Most Presidents would applaud the efforts of athletes to do good things in their community, particularly where they involve education. But Donald Trump is far from most, and last week he once again displayed the kind of intemperate, idiotic personality that is a disgrace from any politician, let alone one who is supposed to be the leader of a powerful nation. Using his favorite medium Twitter (whose character limit seems ideal for his nonsensical rants and rage) Trump attacked both Lebron James and CNN anchor/host Don Lemon, calling them dumb and offering nothing but scorn for someone (James) he once…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Titans are getting ready to open the preseason Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, and last week they made a move to strengthen the roster at a key defensive position. They announced last Saturday the signing of two safeties. One was former New Orleans Saint Kenny Vaccaro. The second was free agent Jason Thompson. The loss of Johnathan Cyrpien to a season-ending injury made acquiring more personnel in the defensive backfield a key necessity, and the Vaccaro signing is considered more essential than that of Thompson. Vaccaro has played five seasons in…
The NFL might have thought they had gotten past the national anthem controversy a couple of weeks ago, but then last week the Dallas Cowboys put it out front once more. First team owner Jerry Jones publicly said not only did all Dallas Cowboy team members have to stand at attention during the playing of the anthem, but that any who either stayed in the locker room or made any other type of protest would no longer be members of the Cowboys. That was then followed by team captain and QB Dak Prescott’s comments in the Dallas Morning News. Though…
By Ron Wynn The Nashville Predators latest acquisition was Monday, when the team announced it had signed restricted free-agent forward Mikka Salomaki to a two-year, $1.5 million contract. The 25-year-old forward played in 58 games for the Predators last season, with eight points and 34 penalty minutes. However his value increases when other areas are factored into the results, most notably his career high 35 shots blocked and 114 hits, fourth highest on the team. At his price range ($750,000 per season) he ranks as a bargain. That follows last Wednesday’s return of defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who signed a two-year,…
It’s been seemingly one problem after another this season with MLB when it comes to issues of promotion and image. Just last week, when the focus should have been on the All-Star Game, instead there was a back and forth between the Commissioner’s office and the Los Angeles Angels over whether outfielder Mike Trout, hailed as the consensus best all-round player in the sport, was being negligent in helping MLB promote the game and by extension his stardom. The Commissioner said yes, he said no, as did his team. Then there’s also the issue of competitive imbalance, with three teams…
By Ron Wynn Expectations haven’t been higher for the Tennessee Titans in several years, providing pressure that will only increase as the 2018 season approaches. The Titans open full training camp Thursday coming off a year in which they not only finally ended a long absence from the playoffs, but reached the divisional round. Granted they were wiped out by New England, but after years of sub-par campaigns, two straight winning seasons finally have fans thinking they’re ready to contend for bigger things. One priority that led to a revamping of the coaching staff was improving the offense. Though he…
By Ron Wynn Though it was one of her worse defeats ever in a final, in many ways Serena Williams was still a big winner Saturday in the 2018 Wimbledon final. She had entered the event ranked just 183, but gotten a special seeding. Williams battled all the way to the finals, but Germany’s Angelique Kerber just had too much for her on this occasion. Kerber won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Prior to this match Williams had only lost one set in the entire tournament. But Kerber played a near perfect match. She had only four unforced errors to…
For decades there have been two general impressions of Ty Cobb. The one held by baseball fans in general is that of a fierce competitor, a hitting and base stealing phenomenon and a legendary figure rightly among the earliest players inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. But among a large sector of Black baseball fans, those accolades weren’t what they remembered most. Instead they recalled hearing stories of his virulent racism, and his supposed public stances that demonstrated either in words or actions his intense hatred of Blacks. Though he competed against Black players in barnstorming competitions, stories abound…
By Ron Wynn Serena Williams finally dropped a set at Wimbledon Wednesday, but then reasserted her dominance and reached the Wimbledon semifinals with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi. Williams came into the event ranked 163 in the world due to her absence from the tour on maternity leave. But she had moved through the opening four rounds without dropping a set, and with seeded players falling left and right, definitely seems the favorite for an eighth Wimbledon crown. But she began slowly in Wednesday’s quarterfinal, her powerful serve erratic, and Giorgi’s counter-attack philosophy seeming to work.…
Diversity in hiring among coaches at the college level has historically proven even more a problem on campuses than among professionals. Despite the large numbers of Black athletes involved in Division I sports, that identical level of involvement and participation has NOT spread into the coaching ranks. The most recent NCAA stats show that only 19 percent of all Division I head football coaches were members of minority groups. When the breakdown focuses on Power Five Conferences, the numbers are even worse. Despite 61 percent of the players on those Division 1 schools being members of minority groups, the percentage…