Some light reading for a Sunday morning

Here are a few non-law related articles I've come across recently that I found quite interesting...

First, you've heard at least one of your relatives, classmates or co-workers comment that all Asian people look alike. If we take a look at how well people can identify folks of different races or ethnic groups, there is more than a little truth in the statement. We know, for instance, that a white witness is less likely to pick the differences out among a lineup of black or Latino males than a bunch of white guys.

In  preparing for their World Cup opener, the South Korean team tried an experiment to see just how well white folk (Swedes, for instance) could tell the difference among Korean soccer players by switching numbers in their World Cup warm-up games.

Back when I was in high school, ESPN was still undergoing birthing pains. If you watched the channel's update in the morning to see what was on during the rest of the day you could feel their pain, too. From tractor pulls to Aussie Rules Football to lumberjack contests and everything in between -- except for live sporting events from the NFL, NBA, MLB or NCAA.

Back in the early 80's I was a big boxing fan. ESPN teamed up with the ever-corrupt Top Rank, Inc. (headed by Bob Arum - who only looked honest when sitting next to his main competitor, Don King). They put together a live weekly boxing show called Top Rank Boxing that featured a bunch of up-and-comers and soup cans. One of the most popular fighters was a New Jersey middleweight names Bobby Czyz. His career didn't quite work out as expected. Here is the story of how boxing chews up and spits out fighters.

I'm no Aggie, but I'll be one of the first to admit that Johnny Football was one hell of a college quarterback. I still remember sitting on my brother's sofa that Saturday afternoon when A&M dealt a beatdown to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Damn, could that kid ball.

Unfortunately, being coddled all his life because of his talent didn't do Johnny Manziel any favors in the maturity department. His career in the NFL never got off the ground because he couldn't stay out of trouble - and without a silver-haired coach or big money boosters to shield him, his foibles played out on ESPN and TMZ on a regular basis. I think his decision to leave college early was one of the worst decisions he could have made -- he needed some more time to mature before going off on his own.

Johnny Football hit rock bottom and now he's trying to climb out of the hole he dug one step at a time. Here's a look at his most recent comeback. And, just as I wanted Vince Young to return to the big stage, I hope Johnny makes a return one day. Kids with that much talent deserve a shot.

The Olympic boondoggle

If you have any delusions that the use of public money to build stadiums or host sporting events provides an economic benefit to a city or country, please take a couple of minutes to read these articles about the burning dumpster fire that is Rio de Janeiro and the Summer Olympics.

"Rio de Janeiro governor declares state of financial emergency ahead of Olympics" The Guardian (6/17/16)

"As the Olympics near. Brazil and Rio let the bad times roll," New York Times (6/25/16)

"Rio visitors greeted with 'Welcome to Hell' banner," Yahoo Sports (6/28/16)

The only folks who claim that hosting these types of events and building fancy new playgrounds for fat cat owners are the owners themselves, the organizers of the games, league officials and every local politician who has his or her hand in the fire.

As I have stated before, if these really were money-making propositions, there would be no shortage of investors willing to pony up the bucks to make them happen. The very fact that state and local governments end up picking up the tab for these expenses tells you all you need to know about whether or not they are economic engines.

At least he's our so-and-so

Maybe the line is just apocryphal, but supposedly President Franklin D. Roosevelt once remarked regarding (a) Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza, (b) Spanish dictator Francisco Franco or (c) Dominican strongman Rafael Trujillo that although he was a son of a bitch, at least he was "our son of a bitch."

That same sentiment remains today when talking about sports figures. Barry Bonds was the most despised baseball player when he was chasing Mark McGwire's (tainted) single-season home run mark and Hank Aaron's career mark. That is, unless you were one of the fans sitting in Telephone Company ballpark watching him launch balls into McCovey Cove.

Terrell Owens is a cancer in the locker room who tears teams apart with his pettiness -- unless he happens to be wearing the colors of your favorite team. Donte Stallworth and Leonard Little are responsible for the deaths of others as a result of their drinking.

The list goes on and on of athletes who have done things that they shouldn't have -- from the ridiculous to the criminal. But in most cases, even though they are scorned by the public at large for their (mis)deeds, they are beloved by the hometown fans. Character matters, well, so long as the team is winning.

Add Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans to the list. After it was announced this week that Mr. Cushing would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for testing positive for a steroid masking agent (the same female fertility drug that got Manny Ramirez suspended for 50 games last season), fans on local talk radio gushed over his performance on the field. And when the AP announced that it would hold a new vote on the 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award won by Mr. Cushing, Texans' fans and radio personalities had their panties in a wad.

Brian Cushing may have been a cheat, but at least he was "our cheat."

And the same may be said about the roster of confidential informants used by the police. Each and everyone of them has broken the law at some point (a multitude of times, usually) but now they ply their trade for the men in blue. Sure, they may be a bunch of criminals, but at least they're "our criminals."