Community Chat

[QueenDanceALot]

Drugs.

[sidsmom]

Lots & lots of drugs.

[hckynut]

On 9/22/2014 sidsmom said:

I was speaking of early 70's when many things like crime, steroids, on-campus assaults, illegal recruiting practices, etc. we're there, but football players were protected by many, many coaches, university administrators & boosters....then & to this day. It's just not talked about....I stand by my 'one of the dirtiest sports out there'...was, is & always will be. Money & Ego never mix well.

First player that comes to mind....Johnny Rodgers. And yes, Bob Devaney DID put up w/ the nonsense & trouble...because it was too profitable!

In his three years with the Cornhuskers, the versatile Rodgers established an all-purpose NCAA yardage record of 5,586. Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, who served as Nebraska's offensive coordinator in the early 1970s, wrote in his 1985 book More Than Winning that Rodgers had the greatest ability to return punts of any player he ever saw. Likewise, College Football News has described him as "the greatest kick returner in college football history." Rodgers returned seven punts for touchdowns (NCAA record at the time) and one kickoff for a touchdown in his college career.

Rodgers was, at one time, convicted of a gas station robbery while he was a student at the University of Nebraska in 1970. He is the only Heisman winner who had a then-present felony conviction before receiving the award. He was pardoned by the Nebraska Board of Pardons, and his conviction was vacated, on November 14, 2013. He later was charged with assault in 1985 in while living in southern California.

Didn't see any explanation of what "dirtiest sport" means to you. Ego? Not sure what your definition is of that term, but it probably is not the same as mine. It is kinda like the word "smart", what exactly does that mean to 100 different people of a cross section of society?

Money? Do you know how much the highest paid player was in the NFL and what he was paid back in those days? This guy and another on the same team are pretty much credited with the expansion of Sports Medicine, and these advancements have helped every person with any type of injury in terms of complexity and recovery.The reason? Teams paying what then was a ton of money, did not want their high priced players out with injuries for a whole season and sought ways with doctors to shorten recovery time. That is how many injuries have advanced since the 1960's.

The only sport with which I have an intimate relationship is hockey. All the others are something I did as a youngster and other than that, what I see/hear and read about them.

Johnny Rodgers grew up in our city and also went to high school here so I am well aware of his history. Don't know if you grew up in the city in which we live or the home town of the Huskers, Lincoln. If you did I am sure you read many different sides of the case you mention against Rodgers. That whole case left a lot to be desired by those that read or talked with people close to the case and it's nuances. It was one of those cases that many that read or heard all the details had a very different opinion of what actually went down on that date.

Johnny Rodgers Record was broken last Saturday by Ameer Abdullah against the University of Miami. Now if you want to talk about problems with the law, the UM would be a good one to research.

Not sure what 1985 has to do with a man that played college football a decade earlier. I assume you are talking about his disagreement with a cable man in California. Touching another person without their consent can be considered assault and with that case? And who was the next player that comes to mind?

[QueenDanceALot]

A friend's daughter went to college to major in something sports related (I think broadcasting was her goal) and she was mostly involved in the recruiting area.

She changed her major when she found out how dirty the sport is. She was disgusted.

[hckynut]

On 9/23/2014 esmerelda said:

Moonlady...I agree. And not just the pros. People tearing their shirts off at the end of a competition, some kind of caveman scream and grimace with arms raised like Godzilla after winning.... I don't get it.

Are you talking about the fans? I've watched a lot of football and I don't recall seeing any player do what you've stated above. Maybe you are talking Pop Warner, as I have not watched any of the little kids playing at that level.

Most that I have met during my life that "don't get it" when it comes to sports, have never played an organized type of team sports. To me it is one of those things that is hard for anyone that has not been a participant to understand. I am speaking "in general" now, and have no clue as to your athletic prowess during your lifetime.

[hckynut]

On 9/23/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:

A friend's daughter went to college to major in something sports related (I think broadcasting was her goal) and she was mostly involved in the recruiting area.

She changed her major when she found out how dirty the sport is. She was disgusted.

I haven't gotten an answer from "sidsmom" as to what exactly your definition of "dirty" means when it comes to sports, more specifically football. Would you enlighten me please.

My nephew changed is whole medical career because of something he didn't like and his original choice of specialties was Cardiology. Using some people's definition of "dirty", I guess I could use the same analogy of him changing from Cardiology to Anesthesiology because the one he changed from "was dirty". I could elaborate with doctors names, but I will leave it with only what I've said here.

[sidsmom]

"Dirty Sport": Any sport in the world that has given athletes (youth, high school, college, professional, Olympics) an unfair advantage through ill-gotten gains. Also defined as special treatment for athletes when illegal activities are @ stake.

"Ill-gotten Gains": Steroids....lots & lots of steroids; illegal recruiting practices (all ages); money, cars, houses given to new recruits; slush funds, money laundering; gambling; prostitution; murder....and did I say Steroids?....all to 'WIN'!

"Illegal activities": See above. But the mother of all mother illegal activities.....the Penn State Child Abuse. Coaches, Administration, Boosters....all ignored the signs. And @ this nano-second, there are people @ Penn State that thinks Sandusky/Paterno had nothing to do with this...that's how brain-washed fans are. And to me, that's the Dirtiest of Dirty. There's a special place in he.ll for that...all to 'WIN' the big game.

ALL lines of sports have essence of dirty. Sense of Entitlement starts @ early age. Testosterone & Ego & Money combined is a VOLATILE mix. Then throw Mob Mentality (fans) into the mix...and it almost becomes deadly...all to 'WIN'!

Another definition....dirty w/ a twist. All the "innocent" sports like youth, high school, college & Olympics are billed as "winning one for the Gipper" when it's all money driven...dirty, dirty, dirty. Giving the ILLUSION it's innocent is more disgusting than anything professional sports can offer. Growing up in Nebraska, where Kansas & Oklahoma are 100% college driven...I learned @ a VERY early age of the essence of Dirty Sports...Johnny Rodgers, as an example. All to 'win the big game'.

Are all athletes 'dirty'? Of course not, but 'there's no 'I' in TEAM'...they all represent each other. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Whenever the coach of a team (example: college) makes a salary of millions upon millions, there's something wrong, oh so wrong, about that. I'm shocked that people don't see that. You will never catch me wearing a jersey w/ someone's name on the back...I don't idolize people like that. Cynical? Maybe, but I have ALOT of police records to back me up.

So the 1A & 1B of Dirty Sports? Pro Cycling & College Football.

[hckynut]

Guess those I've met around hockey running my league for going on 52 years now, including college and professional players, are not like the ones you seem to think dominate the sports world. Sure, I have met some with a big ego, but once the games start they have more things to concern themselves with than how much better they think they are than the others on the ice. The ones I have met like this usually are not near as good a player as they seem to think.

I also auto raced for a whole lot of years and I consider that a competitive sport also. Most of the racers I met throughout the United States also did not have an "ego", and yes, some of them went to major colleges with sports scholarships, just not for auto racing.

Be easier for you just to say you think "all sports are bad, period". Not much I can say to someone with your philosophy on all sports. Will leave you with your philosophy on sports and go on running my hockey league that includes players that played at some major colleges and a couple that played professional hockey. I know them personally and have yet to meet any that are even close to your opinion on what and who they are.