EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday and Happy 4th of July Weekend. I fully enjoy the extra day off when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. I just hate leaving the house to go to a cookout – but its a tradition, so you go. It was late when I realized I still had to bang out an article. So voila, here are the topics for today’s piece… Sha’Carri Richardson, NCAA N.I.L. Ruling, Brentford FC Sabermetrics.
Sha’Carri Richardson
So after my great words and the touching video, Sha’Carri Richardson‘s star came crashing back to earth. I know Cheesy Bruin touched on her suspension but let me go more in-depth. Apparently, she tested with too high an amount of marijuana in her system. This wasn’t a situational, I-was-around-smokers-but didn’t-smoke thing. They changed the testing and the threshold after the first time it happened with a snowboarder. She says her use was a result of trying to cope with the loss of her mother… This isn’t a USA Track & Field decision, this is a WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) rule. Even if they give Richardson a one-month suspension retroactive to the date of using the drug, that would still not make her able to participate, as USA Track and Field says you can’t qualify unless your Olympic trial time counts. Her time can’t because her suspension disqualifies her time. The thing that bothers me the most is if she had popped a bunch of Xanax or some other anti-depressant, it wouldn’t be a problem. I just can’t see how that is right. I will never forget Ricky Williams pointing out how as a pro athlete, they pump you full of painkillers to get you back out there to perform but you take a non-addictive, all natural substitute for man-made product with a by-product of possible addiction and some how you are in the wrong. It sounds like the medical industry is very much involved in funding WADA. The fact that she is smoking the comp while smoking joints is a testament to how badass she is.
NCAA N.I.L Ruling
The Supreme Court of The United States (SCOTUS) threw the book at the NCAA. They told the NCAA that you are the only industry the claims to be amateur, makes money of these amateur athletes then when pay the athletes demand payment, you claim, we can’t pay because their amateur. As a result, the NCAA now has to pay athletes for use of their Name, Image and Likeness (N.I.L.). This means no more college football or basketball games with players numbers or different number but all the same abilities and build. It is a game-changer and now the players will get paid when they are done with college or leave that university. Considering all the great college players and teams from back in the day (Bo Jackson, the Fab Five, Ricky Williams) this is very late but it is great it came because playing in college, even if one or two years is still best way to the pros so this deal gives the kid some money for his time and more tattoos.
Brentford FC Sabermetrics
We know Sabermetrics is a baseball term but there is a football (soccer) club in England that won promotion to the Premier League who are completely based off it. They find guys in the 3rd or 4th division in Europe or England, and using their style of play they turn the guys into stars then sell them for more money to do it again. They’ll buy a player for 150K and sell him for 10 million. Team execs pour through the numbers and film and determine which players still will be successful, with how they do things. Then they go get him. They picked up a 4th division English striker scored 15 goals and turned him into the leading scorer of the Championship (division under the Premier League) with 34 goals and the key component in their finally winning promotion. They are owned by statistician who went to his first Brentford game at age 11 and became an instant fan and grew up to buy the club. The whole story is in this is the link and worth a read.
Thanks for reading, comment below and come back tomorrow for Ben Whitney.
