Throughout the preseason and early portion of the NFL schedule, there has been plenty of debate regarding whether former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has been unfairly and possibly illegally barred from a chance to land on a new team. Kaepernick’s advocates have insisted that he isn’t on a roster solely due to NFL owners being leery of fan backlash if he were signed. That was particularly the case in Baltimore, where both the head coach and general manager were ready to sign him, only to have the owner express last minute reservations. But then the loose cannon that is Donald…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn The Vanderbilt Commodores got a historic victory Saturday night in Nashville, defeating 18th ranked Kansas State 14-7. The game wasn’t secured until linebacker Oren Butler and safety LaDarius Wiley tackled Kansas State QB Jesse Ertz one yard short of a first down on fourth down inside Vanderbilt’s 20-yard line. It completed a series of defensive stands that held what had been a potent offense coming in to a lone touchdown. “I threw my hand up and said “Thank you Lord,” Vandy head coach Derek Mason told USA Today. Kyle Shurmur scored the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard…
The world of sports broadcasting is no longer the totally white male enclave that it was throughout much of the 20th century. People of color and women, as well as members of the LGBTQ community are now standard fixtures on many telecasts on pretty much all team and individual sports. But while seeing a Black, Latino or Asian face on the sidelines, in the booth or even anchoring a newscast is nothing novel these days, the story of the late John Saunders rise to fame at ESPN still is far from the standard tale. For one thing, Saunders wasn’t born…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — On a night when their offense repeatedly misfired, the Tennessee State Tigers’ defense made a host of clutch plays and enabled them to grab a 17-15 Southern Heritage Classic victory over Jackson State before nearly 48,000 fans at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The Tigers got the win despite being dominated for long stretches, only getting 11 first downs and Jackson State having the ball for almost 34 (33:38) of the game’s 60 minutes. TSU QB Treon Harris had a dreadful passing game, completing just five of 17 passes for 78 yards. But he…
For 20 years Venus and Serena Williams have set the parameters and been the reigning queens of American tennis. It was back in 1997 that Venus won her first Grand Slam and Serena reached her first final. Over that time, Serena has established herself as the finest woman player in the history of the sport, while Venus has also shined as a champion and even more importantly as a fighter for pay equity for women players. But over the last couple of weeks, the future of American tennis, at least on the women’s side, has arrived. While Serena was out…
There isn’t much parity in the world of college football. The “Power 5” conferences dominate in terms of attention and impact, and the small colleges have to struggle to even keep their doors open, particularly when it comes to every other sport except football. While HBCU schools have a glorious legacy of their own that they strive to maintain, integration forever ended the days when a Grambling, TSU, or FAMU could have gone head to head with any team in the nation and held their own. In fact a couple of years ago the New York Times ran a commentary…
By Ron Wynn The preseason is supposed to be a time for teams to hone and prepare for the regular season, so the results are usually discounted, no matter the record. That’s why the Tennessee Titans, the consensus pick to end a long playoff drought and win the AFC South title in 2017, are dismissing the ugly preseason that ended last Thursday with an awful 30-6 loss in Kansas City. The Titans ended the preseason with a 1-3 mark, and two games where they scored fewer than 10 points. Since they held the regulars out of the final contest, it’s…
The National Football League just can’t seem to avoid controversy. But the newest event that is generating national negative response and reaction speaks to a pair of larger issues, while also underscoring what definitely looks like at best hypocrisy and at worse just continued collusion against a player. Last week Fox Sports announced the hiring of former QB Michael Vick as a new studio analyst for the show “Fox NFL Sunday.” That program airs on their cable outlet Fox Sports 1, but also serves as the lead in program to their flagship studio show “Fox NFL Sunday.” They also announced…
By Ron Wynn For the first time in over two years there is a boxing match that is drawing attention across the board, not just from boxing fans. But it is so bizarre that many wonder whether it is the spectacle that is attracting interest rather than the actual fight, and others think it may hurt rather than help the sport despite the massive publicity coming its way. The fight matches undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather against UFC fighter Conor McGregor. Mayweather is 49-0, and has a chance to become the first boxer to finish his career with a 50-0 record,…
It’s hard to remember a time when the National Football League took more hits to its image and was suffering more public relations damage than this year. In fact, during what should have been a time to celebrate last week, instead the league found itself embroiled in new controversy over something that won’t even come into play for another four years, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). It took a lockout and many heated discussions and sessions before the players and owners agreed in 2011 to the current 10-year agreement. A major part of that deal revolved around the players ultimately…