I was going to start this week’s column by saying that I have as much testosterone as the next guy, but that may not be true. I probably have an average amount, which means that roughly half the population of men has a higher reading than I do, if someone were measuring. Today, my wife and I went to see Miss Saigon, a musical that I have seen before and for which I have a great fondness. Now there are some that would say that the previous sentence proves that any reading of my manliness that showed a level above minimal was invalid, but that’s a discussion for another time. I bring this up because sitting behind me was a gentleman, a term I use loosely, that not only did not understand that the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia was not his own living room, but that also took offense to my request, made quite respectfully, I might add, that he please be quiet. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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There is something about sports fandom that makes us feel like kids. After all, childhood is when few things meant more than the results of one game or another. When we become adults, we are expected to focus on more grown-up matters, like jobs and money. In our hearts, though, the true sports fan knows that the games mean more than any of that. That’s why we get so worked up about a bunch of men chasing a ball. I am all for hanging on to that child-like focus, but there are limits. One area about which I struggle to know how I feel is college football recruiting. I follow it and read about it regularly, but I often feel like I should spend a lot less time on it. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Vancouver is a beautiful city. I was only there once, and it was a very brief stay, but it made an impression.  My first moment seeing it was on a bus from Whistler, where I had been skiing. As we first came within view of the city, I was amazed at just how gorgeous it was. Beyond that, everyone there seemed so friendly. I have never spent much time in Canada, but I certainly have the idea that it is a generally peaceful place filled with nice, decent people. When it comes to sports fans, though, it appears that Vancouver is right up (or down) there with many other cities, as far as having a bunch of crazed lunatics rooting for its teams. The Vancouver Canucks lost game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. The scene on the streets of the city that night was horrifying, with rioting, fires, looting, and general lawlessness. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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For a country that prides itself on the fact that its citizens enjoy freedom of speech, there seem to be a lot of instances where speech seems far less than free. In the world of sports, we are regularly reminded of the fact that speaking one’s mind can have all kinds of consequences. Whether it is criticizing refs, celebrating touchdowns with a bit too much gusto, or throwing gay slurs at fans, there are many different ways that an athlete can end up on the dark side of this basic freedom. Occasionally, the penalty for one of these violations has a direct result on the outcome of the event, which really puts a focus on the fairness (or lack thereof) of the punishment. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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The foundations are shaking in the land of the Buckeyes. The Ohio State football program, which has dominated the Big Ten and been a regular member of the top ten rankings over the last decade, is facing an uncertain future. Jim Tressel, head coach at the school since 2001, has resigned his position, effective immediately, after the tattoo scandal he certainly hoped was behind him continued to make news in new and fascinating ways. Sports Illustrated had a story that came out on Monday that revealed that the issues went far deeper than had been previously believed. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Some people just like to hear themselves talk. I have been accused of this myself on occasion, and I can’t say that it has never been the truth. With this column, I at least try to make sure that I have something of value to impart to anyone who chooses to read my weekly missive. In the world of sports, particularly in this era, when there are so many outlets for just about everyone to make his or her opinion known, this problem seems to be particularly prevalent. This week’s example comes from the mouth of Scottie Pippen, the former NBA star who won a bunch of titles alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in the nineties. While appearing on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN radio on Friday, Pippen made the statement that Lebron James might be the best player to ever play the game of basketball, rather than his former teammate Jordan, who is widely considered to hold that title. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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The skies are looking ominous for cycling champion Lance Armstrong. One of the world’s best known athletes, Armstrong has long been dogged by accusations of doping during a career that produced seven victories in the Tour de France, cycling’s most prestigious event. He has firmly denied any wrongdoing, and has never failed a legitimate drug test. For some reason, I have always been inclined to believe his denials, even going as far as to defend him here when his disgraced former teammate Floyd Landis spoke out against him a year ago. Now, though, several more of Armstrong’s former teammates have claimed that he not only used performance-enhancing drugs, but that he encouraged them to do so as well. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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It’s hard to believe, but Donovan McNabb is under fire yet again. In an offseason dominated by labor strife and the question of whether or not there will even be an NFL season this year, we are somehow still talking about the supposed failings of McNabb. His antagonist this time is a familiar one: boxer and Philadelphia native Bernard Hopkins.  [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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After several years in which bigger and bigger penalties were being handed out for a variety of infractions, NASCAR decided that they were going to be a looser bunch in 2011. The sport’s governing body stated that it would allow the drivers to essentially police themselves, hoping that things would be kept under control without NASCAR having to play the heavy all the time. It is pretty clear to me that this new philosophy is not working. I know the crowds go crazy when they see one driver go after another, but it is totally unacceptable, from my perspective, and someone is going to get killed if it’s not brought under control. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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I write this from my sofa, where I have been pretty firmly planted for the last week since back surgery on Monday. Although it is a bit of a reach, my surgery and what led up to it has given me a bit of an insight into the challenges faced by athletes everywhere. I have none of the same stuff riding on it as the professionals, as far as money and fame, but I am starting to understand the difficulty in recognizing that there are things that you may not be able to do anymore. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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The owners and players that make up the National Football League only need to do one thing to keep the fans from completely deserting them. They need to keep talking. It’s a very simple concept, really. It’s obvious that major differences remain between the two sides, and I still have not examined their positions closely enough to form a real opinion, as far as on whose side I am. It is clear to me, though, that as long as they keep talking, I can believe that there will be a normal NFL season this fall. What is clear to me must not be clear to them, though. On Wednesday, the two sides announced that talks would be adjourning until May 16th. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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As a sports fan who sometimes dislikes certain athletes for no real reason, I always feel validated when one of those guys screws up and shows the world that my disdain may have something legitimate behind it. Kobe Bryant is one such athlete. Just a few months after angering the fans of the Denver Nuggets by calling them stupid for booing Carmelo Anthony, Bryant has made a much larger splash. On Tuesday, he was given a technical foul by referee Bennie Adams late in a Lakers game against the San Antonio Spurs. He responded by using a gay slur against Adams, which was caught on camera. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Once a cheater, always a cheater. Right, Manny? In 2009, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. This week, a mere two years later, it was announced that he again tested positive during Spring Training. Rather than face the 100-game suspension that comes with a second positive test, Ramirez announced his retirement on Friday, effective immediately. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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One of my least favorite things in sports is the bizarre tendency for athletes and commentators to cry racism when there is simply no evidence of it. It happens with such regularity that it has become a cliche of sorts. The NFL, in particular, seems to be a hotbed for claims of prejudice and bigotry, especially when it comes to discussion of African-American quarterbacks. This week, it was Warren Moon, former signal-caller for the Houton Oilers, who was accusing the public and the NFL draft experts of criticizing Cam Newton, soon to be NFL player out of Auburn, simply because he is black. This was completely misguided. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Back on Selection Sunday, a wide array of basketball analysts and supposed experts argued the merits of the various teams that had been chosen for the NCAA tournament, and lamented the fate of the teams that were left out. The most common complaints seemed to center around large conference teams being overlooked in favor of smaller conference teams. In particular, I heard a lot of talk about the fact that Colorado, out of the Big 12, was not chosen, while Virginia Commonwealth, out of the CAA, was. VCU finished 4th in the CAA, and was the third team chosen from that conference this year, after George Mason and Old Dominion. Surely the Big 12 team was more deserving, right? Maybe not. With a ten-point victory over perennial powerhouse Kansas on Sunday, VCU made it to the Final Four for the first time in school history. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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As often as we are reminded that not all professional athletes are rocket scientists, it is amazing that they can still surprise us with various kinds of idiotic pronouncements. Jalen Rose, a basketball analyst for ESPN and a former NBA player, most notably with the Indiana Pacers, provided our example for this week in a documentary that aired about the “Fab Five,” a group of star freshman, including Rose, that started together for the University of Michigan in the early 90s. In the film, Rose was asked about the Duke Blue Devils, the team that defeated them in the 1992 national title game, and he stated that he felt that Duke only recruited black players that were, in his words, “Uncle Toms.” [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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It has begun. The battle of the billionaires vs. the millionaires. That’s what it all boils down to, doesn’t it? The National Football League is currently out of commission, and regardless of all of the excuses being thrown out by both sides, it really comes down to the money. On Friday, after a week delay that gave some cause for optimism, the NFL Players Association officially de-certified as a union, and were subsequently locked out by the team owners. The real losers, of course, are the fans. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Even if you are not a fan of auto racing, you have likely heard the name Danica Patrick. She began racing in the Indy Car series in 2005, and then became the first woman to ever win an Indy Car race in 2008, winning a race in Motegi, Japan. In 2010, Patrick began racing stock cars in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series on a part-time schedule. This weekend, she finished 4th in the Nationwide race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the highest finish for a woman in NASCAR history. Despite these accomplishments, much of what I read about this weekend’s race involved people finding ways to diminish her accomplishment. I find this very disappointing.

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Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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Holy Family University, a small Catholic college in Philadelphia, is an unknown in the world of major college athletics. It competes in Division II in most sports, including basketball. Rarely does the school’s name come up when it comes to sports news, but that changed this week. Head basketball coach John O’Connor resigned Thursday after a controversy stemming from his treatment of one of his players that became public the way so many things do these days:  Youtube. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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A couple of weeks ago, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle was quoted as saying that he and his wife had been rooting for Michael Vick to get hurt during the NFL season. Now, my feelings on Michael Vick have provided much fodder for this column over the last couple of years. I can not claim to have never had a similar thought, regarding Vick’s playing health, if we’re being completely honest. I certainly have little interest in being in a position where I need to defend Michael Vick. I have had to do my best to focus on the positive things he is doing off the field, rather than think about the abhorrent things he did to those dogs. As a fan of the Eagles, and with him clearly sticking around for a while here in Philadelphia, I either needed to look on the bright side or get a transfusion to replace my green blood with the more traditional red. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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