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Guardians of Education

Posted on by boom booms room staff

 

In case you missed it(ICYMI), yesterday the Kansas City Chiefs announced that they will retire Warpaint, their longtime Native American/Indian pony mascot that has roused fans at Arrowhead Stadium since 1955.

If you’re quite young or quite woke you very likely did not need the “ICYMI.”  In fact, you might be ROTF that we included it.  But if you’re a bit older, or not so woke, you might be asking WTF.

“We feel like it’s time to retire Warpaint,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan exclaimed. “Lot of reasons for that, but we just feel like it’s the right thing to do. So, Warpaint won’t be running at Arrowhead anymore.”

“We’ll continue the conversations,” Donovan added. “We’ll continue to take the path that we’ve taken. As I said, educating ourselves and educating our fans, creating opportunities to create awareness is important.”  Perhaps Donovan’s middle initials are PC?

“We made some significant changes last year, which we are proud of and we believe were the right things to do,” he emphasized.  Donovan also said that they are still considering eliminating the war drumbeat that opens up home games. Though, opposition to that is high.

Does that matter though if it’s yet another creative opportunity to create awareness?  Create, create, and create.

All of this comes just a few days after the Cleveland Indians renamed and rebranded themselves as the Cleveland Guardians.

How did the city that once was so polluted it caught its own river on fire get from the Indians to the Guardians?  The Guardians of Traffic statues have flanked both sides of the Hope Memorial Bridge since 1932. Each of the four-winged Art Deco figures sports winged helmets and crowns, and each statue holds a different vehicle to signify “the spirit of progress in transportation,” per bridge engineer Wilbur Watson.

That’s right Indian fans, you now get to cheer for progress in transportation.  Go Electric Car, Go!  But, stay out of the river.

Meanwhile, back in KC, what’s left to educate us?  Maybe it’s time for the nickname “Chiefs” to go.

If the Washington Football Team drops Football Team and actually gets to a nickname, maybe KC could be PC for a year and be the KC PC Football Team.  And, a year later they could evolve into the Kansas City Educators as their team president so succinctly told us they were doing above.

Washington, the team formerly known as the Redskins, is down to a scant few choices for nicknames.  Could one be the Washington Politically Correct?

Who knew just how uneducated and close-minded we all were?

The Atlanta Braves know.

For now.

NVM.

 

 

 

The Eyes of Texas Are Wandering

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Deep in the heart of Texas hearts have been broken.  Now more are about to be broken.

Last season the Houston Rockets and James Harden broke off an eight-plus-year relationship.  It had its ups and downs and ended without an NBA Championship. The decision was mutual to part.   Weeks later, J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans ended a ten-year relationship.  Together they had more down seasons, but J.J. could hold his head up high walking out of the door.

Fast forward to the now, and wow!

DeShaun Watson, the face of an otherwise faceless Houston Texans franchise wants out long term, but wants in short term.  Fall camp opens tomorrow and Watson’s headed there.  He won’t be there for long as the Texans will send him home to avoid more and more questions about their plans after the tumultuous offseason that Watson has had.

Failure to report would cost Watson a smooth 50k a day in fines.  Reporting, then being told you are no longer loved here saves him that same 50k a day.  Divorces can be messy and expensive you know.  It’ll get worse too.

Persona non-Grata Watson is untradable until his off-field civil and possibly criminal proceedings gain clarity.  But that hasn’t stopped the Texans from asking for all of the jewelry in the split.  The NFL rumor mill whispers that the Texans have floated that they want 5 high draft picks in exchange for Watson.  Marijuana isn’t legal in Texas yet, but the front office might be a bit high with this ask.

We’ll call Watson and the Texans situation a permanent split, final divorce settlement pending.  In these inflationary times, those massages have gotten more and more costly by the hour.

And these dysfunctional relationships are even happening at a younger age.  Colleges suddenly are breaking up, or at least they are about to.   It’s fully expected that the U of Texas and the U of Oklahoma will announce to the Big 12 league offices today that they plan to leave the Big 12 to join the SEC when their contract runs out after the 2024-5 season.

The schools were flirting with the SEC for six months behind closed doors prior to the affairs becoming public knowledge late last week.

Texas A&M liked joining the SEC ten years back. It had the State of Texas’ SEC dance floor all to itself.   Now UT wants to break in right in the middle of the slow song.  A&M doesn’t like to share the dance floor with Texas.  So the SEC and A&M have some hurt feelings to smooth over as well.

The buyout on the UT and Okla Big 12 deals is about 70mil a piece to exit prior to 2025.  But, the extra SEC money will soothe some of that pain and ESPN already jumped in to say they can help a bit as well.  Friends take sides in divorces.

A story broke this AM that the Big 12 is willing to look past this indiscretion and will offer each of the two schools an additional 1/2 of a tv share.  That would turn 37mil a year into 53mil or so for Texas and Oklahoma.

So, for the scorned(Baylor, Texas Tech, Okie St., etc.) the choices at the moment are 1) give up about 3mil a year a school to keep the two tv moneymakers, or 2) look for other suitors.  Relationships are built on compromise (read as lack of leverage).

Will it move the needle?  Follow the money.

The eyes of America are upon them as the eyes of Texas have been wandering.

Problem Solved

Posted on by boom booms room staff

People the world over ask BBR daily what is the real purpose of its burgeoning business.  The answer is, and always has been simple.  BBR is in the “solutions” business.

Add in a touch of Rasmussen, who is in the polling business, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) who owns a football factory or fourteen and, voila!  We’ve done it again.

Problem solved.  Which one, you ask?  Eliminating Covid-19 is which one.

Over 105 million, or 31.8% of the US population have been fully vaccinated according to the CDC as of May 3rd.

On Tuesday Rasmussen released poll results surveyed April 29 -May 2 which asked the simple question “Should people who have been vaccinated fully against Covid-19 continue wearing masks in public places?”  Forty-nine percent said yes, while 42 percent said no.  It seems like there is some division along party lines as 67% of Republicans said no, while 75% of Democrats said yes.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask.  That should do it.

But, for how long to ensure that we end the pandemic do we need to vac and mask?  That was question number two.  Thirty-three percent said “six months to a year.”  Thirty percent said “less than six months.”  Risk-takers they are.  Ten percent said “at least eighteen months” while nine percent said “the next couple of years.”

And, finally, six percent want to be uber safe.  They recommended “indefinitely.”  You have to think that at least 60 of every 1000 adults polled don’t know what the word “indefinitely” means, don’t you?  Hopefully.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask for a long time.  That should do it.

But, there is this pesky problem.  Vaccination rates have stalled.  Heck, in the deep south they started slower and seem to have tapered off.  Egads.

The University of Alabama finishes first in football every year.  But, in adult population vaccinations the State of Alabama finishes last.  The CDC says Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia are close behind in 49th through 45th.

Enter Dan Wolken, USA Today Columnist, with a take that should light up the scoreboard.  He recommends that for entry into an SEC stadium near you this fall that you would have to show proof of vaccine.  After all, he writes, what better way to motivate people than to tell them they must show proof to get into an SEC venue like Bryant Denny Stadium this fall?

Is there a better name to write this than Dan (drop the “L”) Woken.  What’s better than “woke?”  Woken.  Or, Wolken.  We digress.

Hopefully, there is no backlash from Title IX supporters that Wolken only speaks to full capacity stadiums for men’s football games.  Shouldn’t this requirement extend to, say, full capacity arenas for women’s basketball?  Nevermind.

And, why only the SEC?  What about, for instance, the PAC 12?  They still play football, don’t they?  Don’t they?  Do they?

What Wolken calls an incentive, others call suppression of their freedom.

So, get fully vaccinated, wear a mask(or two) forever, and we’ll let you sit in a full (at least in the south) stadium to watch a football game.  Deal?

Problem solved we think.

But just in case, should we dock the Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort off of the Gulf Coast this fall?

Only Dr. Fauci knows.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by boom booms room staff

The weekend is here.  Time to overindulge a bit.  Start with Ten Pieces of healthy Nuggets first.  They’re ready below.

  1.  The NBA trade deadline came and went yesterday.   Were there any blockbuster deals?  If you say so.  It’s early, feel free to yawn.
  2.  Dwight Howard flashed a wide smile across his face before the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, receiving his 2020 championship ring in Staples Center a bit later than his former teammates.  He celebrated by getting two technicals and getting tossed one quarter into the contest. .
  3. This is NBA year number 17 for the former first pick of Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2004 draft and team number eight that he has played for.   He’s earned 234.5 million on the court and counting.
  4.  There’s always one great betting story from the NCAA March Madness.  A dude last weekend bet an eight-team parlay with three dogs on the money line and five in all.  He hit the 3320 to one ticket on a $100 bet.  His take?  Why $33,200 of course.
  5.  Doesn’t Oral Roberts plus 11.5 v. Arkansas look tempting this weekend?  The Sweet Sixteen weekend never disappoints.
  6. Little known until a week ago, Grand Canyon basketball standout Oscar Frayer died in a car accident in northern California early Tuesday morning. He was 23 years old. Frayer, a 6-foot-6 senior guard/forward, started in Grand Canyon’s 86-74 loss to Iowa in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week.   It was his 107th start for the Antelopes.  Sometimes life is just not fair.
  7.  If you lost count, DeShaun Watson’s troubles now number 16 lawsuits and counting filed against him for various civil batteries and assaults.  More are on the way.  He wanted to be traded and there were several suitors a few weeks back.  Now?  Now, he’s virtually untradeable as criminal charges might be next.
  8. In the last year, the Houston sports scene has lost, cut, traded, or fired Bill O’Brien, A.J. Hinch, Mike D’Antoni, DeAndre Hopkins, JJ Watt, James Harden, Gerrit Cole, and George Springer.
  9. In the last year, the Astros were found guilty of a cheating scandal, the Rockets imploded when Harden forced a trade and are lottery-bound, and the Texans are a collective hot mess on (4-12) and off of the field (Watson), and in the front office (too much to mention).  They have no first nor second-round draft choice this April either.
  10.  The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is well underway from Austin Country Club.  Rory McIlroy punctuated his early exit with a wayward shot that landed in a backyard swimming pool.  See ya.  Jordan Spieth, never to be outdone, hit a tee shot the next day onto the wrong green.  Spieth still moved on.  The last man standing Sunday pockets a crisp $1.8 million.

Springtime is here for most.   Enjoy.

 

SB LV is the New SB I

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Six weeks ago BBR asked if we were headed to a rematch of Super Bowl One where Green Bay and Kansas City kicked of what has become the greatest championship in all of sports.

And then there were four.  And KC and GB are both favored to make it to Tampa for Super Bowl Roman numeral LV.

Abby sez:

Buffalo at Kansas City -3  –  The obvious is that Mahomes is going to miss.  What should also be obvious by now is that KC looks like a determined team to go back to back.   It won’t be easy.  And, remember,  “nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, ” said Chris Berman 500 times in the past.  Buffalo has had a hell of a run.  Abby likes the politically incorrect.  And the nickname “Chiefs” is one of the few left standing.

Tampa Bay at Green Bay -3.5 – The battle of the Bays is what Berman used to call this twice a year meeting when these two teams were in the same division together years ago.  Back then one was bad and the other was worse.  No more.  Brady and Rodgers will be great theater.  The GOAT of them all v the GOAT of 2020.   Rodgers is on the same mission that KC is.

Picking chalk has a way of feeling like a dog bite at times.  We’ll see.

Woof!

 

 

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Yr 3, Wk 9

Posted on by boom booms room staff

There are wins and losses and there is how much is wagered on each game.

That could not be better illustrated than when Abby’s wins and losses are compared to her bones wagered at this season to date juncture.  Her season won/loss record stands even Steven at 21-21-1.  But the bones won number 36 against 27 surrendered.  That’s a money winning 57%.

Her hunch bet last week was a nonstarter as too many Sun Devils tested Covid-19 positive.  That bet total at 2-4.

It’s onward and upward from here.

  1.  Cincinnati -5 and 1/2 at UCF – The Bearcats have been rolling through all comers this year.  This is a tough spot though.  somehow we think they find a way to win and cover late  One bone.
  2. Missouri at South Carolina +6 and 1/2 –  Will Muschamp is gone.  The two starting Gamecock cornerbacks opted out (you could read that as quit) this week.  Everything looks bad for SC.  Abby knows a barking home dog when she sees one.  Two bones.
  3. Missouri at South Carolina under 57 and 1/2 –  If the bet above finds a path to victory it”ll be through defense and turnovers.  One bone.
  4.  Indiana at THE OSU -20 and 1/2 – Indiana has enjoyed a fine run. Saturday they run into THE. It’s tough love for the Hoosiers in the Horseshoe.  Two bones.
  5.  LSU -2 at Arkansas and under 57 and 1/2 –  My how the might have fallen.  If Arkansas was healthy this line would be flipped.   We’re guessing that LSU is actually going to play defense this week.  One bone to win three bones.
  6.  Oklahoma St. at Oklahoma -7 – It seems like after a shaky start that the Sooners have found their stride.  In the old days, a good D beat a good O.  No more.  One bone.

Abby has a hunch that Florida St will score just enough to cover a whopping 35 and 1/2 points against Clemson.  That’s one big barking dog.

Woof!

 

Ten Piece Nuggets- Sports

Posted on by boom booms room staff

We know you like ten nuggets.  We hope you like hash.  It’s how the ten nuggets are served today.  The sports world was a bit of everything over the last 48 hours. So we have a lot of leftovers.  We sling some below.

  1.  Dustin Johnson took full advantage of soft greens at Augusta and won The Masters in rare wire to wire form.  Finishing with a 4-under 68 in Round 4, Johnson set a 72-hole scoring record of 20 under, the lowest score to par in the history.  Twenty-one under would have been the lowest to par total in any majors in their collective histories.  In his interview afterward, he could barely speak.  It’s a must-watch.  It speaks volumes about why we love competition, hard work, and inner success.
  2. His two closest competitors by mid-third round and through the final one weren’t named DeChambeau, McIlroy, Koepka, Thomas, Rahm, Rose, Casey, Woods, nor Mickelson.  If you think that watered down the crown, think again.  The golfing world officially introduced us to Sungjae Im and Cameron Thomas.
  3. Im won The Honda Classic earlier this year, is all of 22 years old, and hits the ball down the middle EVERY time he tees it up.  His short game is flawless as well.  With ball-striking like that the world-rated 25th player is here to stay.
  4. Smith hails from Down Under.  He’s an interesting character.  He isn’t built like a Koepka.  He doesn’t talk like a Thomas.  He doesn’t dress like a Speith.  He somehow made pars from the woods, the parking lot, and the hot dog stand.  He’s a breath of fresh air.  Oh, and along the walk all over the hallowed grounds, he became the first player in the history of The Masters to shoot sub 70 in all four rounds.  The 49th highest-rated player is here to stay as well.
  5. There wasn’t a top 25 matchup in all of college football Saturday.  That didn’t stop the theater though.  The best/worst of all came late Saturday.  It certainly appeared to the naked eye that the Oregon St. Beavers had a first down, not once but twice, in a crucial spot at the end of their PAC 12 matchup with Washington.  Two bad spots later, the momentum swung.  If you want to dig deeper, there is a bigger mess behind the scenes in the PAC 12 season exposed by this article.
  6. On Friday COVID-19 times forced the cancellation of the California at Arizona State game and the Utah at UCLA game both scheduled for Saturday.  Later that afternoon the PAC 12 scheduled the two “healthy teams” Cal and UCLA to square off on Sunday. Yes, Sunday.  UCLA dominated the game 34-10.  Did anyone see it?  Anyone?  Still, it’s better to have played than not.  It was an aggressive move from a conference that was very reluctant to start the season at all.

  7. Michigan fans are trying to reconcile how a team that was ranked in the preseason is now 1-3 for the first time since 1967 after suffering its largest home loss in 85 years.  Wisconsin worked them 49-11. Head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is 10-9 in his last 19 games, couldn’t really pinpoint how it happened.  But he did concede that Michigan is lousy.  “Not in a good place as a football team,” he said.  Cerebral he is that Harbaugh guy.  It looks like another worn-out welcome for the quirky former QB.

  8. Penn St is arguably worse. They suffered their fourth loss in four games this one to a Nebraska team who entered the game winless and having scored only 30 points total in two games.  The Cornhuskers put 27 on Penn St. by halftime and 30 in all in their win with a first-time starter at QB.  Directionless is the Nittany Lion team this fall.  A recent recruiting article states that they only have one of the top ten recruits from Pennsylvania from 2018-9 on their squad.  Perhaps, void of talent is the Nittany Lion team this fall?
  9. South Carolina decided to put the worst behind them.  Will Muschamp was bought out as HC for the Gamecocks.  His once proud D surrendered 59 to Ole Miss in their latest loss and the administration and the money that runs SC said sayonara.   Muschamp was once named head coach in waiting behind Mack Brown at Texas.  He decided that he didn’t want to wait and bolted to Florida.  He was not ready for an HC job then.  He was run out of there and is still owed six million from that buyout.   South Carolina thought differently.  Now they think again.   Muschamp wins the Charlie Weis Award for having two universities paying him buyout money at the same time.
  10.  However, we turn to the NFL for the worst of all.  The NFC East’s four teams now stand collectively at 10-26-1.  That’s a 28% winning percentage.  Eight of their wins, and therefore, eight of their losses have come against each other.  That puts their out of division record at, wait for it, 2-18-1.  That’s a 10% winning percentage.  Perhaps we should say that’s a 90% losing percentage.  Historically bad doesn’t accurately describe the worst of the worst.

You’re excused.  Put your plate in the sink.

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Year Three, Week Six

Posted on by boom booms room staff

Abby provided another treat for our loyal subscribers last week. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?  It’s Halloween and she’s expecting more of the same- treats, not tricks that is.  Hopefully, those darn kids ringing the doorbell won’t disturb her too much while watching the games.

For the season the w/l record is 14-11 with one tie.  She suffered a half-point bad beat on a parlay, yet the bones are running at a fine 60% win rate, 24 up, 16 down.  The hunch got crunched falling to 1-3.

  1.  Coastal Carolina v Georgia St +3 – Quick, name one player on either team.  No worries, neither can Abby.  That said she loves her some home dogs and Georgia St. has its best team in many (howling at the) moons.  One bone.
  2. Texas + 3 1/2 at Oklahoma St. – The Cowboys control their Big 12 destiny and are home.  Texas has been wobbly from week one.   But the Longhorns aren’t ready to be roped in just yet.  Two bones.
  3. Georgia at Kentucky +17 1/2 –  Spot is a great dog name.  This spot is a great one for a home dog.  Kentucky fell flat on its jowls last week. Georgia wins, but the Wildcats scare them for three quarters.  One bone.
  4. Kansas St at West Va -3 1/2 – Every week there is a line or two that makes no doggone sense to Abby.  This is one.  She thinks the wrong team is favored here.  Does Vegas have a flashlight to see what others in the dark night cannot?  We think so, so we’ll zig when others zag.  Two bones.
  5. UCF at Houston +2 1/2 – Dana Holgerson, skeletons in the closet aside, gets his biggest win as the Cougar’s head coach.  Expect more than a point a minute in this ping pong match, but watch the Cougars get a stop late.  One bone.

The hunch bet needs to get out of the dungeon.  It’s not too early to throw a Hail Mary.  Take Virginia + 7 1/2 over North Carolina, Iowa – 2 1/2 over Northwestern, and TCU/Baylor over 48 in a three-team parlay for a one to win six return.

Abby has a question.   “If candy corn is so good, why is it only for Halloween?” she growls.

Woof!

 

Take a Stand.

Posted on by boom booms room staff

The NFL 2020 season kicked off last evening.  But, before it kicked off there was hope that our summer of disease and discontent could turn nicely into fall like a green leaf turned red, yellow, and orange.

Afterall there has been only one positive test in the league for COVID-19 in over 8300 tests to date. Wowza! And, the NFL has not only allowed, but encouraged players and teams to express their concerns against racial inequality and for social justice.  Wowza!

Well, that didn’t go so well.  Prior to the visiting Houston Texans v home Kansas City Chiefs, players from both teams locked arms in unity.  And the fans booed.  Not all of them booed but enough to be heard did so.

Prior to that, the Texans stayed in the locker room for both the National Anthem and for Alicia Keys’ performance of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” otherwise known as the Black Anthem.  The Chiefs stood on the field as a team for both.  So much for unity until their arm locks.

Benjamin Watson is a former NFL player.  He had a very successful stint as a tight end for 15 years in the league and was on the winning NE Patriots team for the Super Bowl in 2005 as well.  He was known as a great teammate, hard worker, intellect, and leader both on and off of the field.

Following the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Watson wrote a Facebook post on the issue of race in America that was “liked” on Facebook more than 850,000 times. The post received national attention.

On November 17, 2015, Watson released a book, Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race–And Getting Free From the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us.

Watson took to Twitter last evening. He wrote “Don’t kneel.  Don’t lock arms.  Don’t love each other.  Don’t care about your country.  Don’t seek social justice and equality.  Just play.  Sad.”

And we wonder.   Where did free speech and freedom of expression wander off to in the anything but United States?

It went to a spot that only allows it if you agree with what is being said.  Maybe some fans just want pure sports.  Is it ok for them to express that?

We used to frown upon kneeling for the anthem but recognized the right to do so.  Now we frown upon objecting to kneeling.
The right to kneel or lock arms is equal to the right to boo that very act.  Or it should be.

Did you notice the word “equal” in the last sentence?  It stands for equality.

Well, it used to stand for equality until it was frowned upon to want all to stand for the Anthem.

What? Why? What to do?

Posted on by boom booms room staff

The “what” is often the easiest of the three parts.  The “why” can be tricky.  And the “what to do” can be debated.  It says here that if you get them out of order you risk getting caught in a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle.

Here’s what, for example.  Most shark bites occur in four feet of water or less.  Why?  It’s because most people swim in four feet of water or less.  What to do about it?  How about a lifeguard?  That might be too little, too late.  How about we kill all of the sharks?  That sounds harsh and it also sounds unrealistic.  How about we ban swimming?  Sounds like big brother is involved.

And so it happened.  This “what” is a terrible one.  A cop put his knee on George Floyd’s neck.  What is not in question.  Here comes the why.  And, then comes what to do.  Or does it?

It seems like what to do jumps in front of why.  We act (what to do) in many ways.  Many of those ways are natural and understandable.  Anger, outrage,  and sadness come to mind and spew out of our mouths.  Some are reasonable for a period of time.  It’s another racist cop we say.  It’s social injustice.  We march.  We protest. We hold rallies.   Some are not reasonable and do no good.  We throw rocks through windows.   We burn things to the ground.  We shoot other cops in other cities.

We submit that if we don’t solve the why then all of the actions and reactions go for naught.  The civil rights movement is 50 years old and counting.  How’s that coming along?  Based on the look of some cities, stores, and cop cars this morning we aren’t doing too well.

So, then, we say again.  We have to solve “why.”  Why do African Americans feel like they do?  And, why do many white folks dismiss those feelings?  “America is prejudiced, you dumbass” you just yelled at your mobile device or computer.   Or, “we’re tired of one unfortunate instance causing a national meltdown, you dumbass.”  Or, “other races/nationalities have come here, assimilated, and eventually prospered peacefully, why can’t they?”

The truth of the matter is that we don’t really share our inner feelings on matters that might hurt the deepest feelings of others.  How many times have you walked out of a meeting and heard someone say “I wanted to say that.  But, you know, you can’t.”  The fact is you should and if you did more people could.  You just don’t for fear of negative reprisal.

The CEO of 23andme wrote a very passionate email yesterday to her employees and customers for all to see.  Our management team, Board, and employee base must have greater diversity. I am ashamed to say I do not have a single black employee who is at the Director level or above. Our product is euro-centric but must expand to be inclusive and equitable. We absolutely have the potential to be better. Despite our efforts, I have to honestly say that we are also part of the problem.  It starts with me. 

That sounds great.  It’s not.  It skipped why.  Have a black director.  Have two.  And in two, five, or ten years ask yourself if why you did it was to appease other’s perception or if you understand why you don’t have one or two now.  The answer to why might be gut-wrenching.  It might cause you to search your soul.  It might be because the ones you did choose were most qualified in your eyes.  It might be because you’re prejudiced.  It might be somewhere in between.

Seventeen years after the Rooney Rule was enacted the NFL doubled down.  You cannot hire a head coach now unless you interview two minority candidates.  From 2003 till now you only had to interview one.  Feel better Roger Goodell?  Why don’t you have more black head coaches?  The what to do (force two interviews) is lipstick on a pig.  Maybe at this moment the 32 owners felt like they made 32 good individual decisions and only three are black.  Shouldn’t you always try to hire who you think is best qualified?  Maybe it’s ok to say that if it’s truly the “why” at this point in time.  Maybe in two or three years you’ll have eight, nine or ten black head coaches.  Maybe not.

Why was Policeman Chauvin still on the force?  How many times does one have to be cited for potential excessive force before you ask why?

“Why” makes people uncomfortable.  Until we have candid conversations in meetings that can make a difference we’ll be uncomfortable like we are today because we didn’t.

Why not try something different?