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Latest Suicide Keeps Football Under Scrutiny
(The Root) — We don’t know why O.J. Murdock took his life Monday. We don’t know the problems he faced and considered unmanageable. We don’t know the emotions he felt and considered unbearable. But we do know that Murdock, 25, was an NFL player. And that alone is reason for concern, considering the recent string…
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No Problems for Team USA in Opener
(The Root) — The U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team needed a good challenge Sunday in its opening game against France because the next two opponents are lightly regarded Tunisia and Nigeria, which could lose by 70 points combined. The two African nations are making their Olympic debut in 2012, which also marks the first time…
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NBA Vet's Book on Fatherhood a Slam Dunk
(The Root) — Etan Thomas is on a mission. While the 6-foot-9 forward would like to resume his 11-year NBA career after sitting out last season, his new quest has nothing to do with rebounds and blocked shots. It’s about affection and connections. Thomas, a poet who also blogs for the Huffington Post, grew up…
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Grambling's Eddie Robinson Back on Top
(The Root) — We all know the media can be, uh, funny sometimes when it comes to why and how someone is highlighted and someone else isn’t. A perfect example just happened involving Penn State’s late football coach Joe Paterno and Grambling’s late football coach Eddie Robinson. On Oct. 29, 2011, headlines blared the news…
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Penn State Edict Won't Change NCAA Culture
(The Root) — In penalizing Penn State for its role in the child sex-abuse case involving Jerry Sandusky, NCAA President Mark Emmert sent a message to other schools whose approach to sports might be off-balance. While most cases involve infractions such as payments to athletes, bogus class work or recruiting violations, the underlying theme is…
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'Linsanity' Belongs in New York, Not Houston
(The Root) — If 100 people were asked whether the New York Knicks were smart to let Jeremy Lin leave for the Houston Rockets, half might say yes. The other half would be correct, though, because Lin meant more to the Knicks than he could possibly mean to any other team. Just ask Wall Street,…
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NFL Star Charged With Out-of-Bounds Act
(The Root) — Maybe the side effects of NFL football are getting to Dez Bryant. Maybe he suffered a concussion that went undiagnosed last season. Or maybe he fell and bumped his head while engaged in some other activity. Whatever the case, something’s wrong with the Dallas Cowboys receiver if he thinks that attacking one’s…
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Baller in Chief Sends Off US Hoops Teams
(The Root) — President Obama has some explaining to do. He was expected to be courtside Monday night at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., to catch part of the first game, which featured the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team versus Brazil. But he didn’t appear in the arena until just before tip-off of the men’s…
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No Reason to Treat Coaches Like Deities
(The Root) — As it turns out, former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno wasn’t a saint after all, which shouldn’t come as a surprise because no one is. Yet we repeatedly make the same mistake, elevating coaches, civil rights leaders and clergy to God-like status, though they’re as flawed as anyone else. Sometimes…
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All-Stars Boost Negro Leagues Museum
(The Root) — The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum didn’t exist in 1973 when Major League Baseball held the All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo. Founded in 1990, the shrine to pre-integration baseball narrowly survived long enough to be resuscitated this week when the All-Star Game returned to town. Thanks to smarter management and better leadership…
