I just finished viewing a clip of Colin Cowherd commenting on the NFL Personal Conduct Policy and the power the NFLPA ceded to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when they negotiated the current CBA, Collective Bargaining Agreement. In his recital, Cowherd points out a statement in the NFL that EVERYONE associated with the NFL must refrain from conduct that is detrimental to the integrity of the league. The policy specifically says, “Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL personnel.”
So, here is my question. How does Commissioner Goodell not see that the National Anthem protests being conducted by his players are UNDERMINING and PUTTING AT RISK the integrity of the NFL and NFL clubs? Why is Commissioner Goodell turning his back to the number one detrimental conduct of his players to the integrity of his league? This is not an opinion. This is a fact. This is not subjective, as Colin Cowherd argued regarding other applications of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.
The people in power, and I am talking NFL and NFLPA executives and network television executives, have chosen to spin the reasons for ratings decline in 2016. There was evidence that there were too many commercials. I won’t disagree with that and reducing the number of commercial interruptions is a positive move but that won’t bring back viewers. The sportsmanship rules put into place turned the league into the No Fun League. Again, I won’t argue with that. The penalties for celebrating a touchdown were out of touch with the combative spirit of the game and it was good to see preseason players once again choreographing touchdown celebrations. What will be this year’s spin if ratings continue decline? The investigation into President Trump’s Russian connections is distracting viewers. Hurricane Harvey awoke people to other priorities in life. College football is drawing fans away.
The product the NFL puts out on the field every Fall weekend is phenomenal. The players are world-class athletes and mysteriously superhuman. The talk on Monday mornings over a cup of coffee should be “did you see the throw Carson Palmer made this weekend”, not that half of the Browns insulted the American flag.
The next NFL player who is suspended due to the violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy should put the NFL in his cross-hairs and argue that the policy is arbitrarily enforced and cite the damage to the league’s integrity from the national anthem protests. This will force the NFL to redefine conduct that undermines the integrity of the league and clubs. The NFL has shown it will not discipline players for protesting the American flag; Colin Kaepernick is purely a business decision based on the fact he will not lead a team to a championship and the community discourse he will create is not worth winning a couple additional games.
Colin’s final point was that the policy also states that conduct by anyone that is irresponsible damages the reputation of the league and that too is completely subjective. And, again, how Colin chose to apply it that is true. My point, how can the league not say that the action of players that alienates half of their fan base is not irresponsible? In any other business, if an employee’s behavior offends half of the customers that employee would be immediately terminated. Period. End of story. You’re fired, as President Trump would say. Whether or not you believe the National Anthem protests undermine the integrity of or damages the reputation of the league is not up for debate. The fact is that half of the American population disagrees with your point of view and that alone is evidence that the integrity of the sport has been damaged.
Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the story of one unit of local firefighter become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the nation.
“Supe” Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) leads the Granite Mountain Hotshots up the trail at Yarnell Hills in Columbia Pictures’ ONLY THE BRAVE, THE TRUE STORY OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS.
In 2003, 30 years after they served together in the Vietnam War, former Navy Corps medic Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with ex-Marine Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) on a different type of mission: to bury Doc’s son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War.
From L to R: Bryan Cranston as “Sal,” Steve Carrell as “Doc,” and Laurence Fishburne as “Mueller” in LAST FLAG FLYING. Photo by Wilson Webb.
Rememory, starring Peter Dinklage, explores the unexplained death of Gordon Dunn, a visionary scientific pioneer whose body is found shortly after the unveiling of his newest work: a device able to extract, record and play a person’s memories.
Photo Credit Brooke Palmer
Bill Skarsgård stars as Pennywise in Stephen King’s IT, a story about a clown who terrifies a small-town every 27 years. The trailer is terrifying, the book scared the crap out of us as kids. The mini-series had us looking under our bed. We can only imagine what the big version is going to do to our psyche.
The book IT scared the crap out of us as kids. We can only imagine what seeing this on the big screen will do to us as adults. A group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) in THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD. Image Courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment.
In The Hitman’s Bodyguard the world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, the world’s most notorious hitmen [Samuel L. Jackson]. They encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator [Gary Oldman]. Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson’s notorious wife.
In Starship Troopers Traitor of Mars Johnny Rico has just been demoted and sent to a small satellite station on Mars whilst the Federation attacks the bugs’ home planet. While trying to train his new recruits on this remote quiet station, the bugs show up in a surprise attack but the Federation’s Fleet is too far away to help. It’s up to Rico and his Troopers to save the planet and uncover how the bugs made it so close to home
As I was flipping through my choices on Netflix the other night I came across That 70’s Show. I decided to watch a couple of the old episodes and came across a scene where the guys were playing quarters. It took me back to my college days and many forgetful nights. No seriously. I have no recollection of many of the nights where I was at a quarters table.
College kids and 20-somethings drinking games have evolved a long way from my days of quarters. In case you are now asking yourself, what drinking games are today’s 20-somethings playing? I am here to fill in the blanks.
Until recently, beer pong was the only drinking game that I knew was popular. However, upon attending a college graduation party for a USC grad this month I was introduced to a new game involving one team throwing a single die high into the air and letting hit a table below. The opposing team was then responsible for catching the die as it bounced off the table. If it hits the ground or the table a second time, the opposition drinks. If the opposition catches the die before it hits the ground, the die-throwing team drinks. A perfect throw is when the die hits the edge of the table and skims off directly into the ground. The game is officially known as beer die. For all the rules skim to the bottom of the article.
Now, throwing a die high up into the air is not a big athletic challenge, oh did we mention it has to go 9 feet high in the air, but catching that sucker after it hits the table requires world-class reflexes. It will literally spring off the table in a thousand different directions, or so it seems.
What’s your favorite drinking game? Is it quarters? Beer pong? Flip cup? The newest craze Beer Die? Or something else. Kandy wants to know. Tell us on social media using the hashtag #kandydrinkingames
Photo Credit Shutterstock / Wavebreakmedia
Beer Die Rules
The Necessities
How Points Are Scored
When Drinking Occurs
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Wavebreakmedia
