Things in Sports that make you go “Hmmmmmm”…

C+C Music Factory had Americans regurgitating this line from their hit song for a whole year back in the 1990’s. From Talk shows to everyday people like me, everybody scratched their chin and said “Things that make you go Hmmm?” As I look at the sports world today I have to scratch my chin at recent developments and ask the same question. Despite all these billions and millions spent, many of the people operating and managing sport franchises appear to be no more competent than the drive through window worker at Burger King who repeats your order the wrong way three times.

Let’s take a quick look:

NASCAR: The brilliant minds that run NASCAR have literally done everything they can to destroy their sport for the last ten years. Ratings are down, attendance is down, rule and car changes and no foresight to actually have cars MOVING on the track decide the winner, has been lost on them. Just when you think they cannot get any dumber, the announced the July Daytona race will be moved next year to August 29th. Shrewd. Not sure if these brilliant guys running NASCAR know this but that is smack dab in the middle of the worst of Florida’s hurricane season. What are you going to do if a tropical system is coming and you have 200,000 people driving to Daytona? More importantly, even if a hurricane or storm hits another part of Florida, the governor will declare a state of emergency and all available personnel will be sent to help out those areas in need. In addition, many highways become a one way only express lane to evacuate people from other parts of the state. Perhaps Jim Cantore of the weather channel should have been consulted before moving this race to late August. Hmmm?

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets recently made a splash in free agency by signing both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to contracts that will total over $300 million the next four years. Am I the only one who worries about signing a large contract for a player (KD) who is in a wheel chair and cannot play next year? In addition, Kyrie Irving is a basket case, who has struggled his whole career with injuries and whimsical theories that the earth is flat, the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and is more fixated on making ‘Uncle Drew’ movies than basketball. He only plays roughly 60 games a year and could not get along with LeBron in Cleveland or with his teammates in Boston last year, but now we expect him to lead a young Nets team while hoping KD comes back in a year as the same player? Hmmm?

Magic Johnson: Everyone loves Magic, perhaps nobody more than Magic himself. The guy literally has become an ego maniac who is a walking and talking narcissistic machine that would make Donald Trump blush at his level of self love! Magic remains one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, however he has failed as a coach, a GM and now as an ambassador of the Laker franchise. He made the huge move to get LeBron last summer and then promptly blew it up with offering up his whole team, all draft picks and a statue of Jerry West in exchange for Anthony Davis. He just won’t shut up and stop talking to the press. He has been fined multiple times by the NBA for tampering and literally runs to the press and twitter to reveal he talked to Ben Simmons or “Pedro the Taco Boy” on the corner. After abruptly quitting last spring, he quickly went on the talk show circuit and said the organization is full of back stabbers and rats. He specifically mentioned the GM Rob Pelinka as a fraud and back stabber in interviews. Fast forward a few weeks and the Lakers brass though it was a good idea for Magic to meet with Kawhi Leonard? I’m just shocked at how stupid Laker ownership is to have a disgruntled former employee go and pitch the most coveted free agent on the market. Once again Magic went blabbing to the press about his meeting and apparently it turned off the ultra-private Kawhi. Shrewd. In what business world do you have a former sales representative quit your organization, bad mouth your company publicly and then have him go and meet personally with your star recruit? Hmmmm?

Honorable Mention: The Sixers signing Tobias Harris to a 180 million dollar contract? A career 15 ppg scorer who is now on his 5th team in his nine year career is worth $180 million guaranteed? Who in the world are they competing with to get those 15 points a game and if he was such a stud why does team after team trade him? Hmmm?

-BSB