rolling "dave zirin sons a sports writer/figure and my commie ass self-righteously otms him"

Case in point, his ridiculous "last great fight" article re: Mayweather-De La Hoya.

Putting aside the social/turmoil issue, from a physical standpoint Ali was still in his boxing prime (28) and hadn't taken the physical punishment of boxing for over three years. Contrast to Tiger being on the way out of his golfing prime and coming back from a recent injury.

― FIST FIGHT! FIST FIGHT! FIST FIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT! (milo z)

Ali hadn't sparred in years, had gotten fat, lost a dramatic amount of his speed. And he was going to have to go 15 rounds with Joe fucking Frazier.

Tiger has a sore knee. Give me a fucking break.

yo I know I'm late to the party but what makes me maddest about all this is Simmons reaching for the tenuous Ali connection when there is an infinitely more reasonable comparison available in the form of 2003 Kobe Bryant

xp - except Ali didn't fight Frazier right away.

otm http://www.thenation.com/blog/164638/nba-players-welcome-99-percent

^ absolutely fucking OTM.

i was otm on this thread

mystic river was a horrible movie max

it's funny that charlie pierce now writes for bill simmons' website

that's a good piece by zirin. it's shameful that public sentiment isn't with the players.

i think people already think the players are spoiled babies and they dont really know who the owners are is the dynamic at work here

seems like the owners successfully convinced everyone that the league is not profitable while there was absolutely no way to do that with the nfl.

why is it that "the public" gets all up in arms about athletes getting paid but not about like movie stars? is it that hollywood is seen as more of a business than ml sports? or is it about the fact that most americans played sports as kids?

its because of racism

lol, duh, cant believe i forgot about america

i bet most people don't even really know how much movie stars make beyond "a lot"! whereas if you follow a team closely there's a good chance you know the salaries of most of the ppl on that team.

also racism

is it about the fact that most americans played sports as kids?

Have you ever heard a sportstalk radio caller wail "I'd play for free!" NO ONE WOULD WATCH YOU.

funny enough, the contract numbers for upper echelon sports stars are probably the closest to a purely honest market outcome in compensation you could find among rich people

true!

im all for the players getting all the money, theyre the ones who play the basketball

what ceo would settle for a few dozen million over 5 or so years? peanuts?

what owner would settle for any return that depended on his youth and physical health? ridiculous

good piece -- glad to see that brendan fraser is getting work still

http://www.thenation.com/blog/168311/why-we-should-all-root-miami-heat#

http://theclassical.org/theclog/dissenting-with-the-dissenter-a-reply-to-dave-zirin-on-the-nba-finals

zirin's an idiot

“Rooting for” is not “voting for,”

It's not?! But Zirin expressly said that it was!

Perkins' misapprehension of Zirin's piece strikes me as willful (and embarrassing).

from the comments:

I find it odd that Zirin left out the equally despicable ownership of the Heat. The American Airlines Arena the Heat play in is owned by Miami County. The Heat pay zero rent to use the arena and several politicians have publicly lambasted the deal that created this illogical arrangement. Basically, Heat majority owner Micky Arison used his dough to influence decision makers and push the deal through at the expense of the taxyers who funded the arena's construction.

OK, that's definitely an important point, and Zirin (and Perkins) should have made it.

ha curmudgeon just posted what i was gonna post

When Miami Heat owner Micky Arison struck a deal with Miami-Dade County to build the $213 million American Airlines Arena in 1997, he was supposed to return 40 percent of all profits beyond $14 million to the county. It was deemed a fair exchange for the $38 million worth of land and the $6.4 million annual subsidy (through 2027) he received for the new stadium.
But according to the Miami New Times, Arison has yet to return a single penny to the county – even after the arrival of LeBron James and Chris Bosh propelled the Heat to the NBA finals and the arena to a record $60 million in revenue last year.
That’s because Arison reported expenses of $47.8 million at the arena, $12 million of which came from “depreciation and amortization.” Even though revenues rose $15 million in 2011, team profits still couldn’t surpass the $14 million threshold.
The New Times speculates that Arison is using accounting tricks to ensure that profits don’t exceed $14 million, and he never has to share any of his winnings with the taxpayers that built his arena. [Miami New Times]

While Bennett said all the right things about keeping the Sonics in Seattle, a team executive dinner on September 9, 2006, tells you all you need to know about the man and his motives. On that fine evening, the Sonics management, all held over from the previous ownership regime, all Pacific Northwesters, gathered in Oklahoma to meet the new boss. Bennett made sure they were sent to a top restaurant, and picked up the bill. As the Seattle execs sat down, four plates of a deep fried appetizer were put on the table. After filling their mouths with the crispy goodness, one asked the waitress what this curious dish with a nutty flavor actually was. It was lamb testicles. Bennett laughed at their discomfort and the message was clear: the Sonics could eat his balls. (See Sonicsgate.com for a full accounting of this theft.)

didnt know mr. t was a minority owner of the thunder

Wow.

Does Zirin not know who Aubrey McClendon is? Probably no CEO has gotten more bad press the last few months and he doesn't mention any of it. Or the fact that he funded the Swift Boat ads. etc etc.

The American Airlines Arena the Heat play in is owned by Miami County. The Heat pay zero rent to use the arena and several politicians have publicly lambasted the deal that created this illogical arrangement. Basically, Heat majority owner Micky Arison used his dough to influence decision makers and push the deal through at the expense of the taxyers who funded the arena's construction.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, June 12, 2012 12:58 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

i have no idea if mickey arison is a good/bad person, but this is how every single stadium in america comes to fruition. pretty unremarkable, especially compared to bennett/mclendon.

i don't really think that people should choose their rooting interests based on the politics or actions of a team's owner because almost all of them are shitty rich bastards. but the OKC owner are a special type of shitty rich bastard, so it adds a silver lining to any misfortune that the team should experience.

Yes, although Wiki says there are some who hold Arison, the Carnival cruise line owner, and one of the wealthiest men in the world, responsible for that cruise ship that crashed in Italy killing 32 people.