It’s 2020… Let’s Stop Pretending That the Super Bowl Halftime Show Was Offensive

I had the (dis)pleasure of reading a few of the 1,500 (yes… the number was over 1,000) complaints filed with the FCC over the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Thank you to SBNation for compiling these gems, and also not editing them for grammar. The common themes were as follows:

• The clothing was too scandalous
• The dance moves were also too scandalous
• ¡Ay, Dios mío! (Everything related to the performers being Latino when the Super Bowl was played in Miami, a hub for Hispanic culture)
• Not family friendly
• What am I going to tell my children?

First of all, I’d like to tell people to douse themselves in cold water and wake up. It’s 2020. Fashion has evolved over time to become more provocative. Visit any museum and you can see that. Watch any runway show. If you’re a parent and you’re concerned, parent your child. Teach them what is appropriate to wear and set an example. Get a grip, honestly. Do you want to wrap your child in a figurative bubble? It’s not realistic. If you want to protect your children, spend time with them. Pick them up from school. Eat dinner as a family. Help them with their homework. Read them books. Help them to interpret world events. Disclaimer: I am not a parent, but I luckily had parents who allowed me to consume pop culture and were there to help guide me through the journey of life and show me right from wrong without any major missteps. Blame the NFL and Pepsi, sure. But also do your job.

Second of all, music and performance art are forms of entertainment and self-expression. Also, music is subversive by history and nature. Since the beginning of civilization up until the modern day, music and song have helped to shift the fabric of society. Don’t believe me, in his book “Music: A Subversive History,” author and jazz critic Ted Gioia writes “The real history of music is not respectable.” Themes that so many of us complain about – sex, violence, oppression, magic and the like – actually help drive innovation in music from instruments to rhythms to harmonies to lyrics and beyond. Similar ideas can be tied to dance. Movements evolve from expression and feeling about the way someone thinks and feels based on what’s going on around them. Dance is also a response to the music.

Third of all, focus on the positives rather the negatives. So many of us struggle to exude confidence. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are dripping with it. They are ageless, strong with healthy-looking fit bodies, (not stick thin) and they embrace who they are and how they look. What can you tell your children? Embrace who you are. These women do not look like they’ve been exploited, do they? If you want to fight the sexual exploitation of women, donate your money or time to UNICEF or organizations who are making that their mission.

[Photo: Getty Images]

“Kobeeeee”

[Photo – Getty Images]

Most of us took the news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing with a heavy heart. Many of us are still shaken, still processing it all. Sports fans lost an icon. Players lost a colleague and friend. A wife lost a husband and a daughter. And then there’s the losses for the Altobelli, Chester and Mauser families. Tragic is what it is. It will take awhile before many of us are over it.

Basketball has played a huge role in my life. I wasn’t the best player, but I grew up loving the game. I still do. It brought me discipline, self confidence and drive. It taught me competition, persistence and how to channel any anger that I felt as an adolescent into something positive. I grew up watching basketball with my father, and Kobe Bryant was one of the players that I enjoyed watching the most. Three NBA players have defined my viewing lifetime –> MJ, Kobe and LeBron. All great in their own way. All different players with different qualities.

What has stood out to me about Kobe Bryant both as a player and then in his retirement were the following things along with what I can take away:

1. Unrelenting tenacity and desire to win. Yes – all athletes want to win. That’s a given. But along with wanting to win comes the hate to lose. The desire to win and the hate to lose power you and make you a competitor. To take on adversity – both on and off the court. I spent a few hours last night watching some of Kobe’s career highlights. He never shied away from a big moment. He wanted the ball in his hand. In life, the pressure can be overwhelming, but he always handled it extremely well.
2. Kobe loved the game of basketball. It was apparent during his career and afterwards. I can only imagine how an athlete feels when he or she knows that they can no longer compete at a high level. It has to be tough to hang it up. In reading about Kobe after retirement, he was at a place in his life where basketball, along with family, were his focus. Watching him break down a game about a month ago with his daughter GiGi made me tear up, as I have spent a great deal of my own life watching games with my dad, at all levels from high school to college to the pros breaking down the game. From this, you see the importance of family, and moments – both big and small – that you should cherish and remember, always.
3. He took the time to mentor NBA players, even before he retired. He challenged them. He kept up with them. Today, on the radio, I heard that the day he died, he had called Shaq’s son to check up on him, and that he spoke to Luka Doncic in his own language. Beyond just basketball, he was a mentor to tennis star Novak Djokovic who was struggling mentally and emotionally. The list can go on and on. He founded the Mamba Sports Academy to work with and train youth. The game never leaves you, and Kobe wanted to be there to keep the game great. It’s apparent in hearing from NBA players, coaches, front office people and media members what Kobe meant to them. Tributes from Dwayne Wade and Shaq made me tear up. If you can do something, anything, to help others and to help make them great, do it. No act is too big or too small. Improve yourself and encourage others. In her piece, ESPN LA writer Ramona Shelburne said: There’s a whole generation of athletes, writers, musicians, artists, actors, businesspeople and fans who felt like they were just a text or a tweet away from him. And when he saw something special in someone who reached out to him, he tried to answer.

When you lose someone, whether tangible or not, it makes you sad. Bernice King, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said the following on Twitter:

Mourning a “celebrity” does not = lack of “consciousness.” And sometimes, the death of someone we feel like we knew, but we never actually touched, triggers pain about the death of people we knew well.

We are on a brief pilgrimage here, reconciling life and death.

Love well.

 

This could not be truer. If you haven’t watched “Dear Basketball” (his Oscar-winning short film) or read it on The Players Tribune, then I recommend it. Just make sure you have a tissue.

“And we both know, no matter what I do next

I’ll always be that kid

With the rolled up socks

Garbage can in the corner

:05 seconds on the clock

Ball in my hands.

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1”

I Tried to Be Optimistic About the Knicks. It Was Really, Really Hard.

It’s been less than a week, but I’ve been letting my thoughts on the Knicks marinate a little bit. I went from watching montages of Kristaps Porzingis highlights while listening to Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You” to trying to do what I am trying to do in most other aspects of life, find the good in this situation. After all, when your beloved basketball team’s record is a beyond-abysmal 10-42 and you’re riding a 13-game losing streak, it can only get better from here… right?

Back in the year 2000, the Knicks traded away Patrick Ewing, and the Knicks became a Drake album title… “Nothing Was the Same.” Except well, the major track on that 2013 album was “Started From the Bottom” and well… the Knicks are still there.

But… optimism. Right?

Yes, I booed when the Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in 2015. Then he grew into the 7’3 Latvian unicorn that fans grew to know and love. The Knicks hadn’t found “The Guy” since Ewing. And it seemed like maybe we’d find that guy? After all, the only guy that Knicks have drafted, then signed to a multiyear second contract ever was Charlie Ward back in 1994 when I was rocking butterfly clips and bedazzled Sketchers.

I can relate to Kristaps in the impatience factor, unsure of what is going to happen. Wanting to win now and not wait around. Rehabbing your ACL tear and watching your team lose game after game. In all of your seasons there, the most games the team had ever won was 32 or 82, and you’ve seen more drama than a Vanderpump Rules reunion. I get it, and if you didn’t want to be here, I’ll forgive you. But honestly, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The Knicks are now playing a dangerous game, for sure. But fellow Knick fans, is this anything new? We should be used to this by now! Stability, what is that? Ha! This entire season has been full of roster roulette. We’ve had a list of head coaches to long to name. A list of past-their-prime players have donned orange and blue.

But… optimism. Right?

The Knicks now have the youngest roster in the NBA with an average age of 24.5. They got rid of Tim Hardaway Jr.’s bad deal. They received a solid point guard in Dennis Smith, Jr. Their top draft pick from the past year’s draft (Kevin Knox) can’t legally buy beer for another two years. And So, there’s that. Plus, after this season they’ll have plenty of cap space – enough to sign at least two max contracts. And they don’t have to worry about resigning KP. Names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are associated with the team, and even Anthony Davis named the Knicks as a team he’d be interested in.

It’s tough to be optimistic about a team that lacks continuity. Continuity usually equals success. Across sports, we’ve seen what continuity with coaching has done for the Clemson Tigers football team or the New England Patriots with Brady and Belichick. In basketball, we’ve seen that a team like the Golden State Warriors can build through the draft and then add in key free agents to become dominant.

But as a Knicks fan with no cornerstone player, all we can do is be optimistic… right?

NFL Championship Weekend: A Few Takes

NFL Conference Championship Weekend was somewhat relaxing for a Giants fan like me. We were eliminated pretty early on this year, unfortunately, and had to watch the hated Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles both not only make it into the first round, but win their first-round games. Alas, both foes fell in the divisional round, leaving me to enjoy football food (unhealthy, saucy, greasy and delicious) and hopefully a good game or two. And boy, were those games thrilling! However, neither game was without controversy. And while yes, you can hate on the referees and overtime rules, let’s take it a step further, because why not?

The NFC Championship Game: It’s Not JUST the Refs Fault

… Sure that no-call in the 4^th quarter of the NFC Championship game was one of the more baffling things that I have ever seen. I mean, just dreadful. If I were Drew Brees nearing the end of my career, I’d be sick. A lot of guys win one, but not everyone wins two. Football immortality was at stake. And then the fans at the Super Dome, one of the loudest venues in all of sports. They had to be sick, too. It was bad enough watching that play over and over on the small screen, but having to see it on a jumbo-tron over and over and over must’ve been hard to swallow, too.

BUT… I have a few other thoughts on this game that should be brought up.

• First, as a Giants fan, I am quite familiar with getting into the red zone and having to settle for three points only. You may recall that the Saints took it to the red zone early and often against the Rams, but only came up with 13 points early when they could’ve easily had 24. The Rams defense, too good all year, looked shaken by the noise and did eventually settle down, and the team battled back to make it a game at the half. Missed opportunities for more points are something that the Saints should look at. And they will need to address their lack of depth at WR in the offseason.
• Sean Payton is regarded as a great head coach. I do not dispute that. However, his 4^th quarter time management was not great, to say the least. Drew Brees had the ball with five minutes left. You also have Alvin Kamara on your roster. A veteran QB and also a solid RB. So, either strike quickly or waste clock to keep the ball out of Jared Goff’s hands. They threw on first down, ran for no gain, and then another incompletion. I get it. The no-call was bad. Really, really bad. But so were the play calling decisions. And that gave the Rams the ball back with plenty of time.
• Let’s not take too much away from Jared Goff. Remember that time people killed the Rams for taking him first overall just two years ago? Not every QB is an overnight sensation. It’s a combination of the right coach, playmakers, a good defense, pass protection, and maybe just a little time.
• Let’s also give Greg Zuerlein credit for his clutch kicking performance. And before that, the INT on Drew Brees that set that play up by the Rams defense. The Saints and their offense are amazing at home, and the Rams defense calmed down and eventually did their thing.

The AFC Championship Game: It’s Not About the Coin-flip, It’s About Making a Stop

As a football fan, was I said that I didn’t get to see Pat Mahomes get on the field and do his thing in OT? Yes. Of course, I was. He’s been one of the more exciting players in the NFL this year. After Brett Favre’s Minnesota Vikings were eliminated by a field goal a few years back in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints before Favre even got to touch the ball, they revamped the OT rules, which I agree with. Kick a FG, the other team gets the ball. Score a TD, you win. This places pressure on the team who does not win the coinflip to stop the other team. And if your defense can’t stop the other team, then what are you doing here. After all, defense wins championships, right?

The Chiefs defense has been their weakness all year. We knew this going in. And so did Bill Belichick. He knew this to be especially true against the run. With that, they ran Sonny Michel early and often and went into the half with a 14-0 lead. Kansas City looked like they forgot how to run offense, or was it that the Patriots defense rose to the occasion in the postseason. I will go with the second one, but I also knew that an Andy Reid-led offense would not go down quietly.

And I was right. What we saw in the 4^th quarter was amazing. Thrilling. Wonderful. The future of the NFL versus one of the greatest of all time. You hate to see a team walk away the loser.

Now… do not get me wrong. Did I think that that pass interference penalty was a bad call? Absolutely. It should not have been made. But it happened.

Was Dee Ford’s penalty costly? Yes. Absolutely. The interception happened on that same play, giving the game back to the Chiefs. And Ford owned up to it. Most likely, that could’ve ended the game. But the Chiefs were still able to march down the field and tie it at the end, sending the game into OT. They still, despite this, had an opportunity to stay in the game, which they did.

But with that I will end with the fact that as I watched the OT unfold, I knew, just knew, that it would be Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski on a big play. I’m sure Tony Romo, the Miss Cleo of NFL commentators knew, too. And low and behold, on that game winning drive in OT, he gained 15 yards on a catch setting up a 2-yard run by Rex Burkhead to win the game and a Super Bowl bid.

So, with that, we’ll have Super Bowl matchup that is reflective of the Super Bowl that started it all for Tom Brady before iPhones existed and Britney and Justin were still an item. I have no stake in this Super Bowl, nor did I have a stake in the games played yesterday. Do I blame fans of the Saints or the Chiefs (or basically anyone who despises the New England Patriots) for being upset? No way! If that was me, as a fan, I’d be livid. But you can’t place the blame on just one person, place or thing. It’s a long, long game with so many variables.

Unedited – A Return to Writing

I came across this piece from 2015, shared by espnW’s Facebook page. I had not read it when it came out nearly 4 years ago, but I read it over a few times now when it appeared in my News Feed. And honestly, I feel like it was fate that it appeared, as it is very relevant to my own personal struggles, and I know that I am not alone.

It’s the story of the late Madison Holleran, a University of Pennsylvania athlete who ended her life at age 19. (Before you read further, please note, I have not had these types of thoughts, but I needed to throw this out there to set the stage for my greater point.) Based on her life on social media (especially Instagram), people would think that Madison was a happy college freshman, running track, eating sushi, singing in her car, and spending time with her family. As the author of this story pointed out:

Everyone presents an edited version of life on social media.

I recommend that you read this piece because the author, Kate Fagan, did a phenomenal job. As a writer, I appreciate the writing. And as a reader, I appreciate the message. And it is something that I think so many of us can grab a takeaway from.

Someone like Madison probably drew jealousy from others because she was seemingly perfect. Pretty, popular, good at sports, smart. Why was she feeling depressed? Why was she anxious? Whether you are a teenager who has left home for the first time and are struggling to find your way, or you are an adult who feels anxious or depressed and you can’t quite pinpoint why – Fagan’s article quotes Bill Schmitz Jr., former president of the American Association of Suicidology when he says that “depression does not have a one-size-fits-all prognosis.” He’s right – it doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t pick and choose based on how pretty (or handsome) you are, what you weigh, your gender or how good you are at sports (or any other activity for that matter). And it hits you when you least expect it. And it hits you before you even realize that it hits you.

Just like Madison Holleran used to run to make herself feel alive, I write because it is cathartic and because it helps me to articulate a lot of the things that I have trouble voicing out loud. Luckily, I have found a career that allows me to do this for work, making it so that I love my work. While at work I write for brands with the expectation that someone reads it and with the intent of thought leadership or persuasion or to inform. For fun, I write to release. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone will read this. I don’t expect it, but I still feel compelled to share what I read today, my thoughts on it, and to remind us, as Madison Holleran pointed out:

Even people you think are perfect are going through something difficult.

Find the strength to pull yourself up or find something that helps you cope, to channel, to feel. Writing is one of those things, and I promised myself do more of that, and also to talk more, listen more, and be present.

A Few Words on Women’s College Basketball

A Few Words on Women’s College Basketball

No question – the Final Four on the women’s side was beyond exciting:

• Two overtime games in the Final Four
• Two buzzer beaters in the Final Four
• One upset in the Final Four
• A 15-point comeback in the Final
• A buzzer beater in the Final

A week ago, I watched the UConn Lady Huskies run over South Carolina (the defending champion). I thought “Who can beat these guys?” And then, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish did just that in dramatic fashion. Then, they Lady Irish looked a bit hung over from that win against Mississippi State, their towering center and their stifling defense.

There are a lot of people I talk to that say basketball is a boring sport. And then women’s basketball therefore even more boring. It’s a known fact that the WNBA is not as widely- watched. Women’s college basketball has been dominated by the UConn Huskies and before that the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. But there is a lot that can be taken away after watching this year’s final. Here goes:

1. I wrote about parity in the men’s game – the women’s game is coming along, too. The inaugural men’s tournament was held in 1939. The women’s tournament not until 1981. The University of Buffalo and Central Michigan University (both 11 seeds) made it to the Sweet Sixteen this year. In time, we will see this grow.
2. UConn’s greatness is good for the sport… for a few reasons.
   • It draws attention to the way the game is played at its highest level. Great coaching, talented players, excellent defense, fluid ball movement, strong defense, powerful offense.
   • It puts a target on their back. You want to beat them. Any time a team beats them, it is a story. You want to beat the best and therefore you get better with that goal in mind.
3. Women’s basketball is not men’s basketball, and that is okay. The game is played very differently. I’m a frequent supporter of the phrase “you do you.” And the women’s game needs to do just that. I had a brief run as a mediocre high school hooper. Could I have beaten a boy at my age in a one-on-one matchup? A handful of them, sure. But our bodies are different. Our game is different. As I said before… not everyone likes basketball. Just like not everyone likes football… or baseball… or any sport. If you watch basketball only for dunks (which don’t happen all that much during games if we’re being honest) then maybe women’s basketball isn’t your jam. But if you’re watching for the love of the game, then give it a shot, if you haven’t already.

I think that the late game heroics of Arike Ogunbowale are a sign of great things to come. Congratulations Notre Dame – the “Luck of the Irish,” and your will to win were on your side!

I Guess I’ll Add to the OBJ Conversation…

… After all he is the most talented player on the Giants, and I am a Giants fan.

I’ve heard the “talking heads” aka Giants ownership and management, NFL insiders, commentators, and writers. It’s time to hear from a fan. Now, here it is from the perspective of someone who had to suffer through a brutal season last year. One that ended with only three wins, a #2 overall pick in the draft, devastating injuries, the benching of our starting quarterback for a guy who once got punched in the face by a former teammate, the firing of an inept head coach with a terrible hairstyle and an even worse mustache, and the simultaneous firing of a GM who ignored glaring wholes in the offensive line among other things.

[Note – I am out of order with this disastrous list of events, but it adds fuel to my rant. In short… last seasons was pretty flippin’ bad.]

Cue in the offseason. New GM, new head coach. The draft rumors change by the day. And now we’re talking about Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ is an interesting figure for a few reasons:

• His off the field antics – the Miami party boat during the playoffs, the photo with the French models with the drugs and the “white powder,” and now demanding to get paid
• His on the field antics – with Josh Norman (who let’s be real… is not a nice guy at all), attacking the kicking net, and making a gesture of peeing on the ground

But what I also find interesting about OBJ are the following things:

• He is not a troublemaker in the locker room. From all accounts, players love playing with him and coaches don’t have a problem with him.
• He is not a jerk with the media.
• He is great win fans
• Most importantly… he is a darn good football player

Should the Giants trade OBJ? Absolutely not, and here is why. You only let a talent like that walk if you will be a better team without him. And they will not be. The Giants have an older quarterback in Eli Manning and you would be taking away his top target. No number of draft picks will give you the instant talent and production that OBJ can bring to your team.  The Giants are not about to enter rebuild mode with a veteran QB.

Many fans across the NFL have a problem with OBJ’s personality. They say he is immature. Guys… he is 25 years old. Get a grip! Trust me, I am one of OBJ’s biggest fans because I enjoy watching him on the football field, and I love any player who engages regularly with fans. Is OBJ a bad guy? No way. He hasn’t beat up a girl in an elevator. He hasn’t been part of a sexual assault probe. He has never even been arrested. So why are freaking out here?

My ONLY issue with paying OBJ right now is that he missed a majority of the games last season… so I have issues with his health. If OBJ is healthy – pay him. You want him on the field. I will listen to the rumors and the dialogue about trades, and as a fan, I will have to accept whatever happens.

But do I think the Giants should trade OBJ? No freaking way.

End of discussion.

Yaas! Everyone IS Going Through Something.

Earlier this month, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers wrote a post on The Player’s Tribune called “Everyone is Going Through Something.” If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do. In it, Love talks about how he experienced his first panic attack during a game in November as a 29-year-old and how prior to this, he thought of mental health as “someone else’s problem.”

Love shares his inner dialogue of his thoughts and feelings and questions about what he was going through during and after this time. He shares how he felt the stigma of mental health and how he felt it was difficult to talk about what he was going through.

One question stood out to me: “What are my problems? I’m healthy. I play basketball for a living. What do I have to worry about?”  

Love then goes on to say: “Mental health isn’t just an athlete thing. What you do for a living doesn’t have to define who you are. This is an everyone thing.”

I quote this article, because I could not say it any better myself. We hear about mental illness in the news when awful things happen such as school shootings. The shooter must be mentally ill, so let’s restart the topic of gun control and gun violence. The stigma is still so real, even though the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides the following statistics:

• 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a year (43.8 million people)
• 1 in 25 adults experience serious mental illness in a year (9.8 million people)
• 1 in 5 youth ages 13 to 18 experience serious mental illness during their life

I could keep listing statistics, but the point is that mental illness does, in fact, affect many people each and every day.

It’s not just Kevin Love. All-star guard DeMar DeRozan struggles and Wizard’s small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. have both recently shared their stories.

Beyond the NBA, Brandon Marshall, Allison Schmitt, Lane Johnson, Imani Boyette, and Serena Williams have all kept the right kind of dialogue about mental illness open. And there are more stories popping up each day. It’s okay. It affects everyone. Talk about it. Treat it. Get help.

We often think of athletes as role models – strong winners who play the game with a ferocious intensity. They wear a cloak of invincibility. We love to watch. We envy their talents. Admitting mental illness is not showing flaws. Lifting that cloak of invincibility allows us to see that they are like us, too. This transparency is a beautiful thing.

Mental illness doesn’t make you weak. Talking about it, admitting it, getting help, and working through it makes you strong.

The NCAA Tournament: A True Example of Parity

Yes, this year’s NCAA tournament has me feeling like Oprah, shouting about busted brackets at the top of my lungs with great enthusiasm. I filled out three brackets this year, and all of my champions – UVA, Arizona, and Michigan State are all out. Am I upset? (Yes, I’m patting myself on the back for this ironic play on works.) No, not at all. The NCAA tournament is great because it has something that a lot of professional sports leagues lack – parity.

Parity is defined on the Internet as the state or condition of being equal, especially regarding status or pay. In the case of the NCAA tournament, we will emphasize status. In this case, status means program name and reputation along with conference name and reputation. There’s also your coach’s name and reputation and the amount of media attention that your team gets throughout the regular season due to your star players who will eventually play at the next level.

The NCAA tournament has parity. It has not happened overnight, though most people think that this year has been the most crazy. They are almost justified in their argument. After all, a #1 seed beat a #16 for the first time ever. There are two double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. I encourage you to read this great piece by Jay Bilas, a college basketball analysis for ESPN. He analyzes this year’s tournament so far, and his breakdown by the numbers will tell you that this year’s tournament is not that unique, and that this “revolution” that we have seen in the NCAA tournament has been happening over the last 30 years.

But what is most important when you look at this tournament is that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you did… okay I’m now singing Backstreet Boy’s “As Long As You Love Me.” Getting back on track… reputation, conference, star power. It doesn’t quite matter nearly as much. Anyone has a chance. That’s where we are with today’s tournament. In the NBA, no #8 seed is going to beat a #1 seed in a 7-game series. There are a few really, really great teams in the NBA, there are lot of mediocre teams, and the rest are just awful. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns have been so terrible for so long that I can’t remember the last time they had back-to-back starting quarterbacks or even a winning season!

There is a lot of hate on the NCAA. Wherever you stand on that, you have to agree… the tournament in and of itself is a great story. And then there are sub-stories such as Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago’s oldest and biggest fan, and new media darling.  It is refreshing as a fan to see the adage “Any given Sunday” happen in real life.

Larry Nassar… Where Do I Begin?

I will be brief.

The more I read about Larry Nassar, the more horrified I become.

This monster of a man’s sentencing hearing is currently taking place. Therefore, it is “in the news.” It is not great news. More like horrifying news, but it needs to be talked about. After all, that is the basis for the #MeToo movement. It’s okay to talk. It’s okay to come forward.

It’s never okay to abuse children.

As a child, you have have heroes. You also have adult figures that you look up to: parents, teachers, coaches… doctors.

Larry Nassar used his position as a doctor at Michigan State University and then with USA Gymnastics to abuse young children for decades. Complaints were filed. Nothing was done.

Institutions chose to protect Nassar rather than the young athletes. Shame on them. Shame on these groups of people who felt that it was more important to protect the reputation of an institution rather than the safety and well being of young people at Michigan State and young women with USA Gymnastics.

As these stories break and as more instances are exposed, we often become jaded. Confused. Outraged. How can this happen? When is the value of a person’s mental and physical well being going to supersede that of a prestigious organization’s reputation?

This story transcends sports and gets into the medical profession. It applies to all professions. It applies to being a person. It is about a doctor abusing his patients. A professional violating their code of conduct. A person violating their moral compass.

There are bad people in this world. But we cannot, as a society, give these bad people a free pass. We cannot sweep them under a rug. We must hold them accountable. And sooner… much rather than later.