unitedspeaks

The Revolving Door of Major College Football Coaches

Posted on December 19, 2015 by javon8961

As the new year is right around the corner, there is a dense fog that approaches, it involves scouts, high schools, parents, eligibility and scholarships. This fog is the immense chaos of college football recruiting. This is bloodline of major college football programs. The right recruits can change not only a program’s future but also a university’s future. Sometimes, the best recruits are not influenced by program tradition, campus lifestyle, or even academics (Sorry Notre Dame and Stanford) , but the charismatic prowess and power of the coaches. At Alabama, there is a demi God that is the face of the city of Tuscaloosa. No, its not the mayor Walter Maddox. His name is Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. or in casual football circles: Nick Saban. Moreover, if you are a college football purist, you might call him the most powerful man in college football.

Nick Saban at Alabama is an institution, Before there was Nick Saban, the institution was Gene Stallings, and before Gene Stallings, there was Paul “Bear” Bryant. Who is probably known as the greatest college football coach of all-time and a pop culture icon because of his choice of hat…..

Its not just at Alabama, these coaches for the last 100 years have controlled the college football landscape and were trend setters of their time. Up north, you had at Penn State University you had Joe Paterno. In Ohio and Michigan you had Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.

In the Midwest (including Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and Kansas State) You had Barry Switzer, Darrell Royal, Tom Osborne, and Bill Snyder.

In the west coast, you had at USC Pete Carroll and Jim McKay

These coaches not only set the table for NFL futures and college endowments but also most of the time can seal the fate of rival coaches that lose to them. Many major college programs schools and boosters spend millions of dollars to get a coach to duplicate the successes of their counterparts but get fired and lose jobs to no avail. For example, Les Miles at LSU was about to lose his head football coaching job after a mundane 9 win regular season. Compared to 86% of major college football programs winning 9 regular season games would be an achievement here but because of the level of expectations of being the next Nick Saban. Saban’s success almost cost Les Miles his job. Moreover, in the same conference (SEC) Mark Richt also despite having a 9-3 regular season parted ways with UGA. Richt was later replaced with the defensive coordinator of Alabama (Ironically) Kirby Smart. Richt later was hired to be the new head coach of Miami (FL).

Major college football is a money grab for many parties but if you don’t deliver on national championship expectations then it can be said the turnover of being the head honcho has more cons and pros because of the expectations that are associated with the position.

The interconnected world of sports and entertainment

Posted on September 14, 2015 by javon8961

in a not to distant past I never just wanted be a lawyer. When I was 7 years old I saw the exploits of two men named Steve Williams and Dwayne Johnson get into a squared circle and fight for supremacy to win a large gold belt. I also saw on another channel a man named Terry Bollea go up against Page Joseph Faulkinburg for another large gold belt. Steve Williams went on to be named “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Dwyane Johnson, well he became the well known figure we know now as “The Rock.”

Both are now major hollywood actors. Terry Bollea, he is forever immortalized as “Hulk Hogan” and Mr. Faulkinburg became known as the Wrestler “Diamond Dallas Page.” Now Hulk Hogan and Diamond Dallas Page became rivals and one day decided to have a tag team match with the likes of Basketball Hall of Famers Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone. As a kid, I never knew how this would shape my life but I knew it was epic. Knowing that a basketball star can wrestle with larger than life heroes intrigued quite a bit. That’s when I knew not only could I be a professional football player or basketball player that I could also be a wrestler too. Sadly, as I got older I knew that would be extremely hard to manage. Now that I’m old enough to know better there something Stone Cold, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Dennis Rodman, DDP, and Karl Malone had in common, not only did they wrestle they helped merge the worlds of sports and entertainment on a grand scale.

The world of sports and entertainment go hand in like Peanut Butter and Jelly, Eggs and Bacon, or apple pie and America. Sometimes, we are introduced to this concept and don’t even know it. When you look on TV or in a magazine following your favorite actress or musician usually not only are you checking on what they are doing on a regular basis you are also wondering about who they are dating. Sometimes these people in entertainment would date a sports star and you would never know it. For example, I watched the Kids’ Choice Sports awards and it was hosted by Russell Wilson, a NFL star. One segment of the show, Russell and his now girlfriend singer/actress Ciara performed Silento’s “Whip/Nae Nae” on stage this is an example of the world of sports and entertainment weaving together.

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Even when Acclaimed sports stars and legends get into hollywood one can make the case that they may make a mark on pop culture. Michael Jordan in the 1990s was a phenomenon on a grand scale you couldn’t go anywhere in the world and not know who he was. In 1996, he was casted to play well of course himself in the movie “Space Jam” with a little help from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd also, with great voice acting from Danny Devito. Space Jam not only helped Michael Jordan become a legend on the hardwood moreover, he became a pop culture icon.

From now until forever, the world of sports and entertainment will always go hand in hand. From Cartoons to award shows to supermarket tabloids the universe of sports and the universe of entertainment will always intertwine.