The Corner of Controversy and Criticism- 12/14/2014
Before I begin I just want to Thank God for keeping Cam Newton from being crippled after his car accident on Tuesday. I know I sound like I am crazy but when you have been a fan of a team for so long you get emotionally invested in it’s players. Now I have always been one of those people who feel that once you turn 70 years old you should be tested every year to make sure you can handle driving a vehicle. This accident involving one of my favorite players to fueled my reasoning. A 76 year old woman ran a red light and hit Newton’s truck and it flipped three times. Some folks are saying he’s lucky to be alive and walking. He could have been crippled or killed. Initial reports are saying he has two fractures in his back and probably won’t start for the rest of the year. I am glad he will be able to eventually return and go on to have a stellar career.
One person whose NFL career might be over is Adrian Petersons. His appeal to be reinstated into the NFL was denied. Now I don’t agree with what Peterson did but here is what bothers me. They reinstated Ray Rice after videos showed what he did. What Ray Rice did was in a public elevator and what Adrian Peterson did was in the privacy of his own home. How is that justified by punishing one but not the other? If Adrian Peterson does retire it will be sad because his career won’t be remembered what he did on the field. It will be remembered for the off field situation that forced him to retire. His numbers are Hall of Fame worthy but will his personal conduct off the field cost him that too? Adrian Peterson can still go and if someone were smart they would offer him a contract for next year. He could make a huge difference for some team that needs a little extra push to be a Super Bowl contender. I am sure this story isn’t over yet and we will have to see if Peterson willing to fight to keep his legacy alive.
Speaking of fighting, the UFC had two nights of great fights. Friday featured mainly the women’s division with a new champion being crowned in the Women’s Strawweight Division. I love watching the women fight because they are just as aggressive as the men if not more. Saturday night featured the heavyweights. Junior Dos Santos had a great fight against Stipe Miocic. It’s a fight that could have gone either way. Alistair Overeem and Matt Mitrione also won their respective fights. The one thing I kept thinking to myself is they better enjoy the spotlight while they can because if Brock Lesnar comes back after his WWE contract expires every thing is going to be shaken up in the UFC. It’s been widely reported that Lesnar has expressed interest in returning to the UFC which boost them even more now that CM Punk is there. The UFC needs star power and no one has drawn people into UFC like Lesnar did in the past.
When it comes to fighting there is no more recognizable fighter on the planet then Floyd Mayweahter Jr. He recently said he’d be ready to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd, 2015. This fight has been talked about for five years with a lot of trash talk and a lot of dirty tactics to try and lure each other into a fight. I personally think Pacquiao is the greatest threat to Mayweathers undefeated streak but in order to beat him you have to knock him out. You can’t let it go to the judges because they always favor Floyd even when he’s been out matched. I personally hate judges. I think a fight should go into someone gets knocked out or doesn’t want to continue. I think that would solve a lot of the problems and controversy boxing has had in the past. In my opinion a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would bring boxing back to the forefront and give it the boost that it needs. Even though boxing holds most of the pay-per-view records, I think the UFC has more popularity and a bigger fan-base that boxing does at this point. Hopefully the fight happens and it happens soon because I for one am sick of waiting and hearing about it. Let’s make it official.
The feel good moment of the week comes from Lauren Hill who has been an inspiration to many. She started and scored the first basket on the home court for her team Mt. St. Joseph. She has an inoperable brain tumor but she has continued to fight, live her life to the fullest and be a role model for a lot of people. The fact that she took a break from home hospice care to show up to play a basketball game is amazing. She is sending the right message to people by continuing to show a fighting spirit. She doesn’t parade around telling people when she’s going to end her life and then change her mind about. She’s going out and doing what she loves which is a pretty powerful thing. She even said that, “God has the last say.”
With it being the Christmas season it’s nice to see some inspirational stories because after that’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about inspiration, family, friends, and giving back. Until next time be safe, be strong and believe in yourself. Controversy Doesn’t Come Without Criticism!
