data-mm-id=”_sytjadgd5″>Attention was taken off the NBA playoffs when a video of police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting unarmed black man Jacob Blake in the back seven times went viral. All the players participating in the league's restart have been strong and constant in their unified messages to end police brutality and institutionalized racism in America. Thus, when asked about the video today, their frustration and anguish that this keeps happening was clear. It's also become clear to these men that simply speaking out isn't causing the widespread change they're calling for. Norman Powell and Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors told reporters that boycotting a game or games is something the players have been talking about. Norm Powell and Fred VanVleet have both said that there have been conversations about boycotting. There is frustration that messages aren't getting across.— Kayla Grey (@Kayla_Grey) August 25, 2020Here's Powell's full initial response when asked about Jacob Blake. pic.twitter.com/uxF6wUgNYq— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 25, 2020Here's some extended VanVleet, as well. pic.twitter.com/aOJdrOThO5— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 25, 2020Boston's Marcus Smart said something similar when he met with media today. The Raptors and Celtics are slated to meet for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday. Marcus Smart was asked if thinks a potential boycott is warranted to get the players heard: "Definitely. Something has to be done, and right now our focus should not be on basketball."— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 25, 2020The players have knelt, donned t-shirts and jerseys adorned with social justice messages, and have dedicated most of their required time with media to speak on issues they feel to be the most important. Yet another black man was shot by police. George Hill, speaking to media yesterday, said that coming to the bubble was a mistake because it took the focus off the very issues they were trying to call attention to — and it's unlikely he's alone in how he feels. A boycott seems the natural next step in an effort to push change, because what they've done so far hasn't had the desired impact. We'll see what path they choose as the week goes on.
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data-mm-id=”_atkz0tkic”>The fantasy football playoffs are creeping closer. Here are five players who could give you that extra boost you need to secure a crucial win as everyone battles for a playoff spot. (All stats via ESPN standard PPR leagues)1. Ryan Griffin, TE, New York Jets (Available in 98 percent of ESPN Leagues)Dallas Cowboys v New York Jets / Al Pereira/Getty ImagesThe Jets have seen a bit of a resurgence from their offense over the last few weeks, even if it was against weak competition. Griffin has been one of the main beneficiaries of this resurgence, especially this past week, in which he caught five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown to total 21.9 fantasy points. Sam Darnold likes targeting his tight ends, and will be going up against another average unit in Oakland …
data-mm-id=”_hqnkck6dy”>The XFL has made it two weeks. While many positives exist, the same can't be said for about half of the teams. Here are The Big Lead's XFL Power Rankings through Week 2:8. Tampa Bay Vipers (0-2)Tampa Bay Vipers / Abbie Parr/Getty ImagesThere are only eight teams, which makes it possible for a 0-2 team to rebound. Simultaneously, everything that occurred after the Viper's 9-0 lead this week was bad news. Tampa Bay has only scored nine points this season. And, based on their play, that is an overachievement. They continue to rotate quarterbacks and none of them have even been decent.7. New York Guardians (1-1)Matt McGloin / Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesNew York isn't winless but was atrocious this weekend. The Guardians did nothing well in Week 2 …
data-mm-id=”_yyv1njbm4″>Can you believe Mayweather-Pacquaio was five full years ago? Like most things in right now's not-so-distant past, that seems both too recent and ages ago. How much would you give to watch The Kentucky Derby today and then finish your night off with a prize fight? What if I told you Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski did both in person? For normal people, you could watch those events on television. Throw in some second-round NBA playoff action and some random regular season baseball games and you just got lightheaded and passed out, didn't you?Considering our current situation, look at what Brady and Gronk did back in 2015. There was a huge sporting event where over 170,000 people gathered and ate and drank and gambled and they both went. Then they got on an …
data-mm-id=”_si26bakr4″>The country is in turmoil and sports seem like the least important thing right now. However, there is some relevance to what's been happening around the United States recently and something that happened in sports a few years ago. The Houston Chronicle highlighted that reality with a powerful cover photo on their Sunday sports section. Sunday's @HoustonChron Sports cover pic.twitter.com/A4P4VTx70e— Tom Fox (@foxt78) May 31, 2020Imagining a world where we focused on what Kaepernick was advocating for and not what he did, the Houston Chronicle skillfully weaves sports into the current state of society. It isn't easy to do. Outside of players commenting on the protests or Jaylen Brown joining them, sports don't feel connected to the more impor…
data-mm-id=”_v92l7lday”>The Los Angeles Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA bubble playoffs. Less than two weeks later, Doc Rivers found himself unemployed. Such a disappointing postseason loss from this talented of a team is definitely a group effort, but Rivers didn't help matters by making some extremely questionable rotation decisions throughout the playoffs. Ultimately, his and his team's inability to get it done when it mattered most led to his pink slip. Rivers, at 58-years-old, is still looking to coach. And while this season was indeed a letdown of the highest measure, Rivers' resume and reputation still makes him an attractive coaching option for the five teams currently without a head coach. Bill Simmons, while discuss…
data-mm-id=”_dn0uocuqi”>The NBA and everyone involved knew the 2020-21 season was going to be complicated. Without the benefit of the bubble, each team is subject to the chance that a COVID diagnosis could sideline important players for weeks at a time. Less than a month through the season, that has proved more true than anticipated. The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a coronavirus outbreak a few days ago. It all came to a head today when the Sixers were at risk of not having enough players eligible to play against the Nuggets this afternoon. Under the new rules for this season, that would result in a forfeit. Philly got tests results back for three players this morning, and they now have nine. Philadelphia has nine eligible players today for 3 PM tip vs. Denver, including Ben Simmons, Ty…
data-mm-id=”_ucdt2nl0j”>The week before the Fourth of July, a group of men and women with very different career journeys all gathered at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. The resumes in attendance were impressive, to say the least. There were Olympic gold medalists and Super Bowl champions, baseball Hall of Famers and Wimbledon winners. This eclectic group of accomplished athletes was gathered for the ICON series tournament, described as, "a truly unique sporting event, bringing together the world's biggest sporting icons to compete in a series of competitive team matchplay format events." Set up like an amateur Ryder Cup of sorts, there were two teams comprised of 13 athletes each. The American team, led by Fred Couples, faced off against the Rest o…
data-mm-id=”_s3oloc8ug”>On a team full of high-priced stars, a diminutive middle infielder with largely pedestrian offensive numbers might be the most indispensable player. It's time we talked about Ha-Seong Kim. When the San Diego Padres signed Kim out of the KBO in December of 2020, the deal barely caused a blip on the offseason radar. The Friars were in the middle of a stunning stretch in which they acquired Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove and locked Fernando Tatis Jr. up with a 14-year extension. The addition of a presumed utility guy to a low-cost, four-year contract didn't seem like a big deal. Two-and-a-half seasons later it wouldn't be crazy to call Kim the most underrated player in Major League Baseball. Kim played for the Kiwoom Heroes in Korea from 20…
data-mm-id=”_9ly332zf1″>Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday night. The speech was broadcast on Right Side Broadcasting Network which used the chyron "TRUMP STOPS IN 'THE SUNSHINE STATE,'" which is a funny way to describe Trump going somewhere less than five miles from his Mar-a-Lago home.As for the speech, the topics changed at the usual breakneck pace. This time Trump even worked in an impression of Rush Limbaugh while repeating Barack Obama's name. Trump claims Biden is letting terrorists into the country because “Barack Hussein Obama” and just repeats the name over and over again before saying the capital of the United States looks like “shit” pic.twitter.com/9xkxqcEOCs— Acyn (@Acyn) October 12, 2023…
data-mm-id=”_1hz87cuno”>On Sunday night the Dallas Cowboys buried the Philadelphia Eagles in a statement game, beating their divisional rivals 33-13. There was also, as we've come to expect, some extracirriculars happening in the stands. After the Cowboys put the finishing touches on their huge divisional victory, a video went viral of two fans engaging in a violent fight in the AT&T Stadium concourse. There are two things that make this fan fight video stand out compared to the others. The first thing is that one of the combatants is wearing a Michael Crabtree Raiders shirsey, which is an objectively hilarious decision. Two, this fight spilled into one of those silent auction areas that litter professional sports stadiums. So these dudes were swinging each other around into e…