MARLBORO, NY – col·lu·sion //k??lo?oZH?n/ (noun); secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.
This word seems to be permeating the sports scene as of late and more specifically the NFL and MLB. Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers received and accepted a settlement offer for their being blackballed for their protest against racial inequality and social injustice by kneeling for the National Anthem. While I agree with the viewpoint, I can’t as a card-carrying member of a patriotic organization approve of disrespecting America’s anthem or flag. There are better ways of proving a point – but that’s just my opinion so we’ll agree to disagree here.
One thing is for certain, when you have the likes of Blaine Gabbert and Derek Anderson among other stiffs still floating around on NFL rosters as backup quarterbacks, it’s easy to understand Kaepernick’s frustration and lawsuit. The former starting signal-caller went to a Super Bowl and is as worthy as at the very least an NFL understudy. When a conglomerate such as the NFL is settling a lawsuit you’ve always got to think they know they’re guilty or have no chance at winning the grievance. When you have the likes of a Kareem Hunt getting a second chance after slugging a woman in Cleveland, how in the world does the NFL have a leg to stand on when it comes to a political stance on what’s wrong with our social climate? I know it’s like comparing apples and oranges but you see my point in the chasm between the two issues. As the NFL goes, it’s unusual for me to be sympathetic to their business practices; they’re a money-grabbing entity and I hope Kaepernick and Reid got hefty money.
Meanwhile in Major League Baseball, two of the arguably top ten players in the spor, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, still remain unsigned free agents at the opening of pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training.
It’s way too late for players of this caliber to be without a team. Sure, agents have helped salaries skyrocket in setting the market, but there’s always an owner willing to pay the asking price. Every once in a while the “c” word is thrown around when owners unite in abstinence of exorbitant contract demands. This is surely happening with Machado and Harper. I don’t have knowledge if there’s a collusion clause in MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (there is one in the NFL) and as a business practice this is something the Player’s Union might want to consider in flipping the switch on another player’s strike. This one bares watching as Manny and Bryce are way too talented to be sitting in foul territory.
Leave your comments below and come back tomorrow for somebody who loves being in foul territory, Buddy Diaz.
