Monday Morning Quarterback

In a World Gone Mad, Sports Are the Great Uniter and Ultimate Distraction

I take it all back…I have no idea what I’m talking about; the CFP is genius. After spending the past month voicing my disdain for the updated College Football Playoff format, I couldn’t be more grateful today. Whoever picked this date for the year's final game is pure genius. My TV is on ESPN and TNT all day long! What a welcome distraction, although tonight’s finale will leave me reeling for the next six months to get my Nick Saban and Peter Herbstreit fix. Speaking of Saban¹, was it he or the new girlfriend that advised Bill Belichick to get a personality?!? I believe Belichick and I learned from the same school of hard knocks, where you don’t smile at kids before Christmas. Much to our dismay, a coach and leader can actually have a sense of humor even though we were taught not to ever show that side. To stay relevant in this world, you have to transcend with the current generation. You can’t stay stuck, or the game will pass you by. I’m not quite ready to fully immerse myself in generational understanding to the level of Belichick and date someone who could be my great-grandchild.

Comment which seat you would pick. You know mine²!!

NFL

Last Monday night, the LA Rams united a city and the country. You couldn’t help but root for them after all LA has endured. Like the Yankees after 9/11 and the Saints after Hurricane Katrina, sports can unite a city and a country. We lose sight of sports as a job. People often ask if we should be playing right after a tragic event, but no one ever asks if we should have school. Jobs continue despite tragedies; sports are no different. They are a uniter and a community builder and that’s why I am so enthralled with the stories of the humans behind the players.

While they may not love Santa Claus in the City of Brotherly Love, they rally around their team. This week they put reading front and center. Am I still talking about reading? Yes, I’m still talking about reading. While the media wanted to create drama, it backfired on them because all week, AJ Brown stood with confidence and conviction in front of reporters fully justifying his need to read. The response by him and the support of his coach squelched the saga and prompted a national interest in reading and mental health. We all need to get our minds right before doing our jobs and I loved his ownership of the situation and his “just be me” attitude.

Jerry Jones has to be kicking himself watching the Cowboys’ division rivals face off in the NFC Championship game while he is scrambling to find yet another head coach to revisit the glory days…of 30 years ago! It also has to sting his aged behind to watch the surprising turnaround his backwards hat wearing former DC has led. Shouldn’t have let that one get away!

NBA

I’m watching today, or at the very least it’s background noise. I’ve not watched one minute this year. I typically reserve my watching for Christmas Day, but the NFL started infringing on that tradition, and for some ridiculous reason, the Thunder wasn’t one of the Xmas Day games. I love the platform Inside the NBA³ has created around this day to educate and honor the late Martin Luther King Jr. I doubt I will watch the NBA again until April, when college ball is over. I know I’m a homer, but if you aren’t watching the OKC Thunder, then you aren’t living. They breathe fresh air into a league dominated by veterans and have so much fun while playing great ball. Any leader could learn a lot by watching their interactions. Their culture and chemistry are enviable and hard to replicate in any arena, especially one where egos tend to take center stage.

College Hoops

I’m not sure where I was last year, but to no surprise, Chris Beard has Ole Miss trending way up. I would love to know if he regrets selling his soul to chase money over a quiet life in Lubbock. His name will circle in all the top coaching spots this offseason, much like Lane Kiffin has experienced with his success at Ole Miss; I wonder if Beard can find contentment over the chase for more money and notoriety. When do the big names ever learn? Also like Kiffin, I wonder if Beard has found sobriety during his redemption tour. Otherwise, he’s going to be right back where he was in 2023. Based on his tweets, Kiffin isn’t the poster child for emotional sobriety, but I’m glad he didn’t lose his humor and personality. He’s proof you can get sober and have fun in life. I say this all the time: I got sober, I didn’t have a lobotomy. Your personality and passion have to show through, and mine still does when it comes to sports.

Tennis

The Aussie Open is my bucket list trip and this year’s tourney is showing us why. There have been great matchups and upsets, although I read about them the next morning due to the time difference. I thought Gael Monfils retired, so glad to see him happy and doing well! It keeps us older folks believing we’ve got a good run left!

New Podcast Rec

If you bleed crimson and cream like I do, check out my friend

Lar

’s new podcast

SoonerGirlSportsPod

for all things OU athletics. Larissa focuses on talking Sooner sports from a woman’s perspective and it’s long overdue. She is a great supporter of all OU athletics and I look forward to her insight. We recently recorded an episode that will be out next week. Here’s a clip…Saban is my inspiration, you would think I was for the other Crimson team.

1. Because I really don’t have a conversation with another human these days without mentioning him.

2. It’s 1 just in case you didn’t know!

3. This is the best entertainment on TV! I’m glad Chuck and The Boys will continue. I do watch them, mainly on replay. They are way more entertaining than the games this time of year.