Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (What happened in Waco should be personal for all of us...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
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Hyperbole, yes. But you do know their background, right? In an age in which most top tennis players have to weather the mean streets of IMG Academy under the tutelage of Nick Bolleteri, Venus and Serena were learning to play on public courts in Compton, CA, taught by their father, who learned how to play from books and videos. Yes, it will make a hell of a Disney movie.
"Serena's father—a former sharecropper from Louisiana determined to see his two youngest girls succeed—used what he'd gleaned from tennis books and videos to instruct Serena and Venus on how to play the game. At the age of 3, practicing on a court not far from the family's new Compton, California, home, Serena withstood the rigors of daily two-hour practices from her father.
The fact that the family had relocated to Compton was no accident. With its high rate of gang activity, Richard Williams wanted to expose his daughters to the ugly possibilities of life "if they did not work hard and get an education." In this setting, on courts that were riddled with potholes and sometimes missing nets, Serena and Venus cut their teeth on the game of tennis and the requirements for persevering in a tough climate."
And that was within the framework of sports. Listing him next to Ali and Owens is foolish. One could easily argue (although not much less silly in the inclusion) that Tiger Woods belongs more than Jordan. Jordan hasn't done anything for anyone not named Jordan. Ali transcended the SPORTS world. Owens transcended the SPORTS world. Jordan hasn't transcended anything outside sports. And he certainly wasn't the first global sports icon in history. My gosh, Ali was already that for 20 years before Jordan.
Your original post had Texas ahead of OU in average star rating. Texas has 8 four stars and six three stars. OU has 18 four stars and 8 three stars. Doesn't seem like me questioning how you had OU behind Texas was far fetched. Thanks for fixing thoughThe number being off by .09 doesn't really change the question that was asked.
and if they'd just went on to be solid pros, it would be a world class story.
They've dominated the entire sport for essentially two decades, since they were in their teens.
Ketch or any mod...I have a question.
What do you think needs to happen to the Baylor athletic dept. specifically football?
I'm of the mind that major, major house cleaning and restructuring are in order. I think a 2 yr shutdown of the football program would be ideal.
I know we keep saying shine a light on them but what penalty does the University need in order to make it clear to them about their behaviors.
What do you think needs to happen to the Baylor athletic dept. specifically football?
I'm of the mind that major, major house cleaning and restructuring are in order. I think a 2 yr shutdown of the football program would be ideal.
I know we keep saying shine a light on them but what penalty does the University need in order to make it clear to them about their behaviors.
... there is no moral justification for what has happened at bu either this time or during the "Bliss" scandal... I only fret about the sharpness re: the point of the compass your utilizing ... Please stay focused on the cover up re: those already guilty and the alleged charges for all or part of those 53 young ladies.... If Horney is complicit in supporting this sewer pipe then he will get his !!! Living with yourself is often much harder than dong time !!!
If "Deep Throat" were still alive he would still tell you to follow the money and not Horney ...
Cheers for Dot and Dash and prayers for their third birthdays ...
I don't know that I have the right answers. Blowing it all up probably isn't an answer that anyone there would accept.
I remember the guy who played professional baseball with one leg.
"The Greatest Game Ever Played"
there are a few others.
Lol @Baylor being ranked in recruiting above most of the rest of the Big12. If you're behind a school with zero football historical significance and involved in half a hundred rapes in the last few years....you should just probably sell all your stuff and KYS.
I'm sure their story could be inspirational but I think you're overselling the true impact they've had. I don't see huge strides in inner city women's tennis growth. Heck for all his flaws at least Tiger made the First Tee program grow by leaps and bounds among kids from economically challenged areas.
Jackie Robinson created an entire generation of MLB players of color. Also by bringing integration to the most popular sport in the country he shone a light on the deplorable practice and helped usher in the civil rights movement.
We cannot ask enough questions about everyone that was in the program during the entirety of that scandal. Period.
Everyone that was there and supported what happened there (Horny absolutely applies) needs to be held accountable. The victims deserve that much.
Have you ever spoken with a young black woman about the Williams sisters and the impact they've had on them?
Maybe read this: http://www.salon.com/2015/07/15/why...k_women—and_she_is_the_black_womans_champion/
The victims will find cold comfort in this. Lots of criminals have no problem living with themselves. Joe Pa certainly was not riddled with guilt. Billy the Kid and Al Capone felt all kinds of remorse over their lawlessness, I am sure.
A great story, but the sports world is FULL of greats that made it out of the mean streets of many places. A good argument is made that it helps in some ways, with less distractions/etc.
Their story is a little more nuanced than that, as is their collective dominance for two decades.
Feel free to post the names of the great ones that have their story to go along with their all-time dominance.
Those listing the likes of Jesse Owens or Jim Thorpe are making my points.
The main problem is not just Baylor and Penn State, it is the culture of athletics generally. Our society has gotten to the point where top athletes are not held accountable and do not expect to be held accountable.
If you play football well, you can do almost anything you want and not fear consequences. If you do poorly in school, they fix the grades for you. No one wants to be the teacher that kept the star QB out of the championship game. Police will overlook petty dishonesty like stealing a car for a joyride or stealing gas or whatnot because they don't get reelected if they arrest the better players. Store owners will not press charges.
As they get older, they are protected more and more. Kidnap a girl at knifepoint? Not a problem, OU will hire someone to plead it down to a misdemeanor and make sure you do no spend one night in jail. Put a friend in a coma in a drunken rage? OU will make you a team captain. Rape a girl? Briles will make sure her scholarship is taken away if she reports it.
This is the mindset that has to change. Young athletes have to be held to the same rules as the rest of us form an early age, and we have to stop protecting them for the consequences of their misconduct.
I read the article. It is the author's opinion. There are no details beyond the author's perception. Please understand that I admire the Williams sisters and their story. I think it is very important. Just not undeniably the "greatest sports story in our nation's history". For your reading pleasure:
http://www.workers.org/2007/us/jackie-robinson-0426/
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/1898206/
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/1898206/
http://jackierobinsonchangedsports.weebly.com/effect-on-society.html
Does the "Period" require any "Alleve" ... What I am awaiting from you is evidence that Horney is involved ... still waiting ...
Your criteria really limits this to individual sports I believe. How do Owens and Thorpe make your points, just trying to follow that.
Joe Louis
Muhammad Ali
that's why i said, if it's not in their purview, make it, or get a true policing/enforcing arm.
.. and it's hard to prevent when your complicit yourself.
\m/
To say they're the greatest story is completely subjective. And sorry, I don't think it is either.
It's not just the athletes that have to be accountable. It's everyone.
Trusting people because "he's the coach" is one of the mindsets that got us here.
If Jackie had a brother that went on to become yet another Hall of Famer, you might be on to something.
Doesn't matter. At the very least he's publicly supported a rapist-enabler. No apology. He can work at another institution.
Is it your opinion that Horny should be terminated, suspended, or asked/forced to resign?
It is my opinion that we need to start at the beginning and not rush to the very end for the sake of rushing to the very end.
I wouldn't have made that hire, but what's done is done. Now, transparency and accountability is required before deciding what should happen at the conclusion.
I'm trying to have as open of a mind as possible.
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