College Football is all in a tizzy right now over LSU football and its head coach Lane Kiffin. The conventional description of the issue goes like this. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is out of control! He’s trying to open up a pathway for NFL players to play in college. He’s singlehandedly ruining the sport by adding former pros to his team. If that is what you’ve heard, you have unfortunately heard wrong. This kind of inane analysis is all over the place right now, including on the ESPN program “First Take” this morning (see video below). After watching “First Take,” I can hardly believe how much people are blinded…
-
-
Are there male boxers fighting in the women’s division at the Olympics?
Perhaps you saw the news about an Italian boxer name Angela Carini, who threw in the towel after 46 seconds in the ring with Algeria’s Imane Khelif at the Olympics. Carini said that she had never been hit so hard by another boxer and that she had to stop the fight. Olympic hopes dashed, she fell to her knees after the forfeit weeping and crying out that it’s not fair. Why wasn’t it fair? As clips from the fight began flooding social media feeds, many viewers concluded that Carini’s opponent was a man identifying as a woman (i.e., transgender). Riley Gaines tweeted, “This is glorified male violence against women.” J.…
-
Loving and Loathing Nick Saban: An LSU Fan’s Tribute
It’s easy to love or loathe a “GOAT.” It all depends on which side of the greatness that you sit on. No one pulled harder than me for Karl “the Mailman” Malone and the Utah Jazz when they made their title runs in the late 90’s. The Mailman was a graduate of my alma mater, and his Louisiana fandom were all-in on his quest for a championship ring. There was only one problem. Our quest led us to the foot of the NBA Mount Everest, also known as the Chicago Bulls. The Jazz found themselves at the foot of this mountain in both the ’97 and ’98 finals, and the…
-
Thank You, Coach O.
Tonight LSU’s head football Coach Ed Orgeron released a statement announcing his parting of ways with LSU. As usual, he’s as honest as the day is long about why he must leave. He just didn’t win enough games over the last two seasons. He writes: A Letter from Ed Orgeron pic.twitter.com/eDzbLgBb5V — LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 17, 2021 Coach Orgeron and LSU athletic director also held a press conference to announce the news. Don’t be surprised if you sense a certain ambivalence from LSU fans about Coach Orgeron’s departure. The ambivalence is real because two things are true at the same time. It’s the right decision, and it’s a really…
-
Third and Seventeen to the Championship
Earlier this evening, the LSU Tigers defeated Clemson for the college football national championship. If you want to understand this season, then you have to go all the way back to the beginning. I knew that something was different from the first game, but the signature moment of the season happened in the second game which was against the Texas Longhorns. LSU’s offense dominated that game, but Texas was somehow able to keep the score close into the fourth quarter.
-
My Super Bowl Prediction for the 2019 NFL Season
I’m more of a college fan than a NFL fan. In fact, I’m really hoping LSU has a good season this year. We’ll see. They’ve been so inconsistent in the past. Having said that, I’m gonna go ahead and make my Super Bowl prediction. I think San Francisco will be the team out of the NFC, and this is Kansas City’s year out of the AFC. In a thriller, Kansas City will take this one. Kansas City – 31 San Francisco – 20 After the game in February, click the link above to see if I got it right. Geaux, Tigers!
-
The Incredible Adoption Story of Deland McCullough
Stop whatever you are doing, and watch this video. Do not pass go. Do not collect two-hundred dollars. Go straight to watching this incredible story. I just finished it, and I am still reeling. Seriously, watch every bit of this. ————— NOTE: The quality of the YouTube video above isn’t that great. If you are a cable subscriber, you should be able to view a higher quality stream at the following link: “Deland McCullough.” You can read ESPN’s companion story here.
-
Remembering Billy Cannon
The @HeismanTrophy Trust remembered Billy Cannon on Saturday night during the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/Ta8rEJQmIZ — LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 10, 2018
-
How CTE may be affecting decline in NFL viewership
Clay Travis reports that TV networks are set to lose about $500 million dollars due to ratings decline in their NFL coverage. NFL viewership is down about 20% from two years ago. Many observers are blaming the decline entirely on the protests. Other observers say that the protests are just one piece of a larger picture. Travis argues that there are four reasons for the decline: (1) kick-off times no longer concentrated on Sundays, (2) poor quarterback play, (3) the addition of two teams to Los Angeles, and (4) the protests. I highlight Travis’s article not because I wish to weigh-in on the debate about the decline in NFL viewership.…
-
LSU and Alabama alums in the NFL can’t let go of their college gear
LSU and Alabama are playing tonight. Can the Tigers pull out the win? Well, my head says “no,” but my heart says… well, it says “no” too. I hope I’m wrong, but the analyst in me doesn’t see a way forward in this one. So with that bleak assessment, we can move on to peripheral things. A couple of former players for LSU and Alabama are now teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals–Brandon LaFell and AJ McCarron. And it turns out that they are both still wearing their pads from college. Underneath that sad Cincinnati orange, LaFell is sporting Purple and Gold, and McCarron red and black. Why? They claim they…
