Thursday Thirteen I

This inaugural TT13 will be about 13 things that bug me about the fight that happened between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida International Golden Panthers, and the subsequent media coverage about said fight.

1. The fight itself. Yes football is a violent sport and even the best of men can allow their emotions to get out of control but it is regrettable when it escalates to the level it did.

2. Players kicking other players who were on the ground. This is not defending your teammates, this is assault. Pull someone off your teammate, restrain them but don't kick a player when he is down even if he has on a helmet and pads. Two FIU players were kicked off the team for contribution to this.

3. Swinging a helmet at another player. Same as above. Anthony Reddick was suspended indefinitely by Larry Coker for this.

4. Don't act all shocked all you media types out there. Many of the analysts are former players and they know how emotional players can get. Acting shocked that a fight happened in football is just ridiculous pandering to those viewers you feel want you to be shocked.

5. Dogpiling on Miami. All of a sudden said analysts are all in full Hurricane bashing mode. Like I said you all come across as acting like you deplore Miami because you are supposed to. What happened to looking at the situation even handedly?

6. Where is the talk or outrage about FIU? I know the University of Miami is the more well known program but isn't there anyone out there that wants to talk about the other combatants in this fight. It all seems more rating driven than objectively looking at the story driven.

7. Bringing up the stomping on the logo at Louisville as a relation to this fight. I have seen other teams meet in the center of the field in warmups several other times, why some Louisville players took offense to this is beyond me. I guess they just needed more of a reason to be mad at Miami. ( Can't fault them though cause they did beat Miami )

8. Craig James saying all of America is rooting for Duke. Seriously that just plain stupid. Most of America knows absolutely nothing about Duke's football program. Many might only think they compete in Basketball. That is taking the severely easy "root for the underdog" approach. Where is the analysis there? Also if you were really wanting to root against those suspended Miami players then root for them this week when they are back actually playing for Miami.

9. Saying the suspensions are conveniently placed against lowly Duke. Suspensions always happen right after the fact. It is common discipline practice. You don't ground your child a month after they do something wrong do you? It wasn't like those players thought let's fight FIU so we will only miss the Duke game. They lost their cool and deserved to miss the next game or more no matter who they were up against.

10. Saying Miami should forfeit a bowl game. Many fights have happened over the years in football some I sure more severe than this one. Forfeiting a bowl game I feel is too harsh a punishment and just an easy knee jerk reaction. What about FIU? Should they have to forfeit the first bowl game they might make even if it is years from now? I don't think so. Bowl games should only be forfeit for serious, premeditated rules violations knowingly broken by the current coaching staff.

11. All the talk about U of Miami president Donna Shalala. This is an athletic happening. How come we are not hearing about athletic director Paul Dee? Shouldn't things follow that chain of command? I understand everything falls under the president's eye but I feel Donna Shalala is being brought up more because she is a known name having served in Clinton's cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services more than for her true role in this story. Once again no talk about her FIU counterpart Mitch Maidique.

12. The unprofessional comments of commentator Lamar Thomas. I know he is a Hurricane alum and all but talking about wanting to go down the elevator and join the fray is just plain unprofessional. He was fired for this and I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I was his boss. It may seem knee jerk yes but commentators just have to hold themselves to a higher standard.

13. Looking a gift horse in the mouth. All this media coverage is so slanted at bashing Miami, yet the talk goes on and on (yes I am guilty too). However I say all of this to point out how you have to know that they all love having this topic to discuss. I feel if you are going to discuss something like this and benefit from it you should have at least some part of your on air staff looking at things objectively in a real journalistic manner than just playing the role of trying act shocked and disgusted at Miami. Remember it took two teams to fight and the first blow was thrown by FIU. Also lost in all this is the suspensions that FIU did hand down. They kicked two players off the team and suspended 16 others indefinitely. Where is the coverage on this even if it slants it to praise them for handing out harsher punishments than Miami?

While it may seem I might be pro-Miami I am not. I have no allegiance or rooting interest in them other than I have one good friend who is a big fan. I just dislike seeing more and more one-sided looks at the situations that happen in sports. Since when did sports become politics? Just my two cents.


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