Money Players

Sonny Vaccaro goes Ivy League

Sorry Vaccaro exited shoe business earlier this year. He's focusing on creating a basketball academy, writing a book, and lecturing on college campuses. And Baron Davis, through his production company, is planning a bio pic on Sonny. Sopranos star James Gandolfini has signed on to play Sonny. (Thanks Michael McCann via TrueHoop for the heads up.)

Sonny Vaccaro may be a controversial figure to some, but I've always appreciated the open discourse he fosters. Over ten years ago, I sat down with Sonny for one of the most lively discussions I ever had about basketball, politics and the NCAA and we've been friends ever since.

Some believe Sonny helped create many of the problems we see today in the basketball biz. Shoe companies and also television networks have a simple mission: Generate more and more revenue. If athletic departments have a problem with these corporate activities, then they certainly could just say no. No, we're not going to play games starting at 9pm on school nights. No, we're not going to use our student athletes as shills. Sounds good in theory, but every time an athletic director signs another multimillion dollar coaching contract or agrees to take on more debt to finance construction of new state-of-the-art facilities, the less likely he or she is to walk away from lucrative revenue opportunities. To slightly alter a favorite line from Seinfeld: Not that there's anything wrong with coaches making millions of dollars in college sports and tricked-out practice facilities.

[The rest of this post is me shilling my book, Money Players, which you really should purchase.] While no one ever accused Sonny of being altruistic, I appreciate this charitable quote for my upcoming book, Money Players:

"I truly respect Marc Isenberg for his thoughtful approach to the problems facing big-time sports. He is as honest and tenacious as they come. Marc doesn't just complain about a corrupt system; he offers thoughtful solutions. If you are a college or professional athlete, or if you care about athletes, you have to read Money Players."
—Sonny Vaccaro

Summer feel-good stories

Haven't had much time to blog in July. Not like I missed anything important. Trying to finish my book, "Money Players: A Pro Athlete's Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life," which if I continue to not blog should be ready to ship in September.

Sports have not had a carefree, lazy summer. WWE wrestler Chris Benoit tragically put the ultimate sleeper hold on his wife and son before killing himself. After multiple off-the-field transgressions by Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Chris Henry, the NFL delivered them swift, severe punishment. Just after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's stronger conduct policy was ratified -- and embraced by owners and players alike -- Michael Vick faces criminal charges for his alleged involvement in a dog fighting ring. Now the NBA is reeling over allegations that one of its referees placed bets on games he officiated. The Tour de France is a complete mess.

And then there's Barry Bonds, who looks pretty wholesome these days, at least relative to the times we live in. As The Onion headline noted, "Bonds Home-Run Scandal Somehow Becomes Feel-Good Sports Story Of Summer."

Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum commenting on the one league which has escaped summer controversy, "Somewhere last week NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was lounging in his deck chair with a tall cocktail and a photo of Sidney Crosby at his side, saying, 'Who cares that the Food Channel gets better ratings than the Stanley Cup finals?'"

Tough days at VT

The horror that took place at Virginia Tech is still unmanageable, even though the videotape and eye-witness accounts have left little to the imagination.

Seth Greenberg, VT's basketball coach, whom I've known since his Long Beach State days, offered some hope when he said, "Probably the most encouraging thing to me today is hearing students being interviewed say, 'This is my university.' This is a special place. We're going to help rebuild the spirit of Virginia Tech. To me that's important."

There's already a lot of second guessing taking place. I know it's the nature of the media to jump on the most troubling angles, but I see little value in rushing to judgment. This week should be about the victims. There will plenty of time to conduct a thorough investigation and figure what lessons might be learned from this tragedy.

I am pretty underwhelmed by the media coverage. It wasn't enough for CNN's Situation Room to show the video that captured sounds of innocent professors and students being massacred. The Situation Room added a "shots heard" counter, which made it hard to distinguish a national tragedy from a violent video game.

Time media critic James Poniewozik on the Situation Room's coverage

Pat Tillman’s mom is pissed

By Marc Isenberg

I mostly write about sports and business, not politics. But perhaps sports and politics aren’t all that different, especially if you believe metaphorically-challenged coaches who can't help but describe sports as war. Then there are those in the military who pitch the benefits of war (good for something, despite what the song says) just like some ADs push woeful graduation rates (apparently not that bad after all).

All this brings me to the military’s handling of Pat Tillman’s death. Pat Tillman gave up a $3.6 million NFL contract to serve his country as an Army Ranger. Everything that has happened since the moment Pat Tillman was shot dead by an American soldier has been characterized as one lie after another.

Pat's mom, Mary Tillman, makes a compelling case that the aftermath of her son's death is the absolute lowpoint of the War on Terror.

The death of Pat Tillman, as unfortunate as it might sound, was a huge opportunity for the military and the Administration to generate interest in a just war. Despite the fact that high-ranking military officials (perhaps as high as Rumsfeld) knew that Tillman had not died by enemy fire, as was touted, no one stopped the charade until after Pat Tillman's nationally televised memorial service.

Pat Tillman will always be the symbol of everything that is great in our country. Great intellect, sports icon, patriot. Everybody's All-American. He was a hero in life and in death (although not in the way the military had in mind).

As if the Tillman family hasn't been through enough, high-ranking "leaders" keep giving them different accounts of what really happened. Perhaps Bob Arum could serve as a military spokesperson. At least he was honest about his lying when he famously said, "Yesterday I was lying. Today I’m telling the truth."

The Tillman family has released a statement pushing for Congressional hearings to uncover the truth. Also, Pat’s mother Mary appeared today on the Dan Patrick Show. Definitely worth listening to, whatever beliefs you have about this war. (Look under Pat Tillman Investigation for the audio from The Dan Patrick Show.)

Here are some of the lowlights:

Mary Tillman: They also said they had Pat’s diary. Pat’s diary in our minds has been missing for three years. And they said well no, they did find Pat’s diary. They burned it. They said there was information in there that had to do with operations or missions or something like that which was kind of ridiculous because Pat was really only an E4. He wouldn’t have had anything that was classified in his little notebook. That diary would belong to Pat’s wife.

Patrick: On the essential question, are you convinced that they are not lying to you when they tell you this was an accident?

Mary Tillman: I don’t know what you deem an accident. I think there was such gross negligence. In fact, the first investigative officer said there was evidence of homicidal negligence and criminal intent. And he stands by that. But yet his report has been devalued because it does not go along with what they want out there in the public eye.

Patrick: Why would they try to cover this up given the notoriety of your son?

Mary Tillman: Their attempts to cover it up are so outrageous from the outset that if they started admitting wrong then they would have to keep admitting such atrocious lies that it would get out of hand. The idea in my mind that this was not something that possibly even Rumsfeld was aware of is kind of ludicrous. You have admittedly four generals who are claiming they knew it was fratricide, didn’t act appropriately or there was errors and missteps. It seems to me that Rumsfeld would  have to be aware of it.

They’re not going to destroy the uniform of their most high-profile soldier who was killed by fratricide without the knowledge of the Secretary of Defense. That’s my opinion.

Dan Patrick: In death do you believe this Administration used your son as a sales tool for war?

Mary Tillman: Absolutely...I definitely think Pat was used, When he was killed I think they saw this as an opportunity.

Mary also revealed that Pat Tillman had turned against the war and at the time of his death believed the war in Iraq was "illegal," which may explain why Pat's diary was destroyed.

For the love of money

By Marc Isenberg

Chicago Bull rookie Tyrus Thomas was fined $10,000 by management for making insensitive remarks about

A) Jews
B) Homosexuals
C) People in Louisiana who talk funny
D) The NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Answer is of course D.

Here's what Thomas said:

"I'm just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day." He added, "I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

Does that qualify as inappropriate?

Bulls GM John Paxson (My absolute favorite Bulls GM in the last 20 years) thinks so.

"This fine is an appropriate response to the remarks Tyrus made concerning his participation in the slam dunk contest. It is a poor reflection on Tyrus individually and a poor reflection on the Bulls organization, and I am certainly disappointed. The league office has chosen Tyrus to participate in one of its All-Star events and that is an honor that should be accepted with humility. I spoke to Tyrus this morning and am confident he understands that he made a mistake with his words and that he also understands the importance of representing the Bulls and the NBA in a positive way."

Using this standard, imagine how much Michael Jordan would have been fined when he originally refused to wear the Reebok sweats at the 1992 Olympics -- and the tongue lashing Jerry Krause would have given. (Actually, imagine silence.)

It is important for players and management to publicly support All Star Weekend, including the dunkfest. That often means speaking in cliches that come directly from The Approved Script for Professional Athletes. In Ty Thomas's case, I don't see anything wrong with declaring that he is motivated to participate by money. Thomas shouldn't have made these comments to the media, but the offense hardly seems worthy of a public scolding and $10,000 fine. Thomas should probably pay it and move on.

NBA Slam Dunk "Contest" or entertainment
This is not a contest, especially since it's judged by celebrities. No one should get that worked up over this, including management, basketball purists, and media. The Slam Dunk Contest is for fans, mostly kids, who want to be entertained. Not that a Slam Dunk Contest is all that entertaining. Dunks we see today are all derivative of something already done by Michael, 'Nique, or Doctor J. Doesn't  matter. We still watch, just like we celebrate Christmas (technically I don't) even after we learn that Santa really doesn't come down the chimney.

© 2007 Marc Isenberg. All rights reserved.

Deconstructing Nick Saban's "off the record" remarks

By Marc Isenberg

Nick Saban made a racially insensitive remark to a reporter. It was far from worst racial comment ever made, but still a stupid comment. I was going to let this pass without comment, until he tried to apologize.

For starters, listen to Saban's remarks.

I think it's a great case study for athletes and others when it comes to dealing with the media, making "off the record" comments, and issuing public apologies. It should be common sense, but let's review.

"Off the record" is dicey
It's generally not smart for high profile people to make insensitive remarks to reporters, even if just to repeat what someone else said, and then assume "off the record" is some kind of legally protected privilege.

"Off the record" is basically used by the media to corroborate a story or to provide background information. The anecdote told by Saban was clearly for entertainment purposes only.

Most athletes and coaches have been well trained to deal with the media. Too well. Show respect, show humility, use eye contact, say little.

Sorry, not sorry excuses
Now that the story (and the audio) is all over the Internet, Saban had to issue an apology. He said the word he used "can be taken as derogatory by some people."

By some people? Visualize a Venn diagram. According to Saban, not all people think "coonass" is derogatory. And these people (including the one who has Saban on speed dial) are qualified to decide what is and what isn't acceptable? Saban is a little slow getting started with his apology. Onward.

Saban continues: "Those comments need to be placed in the proper context, so as to understand the meaning of what was said. The words were used in paraphrasing a story told to me by a friend. I was simply using the same wording used by the person who told me the story."

This is the Brady Bunch defense. It's not me who has the problem, it's my good friend...who happens to be a LSU trustee...who takes time out of his busy schedule to tell the story equating Saban taking the Alabama job to a wife "f&%$#ing" another man. Ironic that the story is about a man who digs ditches.

And finally:

"The term in question is not language that I use or condone, and I can understand how some would take offense. However, I think it must be noted that those comments were made 'off the record' and the words merely reflected an anecdote that was told to me using that language."

So the reporter is at fault for publishing the tapes? Blaming the media is never a good defense.

In my upcoming book, Money Players: A Pro Athlete's Guide to Success in Sports, Business, & Life, I have a chapter that offers advice when it comes to dealing with the media. I asked athletes and journalists to tell short anecdotes. My favorite is from Fred Claire, former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager:

"One time, there was something written about our team which I thought was completely unfair. My first reaction was to respond immediately in order set the record straight. But Walter [O’Malley, then owner of the Dodgers] stopped me. He did not want me to get involved in things which ultimately had no bearing on our team and its performance. His line, which I’ve repeated often, was, 'Don’t argue with people who buy ink by the barrel.' Stay focused on your objectives. Ultimately, you’ll be judged by your accomplishments or lack of accomplishments, but don’t let the media determine your fate."

Saban should just take responsibility, say he's sorry, and be quiet.

(UPDATE: Miami Herald reporter apologizes for sharing recording.)

© 2007 Marc Isenberg. All rights reserved.

Defending Reggie Bush

By Marc Isenberg

A lot has been written about Reggie Bush's alleged violations of NCAA rules. I have no idea what exactly happened, so I am not going to speculate too much. I will say I am not fan of Mike Ornstein, Reggie Bush's marketing agent. I think Ornstein has unnecessarily fueled the fire, both in the media and between the Bush and Michaels/Lake camps. Also, when it comes to "he said, he said" Ornstein has little credibility. Lake and Michaels don't have much credibility either.

Yahoo! has been looking into the Reggie Bush matter for almost a year. Read all about it. The latest allegations involve Reggie Bush on tape supposedly talking about starting a sports agency and implicating himself regarding NCAA violations. Yahooooooo!

Most information uncovered in the latest Yahoo! investigation comes from attorneys representing Lloyd Lake, who recently was released from prison, and Michael Michaels. The Bush tapes were likely made by Michaels or Lake, which would bolster Bush’s attorney David Cornwell's claim that these guys are trying to extort money.

It is illegal in many states, including California, to record a conversation without consent. This bit of information was not mentioned in the Yahoo! article. Many media outlets picked up an AP story, but none mentioned the potentially illegality of the taping.

Thankfully my research department is more expert in these matters. My wife Debbie Spander is a business affairs lawyer at Comedy Cental. When I brought up the latest development in the Bush case, she responded in quotable fashion, stating, "These recordings might be problematic. In the state of California it is not legal to make audio recordings unless all parties have consented."

She cited Crank Yankers, a show that aired on Comedy Central, which ultimately had to move its (crank) call center from California to Arizona, where it is apparently legal to tape unsuspecting targets without their knowledge.

If a tape of Reggie Bush exists as reported it would still likely be inadmissible in court, other than to support an extortion claim or to bring a criminal claim against Michaels or Lake.

But what about the NCAA? The NCAA is reportedly investigating the matter. If it is determined that Reggie Bush violated his amateur status, USC could face possible NCAA sanctions (e.g. forfeit games, repay money). If it is proven that no USC athletic staff member knew what was going on, they should avoid any major NCAA sanctions (e.g. loss of scholarships, postseason eligibility).

Michaels and Lake are likely to talk to the NCAA, but how credible is their testimony? Bush would be probably well advised to not cooperate. If the alleged tape falls into the hands of NCAA investigators, it will be interesting to see how it treats this information.

The NCAA is not a court of law and not subject to due process requirements of the Constitution. Last year the NCAA hired a high-priced lawyer to declare that "NCAA enforcement, hearing, appeals, and waiver and reinstatement proceedings compare favorably with federal, administrative and state court process." The Bush case will be a good test.

© 2007 Marc Isenberg. All rights reserved.

The odds of two African American coaches meeting in the Super Bowl and college championship

By Marc Isenberg

As an MBA grad and co-author of "The Truth about  Gambling," I enjoy examining the odds of pretty much everything...sports, gambling, investing, decision making, and life. Now that the Super Bowl matches two teams coached by African Americans, I started thinking about the odds of this event taking place.

Is this a statistical anomaly or predictable occurrence? Given 6 African American NFL head coaches out of 32 teams (at the start of the 2006 season), the odds of two African American coaches meeting in the Super Bowl were actually better than your favorite team making it. The event of two African American NFL head football coaches meeting again in the Super Bowl is likely to occur for the second time in the next 25 years. So how many years is it probable that two African American college coaches will meet in the national championship game for the first time? Based on today's numbers, this event should occur by 2475 A.D., hopefully a little sooner.

The Probability of Two African American Coaches Meeting in Super Bowl

Number of NFL African American head coaches at start of the 2006 season: 7

NFC
Lovie Smith
Dennis Green (fired)

AFC
Tony Dungy
Herman Edwards
Romeo Crennell
Marvin Lewis
Art Shell (fired)

At present, there are five African American AFC coaches (now that the Steelers hired Mike Timlin) versus only one in the NFC. Wonder if this has anything to do with fact that AFC is comprised mostly of old AFL teams, which was the "upstart" league? Also would be interesting to look at length of ownership and diversity of city to see if there's any correlation.

Chance of one African American head coach in Super Bowl: 21.88%
Chance of two African American head coaches in Super Bowl: 3.9% (Note 1)
Number of years it would take (assuming everything is held constant, including number of teams and number of African American head coaches) to have two black head coaches again: 25.6 years (Note 2)

Given that there are fewer African American coaches at the collegiate level, I thought it would be interesting to make the same calculations.

Number of African American D1-A head coaches: 6
Number of D1-A teams: 119
Chance of one black head coach in D1-A "championship game": 5.04%
Chance of two black head coaches in "championship game": .2136% (Note 3)
Number of years it would take (assuming everything is held constant, including number of D1-A teams and number of African American head coaches) to have two African American head coaches meet in the championship game: 468.2 years! I was taught to use exclamation points sparingly, but in this case it's appropriate!! (Note 4)

As the number of African American college football coaches increases so does the likelihood that two will meet in the championship game in the 21st century.

Calculations
Note 1: Since only one team represents each conference, the calculation is (2/16) * (5/16) or 3.9%.
Note 2: 100/3.9 = 25.6
Note 3: (6/119) * (5/118) = .002136
Note 4: 100/.2136 = 468.2

The big steroid testing bully gets a Stern lecture

With prodding from Congress and the media, owners and league commissioners have pushed for stricter steroid regulations and testing. So the game is on to root out the evil doers. Yes, I do think players bear responsibility for what they put into (or on) their bodies. But that doesn't mean players (even owners and commissioners) should roll over when the drug testing attack dogs bark.

Many people think players associations have moved slowly on the issue, which I think is an unfair criticism. Players associations are, in fact, working to eliminate steroid use and, at the same time, preserve athletes’ privacy and prevent owners from using drug testing as a weapon against players.

The media and Congress have built strong cases against athletes often without all the facts. Notable examples: the positive A sample of Marion Jones and the leaked grand jury testimony in the BALCO case.

Dick Pound, as head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has used his power to severely criticize professional and amateur governing bodies for being lax when it comes to drug testing. The solution, of course, is simple: hire WADA to administer the drug testing programs.

I am against athletes using steroids, both from a competitive standpoint and for health reasons. But the question is, how do we approach the problem in a sensible, fair way?

For starters, listen to NBA commissioner David Stern. Said Stern,"[WADA] is actually getting harder to take seriously. Whenever an organization which purports to be even-handed and fair announces that a 'B' sample isn't necessary, then they lose an enormous amount of respect."

Stern continued, "We have these very intense procedures we deal with our players on, and we throw them out if they fail the tests. But we also have a number of processes in place to protect them."

Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins said it best in 2004:

"That phony careerist and human necktie Dick Pound should promptly remove himself from public life and quit trying to enlarge his reputation by wrecking the reputations of others."

Two years later that's still wishful thinking.

Westcoast Sports Associates honors Hank Aaron

The 11th Annual Westcoast Sports Associates Roy Firestone Award Gala was held Monday. This year's honoree was Hank Aaron. WSA raises money for inner-city youth sports programs.

We couldn't have asked for a better honoree than Hank Aaron, MLB's all-time home run king. As President Bill Clinton wrote in a letter, "This tribute is a fitting recognition not only of your extraordinary career achievements, but also your strong and generous spirit...From your championing of civil rights to your championing of underprivileged children...you have provided us all with a shining example of triumphing over adversity; of both doing well and doing good."

Debbie Spander, my fiance, is a WSA board member and also serves as Gala chair. It was a phenomenal effort by everyone involved, but Debbie, as always, did an amazing job. I could mention 20 others who also make this event what it is. We are very fortunate to have Roy Firestone's involvement. He doesn't just show up to MC the dinner. although we'd be grateful if he did just that. He comes to every board meeting. He helps direct the funds WSA distributes. He gets the honorees. And he gets the majority of the memorabilia we auction donated.

Past honorees include John Wooden, Wayne Gretzky, Cal Ripken, Arnold Palmer, and Steve Young. This year, we took the event to new heights, netting over $200,000.

The event's hallmark is Roy Firestone's "upclose" interview with the honoree. Hank Aaron has great insights into baseball, race, and society. However, Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank's record and so steroids is on everyone's mind. But Hank, showing great class, simply won't comment directly. In front of 450 people at the dinner, Aaron said, "Everybody is innocent until they are proven guilty. We can all talk, but until something is proven, hard evidence, I don't want to weigh in on the matter. I just want to leave it at that."

This response didn't satisfy one person in the audience, who stood up, was handed a microphone, and picked up where Hank left off. Reggie Jackson (a classic "pardon the interruption") did a masterful job not only honoring Hank Aaron, but also making the case that Hank's record should not be broken by anyone who cheated.

Earlier in the day, Hank said a bit more on the subject:

But here's the problem we now have: You got a player dressing beside me, hitting 55-60 home runs, and you think you've got almost the same ability as he has other than what he's taken, but you don't take anything. And you say, 'Man, I wonder if I take the same thing, would I hit 60-70 home runs?'

While the steroid issue gets the most media coverage, the night was really about honoring Hank Aaron and Westcoast Sports Associates raising money for an incredibly worthwhile cause: youth sports in Southern California.