Why do NFL players get a pass at sexual harassment?

Over the past weekend, some New York Jets players apparently harassed female reporter Ines Sainz during practice and in the locker room. To what extent, we really don't know since Sains has been less than forthcoming about what happened, but apparently during practice, players were "accidently" running into her on so they could make contact, and then making some comments again in the locker room. We don't know for sure exactly what happened yet, but it sounds like it was inappropriate -- and, in many places, it would be considered sexual harassment.

Yet I've heard and seen countless amount of men make excuses for the Jets players. I've heard "what do you expect when an attractive female reporter wears tight clothes like that around testosterone driven men?" Or "clearly she wants the attention or she wouldn't dress like that. She got what she deserved." Then there's Washington Redskins runningback Clinton Portis's remarks that female reporters are in there check out all the men's packages. Everyone assumes that the female reporter got what she wanted or deserved and the boys were being boys just having a good time.

If men committed these acts in any other profession, there's no question they'd be fired, but because these guys play a sport and make millions of dollars, people think they should get away with it? They need to show restraint like any other males in a work setting. Just because they're so-called "testosterone driven" men doesn't give them a free pass to sexually harass a female reporter. They need to act no different in a locker room than the rest of us would in an office or wherever we work. The female reporter is there to do her job -- she's not there to check out the size of your package or eye you up. A woman can want to look attractive without wanting men to harass while she's doing her job. Just because she wants to look good (she is going to be on TV, after all) doesn't mean she wants men to run intentionally into her to make contact and then make crude comments afterward. To say she deserved it for dressing the way she does follows the same logic as the Taliban uses when they blame women for getting raped because they weren't fully covered or their ankles were shown. Since when is it okay to blame the victim? I don't care if she was wearing a bikini or a burka, professional athletes need to act like professionals in any other workplace and show restraint. In no setting is it okay for professionals to act like the Jets players did to another professional of the opposite sex, and Roger Goodell and the NFL needs to make an example out of the Jets and fine them.

Nick Saban was Right: Agents ARE Pimps

The USC football program recently had to forfeit an entire season of wins, give up 30 scholarships, suffered a two-year bowl ban, and erase any history of their relationship with Reggie Bush, including removing his Heisman Trophy because Reggie Bush’s family received improper benefits from the NCAA. USC is definitely suffering the most, Reggie Bush may have to return his Heisman trophy, but the guilty agents get away free. Reggie Bush is guilty, and USC very likely ignored the whole situation and looked the other way, but should the agents not also be held responsible? Of course, the USC situation is not the only episode – this happens way too often in collegiate sports, and the school suffers the most, while the athletes generally get away relatively free (since they are out of school by the time the sanctions come), and it is just another day for agents.

Yesterday (July 21st, 2010) at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) media day, Nick Saban discussed the NCAA investigations into players from SEC teams, including some of his own players, may have accepted gifts from agents. Saban noticed that agents were preying on college athletes, and he called out agents for what they are: pimps. To my surprise, many of the respected sports journalists I follow on Twitter were in an uproar! Granted, Nick Saban’s track record leaves a sour taste in most people’s mouth – as coach of the Miami Dolphins, Saban promised over and over again he would not leave the Dolphins for the University of Alabama coaching position; then after the season, Saban left for Alabama. However, whether or not Saban should be trusted is irrelevant; Saban’s point that agents act like pimps is true. Of course, agents are not literally pimps, but the analogy that agents act like pimps is true.

What does a pimp do? He gives women gifts, makes them dependent and loyal, then sells their bodies for sex for a profit. What does a dishonest agent do? He offers a collegiate athlete gifts, makes them loyal to them, and then when they make large amounts of money, the agent profits from it. Both college athletes and prostitutes often come from poor backgrounds and are vulnerable to exploitation, but of course star college athletes have much more promising futures than prostitutes. Nonetheless, both the pimp and the dishonest agent profit from manipulating those who are in need of an immediate gain. For Reggie Bush, his parents were apparently kicked out of their house a couple years before their son would be the second pick in the NFL draft and promised millions of dollars. So when an agent offers Reggie Bush’s parents a house, how much can we blame him for being tempted?

The agents Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels sued Reggie Bush because they claimed they provided him with over $300k while he was a student athlete in exchange for him signing with them when he turned professional, but he signed with another agent who was also involved with bribing him. Reggie Bush made mistakes, but the agents acted as pimps, so why should they be let off? While we point fingers at players and schools, who definitely deserve a share of the blame, the agents get away without any blame. Ideally college athletes would resist the temptations of sports agents, but agents also deserve blame and punishment for acting like pimps and bribing college athletes.

"Purple Drank" in sports and Southern hip-hop

Former first overall pick in the NFL Draft JaMarcus Russell, a candidate for biggest bust in NFL history, was arrested a couple weeks ago for possession of a codeine cough syrup known as "purple drank," also known as "syrup" or "sizzurp." In 2006, former Chargers Terrance Kiel was arrested for trying to ship a large quantity of the same substance to a friend. The NFL announced today that Green Bay Packers DT Johnny Jolly will be suspended indefinitely, and at least for a year. The suspension likely is related to his arrest a couple years ago for possession of the prescription cough syrup. Jolly and Kiel were teammates at Texas A&M, and JaMarcus Russell went to LSU -- both schools in the South, where purple drank is popular. The NFL, its fans, and sports media are now forced to pay attention to the dangerous drug. ESPN even recently covered the substance on Outside the Lines, which can be seen here.

While "purple drank" may be a new term to many who follow the NFL, fans of Southern hip-hop music have been familiar with the substance for over a decade. My only knowledge of the drug is from hip-hop music, but the lyrics and sound of purple drank inspired music definitely gives the impression that it "chills" one out to the point they become disinterested. The prescription drug contains codeine and is prescribed for bad coughs, but it first gained recreational popularity in the Houston hip-hop scene (not coincidently, Houston is where Johnny Jolly was from and where he was busted with the drug). To accompany the effects of the drug slowing one down, Houston based DJ Screw, who died from an overdose of the drug in 2000, started slowing records down ("screwed up"). Many Houston hip-hop artists, such UGK (one of the members of UGK, Pimp C, died from an overdose of the drug), Paul Wall, and Mike Jones, used a slower rap sound that reflected the drug's effects. Purple drank had a huge effect in the Houston hip-hop scene, but it spread throughout much of the South. Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia popularized the drug in the song "Sippin on Some Sizzurp," and talk about it in other songs as well. New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne is well known for abusing the drug (as can be seen in the documentary _the Carter_), and often raps about it as well. Atlanta based rappers such as T.I., Gucci Mane, and Ludacris rap about the drug. Miami based rapper Rick Ross talks about the drug. Plenty of other rappers from the South often talk about the drug as well, while only a handful of rappers outside of the South have referenced it. Considering the drug's popularity in the South, it should not be a surprise that three NFL players arrested for possession of purple drank were all from the South. The recent success of Southern hip-hop is likely partially due to the popularity of purple drank: the slurred words and slowed down music have given Southern hip-hop a different and refreshing sound than East and West coast rap. However, the drug has also cost the lives of several talented musicians.

The drug's effect of slowing one down may not hinder the success of rappers, but it is easy to see how a drug that slows one down may diminish the motivation of a professional athlete. Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com used to joke that JaMarcus Russell had a "lethargy addiction," but once he he got busted, Florio was quick to point out that the true nature of his lethargy might be due to his use of the sizzurp. This point should not be understated -- JaMarcus has been called lazy since he's been in the league, and it's likely that his use of purple drank went back to at least his college days. It's unlikely that he started using the drug in California when he's from Alabama and went to school in Louisiana, two states where it's much more popular than California. The drug is likely appealing to professional athletes looking to take the edge off because it's supposed to be a downer and I believe it'd be easier to beat a drug test using purple drank than marijuana. Codeine would show up, but only for a couple days, and athletes probably can easily get a prescription for it to make a positive test acceptable.

Professional athletes have been drawn to hip-hop culture for a while, but they need to learn to distance themselves from aspects of it for more than just legal reasons. Even if they don't get arrested and suspended from the NFL, their body is their career, and their career depends on a strong work ethic. I realize professional athletes feel a lot of pressure and want to relax, but a drug that slows one down to the point of lethargy will be counterproductive to the career of an athlete that needs to be a hard worker.

I'm not saying rappers don't need to work hard, but the skill sets are different. Successful rappers do more than make catchy music, they sell an image of themselves. Southern rappers have sold the image of being chill and laid back, and the purple stuff has helped fuel this attitude. Listen to this song by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Paul Wall and Mike Jones) "Swervin." This song is clearly influenced by purple drank, and listen to how slow and laid back it is. Professional athletes are free to enjoy hip-hop, I do too, but they need to learn that they should not enjoy the drug abuses of many hip-hop stars for more than just legal and health reasons: it will affect their career. They need to be motivated and hard-working, not slowed down and lazy. Jason Whitlock has joked on Twitter that the reason many LSU football players have failed in the NFL is because of their abuse of the purple drank. While we can safely assume that it affected JaMarcus Russell now, we are left to wonder what other athletes, especially from the South, have abused the drug, and how it has affected their careers.

Wrap-up on LeBron James

There is not a whole more to say on this topic that has not already been said, but since it is the biggest sports story of the summer, and this blog is brand new, I decided I should share my thoughts on it.

For the first five or so years in his career, I really liked LeBron James. He amazingly lived up to all the expectations of being called "King James" as a high school athlete, and he did not come across as overly cocky. Sure, his pregame celebrations rubbed some people the wrong way, but I never saw it as a big deal -- he was just trying to fire his team up. Over the last couple years, I started to notice he wasn't exactly who I thought he was. Mostly what bothered me was that he would never shut up about the 2010 free agency. ESPN was at fault for this too since they spent the last few years hyping it up, but I felt LeBron contributed to this hype by not refusing to talk about it when asked.

In the 2009 playoffs, the Cavaliers were upset by the Magic and eliminated from the playoffs, and LeBron walked off the court without shaking anyone's hand. Some people were bothered by this and called LeBron a bad sport, but to me, he was a fierce competitor who was upset about losing. I was more irritated by his actions when the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics in the 2010 playoffs. Not only did he play terrible and lethargic during the series, but he almost seemed relieved when they lost. Now that he didn't win a championship with Cleveland, it seemed like he had an excuse for leaving -- the Cavs never surrounded him with a strong enough supporting cast to win a championship, at least he could claim.

I used to say LeBron would stay in Cleveland if they won a championship, and leave if they didn't win one. Now that it comes out that LeBron, Bosh, and Wade were discussing joining forces for years now, I no longer believe that was true. I do not believe LeBron ever had any intention of staying in Cleveland. That is why he looked so relieved when they were eliminated in the playoffs. As angry as Cleveland was for LeBron leaving, imagine if he left after they just won a championship! What excuse could he have for leaving Cleveland then? Whether or not he truly quit in the series, like some people claim, he definitely did not seem too upset, and I think the reason why was because he was already planning his departure. In the post game press conference, when asked about his upcoming free agency, LeBron answered that he "and his team have a plan." No, his team did not mean the Cavaliers -- his team meant his close friends that he gives jobs to and surrounds himself with. As soon as he took that jersey off when the game ended, LeBron ceased to consider the Cavaliers as his team. Now we know what his plan was: to find the only team that could afford him, Bosh, and Wade.

LeBron James was a free agent, and as a free agent, he had the right to say with whoever he wanted. All he owed Cleveland was to be respectful and honest, and he was neither of those. After all the Cavaliers did for him during his seven years in Cleveland, he owed it to Dan Gilbert to respond to his calls and text messages, and he owed it to Cleveland to not embarrass them on national TV.

I do not know if I can necessarily blame LeBron for signing with the Heat and joining two other star players and a head coach who has won 5 NBA championships, but I realize he's not the guy I wanted him to be when he came into the league. How great of a story would it have been if LeBron James led his hometown team and the suffering sports city of Cleveland into a dynasty? But it's become apparent that LeBron had no lasting commitment to Akron or Cleveland, which is what I find disappointing. Maybe we should have realized LeBron wasn't that committed to the Cleveland area when he wore a Yankees hat to an Indians-Yankees playoff game.
Even though I no longer live in my hometown, I still feel strongly committed and loyal to it. What disappoints me about LeBron James is when he came into the league, I wanted him to not only live up to the expectations, but to do it with class and be humble. Unfortunately, he has not done either of those, and I believe this is what upset Cleveland just as much as him leaving.

Dan Gilbert's letter may have come across as bitter and immature, but for Cleveland fans, it was therapeautic for them to read it. Cleveland fans felt betrayed, and Gilbert's letter talked them off the edge and provided them some hope. Remember, Gilbert still has to sell season tickets, and that will not necessarily be easy when Delonte West is your best player. Besides, if Mark Cuban wrote that letter instead of Dan Gilbert, people would think it was cool.

Now on to more exciting sports stories, like waiting for the NFL to start.

Introduction

I have a passion for sports, but my passion goes beyond simply cheering for my teams. Sure, I am a diehard Packer fan, but I created this blog space not to write about my love for the Packers. Instead I will write about the intersection of sports and culture -- how sports influences culture and vice versa, and what the implications of this are. Sports are more than just a multi-billionaire dollar business, they reflect American and transnational cultures. Some sports journalists already do an excellent job recognizing the interaction of sports and culture, and they have inspired me to start this blog, but as an American studies Ph.D. student who is interested in sports and culture, I believe I have a unique perspective on the discourse on sports. I already use Twitter and Facebook as micro-blogs to write about sports topics, but I decided to create this space to write more elaborate opinions on issues that I find compelling in sports.