Simone Biles Withdraws From Olympic Events

Not that it matters, but let me first start off by offering a disclaimer: by no means do I want to sound insensitive in discussing this. 

Athletes are different these days. Well, people overall are different because the athletic world is just a microcosm of society.  However, the greatest gymnast I've seen in my lifetime is not participating on the highest stage and it's disappointing. The reason doesn't matter. 

Regardless if it would have been due to a physical injury or something of that nature, to not see the best at a competition not perform in a once-every-four-year event is disappointing.  It's like listening to Phil Collins performing "In The Air Tonight" and your power cuts off on your sound system before the drums can kick in.  All that build up with no conclusion.

And I feel let down because this is all new to me in the world of sports.  I'm from a generation when athletes stood out because they "found a way" to compete on the biggest stages despite the pressure or pain that came along with it.  

Muhammad Ali is considered the Greatest of All-Time by many boxing fans, but he lost 5 times in his career.  Serena Williams is considered the GOAT of the tennis world, but she's lost in a major event championship 10 times in her career.  So, they're simply not great because they won a lot.  They're great because they continued to come back after a loss.

Whatever athletes like Simone, Naomi Osaka, Kyrie Irving and others may be going through, I hope that they can work through it.  How I feel is inconsequential to them, as it should be.  The media is tough and social media critics are relentless.  I'll never know the pressure they may feel just for being who they are.  But I will say this: 

It's okay to lose.

We need to instill that mindset into younger people sooner rather than later.  What made Ali the greatest boxer of all-time to me is not that he won a heavyweight championship.  It was the fact that he lost the championship belt multiple times yet continued to fight until he won it back.  His perseverance is what made him the GOAT in my opinion.  The same goes for Serena.

Something needs to change.  We need to say "no" to participation trophies.  No more celebrating someone's presence as being enough.  We have to teach people how to take an "L" and be okay with it because no matter what you do in life, failure is going to rear its ugly head multiple times.  You will lose at something.  

The word "life" even starts with an "L"!

We all go through things in life that a lot of people may not be aware of at the time.  And although it sounds like I'm bashing Simone, I'm really not.  I don't blame her one bit in this because I truly don't know what she's going through.  Her story isn't done yet.  She's still the greatest gymnast I've ever seen and I hope that she has a comeback story like an Ali or Serena.  

It's the system that I hate.  I question the system that has been in place for at least a generation that says "not participating" is the route you take when things get hard instead of a focus on helping people cope prior to getting to that point.

How To Listen To The Talk 2 Q Radio Show

Click here.  It's just that simple. :)

The Talk 2 Q Radio Show is a show for adults to get together and rant about whatever the trending topic may be. Relationships, race relations, politics, sports, and more! If you have something to get off your chest, then join the chat room and / or call in and let your opinions be known!

Unlike most shows where you simply listen to the host, I allow you a chance to do the talking. You have the opportunity to express an opinion or rant on a subject. I want to hear what you have to say which is why I named the show "Talk 2 Q" and not "Listen 2 Q."

The Call-in Number: (516) 595-8306. There is also the aforementioned chat room where you can interact with other listeners and ask questions to the host and / or guests.


Okay, enough of that. Let's talk about what I'm really about. Where do I start? I'm old school. That's an understatement to any of you who have followed me for a while, but it's a true statement. Being blessed with a two-parent household as a child, I was raised with many traditional values from the Hospitality State of Mississippi.

Examples: taking my hat/cap off before entering someone's home, holding a door for a lady to enter first, a firm handshake, making eye contact when speaking with people, and being accountable for my actions to name a few.

As crazy as it sounds, those things are becoming a lost art. Too many boys out there lack the man training that is necessary to continue the dwindling cycle of main components of manhood. Pride, responsibility, and accountability have been replaced with entitlement, dependency, and deflection. 

These are the things that fuel the passion for my radio show. I want to bring morals and values back to mainstream America one show at a time. Because although there are plenty of outlets for people to express themselves freely, there isn't one quite like T2Q.

Direct. Real. Uncensored. 

Why? Because "some things need to be said."

No Sports? Now What?

Never in my adult life has there ever been a period of time that I couldn't turn on TV and find some sports to watch.  I will pretty much watch any sport just because I love the spirit of athletic competition.  But here comes this funky COVID-19 ruining things for me and millions of others around the world.  It's way too early for an April Fool's Day joke.

The coronavirus has turned into a pandemic and sporting events are being either suspended indefinitely or canceled.  And I totally understand the seriousness of it all.  This virus is spreading like the flu and is causing mass hysteria around the world.  It sucks that it took something of this magnitude to get people to do the things they should have been doing since being old enough to attend kindergarten: wash their hands regularly and cover their mouth when they sneeze/cough.  

Without sports I'll find more time to blog, clear my DVR and read some more.  And of course, I'll tune into the reality show known as "world news" to see how our elected "leaders" are handling this crisis.  I truly hate politics when it comes to emergencies.  The people are usually secondary to political agendas.  Politicians aren't beneath using a crisis to further their agenda.  Here are some examples:

• Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, apparently tried to pass a coronavirus relief bill that came with an abortion-funding loophole chaser.  This is not the time to take advantage of the situation to get a bill passed.  Shame, Nancy!  
• President Trump banned travel to the U.S. except for in the UK and Ireland.  Not because they're coronavirus-free, but I'm guessing because he has golf resorts in those two countries.  The UK and Ireland have more cases of coronavirus then some of the other countries in the travel ban.  Greed.
• There's talk about offering corporate welfare to the airlines because people aren't traveling right now.  These companies fleece the general public around each holiday by jacking up already-high prices and now they need a handout?  Ridiculous.
• Bottled water and other essentials are slowly creeping up in price during a time of need.  Anything for an extra buck, right?

Corporations are still taking advantage of U.S. citizens despite the seriousness of the crisis.  Yet we still vote the same people into office each term who allow these companies to do so.  They should drug test all voters.  

As for the coronavirus that has taken over our lives as we know it, all we can do is wait and see what happens with all of this.  Are we closer to the movie "28 Days Later"?  Lord, I hope not.  

Sports "Journalism" Has Turned Into Reality TV

I once was a huge fan of the talking head shows on ESPN.  From "Pardon the Interruption" to "First Take", I was setting my DVR to "embrace debate".

However, over time, I started to get suspicious of the content that I was viewing on a regular basis.  The debates started to get really outlandish.  The talking heads were not being objective over the topics of the day, but instead, they started showing a bias based on their favorite team/player.  And every day one of the talking heads would make what appeared to be an illogical statement based on how he/she felt rather than anything pertaining to the game itself.

The shows I once enjoyed because of the great points that were being made had turned into reality TV.  They looked to be over-produced prescheduled arguments that cause an MSNBC/FOX News type of divide with the viewers.  The debates are now more heated than some of the arguments I've witnessed in sports bars and sometimes with just as little analytics involved.  It's great for ratings, but bad for sports fans. 

I've had a hard time facing the fact that nothing is sacred any more.  The media only cares about increasing viewership and if that means having someone screaming about "LeBron being better than Jordan" or "Baker Mayfield being the next Tom Brady", then they're all for it.  They don't care if the arguments have been run into the ground or if the points attempted to be made are valid or not.

ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports are all trying to out-crazy one another to get the more eyes on their screens and I think that it's working.  Unfortunately, I can no longer lend my eyes to the count.  These shows are no different than "Real Housewives of (Insert City Here)" to me.  Just a bunch of fake outrage over cliche topics.  I guess it's back to reading sports websites because these shows just don't hold any value to me anymore.

What Time Is The Super Bowl?

Manning vs. Newton - Who ya got????

That's the question thousands of people will be asking on Super Sunday.  Two weeks of anticipation ends with the most camera flashes and eyes glued to the TV screen than any other time during the year.  The 50th Super Bowl will kickoff and parties across the country will celebrate as the most entertaining sporting event in history commences.

By the way, 6:30 PM Eastern Time is the answer.

However, you definitely want to peep in about 30 minutes earlier to ensure that you catch Lady Gaga's rendition of the National Anthem.  Vegas has "prop bets" based on how long it will take her to sing it.  You can bet less than or more than 2 minutes and 20 seconds.  Take the under on this one.  Lady Gaga like to show off, but only Alicia Keys has gone past 2:20 in the last 10 years.

I personally prefer to tune in just before the National Anthem.  As much as I like football, I can't do the 10 hour pre-game show that the talking heads will throw at me.  When 50 different people make their expert analysis on the game, the contradiction in the opinions leave you more confused than convinced that any of them know what they're talking about.

Hopefully, the commercials will be great again.  It's been awhile since they have been.  There are too many "feel good" commercials with lost dogs and helpful horses than they are funny and entertaining ads.  I'm hoping that Lil' Sweet makes multiple appearances for Dr. Pepper.

Enjoy the game, all!

Oh, I almost forgot!  My prediction: Carolina 21, Denver 16.

Racial Inconsistencies in Sports: @RSherman_25 Isn't A Thug

Mitchell 10 years ago; Rodgers present day

It's a shame that on MLK Day, I'm blogging about something race-related.  As far as we've come in this country in regards to black and white, there are things that remind us that there's still a long way to go.

Sports has been called the "great equalizer" when it comes to uniting the races.  The "Remember the Titans" movie is a perfect example of that.  Still there are some inconsistencies in the media that make me shake my head.

Time and time again I see the media portray people differently based on race and culture.  Last night, Seattle Seahawks defensive back, Richard Sherman, went off on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, Michael Crabtree and social media went wild.

People called him a "thug" (which is a popular word used when describing aggressive black people), classless, an embarrassment and other unflattering words.  What they saw on TV was a black man who should "just be happy to make millions playing in the NFL."  He should be humble, appreciative, keep his mouth shut and just play the game.

It takes me back in time to my youth when I first started noticing inconsistencies in the media based on race.  I remember when Deion Sanders played hurt in a football game once.  He was clearly hampered by the injury, but chose to play and try to help his team.  He didn't play well and I remember one of the commentators saying that he was being "selfish" for playing at less than 100%.  That same day, the Jets played and one of their players named Wayne Chrebet was also playing hurt.  He went on to have a poor game, but the commentator said that he was a "warrior" for trying to gut out a win for his team.

Scoring touchdowns is something that is viewed differently at times.  The term "act like you've been there before" comes up often when black certain players celebrate after scoring touchdowns.  Yet when Aaron Rodgers of the Packers scores a touchdown, he gets applauded for that "championship belt" gesture he does.  In fact, instead of being chastised, he even has commercials for what is now called the "Discount Double-Check" move.  What's even worse is that he didn't even invent that scoring celebration.  Former Philadelphia Eagle, Freddie Mitchell, was doing the "championship belt" move back in 2003 when Rodgers was still in college.

Do you see the inconsistencies that drive guys like me nuts?

Last one: back in 2007, a player named Anthony Smith from the Pittsburgh Steelers guaranteed a victory over the Patriots in an upcoming game.  Tom Brady torched Smith and the Steelers defense en route to victory.  On one of the TD passes Brady threw, he ran up to Smith and got facemask-to-facemask and taunted him.  The stories that made the headlines the next day talked about Tom Brady's "passion" and how he was "teaching Smith a lesson" and being a "fiery competitor."

Where are those words when it comes to describing Richard Sherman?  Crabtree and Sherman were jawing at each other the entire game, so why doesn't he get to have the last word like Brady did?  Why is he a "thug" instead of a "fiery competitor?"

Lou Pinella kicked dirt on umpires and cursed them out.

Brian Wilson beat a Gatorade cooler with a baseball bat.

Bobby Knight threw a chair on the court of a basketball game.

John McEnroe yelled at judges on the tennis courts.

Larry Bird was a legendary trash talker.

John Tortorella, Mike Ditka, etc.  The list goes on and this still occurs to this day.  There are some white people in sports that have berated, cursed, intimidated or (technically) assaulted others and yet they are still "feisty heroes" to many media types. Not even once have I ever heard any of them referred to as "thugs."  Never.

Richard Sherman finished 2nd in his high school class in GPA and went on to graduate from Stanford in Communications.  He even went back for his graduate degree.  He's never been arrested and doesn't play dirty in the field of play.  He's not a "thug."  He's the best cornerback in the league (statistics will back that up) and he had the last word against a mouthy competitor.  At least I thought that he had the last word...

Crabtree obviously didn't learn his lesson because he's still disrespecting Sherman.

Does the media (including social media) treat black athletes different than white athletes?

I Hate Social Media Oversharers

West Coast fans have it bad thanks to social media.

(steps on soapbox)

I'm sick of it to the point that I have to blog about it..

Stop it... Just stop it...

Stop thinking that what you have to say is somehow more important than anyone else. 

Stop thinking that putting something on Facebook or Twitter somehow turns you into Anderson Cooper or Rachel Maddow. 

Wait. You may be confused. Let me explain:

First of all, when I say "overshare," I'm not talking about the people who put too much information on their timelines. TMI is a problem in social networking, but it can usually be ignored easily. Besides, seeing an older co-worker discuss increasing the fiber in his diet doesn't really impact me.

The people that I can't stand are the spoilers. The people who watch sporting events, movies, and/or TV shows and choose to disclose every single plot point or game score on their timeline. Those are the people that I wish I could ship off to a remote island with no cell phone signal or Wi-Fi.

The reason that I hate them is because they force me to live in a bubble because they can't keep their mouths closed! They're so selfish and arrogant that they feel as if they have a right to reveal information to you and ruin your experience! They're too self-centered to ponder if you may want to watch the show and enjoy the revelation of each storyline just as they did. No, you don't get to have that luxury because they typed out the entire show on their timeline!

(takes a deep breath)

The perfect example of this is the ABC hit show, "Scandal."  If you don't watch that show as it airs, then you may as well turn off every electronic in your home until you do.  Everywhere you look, someone will post important information about the show that will ruin your viewing experience.  "Fitz got shot!"  "Mellie got raped!"

Dag, at least give me a week.  SMH.  People on the West Coast must really hate the time difference because they literally have to disconnect from social media for two hours prior to any relevant show.  If not, they will have someone spoil the show appear on their timeline.

Another example is sports.  There were two college bowl games that I wanted to see this week.  One on Monday and one on Tuesday.  Both came on in the mid-afternoon prior to me getting off of work.  To be able to go home and enjoy the recording of the game, I had to eliminate Facebook and Twitter from my afternoon.  Despite the fact that I don't follow ESPN or any TV sports personalities on social media, I still have to disconnect because everyone else on my timeline doesn't care if I want to enjoy the game or not.

I failed to make it home both days without knowing the scores to the game.  Despite the fact that I disconnected from social media, an associate felt the need to "share" the score with me and ruin my evening.  Although I chose to avoid Facebook and Twitter, she didn't.  And with all of that technology at her finger tips, she couldn't wait to reveal the score of the game as if I had some sort of appreciation for it.  As if I had no way of ever being able to watch the game once I got home.  Like DVR's haven't been invented.

I came home both evenings and deleted the recordings of the games without watching them.  Why would I watch?  I already knew the final score.  What's the point?  The opportunity to watch the game unfold was taken from me by some selfish individual.

Look, I get that watching TV with a bunch of followers/friends is exciting.  I chat during shows, too, but I never reveal anything in my tweets because I don't want to ruin it for anyone.  Social media has options for people to create private groups in which to discuss things.  Why not create a private group so people who are watching the show live can chat it up with you?  Wouldn't that be better than spoiling it for people who have to work or maybe live on the West Coast?

Then again, if you do that, then that would mean that you actually have to put forth an effort to consider other people's feelings, huh?  Please just choke yourself to sleep.  Wake up.  Repeat. 

(steps off soapbox)

Loyalty is Extinct

My favorite NFL team since 1975.

Things that were once something to be proud of 50 years ago are just simply trendy in 2013.  One of those things is the act of being loyal to something or someone.  We don't do that much any more.  In fact, there are probably a lot of people who may even consider it stupid to remain with something that's not giving you what you need at that particular moment.

We live "in the moment" way too much these days.  Some blame the YOLO (you only live once) mentality, but this mindset was around way before that term.  Somewhere between 1990 and now we completely lost the ability to show loyalty.

A perfect example is in sports.  I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan.  I have been since I was old enough to remember.  I have photos of me around 3 years old wearing Cowboys stuff.  Despite the fact that they haven't won a Super Bowl since 1996 doesn't deter the fact that they're still my team.

I have a nephew who is 13 years old and he is on his 3rd "favorite" team.  Once "his" team goes on a downward spiral, he changes to another one.  He sees nothing wrong with changing of teams because he doesn't understand loyalty.  He doesn't get that there's more appreciation to patiently waiting for things to get better rather than jumping on the next team's bandwagon.  This translates into everyday relationships.

How can someone stick with a significant other through the good times and bad times if they can't grasp the concept of loyalty?

Being in a dedicated relationship means that both people have to show loyalty.  It's the cornerstone of what makes a relationship successful.  It doesn't mean that you necessarily have to stay with that person until the very end because there are exceptions to every rule (abuse, criminal/drug activity, incompatibility, etc.).  However, it does mean that even when things aren't 100% that you should hold out hope that some day they will be.

"Reality" TV doesn't help.  We see The Bachelor and The Bachelorette go through contestants like Kleenex tissues.  Although that's a scripted game show, it gives some viewers the mindset that they always have immediate options.  It encourages the mentality that "if you're not going to do what I want when I want, then I'll find someone who will until you start acting right."

If she's not giving you the intimacy you once shared as newlyweds then try to talk it out instead of creeping with a co-worker.  If he's not giving you the emotional support that you need then communicate that with him before confiding in the guy you see at the gym.  You owe that person that much simply by having the title of "significant other."  And if you don't feel that way, then you're not in a real relationship anyway.

I'm not saying you should never end a relationship.  Sometimes things just don't work.  But, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't even try.  If you can't feel enough responsibility and dedication to stick with someone that you call a "significant other," then I guess they weren't so "significant" in the first place.

Life won't always be rosy in relationships.  Things happen.  How you respond to those things determine what kind of character you have as a person.  Are you the type of person who quits as soon as something pops off or do you try to weather the storm until things improve?

Through thick and thin, I wear my Dallas Cowboys paraphernalia proudly.  But, my commitment to love extends far beyond sports.  What about yours?

Will you stay or will you go?

Fair or Foul: Olympics Version

I've been glued to my TV since the start of the Olympics and I've seen quite a bit of drama unfold. I want to throw two things at my readers to see what type of feedback I get from a couple of Olympic stories:

Jordyn Wieber
This recently-turned 17-year old gymnast was one of five young ladies who gave it their all to qualify for the team gold. However, Jordyn was dead-set on being an individual gold medalist as well. To do so, she had to be one of the top two performers on her team to qualify. She was third.

Once the results were read, Jordyn immediately buried her face in her hands and exploded into tears. NBC had multiple cameras trained on her as she dealt with her disappointment of not qualifying for the individual medals. After NBC interviewed the top two ladies on the U.S. team, they sent a reporter to interview Jordyn, just minutes after her finding out that it would be 2016 before she would have that opportunity for an individual medal again.  NBC had no concerns for her feelings. They only wanted to fuel their ratings with "the agony of defeat."

My verdict: I'd be firecracker-hot if NBC got all in my kid's grill after she experienced a disappointment like that. And don't get me wrong. I think kids should learn what it's like to be disappointed. It builds toughness and character. But, on national TV? Foul.  But, I give major props to Jordyn for handling the interview better than some older professionals would have.  She supported her teammates and kept everything moving.  Had that been my daughter being humiliated on national TV, then I would have been coming down from the stands with an ax handle.

Becky Hammon
This 35-year old WNBA star was born and raised in South Dakota. She spent her college years at Colorado State University before playing professionally with the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars.  Everything about her background screams American. However, she was (once again) not offered an invite to participate on the U.S. Olympic basketball team for the '08 games in Beijing. So, what did Becky do?  She joined the Russian team. Yes, that's right.  Becky gained citizenship with Russia and is currently representing them in the '12 Olympic games as an opponent of the United States. But, she's just living out her dreams, right?

My verdict: I think it's a punk move. I think that her mindset that reflects a lot of under-40's in this country: you're not good enough to play with the big girls, so you take your ball and go somewhere else. What happened to earning a spot in sports? Why do people go elsewhere to try and get a chance instead of out-performing the person in front of them? I've seen parents fraudulently enroll their kids in other school districts just to find somewhere they have an opportunity to play.

If you're not good enough, then you're just not good enough. In my opinion, what Becky did, is definitely foul. The Olympic Committee should pass a rule that determines your home country as the country where you've spent a majority of your life.


Is it fair or foul for NBC to stay in the face of a minor after losing out on what could have been an opportunity of a lifetime?
Is it fair or foul to change countries in just to participate in the Olympics?