Front Five: The top stories that shaped both sports & politics this week
"We want our flag respected, and we want our national anthem respected also." - Donald Trump at a rally in Nashville, Tennessee
On Monday, Donald Trump attended the College Football Playoff National Championship matchup between Alabama and Georgia held in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Trump isn't the first president to attend a college bowl game. Then again, there hasn't been a president where just about everything he does is potential cause for controversy.
To Trump's credit, Monday was a cakewalk compared what has happened since. As of this writing, the White House is dealing with the fallout of the president calling African nations and Haiti as "shitholes" during a meeting with congressional leaders. By comparison, that Trump was greeted at college football's biggest game with a mixture of boos and cheers now feels like an afterthought. So does the fact that Trump, after repeated demands that NFL players be respectful of the national anthem, seems to have forgotten the words to it.
Yes, there were protesters – some even projected anti-Trump messages on to the facade of Mercedes-Benz Stadium – but nothing out of the ordinary transpired. As per the athletes themselves, Alabama's Bo Scarbrough reportedly yelled "Fuck Trump!" in the tunnel, but later claimed that people misheard him, and that his expletive was meant for Georgia. Not even Kendrick Lamar, who performed during halftime just outside of the stadium and who has never shied away from speaking his mind, said anything. Many observers were certain that the greatest rapper in the game would use his nationally broadcasted platform to take aim at Trump. Nope.
Instead, the biggest story to come out of an event that involved Trump was Alabama's historic and stunning comeback victory. For once, the country collectively chose to stick to sports.
- Fidel Martinez
"I fear Erdogan's hit squads will carry on until every intimidated person shuts up. This seriously menacing situation must not be played down any longer." - Deniz Naki on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Deniz Naki, a German soccer player, survived an attempt on his life because of what he believes are his political views. Much like the NBA’s Enes Kanter, Naki has come under fire by the Turkish government for criticizing president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on social media.
Naki came under attack while driving and was forced onto the shoulder while bullets pierced his car. “One bullet hit my car in the middle of the window, the other landed near a tire. Luckily, I wasn’t hit,” said Naki. “I was afraid for my life.”
A judge in Turkey gave Naki an 18-month jail sentence for “spreading terrorist propaganda. Even with the sentence, reports have surfaced that Naki either believes that the attack came from the Turkish government or “an ultra-nationalist Turkish group.”
This isn’t the first time Naki has come under attack. In 2014, after a move to Genclerbirligi, Turkey, he was punched in the face while the attacker asked “Are you that dirty Kurd,” a reference to his Turkish-Kurdish ethnicity.
Right now Naki is in a safe house while the German police investigate the attempted murder.
- Phillip Barnett
“As soon as we learned of the reports, we formally requested that the NFL thoroughly investigate the matter to conclusively determine whether the Rooney Rule was violated – and if it was violated, to impose an appropriate punishment.” - The Fritz Pollard Alliance on the Raiders hiring process
During a Tuesday press conference announcing the hiring of new head coach Jon Gruden, Raiders owner Mark Davis revealed that he believed that Gruden was “all in” on coaching his former team, a week before they let go of then incumbent head coach Jack Del Rio.
If Davis and Gruden did in fact come to some sort of gentlemen’s agreement before Del Rio’s firing, then the team is indeed in violation of the Rooney Rule, which requires franchises to interview at least one minority candidate for all head coaching and front office positions.
What makes the Raiders situation more glaring is that Davis also said that he was willing to work with Del Rio on finding new coordinators if Gruden wasn’t available – meaning all minority interviews were essentially meaningless.
"I believe that I would've sat down with Jack and we would've figured out coordinators and assistant coaches and things like that and try to figure out how to reinvigorate the franchise through Jack," said Davis during the press conference.
After learning about Davis’ intention to hire Gruden, the Fritz Pollard Alliance asked the NFL to investigate the Raiders. Cyrus Mehri and N. Jeremi Duru, attorneys for the alliance wrote a statement about the potential rule violation.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that the Oakland Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, came to an agreement with Jon Gruden about him becoming the Raiders’ next head coach before interviewing any candidates of color,” the statement read. If so, the Club violated the Rooney Rule, which was instituted by the NFL in 2003 and requires teams to interview at least one candidate of color for open head coaching and general manager positions.
The Raiders insist that they have not violated the rule. Reggie McKenzie, Oakland’s general manager, said the team interviewed Bobby Johnson, the team’s tight ends coach and Tee Martin, the quarterbacks coach at the University of Southern California.
If Davis’ timeline is accurate, the Johnson and Martin interviews were mere formalities that might be within the letter of the law, but are completely separated from the spirit of the rule.
- Phillip Barnett
"We're going to try to make good decisions. We're going to do whatever we need to do to win — to have the best people and the most resources. There's really not a budget for that, it's just whatever it takes." - Tom Dundon, new majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes
On Thursday afternoon, billionaire Tom Dundon paid "north of $500 million" to become the new majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. The National Hockey League confirmed the news Friday morning via a press release, adding that Peter Karmanos would retain a minority stake in the team.
"Tom Dundon sees the potential in the Hurricanes and in Raleigh," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman at an event presenting the new owner. "Tom represents a bright and secure future for the team, here – let there be no doubt about this – here in North Carolina."
Dundon made his fortune in subprime auto-loan financing and his investment in Top Golf driving ranges. According to Forbes, he also invested in Carvana, a publicly traded online used car dealer founded by a convicted felon, Ernest Garcia II, who was tied to the Charles Keating savings and loans scandal of the early 1990s.
From the looks of it, it doesn't appear that Dundon is interested in relocating the team, stating that his first priority as new team owner was to improve the fan experience at PNC Arena. Dundon's purchase of the team also all but shuts down the possibility of the Hurricanes picking up and moving to Seattle. Although city officials approved a deal that would clear an NBA and/or an NHL to move there, the city already has an ownership group interested in an expansion team and not a club to transferred from another city.
And what kind of owner will Dundon be? It's unclear, but don't be surprised if he takes some pages out of the playbook of another Texas billionaire pro sports team owner.
"I spent a lot of time talking to [Mark] Cuban," Dundon told the Dallas Morning News. "I think he's really intelligent, really passionate and obviously experienced. So he's been a big help."
- Fidel Martinez
“Both sides will cooperate so that it is an opportunity to enhance the pride of the Korean people.” - Joint statement released by Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea
North Korea is officially sending a delegation south of the border to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, and late on Friday it was announced North Korea and South Korea have discussed fielding a joint women’s hockey team. While this is potentially good news to help reignite peace between the two countries, history suggests that dialog between the countries could be short lived.
North Korea boycotted both the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, both held in Seoul, South Korea. Since then, the countries have competed on a unified front and have walked together in opening and closing ceremonies, but have not done so since the 2007 Asian Winter Games.
For the 2018 Olympic Games, the South Korean vice minister of unification, suggested the two countries go back to marching together. “We told them that both sides should cooperate, based on mutual respect, and end any acts of raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” said Chun. “We also called for the resumption of dialogue on denuclearization and peace-building.” The North’s response was not immediately available. The negotiations continued in the afternoon.
Even if these suggestions are met with open arms from the north, Kim Jong-un’s speech about opening dialog with the south about competing in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games also featured choice words about intercontinental ballistic missiles and his nuclear button, knowing that denuclearization is a huge concern South Korea has with the north.
They may be able to compete in good faith, but the two countries are a long ways away from settling their differences.
- Phillip Barnett
Of Note:
Roger Goodell downplayed the nearly 10% drop in the NFL’s viewership during the regular season, citing its dominance with 37 of the top 50 telecasts in 2017. A deeper dive shows that the NFL continues to lose viewers across multiple racial, gender and age demographics.
21st Century Fox’s potential bid for several Sinclair local TV stations shows that its new competitive direction is less about politics, and more about adding more live sports to its portfolio.
Former Carolina Panthers strong safety Marcus Ball wondered if he was cut by the team for raising his fist during the national anthem during the 2016 season.
Speaking of the anthem, a recent cover of The New Yorker illustrates free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett locking arms with slain civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All three men are shown kneeling.
Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown spoke with The Guardian about social activism in sports, racism and the passing of his best friend.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts plan to visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
After announcing the creation of a fund that supports community activism, the Miami Dolphins have set up an annual college scholarship to one local high school student who committed to social justice reform.
When the Wisconsin Badgers football team went to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl, their seven-day stay at Trump National Doral may have provided more material in a lawsuit against the President for violating the emoluments clause in the Constitution.
Some Republican leaders in Ohio want Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State football head coach and current president of Youngstown State University, to challenge Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown for the incumbent’s seat this November.
The National Parks Service has a new deputy director whose notoriety stems from once helping Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder remove 130 trees from his Maryland estate to “improve the river view.”
The Amateur Athletic Association (AAU) refused to comment on a coach who was banned “forever” by USA Volleyball after allegations of sexual abuse were heard by an ethics committee.
Art Briles will never escape public criticism of his tenure at Baylor, even after a speaking engagement about Title IX was cancelled and some of his former assistant coaches were hired at other schools.
The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) announced that Jessica Platt is the first openly transgender athlete to play in its league, skating for the Toronto Furies.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman scoped out the renovated Nassau Coliseum to examine its fitness to temporarily host the New York Islanders (its once-primary tenant) before the team’s planned new arena is built.
After regulations for daily fantasy sports in New York State were introduced in 2016, the fifteen companies that are licensed to operate, including FanDuel, had generated $3 million in revenue in 2017.
While all eyes are on the Supreme Court’s review of New Jersey’s case to legalize gambling, eighteen states could potentially introduce new sports betting bills this year, with the majority of them likely to pass.
In a new collective bargaining agreement between Rugby Australia and the players union, the women’s sevens team will be paid on the same scale as their male counterparts.
By the time you will have read this, women in Saudi Arabia will have attended soccer games inside some of the nation’s sports stadiums for the first time ever.
MIT’s famed Sloan Sports Analytics Conference will have a unique guest speaker next month, former President and ‘First Fan’ Barack Obama.
- Jason Clinkscales
For the record books: This week in sports politics history
"We will not participate in the Olympic Games to be singly hosted by South Korea." - North Korean Olympic delegation, 1988
This week marks the 30th anniversary of North Korea announcing that they would not be attending the 1988 Summer Olympics, which were hosted in Seoul, South Korea.
North Korea's refusal to participate stemmed from the fact that they were not asked to co-host the sporting event with their neighbors.
"We can reconsider our stand on the Olympic Games if an agreement is reached on co-hosting the Games with South Korea in future negotiations," North Korea said in a statement issued at the time.
That same week, the Soviet Union announced that after boycotting the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, which they did in retaliation to the United States skipping the 1980 games held in Moscow, they would be competing in Seoul.
"The South Korean side has given written guarantees that Soviet athletes will be provided with all necessary conditions, including security," a Soviet spokesperson said at the time.
Curiously, 30 years later, a month before the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are set to begin, it's now the North Koreans who'll be going while the Russians will be missing out because of its statewide doping program.
- Fidel Martinez
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