Month: October 2017


Source: ESPN

In her book, Age Is Just A Number, Dara Torres expresses the thought that one can still compete on a highly competitive level well past what most people consider an athlete to be past her prime. Depending upon the sport, prime for an athlete ranges from 25-30 years old.

However, Torres shattered that notion when she won two silver medals in the 2008 Olympics in swimming. She was 41. And there are many more athletes that are competing successfully past their prime nowadays despite many in society complaining that an athlete is “long in the tooth.”

Prime in ice hockey is around 28 years old, but Martin St. Louis retired when he was 40 years old. St. Louis’ former teammate, Dan Boyle, also retired at the age of 40. Then, there is Jaromir Jagr, 45, who is still trying to play as a free agent and has stated he wants to continue his NHL career until he’s 50.

Richard Petty continued to drive in NASCAR races until he retired at the age of 55. Brett Favre, who often teases fans with a return as quarterback in the NFL, retired for a second time from the Minnesota Vikings. Favre was 41. At 40, Peyton Manning decided to leave quarterbacking the Denver Broncos after winning Super Bowl 50.

And then there is the deceased “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe. Howe helped shape the world of ice hockey into what it is today. He is the inspiration for what is known as the Howe hat trick (Player must score a goal, assist and a get into a fight in one game). As a man who played long enough for his sons to grow up, play and win a professional championship with him, Howe is the perfect example that age is no excuse for not competing or training.

Yes, after a certain age, an athlete will need to train differently realizing the body doesn’t react in the same manner it did 10 years ago. However, the aged athlete has something younger athletes lack–a level of focus, wisdom and experience.

Many are aware of the 80 year old, Ernestine Shepard, who competes in women’s body building. But the perfect example of that happened this weekend when a 101 year old lady competed in the 100 yard dash in the U.S. Track and Field Masters. Ms. Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins ran the dash in 42.12 seconds and now is the oldest person to ever complete the feat.

Training will may require new methods, rest periods and nutrition, but an older athlete can still compete successfully with younger ones with proper care. Like Torres, said, age is just a number and Ms. Hawkins just proved it.


Source: New York Times

In the 1969, Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Curt Flood, fought the MLB for the right to play for whatever team he chose instead of a team basically “owning” him. Flash forward almost a century later, Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the National Football League (NFL) for collusion.

During Flood’s time in baseball, a team could play, trade or dismiss a player without any input from the player. Flood was traded to a team, Philadelphia Phillies, he did not want to play with and ended up suing MLB over the Reserve Clause. Flood ended up losing the first legal battle as well as being blacklisted from baseball (collusion). However, twenty-six years later, Flood ended up winning the war with Major League Baseball the Curt Flood Act was enacted by Congress. Upon those words, free agency was born. As Gary R. Roberts, a graduate and author in the Marquette Law Scholarly Journal, explains:

[T]he conduct, acts, practices, or agreements of persons’ in the business of organized professional major league baseball directly relating to or affecting employment of major league baseball players to play baseball at the major league level are subject to the antitrust laws to the same extent such conduct, acts, practices, or agreements would be subject to the antitrust laws if engaged in by persons in other professional sports business affecting interstate commerce.”

Today, Colin Kaepernick is fighting being blacklisted by the NFL. Yep, that’s right . . . blacklisted . . . that’s exactly what is meant by collusion in this case. Kaepernick has the skills, but players with lesser skills, sometimes much lesser like Brandon Weeden, are being selected to fill holes left by injured quarterbacks within the League.

Kaepernick decided last week to file a grievance against the NFL owners for collusion. Collusion takes place within the entertainment, or sports, industry when rival teams, clubs, or organizations cooperate for their mutual benefit. In this case, the benefit would be to protect the shield from the silent protest Kaepernick has started with kneeling during the national anthem to tell the world that police brutality is not acceptable.

Kaepernick is not the first African American player to protest against such social injustices, but he is taking the blunt of fallout as he is being blackballed similar to Curt Flood. It will be interesting to see what happens with his grievance. Will the judicial body remember their mistake with Flood? Or, will it take an Act of Congress to show the citizens


Source: Content News