Tiger Woods “press conference”, believable?

Tiger Woods, who has earned a billion dollars and gained worldwide fame playing a solitary game in front of millions of eyes, stood alone again last Friday morning before the world and took a step toward regaining control of a life that, he acknowledged, had spiraled out of control. While offering abundant contrition for his acts, he also demanded sensitivity and patience as he pieces back together his psyche, his marriage and his golf game.

In a 14 minute statement carried live by major television networks and cable channels, Tiger addressed his marital infidelity, chastised the media for intruding upon his family’s personal life, acknowledged having undergone treatment to address his behavior and vowed to return to professional golf, perhaps this year.

So what does the world take away from this “press conference”? Do we forgive him for his multiple affairs and let him continue to rebuild his life and image? Some say that he did exactly what he was suppose to do by apologizing to practically EVERYONE in hopes the general public will forgive him. On the other, I felt this was a horrible performance that seemed incredibly fake. The whole speech seemed choreographed and didn’t seem genuine at all. The only time he seemed to have any true emotion was when he addressed the media to stop harassing his wife and kids. Everything else were statements that his representatives or PR firm came up with, without making sure Tiger knew how to effectively deliver them.  He came off as a robot, looking down at his speech, then looking at the camera, pausing for a couple of seconds, then blinking twice before saying “I’m Sorry”. Every celebrity or public figure should find out who his PR firm is and make sure they never hire them. To see how other reactions to Tiger’s statement click here.

I would have advised him to show more emotion, which isn’t Tiger’s persona, but in this type of speech it was necessary.  In addition, he shouldn’t  have attacked the media because the media will always win. They can always continue to write stories and follow your family.

I just hope Tiger’s journey from car accident to transgressions will be over with so he can return to the golf course. Because golf is boring without him.

Tiger Wood’s Press Conference:

Is the Dunk Contest exciting anymore?

After Saturday’s awful historical reenactment of an early-’90s dunk contest, the Internet was set aflame with arguments for how to save the event. Should David Stern force LeBron to do it? Should they allow all manner of props, including live sharks and polar bears? Should it take place on the moon?  Anybody who watched the dunk contest knew this was one of the most forgettable Dunk Contests they’ve ever seen. There wasn’t a single memorable dunk. DeMar DeRozan got the only 50 for a windmill on a Sonny Weems pass off the side of the backboard. A dunk that quite frankly every athletic basketball player can do.

So what should be done about the Dunk Contest? Get rid of it completely? Is it maybe that the dunk, not just the Dunk Contest, has lost its luster. Have people seen every dunk imaginable or that dunks aren’t exciting anymore? What if the showboating dunk is just no longer a compelling play in itself? All these questions have one thing in common, they’re stupid! Dunks are one of the biggest reasons why basketball is so exciting. It’s why the WNBA has no viewers. Nothing is more exciting than seeing an amazing dunk. Nothing gets fans out of their seats faster,  not a great pass, not a block but a dunk (outside of game winners). Here’s what other people have to say about the Dunk Contest.

So what solutions are there to turn the Dunk Contest into the must-see-TV that it once was when MJ and Nique were in it? Easy, Commissioner Stern, force Lebron to participate! And not just Lebron, invite Wade, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard and even Andre Iguodala. If they don’t accept, then get a sponsor and ask them to put up a million dollars to the winner. That’s sure to attract some of these guys. Also, unlike many others, I liked the addition of the dunk off. It’s a new idea that made a fun halftime show during the Rookie vs. Sophomore game. But, instead of having a dunk off with NBA players why not have a dunk off with players from the D-league (their Dunk Contest was better then NBA’s). “Air Up There”, the guy who did the 720 is in the D-league, which is sure to make for an exciting Dunk Contest.

In the end, congratulations Nate Robinson, winning the Dunk Contest three times is not easy.

image provided by AP

Drew Brees: The face of the NFL

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, it was widely assumed that NFL free agents wouldn’t want to sign with the city’s NFL team. There was too much baggage, too much drama and too many question marks. But Drew Brees didn’t let that stop him when he chose New Orleans over Miami in 2006. On Sunday, his decision paid off when he led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title with a record-setting, MVP performance in Super Bowl XLIV. A truly magical story of a great quarterback turning a dying franchise into the perennial powerhouse which we witnessed beat arguably one of the best teams ever, the Colts.  Anyone who watched the trophy ceremony after the game would have saw Brees holding his 1 year old son, with the genuine look of joy and can tell you what a special moment that was for him. That image right there makes him look like one of the greatest players in the public’s eye, a family man who isn’t afraid to show his emotions, making him the new face of the NFL.  Here’s a link of what other people feel about Brees.

Throughout this season he has thrown for 34 touchdowns and over four thousand yards, the all time best in Saints history. He is the emotional and vocal leader of that Saints team. He does the team’s pregame chant, which no other quarterback in the league does, making him look like a complete badass!

Companies are asking him to endorse more and more products because they know how big of a superstar Brees has become. He has the skills, charisma, personality and look that the nation is finally realizing.

The special plays he does on the field is not as special as what he does off the field. Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then have raised and/or committed over $4.5 million to help advance cancer research, care for cancer patients, and help rebuild schools, parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields in New Orleans, San Diego, and Purdue communities.

Congratulations, Drew Brees on not just winning the Super Bowl but also being the biggest star in the NFL.

picture provided by thebiglead.com

Do you believe Gilbert Arenas?

In a move to try and repair Gilbert Arenas’s tarnished image, the suspended Washington Wizard’s player wrote an article for The Washington Post in which he issued and apology and said he failed in his responsibility as a professional athlete to set a good example for young NBA fans.

He says, in part, “I understand the importance of teaching nonviolence to kids in today’s world. Guns and violence are serious problems, not joking matters — a lesson that’s been brought home to me over the past few weeks. I thought about this when I pleaded guilty as charged in court and when I accepted my NBA suspension without challenge.” To see the whole apology, click here.

While reading Arenas’s apology, his statement does have a lawyerly feel to it, but it does have a ring of sincerity in it also, which does help his public image. Taking a look back at many other negative public image cases this year, from Tiger Woods to Mark McGwire, it shows that it is really difficult for a player of Arenas’s caliber to try to put this damaging situation behind him.

But come on, after what I am sure was a week of deliberation with publicists and lawyers of what Arenas should do to best cope with the situation, the best plan they came up with was basically, “think of the children.” I would rather him come out and say that he has a lot of maturing and growing up to do, and that he didn’t know the seriousness of his actions and that he will continue to grow as an person, then to use the children look up to me card. Granted, kids do look up to NBA players, but kids aren’t going to see what Arenas did and let that be an excuse to carry a gun.  This statement was simply an aberration to convince the probation department and ultimately the judge that he shouldn’t go to jail, not a truly sincere statement.

In the end, I hope Gilbert doesn’t go to jail and continues to play basketball. Most importantly he needs to do what Jordan and Kobe did to put their negative public images behind them, win games.

Lebron James needs the dunk contest

As I am sure most of you know, at last year’s dunk contest, Lebron James “preliminary” entered his name in the 2010 Dunk Contest. He promised to turn this year’s dunk contest back into can’t-miss TV, but he recently backed out. Instead of seeing, arguably, the most athletic player in the NBA, we get Nate Robinson (who recently shot the ball at his own hoop), DeMar Derozen, Eric Gordon (who is a 3-point shooter), Shannon Brown and Gerald Wallace.

Here’s Lebron’s chance to stamp himself into NBA history as not only an amazing player but also a world icon. With him participating in the contest, he’ll attract other big names like Kobe or Vince Carter to enter, thus bringing back the flash and competitiveness that was once the dunk contest. If I worked with Lebron, I would be pushing him to participate and there’s no doubt that he’ll blow all the other contestants out the water adding to his trophy case. Lebron not only has amazing leaping ability, but his personality and charisma  will excite the crowd and bring the flare that MJ, Dominique and Spud brought once in the late 80s. James loves to be compared to Michael Jordan. Let’s take a step back and think about MJ and his signature dunks and how they will be remembered forever. Jordan’s famous logo is a pose from his free throw line dunk in the 1998 Dunk Contest.  Here’s a link to just what Jordan’s dunks meant to people and the dunk contest itself.   Lebron wants to be that next player that everyone remembers decades after he retires and as history shows, people remember electrifying dunk contests.

Lebron could also benefit from a financial standpoint. He always wanted to be a billionaire athlete; this will only help him reach that goal. Picture Lebron wearing his new shoe, soaring through the air doing god knows what dunk while millions of people watch in awe.  Imagine how many pairs of shoes will be sold after that.

The fans want him in it, the league wants him it, his peers want him in it, so why not enter the contest and give everyone what they have been waiting to see.

Here’s just a sample of what could happen if he was in the dunk contest!