We all carry responsibility for our behavior but I wonder if this isn't a good opportunity to consider what happens when sports personalities exit the spotlight and move on to a new life after competing.

Kyle Snyder and other sports personalities live under the pressure of social expectations. One day, no matter how much you have excelled, another will rise to claim the lofty heights you once held. We watched Jack Nicklaus walk down that mountain with incredible grace and find business success in golf. Gary Player did as well. Tiger Woods has not handled fame or its aftermath with anything resembling that grace, as we see again in his drunk driving accident last week. Kirk Barton takes the absence of grace to an extreme, from what I read.

Reading about Snyder's embarrassment, makes me wonder how hard it must be to live up to heroic expectations of fans when playing days end and the cheers fade away. It must be so hard to live with the constant aches and pains that accumulate during decades of sports trauma and never fully heal...and to live with the pain medications, which bring only temporary relief and the likelihood of addiction and behavioral change.

As a child athlete (thanks Maize Rd Elementary/City of Columbus Recreation Dept), I participated in Junior Olympic trials. In between trial heats, I sat beside Jesse Owens in Ohio Stadium, after I saw him sitting alone and was drawn to him. I did not know he was until Jesse Owens was greeted by someone else. When he picked me up, my father told me that he couldn't have been Jesse Owens and told me to avoid any stranger who would let me sit with him. Back then, I did not understand why.

The second year, I sat with him again and Owens stayed long enough to greet my father. I remember a lot from those days half a century ago. He was kind, patient, and positive. I still cup my hands and land on my heels when running, as he showed me. But what I remember most clearly is the sadness that I saw in his eyes behind that generous and almost regal nature.

I wonder if fans really understand the burden that athletes can carry when they leave the field forever. The bright lights of national and international recognition fade away and often do not leave them with material wealth. Even those who have earned a lot of money often experience financial challenges, made worse by the constant demands of family, friends, and "charities" asking for a taste.

Anyone who lives in or near the spotlight, with its awards and honors, must one day prepare for a much quieter life that follows. For the anonymity of daily life that comes when eyes no longer light up in recognition. The pain of this transition may be especially high when an athlete's entire sense of self-worth derives from athletic skills.

One of the things that has most impressed me about Ryan Day is the incorporation of financial and psychological life skills, that prepare athletes for life, into the education of student athletes in that program. I hope that the other sports now incorporate similar programs so that sports stars will be equipped to open the right doors when the end of a sports career nears.

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North Carolina hits pause on arena talk amid coach search​

North Carolina is putting talks about the future home for its men's basketball program on hold.

"Arena discussions will resume after the new coach has had time to acclimate to the program and focus on future needs," the school said.

The school is mulling whether to renovate the Smith Center, the program's home since January 1986. It also is considering building a new arena, potentially off the main campus.

The discussions have led to some emotional debate among fans and even members of the program, with retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams coming out in support of renovating the Smith Center instead of moving off the main campus.

School officials have estimated a renovation could cost nearly $600 million, while options for a new arena have ranged between roughly $700 million to $800 million.

Me walking to my home office to talk to all my Columbus colleagues tomorrow.

Their roster is insane

Well now I might have to head over and watch in person.

Saw him gives a thanks to Buddy Ryan today. He's credited Ryan with telling him to straighten up. You had to be acting ridiculous to get cut from a football team in the 80's and 90's

thE BEST ONE IS THE ONE I'M DIGESTING

scarletngray said:

Impressed with Coach Hankton during his interview. Best coaching staff in CFB.

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He was an absolute home run hire and the only guy out there at the position that could make the loss of Hartline somewhat palatable.

NJ-Buckeye said:

Myles is a better driver than Tiger Woods.. Myles only rolled ONE car.. Tiger has rolled multiple. Myles > Tiger

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Yeah but how many women has Myles had chasing him with a 3 iron though?

BigWoof31 said:

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Wasn’t going fast enough.

An acquaintance of mine writes this Substack, which I recommend generally, but his March 24 post, if the link doesn't go right to it, is the one that's pertinent to this thread: https://amolsnaik.substack.com/

Davison Igbinosun Disputes Claim That He Wore Mitts in Practice to Prevent Him from Grabbing Receivers: “That’s Cap”​

Davison Igbinosun wants to set the record straight: He never wore oven mitts to prevent him from grabbing receivers in practice.

As Ohio State looked for ways to help Igbinosun cut down on penalties in 2024, then-defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told reporters that Ohio State had the cornerback wear special gloves in practice to prevent him from grabbing receivers.

“We've got to put the gloves on him so that he can't grab,” Knowles said on Oct. 29, 2024.

Four days later, Igbinosun made the signature play of his Ohio State career, stealing the ball out of Penn State receiver Harrison Wallace III’s hands for an interception in the end zone – a seven-point swing just before halftime that played a crucial role in a 20-13 road win for the Buckeyes over the third-ranked Nittany Lions.

That prompted a question at Ohio State’s press conference the following Tuesday about whether “the mitts” worked, to which Knowles replied, “Absolutely,” creating the folklore that Igbinosun wore gloves resembling kitchen equipment in practice.

Igbinosun, however, says that never actually happened.

“That's cap. That’s not true,” Igbinosun said after Wednesday’s pro day when asked if he wore “oven mitts” in practice. “I don’t know who made that up, I think it was Jim Knowles … I’ve seen that narrative, but I came back to change the narrative.”
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After cleaning up Hill Valley High, he went on to keep the Navy slacker free as Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise Air Group in Top Gun.

BC hires Bill Murray’s kid (he’s a really good assistant for UConn).

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JohnnyCockfight said:

Wanted to see what google's ai would say about whether Mark May blew 5 guys at Pitt.

The source link is to this thread at Buckeye Planet.

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Just sayin': FWIW, I went back in this thread to see who posted it first and think it was Jake, post # 1,031 on 10 Jun 2012:

Jake said:

I heard a rumor.

MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT
MARK MAY BLEW 5 DUDES AT PITT

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WNBA's Connecticut Sun set to relocate to Houston following $300 million sale, per reports​

The Fertitta family has agreed to a deal to purchase the Connecticut Sun for a record-breaking $300 million and move the WNBA franchise to Houston, according to reports from Paper City Magazine and ESPN. A sale would be subject to approval by the WNBA's Board of Governors, and it was not official as of Friday evening.

If the deal is approved, the Sun would reportedly play the 2026 season in Connecticut before moving to Houston in 2027. The team is expected to play at the Toyota Center, home of the NBA's Houston Rockets, and be renamed the Houston Comets, taking on the name of the original WNBA franchise in the city, which existed from 1997 until 2008. The original Comets, led by Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson won the league's first four championships and were the first WNBA dynasty.
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The last time a WNBA team was sold was in 2021, when Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million.

Just sayin': You're telling me that in just 5 years the value of an WNBA went from under $10M to $300M...

RhodeIslandBuck said:

He's gonna fill right in, we haven't had a run of linebackers like this since the mid-00s.

Really excited about him and Alford this year.

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Completely agreed, Riley is going to make the jump and be one of the best LBs in the nation next year.