Let it GO!

Sorry folks for the delay in posting. I know how eagerly you watch our blogs and wait for up dates but there is something exciting a brewing for the Marauder Athletics fan base....and it has been consuming our class' time!

Today's topic is an interesting one. Is an athletic team name offensive or an honor? This debate has been around for decades and constantly in and out of the courtroom. Just recently the US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld the decision that the Washington Redskins are not racist in name. They agreed upon a technicality that the group of American Indians were too young in 1967 when the Redskins first trademarked the name, and although they won a case in 1999 it's been a lot of loses and time appealing cases. The Sioux are going through the same legal battles I'm positive and numerous other teams too. But as is, these cases should have been brought up immediately in 1967 for the names to be changed. Right now the Redskins, for example, have invested millions and would suffer financial ruin if they lost the trademark rights to their name. I would hate to see the Ralph Engel tad building be destroyed as rumor has it if the Sioux are forced to change their name.

So the big question is, are athletic teams with names referencing the Native Americans truly offensive? Or are just a few people trying to get rich off their ancestry? Bad as that my sound I've heard that members of the Sioux nation want a percentage of the UND's profits for their own in trade for using their family name. I think we have become a sue happy nation and everyone is after the quick dollar. If someone can make thousands for spilling coffee on themselves, they why can't someone else get rich for sharing ancestry with a popular mascot?

In all fairness they might truly be offended at the name and the school or NFL, but seriously? What happened to the saying "any publicity is good publicity"? In my opinion these few Native Americans who are suing for the name rights should be honored that their people were chosen to represent large, highly public, and respected organizations. Especially after all these years! There is no way that the names of these teams will be changed. Too much money, time, advertising, and the goodwill that has built up within the organizations are gargantuan! These whole court cases need to be dropped and forgotten! I’m sorry, but you can’t win. The Redskins are here to stay. The Sioux are here to stay. This topic needs to be dropped and how about instead of throwing them under the bus, the Native Americans who are suing them, support these teams? Support them whole heartedly and grow from the experience of love and support from all races and ages and regions. Doesn’t that sound nice?

Miss California, You're fired!

Ok, so a little off topic today. Not a typical professional athlete, but a professional none the less. I'm going to talk about the "controversal" answer of the year. I'm sorry, but since when is standing up for your faith, morals, and family uprising a bad thing? Why is this one young Cali girl getting national fame and disproval? If you haven't figured it out I'm talking about 2009 Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Her 15 minutes of fame started when she "lost" the title of Miss USA by answering celebrity judge Perez Hilton's question about same sex marriages. Miss California answered that she grew up to believe that it is a sacred union between a man and a woman only. Now as far as being a spokesperson for the great state of California which is a lot more liberal and accepting than the Dakotas from where I write this blog, she probably wasn't channeling her constituents all that well. But why does the rest of the country hate her so for being true to herself and her upbringing? I'm not trying to promote or agrue against same sex marriage, that's not what this is about, but I am trying to figure out why her one answer has lead to a great scandal.

She is now in danger of losing her Miss California crown. Not for her Q&A session, but because it has been revealed she didn't disclose all her teenage modeling pictures (she's nude in one) to the judges. I am wondering if because she "lost" and is made a big controversal celebrity of herself that the judges looked further into her past and revealed some reason to disgrace her and strip her crown. Overall I don't really care anymore. Her 15 minutes are over, hell, they lasted a lot longer than the actual winner of the Miss USA crown whatzhername. She raised some good questions and some good debates across the country for a short while, but now I just wish Donald Trump would pull the plug on the whole Miss USA pageant so we wouldn't have to deal with these silly princesses anymore. Please! Just tell them all "you're fired!"

triskaidekaphobia, bored of the number 13.

Can you believe the big news of the weekend? On Thursday it was revealed that Manny Ramirez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (a woman's fertility pill!) and that he would be suspended from playing for 50 games. WOW. That would be the biggest story of the week without any help of let's say....the 13 game winning streak the Dodgers were on, or the amazing batting record Manny has, or even his erradic behaviors before his trade to LA.

But no.

Almost as soon as they got done saying "50 games" Alex Rodriguez's name pops up. We all know he admitted to using steriods and he has been sitting on the disabled list since March, and he was on his way to the hall of fame, but really? Can't we just let Manny take all the heat this weekend? Yes, ARod handled his interviews poorly and really hasn't owned up to the facts, but he's playing again. He came back on Friday night and hit a home run. He's back. Let's stop comparing him to Manny who is most unlike A Rod in many ways. Opposites really. Personalities couldn't be more opposite. Let's compare Manny to the 27 players who actually have been suspended for performance enhancing drugs. Not ARod who wasn't. They aren't in the same boat. They aren't even on the same coast.

Overall what I'm trying to say is, just because ARod is a Yankee he is getting a lot more publicity than any other player would. While Manny was leading his team to victory and success, the Yankees were barely putting a dent in their brand new stadium's seats. ARod is not worth the time of news that they have been reporting on him, especially while he was on the disabled list. Can we move on now that he is playing again? Can ESPN simply do a highlight of him hitting a homerun on his first up to bat debut? Let's hope so.

intro: the meaning of life

hello fellow Bloggers!

How easy is it now for a nobody to become internationally famous? Even now as I am writing this blog I am setting up my own chance at internet celebrity status! All I have to do is post a picture of President George Bush kissing a monkey and boom, 100k hits by nightfall. (the picture is coming I promise).

But this blog isn't going to be all about me. I'll spare you the torture. This blog is going to be about all the people who have already become famous, and now just won't go away. People like Brett Farve who've retired three, four, five times already and still are negotiating contracts, or A Rod, who apparently, took steriods and is very sorry for it. Basically, people the media just loves to talk about while the general population of avid sports fans or even average Joes are sick of hearing the same story a dozen times with no real updates on the situation.

So, fellow bloggers, please check back often and leave lots of comments on your thoughts on these athletes/celebrities who just won't go away. I would love to know if you are as bored of them as I am.