the backup ball. NBA games have two balls for use in competition.
Grown men willing to fight over a ball. Welcome to the start of a new rivalry. The Pacers and Bucks face each other for the final two times this season on Jan. 1 and Jan. 3 in a two-game series.
The Chicago Bulls must be looking for a viral moment as they have announced a Ring of Honor inaugural induction ceremony celebrating their most storied year of the winning ā90s Bulls franchise.
The ceremony takes place on Jan. 12 at the United Center and features the 1995-96 team with a 72-10 record and an NBA title. First off, why are they so late with the honor? Also, hasn’t the organization seen the headlines surrounding the current relationship between the main two players of that era?
The headliners of this very successful class include the legendary trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. However, revelations have shed light on a more complex and sometimes strained relationship between the two superstars of MJ and Pippen, altering the perception of one of the sports world’s most celebrated partnerships.
Pippen’s recent remarks and the release of his memoir have exposed underlying tensions that challenge the narrative of a seamless alliance.
The release of the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance” in 2020, which focused heavily on Jordan’s career and the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty, appears to have been a turning point. Pippen expressed dissatisfaction with his portrayal in the documentary, which he felt minimized his contributions to the Bulls’ success and over-emphasized Jordan’s role.
Scottie Pippen, often hailed as one of the greatest NBA players and Jordan’s steadfast lieutenant on the court, has voiced feelings of underappreciation and overshadowing by Jordan’s immense fame. In interviews and his book, Pippen has discussed feeling sidelined and inadequately credited for his role in the Bullsā shared achievements.
Michael Jordan, largely considered the greatest basketball player of all time, has been relatively quiet. The public airing of grievances has rippled through the basketball community, prompting a reevaluation of the dynamics in one of the NBA’s most storied teams. Fans and analysts alike are now viewing the Bulls’ era with a more nuanced understanding of the internal workings of the team.
Former teammates and coaches have offered mixed reactions. Some acknowledge the competitive environment of the Bulls and the intense pressure faced by both Jordan and Pippen. Others express disappointment, hoping for a resolution between the two legends.
As the dust settles, the basketball world watches with a mix of nostalgia and regret. The once-celebrated partnership of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, while tarnished in the public eye, remains a significant chapter in the history of the sport. The hope remains that reconciliation, or at least a mutual understanding, might one day mend the fractured bond between these two giants of basketball.
Retired NFL running back Willis McGahee is fighting for players to make sure they receive the benefits they are owed by the league after sacrificing their bodies and health for the sport. McGahee filed a lawsuit earlier this year alongside nine other former players against the NFL Disability Plan and each member of the NFL Disability Board. The lawsuit cites the defendants for a breach in the fiduciary duty of loyalty to former NFL players through misinformation in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and wrongfully denied them benefits in violation of the terms of the NFL Disability Plan.Ā
“It’s not benefiting the players who are really, actually hurt and going through stuff in life,” McGahee said to The Athletic. “They’re not taking care of us. It’s a sham. I’m tired of it. Somebody has to step up and do something about it.”
McGahee had a litany of injuries throughout his playing career, including: multiple torn ligaments in both knees, two torn hip flexors, a fractured tibia, a twisted vertebra, a boxer fracture, at least two major concussions, “countless” broken ribs and high-ankle sprains, several knee scopes, dozens of joint aspirations and several other “minor” ailments that have left him in an almost constant state of pain.Ā
When he left the game in 2013 at 32 years of age he struggled, as many professional athletes do. He had given his entire life to football and was lost without the game. McGahee even contemplated suicide.
“When it’s gone, you really have nothing to fall back on,” McGahee said. “It’s just a lot coming at you, man, and it gets mentally tough. It [suicide] crossed my mind a couple of times.”
No doubt the constant pain and the lack of direction wore heavy on him. But McGahee found a will to live in his 10 children. He wanted to be around for them.
He eventually sought therapy and is in a better frame of mind today, but his body is still torn to shreds, and he’s been unable to access his full benefits afforded to him by the league.
“It’s just a lot going on,” McGahee said. “And me being the athlete that I am, I just try to suck it up. But I’m tired of sucking it up because it’s killing me inside.”
McGahee looked to receive benefits through the NFL Disability Plan. Former players can potentially access three benefits that provide monthly payments. They are: Total & Permanent Disability benefits, which are for former players who are unable to work due to disability; Line of Duty Disability benefits, which are for players who have a substantial disablement due to NFL activities; and Neurocognitive Disability benefits, which are for players with mild or moderate neurocognitive impairment.
Players must complete an online application, provide supporting medical documents and attend at least one medical examination by what the policies call a “neutral physician” chosen by the NFL Disability Board. Then the board makes a decision.
Not exactly sure how a physician chosen by the NFL is “neutral,” but sure.
McGahee received Line of Duty disability but was denied Total & Permanent benefits. He felt that his mental and physical impairments prevented him from being able to work and he continued to apply and was continuously denied.
He sought the advice of his lawyer and joined nine other players and filed suit.
The NFL moved to dismiss the lawsuit in June and in August, the plaintiffs responded to that motion, and the NFL subsequently filed another reply. The judge’s decision on the NFL’s motion is still pending.
None of this is surprising if you follow the league. For years they’ve denied former players benefits, including a conspiracy to deny mainly Black players benefits due to traumatic brain injuries because they used a racially biased scale, claiming Black players begin with lower levels of intelligence.
Football is a barbaric sport and the league and its owners have little to no regard for the players once they’re used up.
From now until the 2024 NFL draft in April, prospects are picked apart piece by piece, especially quarterbacks.
As of now, the top two signal-callers on the board are 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (UNC).
Scouts believe these two are franchise-changing quarterbacks and you canāt go wrong with either.
While that may be true or not, thereās another quarterback whose rise to the projected first round draft board should have the attention of GMs all around the league.
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, who came into the season as a projected second-to-third round selection, has played his way into the first-round.
In fact, he was so good this past season that some pundits believe his rise could be similar to that of former LSU Tigers quarterback and 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.
Maybe, not No. 1 overall, but ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt MillerĀ has Daniels going to the Giants at No. 4 overall in Tuesdayās mock draft. The order was generated via standings projections via ESPNās Football Power Index.
Other NFL Insider Say Daniels Is First-Rounder
āBut did he play himself into the first round? Yes,” said Fox Sports NFL reporter Jay Glazer this week.
āWhere in the first round, I donāt know yet. Quarterbacks ā once teams do get to pick them apart ā they start to slide up more than down.ā
āThereās a lot to look at and love with Daniels, so I think you start to looking at it, yeah, I think youāre looking at top 10, top 15,ā Glazer added.
Thatās very plausible for Daniels, who showed marked improvement in areas that many scouts questioned after last season.
Daniels Showed Incredible Improvement In 2023
After transferring to LSU from Arizona State prior to the 2022 season, Daniels hit the road running under Tigers head coach Brian Kelly, whoās known for his offensive pedigree.
Danielsā work ethic is the first thing that stands out. How hard he works at LSU, and in the offseason when heās back at home in Southern California.
There Daniels works with renowned QB coach and guru Taylor Kelly. The two have a strong bond, and itās paid off for Daniels on the field.
Daniels continued to develop a consistent stroke for releasing the football. That was followed by footwork that married his throwing motion. Daniels, a perfectionist, took ownership of his flaws and attacked them full throttle.
Heās also continued to work on the off schedule throws that QBs need to be able to make in todayās game. The footwork adjustments also helped with accuracy and being more comfortable making tight window throws.Ā
It all seemed to come together in 2023 as Daniels went out and had 3,800 yards passing, 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Displaying his dual-threat ability, Daniels also rushed for 1,134 yards and ten more touchdowns.
For his efforts he took home the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Davey OāBrien Award, Walter Camp Award, AP College Football Player of the Year and many other accolades.
Daniels led all of FBS in total yards, total touchdowns, QBR and most 20-plus yard plays.Ā Now, an NFL team is going to get their franchise QB, one many doubted had what it takes to make it in the NFL.
The 2023 NFL regular season has four weeks left, and MVP race is wide open.
That doesnāt mean there arenāt front-runners, it just means no one has separated themselves from the pack enough.
Right now, Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Brock Purdy (Niners), Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) and Jared Goff (Lions) are the leading candidates along with Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, whoās attempting to become the first wide receiver ever to win the award.Ā
The MVP award typically goes to a quarterback.
In fact, since 2000, only four times has a non-QB won the coveted award.
Thatās not likely to be any different this year, but former 2015 MVP Cam Newton doesnāt believe any of the front-runners are more than āgame managersā at best.
Strong words from Newton, the former No. 1 overall pick who led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.Ā
Newton Is Qualified To Talk, But Heās Not Correct
During a recent episode of his ā4th and 1ā podcast, Newton praised QBs Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as being the true difference-makers for their teams. The former Heisman winner also took a bit of a parting shot at others saying ā¦.
āBrock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jared Goff. And, really Dak Prescott. These are game managers. Theyāre not difference makers. ā¦ If weāre really gonna call a spade a spade, a game manager, is different from a game changer,ā said Newton.
What Newton is saying in many ways could be attributed to many quarterbacks this season, where team defenses have routinely been better than offenses a lot of weeks. To call Purdy, whoās āMr. Irrelevant,ā a game manager isnāt really far off because of the talented roster surrounding him in San Francisco. The final pick of the 2022 NFL draft has shown he can be more than that with some of the plays heās made this season.
But as long as heās on that talented roster heāll never be considered anything more than what Newton believes he is. This despite being third in yardage, second in completion percentage, first in yards per attempt, tied for second in touchdowns and first in passer rating.
With Dak, itās a bit different because heās proved to be much more than a game manager, and it didnāt just happen this season, which statistically is shaping up to be the best of his career. Prescott has been on a tear as of late, with a league-best 23 touchdown passes in his last seven games. This season he has over 3,500 yards passing while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and a league-leading 28 touchdowns versus just six interceptions.
As for Tua and Goff, theyāre both solid QBs who do what the scheme of the offense calls for. Both play in run-heavy motion based attacks that feature quick decisions which also limit mistakes.
Was Newton A Game Manager At Times?
No one will ever question what Newton accomplished in his football career. From his 2010 Heisman and national championship winning season at Auburn to his MVP and Super Bowl appearance in the 2015 season, he was magnificent.
But there were times – especially as his career entered the twilight ā that Newton resembled a game manager in his own right.
While he was more successful than not, his career numbers in many ways scream game manager.Ā
In eleven seasons Newton passed for over 32,000 yards, 194 touchdowns and 123 interceptions. He also rushed for over 5,600 yards and 75 touchdowns.
No one will ever discredit Newtonās amazing dual-threat abilities, but he was not a game changer all the time himself. However, he did carry the team on his back for multiple seasons.
When you think New England Patriots the first names that come to mind are head coach Bill Belichick and former quarterback Tom Brady.
With Brady leaving via free agency following the 2019 season itās been all about Belichick, and despite a lone playoff appearance in 2021, it hasnāt been pretty.
That includes this season, where the Patriots are an AFC-worst 3-10. The 2022 season started with Belichick thinking it would be wide to enter the season without an offensive coordinator and ended with quarterback Mac Jones struggling to an 8-9 losing record. Ā
Per Patriots Insider Tom Curran, Belichickās run as Patriots head coach will come to an end at the conclusion of the season. Speaking on Monday, Curran had this to say about Belichickās future in Foxborough, Massachusetts, beyond this season.
āWhen they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision had been made,ā Curran said Monday on NBC Sports Bostonās āArbella Early Edition.ā āThey were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons.
With Brady at the helm Belichick boasts a glistening 249-75 record with nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins. Without the gameās greatest signal-caller, Belichick holds a losing career record (83-99), which includes his time as the Cleveland Browns coach from 1991-95.
Thatās what makes many believe Brady was the reason for Belichickās success, and while heās easily the biggest piece of that success, Belichickās greatness isnāt all about Tom Brady.
Ā
Hired in 2000 following a one-day stint as the coach of New York Jets, Belichick arrived in Foxborough hoping to build a consistent winner.
The former architect of the feared New York Giants defenses of the late 1980s and early ā90s that featured the great Lawrence Taylor, you knew Belichick would build a dominant defense in New England.
Thatās exactly what he did as the Patriots became one of the best defensive teams in the NFL yearly. Adding the aforementioned Brady to the mix just upped the ante, as the Patriots became a juggernaut capable of winning shootouts or 20-17 games.
It led to immense success that included the aforementioned six Lombardi Trophy wins, nine Super bowl appearances, 13 AFC Championship Game appearances and 17 AFC East division titles in 20 seasons.
During Belichickās reign five Pro Football Hall of Famers played for him, with two going in as Patriots, (Richard Seymour and Ty Law). Brady will make three when his five-year wait is up.
Many consider Belichick to be the greatest head coach ever, but those that donāt always will refer to āSpygateā and āDeflategate.ā
Both scandals involved the Patriots cheating. Spygate (2007) was them videotaping opposing teamās coaches from their sidelines during a game. The team was fined $250,000 and lost future draft picks.
Deflategate occurred in 2015, with Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, the team was fined $1 million and forfeited two picks in the 2016 NFL draft.
Those things have marred an otherwise stellar run in suburban Boston that likely wonāt be rivaled by any franchise in league history.
Moving on from Belichick means the franchise gets a complete reset. With Brady and now BB gone, team owner Bob Kraft and family can find a young replacement to take the reins.
Itās also imperative that they find a real GM, because having Belichick in both roles has never really borne much fruit.
Thatās what Brady did, he masked a lot of deficiencies within the team brought on by bad picks and questionable free agency moves at times.
Some pundits believe if Belichick is willing to just coach Kraft would keep him, but itās time for a complete break and allow the Patriots to begin their rebuild in earnest.
As for Belichick, he may end up on another sideline but as the leagueās second-oldest coach (71) only Seattleās Pete Carroll (72) is older. Maybe itās time to hang up the headset and do something else.
Shaq is a unicorn when it comes to former athletes and their personalities.
Not only was he one of the most dominant superstars ever to pick up a basketball, but he is arguably the funniest, and his reputation as a ground-breaking entrepreneur is renowned as he approaches a net worth of $1 billion.
Still, when you think of Shaq, the first thing that comes to mind is rim-rocking dunks, championships and his many nicknames. Believe it or not, sometimes people forget just how savvy a businessman he is and he’s not afraid to compete with the old money giant brands.
“Finger Lickin’ Good” is KFC’s slogan, one of the most notable fast food brands in America, but Shaq’s chicken chain “Big Chicken” might have something to say about that when it’s all said and done.
Shaq’s chicken restaurant is not a globally recognizable food place yet, but he has over 300 spots either opened or in development, and with his larger-than-life personality behind what seems to be a great product there’s no reason that it doesn’t grow exponentially.
But most recently, Shaq’s restaurant has multiple spots coming to a new state, and according to Boston 25 News, Massachusetts will be the recipient of six new Big Chicken restaurants.
Big Chicken signed an agreement with Restaurant Brands International (QSR), and in this agreement the six new locations will be strategically placed in Boston, Cape Cod, the Metro West, and the North Shore regions of the Massachusetts Bay.
āWith a deep-rooted history in Boston and its restaurant scene, we are thrilled to venture into the exciting world of Big Chicken,ā Barry Lattuca of QSR said. āWhen we went for the discovery day, we knew it was the right fit because we truly love the product and the passion behind it. For us, itās not just about the celebrity connection; itās about the food. We canāt wait to expand the brandās presence along the coast of Boston.ā
Big Chicken is unique in the fact that it has a lot of Shaq’s favorite homestyle recipes for chicken and other dishes.
It’s described as telling “a story all the while offering guests an inside look into the life and personality of Shaquille OāNeal,ā according to Big Chicken’s website.
Big Chicken has locations all over the U.S. already, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, Illinois, and Ohio, as well as in New Yorkās UBS Arena, The Comcast Center in Philadelphia, The Moody Center in Austin, and other sites, according to Boston 25 News.
Now, with some locations coming to Massachusetts, Shaq is expanding his business empire even more. It’s also worth noting that Shaq did play for the Boston Celtics briefly in 2010. So, in a way he’s giving back to one of many communities he touched during his time on the NBA court.
Draymond Green is a whole eighties renaissance in the NBA. The old NBA was one where physicality was part of the game, and teams like the Detroit Pistons with Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman ran the gamut on bully basketball. However, in today’s NBA, there is only one main bully: Draymond Green, and he won’t stop his Bogart ways anytime soon.
However, the NBA chin checked Green back, suspending him indefinitely on Wednesday “for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf NurkiÄ in the face,” according to league executive vice president/head of basketball operations Joe Dumars. “This outcome takes into account Greenās repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts. He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, Green was ejected from the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns for slapping Jusuf Nurkic in the face. Green was ejected after receiving a flagrant foul two with 8:23 left in the third quarter after defending Nurkic and fighting for positioning. Initially, Green had his back turned to Nurkic until he swirled around while waving his hands and hit Nurkic in the head.
The ejection is his third of the season, but it comes after he just returned to the court after a five-game suspension. Now he is waiting for a league review, which could yield the possibility of another suspension.
Green is relatively indignant about the latest infraction and attempted to explain a basketball strategy that went left.
“I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said postgame. “I sell calls with my arms, so I was selling the call and I swung, and unfortunately, I hit him.”
For Nurkic, the hit indicated a deeper issue with Draymond Green.
What’s going on with him? I don’t know,” Nurkic said postgame. “Personally, I feel like that brother needed help. I’m glad he not try to choke me. At the same time, it ain’t nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball. He’s out there swinging. I think we saw that often. I hope whatever he’s got in his life, it gets better.”
Under the lens of stereotypes, Nurkic’s comments veer toward the angry Black man trope. Green has no visible issues in life as a four-time NBA world champion and married father. He is certainly territorial on the basketball court and acts as the beating heart of a team that is this generation’s version of the Chicago Bulls.
What is more likely is that Green is a throwback ball player who understands that the NBA is at another level and that players like Dennis Rodman or Rasheed Wallace and more understand they would have casualties in playing their version of the bully ball.
“We need him,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “We need Draymond. He knows that. We’ve talked to him. He’s got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates. It seems like every game our bench has to come in and rescue the game. Our starting group hasn’t been able to put it together. That’s why we are treading water.”
The Warriors lost 119-116 to the Suns without Green and other key players on the court. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins were benched for their bad play, and Steph Curry was left to put the team on his back. Thompson scored seven points on 2-of-10 shooting, going 1-of-8 from 3-point land in 27 minutes. Wiggins additionally scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes.
This marks the sixth time Green has been suspended with four of the suspensions in the past nine months. Green’s now tied for the most ejections he has had in a season with three, with his worst one coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 14 when he put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. The NBA looks at Green’s history as a repeat offender, but can he be effective without being physical?
Probably not, but Draymond Green is from a sad, bully-ball NBA era that will never return.
Former NFL star Malcolm Jenkins led one of the most influential lives on the field, and the two-time Super Bowl champion is bringing that same mentality to the business world.
More specifically, Jenkins is building a very large business portfolio with the different ventures that he has either started on his own, or invested in.
The former head of the NFL Players Coalition, has invested in plenty of businesses ranging from style and accessory business, to tech business. But now Jenkins is jumping into the fast food industry, and he’s looking to take the industry over.
According to WHYY News, a local Philadelphia media outlet, the former Philadelphia Eagles safety is joining in on the fast food business. His growing knack for entrepreneurial gains influenced his decision to hang his jersey up while he still had all of his marbles.
He has already proved his commitment to social issues as one of the most vocal supporters of Colin Kaepernick. At the same time, he was credited with brokering the $90M social justice deal between the Players Coalition and owners.
āI felt confident in my ability to survive and my own acumen, so thatās a blessing,ā Jenkins said. āMost people donāt get to step away from the game. Their contract ends or the team tells you youāre not good enough anymore or you get injured.ā
Along with promoting his new book “What Winners Won’t Tell You,ā he is promoting Disrupt Foods, his newest fast food business.
According to Jenkins, Disrupt Foods is a multi-chain restaurant developer, and he’s utilizing it to help build minority ownership, and to help them integrate themselves into this industry, and help them build their fast food businesses as a community.
āIt makes no sense for every guy in the [NFL] league who wants to get into franchising to find an operator, go buy their own store, do all of those things when most people just want the exposure in their portfolio,ā he said. āLike, Iām not making any pizzas. But Iāve got a team around me that can execute these things.ā
Disrupt Foods is mainly centered around 20 Papa Johns, and Wing Stops.
Jenkins means business and his goal is to ultimately become the nation’s largest Black fast-food franchisee.
Jenkinsā other business ventures include investments in Damari, a fashion business and E&R real estate, a developer with projects in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia.
He also runs a documentary company called “Listen Up Media”.
Even though Jenkins is a trailblazer in the industry, and he’s trying to strengthen and empower minority businesses and communities, he’s done well for himself and doesn’t plan to start any more businesses anytime soon.
āI donāt want to start anything [else], Iām tired,ā he said. āItās more about investing. Weāre looking for opportunities for companies that are growing. The cornerstone of our business is franchising.ā
But because Jenkins is all about giving back, it’s only a matter of time before he’s initiating a new project to enhance the communities that have shaped his life.
John McEnroe was known as a hothead in tennis, arguing with the chair umpire frequently. A viral video shows the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion getting into a passionate exchange with rap star Travis Scott over the collaboration between McEnroe’s Mac Attack and Scott’s Cactus Jack sneakers.
At the core of the disagreement is whether the new collaborative shoe should be called the Cactus Mac or remain the Cactus Jack. For Scott, it is reminiscent of a burger menu item at the Golden Arches, and that is a fair point.
According to Complex, the Nike Mac Attack was originally produced for McEnroe in 1984 and returned in June as a retro release rebranded as The Attack for the first time. Scott was seen wearing sneakers in March 2021, and then last May, he performed with a pair of sneakers replete with his signature reverse swoosh design that adorns his Cactus Jack sneakers.
In the video, an irritated McEnroe stressed that he wanted to modify the name of the collaborative sneaker to Cactus Mac, and there must have been some pushback from Scott that he was reacting to.
“Godd-mn it Travis, Jenny’s right, OK, let’s have a bit of a compromise here” McEnroe shouted. “Her suggestion is to do a Cactus Mac thing for this one shoe instead of a Cactus Jack; OK, isn’t that what she said?”
However, Travis felt that the wordplay was new and, in his words, “feels off.”
“Somebody’s out here has got to correct me if i’m wrong. This is my first time hearing this; Cactus Mac was never a thing.”
McEnroe interjected in defense of his shoe, “Come on, man, show a little respect! This is my shoe!”
However, Scott was unmoved.
“I’m not really like feeling it. Something about it just feels off. It sounds like a burger or something. I’m not trying to take nothing away from you, I’m not trying to disrespect, I’m not trying to do nothing like that. Trust me, I know more knowledge about the shoe than anybody, but right now the young is probably whatās pushing the needle on what’s going on right now. You’ve just got to trust me on this, bro.”
Then the conversation goes off the rails as John attempts to show Travis some “old photos” to prove his point and unloads on Travis with more “godd-mn” language and, in a rage, storms off the Zoom.
The beef was still simmering the following morning as McEnroe was approached in the street and said, “I was wearing these things in the ’80sā¦before [Travis] was born,” McEncore said to fashion documentarian @thepeoplegallery_. In addition, McEnroe wore the Travis Scott x Attack collab with the heel of the shoe’s branding, with a crossed-out “Jack” and replaced it with “Mac.” McEnroe was also seen wearing a T-shirt with the same reworked logo.
The beef sizzled when Travis Scott was seen in a video spraying graffiti on a plaque dedicated to McEnroe. He spray-painted his signature Cactus Jack face in orange on the plate.
Whether this is a clever marketing plan to drum interest in the collab using McEnroe’s infamous childish tantrum style to spark controversy, still, whatever is happening, the sneaker gods are at war within the culture.
The Arena Group, the parent company that owns Sports Illustrated, fired its CEO Ross Levinsohn on Monday, according to reports. The axing of the top boss comes just a couple weeks after a scandal at Sports Illustrated involving content generated by artificial intelligence was uncovered. Manoj Bhargava, the founder of 5-Hour Energy, who owns a majority stake in The Arena Group was named interim CEO. What is to become of the once legendary sports publication?
“All of the media brands, including Sports Illustrated, will continue to operate with the management of those verticals, while the company just takes a broad view of operations and how to improve the business overall,” Bhargava’s spokesperson Vince Bodiford told CNN.
The Arena Group owns a variety of publications in the sports, business and lifestyle verticals. But the business model that proved successful for mainly print publications has not proved sustainable in the digital age and the entire journalism field is undergoing a massive change.
These publications are all run like businesses and in their current form they are not profitable and the future is unclear, so companies like The Arena Group are hoping to make innovations and bets on the future with the hope they’re right and turn these failing businesses back into profit centers.
Unfortunately, the innovations and bets made by a company like The Arena Group will likely not do anything to improve content.
The Arena Group is owned by Simplify Inventions, a venture capital company. The goal of a VC company is simple, generate return on investments to its limited partners.
Bhargava is not a content creator, he is a businessman. That’s not to say that only a content creator can run a publication. But his focus is the bottom line. He doesn’t view Sports Illustrated’s audience as anything more than a segment of potential buyers of products for advertisers. That probably governs his decisions about what to do vis-Ć -vis the publication.
The world is changing. How we consume sports and sports content is changing. So sports and the media companies that cover sports have to change as well. Human beings don’t like change, despite the fact that it is the only constant in life.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Sports Illustrated and sports media as a whole. But it will certainly look much different than it does today, as it looks different today from 20 years ago.
