Goal setting is something that we tend to do from time to time. Sometimes we may write the goal down but more times than not we keep our goals in our head. What we tend to do though is set goals that are "realistic" which therefore creates a ceiling for ourselves. We like to give ourselves a "limit" on how well we can do at any given activity. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is it Helpful to be realistic? Is it best to shoot low so we don't disappoint ourselves? I feel this way of thinking is detrimental to the idea of success. Will Smith once said "Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity." I would have to agree with Smith and dare you to set goals that you may feel right now are out of your reach. But there are examples of people all around us who knock down barriers because they didn't impose any psychological limits on themselves. So what is it that stops us all from doing so?
I am a youth track coach and a couple of weeks ago my team ran in our National Qualifier track meet. One of our runners who is only a mere 8 years old was caught in a bind. She was disqualified from one event in which she placed 3rd (top 5 go to Nationals) and had one event left to punch her ticket, the 400 meter dash. Now in the Preliminary round she ran her personal best and still was 8th out of 8 that make it to the finals. In order to make it to Nationals she would have had to run 6 seconds faster than her personal best. Now I don't know if any of you know about Track & Field but to drop 6 seconds in any sprint is an amazing feat. We as coaches felt that our runner would just have to wait for next season to get her chance at nationals. But that next day in the finals, this girl topped her personal best from the day before by 6 seconds and got the last spot on the way to Nationals! Now what if this young runner would have put limits on herself like we as coaches did? Would she have been able to perform the way she had? I highly doubt it! She saw no limits in her potential to improve.
Now what is the difference between you, I and this young athlete? When you set your goals are you "realistic"? Where do these limits we impose on ourselves come from? Many times they come from other people who tell us what we can or can't do. Or how good we can or can't be. How far we can or can't go. And the reason they tell us that is because that person feels they can't do it so why would you have the audacity to be outstanding? In most cases there is no factual information that can tell us that we can't reach a certain level of success in any given venture. We let outside forces convince our mind to embrace a limitation that only exists because we believe it does. What we believe will end up becoming our "reality". This process leads us to mediocrity and unrealized goals. When does it stop?
Belief in yourself is the most important thing when it comes to achievement. Just take a look around you with all of the technology, athletes, and businessmen that are doing things that some of us thought were unimaginable! It all starts with belief. When you believe, it is much easier to remove limitations and become the first you! Comparing yourself with other's must end. Excuses must end. Listening to what OTHERS tell you is possible for YOU must end. Goal setting without limits must begin! Belief in yourself must begin! Attacking the fear of success must begin! If nothing else know that your understanding of yourself today creates your "reality" tomorrow. To reach those "unrealistic" goals we must work smart, then work hard, be fully dedicated and most importantly BELIEVE.
This blog is brought to you by the RED PILL MENTALITY
Great insight from Will Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSK_Likqv24
I am available for speaking engagements. My focus is young people from high school through college years.
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email: saladin.davis@gmail.com
facebook: Saladin Davis Professional Motivator
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
BLACK ON BLACK CRIME
On Sunday March 13th ESPN aired a special documentary called "THE FAB 5" documenting the story of 5 freshman basketball players at The University of Michigan in the early 90's. During this documentary, there were some comments made by a couple of the players, notably Jalen Rose about the Duke basketball program and their recruitment of Black American players. Rose said that when he was a freshman he and his teammates felt that, "Duke only recruits Uncle Toms". The words of the Fab 5 created great controversy and spurred comments from a Black American that played on the Duke team that beat the Fab 5 in the National Championship game their freshman year, Grant Hill. Hill wrote an article defending himself and other Blacks that played at Duke and said they were credits to their race and are nothing near an "Uncle Tom". Jalen Rose and Jimmy King of the Fab 5 also made an appearence on ESPN'S FIRST TAKE to discuss the topic with Skip Bayless. One of the highlights of the interview was Rose and King stating that Duke only recruits certain types of Black players and nobody can dispute that. A couple of days later on the same show, ESPN'S Chris Broussard commented about the situation and mentioned the identity crisis of young Black men and the misconception that if you don't grow up in "the hood" then you are less Black. All of these conversations (I will place links to each at the bottom of the post) bring up a few issues that should be the focus of this arguement. I will highlight what I feel we should all be able to take away from this situation that has so many lessons learned.
I was one of the many that watched the Documentary and truthfully if this didn't become an issue in the sports world, I would have never had a second thought about the comments made about Duke. The Fab 5 stated how they felt at the age of 18 in their Freshman year in college and I left it at that. Obviously the rest of the world didn't feel the same as I. After watching the aftermath of the comments Rose and the others made I realized one big lesson that we all probably heard before........you have to watch what you say and how you say it! Rose was speaking of how he felt at the age of 18 but he used one of the most hurtful phrases that could be used toward a Black person. If his choice of words were any different, I may be blogging about something different. Us regular folk who don't have to worry about being under a microscope still have to live with words we have said to loved ones, co-workers, and others. So imagine how some words that we have said in our daily lives will blow up if we were in the position of a Jalen Rose. Rose might still feel the same way....he might not. What I do know is that once it leaves your mouth you can't take it back and it is then left up to the worlds interpretation. Words are powerful no matter how much you sing "sticks and stones".
The second thing is the lesson that Grant Hill and Chris Broussard were attempting to teach us. That lesson is in referrence to how we feel about each other as Blacks. Some took Jalen's comments about being an "Uncle Tom" as if he changed the definition to "from a two parent household raised in the suburbs". This is a thought process that is cacerous to us as a people. Since when are you "more black" because you grew up in the projects? Since when are you "less black" because you know how to speak proper English? There is no blueprint to "being Black"! We all are different and take different paths to where we feel we should be in life. Jalen Rose is from a single parent household in Detroit and grew up in a financially strapped home. Grant Hill grew up with both parents, both having Ivy league educations and were financially stable. Tell me which one of these situations discribes racial attributes? We are all Black and need to embrace the way that God made us. Just because you grow up in the suburbs and go to private schools doesn't mean you are a sell out. In my mind selling drugs to your own people and creating death in your own neighborhood is selling out much more than an Ivy league education could ever be! We all, wether upper, middle, or lower class are all Black people and working and learning together is what we need to worry about as opposed to labeling each other.
Finally, on FIRST TAKE, Jalen said that he understands that Duke recruits a specific type of player and he understands why. By pointing that out and choosing not to celebrate it means he is socially concious and understands the depth of why certain things are the way they are. Now I'm not going to focus on if Duke just recruits people from certain neighborhoods with certain family backgrounds. What I will focus on is the fact that we do need to know when practices similar to these are being practiced. There are still many things in sports and in life that have processes to shut out certain groups of people. Many times these organizations have many "politicaly correct" reasons that save them from being scrutinized for their actions. What I got from Jalen's comments was that we have to be more aware of when there are injustices in certain processes that we may normally support. Make sure that we look a little deeper into situations so that we are always supporting causes, programs, products and processes that are in line with equallity and our personal beliefs and values. Making sure that we aren't selling ourselves out, never the less our race.
In conclussion I ultimately just want us all (including myself) to start looking at situations such as this and seeing what we can learn from them. Both sides have points that are important but what common ground can we come to? We have to stop separating ourselves as Black people and falling into the mental trap that was set for us all so long ago! Check out the links for more info on this controversy.
Jalen Rose and Jimmy King on FIRST TAKE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDlfp4ADJRE
Grant Hill's response to Jalen Rose http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/
Chris Broussard on The Fab 5's Comments http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhfA58l6q3f7djCa84
I'M OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS. I FOCUS ON YOUTH MOTIVATION AND MOTIVATION FOR SPORTS TEAMS (YOUTH, HIGH SCHOOL, AND COLLEGE).
CONTACT ME AT
saladin.davis@gmail.com MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK!
I was one of the many that watched the Documentary and truthfully if this didn't become an issue in the sports world, I would have never had a second thought about the comments made about Duke. The Fab 5 stated how they felt at the age of 18 in their Freshman year in college and I left it at that. Obviously the rest of the world didn't feel the same as I. After watching the aftermath of the comments Rose and the others made I realized one big lesson that we all probably heard before........you have to watch what you say and how you say it! Rose was speaking of how he felt at the age of 18 but he used one of the most hurtful phrases that could be used toward a Black person. If his choice of words were any different, I may be blogging about something different. Us regular folk who don't have to worry about being under a microscope still have to live with words we have said to loved ones, co-workers, and others. So imagine how some words that we have said in our daily lives will blow up if we were in the position of a Jalen Rose. Rose might still feel the same way....he might not. What I do know is that once it leaves your mouth you can't take it back and it is then left up to the worlds interpretation. Words are powerful no matter how much you sing "sticks and stones".
The second thing is the lesson that Grant Hill and Chris Broussard were attempting to teach us. That lesson is in referrence to how we feel about each other as Blacks. Some took Jalen's comments about being an "Uncle Tom" as if he changed the definition to "from a two parent household raised in the suburbs". This is a thought process that is cacerous to us as a people. Since when are you "more black" because you grew up in the projects? Since when are you "less black" because you know how to speak proper English? There is no blueprint to "being Black"! We all are different and take different paths to where we feel we should be in life. Jalen Rose is from a single parent household in Detroit and grew up in a financially strapped home. Grant Hill grew up with both parents, both having Ivy league educations and were financially stable. Tell me which one of these situations discribes racial attributes? We are all Black and need to embrace the way that God made us. Just because you grow up in the suburbs and go to private schools doesn't mean you are a sell out. In my mind selling drugs to your own people and creating death in your own neighborhood is selling out much more than an Ivy league education could ever be! We all, wether upper, middle, or lower class are all Black people and working and learning together is what we need to worry about as opposed to labeling each other.
Finally, on FIRST TAKE, Jalen said that he understands that Duke recruits a specific type of player and he understands why. By pointing that out and choosing not to celebrate it means he is socially concious and understands the depth of why certain things are the way they are. Now I'm not going to focus on if Duke just recruits people from certain neighborhoods with certain family backgrounds. What I will focus on is the fact that we do need to know when practices similar to these are being practiced. There are still many things in sports and in life that have processes to shut out certain groups of people. Many times these organizations have many "politicaly correct" reasons that save them from being scrutinized for their actions. What I got from Jalen's comments was that we have to be more aware of when there are injustices in certain processes that we may normally support. Make sure that we look a little deeper into situations so that we are always supporting causes, programs, products and processes that are in line with equallity and our personal beliefs and values. Making sure that we aren't selling ourselves out, never the less our race.
In conclussion I ultimately just want us all (including myself) to start looking at situations such as this and seeing what we can learn from them. Both sides have points that are important but what common ground can we come to? We have to stop separating ourselves as Black people and falling into the mental trap that was set for us all so long ago! Check out the links for more info on this controversy.
Jalen Rose and Jimmy King on FIRST TAKE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDlfp4ADJRE
Grant Hill's response to Jalen Rose http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/
Chris Broussard on The Fab 5's Comments http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhfA58l6q3f7djCa84
I'M OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS. I FOCUS ON YOUTH MOTIVATION AND MOTIVATION FOR SPORTS TEAMS (YOUTH, HIGH SCHOOL, AND COLLEGE).
CONTACT ME AT
saladin.davis@gmail.com MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK!
Monday, December 13, 2010
TOP 5 NFL RUNNING BACKS OF ALL-TIME!!!!
Top 5 lists are always controversial but when it come's to specific positions in sports it really gets heated! There have been so many great running backs in NFL history, how could you narrow it down to 5? I posted the question on my facebook page and got a lot of good responses so now it's time to give mine. But first a couple of intro notes. I don't do "what if''s"! None of us is Ms. Cleo and have no idea what they chain of events would have been if someone had a better line or a better qb or played in a different era. Next, I am only 26 years old. I have been a fanatic since I could walk but there is a difference between film and actually living in the era to watch a particular player play. So I feel I am a little biased to the players that I had the opportunity to watch season after season. With that said I will give you my Top 5 from 5 down to number one and let you know why. Feel free to tell me in the comments why my list is or isn't accurate in your opinion.
5. MARSHALL FAULK (YEA I SAID IT!)
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 2836 YARDS 12,279 AVERAGE 4.3 TD'S 100
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 767 YARDS 6,875 AVG 9.0 TD'S 36
Marshall Faulk is my number 5 all-time for a few reasons. He had the stats, he changed the way defenses played his team completely, and he could do anything on offense beside throw the ball. Did I mention that he was one of the most elusive players to ever play the game? Faulk is looked at by many as a pass catching runner. But the 5300 yards he compiled with the Colts before joining the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis proves different. He could pass block, run between the tackles, run to the outside, catch passes from the backfield, and line up as a receiver and not miss a beat. Faulk is a 3 time NFL Offensive MVP and 1 time NFL League MVP. In 1999 Faulk ran and caught passes for over 1,000 yards each and the next season set the single season record for TD's with 26! He also has a Super Bowl ring on his resume.
CASE AGAINST FAULK
Though he was a great runner he never had amazing single season rushing yards stats with his best season coming in 2001 with 1,382 yards. After rushing for 1,000 yards in 7 of his first 8 seasons, Faulk never reached that mark again in his last 4 years of play.
INTERESTING STAT
Marshall Faulk had more 1,000 yard seasons with the Colts than he did with the Rams (4 with the Colts and 3 with the Rams).
4. EMMIT SMITH
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 4,409 YARDS 18,355 AVG 4.2 TD'S 164
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 515 YARDS 3,224 AVG 6.3 TD'S 11
Say what you want about Emmit but 18k is an amazing accomplishment! Emmit was durable, tough, had great vision, and deceptive quickness. We like to talk about how good his line was but being an Eagles fan I saw him make things happen as opposed to just being a product of the system. Running guys over and making others miss his way to the most prolific career of any NFL back. Emmit played 15 years and rushed for over 1,000 yards in 11 of them. 3 of the other 4 he was over 900 yards. He led the league in rushing 4 times and in rushing touchdowns 3 times. In 1993 he was the leagues rushing leader, NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. Not much to argue here.
CASE AGAINST EMMIT
Emmit is looked at as being a product of an excellent line. We always like to say what would have been had Emmit had a bad line to run behind. But like I said in the beginning I don't do what if's. What I would say is I SAW many times where because of his line Emmit wasn't touched until the second and many times 3rd level of defense. What that means to me is he didn't have the opportunity to wow me with the things he could have done had he had a less talented line.
INTERESTING FACT
Emmit lead the NFL in rushing in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th year in the league!!
3. WALTER PAYTON
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 3,838 YARDS 16,726 AVG 4.4 TD'S 110
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 492 YARDS 4,538 AVG 9.2 TD'S 15
Sweetness could do it all! The epitome of a complete back! He could run around, through and past you. He could catch the ball out of the backfield. He could pass block with the best of them. Payton was as sure as you could get out of a back. In his 13 years of play he ran for over 1,000 yards in 10 of them! The only times he didn't was as a rookie, in a season when he only played 9 games, and in his final season. Payton was a 9 time Pro Bowler a 6 time All-Pro and retired with the most rushing yards in NFL history! And he has a Super Bowl Ring from the 1985 season. No wonder many consider him #1
CASE AGAINST PAYTON
It's very hard to find something that could be held against someone with this type of resume. One thing is that Payton only lead the league in rushing 1 time in 1977 and in touchdowns 1 time in the same year.
INTERESTING STAT
Payton only had more than 10 td's in 5 of his 13 seasons! Still was 2nd All-Time when he retired.
2. JIM BROWN
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 2,359 YARDS 12,312 AVG 5.2 TD'S 106
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 262 YARDS 2499 AVG 9.5 TD'S 20
Most people who saw him play say he is the best PLAYER ever! Now I wasn't alive when he played but when I get the chance to watch it's no question he was a man among boys. He was bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone on the field. There where only 2 of his 9 seasons that he didn't average over 100 yards per game! His first 4 years there were only 12 game seasons and in his last 5 there were 14 game seasons. So it's all the more impressive that Brown had 1500 yards and 17 TD'S in a 12 game season and 1800 yards in a 14 game season! What could he have done with the 16 game seasons the game has today? Brown was a 3 time AP NFL MVP, 9 time Pro Bowler and 8 time first team All-Pro.......In 9 years! Need I say more?
CASE AGAINST BROWN
I didn't see him play so that might be the only reason he's not #1. The other will be the 2 seasons he did not reach 1,000 yards and in each of those seasons he averaged less than 80 yards per game.
INTERESTING STAT
Jim Brown led the NFL in rushing 8 of his 9 years in the league including his rookie year!
1. BARRY SANDERS
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 3,062 YARDS 15,269 AVG 5.0 TD'S 99
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 352 YARDS 2,921 AVG 8.3 TD'S 10
Barry was the best! 10 years in the league, 10 1,000 yard seasons, 10 Pro Bowls, 6 first team All-Pro's, and 4 time NFL leading rusher. The only back in history to lead the league in carries for lost and yards in the same season. He had amazing quickness and stop and go ability. He made any and everybody look like they just played their first down in football when attempting to tackle him. Barry was very durable. The one year his season was shortened to 11 games........he still had 1,100 yards! Barry didn't show any signs of slowing down and we all are left to wonder what he would have done had he not took an early exit.
INTERESTING STAT
Barry was great with ball security. In 1994 he carried the ball 331 times for over 1800 yards with no fumbles.
CASE AGAINST BARRY
Barry had too many carries for loss. We all know he made up for them but some times you have go get that sure straight ahead yardage to help your team. He also never won a championship.
So that's my list! Love it or hate it it's mine! lol! So let me know what you think and what you would change and why. COMMENT AWAY SPORTS FANS!!!!
5. MARSHALL FAULK (YEA I SAID IT!)
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 2836 YARDS 12,279 AVERAGE 4.3 TD'S 100
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 767 YARDS 6,875 AVG 9.0 TD'S 36
Marshall Faulk is my number 5 all-time for a few reasons. He had the stats, he changed the way defenses played his team completely, and he could do anything on offense beside throw the ball. Did I mention that he was one of the most elusive players to ever play the game? Faulk is looked at by many as a pass catching runner. But the 5300 yards he compiled with the Colts before joining the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis proves different. He could pass block, run between the tackles, run to the outside, catch passes from the backfield, and line up as a receiver and not miss a beat. Faulk is a 3 time NFL Offensive MVP and 1 time NFL League MVP. In 1999 Faulk ran and caught passes for over 1,000 yards each and the next season set the single season record for TD's with 26! He also has a Super Bowl ring on his resume.
CASE AGAINST FAULK
Though he was a great runner he never had amazing single season rushing yards stats with his best season coming in 2001 with 1,382 yards. After rushing for 1,000 yards in 7 of his first 8 seasons, Faulk never reached that mark again in his last 4 years of play.
INTERESTING STAT
Marshall Faulk had more 1,000 yard seasons with the Colts than he did with the Rams (4 with the Colts and 3 with the Rams).
4. EMMIT SMITH
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 4,409 YARDS 18,355 AVG 4.2 TD'S 164
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 515 YARDS 3,224 AVG 6.3 TD'S 11
Say what you want about Emmit but 18k is an amazing accomplishment! Emmit was durable, tough, had great vision, and deceptive quickness. We like to talk about how good his line was but being an Eagles fan I saw him make things happen as opposed to just being a product of the system. Running guys over and making others miss his way to the most prolific career of any NFL back. Emmit played 15 years and rushed for over 1,000 yards in 11 of them. 3 of the other 4 he was over 900 yards. He led the league in rushing 4 times and in rushing touchdowns 3 times. In 1993 he was the leagues rushing leader, NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. Not much to argue here.
CASE AGAINST EMMIT
Emmit is looked at as being a product of an excellent line. We always like to say what would have been had Emmit had a bad line to run behind. But like I said in the beginning I don't do what if's. What I would say is I SAW many times where because of his line Emmit wasn't touched until the second and many times 3rd level of defense. What that means to me is he didn't have the opportunity to wow me with the things he could have done had he had a less talented line.
INTERESTING FACT
Emmit lead the NFL in rushing in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th year in the league!!
3. WALTER PAYTON
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 3,838 YARDS 16,726 AVG 4.4 TD'S 110
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 492 YARDS 4,538 AVG 9.2 TD'S 15
Sweetness could do it all! The epitome of a complete back! He could run around, through and past you. He could catch the ball out of the backfield. He could pass block with the best of them. Payton was as sure as you could get out of a back. In his 13 years of play he ran for over 1,000 yards in 10 of them! The only times he didn't was as a rookie, in a season when he only played 9 games, and in his final season. Payton was a 9 time Pro Bowler a 6 time All-Pro and retired with the most rushing yards in NFL history! And he has a Super Bowl Ring from the 1985 season. No wonder many consider him #1
CASE AGAINST PAYTON
It's very hard to find something that could be held against someone with this type of resume. One thing is that Payton only lead the league in rushing 1 time in 1977 and in touchdowns 1 time in the same year.
INTERESTING STAT
Payton only had more than 10 td's in 5 of his 13 seasons! Still was 2nd All-Time when he retired.
2. JIM BROWN
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 2,359 YARDS 12,312 AVG 5.2 TD'S 106
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 262 YARDS 2499 AVG 9.5 TD'S 20
Most people who saw him play say he is the best PLAYER ever! Now I wasn't alive when he played but when I get the chance to watch it's no question he was a man among boys. He was bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone on the field. There where only 2 of his 9 seasons that he didn't average over 100 yards per game! His first 4 years there were only 12 game seasons and in his last 5 there were 14 game seasons. So it's all the more impressive that Brown had 1500 yards and 17 TD'S in a 12 game season and 1800 yards in a 14 game season! What could he have done with the 16 game seasons the game has today? Brown was a 3 time AP NFL MVP, 9 time Pro Bowler and 8 time first team All-Pro.......In 9 years! Need I say more?
CASE AGAINST BROWN
I didn't see him play so that might be the only reason he's not #1. The other will be the 2 seasons he did not reach 1,000 yards and in each of those seasons he averaged less than 80 yards per game.
INTERESTING STAT
Jim Brown led the NFL in rushing 8 of his 9 years in the league including his rookie year!
1. BARRY SANDERS
RUSHING STATS
ATTEMPTS 3,062 YARDS 15,269 AVG 5.0 TD'S 99
RECEIVING STATS
CATCHES 352 YARDS 2,921 AVG 8.3 TD'S 10
Barry was the best! 10 years in the league, 10 1,000 yard seasons, 10 Pro Bowls, 6 first team All-Pro's, and 4 time NFL leading rusher. The only back in history to lead the league in carries for lost and yards in the same season. He had amazing quickness and stop and go ability. He made any and everybody look like they just played their first down in football when attempting to tackle him. Barry was very durable. The one year his season was shortened to 11 games........he still had 1,100 yards! Barry didn't show any signs of slowing down and we all are left to wonder what he would have done had he not took an early exit.
INTERESTING STAT
Barry was great with ball security. In 1994 he carried the ball 331 times for over 1800 yards with no fumbles.
CASE AGAINST BARRY
Barry had too many carries for loss. We all know he made up for them but some times you have go get that sure straight ahead yardage to help your team. He also never won a championship.
So that's my list! Love it or hate it it's mine! lol! So let me know what you think and what you would change and why. COMMENT AWAY SPORTS FANS!!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Stadium? Or Sweatshop?
Just imagine this. You are the face of your company. You and a few others drive most of the revenue and the company even uses you for advertising and promoting in the media. Your face is everywhere. Outsiders come to see you because you are so good at what you do. People across the country know your name and may have even heard of your company only because of the talent that you possess. Ten's of millions of dollars are made because of you and your collegues, but there is one catch..........YOU DON'T GET PAID FOR IT!
What I just described is the reality of our major college athletes of the past and present. Mainly college football would be the place where this situation is reality. The money that is made by the schools and athletic staff is astounding and keeps growing as the years go by with all of the new endorsements and partnerships that the schools and the NCAA come across. But the kids that are spending so much time training and playing and risking their bodies don't see a piece of that pie at all and then we wonder why we find so many kids willing to take money illegally through multiple sources. I want to take a look at this challenge that the world of major college sports faces and see what changes if any can be made.
The first thing we want to look at is the schools. Now many have described the way that the kids are "used" on the university level is like modern day slavery. The schools promote and market them just as the NFL would market its teams and atheletes. Jerseys are sold (without the name on the back), posters (sometimes billboards) are posted, and video games sold (again without the names just the numbers of the players) all with the players who bring this interest to these items gaining absolutely nothing. Now I wouldn't compare it to slavery as we know it but if you take the emotion out of thinking of the slave trade in america and just look at the facts, the word does somewhat apply. Now all of the people that are not considered "ametures" (ie. the coaches, university presidents, staff, etc.) all benefit from this added attention and spotlight on the university but once again the players get nada! In football in particular, the university gets a certain amount of money (many time in the millions) just for going to a bowl game! Another instance when the players are to be happy for scholorship money and memories.
Now there are many situations when the player or the players family feel that the rules arent fair and they find a way to get paid, or a way to get paid finds them. In the begining when being recruited from high school, this gets done by the universities that are fighting to have this amazing athelete help their program win (and make a fortune). So they offer the player and his family money, gifts, houses, cars and everything else under the sun to make sure he plays at their school. They do risk the program being penalized by the NCAA but if everything works out they have a star for a least 3 years (basketball players only have to stay for 1 year). And if they go on probation thats maybe 2 years of a downturn in recruiting and revenue. But what about the player? The player loses his ameture status all together and dreams of making a career out of his passion could be gone forever!
Similarly but in my eyes even worse is when a player has made a name for himself and is ready to take that next step to "The League", and is being courted by agents. We have witnessed this more than ever with they situations at UNC, Alabama, UGA, and South Carolina this year. The agents gives the player improper benefits such as paying for a flight or giving him cash and if uncovered the player's career is done! But what about they agent? The agents gets to go on and sign the next cash cow to boost his reputation and his bank account. The player is affected the most in any situation when there couldn't be a situation if the agent or that booster from the university wasn't involved.
Do I have a solution for the situation? I guess not or someone would be paying me to set up the program. I'm not sure how to have it positioned but I do think that some of this profit being made needs to go to the people most responsible for making the profit. This puts you on a slippery slope because then you start to ask who gets paid more? What is reasonable to pay player's? How and when will payment start and finish? All of these questions are probably why there is nothing that has been done as of now because this is not a new subject. It was not too long ago when scholarship athletes couldn't even have a job! We got past that but this is a situation that needs to be tweeked heavily. More punishment for the people who throw money into these kid's faces knowing how hard it is to resist when many don't have a pot to piss in. A new look at the rules for ameture athletes. And for the parents at home to know they rules and get thoroughly involved so that their child isn't put on the path to possibly ruin his career or the millions that he could make as opposed to the thousands that are offered while still an ameture. The value of an education is important and needs to be prioritized, but that doesn't excuse the neglect of the worth of these player's to these institutions.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most, for what they want at the moment."
What I just described is the reality of our major college athletes of the past and present. Mainly college football would be the place where this situation is reality. The money that is made by the schools and athletic staff is astounding and keeps growing as the years go by with all of the new endorsements and partnerships that the schools and the NCAA come across. But the kids that are spending so much time training and playing and risking their bodies don't see a piece of that pie at all and then we wonder why we find so many kids willing to take money illegally through multiple sources. I want to take a look at this challenge that the world of major college sports faces and see what changes if any can be made.
The first thing we want to look at is the schools. Now many have described the way that the kids are "used" on the university level is like modern day slavery. The schools promote and market them just as the NFL would market its teams and atheletes. Jerseys are sold (without the name on the back), posters (sometimes billboards) are posted, and video games sold (again without the names just the numbers of the players) all with the players who bring this interest to these items gaining absolutely nothing. Now I wouldn't compare it to slavery as we know it but if you take the emotion out of thinking of the slave trade in america and just look at the facts, the word does somewhat apply. Now all of the people that are not considered "ametures" (ie. the coaches, university presidents, staff, etc.) all benefit from this added attention and spotlight on the university but once again the players get nada! In football in particular, the university gets a certain amount of money (many time in the millions) just for going to a bowl game! Another instance when the players are to be happy for scholorship money and memories.
Now there are many situations when the player or the players family feel that the rules arent fair and they find a way to get paid, or a way to get paid finds them. In the begining when being recruited from high school, this gets done by the universities that are fighting to have this amazing athelete help their program win (and make a fortune). So they offer the player and his family money, gifts, houses, cars and everything else under the sun to make sure he plays at their school. They do risk the program being penalized by the NCAA but if everything works out they have a star for a least 3 years (basketball players only have to stay for 1 year). And if they go on probation thats maybe 2 years of a downturn in recruiting and revenue. But what about the player? The player loses his ameture status all together and dreams of making a career out of his passion could be gone forever!
Similarly but in my eyes even worse is when a player has made a name for himself and is ready to take that next step to "The League", and is being courted by agents. We have witnessed this more than ever with they situations at UNC, Alabama, UGA, and South Carolina this year. The agents gives the player improper benefits such as paying for a flight or giving him cash and if uncovered the player's career is done! But what about they agent? The agents gets to go on and sign the next cash cow to boost his reputation and his bank account. The player is affected the most in any situation when there couldn't be a situation if the agent or that booster from the university wasn't involved.
Do I have a solution for the situation? I guess not or someone would be paying me to set up the program. I'm not sure how to have it positioned but I do think that some of this profit being made needs to go to the people most responsible for making the profit. This puts you on a slippery slope because then you start to ask who gets paid more? What is reasonable to pay player's? How and when will payment start and finish? All of these questions are probably why there is nothing that has been done as of now because this is not a new subject. It was not too long ago when scholarship athletes couldn't even have a job! We got past that but this is a situation that needs to be tweeked heavily. More punishment for the people who throw money into these kid's faces knowing how hard it is to resist when many don't have a pot to piss in. A new look at the rules for ameture athletes. And for the parents at home to know they rules and get thoroughly involved so that their child isn't put on the path to possibly ruin his career or the millions that he could make as opposed to the thousands that are offered while still an ameture. The value of an education is important and needs to be prioritized, but that doesn't excuse the neglect of the worth of these player's to these institutions.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most, for what they want at the moment."
Sunday, October 31, 2010
WHO WEARS THE PANTS NOW?
I think we can all agree that times have changed drastically in the world in the past 100 years. Or for that matter even the last 20 years! Technology runs the world now which used to be more about manufacturing, agriculture and architecture (among other things). But one thing that has also changed that is taking a little getting used to is gender roles and status. So let's take that a step further. Let's talk about the economic changes between men and women that exist in our society today. Women have stepped their game up and are now making more money than they ever have before. The "Independent Woman" movement is in full force and women are loving every minute of it. But this draws a dilemma. Now some things haven't changed. Women still want a partner to share their life and start a family with. The issue with that? Many of the men don't make as much money as they do. How does this change the dynamic of the relationship? What about the women that want a man that makes more money than they do? Can you make less money than your woman and still be "The Man of The House"? Let's see!
Let's take a look at how it used to be. The man was the only one working in the house (in many cases). He would pay all the bills and make sure everything was financially taken care of. The woman would stay home or work a modest job (sometimes by choice, sometimes because of sexism) and take care of the household duties. Dinner was ready when the man got home and in some cases dinner didn't start until he gets home no matter the time. Now things have changed. There are more women graduating with college degree's than men. Women are making more money than man up until they have their first child. So now that women's earning power has increased exponentially......can we expect things to be the same? I say NO!
Now I have had many conversations about this topic and ironically enough I watch an old episode of Baisden After Dark (Michael Baisdens late night talk show) this week and they were discussing this issue. I feel that we have to evaluate our relationships different. One thought that disturbed me was that if you make the most money in the house then you are the head of the house. I don't know about yall but that makes no sense to me. What if the person that makes the most money is horrible with personal finance? What if they make 20k more than their spouse/partner? Does that make you the head because you make 100k and I make 80k? Now what if this persons decision making skill suck! Do you make them the head of the house and have decision making power just because they have a great paying job? I think you see what I'm getting at. Man or woman, I feel we need to rely on who does what best in the relationship to choose the roles. Fellas if your wife can't cook very well, how can you expect to her to have a hot meal waiting for you just because you are the breadwinner? Ladies if your man is lacking the decision making skills to properly run your household then maybe you should take on that role more often. Does that take away his manhood? It would never for a real man who knows and loves and is comfortable with himself. And what if the woman makes more money?.......................
The days of men making more money than their spouse being the norm are gone! So ladies if that's what you want and need I say get ready for a long search or re-evaluate whats important. When you are together as husband and wife the I goes out the window. Now its our money! Its shared! If you get laid off it's our problem not yours and vice versa. So let's stop personalizing money when we are in this together. Now if that man is everything you want in a man but he makes less than you than the only things that could hurt your relationship is 1. You throwing it in his face, 2. Him being insecure about it or both. On the topic of men being insecure, no man comfortable in his skin should care that his woman makes more than him. What better way to build family wealth than two great incomes and working TOGETHER to get to where you need to be as a family.
I feel that if we focus on what will make our relationship work instead of who makes more we will be in a better state overall. Ladies let your man be a man. Make his plate sometimes. Let him be that figure of authority. And Fellas, tell your woman that she's beautiful. Bring chivalry back! And let's use our individual strengths to divide up the household duties to make sure that we have the best possible home life. And let's make sure that we don't let outside forces dictate what we feel is the right things to do in our home. Your home life is between you and your partner and that's how it should be run. Who makes the most shouldn't be a determining factor of who you end up with or who is the head of the home.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Let's take a look at how it used to be. The man was the only one working in the house (in many cases). He would pay all the bills and make sure everything was financially taken care of. The woman would stay home or work a modest job (sometimes by choice, sometimes because of sexism) and take care of the household duties. Dinner was ready when the man got home and in some cases dinner didn't start until he gets home no matter the time. Now things have changed. There are more women graduating with college degree's than men. Women are making more money than man up until they have their first child. So now that women's earning power has increased exponentially......can we expect things to be the same? I say NO!
Now I have had many conversations about this topic and ironically enough I watch an old episode of Baisden After Dark (Michael Baisdens late night talk show) this week and they were discussing this issue. I feel that we have to evaluate our relationships different. One thought that disturbed me was that if you make the most money in the house then you are the head of the house. I don't know about yall but that makes no sense to me. What if the person that makes the most money is horrible with personal finance? What if they make 20k more than their spouse/partner? Does that make you the head because you make 100k and I make 80k? Now what if this persons decision making skill suck! Do you make them the head of the house and have decision making power just because they have a great paying job? I think you see what I'm getting at. Man or woman, I feel we need to rely on who does what best in the relationship to choose the roles. Fellas if your wife can't cook very well, how can you expect to her to have a hot meal waiting for you just because you are the breadwinner? Ladies if your man is lacking the decision making skills to properly run your household then maybe you should take on that role more often. Does that take away his manhood? It would never for a real man who knows and loves and is comfortable with himself. And what if the woman makes more money?.......................
The days of men making more money than their spouse being the norm are gone! So ladies if that's what you want and need I say get ready for a long search or re-evaluate whats important. When you are together as husband and wife the I goes out the window. Now its our money! Its shared! If you get laid off it's our problem not yours and vice versa. So let's stop personalizing money when we are in this together. Now if that man is everything you want in a man but he makes less than you than the only things that could hurt your relationship is 1. You throwing it in his face, 2. Him being insecure about it or both. On the topic of men being insecure, no man comfortable in his skin should care that his woman makes more than him. What better way to build family wealth than two great incomes and working TOGETHER to get to where you need to be as a family.
I feel that if we focus on what will make our relationship work instead of who makes more we will be in a better state overall. Ladies let your man be a man. Make his plate sometimes. Let him be that figure of authority. And Fellas, tell your woman that she's beautiful. Bring chivalry back! And let's use our individual strengths to divide up the household duties to make sure that we have the best possible home life. And let's make sure that we don't let outside forces dictate what we feel is the right things to do in our home. Your home life is between you and your partner and that's how it should be run. Who makes the most shouldn't be a determining factor of who you end up with or who is the head of the home.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Thursday, October 7, 2010
WILL YOU ...................WAIT FOR ME?
I'll be 27 in January and at this age there are a few things that I guess are expected of you. You should have your career path in order, you should be looking to settle down, and getting ready to have kids. Now the kids thing is already taken care of (as you all should know) but if you're my age or older, you have been asked many times by many different people........when are you getting married? I guess it's not outrageous to think that people in their mid to late twenties (especially if you're in a relationship) might be contemplating taking "the big step", but my issue with this question is the time constraints that people have put on marriage. So I ask you all.....WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME? HOW LONG SHOULD YOU WAIT?
"In 18 months you should know if you want to spend the rest of your life with me!" Thats a quote from a friend during a conversation about when is the right time to get married. Some have said if you don't want to be married to your partner after 2 years of being together, then it's not meant to be. Where do these time frames come from? Is there a study that I don't know about? To me this way of thinking can lead you to lose someone that is great for you. The last I knew there have been people that loved each other for years on top of years and still weren't right for each other. Many times this way of thinking leads to an ultimatum when the time period approaches. "If I don't have a ring in 3 months its over!" or "We're not getting any younger and if you don't love me enough to spend the rest of your life with me I'm waisting my time!" What? Now don't get me wrong, if you have been with someone for 10 years and you're in your 30's and you want to be married and they don't then a tough decision must be made. But if we met in 2008 and we're in our mid twenties and you're giving ultimatums? Thats a little premature by my standards. So when is the right time?
If you are in a serious relationship there should have been many conversations about what you both feel about marriage. Expectations should be set and both parties should have an open mind and try to come to a common ground. Overall communication is key so that you are on the same page with your partner and there is no friction about when either of you feel is the right time for marriage. I also feel that instead of years how about we analyze our experiences in the relationship. You could be with somebody for 4 years and never have spent time away from home with that person. You may have never really had a chance to connect with their family. You may have never had any serious issues that tested the strength of your relationship. So just because you have been together for 4 years does that mean you should commit to being together forever? On the other hand you may be in a year long relationship and have had all of those experiences and then some. You have a better idea of who you're dealing with and what it may be like to marry your partner than the couple that has 4 years under their belt.
My point is every situation is different. Everyone grows at their own pace. We need to focus on being comfortable with and loving ourselves before we can do the same for another person. And when we are in that serious relationship, focus on the things that will help grow your bond. Time spent without connection is like spending no time at all. Let's all be logical and look at our own situations because that's all that matters when trying to figure out when is the right time to take the big step. So to all of you out there dreaming of marriage, don't be upset if your partner asks.........Will you wait for me?
Thanks for reading and I will now be posting weekly so please continue to show your support ans SPREAD THE WORD!
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most for what they want at the moment"
"In 18 months you should know if you want to spend the rest of your life with me!" Thats a quote from a friend during a conversation about when is the right time to get married. Some have said if you don't want to be married to your partner after 2 years of being together, then it's not meant to be. Where do these time frames come from? Is there a study that I don't know about? To me this way of thinking can lead you to lose someone that is great for you. The last I knew there have been people that loved each other for years on top of years and still weren't right for each other. Many times this way of thinking leads to an ultimatum when the time period approaches. "If I don't have a ring in 3 months its over!" or "We're not getting any younger and if you don't love me enough to spend the rest of your life with me I'm waisting my time!" What? Now don't get me wrong, if you have been with someone for 10 years and you're in your 30's and you want to be married and they don't then a tough decision must be made. But if we met in 2008 and we're in our mid twenties and you're giving ultimatums? Thats a little premature by my standards. So when is the right time?
If you are in a serious relationship there should have been many conversations about what you both feel about marriage. Expectations should be set and both parties should have an open mind and try to come to a common ground. Overall communication is key so that you are on the same page with your partner and there is no friction about when either of you feel is the right time for marriage. I also feel that instead of years how about we analyze our experiences in the relationship. You could be with somebody for 4 years and never have spent time away from home with that person. You may have never really had a chance to connect with their family. You may have never had any serious issues that tested the strength of your relationship. So just because you have been together for 4 years does that mean you should commit to being together forever? On the other hand you may be in a year long relationship and have had all of those experiences and then some. You have a better idea of who you're dealing with and what it may be like to marry your partner than the couple that has 4 years under their belt.
My point is every situation is different. Everyone grows at their own pace. We need to focus on being comfortable with and loving ourselves before we can do the same for another person. And when we are in that serious relationship, focus on the things that will help grow your bond. Time spent without connection is like spending no time at all. Let's all be logical and look at our own situations because that's all that matters when trying to figure out when is the right time to take the big step. So to all of you out there dreaming of marriage, don't be upset if your partner asks.........Will you wait for me?
Thanks for reading and I will now be posting weekly so please continue to show your support ans SPREAD THE WORD!
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most for what they want at the moment"
Monday, September 6, 2010
WHERE DID THE MONEY GO!?
The decisions that we make in life can effect us in many different ways. Some can be short term. Some you think about for years. But what about the decisions that you have to deal with for the rest of your life? One that many of us can relate to is having children. Children are great and most of us feel like they are the best things in our lives. Unfortunately, many of our relationships don't work out and we are forced to do our parenting from separate households. This is where things get tricky. Now we all know that the non-custodial parent in most cases will have to pay child support to ensure they are fulfilling their financial obligation to their child. So where should the money go?
Now reading that question I know many of you will say the answer is obvious, the kid! I was under this same assumption until I posted this question as a status on facebook about a year ago. The responses threw me for a loop. Some women said that its their mony and they do as they please. Some said that as long as their child is "taken care of" then they can use the money however they see fit. So I started to think.......What does "taken care of" mean? Does it mean that your child is well fed? Does it mean that he/she has enough clothes to wear? Does it mean that they have a roof with working utilities over their head? This is what I got from those who claimed their child was "taken care of" and I'm not sure if I agree.
Having a roof over your head, clothes to wear, and food to eat are the bear minimums for taking care of our children. So if that is taken care of and you have extra money from CHILD support then why would that go anywhere but to your CHILD? You can't find anything else to put it towards? Let's see what we can come up with.
We all would love our children to be successful. For many of us that means getting a college degree or more. But who has money to pay for it? You do! Now this is for those of us who have full custody of your children and they are "taken care of" before the CHILD support check comes. Putting money away for college will not only help you in your out of pocket costs when that time comes but it will help your child not have to take out their whole tuition in loans and be stuck paying them off for the first 20 years of their working life (research 529 plans). Some of us say that we don't have enough but if you put a little to the side every month it will be better than not saving at all. But before we even get to college there is more that can be done. How many of us have life insurance besides what our job gives us? We have no clue when something may happen to us and we have to ensure that our kids are financially taken care of if God forbid we aren't here tomorrow. Take the time to research what type of plan may work for you and your family because it is absolutly necessary to have life insurance if you are a parent. And what about right now? What are your childs interests? What do they love to do? After we find this out we have to give them the opportunity to be involved. If your son or daughter likes to dance, pay for dance lessons. If they like to sing, pay for singing lessons or a voice coach. If they play an instrument, pay for private lessons. These activities will help keep our kids interests on constructive things and make them more well rounded. And what about the summer time? Our children need to learn over the summer also. There are programs everywhere that you can enroll your child (especially high school children) where they can use some or most of their summer learning and partaking in constructive activity (daycamps) so they are not losing all they have learned because of idle time in the summer.
What we don't need to do is take trips, go clubbing, revamp our closets, go on dates, get your hair done with money for CHILD support. Their is always something more that can be done for you child so all of the resources that are specifically for your child, need to be used for your child. When we had our children and took resposibility we also made a sacrifice to ensure their safety before any luxury for ourselves. We must remember this in order to completely do what is right for our children.
Now I know the things I mentioned aren't the easiest things to do or even plan for with everything that goes on in your day to day life. But hey, we make time for gossip don't we? We make sure we know the latest fashions don't we? We know all the latest celebrity drama don't we? So why cant we know about the latest college investment plan? Why can't we know all the local college prep courses/programs? Why cant we know all of the latest activites for children in your area? I think we all have a lot on our plate and can get overwhelmed at times. But in this day and age with all the information at our fingertips, it's up to us to make the choice to know what we can do to make our kids lives as fulfilling and promising as possible. CHILD support should always be used for that very reason.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most, for what they want at the moment"
Now reading that question I know many of you will say the answer is obvious, the kid! I was under this same assumption until I posted this question as a status on facebook about a year ago. The responses threw me for a loop. Some women said that its their mony and they do as they please. Some said that as long as their child is "taken care of" then they can use the money however they see fit. So I started to think.......What does "taken care of" mean? Does it mean that your child is well fed? Does it mean that he/she has enough clothes to wear? Does it mean that they have a roof with working utilities over their head? This is what I got from those who claimed their child was "taken care of" and I'm not sure if I agree.
Having a roof over your head, clothes to wear, and food to eat are the bear minimums for taking care of our children. So if that is taken care of and you have extra money from CHILD support then why would that go anywhere but to your CHILD? You can't find anything else to put it towards? Let's see what we can come up with.
We all would love our children to be successful. For many of us that means getting a college degree or more. But who has money to pay for it? You do! Now this is for those of us who have full custody of your children and they are "taken care of" before the CHILD support check comes. Putting money away for college will not only help you in your out of pocket costs when that time comes but it will help your child not have to take out their whole tuition in loans and be stuck paying them off for the first 20 years of their working life (research 529 plans). Some of us say that we don't have enough but if you put a little to the side every month it will be better than not saving at all. But before we even get to college there is more that can be done. How many of us have life insurance besides what our job gives us? We have no clue when something may happen to us and we have to ensure that our kids are financially taken care of if God forbid we aren't here tomorrow. Take the time to research what type of plan may work for you and your family because it is absolutly necessary to have life insurance if you are a parent. And what about right now? What are your childs interests? What do they love to do? After we find this out we have to give them the opportunity to be involved. If your son or daughter likes to dance, pay for dance lessons. If they like to sing, pay for singing lessons or a voice coach. If they play an instrument, pay for private lessons. These activities will help keep our kids interests on constructive things and make them more well rounded. And what about the summer time? Our children need to learn over the summer also. There are programs everywhere that you can enroll your child (especially high school children) where they can use some or most of their summer learning and partaking in constructive activity (daycamps) so they are not losing all they have learned because of idle time in the summer.
What we don't need to do is take trips, go clubbing, revamp our closets, go on dates, get your hair done with money for CHILD support. Their is always something more that can be done for you child so all of the resources that are specifically for your child, need to be used for your child. When we had our children and took resposibility we also made a sacrifice to ensure their safety before any luxury for ourselves. We must remember this in order to completely do what is right for our children.
Now I know the things I mentioned aren't the easiest things to do or even plan for with everything that goes on in your day to day life. But hey, we make time for gossip don't we? We make sure we know the latest fashions don't we? We know all the latest celebrity drama don't we? So why cant we know about the latest college investment plan? Why can't we know all the local college prep courses/programs? Why cant we know all of the latest activites for children in your area? I think we all have a lot on our plate and can get overwhelmed at times. But in this day and age with all the information at our fingertips, it's up to us to make the choice to know what we can do to make our kids lives as fulfilling and promising as possible. CHILD support should always be used for that very reason.
"The reason most people fail is because they give up what they want most, for what they want at the moment"
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