At least four for you today.
(Blogger's note: Some semi-hiatus, eh? Well, just don't have the computer to go in-depth until almost football season, but still here anyway.)
First, a follow-up on that anti-gambling ad from the World Cup:
A note for the National Council of Problem Gambling:
The point is correct, and the fact of what went down doesn't change it (in fact, it's often the worst thing which can happen to a problem gambler -- to win big!!!).
But you'd probably have been better to have "Andy's" dad (the father who was the problem gambler portrayed in the ad -- where "Andy" could not have been excited about the World Cup because his father gambled Andy's life savings on Germany to win the World Cup) bet on the United States or some team that was NOT going to win...
(And, apparently, an anti-gambling ad from Singapore had the same team getting the bet from the life savings of the kid.)
Second, and thanks to my anonymous contributor for this one:
Look, we get it, people...
Art Modell fucked over the people of Cleveland by sending his team to Baltimore and the like.
And I know people will say, "I'll piss on that man's grave when he dies!!!"
It doesn't mean you have to be like one idiot and ACTUALLY DO IT.
Put the whole mess on YouTube too. Came to the cemetery in an Ed Reed jersey, took it off to show a Lyle Alzado Browns jersey -- pulls out a catheter, and pisses on Modell's grave.
Then, he comments (quoting from the linked ESPN article):
""You know, Art, when you ... tried to kill the Cleveland Brownie, you didn't do so good, the Browns fans wouldn't let you, you piece of s---," he says. "I'm in rat land, and I'm going to use the words you used a few years ago.""
That important to you, eh?
Might make me wonder what you'd think of the other two stories I have today, sir...
The third of the four stories of today: Sidney Rice has retired due to health concerns, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Knee injury prevented Rice from playing in the Super Bowl and post-season for the 'Hags, then he was released in a salary-cap move and re-signed by the team.
It was during his release period that he rethought football and decided to go into his post-football career. Rice is a franchisee of Wingstop in Tacoma, and may open more locations.
Of course, if that's not enough for Catheter Guy, a new California law might send him over the side.
I may be over-stating in the headline here, especially for those with wishful thinking, but California, yesterday, passed into law (signed by Governor Jerry Brown) the toughest anti-football law in the nation.
AB-2127 basically overhauls football in the state of California. And, if it stands -- and this will be a BIG "IF" -- could result in the end of high-school and middle-school football in California in 2-3 years.
Effective January 1, 2015 (so they do get one more season under present rules):
First, it overhauls the concussion procedure and codifies it into state law.
Any athlete diagnosed with a concussion cannot return to game or practice that day, under any circumstances. Moreover, the athlete cannot return to even practice until a licensed professional in the field gives written clearance. It also requires, as a part of the new state law, that any prospective player (and parent) sign off on an information sheet regarding head injuries, concussions, and the new AB-2127 protocol as part of their required Athletic Code.
Of course, there's an immediate corollary here: This is going to require an eventual amendment that's going to require every sporting event held subject to this law to have a NEUTRAL doctor present to handle diagnoses in this regard.
Otherwise, and this is one of the reasons you're going to see this revisited to the level of the possible banishment of football at the CIF (California's high-school sports federation) level: They'll just stop diagnosing concussions completely.
Also, the law forces a complete re-write of practice procedures:
For a period 30 days from the start of the season until the end of the post-season for a school, a team may only have two full-contact 90-minute practices a week.
Outside that period, full-contact practices (including "camps", spring football, etc.) are BANNED.
If anyone doesn't think this is the largest step yet toward a state banning tackle football for minors, I'd like to see a bigger step -- and in a state like California, no less!!!
From the articles, I've read, it's coming pretty clear at the coaching level that these steps go in, or the game goes out.
I think we're about three years, now, from a state being forced to consider outright banishment of the sport of tackle football (at least at the school level).
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