SPANISH FOOTBALL - "LA LIGA" - ROUND 23 RESULTS

Another great weekend of Spanish Football action in "La Liga".Plenty of goals, controversy & red cards.Yesterday 2 matches played. Firstly REAL MADRID meetREAL BETIS at home & finished in a disappointing 0-0draw. Betis was clearly the dominant team, specially afterBeckham received the red card & left his team with 10 men.Real still cannot fine the form or play that can let us say thatthey are out

The Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta Wrapup

(Some video for this can be found here, or lots of other goodies at Awful Announcing).

First, lots of quotes related to the event:

"You know, you got two guys that parted the Red Sea with Moses out there, so they calling a lot of fouls." - Charles Barkley

"He's in shape for a 67 year-old. He ain't in shape for a 25 year-old... I can outrun Dick Bavetta right now." - Charles Barkley

"First of all, if I talk to a 67 year-old person they ain't gonna be able to hear me." - Charles Barkley

"I can't believe that someone that's 67 years old has the audacity to trash talk." - Charles Barkley

"Answer me one question... which hamstring are you going to grab at when you fall behind and have to pull up?" - Ernie Johnson

"First of all, a guy that's 67 can't run 100 yards." - Charles Barkley

"This is how little respect I got for Dick Bavetta." [takes bite out of donut] - Charles Barkley

"First of all, I received no official notification from my agent, David Aldridge is handling all of my public speaking engagements. I'm staying humble, focused, and if this is horse race, what comes to mind is War Admiral and Seabiscuit. Charles is War Admiral, undefeated. And I'm this little Seabiscuit... I run funny, do crazy things... he is obviously the favorite. Humble and focused, that's all I have to saty at this point." - Dick Bavetta

"Ain't no such thing as a spry 67." - Charles Barkley

"I'm the one that has something to lose. If I beat this old geezer, y'all are gonna say I should have beaten him. It's like fighting with an ugly person... you should never fight with an ugly person because they got nothing to lose." - Charles Barkley

"I'm going to beat him like a drum." - Charles Barkley

"The fact that he's walking out tells me a lot." - Kenny Smith

"We're gonna give 2 blackjack hands to charity." - Charles Barkley

And finally, here's the video, thanks to Awful Announcing.



And be sure to check out Awful Announcing, who live-blogged it and was great at covering it throughout.

Hopefully they do it again next year!

Being John Amechi, but not being Tim Hardaway

I have waited a couple of days to blog about John Amechi's new book in which he announces that he is gay (the first active or retired NBA player to come out). Or about the nuclear explosion in the wake of former All-Star Tim Hardaway's statements on a Miami radio program this week:

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

It only has gotten worse for Hardaway as his recent attempts at damage control have included apologies, non-apologies, and the statement that he would disown a gay family member. The NBA dismissed Hardaway from his official role in All-Star Weekend events. It remains to be seen what becomes of his broadcast job.

I do not have a coherent picture to paint of this incident, other than to store it as another example of how free expression plays out in sport. For now, though, some totally random thoughts:

First, Hardaway's comments took the spotlight off the previous leader in the "What Were They Thinking When They Said That?" Competition: the Sixers' Shavlik Randolph, who said, when asked about Amechi's revelations, that he was fine with it "as long as you don’t bring your gayness on me." This one is funny, just because I have no idea what it means. I am not sure if Randolph meant: a) Don't have your sexual orientation rub off on me, like a cold or b) Don't hit on me. Either way, nothing like a couple years as a student at Duke to give someone a nuanced, enlightened understanding of the world.

Second, I cannot tell what impact Amechi coming out will have. It should drive home the point that there are gay professional athletes out there. And it makes some sense that the first player to come out is not a superstar, but a journeyman who has less to lose by bringing the political issue to the fore.

Third, this incident is a good barometer of where American society and sport (as its own insular society) is on this issue and how far we have to go. On one hand, the initial (pre-Hardaway) positive reaction to the revelation by current and former players suggests a level of acceptance that, perhaps, is higher than we might have expected. Maybe professional team sport is ready for an openly gay athlete--as opposed to the closeted gay athletes who, statistically speaking, are already in the locker room.

On the other hand, Hardaway's comments--blunt, abrasive, and offensive though they may be--may be an accurate reflection of the majority view among NBA players. Men's sports, especially men's team sports, remain (along with the military) the last bastion of high-testosterone, hierarchical, male-bonding machismo, with which homosexuality is (perceived to be) incompatible. I get the sense (with no real empirical or evidentiary support, just a feeling) that women's sports is a little more accepting of lesbian athletes and coaches (the controversy at Penn State notwithstanding). Actually, society in general is more accepting of lesbians than gay men. The point is, maybe we are not as far along as we would like to think.

Fourth, Hardaway actually deserves some credit for his honesty. I believe he holds those beliefs about homosexuality deeply and sincerely (although I do not know their source). And again, I believe many athletes hold similar (if less sharply stated) beliefs. But I am convinced there is a benefit to hateful thoughts being brought to the surface, to knowing who holds those ideas and to being able to respond to them (as the NBA and much of the media has done). I also may be unique in actually preferring that Hardaway not apologize, that he stick to his beliefs (and let me know what they are) and bear the consequences of those beliefs. (As a side note, I have said the same thing about those who express hateful views, and then try to half-apologize in the wake of an angry response, about groups of which I am a member).

Fifth, I do feel bad for Hardaway that his world is falling down around him, because (listening to the radio interview) it sounds like he did not quite know what he was walking into. I am not suggesting that he was ambushed or that he is being treated unfairly. Only that he seems not to have given much thought to the real-world consequences of his statements. There may be something to a column that ESPN's Jeff Pearlman wrote several months ago, suggesting that we ought not look to athletes for political ideas, because many (not all, but many) live in a highly insulated world.

It is hard not to think of Al Campanis, whose long career as a scout and executive for the Dodgers (the team that lead the way in integrating baseball) ended abruptly in 1987 with some ignorant and incoherent (but far less hate-filled) comments about African-Americans lacking the "necessities" to be managers and general managers.

On the other hand, Campanis did kick-start the conversation that has lead, too slowly I admit, to improvements in the number of minorities in management and executive positions. Maybe this controversy will, in the end, advance the cause of gay athletes.

One final Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta Video

Seriously folks, I can't recommend this highly enough. Maybe it'll be a big letdown and the race and the events surrounding it won't be that funny, but I find that generally anything on TNT that Barkley touches turns to gold... he's absolutely hilarious, and Dick Bavetta seems to have a great sense of humor as well. I think this is going to be hilarious. So here is one final video for you to enjoy, which just sort of ties everything together.

"Hey I can outrun Dick Bavetta right now." - Charles Barkley

New Sports Law Scholarship

Lots of good stuff this week, thanks in large part to our friends at Marquette and Tulane:

Danette R. Davis, The myth & mystery of personal seat licenses and season tickets: licenses or more?, 51 ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY LAW JOURNAL 241 (2006)

Ian Dobson, The wrong gameplan: why the Minnesota Vikings’ failure to understand Minnesota’s value dooms their proposal for a new stadium and how the team can improve its future chances, 33 WILLIAM MITCHELL LAW REVIEW 485 (2006)

Cristen F. Hartzog, Note, The “public use” of private sports stadiums: Kelo hits a homerun for private developers, 9 VANDERBILT JOURNAL OF ENTERTAINMENT & TECHNOLOY LAW 145 (2006)

Michael J. Cramer and James M. Swiatko, Jr., Did Major League Baseball balk? Why didn’t MLB bargain to impasse and impose stricter testing for performance enhancing substances?, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 29 (2006)

Casey Shilts, Kate Jett & Brett Lashbrook, Major League internationals with Minor-League titles: let them in. Let them play. 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 69 (2006)

J. Gordon Hylton, The Major League Baseball Players Association and the ownership of sports statistics: the untold story of round one, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 87 (2006)

Robert H. Lattinville & Robert A. Boland, Coaching in the National Football League: a market survey and legal review, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 109 (2006)

Martin J. Greenberg, Termination of college coaching contracts: when does adequate cause to terminate exist and who determines its existence? 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 197 (2006)

Timothy Davis, Avila v. Citrus Community College District: shaping the contours of immunity and primary assumption of the risk, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 259 (2006)

Patricia A. Cervenka, Free shoes for primary and secondary schools: playing by the rules of Title IX, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 285 (2006)

Janis K. Doleschal, Managing risk in interscholastic athletic programs: 14 legal duties of care, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 295 (2006)

Anne M. Wall, Intellectual property protection in China: enforcing trademark rights, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 341 (2006)

Lindsay M. Potrafke, Comment, Checking up on student-athletes: a NCAA regulation requiring criminal background checks, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 427 (2006)

James M. Swiatko, Jr., Index: Sports Law in Law Reviews and Journals, 17 MARQUETTE SPORTS LAW REVIEW 451 (2006)

Nikki Dryden, For power and glory: state-sponsored doping and athletes’ human rights, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 1 (2006)

Sean M. Hanlon, Athletic scholarships as unconscionable contracts of adhesion: has the NCAA fouled out?, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 41 (2006)

Robin M. Preussel, Successful challenge, ruling reversed: why the Office of Civil Rights’ survey proposal may be well-intentioned but misguided, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 79 (2006)

Jay T. Cohen, Comment, I’ll trade you Scott Podsednik for Alex Rodriguez: fantasy trademark and copyright protection, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 133 (2006)

Michael Levinson, A sure bet: why New Jersey would benefit from legalized sports wagering, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 143 (2006)

Anders Etgen Reitz, The NHL lockout: the trickle-down effect on European hockey, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 179 (2006)

Jeffrey Hoffmeyer, Note, Fourth down and an appeal: the nonstatutory exemption to antitrust law, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 193 (2006)

Antoinette Vacca, Boxing: why it should be down for the count, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 207 (2006)

Bram A. Maravent, Is the Rooney Rule affirmative action? Analyzing the NFL’s mandate to its clubs regarding coaching and front office hires, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 233 (2006)

Jenni Spies, “Only orphans should be allowed to play Little League”: how parents are ruining organized youth sports for their children and what can be done about it, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 275 (2006)

Tulane Moot Court Mardi Gras Invitational, Problem and Winning Brief, 13 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 291 (2006)

The Peculiarities of Beer Advertising and Major League Baseball

A new commercial in Japan for Asashi Beer--Japan's highest selling "biru" or beer--features Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka chugging down a cold Asashi. The ad also features Matsuzaka in his Red Sox uniform. You can watch the ad here:



The ad has drawn some attention since Major League Baseball does not allow its players to endorse alcohol domestically, although that rule does not apply to international markets. (also, and not relevant to this post: the ad would not be allowed in the U.S. because industry actors voluntary refrain from televised images of persons consuming alcohol). The basic thinking behind MLB's domestic ban is that beer is a potentially dangerous product and MLB doesn't want its players to promote it--particularly because young persons watching beer ads are more likely to drink, and MLB doesn't want to exacerbate the problem.

Fair enough. But if MLB is so worried about beer ads, why does it allow beer companies to advertise their products during games? Beer companies, in fact, love to air commercials during sporting events--and these ads have been found to expose children to dangerous behaviors. Consider the following findings from the December 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics and from Bradley S. Greenberg and Sarah F. Rosaen in their article Television and Young People: Violence, Sex, Booze, and Greed, 2005 Michigan State Law Review 857 (2005)

Alcohol manufacturers spend $5.7 billion/year on advertising and promotion. Young people typically view 2000 beer and wine commercials annually, with most of the ads concentrated in sports programming. During prime time, only 1 alcohol ad appears every 4 hours; yet, in sports programming, the frequency increases to 2.4 ads per hour. Research has found that adolescent drinkers are more likely to have been exposed to alcohol advertising. Given that children begin making decisions about alcohol at an early age—probably during grade school—exposure to beer commercials represents a significant risk factor. Minority children may be at particular risk. ----Committee on Communications, Children, Adolescents, and Advertising, 118 Pediatrics 2563-2569 (2006)).

Alcohol ads appear about once every four hours during prime-time programming, 2.4 times per hour during sports programs, and about three times per hour for ads that are within sports programs, like billboards in a stadium. On popular teen and adult TV shows, alcohol is consumed in 71 percent of all programs and 65 percent of teen programs, but only 23 percent of the episodes associated alcohol with negative consequences. These depictions are of interest because modeling occurs more often when behaviors are unpunished, according to social learning theory.

Heavy exposure to alcohol advertising leads to the view that drinkers possess the positive qualities displayed-such as being attractive, having positive attitudes about drinking, drinking heavily and thinking that it is acceptable, and driving after drinking. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 80 percent of young people think drinking is acceptable if there is a designated driver.
----Bradley S. Greenberg and Sarah F. Rosaen, Television and Young People: Violence, Sex, Booze, and Greed, 2005 Mich. St. L. Rev. 857 (2005).

Also, why do MLB and each individual team have official beer sponsors? And why can you buy beer mugs and glasses on MLB.com? And why do big league teams sell to beer companies the naming rights to certain seats, such as the Washington Nationals' Miller Lite Beer Pen? Heck, if beer is such a worry to MLB, why is it even sold at games?

Now, I recognize that there is a distinction between players affirmatively endorsing a product and the league licensing its name to be used in a product ad. I suppose one could argue that the former seems more "active" and a greater reflection of the league itself. But I'm not sure that distinction is so strong or even correct. After-all, why would those companies pay MLB lots of $$ if those licenses weren't valuable?

Along those lines, if MLB really wants to deter kids from getting hurt, why doesn't it prohibit smokeless tobacco?

SPANISH FOOTBALL . ROUND 23 FIXTURE & GOSSIP

Here is this weekends Round 23 fixtureof the Spanish "La Liga" 1º Division. As you can see some grand matches lined up ¬ to be missed.Real Madrid - Real Betis ( Sat.)Zaragoza - Villareal (Sat.)Espanyol - MallorcaDeportivo - LevanteRecreativo - Real SociedadAt.Bilbao - GetafeRacing - NasticOsasuna - CeltaValencia CF - FC BarcelonaSeville FC - At. MadridSURF IN late Sunday night for the full