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Sports & Politics Intersect: White House sticks it to sports
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Sports & Politics Intersect: White House sticks it to sports

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

“As a woman, she has to shake off people who have convinced themselves they watch sports to escape their wives or girlfriends. She’s catching it worse than anybody else.” - ESPN host Bomani Jones on the increased pressure Jemele Hill faces as a female broadcaster

On September 11, ESPN personality and co-host of the 6 p.m. show SportsCenter Jemele Hill tweeted that President Donald Trump is a “white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists,” among other things. The stream of tweets caught the attention of the general public and has been an ongoing debate since they hit the social network. 

The debate intensified when White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that Hill’s tweets were a fireable offense, saying, “I think that is one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make. It is certainly something that I think would be a fireable offense by ESPN.”

While this is not the first time a sports personality has been critical of a president, but the press secretary commenting on the tweets of a television host is largely unprecedented

ESPN released a statement saying that “The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the President do not represent the position of ESPN. We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.”

According to Think Progress, ESPN tried to keep Hill off the air after the statement from Sanders. Co-host Michael Smith refused to go on air without her and Hill was in her chair on Wednesday evening for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter. 

On Friday morning, President Donald Trump entered the conversation when he tweeted, “ESPN is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers. Apologize for untruth!”

This is an administration that is paying very close attention to how it is being represented by the media, even when members of the media are off the clock speaking about their own political views — and it is clear that any media outlet with political views outside of those of this administration will not be received well. 

- Phillip Barnett


Paul Mounce/Getty Images

“We’re going to get you a team. Mark it right here. I promise you – we’re going to get you at least one team.” – Tim Leiweke on the future of the NBA and the NHL in Seattle

For the first time since the Seattle Supersonics left the city for Oklahoma, there is a formal agreement to renovate KeyArena. Los Angeles-based Oak View Group has come to an agreement with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray (who has since resigned for unrelated reasons) to privately fund the renovation project to the tune of $600 million, with an additional $40 million to improve traffic, transportation, and traffic around the city center.

With the renovations come more talk of the NBA moving back to Seattle. This summer, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked about expansion and said, "It's inevitable at some point we'll start looking at growth of franchises. That's always been the case in this league, and Seattle will no doubt be on a short list of cities we'll look at." While we’re still probably years away from the NBA seriously considering expansion, KeyArena, if all goes according to plan, will have finished its renovation project by the 2020-21 season. 

The NHL could see a franchise in Seattle, too. Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Oak View Group, all but promised an NHL team to Seattle in the announcement of the project, and has tapped Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and billionaire investment banker David Bonderman as potential owners of a potential future team in Seattle. 

What stands out about this renovation deal is that Leiweke’s group seems to be committed to keeping the revenue in Seattle. It appears as if they are avoiding no taxes. For sales, business and leasehold taxes, the City of Seattle would be guaranteed all of the revenue that they’re currently taking in, and will split anything above that with the Oak View Group. A similar deal has been struck with the parking structures and admissions taxes. 

On top of everything else, the Oak View Group will commit $20 million to a community fund, with half of that combating youth homelessness in Seattle. 

While we’re several years away from the finish of KeyArena’s project, it’s never felt closer to the NBA returning to Seattle. 

- Philip Barnett 


Sergei Belsky/USA Today Images

"This is no money grab. If it was, we'd be long gone. There's lot of places to make a lot of money in sports other than here." - Ken King, CEO and president of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp., which owns the Calgary Flames

Negotiations between the Calgary Flames and city officials over a potential new arena — and who's going to pay for what — have gone south. As a result, the team is all but threatening to do the same.

On Tuesday, Flames president and CEO Ken King said that his organization was no longer pursuing building a new facility in Calgary, accusing the local government of not negotiating in good faith. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took it a step further.

"You need to make your voice heard if you think the city is moving in the wrong direction," the commissioner said to fans in a not-so-subtle nod to Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi's recently announced plan to run for re-election in 2017. 

"Without a new building, there will be consequences everyone will have to deal with," said Bettman. "Negotiations are over. They'll play out the string here for as long as they can." 

In response, Nenshi released the details of the city's offer. Calgary was willing to pay $185 million, a third of the $555 million it would cost to replace the aging Saddledome Arena. The Flames would be responsible for the second third, and the final $185 million would come from a surcharge on future ticket sales. The Flames would get to own the stadium and all the revenue it would generate, and the city would get to charge the team property taxes on the building. 

It's unclear what the Flames' offer was, though the National Post is reporting that the team was expecting the city to cover close to half of the costs. The Flames have yet to outright say they're planning on leaving Calgary, but if they were to move, one potential destination could be Seattle, whose KeyArena is slated for renovations. 

- Fidel Martinez


Kirby Lee/USA Today Images

"It is really this win-win-win situation we were all together looking for." - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach after announcing Paris and Los Angeles as the official hosts of the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics, respectively. 

It's official. Paris and Los Angeles were formally announced as the host cities for the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics, respectively. With the announcement, the International Olympic Committee now has two major global cities on the hook to organize an event that has been marred by controversy after controversy. 

Hosting the Olympics is a very big deal – it's a chance for cities to showcase just how world class they truly are – but agreeing to hosting one is factually a terrible financial decision. Just ask Rio de Janeiro, which is still saddled with about $40 million in debt for hosting an event they allegedly paid $2 million in bribes for. What's worse is that the IOC balked at the idea of helping cover some of the money owed. 

It's not just past Games either. Organizers of the upcoming 2018 Winter Games, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are growing increasingly concerned because they are nowhere near where they thought they'd be with ticket sales. The low sales figures are largely attributed to neighboring North Korea upping their nuclear weapons tests. (It also doesn't help that NHL players won't be allowed to compete at the Winter Olympics.)

The counterargument is that Paris and Los Angeles are already world class cities that already have much of the infrastructure needed for hosting such a big event. That's especially true for Los Angeles; a new football venue is currently being built in Inglewood that'll host both the Rams and Chargers, and a soccer facility near the L.A. Coliseum that'll be home to the Los Angeles Football Club, an MLS franchise, is near completion. 

But not even world class cities are impervious to Olympics-related woes. Just ask the British charities still waiting to get the money from the National Lottery that was taken from them to build London's Olympic Stadium, used for the 2012 Olympics and now home to West Ham United. 

For all we know, the Paris and L.A. Olympics are going to be a huge financial hit and all of this worrying is for naught. But if recent history is any indication, that's just wishful thinking. 

- Fidel Martinez


Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

“We want to remind everyone that just as baseball is fundamental to American culture and history, so too is racism. White people need to wake up to this reality before white supremacy can truly be dismantled." - Anonymous protesters behind the "Racism is as American as baseball" sign unfurled at Fenway Park. 

On Wednesday, four fans were ejected from Fenway Park during the fourth inning of Wednesday's Boston Red Sox-Oakland Athletics game for unfurling a banner over the Green Monster that read "Racism is as American as baseball." Unsurprisingly, the display has sparked controversy. What is surprising is that a lot of it has to do with who was responsible for the sign.

Hours after the unfurling turned ejection took place, a group identifying itself as Boston Antifa took credit for the banner over Twitter, claiming that they were inspired by a Howard Bryant piece published on ESPN that argued that baseball and its ruling class – owners, general managers, league officials – are all white by design. Boston Antifa taking credit for the banner resulted in Breitbart doubling down on their claim ESPN is on a mission to push a liberal agenda.

But it turns out that it wasn't Boston Antifa at all. CSNNE spoke to the real signmakers, who anonymously told the Boston-area NBC affiliate that they made the banner partially because they were inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and by the racial taunting Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones faced at Fenway back in May. 

"[We] see Boston continually priding itself as a kind of liberal, not racist city, and are reminded also constantly that it’s actually an extremely segregated city," one of the people behind the sign told CSNNE. "It has been for a long time, and that no white people can avoid the history of racism, essentially. So we did this banner as a gesture towards that, to have a conversation about that.”

Oh, and Boston Antifa? It turns out they're less a part of the anti-fascist movement and more right-wing trolls antagonizing liberals. According to Mass Live, Boston Antifa is run by two dudes from Oregon spoofing the collective, and they claim they were inspired by comedy icon Andy Kaufman. Somewhere in America, lounge singer Tony Clifton just choked on some cigarette smoke.  

- Fidel Martinez

Of Note:

  • In a different way of taunting, students supporting Rock Springs High School’s girl’s volleyball team chanted ‘TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUMP!’ at the opposing Laramie High School team, prompting Rock Springs activities director Thomas Jassman to put a stop to the chant, saying it was in violation of WHSAA rules. Jassman noted that the home team felt embarrassed by the chant and believed it affected its performance in the game (subscription required).

  • Speaking of Donald Trump, the Open Championship will never be hosted at Turnberry so long as he is president, according to officials at the famed Ayrshire course. On a podcast for Golf.com, Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck said that a top level executive for the R&A wouldn’t want to bring the event to the links “because we know he would show up, because how could he stay away'?”

  • The commissioners of the two North American women’s pro hockey leagues reacted to the Declaration of Principles that were revealed last week. Dani Rylan of the National Women’s Hockey League and Brenda Andress of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League both expressed excitement of being part of a process that puts them alongside the NHL in bettering the sport for all players, especially young girls and women.

  • Despite the game being played in their home city, the New York Rangers will be the away team for the 2018 Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. The team’s home, Madison Square Garden, would risk losing its longstanding and lucrative property tax exemption if the team plays any home games away from the famed arena.

  • beIN Sports, which has amassed multiple rights deals to soccer leagues across the globe, is caught up in a diplomatic dispute between Qatar and neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia. The Qatari government-owned network has seen its business affected throughout the Middle East and North Africa as several nations severed ties with Qatar over accusations of supporting terrorism.

  • Major League Baseball is hoping to diversify the front offices of its franchises, this time with a focus on analytics. A five-person diversity and leadership group at Johns Hopkins University is developing curriculum for an executive certificate in baseball analytics, which will be offered to various coaches and executives in the game.

  • An advocacy group, the Sports Fan Coalition, published the ‘Danifesto,’ which demands that public funding for a new stadium should not be used unless taxpayers are guaranteed benefits in return. This is a response to the Washington Redskins exploring options for a new venue after their lease at FedEx Field expires after the 2027 NFL season.

  • Little Caesar’s Arena opened in Detroit with a series of concerts from Detroit-area musician Kid Rock. The LCA will be the home of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and fans of both teams got their first glimpses of the new venue.

  • The Oakland A’s have chosen land near Laney College has their preferred location for a new, privately-funded ballpark. The search for a site has gone on for years, and if the stadium gets approval, it will leave Oakland Coliseum without a tenant as the Raiders prepare to move to Las Vegas.

  • The city council of Shreveport, Louisiana unanimously voted against a financing proposal for a mixed-use development that would house a new arena for the New Orleans Pelicans’ G-League franchise. The six-member board questioned the economic benefits of the $139 million project, notably for the poorest areas of the city.

  • The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ann Killion reported that the 49ers have reached out to a stadium architecture firm to consider solutions to heating issues at Levi’s Stadium, which opened just four years ago. In addition to the team’s poor play, fans have expressed discomfort about seating in the stadium bowl during warm weather days. 

  • Teammates from one of the Australian Rugby League’s franchises came out for and against gay marriage as the nation considers its legalization. Wallabies stars Israel Folau (against) and David Pocock (for) tweeted their opinions after the governing body joined the National Rugby League, Cricket Australia and Football Federation Australia in expressing support for same-sex marriage.

  • The LGBT equality organization, Athlete Ally, published a report that measures how each of the NCAA’s Power Five conferences and its members rate against each other in terms of inclusiveness of athletic departments. The ‘Athletic Equality Index’ was developed by the group to hold member schools accountable in their policies.

- Jason Clinkscales

For the record books: This week in sports politics history


Bettmann/Getty Images

“Hooper and Mann were prepared for a debate, but not for the drunken Johnson. Throwing up their hands, they told their teammates that rational discussion was impossible under the circumstances. The Cubs and Red Sox reluctantly took the field.” - On the Cubs and Sox playing Game 5

The Boston Red Sox won the 1918 World Series in six games over the Chicago Cubs in a season that was shortened due to what was then called The Great War. However, the World Series almost failed to finish, with players on both sides choosing to strike before Game 5. 

When the United States entered the war in 1917, MLB wasn’t hurt much by losing players to military service, but by the time the 1918 season rolled around, the league was forced to shorten its season because Provost Marshall General Enoch Crowder decided that baseball was a non-essential profession during wartime. While teams fell apart due to losing players to the war, the Cubs and Red Sox were able to win their respective leagues to participate in the World Series. 

However, MLB decided for the second time in as many years that the percentage of the World Series money given to the players would be cut. Before the 1918 season, the share for each individual player on the winning World Series team would exceed $3,500, which was much more than a lot of players’ season salary, including what Babe Ruth earned in both of the 1915 and 1916 seasons. The decision for the second cut came after Game 3 of the World Series, and with the players learning about the news on the train ride to Boston, they all agreed that both teams would sit out unless they were paid the full shares agreed to before the beginning of the World Series. 

The series would ultimately be finished after a drunken Ban Johnson talked Boston’s Harry Hooper into taking the field for Game 5. The second cut in shares should have paid each player on the Red Sox $1,200, but they didn’t even receive that after they won Game 6. The cuts in World Series shares would bleed into the 1919 season, when the White Sox infamously threw the World Series believing that they could be paid more in a loss than they could in a win. 

- Phillip Barnett 

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