Former NFL Quarterback States That He Rather His Kids Not Play Football

Football is a known to be a dangerous sport that can result in a very serious injury at any point of play. With this in mind participants acknowledge the threat of potential injury. The sport has been around for years, first starting in 1869. As the year have went on the game of football has changed drastically but the one thing that has remained constant is the threat of serious injury.

In an effort by the National Football League (NFL) to clean up the sport and limit the risk of injury, the way that player play the game have been modified. The NFL has made it their mission, headed by Commissioner Roger Goodell, to keep the players as safe as possible. Head to head tackles have become a big NO NO, In the NFL, charging players hefty fines or even suspensions if done. The most common injury that many players receive, unknowingly, is termed a traumatic brain injury, which is better known as a concussion according to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. A concussion, though not too serious on sight, can result in a life long problem of memory loss. This is especially true for those players who receive multiple concussions throughout the stint of their careers.

In a statement made on an ESPN talk show, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner stated that he rather his kids not play football due to the heightened risk of injury. A statement that he was later chastised for making from past and current players. Former New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer lashed out at Warner stating that, “Kurt Warner needs to keep his opinions to himself when it comes to this. Everything that he's gotten in his life has come from playing football. He works at the NFL Network right now. For him to try and trash the game, it seems to me that it's just a little disingenuous to me." Along side Toomer many other player have stated their dislike of Kurt Warners comments on the sports.

A little harsh? I think so. There is no doubt that American Football is by far the greatest sport in America. But for players to be in an uproar about Warners concerns about his children well-being is just not right. He has the right to his opinion and people should respect that. At the end of the day Kurt Warner, if possible, just wants to protect the safety of his kids. I’m Just Saying!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/kurt-warner-stands-ground-nfl-concerns-answers-critics-132130467.html

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/07/kurt-warner-responds-to-critics-i-love-football-but-not-the-violence/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1171988-amani-toomer-foolish-to-trash-kurt-warners-good-judgement

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NFL Unveils Nike Uniforms

The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived, the NFL unveils Nike uniforms.  On April 3, 2012 Nike unveiled the new look of the NFL uniforms. Fans have displayed great anticipation and concerned surrounding the new era of apparel throughout the NFL.  Many were worried that Nike would make drastic changes to the uniforms we’ve grown to love and adore, but that was far from the case. As a matter of fact, of the 32 teams in the NFL, there is only one team whose uniform changed dramatically and that’s the Seattle Seahawks.

Although not much has changed with majority of the NFL uniforms, significant changes have been made to the material of the uniforms, also to there cut and fit. Nike used a hydrophobic material for the new uniforms making them more water repellant and perfect for the rain. They also went with a lighter material that feature a shrink-wrap fit that grips the players allowing them to escape tug and pulls on their jerseys.

Many of the players are very excited about the new uniforms manufactured by Nike. Victor Cruz, a member of the Super Bowl New York Giants, says that, “ The uniform is great, it's comfortable, and it's light. It feels great to wear." No players were more excited than those of the Seattle Seahawks. Kam Chancellor, a member of the Seahawks and person who represented the franchise at the unveiling session states that he loves the new designs, but enjoys the cut and fit even better. "The shrink-wrap fit, we can move our body around," he said. "We can move and be free."

I personally love what Nike has done with college football uniforms. They have a modern look and a newness to them. With Nike taking over the NFL’s uniform I was looking forward to some of the same uniqueness they brought to college football. I look for Nike to continue to advance the NFL’s uniform with a more 21^st century look. Out with the old and in with the new. I’m just saying!

http://solecollector.com/news/nike-unveils-new-seattle-seahawks-football-uniforms/

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/04/03/nike.nfl/index.html

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7770090/nfl-unveils-new-nike-uniforms-all-32-teams

NFL Unveils Nike Uniformshttp://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nike/en_US/?&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fhl%3Den%26site%3D%26source%3Dhp%26q%3Dnike%2Bnfl%2Buniforms%26oq%3Dnike%2Bnfl%2Bun%26aq%3D0p%26aqi%3Dp-p1g-z1g8%26aql%3D%26gs_nf%3D1%26gs_l%3Dhp.1.0.35i39j0i3j0l8.1148.3640.0.4842.11.11.0.0.0.0.131.872.9j2.11.0.RsDCzpswihI

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Was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a Little Harsh on the Saints for the Bounty Program that was said said to exist?

Under the regime of NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell there has been a lot of changes in the National Football League. Commissioner Goodell has ran, so to speak, a tight ship. His no nonsense approach to clean up the league and protect the players belonging to it, has in a lot of ways bettered the over all view of the league. There have been numerous on the field rule changes and off the field conduct policies that his reign has ushered in. A prime example of his firm ruling is the current investigation of the New Orleans Saints bounty program, which was reportedly orchestrated and ran by defensive coordinator Greg Williams. Williams was reportedly said to have paid players for big hits, big plays, and other on the field production. This program, which lasted for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons would play players for their efforts of injuring opposing players, knocking them out the game, or completing a big hit on star players. According to ESPN.go.com head coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year without pay, former Saints defensive coordinator and current Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely without pay, general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended eight games without pay, assistant head coach Joe Vitt was suspended six games without pay, the Saints forfeited a 2012 second-round draft pick and a 2013 second-round draft pick, and were fined $500,000.

Although the Goodell regime has made tremendous strides in bettering the overall play in the NFL, everybody isn’t please with the way Commissioner Goodell handles situation like theses. According to Fred Smooth, a Washington Redskins cornerback who played under Greg Williams, Goodell runs the league as a dictatorship. “It’s a dictatorship, to me,” Smoot said. “I think we need to start a congress of retired players or something, that these (rulings) has to get cycled through. I think it should be a process. I don’t think one man should have all that power. And you can just look and see what he’s doing to players and what he’s doing to coaches. And I don’t know, I think he’s starting to rub people the wrong way. But what can they do? What can they say? They can’t even defend themselves.” Smooth also went on to defend Greg Williams and his involvement in the so-called bounty program. Smooth had this to say, “It was never a bounty, it was more or less a pot that all of us players put in.  Gregg never put in a dime, Gregg never said do this or do that.”

Were the punishments in this case harsh? Could Commissioner Goodell have lightened his decision? In my opinion yes he could’ve. The bounty program has been taken a little too literal. Players are not out there trying to hurt other guys purposely it’s just a result of the game. A player could yell out to another player, hey if you make this tackle I have something for you. Would that be considered a bounty or just an incentive for making a play? No matter what there will always be I guess a so-called bounty as long as there’s football. If a decision has to be made on the punishment of NFL players or coaches, the responsibility should not belong to one sole individual. Former Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot feels the same stating that, "one person shouldn’t be allowed to make these types of decisions. They should be brought to a board and voting on just like any other mega organization does." I’m Just Saying!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/sports/football/nfl-delivers-harsh-punishment-to-saints-over-bounty-program.html?pagewanted=all

http://nysbar.com/blogs/EASL/2012/03/nfl_bounty_scandal.html

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7718136/sean-payton-new-orleans-saints-banned-one-year-bounties

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/fred-smoot-on-roger-goodell-and-phillip-daniels/2012/03/27/gIQA2lqleS_blog.html

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/03/05/fred-smoot-gregg-williams-isnt-a-dirty-coach/

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Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

Barbara Corcoran and Daymond John are two business entrepreneurs who are considered to be gurus in their respective fields. Barbara a Real Estate mogul and Daymond a pioneer in the clothing industry have both offered suggestion to help create a superior business plan. After looking at some very insightful suggestion proposed by the two, here is how I would utilize their words of wisdom to help me create a good business plan.

Barbara Corcoran gave great advice pertaining to creating a good business plan and I have implemented her suggestion into my own. Barbara stated that the most critical point of a business plan is the Executive Summary. Viewing my present business proposal I have critique some things based upon her belief. First I focused my attention on completing all sections prior to developing my Executive Summary. When developing my Executive Summary I focus on answering some specific questions, proposed by Barbra. Those questions were, “What problem are you trying to solve? Why are you uniquely qualified to solve it? Is it a good business? What’s it going to cost? And how long is it going to take?” (Corcoran, 2009) Clarity is most important when creating a good business plan. I have made some adjustment to my Executive Summary changing the language and making it more clear and understandable.

Daymond John also offered some great advice pertaining to a good business plan. According to Daymond, he thought that most important portion of a business plan was the Branding. Branding can be defined as the way people view your company. In order to develop a good brand you must  market your company in a way that makes it stand out. Taking Daymond’s advice I choose to answer some specific question in my own business plan. Those questions were, “What makes your product or service different,” “How much profit has it made so far,” and “Why is your company worth what you say it is?” (John, 2007) Answering these questions has made my business plan more reliable and dependable to potential investors.

In my opinion the most important portion of a business plan is the Executive Summary. First impressions are typically lasting impressions. Being that most investor will look to this section first to determine if it’s a good fit, it is imperative that you outline your company in a very powerful manner attracting the potential investor

Corcoran, Barbara. (2009, September). Six ways to land venture funding. Retrieved from http://barbaracorcoran.com/2009/09/six-ways-to-land-venture-funding/

John, Daymond, & Paisner, Daniel. (2007). Display of Power. Thomas Nelson Inc. Retrieved from http://www.danielpaisner.com/works.htm

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A Look At Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

A business plan is an essential roadmap that outlines your business and the potential success to investors. Your overall business plan is important but there are key components and areas of focus that you may want to hone in on according to some industry professional. To give you a better understanding of what I mean I taken two industry professional from different fields and shared their thoughts on the critical and key component of a successful business plan.

Barbara Corcoran has established herself as one of the Real Estate industry moguls starting her company in New York with only $1,000 dollars. She would later turn that investment into a whopping $5 billion dollars in 25 years and then eventually sell her company in 2001 for $66 million dollars. Throughout high school and her collegiate years she wasn’t an all A student, in fact she was considered a below average student getting by with D’s. So how did she reach the pinnacle of success? She must know something about business plans that we all don’t. According to Barbara the critical and key component of a successful business plan is the executive summary. She believes this is so because most investors have so many other business plan’s to consider that they won’t read the whole plan. She states that if you answer the following question in your executive summary that you could possibly grab the reader’s attention. The questions you should answer are What problem are you going to solve, why are you uniquely qualified to solve it, Is it a good business, what’s that cost, and how long is it going to take.

Daymond John an entrepreneur and Industry pioneer is the president and CEO of FUBU, a clothing company that sells casual wear, sports wear, suits, eyewear, belts, and shoes. Daymond got his start on the streets of Queens making and selling hats. He later added the logo FUBU that stands for, “For Us, By Us.” With $100,000 dollars in start up cash he launched his enterprise in 1994. By 1998 his company had revenue of $350 million dollars. Again what was it that Daymond knew about business plans that made him successful? He explains that the critical and key component of a successful business plan is the branding. He further explains that your business plan should be focused and able to be marketed in a way that sets you apart from all other competitors.

http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

http://daymondjohn.com/about/

http://barbaracorcoran.com/about/

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Jeremy Lin

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has once again found himself in the center of controversy. Maywheather, who is no stranger to controversy, was criticized for stating his opinion on the media coverage of the New York Knicks rising star Jeremy Lin. 

Lin, who is a sure rising star in the NBA, has a very attractive story. Going undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft he eventually signed a short contract with the Golden State Warriors. Getting little to none playing time, the Warriors demoted Lin down to their affiliated D-league team, the Reno Bighorns. In the beginning of the 2011 NBA season the Golden State Warriors waived Jeremy Lin. The Houston Rockets then claimed him off waivers but after 2-preseason games he was waived again. Fast-forward to now February 2012, after slipping though the cracks, flying under the radar, and days away from being cut by the Knicks the Linsanity has arrived. Lin, an Asia American man has managed to become a part of NBA history by recording at least 20 points, seven assists, and one steal in each of his first five starts.  

The media has been  all over this story and has aided the elevation of Jeremy Lin’s superstardom. He can be found on every sports channel, radio broadcast, etc. In just 7 starts in the NBA he has be mentioned in the same breathe of the greats of this league. But is what he’s doing really that spectacular? Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn’t seem to think so. The 5-division world champ had this to say about the Linsanity, “Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise.” After receiving an insurmountable amount of criticism he followed up with this statement, “Other countries get to support/cheer their athletes and everything is fine. As soon as I support Black American athletes, I get criticized.”

Is Floyd Mayweather correct? Is all of the hype surrounding Jeremy Lin race based? In my opinion to a degree Floyd makes a valid case. To respond to Floyds tweets, are their black NBA players who do what Lin has done night in and night out in the NBA? Off course there are. Do they get the same media attention and coverage that Jeremy Lin has gotten? Probably not because it’s common to the NBA consumers. Lin being the first American player in the league to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent is definitely intriguing to the media and sports community because it’s not common. It’s not something that you see every night when you watch an NBA game. So is the media attention that Jeremy Lin receiving race based? Yes but not totally. I’m Just Saying

 http://www.eurweb.com/2012/02/floyd-mayweather-jeremy-l-overrated/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57377304/floyd-mayweather-takes-swipe-at-jeremy-lin/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/floyd-mayweather-twitter-jeremy-lin-knicks-star_n_1274832.html

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Honoring A Female African American Pioneer In Sports

For this post I wanted to honor and recognize a Black women by the name of Alice Coachman for being a pioneer in the world of sports. The 2012 theme for African American History Month is "Black Women in American: Culture and History." With this being said it is only right that I acknowledge the accomplishment of our sister Alice.

Alice Coleman was born November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia during a time where colored athletes could not use any of the training facilities, or compete in any of “The organized sports events due to the strict segregation. With the way things were in the Jim Crow South” she was forced to develop her athletic skills with limited resources, making do with training anyway she could. She would run barefoot in fields and dirt roads close to practice her sprinting. She used homemade equipment to practice her high jump like jumping over tied rags, ropes and sticks for hours at a time. At the age of 16 she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tuskegee Institute College. Right before she headed of to college she entered the Women's National Championship and broke both the collegiate and National high school jump records in 1939. What made this so remarkable was that she did all this barefoot. Wow! Alice was also apart of the Tuskegee Women's basketball team who won three national titles. By the time she left the Tuskegee Institute College she took with her 25 national titles. During her career, she won 34 national titles, ten for the high jump in consecutive years. In 1948 Alice qualified for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches breaking the existing16 year old record by ¾ inches. Alice would go on to be the first African American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. On her first jump she produced a record-breaking leap of 5 feet 6 1/8 inches, with a hurt back.

Alice Coachman was a pioneer in the world of sports. She dominated her sport like no other women or man for that matter has. Not only did she become the first African American to win an Olympic she became the first black woman to endorse an international product when Coca-Cola signed her as a spokesperson in 1952. She undoubtedly is considered to be one of the greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T.) being named to five all-American teams, inducted into eight different Halls of Fames, and being named as one of the top 100 greatest Olympic athletes ever. Her most impressive accomplishment to me was how she broke down color barriers allowing other African Americans women to have the equal opportunity in sports. Alice showed us that when given a chance African Americans can achieve insurmountable things hence the Williams sisters, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Sheryl Swoops, and the list goes on. I’m just saying!

http://www.olympics30.com/30greatest/alice-coachman.asp

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/coachman-alice-marie-1923

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-731

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High School Athletics: Big Business

High school football is becoming a big business and the talented kids are being exposed to the true nature of sports politics way to soon.  With the college recruiting process going to the extremes to land athletes the real reason for participating in the sport has been forgotten.  High school athletes are already faced with the strain of balancing schoolwork and athletics, but with the way these kids are hounded by recruiter and such makes it even more stressful.

Not only are these athletes faced with the big decision of which college to attend but now emphasizes is put on the All-star games that some of these athletes play in. The top two national All-star games are the U.S. All-American bowl and the Under Armour All-American game. The country’s top athletes are wooed with sun filled locations, perks, and incentives for participating in these games.  According to an article published by The Washington Post, “competition between the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando and a handful of other less prominent games has grown increasingly fierce.” At one point the All-star games were targeted toward upper classmen Senior. That is of the past now with each All-star game competing for high profile athletes. The competition starts as early as some athlete’s sophomore year. Good Counsel high school wide receiver and defensive back Kendall Fuller can attest to that. Kendall was still a high school sophomore with one season of experience starting on the varsity football team when he was approach at a scouting combine with the invitation to attend the U.S. All-American bowl.

High school sports are supposed to be fun and stress free. Your high school years should be filled of fond memories of friends and never forgetful moments. Participating in high school athletics shouldn’t tarnish that experience. High school athletics have turn into an activity that must produce a collegiate athlete receiving a college scholarship and attending a prestigious University. The purpose of the participation in high school sports is not to receive a college scholarship. The purpose of high school sports should be a continuation of the classroom so that such values as citizenship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and hard work are taught and reinforced.  I’m Just saying!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/high-school-football-all-star-games-have-become-big-business/2011/12/16/gIQAlFP6yO_story.html?wprss=

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2011-06-22-high-school-all-star-games-competition_n.htm

http://football.uaallamerica.com/

www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com

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Why The Hate?

 Tim Tebow seems to be the talk of the sports universe nowadays. Any human living above ground level knows exactly who this guy is. He’s the face of the Denver Broncos, the gentle man without flaws, the poster boy for Christianity, he’s Tim Tebow. Tebow, the son of evangelical missionaries, is a representative of Jesus Christ. Under his eyes he wears eye strips that bear the scripture John 3:16, which is his favorite scripture. He bows down and prays in reverence to Christ periodically during the game. In his interviews and press conferences he acknowledge Christ before he utters a word more. He’s a perfect role model, a perfect leader, and a perfect man. On the field he has lead the Denver Broncos to their first playoff game since 2005.   

But not everybody is exciting about Tebows on the field accomplishments or his, seemingly, never wavering faith in Christ. Ironically a lot of people are sick and tired of his public display of love and homage to his God. The kneeling and praying has gotten Tebow a huge amount of media attention. Many people are fed up with the media coverage that sports commentators, newspapers, and other media outlets give Tebow. Greenbay Packers tight end Jermichael Finely had this to say to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel concerning the overwhelming media coverage of Tim Tebow. “I sit at home, start watching TV and all I’m seeing is Tebow. That’s kind of disturbing. We have a guy here (Packers QB Aaron Rodgers) that’s breaking records every week and you have a guy in Tebow that’s saying ‘God’ every word and he gets coverage. Of course I love my faith and God, but come on man.” Jermichael was just one of many who are sick of the Tebow mania that has swept the nation. Andrew Sullivan, a flamboyant gay writer at the Daily Beast accused Tebow of being a hypocrite because he prays in public. Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Terrell Suggs suggests that Tebow prays too much. Former Denver Bronco Chris Plummer went as far as advising Tebow not to be so flamboyant in expressing his faith. A bit extreme?

Tim Tebow is an American and in being that he has the right to practice his religious beliefs. Anybody who would criticize or try to discredit this man for doing so may have his or her own personal insecurities. In my opinion he is a perfect role model on and off the field, very deserving of all the media coverage that he has be given. Maybe Tim Tebows leadership and strong faith will influence your child or family member to be an individual, holding on to their beliefs. I’m Just Saying!

http://www.tmz.com/2012/01/09/tim-tebow-stone-cold-steve-austin-316/#.Tw9-TGNSTe4 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-Joe-Flacco-Jermichael-Finley-rabbi-are-sick-of-Tebow-talk-121611 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/story/2012-01-11/tebow-exclusive/52518122/1  

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