Lakers Trying To Tank

Over the past few days, hall of fame PG Earvin Magic Johnson weighed in on the Los Angeles Lakers and their 6th worst NBA record. He didn't hold back when he stated that the Lakers need to lose if they expect to be a top contender for the 3 top college basketball players coming out of the 2014 college class.

Last years draft there were no superstars. This year there are about 3-4 superstars in college basketball and we need one of them!

Of course, the NBA has no right to tell the Lakers they are allowed to lose games on purpose, but for teams to slump it will damage the NBA's image and reputation. It would hurt the fanbase, and the franchise, who historically has been one of the best ever. For the Lakers to lose would create absolute chaos because of the competitive nature out in Los Angeles in every sport. The same goes for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been tanking for the past 2 and a half years by acquiring D league players to help propel their team to the top pick of the NBA draft. This was not possible however, because they were unsuccessful both years, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers who used their pick to draft Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins. Both are no longer on the team and are currently residing in Minnesota.

Of course, the major difference in Los Angeles compared to Philadelphia is the Lakers still have Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer. However, all 3 guys have underperformed this season. Nick Young seems to be their only hope in the young season, but the injury prone guard can not carry a team on his own. Kobe Bryant is still chasing every possible statistical category he is close to, but he slowly sees his potential last season ever in the NBA wither away. It seems that Kobe's numbers are down, but he averages nearly 25.5 points per game, which is higher than last season but still nearly 1.7 points off his average. Kobe Bryant is still trying to get used to a new offense, that was implemented nearly a year and half ago, when Phil Jackson resigned due to poor performance. Kobe thrives in a triangle offense, and by taking away the offense, he struggles to find areas for open shots and is forced to give up the ball more.

Looking forward, LA must move forward and start to rebuild the team around strong young talent and not dwell on aging players they have now with Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer. Both are washed up and need to be traded in order to free up cap space and sign big name free agents. One name that has been floating around last off season was Blake Griffin. No doubt, he can be a cornerstone to any franchise, and can improve a team instantly. Then, if LA Lakers tank, they could potentially land top college players like Karl Towns, Stanley Johnson, and Jahlil Okafor. Each are freshman that could consider leaving college early, and enter the NBA draft. The next draft class is also intriquing, with top high school players making an impact already and some are being considered to be stars in the next few years. Antonio Blakeney, Ivan Rabb, Harry Giles III, and Kwe Parker are all currently ranked one of the top 10 high schoolers in the country.

Criming While White

With the latest shootings occurring within months, protesters took to Twitter to get a widely debated trending on the social media site. It is just one hashtag that has opened up different angles people in other countries may have regarding racial bias. #Crimingwhilewhite was one hashtag that critiqued the actions of the police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, Cleveland, Ohio, and New York City, where the police officers were not indicted for their criminal actions that would put any other person in a jail. They were bailed out by their status in authority, which simply can't happen in this new time in history of the United States of America.
     People are trying to change how they treat other people, especially of a different race and ethnicity, but the way they treat people and how they socialize typically goes back to their childhood. An officer like officer Wilson or the NYPD officer who chocked out the innocent man, wouldn't just act like that on a regular day. Chances are, violence has played a major role in their development as police officers and could have been used as punishment when they were younger. Whatever the reason may be, the supreme court system did not bring justice to the victims and their families, and the whole community at large, and has left the entire community left putting the pieces back together.
    Part of the responsibility of the supreme court was to make sure laws are constitutional. Throughout the constitution, I don't remember ever seeing where excessive force was permitted. Let alone violence. The lack of authority regarding laws being enforced is unbelievable, and seems to be a recurring event in the United States. As soon as the Supreme Court failed to indict officer Wilson, a whole snowball effect occurred around the country. Every day, an innocent live is ridiculed by unnecessary police brutality, and is usually left unpunished. However, that must change.
     In support of the victim in NYC, many NBA players took to the court pregame wearing specialized t-shirts that read, "I Can't Breath," which were the exact words of the man who passed away from a heart attack, after being clutched in a chokehold for more than 30 seconds. Derrick Rose was the poster boy for this protest, as he was the first NBA player to wear it in warm-ups last weekend. In the wake of this, other NBA players started to follow suit. Finally, Lebron James, a major icon around the world, wore the t-shirt, to raise awareness for change. Change is needed for everyone to feel accepted, but due to the destroyed past, I'm sure the bond in society much severed.

New College Football Playoff

This week, the college football committee has released the 4 teams that are going to play in the new playoff format for the 2014 season. The system will most likely extend beyond the 2014 season, because it simplifies what teams can go to larger bowl games at the end of the season. The four teams that made the playoffs are Oregon, Florida St., Alabama and Ohio State. Alabama is currently ranked 1st in the AP top 25 rankings and will face off against number 4 ranked Ohio State team that is relying heavily on their 3rd string QB. Alabama no doubt has the advantage with Heisman contender JT Barrett, who is hoping to lead the Crimson Tide to a Sugar Bowl win. Oregon is ranked 2nd and plays against number 3 Florida St. The arsenal of tools  will be on display as Marcus Marriota and Jameis Winston, two of the best QB's in the nation, one was last year's Heisman winner and the other a possible Heisman winner this year, and could find themselves in the first round of the NFL Draft. Oregon and Florida St. will face off in the Rose Bowl this year.
    One flaw in the system is TCU. They were projected to be ranked 4th, but managed to drop 3 spots in the rankings after destroying an unranked team. Even with 1 loss on the season, they are left out of the big picture and are now forced to play a Mississippi State team that is ranked 7th in the country. Their defense only allows 19.4 points per game, which currently ranks 10th in college football.
     Each of the 6 bowls added will be played on New Years Day.

Fox News

After watching the documentary, I was very surprised at what Fox News did differently compared to other news networks that aired on primetime television. I learned that Fox News often broke "fake" news stories that got the public frantic. An example of one of the news streams was President Bush getting elected to presidency. It was not confirmed by the polls and Fox News heavily on the projected vote of the Eastern half of the United States, instead of using hard vote to break the story. In other words, President Bush never had half the votes Fox News said he did, and he ended up losing but it was reported that he won. Likewise, Fox was charged for reporting false news, and the drama unfolded from there.
     I also learned that Fox News often used shows as a "propaganda technique," and I never realized how networks had the ability to do that. To manipulate the audience to believing something is true, even though in reality it isn't the case. If you grew up your whole life watching primarily Fox News, chances are, some of the information that was reported could turn out to be false. They lacked accountability, and shame on them for having their viewers brainwashed and not apprehend from what is true and what is false.
    One thing I did not know before is about Fox's personal attacks on then 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry. The candidate was attacked by Fox after his heritage revealed mostly French descent, and the station went after him because if he was not from the United States, he shouldn't be able to run for president. It turns out, as revealed in the documentary, Outfoxed, most of the reporters and families at the Fox News station, were supporters in the Bush/Cheney campaign. Bush basically gained on the Kerry negative publicity, and eventually take a short lead.

St. Louis Rams Protest Ferguson Shooting

On Sunday, just 3 days after Thanksgiving, the Rams took to the field to honor the death of Michael Brown. The protest was started pregame and the 5 black players on the team, Jared Cook, Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, and Chris Given. They each physically showed the gesture of the motto "Hands Up, Don't Shoot." The protests undoubtedly spread to major sports outside of Ferguson, and the Rams were the first to recognize the problems that plague their community.  

    “I just think there has be to a change,” said tight end Cook. “There has to be change that starts with the people that are most influential around the world.”

The police force for the Ferguson police department wants an apology from the Rams and wants the players suspended from the team. They felt that on-field protests were too extreme, and deserved to be punished for their actions. The debate expands to even farther boundaries. If you think about it, athletes are the most highly viewed people in the world. They even control a lot of power, which come from their large contracts and play on the field. Their message could be sent even faster through technology compared to word of mouth displayed through the riots. This incident also brings more pressure on commissioner Roger Goodell, who now has to deal with Ferguson protests along with what to do with domestic abuse.      

Ferguson

After the judgement came down from the Judicial Branch regarding the Ferguson case, the white police officer was not indicted on charges after killing Michael Brown. I was surprised by the final result because I did think the officer was guilty, however, there wasn't enough sufficient evidence, that would make him guilty for the charges relating to the case. The two charges that came up before the final judgement was given was 1st degree murder, 2nd degree murder, and manslaughter. As for the riots, I believe the riots would happen either way no matter if the officer Wilson was guilty or not. The main goal is to find justice between both races of people, and violent protests seemed like the only option for weeks leading up to the trial.
    The riots are not only reckless to the entire community, but is also bringing a bad reputation to the town and surrounding areas such as St. Louis. They are losing visitors and tourists, because many fear for their safety and well being. According to a report, 90% of the people who took part in the protests were not from the Ferguson area. It was if they were instigators, and elevated the situation to extreme hype when it didn't have to be. After listening to interviews on the news outlets on TV, I can conclude that citizens of Ferguson wanted peaceful protests, and many within the town didn't support violent protests because it would affect their businesses and homes in the city. It was the outsiders who burned down houses and looted businesses.
    This case can be dated back Treyvon Martin. He was shot and killed by a police officer at night, after he was carrying skittles and ice tea. Martin turned out to be innocent, after it was concluded by the Grand Jury that Zimmerman had a long rap sheet related to misuse of firearms, and now can no longer possess them. After Zimmerman was freed on bail, he attempted to shoot another person, and found himself back in a jail cell. Protests erupted as a result for justice for Treyvon Martin, although, the protesters took a different approach to get their voices heard. They followed civil disobedience, and protested peacefully by picketing and holding small assemblies to voice the peace.