Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner:
THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS
.
Two decades later, sports is out of whack
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
BY EVAN WEINER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
.
About two decades ago, a tall man with an identifiable nasal twang was holding court at Gallagher’s Steak House one afternoon as he lifted a martini with a shaking hand to his mouth. The septuagenarian with a bad wig was standing near the slabs of meat that were hanging at the steak house and in a crescendo was complaining about the world of sports. The empty room began filling up as the man droned.
.
“Sports is out of whack,” said the man with the familiar voice in a loudish way as he fumbled to take a sip of his martini. He was disgusted with the industry that he first entered in the 1950s as Willie Mays’ advisor.
.
Last week was yet another week of vindication for the man who was despised by sportswriters for telling it like it is.
.
The three — make that about five — events of the week of April 25-April 30, had nothing to do with actual games. There was the draft in a locked-out-then-open-for-business-then-locked-out National Football League.
.
There was Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson moving as much earth as he could to try and keep the city’s National Basketball Association team in team in town despite the fact that the unemployment level had hit 12 percent in his region. At the same time he was rounding up $10 million in marketing partnership for the owners of the NBA Kings, the Maloof brothers, Johnson was cutting workers at the city’s police and fire departments and school administrators were trying to figure out whether they can keep sports going in Sacramento public schools.
.
continue reading »
1 Comment
|
Posted by Evan Weiner |
Categories: News | Tagged: 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Art Modell, Atlanta Falcons, CBA, Charles Goodell, Dave Pear, Evan Weiner, football, Gallagher's Steak House, George Martin, Minnesota Vikings, NBA Commissioner David Stern, NFL, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, Oakland Raiders, President George H. W. Bush, Robert F. Kennedy, RobertinSeattle, Sacramento Kings, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Sam Skinner, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49'ers, Second Edition, St. Louis Rams, The Business and Politics of Sports, The Politics of Sports Business | More of Mr. Smith in Washington
16 November 2010
More Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Sports analyst, Evan Weiner, wrote a very detailed look at the current NFLPA/NFL situation in the newly-changed post-election landscape in Washington, DC. Should DeMaurice Smith have acted sooner when he had more friends in Congress? Will his efforts now be met with a cold reception with a new House? And why didn’t he take advantage of his friends and allies when he had a bigger advantage earlier?
|
Posted by Guest |
Categories: CBA, Guest Commentary, NFL, NFLPA, Pension | Tagged: Congress, Dave Pear, Do No Evil, Evan Weiner, football, Frank Capra, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, NFL, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, RobertinSeattle, The Business and Politics of Sports, The Examiner, The Politics of Sports Business |
Reprinted in its entirety with permission from Evan Weiner:
Discarded NFL players are often forgotten in retirement
|
Posted by Guest |
Categories: Guest Commentary | Tagged: Al Primo, Baltimore Colts, Brent Boyd, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, Conrad Dobler, Dave Pear, Evan Weiner, football, Frank Gifford, Gene Upshaw, George Visger, Johnny Unitas, Major League Baseball Players Association, Mike Ditka, MLBPA, National Basketball Players Association, National Football League Players Association, National Hockey League Players Association, NBPA, New Jersey Newsroom, New York Giants, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, NFL, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, NHLPA, Oakland Raiders, Pro Bowl, RobertinSeattle, Sam Huff, Super Bowl XV, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The Politics of Sports Business, The Violent World of Sam Huff, Walter Cronkite |