The Great Outdoors

I took a trip this past weekend.

Me and two buddies hopped in a car, drove 100 miles north into the woods till we got away from civilization and lived in the woods for three days.

You could do a lot worse than this as a view

Besides being the best trip I've taken in recent memory, it gave me an appreciation for the little things. Surrounded by nature, delivered from the droves of selfies and miles from the nearest coffee joint (not that I drink it anyways), I felt entirely unconnected with the world I've grown accustomed to and instead felt intrinsically connected to the environment for the first time in years, and it felt great.

Now I admit, I missed being connected to the world of sports, and in a weekend full of college and NFL games, I felt like I missed a lot. However the world of sports will always be available to me, whereas being out in the beauty of nature is something many people lose the ability to do.

I needed this trip. The trials and tribulations that have come at me already this semester had starting to take their toll, and I needed the way to release the stress. It was hardly a leap of faith to go on this trip, but deciding to go against the normal weekend routine and travel brought me more peace of mind in one weekend than I've had all semester long.

The world is a stressful place. Stress comes from everywhere, whether it be the ending of a relationship, the passing of a family member, struggles with schoolwork or a job, so it's especially important to find the things, however small, that make you happy, and go out and get those things in your life.

So I apologize to anyone of you who came here expecting something more based on sports, and I realize this post may be one of the most cliche', Tumblr-esque posts of all time, but I felt like it personally needed to be said. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope all 5 of you who read this blog may take this concept to heart.

The Motivation Behind Change in Professional Sports

It's been a rough week for the NFL.

While the NFL slogged though the mess that resulted from the video showing Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his wife in an elevator, details came out exposing injuries to the four year old son of Adrian Peterson, at least some of which, if not all, were caused by him.

It took just hours after both of these incidents first broke for them to spread around the internet like wildfire, and as it typical for the internet, opinions are divided. While most people familiar with the story have condemned Ray Rice for committing domestic abuse, opinions are a little more divided on the issue of whether Peterson was simply disciplining his child or if what he did constitutes child abuse.

The reaction from the NFL was swift. Rice has been cut from the Ravens, and the NFL has since hired three female consultants to examine domestic abuse and its prevalence among NFL players. Peterson was suspended for this past weekend's game, and could face further suspension once all the details are gathered. In response to both incidents, the NFL promoted Anna Isaacson, the league's vice president of community affairs and philanthropy, to the newly created vice president of social responsibility position.

At first glance, these responses appear to be driven by social pressure, and the NFL is more than happy to let people think that is why these changes were made. In reality, it likely has more to do with the reason players don pink cleats and gloves in October.

HINT: It isn't because they care about finding a cure for cancer. 

If the knowledge that the NFL only donates 10% of every dollar raised by their pink campaign to actual cancer research isn't enough to convince you of that, then how about the knowledge that the NFL's most targeted demographic is women? New data shows that women make up 45% of the league's fan base, which adds a whole new level of importance in how the NFL is seen to be handling these issues, specifically the Ray Rice issue.

For some feminine groups, Ray Rice being punished is not enough. Though players in the NFL have been found guilty of domestic violence before, this case is different because of the undeniable truth of the internet regarding videos. Everything is worse in video than in print. Don't believe me? Read the details about an accident on the highway and then watch a video of the incident and tell me what is more shocking. Before TMZ leaked the video from the elevator, this issue was relatively small in coverage, and had it not surfaced, this media firestorm would likely not have happened. However, since the video has circulated, activist groups and members of the general public will not give up until heads roll, specifically that of commissioner Roger Goodell.

So will he step down?

Likely, no. And I don't think he should. It is obvious that the NFL was aware of details of the case before the public was, including the video showing Rice punching his fiance. So yes, a cover up was orchestrated, very poorly, but orchestrated nonetheless. So a valid point could be made that Goodell has very questionable morals, and you could say (and plenty have) that he is a bad person for what he did. That's fine, I won't disagree with you. However the point that no one wants to take into consideration is that the NFL is, above all, a BUSINESS. They are a for profit entity, and profits are good. So while the NFL is willing to make "amends" for the wrongs of its players, it has to put more thought into the state of its commissioner. Goodell has brought the NFL some of its most lucrative media contracts in his tenure, and the league has experience nothing but growth as of late, so the likelihood of him being forced to step down is very low.

The biggest fallacy in the general public right now is that the NFL "needs" to do this, or "needs" to do that because of how it makes an individual feel. The NFL does not exist to make you feel good, it exists to entertain people and thus gain their disposable income. The NFL employs PLENTY of athletes who are better football players than people. I'm not saying it is right, or wrong, I'm just saying how it is.

Now I want to make it clear that I don't support or condone anything that Ray Rice has done. That should go without saying but this way no one has to assume I support domestic abuse. As far as the Peterson case goes, I think there is a line that was crossed in the disciplining of a child in a method that I would normally support, and in going past that point, Peterson caused significant damage to his child, and I obviously object to that. But both of these cases are not as cut and dry as people would like to make it.

Now I understand how easy it is to jump on the social change bandwagon. It's how the internet generation handles problems. Don't like something someone has done? Shame them on social media. But this is an instance where the mob mentality is not going to prevail and get everything they want. The NFL is perfectly willing to lose Adrian Peterson or Ray Rice to this, but it will not give up on the one principle it holds most dear; making ALOT of money. And if that's not something you support, then your only real option is to resist and boycott the league. After all, we all just represent dollar signs to them. I'm a dollar sign, you're a dollar sign, hundreds of thousands of new dollar signs are born every day. That doesn't change because of the poor judgement of a handful of NFL players.

That is capitalism at its finest. 

Finding a pulse

CLEAR!

*cue steady machine beep*

Yes, there it is, a sign of life. A pulse, starting slowly but gaining strength. A being, once vibrant and full of life, finding once again the will to live, the motivation to look around and take in the reason for its purpose.

Football has returned.


Alright, I'm just kidding, my life isn't nearly that dramatic. I also have plenty of reasons to live that don't involve body pads and pigskins. However there is truth in my words about returning to life in regards to this blog. I took a hiatus this summer, more than what I had planned, because life has a way of interfering with your plans, but I'm back here again, shaking off the dust and anxious to get back into the swing of things.

College football is back into the mix, and while I anxiously await the start of the NFL season just days away, the changing of the guard is already in effect. The loathsome, dragging baseball season is on its way out, golf will soon fade back to obscurity and the WNBA will continue being ignored by most of the sports world (sorry ladies). Football will, as in years past, be pushed to the front page. Not to say that is right, but it is the way things have always happened, which brings me to the topic of Michael Sam.

Sam, a 7th round draft pick out of Missouri, was the first openly gay NFL player to see action on the field this fall but has since become a casualty of the Ram's depth at the defensive line, being left off the final roster and being thrust into free agency. Now, Sam's decision to come out was brave, and he is a pioneer in social progress, that much is sure. His impact in the league extends beyond the playing field, however the NFL is a business and the Rams are one of 31 teams vying for a championship (lets be honest, the Raiders don't have a chance). When you only get 53 roster spots, teams will go with the 53 best players they have more often than not. Sam played well in the preseason, but that doesn't guarantee anyone a roster spot. I don't feel like the Rams left Sam off because of the media circus surrounding his young career, but it wouldn't be the first time a team had parted ways with a player in that situation, and it won't be the last. It is just the way it is. I genuinely hope we see the full inclusion of any player with the necessary skills, regardless of sexual preference, but it is not about what I want...

...which is obvious when considering the decision of Central Michigan University athletics to move the student section from the south endzone (where it has been for all 5 seasons I have watched them) to the east stands, a decision I thought was a very bad move. Based off the attendance from last season, it seemed like a good way to make the student section even less of a presence, but at least for the first game of the season I was dead wrong. Seven full sections of the east stands were filled, easily 3000-5000 students yelling, cheering and enthusiatically supporting the Chippewas. It may last, it may not, but at least for one game, the students cheered up, and showed me once again that a rash decision is typically a wrong decision...

...which is probably why Josh Gordon seems unable to make good choices. Gordon, one of the NFL's most talented receivers and a freak athlete, recently had his year long suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policy upheld, meaning he will watch from the sidelines as the Browns sputter through another losing season (just kidding, maybe...probably a good guess). And as far as sympathy goes, I have none for him...

Carefully steps onto soapbox, cue rant....

 I am a big believer in second chances, and recognizing that people make mistakes and can face adversity and move past it, if given the opportunity. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, seems to agree with this principle, which is why he didn't throw the book at Ray Rice (for alleged domestic violence) and is now throwing the book at Gordon for multiple offenses. However at a certain point, which Gordon is at, my sympathy and understanding runs out. When someone is made aware of a strict drug policy that their employer has for them, and yet continuously violates and or makes light of said policy, and when all that person needs to do is not smoke marijuana for a few years while collecting some of the fattest checks known to man, then that person is, without a doubt, a moron. There simply isn't another term for it. I don't care who you are or where you came from, if you cannot choose to put down a drug in favor of a paycheck to support yourself then there are more serious issues there. Perhaps with a year off he'll have time to think about what is TRULY important to him and make the right choices, and if not, then that is truly tragic.

Awkwardly step off soapbox, almost fall.

While I have the opportunity, and since I own this platform and don't have an agenda to push (take that, ESPN!) i'd like to give a shout out to some of the sports that are the forgotten middle children of the sports world. If the NFL were Eminem, these sports would be the Vanilla Ice of the sports sphere. This list includes the aforementioned golf, the NHL (still a professional league, who knew?!), tennis since the decline of Roger Federer, the WNBA since the beginning of time (sorry again, ladies), any college sport not named football or basketball and last but certainly not least, the game where they drive the cars around the track really fast.

Oh and also I want to bring attention to the FIBA games going on right now, which stands for the International Basketball Federation. Similar to the World Cup for soccer, this contest pits the top national teams for all the worlds countries against each other, and very much unlike the World Cup, the USA is actually top of the world in this regard, which is why the rest of the world tries to pretend the FIBA championships don't exist. So if you're a fan of basketball and or America, and want to feel the rush of freedom through your veins that only follows a red white and blue victory, then tune in and watch our national team play.

Well I'm sorry this stretched a little long, I guess just like with my professors there is no such thing as easy syllabus day on the Committed Fan, I hope you stayed with me and hope you continue to stay with me on the blog, giving me your time and attention.

Keep calm and chive on, friends, and be mindful of the words that the (tragically) mortal Ned Stark said.

Winter is coming