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Sports & Politics Intersect: Mayor Garcetti rolls back the NFL red carpet
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Sports & Politics Intersect: Mayor Garcetti rolls back the NFL red carpet

Front Five: The top stories that shaped both sports & politics this week

“We embrace any team that comes, we’re certainly happy to have the Chargers in L.A., but I think we could have been happy with just one, too.” – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on whether he wanted two teams in L.A. 

Week 2 of the NFL season saw two professional football teams play home games in Los Angeles on the same day since 1995, and the attendance numbers were brutal. The Rams and Chargers combined for just 82,000 fans this past weekend; when USC hosted Texas that same weekend, attendance was nearly 85,000. 

Fans being apathetic is an understatement, especially considering the Chargers failed to sell out the StubHub Center, which has 27,000 seats – a number comparable to big college basketball arenas. And it’s not just football fans who are seemingly unhappy with two NFL teams in the city — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told Dan Patrick that he felt Los Angeles would have been better off with just one team. 

"Absolutely, and I said that at the time," said Garcetti when asked if Los Angeles would have been better off with one team. "Both the Raiders and the Chargers, it would have been nice if they could have stayed put where they are, because Oakland and San Diego have huge fan bases. There's a big tradition."

While Garcetti wasn’t excited about the prospect of two teams in the city, his predecessor, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushed for two teams – the Vikings and Jaguars – to come to the city when the DTLA Farmer’s Field project was being worked out. 

Despite the apathy in L.A., the city will host Super Bowl LVI, the first time the Super Bowl will go to Southern California since 2003 and the first in Los Angeles since 1993. When asked about bringing the Super Bowl to the City of Angels, Garcetti said “L.A. knows how to get things done.” 

We’ll see if Los Angeles can get fans to the games before things really go south and the league decides they don't want the optics of empty stadiums and force the Chargers to move back to San Diego.

- Phillip Barnett 


Boston Globe/Getty Images 

“We thought it would be incredibly powerful for this initiative to include not just the Red Sox but all of our professional sports teams. Because this was not just an issue involving the Red Sox and Fenway Park.” - Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston branch of the NAACP 

In early May, Boston sports fans found themselves in national headlines when racial slurs and a bag of peanuts were thrown at Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, one of only 62 black baseball players on Opening Day rosters this season.

“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,’’ said Jones about the incident. “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.’’

On Sept. 28, a campaign titled “Take The Lead” will begin in Boston as all five professional sports franchises in the area – Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Revolution – hope to begin a conversation about the racism that has plagued the city. 

The campaign, which will begin with a discussion on racism moderated by Rev. Liz Walker and Steve Burton, also includes a video featuring players from all five teams who will share an anti-racism message to be played during home games at all five stadiums. 

Since the Jones incident, another fan was thrown out of Fenway Park for using racial slurs to describe a Kenyan woman who sang the national anthem and a group of protesters unfurled a large poster over the Green Monster that read “Racism is as American as baseball.” 

The “Take The Lead” campaign will feature more initiatives in the future that are still being determined.

- Phillip Barnett


Mike Lawrie/Getty Image

"There's no bigger platform than the NFL, and to be able to use that exposure to let people know what's going on in communities is huge. That can even be more amplified if the NFL actually steps in and helps aid that education." Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles safety.

On Wednesday night, Yahoo Sports published a memo written in August by four NFL players asking commissioner Roger Goodell to help the league take a more active role in raising awareness for criminal justice reform, racial inequality, and police accountability. The document, co-authored by the Philadelphia Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins and Torrey Smith, Seattle Seahawks' Michael Bennett, and recently retired wide receiver Anquan Boldin, outlines several steps the NFL can take to usher the growing movement among players away from protests and into actionable change. 

"To counter the vast amount of press attention being referred to as the 'national anthem protests' versus the large amount of grass roots [sic] work that many players around the league have invested their time and resources, we would like to request a league wide initiative that would include a month dedicated to a campaign initiative and related events," the players wrote

"Similarly to what the league already implements for breast cancer awareness, honoring military, etc, we would like November to serve as a month of Unity for individual teams to engage and impact the community in their market."

The document was meant to be secret – Yahoo didn't reveal their source. Its publication now puts the onus on the NFL to formally address the very issues players like Colin Kaepernick have been kneeling during the protest for. When asked, the NFL declined to comment on what's increasingly become a polarizing issue among its fans

To his credit, Goodell has publicly been open-minded about the player protests. 

“It’s one of those things where I think we have to understand that there are people that have different viewpoints,” Goodell said at a press conference in August. “The national anthem is a special moment to me. It’s a point of pride. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we want to respect those.” 

There is precedent of using the NFL's large viewership to help spread awareness for particular causes. In addition to the aforementioned efforts devoted to breast cancer awareness and military appreciation, the league also allowed players to wear customized cleats during "My Cleats, My Cause" week. Five hundred players participated in the 2016 inaugural event and the league expects at least 1,300 players will opt-in to the Week 13 display this season. 

- Fidel Martinez


"The last thing I want to happen is to watch these awards be cannibalized." - Christopher Seeger, lawyer for class of former players receiving $1 billion in benefits from a settlement with the NFL over concussions 

The first payments of the $1 billion NFL concussion settlement have just been paid out and already the vultures are trying to take advantage of thousands of players suffering from an array of football-related injuries. 

On Wednesday, Lawyers representing the players told the judge overseeing the settlement that a sizeable amount of the class had entered into predatory agreements with business that provided the players with funds in exchange for a cut of their future awards.

Among the predatory companies are Top Notch Funding, a New Jersey-based firm recently fined $70,000 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for allegedly scamming not just NFL players, but also 9/11 first responders and victims of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. 

Perhaps most disheartening is that at least one former NFL player is being accused of doing the swindling. Former linebacker Brandon Siler operates Legacy Pro Sports, one of the companies named by Seeger in the hearing. Legacy Pro Sports charges players 10 percent of their settlement in exchange for helping them throughout the process of filing a claim. For his part, Siler denies any impropriety.

"I don't mislead," he told the Associated Press. "I don't take advantage of my guys. I am here for them." 

It's unclear what, if anything, will come from this hearing. Currently, with permission from the judge, lawyers for the class are asking for any documents signed between the players and the companies in question. 

- Fidel Martinez


Alex Menendez/Getty Images

"No one wants sympathy. All they want is an opportunity to prove themselves, and that's what this is all about." - Prince Harry on the Invictus Games

On Sept. 23, the Invictus Games will be held for the third time in four years in Toronto, Canada. The games, developed by England’s Prince Harry, feature 17 nations competing in 12 adaptive sports. The twist on these games: all athletes are current and veteran armed services personnel “who have become ill or injured during or as a direct consequence of their service.” 

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. will send 90 athletes to compete in this year’s Invictus Games. Melania Trump will lead the U.S. delegation in Toronto and will meet Prince Harry for the first time. President Donald Trump is expected to attend the games at some point. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the games and Prince Harry in her 2016 Invictus opening speech in Orlando. This year, former President Barack Obama will attend the games and meet with some of the U.S. participants. Before the 2016 games, both Obamas appeared in a Twitter video with a light-hearted challenge to Prince Harry about the upcoming games. 

Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games to bring awareness to the challenges that wounded servicemen and -women go through following their time in their respective militaries. 

- Phillip Barnett

Of Note: 

  • The Golden State Warriors will make a decision on a potential visit to the White House as a team some point this fall, according to head coach Steve Kerr. While the NBA has maintained discussions with the Trump administration, Kerr said that “the league isn't going to tell us what to do. They know it's our decision and that, for me, really, it's the players' decision.”

  • To become the new owner of the Houston Rockets, casino magnate Tillman Fertitta is borrowing $1.4 billion in capital funds. Selling debt notes, which would take place over the next 7-8 years, will force Fertitta to restructure his other holdings, the privately-owned dining and hospitality company Landry’s Inc. and Golden Nugget casinos.

  • The Atlanta Braves will have another new home coming soon. No, not the already-controversial SunTrust Park, but a new spring training facility long in the works in southwest Florida. City commissioners in North Port narrowly approved financing this week, with groundbreaking to take place in October. The Braves hope to move into the complex in the spring of 2019.

  • Clark County officials warned the Raiders that construction of their future Las Vegas home could be delayed because of understaffing of its public works department. The department is still rebuilding from the Great Recession, according to director Denis Cederburg, as the smaller group has to manage the Raiders’ new stadium and multiple public projects throughout Las Vegas.

  • MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that Portland, Oregon is on the shortlist for expansion. He said that in expanding from 30 to 32 teams, the league would need a team in the Pacific time zone. Still available from its failed bid for the Montreal Expos in 2003, the city has at least $150 million earmarked for construction for a new stadium.

  • Researchers at USC and Purdue University found that sexism has become more covert in televised sports coverage over the past 25 years. The study showed that where the phrasing around female athletes was much more blunt and seemingly crass in the 1990s, the discussion around them had become more subversive over time, with the accomplishments were couched with heterofeminine norms about motherhood and spousal duties.

  • The new Atlanta Falcons home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is also home to another local effort sponsored by team owner Arthur Blank. The West Nest is a concession stand that’s entirely staffed by local chefs who have already graduated from culinary school or are receiving free education through a workforce development center created by the owner to help the Westside neighborhood gain benefits from the new venue.

  • Jordanian princess Haya bint al-Hussein hired a London-based private investigating firm to help her look into corruption within FIFA. In spite of claims of significant reform within the organization, the investigation is being conducted with the idea that it’s business as usual. Her brother, Prince Ali, lost two campaigns to become president of the embattled soccer governing body.

  • It’s becoming clear that sports distribution rights are becoming way too expensive for traditional television networks, according to a study from television ad buying agency Magna Global. Analysts say that they "don't see the ever-increasing gap between ad revenues and rights fees as sustainable in the long term."

  • Arlington, Texas is hoping to save upwards of $138 million by refinancing its AT&T Stadium debt. Beyond that, restructuring its financial commitment to the Dallas Cowboys’ home will help pay its debt obligation for another new venue, the future Globe Life Field for the Texas Rangers.

  • When a Detroit Lions fan was forced to surrender his season tickets for a racist Snapchat, another season-ticket holder purchased the tickets under the condition that they would be donated to Detroit-area charities for the rest of the season.

  • Dennis Rodman is not the only former athlete who has a relationship with North Korea. Antonio Inoki, the legendary Japanese wrestler turned politician who is also known for an infamous exhibition with Muhammad Ali in 1976, has been criticized for his frequent trips to the hermit nation. How frequent? 32 trips since 1995.

  • The latest well-heeled entrant in eSports? Comcast, the largest cable operator in the U.S. and owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, landed a franchise in the Overwatch League. The league has already added high-profile sports owners such as Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and MLS’ New England Revolution. 

  • In winning its bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris learned a lot of lessons from failed campaigns over the past 25 years. This time around, the city’s Olympic committee gave a greater showcase of French athletes and emphasized a theme of unity.

  • The NHL is introducing its brand of hockey to China with two preseason games in Shanghai and Beijing. With the exhibitions between the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, the league is following the footsteps of other major North American leagues in trying to grow its global footprint.

  • In an op-ed for the Washington Post, science journalist Daniel Glick discovered that he can somewhat relate to climate change deniers… as a football fan. Glick, who has struggled to understand arguments against climate change, found that in spite of the evidence of significant brain trauma to football players, he considered himself a denier of the science by continuing to avidly watch the game. 

- Jason Clinkscales

For the record books: This week in sports politics history



Sporting News Archive/Getty Images

"After I won the first set I knew if I could hold my service I'd have him. My backhand, my ability at the net and my mobility on the court were the difference." Billie Jean King, on her victory over Bobby Riggs.

Wednesday marked the 44th anniversary of the "Battle of the Sexes," the much-publicized tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

It's worth noting that this wasn't the first "Battle of the Sexes" match. In 1973, Riggs, a former pro, declared that he could beat any woman tennis player even as a 55-year-old. He first challenged King, but she declined. In her place, Margaret Court, then the number one ranked female player in the world, agreed to play against Riggs. Riggs crushed her (6-2, 6-1), and the match would go on to be dubbed the "Mother's Day Massacre." 

Emboldened by his thrashing of Court, Riggs continued to taunt King until she agreed. On the line was a $100,000 prize, as well as a chance for King to show the world that women could play just as well as men. King promptly disposed of Riggs in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) at the Houston Astrodome, where the nationally televised match took place. 

Audiences can relive this satisfying comeuppance starting today thanks to the release of “Battle of the Sexes”, a dramatized retelling of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs' story starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.  

- Fidel Martinez

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