Coach Gene Clemons and Chris James from Chopping it Up with CJ podcast are at the pre-Super Bowl sessions, meeting and talking about the upcoming game. Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs and history being made the first time two black quarterbacks are leading their teams at the same time in the Super Bowl. Officially named the Soul Bowl
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by: Gene Clemons
While most media members ignored it or tried to paint a narrative that nobody was paying attention, the USFL just completed their first season. That culminated over July 4th weekend when the Birmingham Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL Championship held in Canton Ohio. Fox Sports president Eric Shanks did not allow any speculation to begin when he announced last week that the USFL will return next season. The ratings have been steady throughout the season. Games averaged over a million viewers on Fox and NBC. Even when you add in the cable network games on USA Network and FS1 the averages were still 715,000. Those numbers were better than the NHL, Premier League and MLS in this country. All three of those entities people will argue with you that there is an appetite for those sports but not for Spring football.
The question is why? Why are so many in the media lying to sports fans; pretending as if there is no appetite for football in the spring? The answer may actually shock you. Too many people who work in football don't love football!
The idea might be difficult to understand as a sports fan, but the truth is like every other job, writers, broadcasters, and content creators get burned out and they are accustomed to the offseason to provide them with the necessary time to recharge the batteries. Interesting enough, most people who love their jobs don't need months away from it to feel rejuvenated. Usually all I need is a few days off from writing or creating content and I am right back ready to work. So, the idea of Spring football was fantastic for me. When the FCS decided to move their 2020 season to Spring 2021, I seemed to be the only journalist in the country excited about it and who truly believed that could be a permanent decision for them. Everyone else thought it would be a disaster. Nobody really pointed to anything significant except logistics.
I love sports and more specifically I love football. One of the reasons I believe I don't get burned out on the game is because I love the game. I have heard many people including those in the business say things like "I love the NFL" or "I love college football" but I like it all. Youth league, high school, college, flag, women's, and every professional league out there, including foreign leagues, offer something to learn or study about the game. Many journalists don't invest in the intricacies of the game, they invest in storylines that can be regurgitated. But, like anything you have grown to truly love, you are always finding new things to love about it. That is what sustains you when you can't lean on the things that normally fuel your attraction. How can you ever love something you don't truly understand? How can you remain in love with something you only know at a superficial level?
Another thing that shows up when people who cover the sport for a living don't want to invest in new leagues is that the grind to build up the sports fan's sustained attention is real. Football fans have been burned so many times before with leagues that did not last for many reasons but ultimately because the investment was not there for the ownership, sponsors and of course the media. Fans need the investment from the other stakeholders before they will truly invest. That means if media entities and journalists don't regularly produce content on the league, if they don't tweet or post about it, then how will the football fan who doesn't know much about the league find information about it. Most fans have their trusted outlet, journalists or creator that they follow for their sport's information. So, if those people or entities do not spread the word, how can the interest spread.
The social media buzz began to rise over the past few weeks as more people happened upon the games. The response seemed to be pretty universal "These are some fun games." Watching as various football writers or creatives woke up and remembered that football was being played once they were not focused on NFL non-padded OTA and voluntary minicamps was funny. But the built-in attention that NFL content gets makes them want to grab the low hanging fruit. But the chance to expand the game of football is one that should never be overlooked or avoided because it may not get as many clicks, initially. As a football fan more football is never a bad thing, especially if it is fun. Ultimately, that's all you can ask for; right? Entertainment is the purpose, so as long as a league can be entertaining, then football fans will definitely invest in it.
There's value in being a pioneer. People always remember the "day one's" those that invested before it was fashionable. The fact that so many media coverage outlets didn't even bother to try and cover the USFL is sad. In days long past now, the media was charged with exposing the community at large to new endeavors and once the information was properly disseminated, the people could make an informed decision about whether they wanted to continue to consume it.
I was excited to see the USFL accomplish something the XFL was not able to in its initial return or the AAF in their failed attempt at a league. I was willing to be critical about the areas where the league came up short and I gave them their props on the things they hit out of the park. I was even willing to admit I was wrong about the things I did not believe would work. That's all a part of loving this game and wanting to see it consistently expand and improve. There is more to football than the NFL and major college programs. More athletes deserve to be highlighted and more have earned the right to play the game we love professionally and be paid a good living wage to do so. The debate about the appetite for Spring football is over. A hunger was fulfilled and there will only be more to eat next year. It is time for sport's media to do their part. Start cooking.
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Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.
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by Gene Clemons
The USFL is weeks into their return to action after 37 years of inactivity. Through the first few weeks the USFL has shown video technology and camera angles not seen on an NFL broadcast. That innovation is nice but it's adding questionable tech to a product that everybody else already enjoys. The real innovations that could separate them from the established game have not really been taken advantage of so far in the young season. Only one three-point conversion has been made this season. Nobody has tried the new onside kick and there are other little gameplay innovations that we have not seen used.
Outside of the players there are so many people who want the USFL to succeed. They know that there is room for football that is not the NFL that football fans will consume. But there is a quote from the movie Moneyball that applies perfectly to the USFL, the XFL and every other league that decides it wants to dip its toe in the water. Billy Beane is talking to his scouting department as they try to put a game plan in place to replace their three most influential players and he knows they can't keep doing things the way they have always done it. He announces their new direction, and all of the scouts think he's crazy. After dropping an expletive in response to Grady Fuson's answer, he bangs his fist on the table and says:
"If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there."
If these leagues try to do what the NFL does or even try to garner affiliation with the NFL, their product will without a doubt flounder and fail. In other words, "lose" to the NFL. So the innovation can't simply be in the first down technology, these leagues can't be afraid to embrace playing offense and defense differently. The rules can't be afraid to go completely away from formatting that we have become accustomed to with the NFL and college football. One of the reasons Canadian football has been able to survive is that the game is played differently than the American game. 12 men, forward motion, three downs, and many other smaller modifications allows them to create a lane all their own. So much that success in the NFL does not automatically mean success in Canada.
In the first week of the USFL season, kickers blamed the new ball that was being used for all the missed kicks. The real question was why were there so many kicks attempted? Why were the offenses so conservative? Yes there is a new three-point conversion but why not promote scoring by making field goals more difficult? Reduce the field goal width to the size of an arena league field goal. That may make teams think three times about playing for a field goal. Back up the extra point to 35 yards so that teams understand the added value of the two and three-point conversions. Nobody comes to a football game to watch the four or five field goal performances seen regularly in the NFL. They want to see scoring or they want to see teams die trying.
The offensive end is where it is easiest to put in stipulations that reward aggressive offenses. Possibly changing the hash marks or even widening the field could encourage more offensive innovation. You can give an offense an extra 10 yards if they get a first down on a first down play. This would encourage offenses to abandon conservative play calling on third down. If the offense decides to punt beyond the 50 yard line or kick a field goal, the team should be penalized 10 yards. This would also encourage more people to go for it on fourth down once they get beyond midfield. Penalizing the conservative forces these coaches to innovate and adapt to a modernized game.
Another innovation that the USFL needs to make is to speed the game up. Traditional play clocks allow for slower play from teams which in turn bores fans who have the attention span of a garden fly. If the play clock was set at 20 seconds, it would force all teams into up-tempo play which means that teams have a better chance of making mistakes that lead to more scoring. A faster game also keeps the fan engaged because things are moving quickly. Football is a game of mistakes and the team who makes the least mistakes usually wins the game. Force the teams into a situation where mistakes are critical. Don’t pause the game to allow defenses to substitute when offenses substitute. The pace of the game would ultimately result in the clock running consistently and a faster overall game time.
Fans love scoring! The Arena League was one of the most popular professional football entities because they were a fast-paced league built on scoring. The USFL would be wise to bottle some of that excitement as they transition from Birmingham where all of the teams are currently playing, to their actual cities in year two of the league. That is when they can really make the league more personal like the AFL was able to do for years. The USFL has been consistently pulling ratings that rival or beat other professional leagues and with that it has proven it is a viable business. To grow in the right direction it will take foresight. The Arena League was able to tap into the community by offering an affordable experience for the family to come and attend. Many minor league baseball teams use similar models to draw in fans. The fan experience needs to be personal, much more personal than they get from the NFL and even big time college football.
The ability to innovate is there for the USFL, not just in technology used to broadcast the game, but on social media, in their game play and in their fan interaction. They need to adapt, to be open to constantly evolving as they explore various avenues. That willingness makes them unique and can make this league unique if they really want to be around forever.
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Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.
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by Gene Clemons
The 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books and, as always, it was great to watch so many young men realize their dream. They got to hear their name called and see their faces flash in front of the shield and a team logo. Then they quickly introduced to their new reality, scrutiny at every turn. Draft pundits either rifling through papers or scrolling through iPads to check their evaluations on the paper and make snap judgements on whether that young man was a good or bad selection. The players learn that fans are only fans if they believe in what you can do for their team, not because they believe in you. They get poked, prodded, and evaluated for what they did in games, only to have those performances usurped by what they do in t-shirts and shorts, then have the things they accomplished in both pushed aside because of where they played, the position the played, or the unrealized potential of another. The draft is wild, and we are here for it all. But why? Well, the answer is fairly simple, we all believe we could be the general manager of our favorite teams.
The truth is that there are so many variables that go into doing the job of a GM that drafting talent is probably not the top priority. Between managing the players that are on the team and dealing with their personal expectations, trying to fulfill the needs of the coaching staff and what they feel is necessary to put a winning product on the field the job is difficult enough. That is before you have to deal with the owner and their agenda, which could be completely different than that of the players and the coaching staff. Mix that with your own professional desires and philosophies that you believe in and the gumbo that most general managers have to mix is almost impossible for everyone to find tasty. Despite all of that, the most public job of the general manager is the draft. Even more than free agency, the draft is where GMs are asked to explain the vision without giving up any legitimate details about the plan. They have to address the issues that the fan base feels exist while also stating a purpose that they cannot fully reveal. Most people would crumble underneath so much pressure and scrutiny and still it does not stop the average fan from believing they could do a better job. We have to blame someone for these reckless assumptions, but who?
Start with Mel Kiper Jr. The oldest and most recognizable draft analyst in the game, created this space that so many others live in. He birthed a nation of draft followers and future draft analysts and writers because he is the “every man.” A guy who does not come from a legit football background who was able to turn his obsession with player evaluations and rankings into a lucrative sports career. Well, we all know that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and with the explosion of digital media, and the easy access it provided, everybody, it was simple for others to follow Kiper's footsteps. The results are what we see today. Countless amounts of sites dedicated to the draft. Hundreds of draft guides produced and distributed, and millions of dollars pumped into draft content in order to make billions. By the way, many of us should thank Mel Kiper for his contribution to the culture. He was the north star.
You can also blame these NFL front offices. If you are given millions of dollars and a team of 50 to scout, analyze, and draft players, your hit percentage has to be higher than 50-60% or the average Joe at home watching the team every Sunday is going to believe they can do your job. After all, how can you get it wrong when you have had at least three seasons to build a file on these prospects? Why would you need a combine for anything other than medical evaluations? Why would you ever reach for unproven talent? Why would you need to project out talent when there are so many proven commodities?
Many times, people don’t understand that this is an inexact science, but it is a science. There are markers that usually point to success. Sometimes the players that a fan or a recruiting publication likes, is not even placed on the board for an NFL team. Those reasons can be as simple as a player’s medical history or as complicated as a size/athleticism ratio that the scouting department came up with those points to previous NFL success. We don’t account for the fact that sometimes the players we believe are good, an NFL team sees them as average players at best. Sometimes both sides believe a player is a quality football player, but the team does not see the player as an immediate need on the team and devalues them in the draft. Whatever the reason, these inconsistencies and unknown variables further open up the possibility for question by those who patronize a team and the NFL at large.
And once the draft is over, before a player has a chance to prove a GM right or wrong, fans and media outlets are already on to the next year. The draft and all of its tentacles have for better or worse become its own competition. Every year we award grades to the winners and losers of the draft. We give them imaginary accolades and before they have the chance to bask in their success, there is always a mock draft released pinpointing another need for the team next season. Someone equated giving a draft a grade is the equivalent of grading someone on a test before they ever take it. As ridiculous as it sounds when explained so simply, words could never be truer. That is a part of the intrigue, that is the reason why so many people feel they can do the job. Not only does it not take skill to guess, but what is the backlash when they get their choices wrong. fans never have to assume any of the responsibility when they choose a player that is a bust.
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Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.
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by Gene Clemons
On March 11th a Harris County grand jury made up of 12 people sat and heard evidence presented to them for six hours and at the conclusion of their deliberation, they decided that there was no reason to go forward with sexual misconduct charges against Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. It was a decision that marked the first legal action being decided in a case that has been tried in the court of public opinion for a year. The verdict had already been rendered. It was loud and almost unanimous; guilty! So of course, people were surprised to see this decision from the grand jury. After all, there were 23 women. They can’t all be lying, right?
If we take a look at the timeline of this case, things never really seemed black and white and at best always felt like something wasn’t right. When the initial civil suit was filed, Watson’s attorney had documentation that they said showed that the accuser attempted to blackmail Watson about a consensual encounter and once he was non-compliant, the lawsuit was the next level of escalation. Shortly after the same attorney was able to get other women who were willing to file civil suits against Watson. As the suits piled up, so did the doubt about Watson’s innocence. After all, where there is smoke, there’s usually fire and this was quickly becoming a blazing inferno. But there was information that made no sense. The lawyer filing all of the suits, did not want to release the accusers' names to the defense. None of them made any criminal complaints and many of them met with Watson more than once. None of those things are enough to say a man is innocent, but it is enough to say there’s doubt.
Shortly after the Houston police department opened a criminal investigation into Watson surrounding these allegations. Now things took a real turn. Media and those that were following the case felt as if this was the worst thing for Watson who was still actively trying to force a trade out of Houston because the team seemed as if they were going in a direction that Watson did not want to go. Some of the regular words and phrases that you heard used to describe Watson and his case were, “radioactive” “Not reliable at this time” “not worth the backlash”. Some people said that teams would be foolish to trade for him “given the uncertainty of his situation.” But the truth is that his situation was pretty simple. He had been accused of something that he emphatically denied and had not even been charged with a crime. So, the projections about Watson seemed to be based on a presumption of guilt and the risk associated with being linked to someone like that.
So, after being drugged through the mud for the past year and called a “serial predator” Watson finally saw a victory. The grand jury decision meant that there would be no criminal case against him, and that allowed all of the trade discussions to pick up once again. Many teams are rumored to have shown interest and why not. For a team without a quarterback, Watson represents the lifeblood every team needs to make a run at a championship, and they all know that Watson not only has championship DNA, but he is also still one of the young guns in the NFL with room to continuously improve. But as soon as we began hearing the rumors about where he might end up, we started seeing the negatives pop up from people again.
It's always amazing to watch people conveniently pull out their moral values in situations that are not warranted and don't really concern them. So many were too quick to condemn Watson and now, even with these new developments they don't want to admit that they may have been a little hasty with their condemnation. It is pride that gets in the way of people admitting that they could be wrong. As a result, they double down and in many cases get even louder. Trying to sway the people with their passion and anecdotal information rather than with the facts. This is what prolongs the embarrassment for all parties involved. For the accused, they never get the chance to put the incident in their rear view. For the accuser it is a reminder that they either were not believed, or lied and almost ruined someone’s life.
When Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and others died in a tragic helicopter crash, so many people came out to celebrate the life of this extraordinary man. Someone who had been taken from the world too soon and one that many believed had the opportunity to have a major impact on society well in the future. The stories talked about how much he loved being a father to girls and the responsibility he carried. There were stories about his support and advocacy for the WNBA and all of the countless philanthropic endeavors that he never wanted to be made public. But in the midst of all of the positive remembrance of his life and impact, there were still people who brought up the 2003 rape charge that was dismissed. Even in tragic death, people felt the need to bring up the lowest moment in an otherwise stellar life. That is the impact an accusation can have.
In the end, there are no winners, there are only victims. That’s the sad part. The only people who will ever know what happened in those massage sessions are Deshaun Watson and those women. Everyone else is left with speculation. If we truly believed in the words “innocent until proven guilty” we would give those that have not been charged with a crime the respect of not being referred to as criminals. We must never forget that being accused is not the same as being convicted. The accused deserves as much respect and consideration as the accuser, especially when the evidence is he said, she said. It is ok to wait and see. Nobody is harmed by patience.
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Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.
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