Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Cheerleading Debate Continues...

For those of you who witnessed (i.e., were subjected to) the Great Debate of senior year at Revere High School between Rob Walter and myself over whether or not cheerleading was a sport and are interested in the status of that debate, Rob has informed me that our argument has finally had it's day in court! The article is below and while the Judge ruled that cheerleading is NOT a college varsity sport, I must point out that the limiting word "college" in this decision means that my argument is weakened, but not completely defeated! I do admit that this is a setback for cheerleaders out there and the "sport" I ardently defended. But, as I'm sure none of you are surprised to hear, this debate is (still) not over yet!

CHEERLEADING NOT A COLLEGE VARSITY SPORT, JUDGE RULES

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Competitive cheerleading is too "underdeveloped" to qualify as a full-fledged sport for women under federal gender equality rules, and the university which proposed it discriminated against women, a federal judge in Connecticut ruled.

In the 95-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill said Quinnipiac University, located in Connecticut, had discriminated against women when it sought to eliminate the school's varsity volleyball team and create a competitive cheerleading squad in its stead.

Universities are mandated under a federal statute called Title IX modified in 1975 to provide equal opportunity for men and women in athletics programs.

"Quinnipiac discriminated on the basis of sex... by failing to provide equal athletic participation opportunities for women," Underhill said.

Plaintiffs' attorney Jonathan Orleans praised the ruling, saying in a statement "This is a victory not only for the student athletes and their coach, but for women's collegiate sports generally."

Connecticut ACLU executive director Andrew Schneider said the decision "gives force to the law that has opened doors for women over the last 30 years."

"The University's competitive cheerleading team does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants under the statute," the judge ruled.

While cheerleading may be recognized in the future, the judge said, "the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students."

Friday, July 16, 2010

It’s Not Bad to Be Prince…Unless You’ve Been King

If anyone bothered to watch the presentation of the Miami Heat’s “new look,” besides witnessing something that looked eerily like the opening of a Jonas Brothers’ concert, you might have noticed Lebron James standing in a new position. For a man who has been the “center” of attention his entire career, he was now standing off to the side, specifically to Dwayne Wade’s right. Numerous examples, such as Destiny’s Child, the Three Tenors, the Chipmunks and the Supremes, demonstrate that that the one in the middle is the leader (Beyonce, Pavarotti, Alvin and Diana Ross) and the ones on the sides are in support roles. Welcome to Wade County Lebron, where you are no longer King. You are now just a helper there to acquire another championship for Miami, which will be quite an accomplishment since they haven’t done it in four entire years. I suppose 2006 was a really long time ago for some people, but if you’re in Cleveland you’ve been waiting for an NBA Championship since, um, 1970 when they first became a franchise. That’s 40 years--- a little more impressive than 4 for whoever can accomplish it. We know that person is NOT Lebron James. I’m not sure who will be able to do it, but since Lebron failed, can Cleveland really blame him for giving up?

Well, yes, they can. And I won’t even address the playoff series against the Boston Celtics this year where the fans concluded that the only possible explanation for the way Lebron played was that Delonte West must have been sleeping with his mom. But to return to my point, it was not so much for quitting, but for how he did it. Like Lebron, I grew up in Akron, Ohio. My parents’ house is in the neighborhood across the main street off of which Lebron lives. (I thought about toilet-papering his house but apparently there are too many cops outside). And like Lebron, I chose to leave. I love visiting Akron and think the people there are the best I’ve ever met, but it’s not the place for me to live. So I can’t blame him for wanting to experience a new city. However, James owed the town that made him King some respect. He could have politely and professionally sat down with Dan Gilbert and informed him of his decision. After everything that Gilbert has done for James over the years, I think that’s the least he could have done. Instead he made the type of presentation that hasn’t been seen since 2006 when high school quarterback Jimmy Clausen arrived at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend in a stretch hummer limousine to announce that he would be attending Notre Dame. Clausen paid for that one dearly with the media and to this day will still be remembered for that embarrassing spectacle he made of himself at age 18. As if Lebron James needed more attention in his life. But even if we give him leniency on account of his being a complete narcissist, I would still think that a 25 year-old “professional” athlete would behave more appropriately.

And just so you know Lebron, the people are the ones who made you King… and they can turn on you… and they can take it back. As far as Cleveland is concerned, you’ve lost your crown. You now live in a Kingdom ruled by King Wade and at best, you are his Prince.

Friday, January 29, 2010

225: Much More Than a Number

A Collaborative piece by R. McManis and S. T.

On February 7, 2010, a rookie named Austin Collie will take the field in Super Bowl XLIV. While he didn’t gain a significant amount of attention during the season, his 7 catches for 123 yards in the AFC Championship game helped propel the Colts over the Jets in the best game of his young career. Looking back on how a rookie like Collie ended up here, we decided to review his scouting report from last year. Mel Kiper Jr. described him as a good fourth receiving option for most teams given his knowledge of the game, smarts, and productivity. As the127th player taken in last April’s draft, he’s the only rookie wide receiver playing in the Super Bowl this year. But the true reason why we’re focusing on Collie isn’t his Super Bowl appearance, rather that his scouting report is almost identical to another player who is not playing in the NFL right now. We’ve listed their reports below:


Height-Weight Speed Ratio

Austin Collie: 3 - Falls within prototypical ranges for height and weight but lacks good top-end speed.

Player X: 3 - Below average for height and weight but has excellent top-end speed.

Durability

Austin Collie: 3 - Reported to 2008 fall camp with stress fracture below right knee and slowed by an ankle injury in 2007.

Player X: 2 - No injuries to date other than a minor procedure in April 2008.

Character

Austin Collie: 2 - Character doesn’t appear to be a concern. Solid worker. No off-the-field issues that we’re aware of at this point.

Player X: 2 - Excellent character. Significantly involved with the American Cancer Society. Solid worker. No off-the-field issues that we’re aware of at this point.

Separation Skills

Austin Collie: 2 - Footwork and savvy are excellent. Sinks hips, gears down quickly and does a nice job of getting shoulders turned around on comeback routes. Shows adequate burst off the line and coming out of cuts but lacks elite explosiveness and should have a harder time separating from man coverage at the NFL level.

Player X: 2 - Footwork and savvy are excellent. Sinks hips, gears down quickly and does a nice job of getting shoulders turned around on comeback routes. Shows adequate burst off the line and coming out of cuts. But will have a harder time separating from man coverage at the NFL level.

Ball Skills

Austin Collie: 3 - Shows above-average body control when the ball is in the air and can adjust to passes thrown to back shoulder. Inconsistent hands. Flashes ability to snatch ball out of air play but drops some passes that should catch and may have small hands. Let’s ball get to frame too much.

Player X: 3 - Shows above-average body control when the ball is in the air and can adjust to passes thrown to back shoulder. Legs are better than hands. Flashes ability to snatch ball out of air play but drops some passes that should catch and may have small hands. Let’s ball get to frame too much.

Vertical Speed

Austin Collie: 4 - Doesn’t show a second gear when tracking the ball downfield and isn’t going to run by many NFL corners.

Player X: 4 - Doesn’t show a second gear when tracking the ball downfield and isn’t going to run by many NFL corners.

Run After Catch

Austin Collie: 3 - Doesn’t pick up many yards after contact and appears to lack ideal lower body strength. Can make the first defender miss but lacks elite elusiveness and breakaway speed.

Player X: 3 - Doesn’t pick up many yards after contact (try none) and appears to lack ideal lower body strength. Can make the first defender miss but lacks elite elusiveness and breakaway speed.

Competitiveness and Toughness

Austin Collie: 3 - Isn’t afraid to go over the middle. Flashes ability to deliver violent initial punch and sustain blocks but effort as a blocker is inconsistent. Takes too long to slip press coverage and can get pushed around by bigger corners.

Player X: 3 - Isn’t afraid to go over the middle. Takes too long to slip press coverage and can get pushed around by bigger corners.

Draft Status

Austin Collie isn’t going to be much of a big-play threat at the NFL level and he needs to get stronger so he can hold his own working against bigger corners. In addition, he doesn’t catch the ball as well as his stats suggest. However, he’s a crisp route runner who is quick and big enough to develop into a productive sub-package receiver in time. As a result, Collie projects a mid-to-late round pick.

Player X Isn’t going to be much of a big-play threat at the NFL level and needs to get stronger to hold own working against bigger corners. However, a crisp route runner who is quick and under the right circumstances could develop into a productive sub-package receiver in time.


With scouting reports being so critical to evaluating NFL talent, how do we distinguish on paper between a player suited for the NFL and one who is not? This is where 225 comes into play. The 225 lb. bench press rep test is the only key element not touched upon in the above reports. And the difference between Collie and Player X’s results are astounding. While Collie had 17 reps, Player X couldn’t record a single rep. This simple bench press test is what tells us that Collie is an NFL player and Player X is actually Sarah Wells (aka “Kirsch”), a 35-year-old working mother more likely to catch chicken pox than a touchdown pass. And while Kirsch is a great athlete, played Division I Soccer and still plays and coaches the game, she is more importantly a woman who has to carry around a bag of rocks to keep herself firmly on the ground when it’s windy outside. This is why all of the elements of the NFL combine and the scouting reports are crucial. The 40 times may get all of the media attention, but we know that the real test is the bench press. We hope this sheds some light on the bench press rep test, especially for those of you who have questioned “why 225 lbs...isn’t that arbitrary?” Furthermore, on behalf of Kirsch’s family and friends, we just want to thank the 225 bench press rep test for keeping Kirsch safely out of the NFL.