Category: E. SPORTS COMMENTARY

SOME OLD, SOME OLDER

On By ethomasparhamIn E. SPORTS COMMENTARY, HUMOR/ ODDS AND ENDSLeave a comment

JUSTIFIED’S Raylan: “It is hard to imagine the wonderful things that might happen if you can plant the seeds of distrust among a garden of assholes.”

Winston Churchill: “When you are going through hell, keep going.”

“The secret to management is to keep the guys who hate you from the undecided.” Casey Stengel.

One golfer said another was even tempered on the golf course: “He was an asshole the whole round.”

•Tom Brokaw concluded: “For parents, bribery is a white collar crime. For grandparents, it’s a business plan.” 

At a recent post-golfing social event, I overheard one wife chastise another. “Alice, you’ve got the wrong name tag on.” Alice: “… I’m much too drunk to wear my own name tag.”

JAMES ALLEN ROSE
•A local high school running back was extremely quick and agile. A zig-zagging touchdown kickoff return brought this comment from an admiring hoi toiler coach: “My lord Son, you run ‘er like a hard crab”.

Unrelated favorites:
1. Women and cats will do as they wish. Men and dogs should get used to this fact.
2. The game film looks suspiciously like the game. Coach Bum Phillips
3. On Coach Landry of the Dallas Cowboys: “Does the coach ever smile? Player (Walt
Garrison) “I don’t know, I’ve only been here three years”.

t know, I’ve only been here three years”.
4. “…if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?”
Response: “Living—-you think I am stupid?” From Jim Hightower.
5. Eulogy at “Curly’s funeral. “God, we give you Curly. Don’t piss him off!”
From “City Slickers 2”.
6. From Coach Darrell Royal
A: …faster than small town gossip”.
B…”I had hoped God would be neutral”.
C ”You are “what-iffing”. Anybody can “what- if”.
7. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. W.B Yeats.

8. Every harlot was a virgin once. W. Blake
9. Courage is fear, holding on a minute longer. G. Patton
10. Buy the ticket, take the ride. Hunter Thompson
11. Don’t go around thinking the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. M. Twain
12. If today was a fish, I’d throw it back in.
13. Jesus was a Jew, yes, but only on his mother’s side. Stanley Ralph Ross.
14. It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead for the rest of your life. Irish Proverb.
15. Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion. Muhammad Ali
16. Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.
7. He that hath no children brings them up well.
18. A good scare is better than good advice.
19. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
20. For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off. Johnny Carson
21. Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice doggie” until you can find a rock. Will Rogers. •22. One Father is worth more than a hundred schoolmasters. George Herbert
23. Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. Plato
24.”…he that is without sin…Pick some up”. Barry Saunders
25. “I graduated with a 4.0, but it was my blood alcohol level.” James Carville.
26. “I cussed him out in Spanish, and he threw me out in English”. Lou Pinella, on being
thrown out of a game by umpire Armando Rodriguez.
27. “I can’t believe that out of 100,000 sperm, you were the quickest. Steven Pearl.
28. “All pro athletes are bilingual. They speak English and profanity.” Gordie Howe
29. “Thank you from the heart of my bottom”. Nick Faldo.
30. “I’ve been around since “Preparation A”. Jack McKeon
31. “Think you are a leader? Turn around and look back: if no one is following, you are just taking a walk.”
32. “It’s hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your ass out all day long”. Vince Gill in drag (You Tube)
33. I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. Mae West
34. I’ve been in more laps than a napkin. Mae West
35. I have a rock garden. Last week three of them died. Richard Diran •

COMEDIC HISTORY

COMEDIC HISTORY

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTLESS

On By ethomasparhamIn E. SPORTS COMMENTARY1 Comment

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTLESS

I chose the history of football for my first term paper topic.  Early 1950’s. 

FOOTBALL by Chuck Klosterman (2026 ) is available.  He adds a lot to “kicking the head of the Dane.”

 Mr. Klosterman’s work is unique, well written, thorough, and entertaining.  And frightening. 

He covers sports history, great players and coaches, teams, and fans.

He covers controversial topics (CTE and injury, Gambling, NIL and PORTAL dangers, Salary,  owners, TV limits. Plus others. ) 

Here are some samples:

 HIS GOAL ( page 11 )

*“This is an expository obituary, published before the subject has died, delivered by someone who wants to explain why the victim mattered so much to so many, despite so much evidence to the contrary.”

 On the future of football:  People will always need to watch football.

*“This,  I must concede is true—if the scenario I described were happening today.  But it is not happening today.   It is something that will happen in the future, to different people, and those future people will not be like you.  They will live in a version of society where football stops and no one  cares.  And that is inevitably why I wrote this book.”

NOTE–Klosterman describes this “future scenario” in detail, later in the chapter entitled NUCLEAR  FOOTBALL.

CHILDHOOD ( page 57)

*“ In the summer after fifth grade, I spent a lot of time imagining me and my friends playing football and winning championships. These daydreams were not just mental visions”

Deja Vu. *My small high school played 6 man football.  Mr. Klosterman comments on this 

wide open variation of a game that was fun.  ( Page 77 )

“But 6-man is its own animal, too arcane to be seen as the bastardized version of anything else. It’s structured bedlam with jankier rules….

EDUCATION/TEACHERS (page 120 )

**Here’s what I mean;Let’s say the salary of every public school teacher was tripled over night. A third grade teacher making $45,000.00 a year on Monday is now making $135,000.00 on Tuesday. In the short term, that change would  make little  difference in how well third graders are educated. A teacher doesn’t become a different person just because their paycheck changes. But the long-term impact this would have on education would be seismic. The realization that becoming a public school teacher was now a six-figure profession would change the type of person who decides to pursue teaching as a vocation.

*Every member of society would live a life conditioned to believe that becoming a public school teacher was a rarefied human experience, reserved for the elite and worth whatever sacrifice was necessary in exchange.”

*Triple the average U.S. teaching salary and the public education system is reinvented within ten or twenty years.”

CANADIAN FOOTBALL  (page 208,209 )  

*“ I Love the people of Canada.  They are self-deprecating, well informed, and open to drinking in the afternoon.”  See Joke by Donald Sutherland.

2040 -THE FUTURE (page 246-249)

  • “ College football becomes  a less interesting version of pro football, nothing more than a feeder system for the NFL. That’s the part that is visible.  The invisible part is the corrosion of football participation at the high school level.” 

*So this is how the future will go….

For the next 5-15 years, football becomes eleven more dominant than it is right now. This, incongruously, results from the mismanagement of college football.  ( i.e. the Portal /NIL impact).


*Football is now an exclusively professional pursuit, watched and supported by millions of fans who have no personal relationship to the game itself.The sport has progressed to its social and economic end point. This is where the plane hits the mountain.

Economic escalation has made pro sports fragile.

The NFL’s total revenue hit one billion dollars for the first time in 1988. By 2065 the number will be two hundred billion, and the face value for a ticket will exceed $3000.00 .

*For more than a hundred years the NFL only got bigger and richer.  It was designed only for imperial expansion, which is the only thing it did.  But now it has to somehow get smaller, and that is something it cannot do..

  • “Somewhere in the middle of the current century there will be a panoramic realization about TV advertising.  The realization will be this : It doesn’t work, at least compared to what it costs.”
  • ”…and when it happens the reaction will be startling, unsuspected indifference.” “ ` ` ` ` `***********************************

This is a timely book.  

BOYS VOLLEYBALL IN NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOLS

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This announcement from THE NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION :

Boys’ volleyball, like girls’ flag football, is rapidly increasing in popularity in some parts of the state. The board voted 10-7 to add the sport in the spring of 2027. Tyson said Queen’s University in Charlotte has been reserved by the N.C. Volleyball Coaches Association to host a championship with proceeds benefitting the NCHSAA.

Ten years ago, there were four boys teams playing, according to Sarah Conklin, the Weddington High club coach and a longtime organizer of the sport in North Carolina. Today, there are more than 120 schools playing, or about a quarter of the NCHSAA’s membership.

Last year, 36 states sanctioned boys’ volleyball, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the NFHS reports that participation in the sport has grown — from 43,000 athletes nationally in 2005-06 to nearly 96,000 in the 2024-25 school year.

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Great Decision

Statement from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regarding the State of College Athletics, Recent Program Eliminations, & International Student-Athletes

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTION, D. INTERNATIONALS, E. SPORTS COMMENTARYLeave a comment


This is the link to the ITA  Statement

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MWiaejUXfubelwdH2JQD4bzwSrVJ3_MxWhQq8Qa-OWM/edit?tab=t.0

Author’s comments on specific points are in RED

One topic that has received increased attention is the role of international student-athletes in college tennis. This is a complex matter and requires more nuanced public discourse.

This is not a new problem, nor is it limited to tennis.

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There are presently approximately 20,000 college tennis student-athletes. It should be noted that without international student-athletes, many programs would struggle to field full rosters. Efforts to limit their participation risk undermining competitiveness, reducing institutional revenue, and ultimately threatening the viability of programs themselves. This is not a hypothetical concern; this is playing out in real time. Recent developments in Idaho, for example, underscore these broader concerns. Athletic directors and coaches across the state strongly opposed proposed legislation (ID S1357) that would have capped international student-athlete scholarships at 10%. Ultimately, the legislation did not pass, but it highlighted how policy decisions can directly threaten the viability of college tennis programs. Efforts to cap international student athlete participation in any U.S. college sport may also run afoul of existing federal and state laws and regulations, risking increased litigation and costs. 

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THE HEART OF THE MATTER: SCHOLARSHIPS  FOR AMERICANS

Is it illegal or unreasonable to award a percentage of scholarships to our youngsters first?

The issue has never been litigated: (  “…may run afoul” and “…risking litigation” ) 

For 50 plus years any allotment or quota that saved scholarships was dismissed by a lawsuit feared;  a threat based on “ discrimination based on national origin. “ 

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Age disparities, particularly cases involving significantly older incoming international student-athletes, have drawn understandable review. The NCAA is expected to address eligibility rules in the near future, and moving forward, there must be a fair and consistent framework in which all student-athletes, both domestic and international, compete on equal footing.

The age issue is another variable that hampers our kids in no small way.  It will soon dawn on other global sports, most significantly Basketball, they are also in the crosshairs.  

******************** 

For those who care about the future of college tennis, there is also a role to play. Supporting local programs through attendance, advocacy, and financial contributions helps ensure these opportunities remain available for future generations. Sustained visibility and investment are critical to the long-term health of our sport.

These variables are directly related to American children., parents and taxpayers–the very people excluded.  

Isn’t it about time some of our organizations screw up their courage and use their time, money and efforts to make these facts available to American 

parents and players.  CHANGE THE TERMS AND RE-TRY THE ISSUE!

***************************

Mr. Rudy Washington, Editor-in-Chief The BCA Journal (BLACK COACHES ASSOCIATION)
P. O. Box 4040
Culver City, CA 90231-4040
Dear M.r Washington:
I’ve coached college tennis for 30-plus years and I have been dismayed by the preponderance of international players who have usurped many tennis scholarships from American youngsters.
There seems to be a trend toward this in basketball. Has the BCA addressed the danger to American student athletes this poses, in particular college basketball. Should there be a limit to this?
If your Journal has addressed this issue, please let me know. It seems basketball is a game that this should concern.
ETP:1h
Sincerely,
Tom Parham
Men’s Tennis Coach
March 9, 1998

“…you gotta know when to fold em. “

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTION, D. INTERNATIONALS, E. SPORTS COMMENTARYLeave a comment

Last week more colleges and universities announced dropping varsity tennis teams than anytime in memory.  Several reasons were:

  1. Expense    2. Title IX   3. The new rules (Portal/NIL )   4. Non Revenue, etc. 

Years back I realized this–

“I wonder how many Athletic Directors silently came to a conclusion similar to this? 1. All sports are counted in the standings for our ‘Conference Cup’? 2. We are in a conference with mostly good tennis teams with all foreign  players.  And we give the 8 girls and 4 and 1/2 boys grants to internationals. 3. I can find a better place for that size of budget.

Like a lot of sports, many tennis teams  dominate winning to the DYNASTY level. Those programs become the model.  

Many conference members have followed this path to the point that almost all the members of most conferences feature 90% of scholarships going to international players. 

Some hard facts emerge:

  1.  If all members do this, only one team wins.  Often the same teams win repeatedly.
  2.  It is like a poker game where you always ante up but never win. 

This may be OK for bragging rights and egos of the oil barons and tech billionaires, but last week several “folded”.

FINALLY

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTION, D. INTERNATIONALS, E. SPORTS COMMENTARYLeave a comment

FINALLY 

The link below recognizes the  issue International  player’s dominance of American college tennis:

https://www.ncaascholarshipguide.com/blog/ncaa-tennis-scholarships-for-international-vs-u-s-recruits

****************

This week also featured similar observations issued from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

( 90% of players are international, i.e. scholarship recipients’)

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EARLIER

A “SCORE ” Agenda Item

******************

What Coaches Are Doing (Tennis-Specific)

Recruiting shift:

  • Less emphasis on high school recruiting
  • More focus on:
    • Experienced transfers
    • “Plug-and-play” singles players

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2024

Earlier I have described how fast international tennis players thoroughly dominated American college tennis rosters .

” My involvement in this tsunami was as a small college Men’s tennis coach. It was tricky in 1970 and it is in 2024.

The NAIA was the first to eliminate quotas.  The coaches repealed the One International eligible for NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP play rule.   

Coach Jim Verdick of Redlands University warned  “…soon some Texas school, with all Mexican pros, will win every year.” He was wrong.  The next year Mercyhurst College  (Pennsylvania ) won featuring  six of six players from Finland won.   The paste was out of the tube. ” (See NEXT PLEASE -www.tomparham.wordpress.com )

Subsequently I tried to make the American basketball world aware of this scenario being repeated in our other sports that had international players. Men and women. That began 55 years ago.

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Once I questioned my own persistence to a respected professional. His adamant response was “… worth the effort? You’re damn right it is worth it. It’s our children. Child advocacy !”

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THERE ARE ONLY TWO MAJOR WAYS TO RECOUP PARENTAL/FAMILY INVESTMENT: 1. PRO TENNIS (IN NC ONLY ISNER, WILKISON, AND SADRI MADE ANY LIFETIME $) AND 2. COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS. THE RISING COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION MAKES SCHOLARSHIPS MORE VALUABLE AND MORE APT TO AFFECT THE CHOICE OF SCHOOL AND SPORT TO PURSUE.

******************

Technology makes research easier.  Embedded below is a “jackleg “ effort I made —studying the top college teams in 2025.   Bottom line:  All divisions (NCAA 1, 11, NAIA, JUCOS, men and women averaged about 90% of starters.  And most probably “scholarshipped “ players.  Only NCAA 111 (non- scholarship ) and NCAA 1 women were less than 90%.

!!!!! This has not been properly emphasized–What matters is scholarships.  The starters get the money and they are 90% international.