The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Last year, then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided it was time to make his voice heard regarding police brutality on the African-American community. He did this, in part, by kneeling during the National Anthem prior to each and every game. This move was seen as incredibly divisive both inside and outside the NFL community, led the Super Bowl quarterback to become the most disliked player in the league, and is likely the main reason why he's still a free agent today. Oddly enough, in light of the racist and tragic Charlottesville march from a week ago, an increasing number of players have decided to follow Kaepernick's lead and protest during the pre-game National Anthem. All of the players who have actively protested have been black, well, perhaps until now, as veteran Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman, Chris Long, placed his arm around protesting teammate Malcolm Jenkins prior to their team's Thursday night game, and afterward made his thoughts kn...

As I've said previously, there are times ESPN appears to be a hybrid of themselves and TMZ. Nowhere was that clearer than recently, when ESPN reporter Josina Anderson inquired St. Louis Rams players about openly gay teammate Michael Sam's showering habits. She then reported her findings to ESPN, saying that an anonymous player contended that "Sam is respecting our space," while both defensive tackle Kendall Langford and linebacker Alec Ogletree told her that they "weren't tracking" their openly gay teammate's showering habits. In response to the report, Rams defensive end Chris Long tweeted this message: "Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it." First off, kudos to Chris Long and the St. Louis Rams players for reacting in the manner they did. Secondly, shame on ESPN for running with this non-story they're attempting to make into a story. Sadly, ESPN has become the combination of a sports channel, a celebrity gossip magazine, a...