No sport does more to perpetuate white racial stereotypes than basketball. They even made a successful movie about it years ago - White Men Can't Jump.
The conventional wisdom is, white players aren't as 'athletic' as black players, meaning they aren't as quick, don't jump as high, etc., and ergo, they aren't as good.
Oh, white players are still very good, just not as good, generally speaking. Considering the best of the best of today's players, it's hard to argue.
I can't help but think of this while watching this year's University of Iowa men's basketball team. Let's just say it has a high proportion of pasty white, almost sickly looking players. I'm talking tall-but-gaunt-looking players.
But very good, dare I say athletic, pasty white, almost sickly looking players. All right, one of them is a bigger guy, which is important, because sometimes four of these whiteys are on the court at once. And a couple of them are Iowa natives, so that's good, too.
So the question is, how long before someone in the mainstream sports media, or even the non-mainstream media, dare to assume verbally or in writing that this Iowa team isn't 'athletic' (Read: black) enough to compete against the best teams?
That mistake is made almost every year with Wisconsin. I guess they'll be able to compete with them, huh?
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Still More Unthankfulness
It's time for the 5th annual edition of my Thanksgiving-time list of things for which I am not thankful. You can get to the trail of prior lists here.
As usual, this list is in no particular order:
Sub-zero weather in November.
Iowa allowing smoking in its casinos, when it's banned everywhere else.
Government shutdowns.
Parents who don't hold their children accountable.
The botched heathcare.gov website.
Humble-braggers.
Bad football played by the teams for which I am a fan.
Ted Cruz.
Twerking.
Those still in denial about social movements that are irreversible (e.g. gay marriage, marijuana legalization).
Anyone who cares more about what I do, than they care about what they do.
As usual, this list is in no particular order:
Sub-zero weather in November.
Iowa allowing smoking in its casinos, when it's banned everywhere else.
Government shutdowns.
Parents who don't hold their children accountable.
The botched heathcare.gov website.
Humble-braggers.
Bad football played by the teams for which I am a fan.
Ted Cruz.
Twerking.
Those still in denial about social movements that are irreversible (e.g. gay marriage, marijuana legalization).
Anyone who cares more about what I do, than they care about what they do.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Brutal Vikings - The Video Version
The better part of four years ago, I posted a blog entry about the misery of being a long-time Minnesota Vikings football fan, in which I gave my list of the top five most brutal losses. (The #3 spot on my list had just been recorded a few days earlier.)
The Vikings suck again this year, so it's hard to imagine there will be anything busting into the top five or even top twenty this year. But the other day on YouTube, I found a tremendous video montage that included four of my top five. You can find it here - all Vikings fans should remove sharp objects from the room if they watch it.
Since it inexplicably doesn't include my #2 pick (maybe because it's from 1975), I include it here for a full accounting. [NOTE: This is the entire game but all you need to do is start at the 1:59:30 mark for the actual misery.]
One of the things that strikes me in most of these football games is how the ultimate heartbreaking play is preceded by a crazy penultimate play, where a bad call or bounce or penalty retained the ultimate play's destiny.
Just to make mostly myself feel better, I'll include video of what might be the greatest moment in Vikings history. When you have to go back to a regular season game in 1980, that isn't good.
The Vikings suck again this year, so it's hard to imagine there will be anything busting into the top five or even top twenty this year. But the other day on YouTube, I found a tremendous video montage that included four of my top five. You can find it here - all Vikings fans should remove sharp objects from the room if they watch it.
Since it inexplicably doesn't include my #2 pick (maybe because it's from 1975), I include it here for a full accounting. [NOTE: This is the entire game but all you need to do is start at the 1:59:30 mark for the actual misery.]
One of the things that strikes me in most of these football games is how the ultimate heartbreaking play is preceded by a crazy penultimate play, where a bad call or bounce or penalty retained the ultimate play's destiny.
Just to make mostly myself feel better, I'll include video of what might be the greatest moment in Vikings history. When you have to go back to a regular season game in 1980, that isn't good.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Getting School-ed Again
This week, the local Community Section of the Des Moines Register reported that my school district, the Johnston School District, ended its most recent fiscal year with a $2.1 million budget deficit. A huge screw up by administration, right? Heads are going to roll, right? I mean.....um.....hold on.....I'm being told in my earpiece that apparently the school board thinks it's.....OK?
But in the not-for-profit, governmental world, backed by the unlimited deep pockets of taxpayers, there is no panic. According to the article, the soon-to-be retired school superintendent offered no specific action. The district finance director said that, other than deferring the purchase of new social study textbooks, perhaps next year they'd have to maintain current staffing levels without increases.
Gosh, don't sacrifice too much.
As a taxpayer, I'm on the hook for this spending and mismanagement, but unfortunately, I have no choice nor power to invest my money elsewhere. Sure, I can vote for new school board members, but the problem is the governmental model, not the people running it.
Unless school districts, or other government entities, face consequences for overspending, it's just going to continue.
Said the school board president, "I think my takeaway would be these (numbers) look OK. But we wouldn't want them to go any lower. We'd really like to turn the direction around."
Now you might be thinking, give them a break, there are understandable one-offs now and then. After all, the article said the shortfall is partly the result of having to pay over $800,000 to implement and purchase textbooks for a new math program. If you're wondering, there was no word on whether giving everyone an iPad made a difference.
The thing of it is, besides the unanswered question of why that math stuff wasn't already budgeted for in the prior year, this is no one-off. This is the second time in the last 4 years the school district has exceeded its budget. And this is the group that's going to be in charge of building a brand new, multi-million dollar high school.
I guarantee that if something like this happened in the for-profit world, there would be VERY serious consequences. Budgets would be immediately slashed, as would jobs. Who knows, there might even be a going-out-of-business outcome.
But in the not-for-profit, governmental world, backed by the unlimited deep pockets of taxpayers, there is no panic. According to the article, the soon-to-be retired school superintendent offered no specific action. The district finance director said that, other than deferring the purchase of new social study textbooks, perhaps next year they'd have to maintain current staffing levels without increases.
Gosh, don't sacrifice too much.
As a taxpayer, I'm on the hook for this spending and mismanagement, but unfortunately, I have no choice nor power to invest my money elsewhere. Sure, I can vote for new school board members, but the problem is the governmental model, not the people running it.
Unless school districts, or other government entities, face consequences for overspending, it's just going to continue.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
More East Coast Media Bias
I've written before about how weather events affecting the major east coast cities get so much more media coverage than if they occur in other major cities. Today I'm writing about a similar phenomenon that impacts sports.
Why does it seem that whenever a pro sports team from New York or Boston wins a title, it's treated by the media as bigger than when it happens anywhere else? It's happening again now, after Boston won the World Series yesterday.
That's fine, congrats to them, but just like the two other times they won in the last decade, it's getting so much more media coverage than it deserves. Let's just admit, it's a lot less than when San Francisco or St. Louis each won it twice recently.
Today, national sportswriters and broadcasters are saying Boston's win 'transcended' sports and "defined' the city, while also fawning over the fact that while they've won it before, it had been almost 90 years since they won it at home. The thing is, no one outside the northeastern seaboard thinks nor cares about those things, especially for a baseball team that finished last in their division last year.
This media self-infatuation carries over to football, too. In the past decade or so, when Boston (New England) or New York (Giants) won a combined 5 Super Bowls, the media coverage is both breathless and endless. But when a place like Indianapolis or New Orleans or Green Bay wins it, the coverage is much more muted.
We can only hope no Boston or New York teams win any pro sports titles again in our lifetime. Meanwhile, this once again proves my theory that for all of the so-called toughness of the major east coast cities, they really are drama queens when it comes to wanting more national attention for events that happen everywhere.
Why does it seem that whenever a pro sports team from New York or Boston wins a title, it's treated by the media as bigger than when it happens anywhere else? It's happening again now, after Boston won the World Series yesterday.
That's fine, congrats to them, but just like the two other times they won in the last decade, it's getting so much more media coverage than it deserves. Let's just admit, it's a lot less than when San Francisco or St. Louis each won it twice recently.
Today, national sportswriters and broadcasters are saying Boston's win 'transcended' sports and "defined' the city, while also fawning over the fact that while they've won it before, it had been almost 90 years since they won it at home. The thing is, no one outside the northeastern seaboard thinks nor cares about those things, especially for a baseball team that finished last in their division last year.
This media self-infatuation carries over to football, too. In the past decade or so, when Boston (New England) or New York (Giants) won a combined 5 Super Bowls, the media coverage is both breathless and endless. But when a place like Indianapolis or New Orleans or Green Bay wins it, the coverage is much more muted.
We can only hope no Boston or New York teams win any pro sports titles again in our lifetime. Meanwhile, this once again proves my theory that for all of the so-called toughness of the major east coast cities, they really are drama queens when it comes to wanting more national attention for events that happen everywhere.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Cruzin'
It's been a while since I've inducted anyone into the Whacked Out In The Head (WOITH) club.
First a quick review of current members:
First a quick review of current members:
Politicians:
Steve King
Bob Vander Plaats
Glen Massie
Kim Pearson
Kent Sorenson
Michele Bachmann
Brad Zaun
Non-politicians:
Charlie Sheen
Steve King
Bob Vander Plaats
Glen Massie
Kim Pearson
Kent Sorenson
Michele Bachmann
Brad Zaun
Non-politicians:
Charlie Sheen
Anyone with a reality show on MTV
Jerry Sandusky
Jerry Sandusky
The entire Kardashian family
The guy down my street who put a $60,000 house on a $30,000 lot (Honorary Member)
I am now compelled to add another politician, someone who's been begging for membership since he joined the U.S. Senate less than a year ago.
In just that short of a time, he's single-handedly shut down the government with unsupportable grandstanding political tactics, and tried to make everyone believe he's a hero for doing it. He's also alienated members of his own political party for not being compromising enough, while simultaneously making the other political party look better for not compromising.
But what really put him over the top was being in Iowa (again) this weekend for a speech, then going pheasant hunting with original WOITH member Steve King. As we've seen before, whenever two or more WOITH members are together, the country ultimately laughs and does the opposite of what they want.
Welcome, Texan Ted Cruz, who's so far to the right on the political spectrum he's off the map.
I am now compelled to add another politician, someone who's been begging for membership since he joined the U.S. Senate less than a year ago.
In just that short of a time, he's single-handedly shut down the government with unsupportable grandstanding political tactics, and tried to make everyone believe he's a hero for doing it. He's also alienated members of his own political party for not being compromising enough, while simultaneously making the other political party look better for not compromising.
But what really put him over the top was being in Iowa (again) this weekend for a speech, then going pheasant hunting with original WOITH member Steve King. As we've seen before, whenever two or more WOITH members are together, the country ultimately laughs and does the opposite of what they want.
Welcome, Texan Ted Cruz, who's so far to the right on the political spectrum he's off the map.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Even With An Escort)
Excluding part-time or temporary work, I've only worked at three organizations. Two of them were 10+ years runs, with the most recent run ending at 5 years.
In each case, I was fortunate enough to meet good people, and gain professional experience. I was also fortunate enough to leave on my own terms, and of my own choosing (although I probably stayed longer than I should have).
Unfortunately, leaving a job isn't usually done without issues. So often, long-term employees are let go with no warning, and given an unceremonious escort out the door, as if they were a criminal. Thanks for all those years of service!
In those involuntary work separations, plus many voluntary separations, it's also common for former colleagues to wrongly accuse the former employee of doing something inappropriate. It's a great way for intellectually dishonest, poor performers to try and cover for their own ineptitude.
For some former employers and employees, I guess breaking up is hard to do.
In each case, I was fortunate enough to meet good people, and gain professional experience. I was also fortunate enough to leave on my own terms, and of my own choosing (although I probably stayed longer than I should have).
Unfortunately, leaving a job isn't usually done without issues. So often, long-term employees are let go with no warning, and given an unceremonious escort out the door, as if they were a criminal. Thanks for all those years of service!
In those involuntary work separations, plus many voluntary separations, it's also common for former colleagues to wrongly accuse the former employee of doing something inappropriate. It's a great way for intellectually dishonest, poor performers to try and cover for their own ineptitude.
For some former employers and employees, I guess breaking up is hard to do.
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