23"
24"
26"?!?!
Jordans. Nike. Under Armor. NFL Jerseys. Candy Apple Flake Metallic Custom Paint Jobs.
Ah yes, the sound of money. Yup. Money.
Too often in today's sports media, and it's legions of 45 year plus year olds and country club lifestyle types, far too few understand today's "money" when it comes to eighteen to twenty four year olds from varying backgrounds. When the next scandal involving a player, big or small erupts, cash is always what they're looking for. If the cash don't fit, they must acquit. Right?
Well, wait just a damn minute...
During the latest sports debacle involving Mr. College Football Everything, Johnny Manziel, Heisman winning QB for the Texas A&M Aggies, sports writer after sports writer have been tripping over each other making the point of whether or not Johnny Football took cash for his signatures. Is it THAT simple? Cash, or no cash? Really?
In today's day and age of paper trails and investigative skills, why on earth would some college players looking for handouts, demand cash? I mean, where are they going to put these large wads of Chicago knots? In a shoe box? In a closet back at home? Swiss Bank Accounts? Most kids that are talented enough to EARN the money in a few years or so anyway, don't give a damn about getting cash all the time directly. Help mom and pops? Sure, if you can find a way to be squeaky clean.
I'm not saying that some don't want "straight cash, homie", but what about OTHER things...
When kids that have gone forever with nothing are offered rides, rims, suits, paint jobs.... status... what is so hard to understand that cash isn't always going to be the first item up for bid, when it comes to the star heavy elite looking for a place to flash their talents for several years.
I do NOT know what Johnny Manziel drives. His parents have been independently verified of their wealth a dozen times over, and so questioning his material possessions is probably a shallow pool to dive in.
However, when a dozen or so kids, coming from verified poverty are driving current model year vehicles decked out in the nicest rims, paint jobs and always filled with gas... I'm talking the $100+ fill ups necessary to drive some of the most gas hungry luxury SUV's on the road today... Is it not worth asking... How? Why? If there's tickets? Who, or how are THOSE paid??
I've heard all the rebuttals... Pell Grants... Rich family... Rich Uncle... Money that isn't needed now for school, due to a scholarship... Really? I've seen what Pell Grant money will buy, and it sure as hell isn't a 2011 GMC Yukon in the current model year. It isn't enough to buy 22 inch rims to go on them. It is seriously short of adding a custom paint job. Rich Uncle? Maybe, but how many rich uncles are we talking here? 5? 10? Must be a bunch of them, cause there are a lot of late model hot rods on college campuses today. ...and lastly about that scholarship money. Buy a house? Invest it? If you actually HAVE that much? If that many kids are blowing that type of money on cars, their counselors ought to be shown the door, or investigated themselves. God help them when the REAL money comes in a few years down the road if successful.
Bottom line here? Quit pretending this is all about paper money. It's about the cash in the form of gifts, materials and status. It's a new game out there, and the people in charge of figuring it out are still chasing a dog, iron and little mustached man in a top hat past the Go square...
Just an opinion...
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Quick Opinion: What Is A Rival Fan?
A few weeks ago, when the Dee Liner cash photos cropped up, Kevin Scarbinsky threw out a quick piece basically explaining that he didn't care about the Liner photo. His reasoning? Rival fans being rival fans. Fair? Unfair? It's an interesting reason to not look into it I guess, but forgive me for a second while I ask a simple question in response.
What IS a rival fan?
In this case, clearly Scarbs is saying Auburn fans are to blame for this latest social fumble in the Alabama football team's now increasingly ridiculous collection of social fumbles.
Yes, it's was Auburn fans that made Dee Liner, for weeks, tout his new found fortunes. It was those silly Aubs that forced Dee into that Burger King (THAT is just rumor...full disclosure here, y'all.) bathroom to flash his fan of cold hard cash. Right? Auburn fans, those meddling kids...and their dog too, forced T-Town Tom to take hundreds of pictures of himself with Bama players with shirts on/off, signing autographs, eating out together, handing expensive autograph pictures to customers, selling jerseys... Oh you know... All those things Auburn fans FORCE these guys to do...
Scarbinsky was quick to point out that a quick search of google, he found several Auburn players that had taken similar pics with cash. So true. However, none had gone out of their way, as Liner had, to ensure people knew his status as a Bama football player was behind his new fortunes, and of course, that the #StruggleOverWit.
Actually in a time over the last three years, when seemingly a message board post claiming an allegation against Auburn could instantly swing the national media into a frenzy, countless photos of boosters, piles of autographed jerseys at a booster's business, etc.. etc... etc..... went ignored. In a time were Auburn could bring a questionable transcript to a school's attention, suspend the player, dismiss him, and STILL be looked upon as an obvious culprit, nothing could EVER be going on unnoticed at Alabama. No, the most flimsy of stories have been asked about Auburn, yet NOTHING gets asked in relation to the ridiculousness seen in pictures emanating from T-Town Menswear, and other questionable locationZ.
So, again, it's the rival fans fault. Alabama and the amazing Two Hour Investigative Team of Tuscaloosa says that all is well at Alabama. So, Alabama said so. Alabama to the state media? It's the internet. If it came from Alabama saying "it's all cool, we checked it out, bro"? State media swoons, and writes the next great Saban love poem.
In the end, there is no direct accusation here. I do NOT know if there have been any wrong doings at T-Town Menswear. I don't know how, or under WHAT spectacular financing exists that allow full time student athletes to buy current model year GMC Yukons, tricked out in the finest of rims and accessories.... BUT... I also know the reason I DO NOT know, is because a full, REAL asking of all these questions, complete with FULL, REAL answers does not exist.
Why is it EVERY SINGLE TIME, these social fumbles happen on Twitter, Facebook and other places, ALL the pictures and questionable material is scrubbed from view. If so completely innocent, why does it always seem a call to "The Wolf" has been made, and "Monster Joe's Truck & Tow" has picked up another junker to smash?
If you think about it, the answer to "what is a rival fan", is simple. It's just about anyone that gives a damn about sports, a team, or the integrity of the game OUTSIDE your own program.
What IS a rival fan?
In this case, clearly Scarbs is saying Auburn fans are to blame for this latest social fumble in the Alabama football team's now increasingly ridiculous collection of social fumbles.
Yes, it's was Auburn fans that made Dee Liner, for weeks, tout his new found fortunes. It was those silly Aubs that forced Dee into that Burger King (THAT is just rumor...full disclosure here, y'all.) bathroom to flash his fan of cold hard cash. Right? Auburn fans, those meddling kids...and their dog too, forced T-Town Tom to take hundreds of pictures of himself with Bama players with shirts on/off, signing autographs, eating out together, handing expensive autograph pictures to customers, selling jerseys... Oh you know... All those things Auburn fans FORCE these guys to do...
Scarbinsky was quick to point out that a quick search of google, he found several Auburn players that had taken similar pics with cash. So true. However, none had gone out of their way, as Liner had, to ensure people knew his status as a Bama football player was behind his new fortunes, and of course, that the #StruggleOverWit.
Actually in a time over the last three years, when seemingly a message board post claiming an allegation against Auburn could instantly swing the national media into a frenzy, countless photos of boosters, piles of autographed jerseys at a booster's business, etc.. etc... etc..... went ignored. In a time were Auburn could bring a questionable transcript to a school's attention, suspend the player, dismiss him, and STILL be looked upon as an obvious culprit, nothing could EVER be going on unnoticed at Alabama. No, the most flimsy of stories have been asked about Auburn, yet NOTHING gets asked in relation to the ridiculousness seen in pictures emanating from T-Town Menswear, and other questionable locationZ.
So, again, it's the rival fans fault. Alabama and the amazing Two Hour Investigative Team of Tuscaloosa says that all is well at Alabama. So, Alabama said so. Alabama to the state media? It's the internet. If it came from Alabama saying "it's all cool, we checked it out, bro"? State media swoons, and writes the next great Saban love poem.
In the end, there is no direct accusation here. I do NOT know if there have been any wrong doings at T-Town Menswear. I don't know how, or under WHAT spectacular financing exists that allow full time student athletes to buy current model year GMC Yukons, tricked out in the finest of rims and accessories.... BUT... I also know the reason I DO NOT know, is because a full, REAL asking of all these questions, complete with FULL, REAL answers does not exist.
Why is it EVERY SINGLE TIME, these social fumbles happen on Twitter, Facebook and other places, ALL the pictures and questionable material is scrubbed from view. If so completely innocent, why does it always seem a call to "The Wolf" has been made, and "Monster Joe's Truck & Tow" has picked up another junker to smash?
If you think about it, the answer to "what is a rival fan", is simple. It's just about anyone that gives a damn about sports, a team, or the integrity of the game OUTSIDE your own program.
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