I know you guys prolly couldn’t care less about this, but how funny is it that G-Unit exilee Young Buck’s jewelry is being sold on Ebay? No, I don’t go looking for this sorta stuff, it just seems to find me.
Many of you will recall the very harrowing Crying Game incident a few weeks ago when 50 Cent secretly taped Buck breaking down on the phone. Between all the sobs, the root of this soap opera was apparently Buck’s issues with the IRS.
Here’s Buck with the jewerly.
That said, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising to find out that one of Buck’s Ca$hville 615 Chains (the smallest, lightest of the three pictured above) somehow ended up in the hands of some dude trying to unload it on Ebay.
I suppose this should serve as yet another reason to not believe everything you see on television. Most of the crap in rap videos is rented, including the women. This is all fun and games until someone gets hurt (that Yung Berg incident), or blows all their money on scrippers and rims.
I would cop this if I could. Don’t judge me, I know ya’ll would buy equally frivolous crap if you had the excess loot. That said, if you’ve got a spare $7,000 just laying around, cop this joint and you too can be a baller.
Just make sure you pay your taxes while you’re at it.
Question: Why do so many rappers end up dead broke? Would you cop this chain if you had a few extra stacks lying around?
Peep The Auction For Young Buck’s Ca$shville 615 Chain [Ebay]
Filed under: Don't Drop The Soap, Drive-By Activism, Frivolous Lawsuits, Get Money, Go Sit Down, Knee-Grow Please, The Evil That Men Do, What A DoucheBag
I’ll be completely and totally honest with you here. I really do not know what to make of this story from my home state.
Since three former Duke Lacrosse players were declared innocent of rape and assault charges, the alleged victim in the highly publicized Duke Lacrosse case has remained out of public view until now.In a press release, Crystal Mangum’s manager has announced plans to release a tell-all memoir entitled “The Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story.”
According to the book’s co-author Vincent Clark, the book will be released in October.
“It is “the only definitive account of the life and struggles of the woman at the center of the Duke Lacrosse case, the alleged accuser,” said Clark in a press release. ” Were it not for the Duke Lacrosse Case, she likely would be described as a bright, young woman from Durham, North Carolina, who has had a difficult life.”
Mangum plans to donate $1 from each book sold to help battered women. Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred and jailed following the collapse of the Duke Lacrosse Case. Nifong is among several defendants named in at least three federal lawsuits stemming from the case.
Mangum is accused of falsely accusing David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann of raping and beating her at a team party in March 2006. After a review by the State Attorney General’s Office, all charges were dismissed.
As I stated last year when the Duke Lax kids were cleared of all charges, nobody should have to suffer through what they experienced. I could only imagine the fear of being accused of something so heinous as rape, knowing you did nothing of the sort. The guys have been exonerated, but I will personally remember all three of their names for the rest of my life. That’s an unfair scar for anyone to have to carry. I don’t really agree with their pending $30M lawsuit against the cash-strapped city of Durham, but I guess I understand.
Then again, the real villain here isn’t Mangum, who reportedly suffers from some sort of mental illness, but disgraced District Attorney Mike Nifong, who actually did some time as a result of his lazy and opportunistic job of handling this case. He never even bothered talking with Mangum in the first place, and instead saw a way of manipulating the Black community in Durham to his advantage. Why he was so dumb that he thought white folks with money wouldn’t lawyer up and “beat them charges like Rocky“[1] is beyond me. Nifong has since been disbarred, was sued by the Lax players, filed for bankruptcy, and is now working at the Sizzler off I-540 near RDU airport. No, really, I saw him there a few weeks ago and he ruined my baked potato (no sour cream, you idiot!). He’s a douchebag par excellence, and he got what he had coming.
I don’t really know how to feel about Mangum writing this book though. If she was indeed experiencing some mental issues during the time of the allegations, you can’t totally write her off as ruining those players lives, especially when the people (namely Nifong) who could have short circuited this whole thing didn’t do their jobs. The book is supposedly about her life, not necessarily the Duke case, thus I suppose it’s fair for her to write a book and profit from it. She says some proceeds are going to charity, which is always an iffy proposition, but to each her own. On the flipside, wouldn’t any proceeds made from this book be fair game for the Duke Lax kids in a civil case? I’m sure my armchair attorneys in AverageNation™ will break this one down for me.
Question: Should Crystal Mangum be allowed to write a book that profits indirectly from the misfortune of others? Are the Duke Lax kids entitled to some of those proceeds?
Duke LAX accuser pens memoir [ABC 11 News]
[1] Yeah, I know. For a guy who supposedly doesn’t care much for Jay-Z, I sure quote him a lot. Spare the comments, please.
I knew the economy was bad, but dang, who knew it was this bad?
Unless you’re a glutton for punishment and awful girl band pop music, fast forward to the 2:55 mark and prepare to be taken aback.
Man, has The Roc fallen from grace or what? What’s next? The Beanie Sigel Tampax™ ad? The Young Gunz shilling Playtex™? Freeway telling Victoria’s Secrets™? If it’s bad for these guys, imagine how hard Amil’s 2am shift at The Sizzler in Jersey City must be? Sheesh.
I knew the economy was bad, but dang, who knew it was this bad?
Unless you’re a glutton for punishment and awful girl band pop music, fast forward to the 2:55 mark and prepare to be taken aback.
Man, has The Roc fallen from grace or what? What’s next? The Beanie Sigel Tampax™ ad? The Young Gunz shilling Playtex™? Freeway telling Victoria’s Secrets™? If it’s bad for these guys, imagine how hard Amil’s 2am shift at The Sizzler in Jersey City must be? Sheesh.
I travel a lot with The Day Job, and this travel more times than not means flying. Personally, I actually enjoy flying far more than driving, and don’t even really mind the whole hustle and bustle of going through security. Have there been moments when I’ve wanted to pull a Sprewell on some smarmy flight attendant? Sure. But overall, flying is something I enjoy, and oddly enough, a part of the whole “travelling consultant” thing that I actually look forward to. I’m just weird like that.
That said, the current economic situation with most domestic airlines has been lost on me because when I travel (even for leisure), it’s typically on Southwest. My co-workers used to pick at me incessantly for flying on a budget airline when it’s not even my money being spent, but honestly, any flight that takes off and lands successfully is a good one. And who the heck cares if you get a free box lunch anyway? Boxed lunches are for middle schoolers and losers. So, SWA it is.
I didn’t even realize how much the other carriers were struggling until I recently flew some other airline (I forget which one) to Beantown, and was extorted into required to pay $25 (not my money, but still, it’s the principalities[1]) to merely check a bag. Not an extra bag, mind you, but merely a bag. $25! For a bag.
Turns out that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Curse you, Jet Blue. That, at least, has been the flying public’s response to news that the airline has found another long-taken-for-granted amenity and started charging for it. Passengers who want to curl up with a blanket and pillow on their cross-country Jet Blue flight now have to pay $7.But it’s hardly a surprising move. All the airlines are struggling under soaring fuel costs (United alone says it will pay an extra $3.5 billion for gas this year) and looking for other places to make up the revenue, so they don’t have to raise fares any higher. Free meals have largely become a relic of flying’s more glamorous past; most of the airlines now charge for checked luggage; and many have, more quietly, raised the fees they charge for making a change to your nonrefundable ticket.
USAirways, which just last Friday became the first airline to start charging for soft drinks, says such fees will bring in $400 million to $500 million a year. “Customers understand the cost of doing business with these fuel prices,” says USAirways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr. “They don’t expect a free hot dog at the ballpark.”
“They don’t expect a free hot dog at the ballpark?” Is this Michelle Mohr chick serious? I’ve been known for bungling sports analogies myself, but they again, I’m not somebody’s paid spokes(wo)man either.
Get your mind right, Michelle.
Ya’ll might think I’m kidding here, but how long will it be before they start charging you to use the restroom? If you think that sounds absurd, then you obviously didn’t grow up in the South, where KMart and Roses discount stores used to regularly charge 25-75 cents to use a coin operated toilet stall. I so wish I was making this up.[2]
I guess this incessant price gouging is really just a sign of the times. America’s New Favorite Pastime is bitching about how overpriced things are. And yours truly, much to AverageSis’ chagrin, is no exception. Everywhere from the gym locker room, to the barbershop (more on that later), to church, the economy, specifically inflation, is all everyone talks about. Stuff costs more, but people aren’t necessarily making enough to compensate for stuff costing more, and as a result, stuff ends up costing even more.
I heard they’re even considering pulling the double cheeseburger from McDonald’s Dollar Menu because (get this) the two slices of cheese cost too much to make the sandwich profitable anymore. Of course this is complete crap. Anyone who’s read anything knows McDonalds makes it money from soft drinks, which have an insanely large profit margin. I guess this is some divine message that we shouldn’t be eating this crap anyway, but I digress.
If nothing else, this whole impending collapse (and inevitable gov’t bailout) is the airline industry has me wondering exactly why Southwest’s competitors can’t copy some of their business plan? Think about it, you have an industry where literally everyone else is hemorrhaging cash, yet Southwest continues to turn a profit. What exactly are they doing that the others can’t seem to figure out?
To the best of my knowledge, Southwest mainly succeeds by flying out of secondary airports (ie: Midway, not O’Hare), keeping their routes short, and their fares low. I’m at a total and complete lack of understanding why the CEOs of Delta, Northwest, Continental, et al can’t simply copy this same business model and get paid themselves. Seriously, how hard is it to succeed if you just copy those who are already successful?
Could one of my MBA wielding members of AverageNation™ break this one down for me?
Anyways, I wish the other airlines luck. They will prolly need it. And I guess in some very small way I feel vindicated for flying Southwest.
Question: Do you fly regularly? At what point does charging for nitpicky stuff like pillows and soda pop become a total and complete turnoff? If you’re business savvy, please explain why the other airlines can’t simply copy SWA’s recipe for success.
Airline Fees: Who’s the Stingiest? [Time]
McDonald’s may yank double cheeseburger from Dollar Menu over costs [NY Daily News]
[1] Name the infamous hood movie character who was all about “the principalities”.
[2] Please tell me I’m not the only one that remembers coin operated toilets.
I travel a lot with The Day Job, and this travel more times than not means flying. Personally, I actually enjoy flying far more than driving, and don’t even really mind the whole hustle and bustle of going through security. Have there been moments when I’ve wanted to pull a Sprewell on some smarmy flight attendant? Sure. But overall, flying is something I enjoy, and oddly enough, a part of the whole “travelling consultant” thing that I actually look forward to. I’m just weird like that.
That said, the current economic situation with most domestic airlines has been lost on me because when I travel (even for leisure), it’s typically on Southwest. My co-workers used to pick at me incessantly for flying on a budget airline when it’s not even my money being spent, but honestly, any flight that takes off and lands successfully is a good one. And who the heck cares if you get a free box lunch anyway? Boxed lunches are for middle schoolers and losers. So, SWA it is.
I didn’t even realize how much the other carriers were struggling until I recently flew some other airline (I forget which one) to Beantown, and was extorted into required to pay $25 (not my money, but still, it’s the principalities[1]) to merely check a bag. Not an extra bag, mind you, but merely a bag. $25! For a bag.
Turns out that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Curse you, Jet Blue. That, at least, has been the flying public’s response to news that the airline has found another long-taken-for-granted amenity and started charging for it. Passengers who want to curl up with a blanket and pillow on their cross-country Jet Blue flight now have to pay $7.But it’s hardly a surprising move. All the airlines are struggling under soaring fuel costs (United alone says it will pay an extra $3.5 billion for gas this year) and looking for other places to make up the revenue, so they don’t have to raise fares any higher. Free meals have largely become a relic of flying’s more glamorous past; most of the airlines now charge for checked luggage; and many have, more quietly, raised the fees they charge for making a change to your nonrefundable ticket.
USAirways, which just last Friday became the first airline to start charging for soft drinks, says such fees will bring in $400 million to $500 million a year. “Customers understand the cost of doing business with these fuel prices,” says USAirways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr. “They don’t expect a free hot dog at the ballpark.”
“They don’t expect a free hot dog at the ballpark?” Is this Michelle Mohr chick serious? I’ve been known for bungling sports analogies myself, but they again, I’m not somebody’s paid spokes(wo)man either.
Get your mind right, Michelle.
Ya’ll might think I’m kidding here, but how long will it be before they start charging you to use the restroom? If you think that sounds absurd, then you obviously didn’t grow up in the South, where KMart and Roses discount stores used to regularly charge 25-75 cents to use a coin operated toilet stall. I so wish I was making this up.[2]
I guess this incessant price gouging is really just a sign of the times. America’s New Favorite Pastime is bitching about how overpriced things are. And yours truly, much to AverageSis’ chagrin, is no exception. Everywhere from the gym locker room, to the barbershop (more on that later), to church, the economy, specifically inflation, is all everyone talks about. Stuff costs more, but people aren’t necessarily making enough to compensate for stuff costing more, and as a result, stuff ends up costing even more.
I heard they’re even considering pulling the double cheeseburger from McDonald’s Dollar Menu because (get this) the two slices of cheese cost too much to make the sandwich profitable anymore. Of course this is complete crap. Anyone who’s read anything knows McDonalds makes it money from soft drinks, which have an insanely large profit margin. I guess this is some divine message that we shouldn’t be eating this crap anyway, but I digress.
If nothing else, this whole impending collapse (and inevitable gov’t bailout) is the airline industry has me wondering exactly why Southwest’s competitors can’t copy some of their business plan? Think about it, you have an industry where literally everyone else is hemorrhaging cash, yet Southwest continues to turn a profit. What exactly are they doing that the others can’t seem to figure out?
To the best of my knowledge, Southwest mainly succeeds by flying out of secondary airports (ie: Midway, not O’Hare), keeping their routes short, and their fares low. I’m at a total and complete lack of understanding why the CEOs of Delta, Northwest, Continental, et al can’t simply copy this same business model and get paid themselves. Seriously, how hard is it to succeed if you just copy those who are already successful?
Could one of my MBA wielding members of AverageNation™ break this one down for me?
Anyways, I wish the other airlines luck. They will prolly need it. And I guess in some very small way I feel vindicated for flying Southwest.
Question: Do you fly regularly? At what point does charging for nitpicky stuff like pillows and soda pop become a total and complete turnoff? If you’re business savvy, please explain why the other airlines can’t simply copy SWA’s recipe for success.
Airline Fees: Who’s the Stingiest? [Time]
McDonald’s may yank double cheeseburger from Dollar Menu over costs [NY Daily News]
[1] Name the infamous hood movie character who was all about “the principalities”.
[2] Please tell me I’m not the only one that remembers coin operated toilets.
Anyone who’s been around this site for any amount of time knows I’m not incredibly fond of BET Founder Bob Johnson. While you could debate the merits (or lack thereof) of BET’s content for days, the paradox is that Johnson is also a successful businessman who has perfected the art of “working the system” to the tune of billions. And there’s something confusingly good about that.
Then again, just when you think you’ve got the guy pegged, he turns around and does something head scratching like this.
Monday Bob Johnson plans to unveil it to potential investors and guests the RLJ Kendeja Resorts & Villas. It will be an $8 million, 85-room, four-star resort on the Atlantic coast of northern Africa, near the capital of Liberia. Whatever images the world might have of an impoverished country that is still trying to recover from 13 years of civil war, Johnson wants this project to provide a new one.“There is no hotel in West Africa like this,” he says, sitting straight-backed on the edge of the bed in a crisp blue suit. “This will be a Class-A beachfront property, with great views from the bar and restaurant out to the ocean. This really is going to be something.”
Johnson is unreservedly enthusiastic about being the first to take on such a risky, upscale project in a country that has not seen a new hotel room built in 20 years. Slated to open in March, with rates of $150 to $200 a night, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is expected to host the first guests. And, if all goes as planned, she will be followed by ambassadors, multinational corporate executives, foundations and others looking to fuel Liberia’s growth.
Ground was broken in March, and with a labor force of 500 Liberian workers, Johnson said, it should be done within 12 months.
Back home, Johnson plans to host energy, airline and mining executives, diplomats and potential investors at the hotel room in Bethesda, to talk about the project and raise their interest in setting up operations in the country.
“This is a philanthropic effort that will make money,” he said. Those returns, he said, will help spur reconstruction of the country’s schools, roads, hospitals, utilities and businesses.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m incredibly ignorant when it comes to issues of the diaspora, and I don’t know a hill of beans about Liberia. Still, it’s hard not to see this as a good thing. Johnson is taking a calculated risk and putting his name, money, and reputation on the line to try and address some of the very real economic issues in the motherland. That’s to be applauded, right?
I guess if nothing else, this once again goes to show the danger in painting a person in absolutes (ie: a “bad” guy or a “good” guy), something I admittedly do waaay too much on this blog myself. Sure, Johnson is a jerk. Those stereotypical comments about Obama last Winter were so uncalled for. His racial stiffarming of the NBA into giving him a franchise, only to run it into the ground by operating it on a shoestring Mom and Pops budget wasn’t a good look either. And let’s not even get started on BET.
That network has set Black folks back about as far as that one time Vivica A. Fox was on Celebrity Jeopardy.[1] Seriously.
But, unless I’m totally misreading it, this shows that the guy, in addition to wanting to make money, seems to have some modicum of a heart. Right? Because let’s be honest, if this were Denzel, or Magic Johnson, or Jay-Z, or Lebron, or Oprah, or anyone else beloved in Black America, we’d see this as a great thing. So why isn’t it also a great thing when we don’t particularly care for the person doing it?
I can’t believe I’m typing this, but Bob Johnson is actually about to get a JJB Says “Well Done”.
Is the world coming to an end? Did I miss that memo?
Question: How do you feel about Bob Johnson’s Hotel Liberia? Does it change your perception of him?
Liberia’s New Lap of Luxury [WashPost]
[1] Please tell me I’m not the only one that saw this.
Filed under: Get Money, Grand Hu$tle, People I Strongly Dislike, White Men Gone Wild
I’m not here to rub salt in anyone’s wounds, but just how funny is this recent news that bamas are petitioning Starbucks to keep stores open?
Now that Starbucks Corp. has disclosed the 600 locations it wants to shutter, a phenomenon is taking hold: the Save Our Starbucks campaign.In towns as small as Bloomfield, N.M., and metropolises as large as New York, customers and city officials are starting to write letters, place phone calls, circulate petitions and otherwise plead with the coffee company to change its mind.
“Now that it’s going away, we’re devastated,” said Kate Walker, a facilities manager for software company SunGard Financial Systems who recently learned of a store closing in New York City.
Online, several “Save Our Starbucks” petitions have popped up for stores across the country, including locations in San Diego, Dallas and New York City.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear these folks sounded like fiends. Seriously, are we gonna see a re-enactment of this classic scene[1] in burbs coast-to-coast? I sure hope not.
I mean, seriously folks, it’s just figgin’ coffee!!! It’s not “freedom”. It’s just a freakin’ cup of Joe, marked-up astronomically to pay for that John Legend background music and those cushy sofas. When you strip away the calm lighting and “baristas”, coffee is still just beans filtered with water. You can, and should, get the same thing at 7-11 for a fraction of the price.
I read a very good book a few months ago called Punching In by Alex Frankel. In addition to revealing the secrets to success for companies like The Gap, UPS, Home Depot, and The Container Store, the book talked about how Starbucks develops a cult-like following of customers by making their own employees cultlike. There’s the whole “large/small vs venti grande” thing, the ambient lighting, the mood music, the green vs black aprons, the never empty stores, etc. Given the fact that only about 8% of Starbucks’ revenue actually comes from straight-up coffee, it’s clear that folks are buying the overall experience moreso than the drink itself.
So much of the typical visit to Starbucks is so intricately planned out and analyzed, it’s amazing that the whole thing comes off as being even remotely “organic”. For anyone interested in this sorta M.B.A. 101 insider info, I’d strongly recommend peeping that book.
The ultimate irony here is that Starbucks used to be boycotted when they broke into a neighborhood. That familiar green, black, and white logo usually is the forebearer of gentrification, or at the very least, corporate greed spilling over to spoil people’s perceptions of true “Americana” (ie: Mom and Pops stores). So, while I understand why some folks are complete Stans for their mochafrappachinolatte with two shots of soy, I can’t feel too bad. I mean, come on, what’s next? Boycotting to keep Walmart afloat? Please.
Reality is, Starbucks is nothing more than another greedy corporation that grew too fast, too soon, and didn’t anticipate such a sharp economic downtown. Now they’re paying for that greed. Period.
I’m sorry Starbucks customers, but just maybe this is the sorta economic reality check you needed. Coffee is coffee. Save 3 bucks and cop yours at Wawa like the rest of us.
Question: Are you a Starbucks junkie? Is your local crackhouse closing? What’s your drug of choice?
Cities, Customers Launch ‘Save Our Starbucks’ Efforts [WSJ]
More People I Strongly Dislike [AB.com]
[1] Man, what a movie!
Filed under: AvB Instant Classics, Get Money, Grand Hu$tle, NBA = Nuthin' But Africans, That Sh*t Is Racist
[Editor's Note: This post is wordy and it is sports-related. I didn't plan on writing this much, but hey, I'm clearly talking about a topic I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about: Basketball. You may wanna print this one and save it for after lunch if you know what I mean. Enjoy Responsibly.]
The whole “should players be able to skip college to go to the NBA?” debate is old news now. A few years back, NBA Commissioner David Stern somehow managed to trick negotiate the NBA Players Association into enforcing a “one year” rule. Essentially, you can’t enter the NBA Draft until one year after your high school class graduates.
I agreed with this rule, but not for the reason many might think. I have absolutely nothing against young brothers gettin’ their paper. Reality is, you can always go back to college, but you can’t be projected as a 1st round pick forever. As much as critics love picking on dudes like Korleone Young and Johnathan Bender for striking out by skipping college, there’s just as many dudes who stayed in school too long and ended up ruining their pro prospects by coming out after their stock peaked.
Uhhh, Roy Hibbert anyone?
Besides, the fact that so many people “care” about the plight of young black men is laughable. To all the “advocates” so worried about how these poor men would fare if they didn’t get a couple of semesters at State U., your hypocrisy is startling. How many of these same “advocates” give a crap about the other 11 guys on that dude’s high school team who not only aren’t skipping college to the NBA, but aren’t even going to college, period? It’s obvious these “advocates” only care about the money and acclaim these player can bring to their alma maters.
And on the flipside, why all the worry about basketball players only? Who’s worrying about the social adjustment of tennis players, who usually drop outta middle school to be trained fulltime? Nobody cares about tween stars like Miley Cyrus and the High School Musical kids. These kids seldom bother getting any formal education beyond basic tutoring once they pursue their craft.
So, again, I have no issue with players skipping school, or leaving after one season. My problem is that these guys are usually not ready skillwise to play at the NBA level. They usually end up wasting roster spots that would be best used on more developed players or seasoned vets.
The ultimate example of this would be the picture above. So painful is that photo for me to look at that I won’t even bother captioning it or telling you who the two men pictured are. If one of you wants to explain this photo to the non-sporting members of AverageNation™, do so below.
I am beginning to tear up a bit. Painful memories, folks. Seriously.
Anyways, now that the “one-and-done” rule is in effect, the predicted outcome is happening. Guys are coming to school, putting up crazy numbers, and dropping outta class by the time the Final Four rolls around. This past year’s NBA draft lottery alone featured a record 7 freshmen chosen in the Top 14 picks. The usual zealots (Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas) are now beginning to bellyache for a “two-and-done” rule, since this easy exodus of star power will leave the NCAA noticeably depleted of overall talent next season.
I figured that sooner or later, some player would get tired of the whole charade and simply find a way to kill time somewhere other than a college campus to burn that one year away before he could be drafted. The options have been seldom utilized, but they include playing one season at prep school, going to to NBA D-League for a year, or and risky choice not yet exercised until now.
Former Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings is expected to sign with a European-based agent as early as Monday, get an American-based marketing director for sneaker company deals and secure a contract with a European or Israeli team within the next two weeks, Jennings’ advisers told ESPN.com Friday.Jennings signed to play at Arizona out of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy but is from Los Angeles. Jennings isn’t eligible for the NBA draft until a year after he graduates from high school. Jennings didn’t receive a qualifying standardized test score. His third and final test result was due Friday but Valle said it’s a moot point. Jennings is choosing Europe over Arizona.
Valle said Jennings could be open to a multi-year contract overseas, although his primary goal is to play in the NBA, beginning in 2009-10. The NBA confirmed once Jennings signs a pro contract overseas and is 19, he will become eligible for the 2009 draft. But Vaccaro said a longer-term deal with a buyout is a possibility for Jennings since it would give the overseas club leverage with an NBA franchise and give Jennings some security.
Here’s Mr. Jennings in action. He seems pretty bright and well grounded, which is why his lack of academic success is so puzzling.
A pure point guard in the mold of Chris Paul, Jennings is a 5-Star recruit who would certainly be an early lottery pick next year if he panned out as a freshman at Arizona. And it should be noted that Jennings’ main reason for going overseas is not some noble protest, but rather the fact that he’s unlikely to qualify academically and would likely have to redshirt, completely tanking his stock. So, off to Belarus this talented, but naive kid is going.
Scouts say that if Jennings plays well overseas, the net effect would be the same as playing one season of college ball. He’ll make a few hundred thousand for one season of play. Then he’ll be a lottery pick and will make millions before he turns 19.
But there are huge risks. International basketball is quite different from the NBA. The style of play varies widely. The opposing players, even those Jennings’ age, in many cases have been pros for several seasons already. He will be playing grown assed men who don’t know or care that he’s some hotshot NBA prospect. He will have to learn the culture of a new country, and figure out how to juggle the language barrier. He will likely not have an extensive support group. And since Euroleague teams often have limits on the number of Americans per roster, as well as the number of minutes they can play, it’s entirely possible that he might find himself riding the bench merely for political reasons beyond his control. This could seriously backfire and adversely effect his draft status.
Whether or not others follow suit and start skipping the charade of college ball altogether remains to be seen, but several high profile recruits from next year’s high school senior classes are said to be considering the same route. Should this become a trend, the longterm effects could be devastating to college basketball. Time will tell if this is the beginning of the end of March Madness, or just some dumb kid who got some very bad advice and ruined his life.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this, but I guess it raises a real question: Why not just start paying these guys to play college basketball?
NCAA basketball and football teams bring millions to the coffers of universities nationwide. These sports usually provide the financial support for non-revenue generating sports like lacrosse, softball, and track and field. In many states, the highest paid public employee is some D-1 football or basketball coach. No, really.
What would be so wrong about doing some sorta profit sharing like any other corporation? Seriously, if a school can pay its’ coach $3M per season, why shouldn’t the very players that make said coach, the AD, and the Chancellor all richer get anything in return?
Why not give the players some set percentage of the program’s earnings for a given season and put them in a mutual fund that becomes fully “vested” once the player’s eligibility runs out? Guys who leave early simply forfeit this money, transfers and non-medical redshirts are exempt. All players, regardless of stats or position, get the same set amount contributed. Those graduating on-time get a financial bonus. The guys who stay, and God-willing, actually graduate, will leave school with a few thousand dollars and a headstart on life after hoops. Non-revenue generating sports get nothing but funding. The amount paid to each player is a uniform percentage, applied to each University, so just like the University of North Carolina’s program makes more than Gonzaga’s, it’s players should get more. No, this wouldn’t solve the problem of boosters and assorted hangers-on (what would?), but it would perhaps give these players something to look forward to after basketball other than a job at PepBoys and achy knees for life.
It’s fair, and it wouldn’t be very hard to do.
Somebody get the NCAA on the phone, pronto.
And before someone jumps in and says “isn’t the four year scholarship these guys get payment enough?”, fall back. Reality is, there are no four year athletic scholarships. Period. Scholarships are given for one year at a time, renewable at the end of each academic year at the coach’s discretion. Point being: if you suck or get injured, you will be sent home, since you can’t really do us good anymore. And this happens all the time.
For those who do actually graduate, you have to consider the rigors of literally playing sports as a full-time gig for 4 years. Modern athletics is a year-round cycle of pre-dawn training, chartered flights, and mandatory offseason workouts. There is little time for a “real” major, not with the extensive travel and practice schedules of most schools. Many of these guys come out after four years with some useless degree like criminal justice, sociology, or physical education. They might have been better off just forgoing college altogether and getting a job at Sizzler. The net-result is arguably the same.
So, for stickin’ it to The System and doing for self, at least in theory, I congratulate young Brandon Jennings, and hope to see him in the green room at MSG next Summer. And for continuing the facade of “student athletics”, when they know they’re just exploiting these young bamas, I extend a mystery finger to the NCAA. Until they figure out better ways of treating the very athletes they hump and dump each year, I hope Mr. Jennings has lots of copycats.
Good luck, young man. You’ll need plenty of it.
Questions (pick as many as you’d like): Do you think the NCAA should pay it’s athletes? What do you think of AB’s profit-sharing plan? Do you think Brandon Jennings will pan out in the Euroleague? Will his move become a movement if he does pan out? Should the NBA institute a two-year minimum? Do you have any idea why the photo above is so painful to me that I can hardly finish this sentence without breaking into hives?
Arizona signee Jennings heading for Europe [ESPN]
[Part 3 of The Real Issues They Should Be Talking About series.]
“Messin’ with my money is like messin’ with my emotions“.
Or so once said a wise man from South Central Los Angeles.[1]
I mean come on, we’re supposed to trust financial institutions. They are supposed to be good stewards over our money. Even the government agrees, thus the guarantees from the FDIC. But I’m sure a gang of Californians are feelin’ hoodwinked, bamboozled, and generally “messed with” right about now.
Worried customers with deposits in excess of insured limits flooded IndyMac Bank branches on Monday, demanding to withdraw as much money as they could or get answers about the fate of their funds.With the failed bank now under federal control, hundreds of people lined up before dawn outside its headquarters branch in Pasadena, reports CBS Evening News correspondent Bill Whitaker.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took over IndyMac after depositors, worried about its solvency, made a massive run on the bank Friday. IndyMac, which had assets of more than $32 billion — another victim of the mortgage mess — flying high in 2006 on risky mortgage loans — today being run by Uncle Sam.
“I just want to reassure people,” said John Bovenzi. “Ninety-eight percent of the people who do business with the bank have less than $100,000 in their accounts. They don’t have to worry about anything. Their money is completely protected.”
The obvious issue: What about the folks with more than $100,000!?!?
They (we?) are the ones really getting the ass end of the pyramid here.
Not quite. IndyMac Bancorp Inc. had $1 billion of uninsured, unsecured, and unprotected consumer deposits at stake. The 10,000 uninsured depositors will get 50 cents on the dollar now and wait for the rest.
Uninsured deposits are the most easily avoided risks for investors. Your total savings and checking accounts are insured to $100,000 per person per bank (joint accounts for two people would hold $200,000 insurance) and IRAs are insured separately to $250,000.
Mutual fund, bank bond- and investment accounts are not FDIC-insured.
That’s right folks! Word hard. Pay your taxes! Diversify. Save and invest! Do everything fiscally responsible, and you can still get completely screwed by your bank’s poor business decisions (ie: predatory lending) and lose it all.
I repeat: Mutual fund, bank bond- and investment accounts are not FDIC-insured!!!
I hate to sound like Chicken Little, but damn, all the signs of a monumental financial collapse are right there. Foreclosures are rampant. Jobs are being slashed daily. The Dow is goin’ down like Paris Hilton. Gas is $5/gallon. Kashi is $7/box. Ed McMahon is about to lose his Beverly Hills estate. Diddy is paying a whopping $100k a month in child support alone.
[Editor's (b)Elated Note: Today in the grocery store, I caught a sale on all varieties of Kashi Heart to Heart. 2 Boxes for only $6. I think I might have actually shed a tear or three in the cereal aisle.]
And now, if your bank goes under, you’ll prolly have to settle for pennies on the dollar, if that.
Somethin’, somethin’ just ain’t right.
I would advise everyone, despite how your fiscal situation looks, to read the links below, speak with your financial advisor, and further educate yourself on this issue. I’m pretty well diversified right now, but reality is you can only do so much.
AverageGrandma’s old adage about putting money under the mattress ain’t soundin’ so bad right now.
I’d love to see our two Presidential candidates get off that ole’ “lesser dependence on foreign oil” BS and start kickin’ some real ideas on this. As is, PapaMac’s idea of economic stimulus is to marry a rich white woman. Too bad there aren’t more of them to go around. And I’m not totally convinced Barry has any more fiscal sense than I do.
We’re screwed either way.
Question: How are you planning on adjusting your financial plan to lessen the potential impact of such a banking collapse? In what practical, everyday ways has this recent financial downturn changed your spending habits?
Nervous Depositors Make A Run On IndyMac [CBS]
What if my bank fails? Some questions and answers [BusinessWeek]
Give no credit when creditors are due [WSJ]
[1] Name said wise man. I’ll provide the Cyber CapriSuns.
