By; Emily Herard
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Excitement is building for NFL prospects and football fans across the country, as the first round of the NFL Draft arrives this Thursday. As more and more attention surrounds these young stars and the NFL, I believe it is the perfect time to take a real look at the league. Although some people criticize the NFL for its many imperfections, fans continue to pour their hard-earned money into a league that promotes behavior that is deemed unacceptable in all other aspects of society. Now before I get started, I just want to be clear that I don’t think the entire NFL is corrupt. There are coaches, management, and players who are great role models, such as Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. However, overall the NFL is the least progressive of the four major professional leagues and when an average of 16.5 million people watch a typical NFL game it’s important that the league is promoting positive messages, especially to the young boys who idolize the game and its players.

Rodger Goodell and the NFL like to pretend that they have the right “priorities” in mind and claim to promote the integrity of the game. But if the NFL doesn’t have one thing it’s integrity. Recently, the NFL has cracked down on touchdown celebrations, claiming that NFL players are “role models” and that this behavior is not “sportsmanlike.” However, when you have players who have been accused or charged with domestic violence still on the field it’s a little bit of a head-scratcher.

The NFL’s true priority is maximizing short-term profit to the detriment of both its players and society. To start, the NFL provides football players with second “chances” that most citizens would never get. Any citizen with a criminal record would have a difficult time securing a high-paying, high-status job, but we continue to see NFL teams draft players with criminal records and “character issues.” I’m not saying that I don’t believe in second chances; however, NFL teams only draft these players to maximize their own value, not to help these young men turn around their lives and grow into responsible adults. These players are enticing to some NFL teams because they will most likely perform at the same level as players without records but they will be less sought after. So when NFL players with prior criminal records or bad behavior in college make the same mistake in the NFL, can you completely blame them? They have been treated as stars there entire life and the NFL doesn’t attempt to modify the poor behavior that often accompanies the stardom. Some might argue that it’s not the NFL’s job to help their players become more positive and productive citizens but I have to disagree. As people put more and more pressure on companies to be more socially responsible, the NFL as an organization should also be held to a greater level of responsibility for its impact on society.

This year’s draft will most likely prove once again that there is an NFL team willing to set aside morals in order to “maximize” its current value. One team will draft former Oklahoma running back, Joe Mixon, who punched a woman in the face, causing broken bones in her face which required surgery. He was given a second chance by Oklahoma, but after he received a parking ticket at the university he ripped up the ticket and threw it in the face of the female parking attendant and then inched his car towards her as a form of intimidation. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but it illustrates how Mixon has not learned from his mistakes and will continue to display this behavior in the NFL. NFL teams should not draft him in order to send a message to young footballs players that their behavior off the field has just as much impact as their performance on the field. But it won’t happen, and Mixon will be drafted, once again sending the message that the NFL doesn’t value women equally. That might seem dramatic to some, but just think about how college and NFL players are constantly put on a pedestal and when they assault a woman it’s swept under the rug or the victim blame game begins.

Once players are in the NFL, the league does not have their best interest in mind. Once again, the NFL only has interest in maximizing its short-term profit, and therefore will do anything to make sure its players can play in every game even at the harm of the players. The average length of an NFL career is about 3.3 years according to the NFL Players Association. Players’ careers are often cut short because of serious injuries that the NFL ignores or treats irresponsibly with the abuse of painkillers. These players’ future potential earnings are also negatively impacted by their injuries. Currently, the NFL’s 32 teams are being sued by former players who claim that teams disregarded player safety and federal rules on handling narcotics and painkillers. These players claim that team doctors oversubscribed painkillers and failed to inform them about the risks associated with using them and their long-term effects. Overall, these former players claim the NFL has a culture that forces players to take painkillers and narcotics in order to continue playing, which benefits the teams and harms players’ long-term potential income and health.

​This NFL season I challenge football fans to take a closer look at the NFL and decide for themselves if they agree with how the league operates. I’m not saying to stop watching the NFL but it’s time for fans to make some noise. Since fans pay the NFL owners and Goodell’s paychecks, and because money speaks more than morality in the NFL, fans have the power to make a change on how the NFL treats its players and what messages it sends to society. It’s time for fans to demand that the NFL change its playbook. In a time when many public and political figures disrespect minorities and objectify women, the NFL has the opportunity to move away from that negativity and help promote equality and respect. 

 
            After a thrilling regular season, the NBA playoffs are finally here. The first weekend provided many storylines, which led to numerous knee-jerk reactions and predictions of how the rest of the playoffs will unfold. Harden outdueled Russ, the Warriors and Celtics faced worthy competition as the number 1 seeds, and Paul George called out his teammate for taking an open 18 footer. What should truly be taken away from the infancy of the playoffs and which stories were complete and utter exaggerations?
 
Harden is the Real MVP
            Sunday night, the Rockets pulverized the Thunder by the tune of 118-87. Harden was spectacular, Westbrook was underwhelming, and “The Real MVP” talk was renewed. First, let’s get this trivial fact out of the way: the MVP is, and always has been, a regular season award. One playoff blowout in a game between MVP contenders has no bearing on the award, especially since all the votes were cast prior to any playoff games tipping off. Westbrook is still the MVP, and should receive the award at season’s end. This has been the Year of the Triple Double and by association The Year of Russ. Twenty years from now, this regular season will be remembered for Westbrook’s unrelenting aggression night in and night out as he hunted down history. If anything, the Rockets dispatching the Thunder like they did further proved Westbrook’s case as MVP. The second best offensive option for the Thunder was not Victor Oladipo (who shot 1-12 and 0-6 from 3), or Steven Adams, or Enes Kanter, but Andre Roberson and his 18 points. The same Andre Roberson who has done an exemplary job filling in the “wing player who plays great defense but is comically worthless on offense” position that the Thunder seem to always have reserved. Westbrook dragged this otherwise underachieving team to 47 regular season wins, while Harden has taken a far superior supporting cast to where they currently stand. Harden has also been celestial, but Westbrook is still the MVP. Even after they likely bow out to Houston in this series.
 
The Trail Blazers Can Make It a Series Against the Warriors
            There isn’t a recipe to beat this Warriors team, but the Blazers tried their hardest. With CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard going nuclear in the first half, combining for 47 points, the Blazers were able to go into half as well as the 4th tied with Golden State. But then, Draymond Green did Draymond Green things, Kevin Durant looked 100% again, and the Blazers’ steaming duo cooled off. Dame and CJ combined for 75 points, and Klay Thompson was cold all game long, and Portland still lost by 12. It’s as simple as this: when the Warriors play well, no team on this planet can beat them. Not even a team led by LeBron. Draymond looked like the Defensive Player of the Year, and had what may end up as two of the best blocks of the year. One, during which he halted a 2-on-1 Blazers fast break with a thunderous rejection of a Noah Vonleh dunk attempt. Given, Portland was without Jusuf Nurkic, who is out for now with a broken bone in his leg, but if/when he comes back, this series should already be over. Golden State just has too much firepower for Portland’s backcourt to keep up with, and when Draymond is making a 19 points 12 rebounds 9 assists 5 blocks and 3 steals line actually feel like more, there is no hope. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned Steph Curry, the most devastating shooter of this generation and likely of all time once he calls it quits. There truly isn't a way to beat these Warriors over a course of a 7 game series unless (1) you can hit 15+ threes a game, (2) two out of the big four consistently go cold every game, and (3) Draymond starts kicking again. If they stay healthy, this postseason may already be over.
 
The Clippers Are Finished and Need to Blow It Up
            The snake bitten Clippers appeared to finally get a break in the playoffs, when the Utah Jazz’s defensive menace Rudy Gobert went down with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise just 17 seconds into the game. But the Jazz, like their coach Quin Snyder, never gave up. They made it a close game throughout, ultimately winning it off a Joe Johnson floater that rattled in at the buzzer. Amazingly, Joe Johnson (who has made over $200 million in career earnings…really) leads the NBA in game-winning buzzer beaters in the NBA since 2007 with 8. It is unlikely Gobert could return in this series, so there is no need to worry if you’re the Clippers at this point in time. Without Gobert, the Clippers have far more talent than the Jazz, who will struggle with rebounding now that they will have to have Derrick Favors and Jeff Withey split time at center. The series may go 7 now, but the Clippers still have a great chance to win the series, obviously as long as they can win Game 2 at home.
 
(They’ll still probably have to blow it up after they lose in the next round though.)
 
The Best Player Should Take the Last Shot
            The NBA star ego is incredibly stubborn. At the end of Game 1 of the Cavaliers-Pacers series, Paul George had the ball in his hands down 1 with less than 10 seconds to play. The Cavs sent LeBron to double George, and making the right play, PG-13 passed it to C.J. Miles who was being covered by the disintegrating Richard Jefferson. With only 4 seconds left, Miles was forced to make a play, faking out Jefferson and creating an open 18 foot fade away from the left wing, which he left short. Paul George was visibly enraged afterwards at Miles, and even said in a post-game press conference that he spoke to Miles and told him that he, as the best player, needed to take the last shot. This is hilariously wrong in a few ways. First, if George wanted to take the last shot, he should have attacked the shorter J.R. Smith as soon as he saw LeBron approach for a double team. Instead, he allowed LeBron to pressure him, and he passed it to Miles as he should have. Miles created a fabulous look at the buzzer, which was all the Pacers could have asked for. Second, George is a dismal 0-15 from the field on go ahead shots with less than 20 seconds to play in his career. So I don’t know, maybe Paul George isn’t exactly the guy you want taking every last shot. He should not have said what he did, and throwing your teammate under the bus for taking a great shot isn’t a recipe for success to come back from what is now a 2-0 series deficit.
 
Kyle Lowry is an All-Star Point Guard Who Will Shake Off His Playoff Struggles and Finally Lead the Raptors to a Deep Playoff Run
            How much longer will it take to finally conclude that the playoffs might not be Lowry’s thing? His backcourt teammate DeMar DeRozan has historically struggled in the postseason as well, but Lowry is at a much lower trough. After a 4 points on 11 shots performance in Game 1 at home against the Bucks, things are not looking up. The Raptors have still never won a Game 1 in the first round in the playoffs, and have lost 9 straight Game 1s overall. Lowry is an easy scapegoat, as every statistical category of his is considerably worse in the playoffs when compared to his regular seasons of the last 4 years. He has only shot 39% from the field and 30% from 3 in the playoffs, and his net rating in the postseason is -8, whereas it is a +10 during the regular season. We now have a 42 game sample size of Lowry in the playoffs, which should be more than enough. Winning in the playoffs is tough, and Lowry has had trouble doing so, going 13-19 in his career. He may be an All-Star guard, but he is far from the discussion of elite point guards like Steph, Kyrie, and Russ.
 

By: Emily Herard

WNIT Championship
This Saturday at Calihan Hall, the Detroit Mercy arena playing host to the Women’s NIT Championship game, the Michigan women’s basketball team did what no other team has done in program history. Showing extreme heart and determination, the Wolverines defeated Georgia Tech 89-79 to win the WNIT in a crazy back and forth game that took 3 overtimes.

Michigan had faced Georgia Tech in early December, dominating the Yellow Jackets 92-52, however it was quickly obvious that Georgia Tech was a different team than the Wolverines had faced previously. On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets were able to make good defensive adjustments in the first half, holding Michigan to 29% shooting and forcing Katelynn Flaherty to go cold from beyond the arc. Georgia Tech entered the locker room at halftime only down 28-27.

The second half of regulation belonged to Flaherty, as she scored 20 of her 27 points in the second half. After her shooting struggles in the first half, Flaherty stayed confident and her shooting rhythm came to her. With her team down three with 15 seconds left in regulation, Flaherty got the ball on the top of the key and did what Kate Flaherty does best. With time running down, Flaherty stayed composed dribbled right, using an excellent screen set by Jillian Dunston, and took a step back three from a least four feet behind the line and drained the shot with 9.6 seconds left.

With the game tied at 67 and 9.6 seconds to go, the drama was far from over. Georgia Tech dribbled down the clock and Elo Edeferioka took the last shot from the left elbow and was fouled by Siera Thompson with less than one second remaining on the clock. As Edeferioka, a 70% foul shot shooter, stepped to the line you could feel the disappointment in the air from Michigan fans, if she hit just one shot the game would surely be over. The crowd held its breath as Edeferioka missed her first and then her second shot, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime both teams only scored three points, sending it to overtime number two. The Wolverines were on the board first and it looked like they might pull away with the victory but then Georgia Tech got a steal and score and Flaherty’s last second go ahead shot was blocked and Michigan found themselves heading into a third overtime.

Michigan finally pulled ahead of the Yellow Jackets in the third overtime behind Nicole Munger’s strong offensive performance. Munger knocked down a right corner three to put the Wolverines up and scored 7 of her team’s 11 points of the last overtime. Fighting exhaustion, Michigan outlasted Georgia Tech pulling away 89-79, winning its first championship in program history.

Hard Work Pays Off
The Wolverines recorded their best season in program history, finishing the regular season 22-8 (11-5 Big Ten) but were snubbed by the NCAA selection committee. Devastated from being left out of the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines took a moment to collect themselves and prepare for the WNIT. Michigan decided that it would prove to the selection committee that it had made a mistake when it passed up the Wolverines. Michigan won its first two games of the WNIT and then faced yet another obstacle, when the team announced that Kysre Gondrezick, Michigan’s third leading scorer with 14.9 points per game, was “taking a leave of absence from the women’s basketball team for personal reasons”. Michigan did not bat an eye, winning its next two games over St. John’s and Virginia Tech by 20 and 18 respectively. The team adjusted to Gondrezick’s absence by becoming more defensively oriented. Hallie Thome and Flaherty stepped up offensively for the Wolverines averaging 21.5 and 21.3 points per game respectively in the WNIT. With the excellent coaching of Kim Barnes Arico (Big Ten Coach of the Year), Michigan stepped up to the adversity and made it its goal to hang a banner for the team’s seniors. The team’s two mottos “Hardest Working Team in America” and “By Any Means” came to fruition during Saturday’s championship game.

Total Team Effort
The entire team stepped up for the Wolverines on Saturday making Saturday’s victory possible. Thome earned all-tournament honors, with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks, in 52 minutes and Flaherty was named WNIT Tournament MVP after scoring 27 points and hitting a game tying 3. Battling a season long foot injury, Munger came off the bench and scored 12 points, helping Michigan pull away from Georgia Tech in the third overtime. Additionally, the Michigan bench fueled the grit and determination of the Wolverines’ on court performance, creating energy that was contagious and essential to Saturday’s long fought battle.

Jillian Dunston Shows She’s the Heart and Soul of the Wolverines
Flaherty and Thome were essential to Michigan winning its first banner, but it couldn’t have been done without the tremendous effort and heart brought by Jill Dunston. Dunston finished the game with 6 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, however her impact on the game goes far beyond the numbers on the stat sheet. Dunston took several charges during the game, and her last charge caused Georgia Tech’s leading scorer Zaire O’Neil (21 points) to foul out late in the fourth quarter, swinging the momentum in favor of the Wolverines. Dunston brings the fire and energy to the Michigan squad and her understanding of the game and execution of the fundamentals allows her teammates to succeed. After helping free up Flaherty with a screen and watching her knock down the tying three, Dunston ran to her teammate, lifting her off the ground, showing why Dunston is so important to the Wolverines. Although Michigan has amazing talent, the team has lacked a certain fire needed to win big games. Saturday Dunston showed that she has that fire, bringing heart and soul to the Wolverines.

Seniors Siera Thompson and Danielle Williams Leave Their Mark
As KBA’s first recruited class at Michigan, Siera Thompson and Danielle Williams have helped turn around the women’s basketball program and have brought it to heights it’s never been before. Thompson is now the leader in most games played, minutes played, and assists, playing all 55 minutes of Saturday’s game. She recorded 15 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal, exemplifying how she has been a stabilizing leader for Michigan for the past four seasons. Williams scored four points and snatched 5 rebounds on Saturday but her time at Michigan has been defined by the things she did that did not show up in the box score. Williams always brought energy and defense when she entered a game and made sacrifices for her team. As a leader on and off the floor, Williams always lead by example and helped motivate her team to make the final push towards the WNIT championship. These two seniors have left an incredible mark of the women’s basketball program as KBA said “Those two have meant everything to our program. This was for them and their commitment.”

With a program best 28-9 record and finally a championship banner to hang in Crisler, the Wolverines proved that they are a talented team that will go far in the future under the leadership of Kim Barnes Arico. Next season Michigan will be motivated by the new WNIT Championship banner hanging in the rafters and will look to add a Big Ten one next to it.

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