What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
We remember when sports used to be fun. Now, just like the rest of society, sports has to apologize for everything.
The Miami Heat are apologizing to New York Knick Amar’e Stoudemire because Miami’s PA guy made a little joke at Stoudemire’s expense Wednesday night.
Stoudemire fouled out of the game and the PA guy told the crowd: “He has been extinguished from the game.”
You know what? That’s pretty funny. And harmless.
Stoudemire, if you recall, cost him a couple of games in the series when he cut his hand. In an act of frustration, he took a swipe at the glass covering a fire extinguisher. The glass won.
It is rare for stars to foul out in any game, so it wasn’t as if the PA guy had planned to make fun of Stoudemire. It just happened.
But in our touchy-feely world, we have to apologize for fun. Yet we don’t hold athletes accountable for hurting their team’s chances by having a fight with glass.
Let’s talk about creating controversy just to have something to talk about.
ESPN football analyst Cris Carter said this week that he offered bounties when he played as a way to protect himself from overzealous defensive players.
Interestingly, news of the NFL’s investigation into the Saints bounty program broke months ago. Then the coaching staff and GM got in trouble. Then some players got in trouble.
Carter was an ESPN analyst during all that time.
But only now did he think it was worthy to bring this up? Oh, yeah.
Slow news day. Better come up with something quick.
Sorry, but any analyst worth his salary would have brought this up immediately.
Look at this!
A compromise! In politics!
It appears Minnesota has saved their Vikings.
The Vikings ownership offered to contribute more money, and enough state legislators agreed that it was enough to vote in favor of a stadium deal. The governor is expected to sign soon.
The Vikings are expected to pay 49 percent of the project. Sounds fair. After all, the city and state will use the stadium, too.
For more Talking Points, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/talkpoints360
