The Hypocrisy of Nike

Over the last few weeks with Nike has ceased their sponsorship deals with Adrian Peterson and Ray due to their off-field actions. I have no problem with sponsors not wanting to be associated with bad behavior. Nike is responsible for a lot of revenue in the sports world and the athletes involved. For more the most part the athletes Nike sponsors are great athletes and great people but if you're going to punish one athletes for their choices off the field then you better punish them all. Let me give some examples of what I am talking about.

Hope Solo who is being investigated for assault on her nephew and sister is still being sponsored by Nike. She's also still being allowed to compete for United States Soccer. It doesn't matter what circumstances are in this case. Her endorsements should have been ceased until the investigation and trial are over. No one in that organization thought twice about stopping their support for Peterson and Rice. No looked into the circumstances of their cases? I am not trying to defend their actions but I am simply playing devils advocate. There are circumstance regarding anyone's actions so why isn't Hope Solo being punished by Nike?

Now if you really want to talk off-field issues how about we talk Tiger Woods. Here is a guy who in 2009 who crashed his SUV into a tree and fire hydrant because he was caught having an affair. He admitted to infidelity and sleeping with multiple women. While Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade and General Motors ended their endorsements for Woods, Nike kept on supporting him. So why wasn't Tiger Woods sponsorship deal halted while all of this was going on? If what you do out of the sport is being judged why did he still have Nike's endorsement? People complained when Nike re-signed Michael Vick to a deal but atleast Vick served his time in jail and had to earn his way back into the sport and into the trust of the Nike organization.

Then one of the latest incidents to happen is Nike pulling their sponsorship with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. This was all due to a brawl that Jones was involved in with fellow competitor Daniel Cormier. Now the funny thing about this is that Jones was provoked by Cormier and there wasn't any criminal charges brought against Jones. So why was Jones deal terminated? Because of his actions right? So what about the actions of Hope Solo, Tiger Woods and even Kobe Bryant so many years ago. Do you see where the inconsistencies are? They play favorites, they go off who can make them the most and obviously don't believe in the equality of if you punish one that you should punish all.

Honestly none of this should be a surprise because it all starts at the top. Nike Chairman and Co-Founder Phil Knight was very outspoken during the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal. He supported Joe Paterno when details came to light that Paterno knew the actions of Jerry Sandusky and did not report them. He even spoke at Paterno's memorial service. I guess when you're worth 18.7 billion dollars you can do whatever you want and not care what anyone thinks. I personally think he should start a fund for abused women and children and help them in their recovery because those are the people that are being punished, not the athletes who abuse the privilege of being a professional athletes in America. I don't get how you can sit there and terminate contracts of some and then support others who are essentially doing the same damn thing that those terminated are doing. 

"Just Do It" is Nike's motto so the organization should just do the right thing and give out equal consequences to those who break the law, break the rules and abuse the privilege of playing in sports and being sponsored by a major company like Nike. Hope Solo, Tiger Woods, and Kobe Bryant aren't above Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Lance Armstrong and Jon Jones. They all broke a moral conduct befitting someone who is sponsored by Nike and all of them should have had their Nike contracts terminated and they should have been forced to earn them back.  Phil Knight can take his swoosh and keep being a hypocrite because someday the bad karma will "Just Do It" and bite Nike in the rear end!

Review, Results, and Recap of WWE Night of Champions 2014

Before the night even got start the big news coming out of the weekend was Roman Reigns being rushed into emergency surgery for a bad hernia that was causing him a lot of pain. I honestly thought that his injury would change some things but it didn't. The champions who won shouldn't have and again they dropped the ball on pushing the future. It was a solid show with some pretty good matches but the ending was still the same. A part timer who doesn't care about the business walks out with the gold. Here are the results and the reason for my frustrations tonight:

John Cena def. Brock Lesnar (c) by Disqualification (WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match)
AJ Lee def. Paige (c) & Nikki Bella (WWE Divas Championship Triple Threat Match)
Randy Orton def. Chris Jericho
Rusev def. Mark Henry
Dean Ambrose answers Seth Rollins' open challenge
The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler (c) (Intercontinental Championship Match)
Sheamus (c) def. Cesaro (United States Championship Match)
Gold & Stardust def. The Usos (c) (WWE Tag Team Championship Match)

So The Miz wins a title and Cesaro doesn't. What kind of logic is that. The Miz will never be a main eventer again and will not have the momentum he did in 2009 and 2010. Cesaro is a guy who is so marketable with his intellect and style in the ring. He and Sheamus have awesome matches so I cannot complain about that. I think WWE is using ass backwards logic lately. Lets put the titles on guys that no one cares about and screw the guys over that the fans are getting behind. 

The highlight of the night for me was seeing Seth Rollins Curb-Stomp Brock Lesnar but they screwed that up too. Seth Rollins should have won the WWE World Heavyweight Title tonight. With Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan sidelined with injuries this would have been a perfect night to alter the course WWE is on and build towards that future everyone keeps talking about. If the future keeps being put off, then no one is going to care when it happens. You have people on the main roster right now like Cesaro, Rusev, Rollins, Ziggler,and Sheamus who should be competing for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Then in NXT you have Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami, Fergel Devitt, The Ascension and Charlotte who need to moved to the main roster and have the spotlight be put on them.

I was happy to see the Rhodes brother win the tag titles again. Even with all personal feelings aside I was getting sick of The Uso's as tag team champions. They needed to lose so they can get in the hunt again and gain some momentum again. I love the AJ Lee and Paige feud but I hope they don't swap the title back and forth every time they fight. Feuding over a title is great but the titles need some prestige and some importance. Dropping the title every four weeks doesn't accomplish any of that. 

I feel WWE didn't accomplish a lot tonight. Maybe in another four weeks they will accomplish more. The next time WWE is on pay-per-view is October 26th in Dallas at Hell in a Cell. For now, I will give WWE Night of Champions a 6 out of 10. They won't get a hire rating from me until the future is being showcased, highlighted, and pushed into the main event. It was a night of champions tonight but in for weeks it will be a night of hell for anyone who steps in the cell! 

Athletes Should Be Held Accountable Just Like the Rest of Society

Over this last week we have heard so much about domestic violence and child abuse in the NFL as it relates to the cases of Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice and Greg Hardy. A lot of the media have been blasting the NFL Commissioner and those who work with him. If anyone should be blasted it should be the justice system of this country.Lets think about this in perspective. Michael Vick was involved with a dog-fighting ring and was sentenced for less then two years. Plaxico Burress was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Both men were able to get back into the NFL and make millions of dollars.

If anyone in the general society would have been convicted of these crimes they probably would have gotten the maximum sentence allowed. These athletes feel like they are entitled, they are spoiled and forget that it's a privilege to play pro sports and not a right. Every sport has had it's problems in the past. Baseball had the steroids problem, Basketball has had it's mafia and gambling problems, College sports have had cheating scandals but for so long everyone is turned a blind eye to the NFL. The NFL has had problems with violence for a long that just didn't start over the last year. Current players have gotten themselves in trouble and even former players have done some horrible things once their careers were over.

My belief is that the system should make an example out of these athletes to send the message that if the rich and famous can't get away with it then neither can the rest of society. The Baltimore Ravens did the right thing in terminating Ray Rice but I also believe that Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson should be released as well. Before all the details came out I suggested that they should be given a second chance like Vick and Burress did. Looking back on it now Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress should have not gotten second chances. If they would have not gotten those second chances maybe Rice, Peterson and Hardy would have thought before they acted.

If I was running a professional sports league I would set some harsh rules and punishments. If you get convicted a misdemeanor then you get suspended for the severity of the crime. If you get convicted of a felony then you are kicked out of the league for life. It sounds harsh doesn't it? Well why should an athlete be able to make millions and break the laws while a majority of us work hard and obey the laws while we struggle to survive.

The time for babying and pampering athletes needs to be over. It's time for swift justice, harsher punishments and show there are consequences for every decision they make. Take their money a put it towards good causes or a good charity to support people who actually need it. It's been said that the only thing athletes respect is the game they are involved with. Well there is a simple solution. Take the game away from them and everything that comes with it.

Sick of Hearing About Ray Rice

Highlights of Rob Shoemaker Racing #29 at Berlin Raceway 9/6/14

Experiencing Berlin Raceway

Over the weekend I was invited out to Berlin Raceway for final races of the year for the seven divisions that race there regularly. It's been over twenty years since I last was at Berlin so I don't remember much. All I remember is that my cousin Chris was racing back then. Fast forward many years later and Chris is a Crew Chief for Rob Shoemaker who races on the Super Stock series. I got to go down to the pits for the night and watch all the action up close and personal. 

Being down in the pit area is one of the funnest experiences I have ever had as it relates to going to sporting events. The pits had concessions, bleachers, and you could see families and close friends of racers watching the races on top of the trailers. It was unique seeing all the cars in one area. At one point all the cars were on the track for an autograph session for the fans. 

Berlin expanded a lot over the last year adding new grandstands, a lounge that stays open until long after the races are over and even has a stage that bands can play on! The owners and promoters of this legendary West Michigan raceway have put a lot of effort in to making this a great track to come to. Personally I think it's paid off. 

I've been on the banks of Daytona which is larger then life, have walked on Richmond Speedway, and have been to other local West Michigan tracks but you will not get a better racing experience then you do at Berlin. Every track has something special about it but you will NOT get a better close up view of the race action then you do at Berlin. Getting pit passes is extremely worth it and made the night I had that much funner then I ever thought imaginable. If you live in West Michigan or are visiting the area I would highly suggest visiting Berlin Raceway for some great racing action. 

Is WWE Making the NFL Look Bad With Michael Sam?

This past weekend Michael Sam was released be the St. Louis Rams. Earlier today the Dallas Cowboys signed him to their practice quad but before that happened the WWE announced an open invite to Michael Sam for an upcoming appearance on Monday Night Raw. Now that he is signed he won't be on Raw anytime soon but the invite is on the table for the future. One has to wonder that if the Cowboys hadnt signed him if he would have shown up on WWE Television?

There have been a few athletes that have opened up about being gay. WWE's own Darren Young is openly gay as well long time employee Pat Patterson. Other well known athletes include Brittney Griner, Jason Collins and Liz Carmouche. The UFC, WWE and NBA have been accepting of openly gay athletes in their organization. 

Everyone keeps saying quit making a big deal about it and that it's not about Sam being openly gay. Well if thats the case why isn't he signed? These awards and highlights should speak for themselves:

-Unanimous All-American (2013)
-SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2013)
-First-team All-SEC (2013)
-Arthur Ashe Courage Award (2014)

He was projected as a third or fourth round projection before his announcement and the NFL Combine. He went in the 7th round with many citing his performances were disappointing in the combine but during his college career he had Sam had 123 tackles,(36 for a loss), 21 sacks, six forced fumbles and two intercepted passes. These are great stats and they shouldn't have been ignored.

WWE has been known to capitalize on trends, topics and controversial issues and incorporate them into their television show. It just seems to ironic that WWE wanted Michael Sam on Monday Night Raw during the first Monday Night Football games of the NFL Season.

With all the facts, stats, and opinions out there it makes me wonder if the NFL is discriminatory or if WWE is taking a bad situation and making themselves look good and the NFL bad? There are so many questions but we will have to wait to find the answers because Michael Sam is a Cowboy and won't be on Monday Night Raw anytime in the near future!

Matt Williamson (3rr) Makes Debut at Kalamazoo Speedway 8/31/14