Soraya Mathias Blog

College football is by far one of the most watched sports in the nation. And it brings the current students and past alumni of institutions together, cheering on their team front and center in the stands or in the comfort of their homes and local bars. Sports fanatics stand behind their teams through wins and losses. But there is a point when the actions of those who run the teams stem far beyond what happens on the gridiron.

Legendary Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno’s era has finally come to an end. And it came just shy of his retirement. On Wednesday, the Board of Trustees at the university fired 84 year old coach for his knowledge of his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexual abusing young males.

His response to not saying anything about this despicable act:

“I Wish I Had Done More”

You think Joe? With all this power that Joe Paterno had at that school, couldn’t he have spoken up and said something? If he had of let his moral instincts kick in and exposed that coach for the true pervert he was, that man would gotten caught a long time ago. But for the sake of the program, he remained silent. And his unspoken words have potentially scarred the lives of these young men.

To no surprise, not everybody felt that the dismissal of JoePa was necessary.

Turning on the television this morning and what did you see? Hundreds of students with picket signs reading “We Love Joe” and “Please Don’t Go Joe”. Broken car windows and raging emotions were the result of the gathering, the want for Paterno to stay and finish out his last games with the Nittany Lions.

I understand the love of winning but I hope that these students see the severity of what is going on here. Paterno didn’t get fired for something petty. We are talking about a man who knew that a member of his coaching staff was molesting innocent young boys, engaging in sexual acts with them. That is a criminal act, one in which was brushed off for several years too many.

Words have been spoken and some of them I can’t even believe people let leave their mouths. One comment in particular was to the tune of football being to blame for this all taking place.

So tell me, what the hell does this pervert’s actions have to do with the game of football?

“Man, you have got to be kidding me. All of these people are walking around here talking about all the great things that JoePa did while he was at Penn State but they are saying little about the fact that he knew this BS was going on and didn’t bother to say anything at all about it. But the point is that it has nothing to do with the game of football, period”

-Bryan S.
Age: 31
Marion, SC

“Joe Paterno ought to be ashamed of himself. How could you look in the mirror everyday and call yourself a man of morals having the knowledge of this situation? There is no way that I would know something like this was going on within my program and not do anything about it. And I'm sure other people on his staff knew about what was going on too and they should be held just as responsible”

-Janaya L.
Age: 21
Port Arthur, TX

“I’m not surprised at all that people are speaking more about JoePa’s accomplishments than about the fact that he literally turned his back on a group of innocent children. That's how some college programs roll, rant and rave about the good and try to conceal the bad. It’s funny to me how Michael Vick is still being dragged threw the mud for his knowledge of dog fighting taking place on his property, which he served time in jail for but didn’t JoePa turn his back on eight kids who are getting sexually abused by one of his coaches? And all we can talk about his how great of a coach he was. Help me understand this please”

-Marcus W.
Age: 19
Jackson, MS

“Imagine if one of those boys was your child. How would you feel about JoePa then? Would you be parading around, talking about this man’s 409 wins? I don’t think you would. I know the parents of these boys are so hurt by what has happened to their children. I don’t know how I would be able to handle that. And to those who say that football itself is to blame, give me a reason why because I don't see one”

-Ashlee D.
Age: 28
Brooklyn, NY

"I played football all through high school and college. And I'm here to say that people can not blame a sport for someone doing something like this. Sandusky has his own personal issues and unfortunately they are a reflection of the athletic program that he was associated with. So to bash football as a whole to me is wrong. But to fire Joe Paterno was the right thing to do"

-Marshall R.
Age: 32
Miami, FL

ANYBODY, and I do mean ANYBODY, can commit a demoralizing, despicable act like that so let’s not blame this on the sport itself because it has absolutely nothing to do with that.

It’s not about the power of the pigskin so let’s not go bashing other football programs for the shortcomings of another. It’s about the pervert who committed these acts that is the culprit in this situation and those who knew about it, along with a huge lack of moral responsibility to top it all off. Most importantly, it’s about the children. It’s about what they are suffering from, physically, mentally and emotionally.

So will Penn State ever live this down? Probably.

Will Michael Vick ever live what he did down? Probably Not.

Marinate on that…

After a series that appeared to be leaning in their favor, the Miami Heat played their last game of the post season on Sunday, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 105-95. The outcome was quite a shocker as all bets seemed to be on the Heat before the two teams even touched the court. But Dirk and company were on a mission, clawing back from being down 2-1 early on and giving Miami’s Big Three some very intense competition. Not only did Dallas win the series but they did it on the Heat’s stomping ground, in front of thousands of their ride-or-die and “new found” fans. People acted amazed by what went down but I'm not too sure why though.

Did we forget that Dirk Nowitzki never won a ring either? Why wouldn’t he be just as hungry as LeBron and C Bosh? Let’s not also forget that this is the very first franchise championship that the Mavs have ever won…period. This put a huge smile on Mark Cuban’s face I’m sure. Dallas had already proven that they were a group of true competitors by making it to the Finals so why would anyone think that they would lay down and die when they had made it that far?

Now of course you could hear the cheers across the world from the Cleveland Cavaliers fans who have been despising LeBron since he left their franchise and rooting against him to get a ring. Even though he still remains ring-less after this playoff season, James still appears to be very positive about how things turned out, despite his display of disappointment after the final game came to an end. And after admitting that he had a lot of work to do, he still caught backlash for…being confident?!?

He still has faith in himself and his team. Where’s the problem with that? And all this talk about how he thinks he is “superior” to everyone else? Hell, even if he did truly feel that way, would he honestly be the first pro athlete to feel that way about themselves? I mean really people. Enough LeBron talk because that could go on for days. Now back to the matter at hand folks.

Do destined dynasties really ever live up to their full potential? Is there always a ring on the way for a team who has massive amounts of talent throughout their roster?

Well, let’s see…

The “Bad Boys” of Detroit did it years back and the Laker dynasties of the past and present have done it too. So to say that a team full of superstars can’t get the job done is far from the truth. The Miami Heat and the New York Knicks have put together elite squads this past season that have the potential to reach that goal of snaggin’ an NBA championship so no worries to LeBron, Carmelo, Amar’e, D Rose or any other superstar who is chasin’ the ring. The teams that they are on have the fire power and the ability to be champions. After all, they weren’t at home watching the playoffs; they were apart of it so that says something right there. But as far as when they will get to do so, only time will tell when and where that will all take place.

Playing a sport on the professional level has its obvious perks as we all know. But with anything that involves these great benefits, also comes with some trying times for these athletes as well. Fortunately, these players are able to shake off the various distractions and nervousness that comes along with playing amongst the elite. And one would think that after playing in front of millions of fans in sold out arenas on a regular basis that there is nothing that would make a star football player overly nervous.

Recent Dancing With The Stars winner Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers revealed to viewers that he was rather uncomfortable about showcasing his dancing skills on national television and had always had some reservations about hitting the floor:

“It felt amazing. For me, when I signed up for Dancing with the Stars, I never danced in my whole life. I was so scared. I was so scared, I didn't even go to my prom. I had a big fear of dancing and it was exciting,”

Crazy hearing an NFL football player saying this huh? I mean they are notorious for hyping up the crowd and teammates alike with animated end zone dancing, something that continues to be a popular thing for them to do as their way of celebrating a touchdown. But for Ward, he never truly broke out of his shell until he appeared on the ABC hit show.

His initial jitters must have died down quickly as he not only advanced far into the competition but was in fact the last man standing. Just as he does his Super Bowl MVP trophy, Ward is treating this award from the show with just as much importance as he plans on placing them right next to each other in his home. He also plans on taking what he learned from his time on the show and taking it to the gridiron, joking about creating an end zone dance of his own:

“I'm going to use some of my dance moves. If I happen to get a touchdown, you'll see a little tribute to Kym -- a little cha cha in the end zone,”

Who would have known that a Super Bowl champ had a fear of throwin' down.

Dancing With The Stars has seen the fancy foot work of many other NFL talents like Chad Ochocinco, Emmitt Smith and Warren Sapp.

By: Taren Vaughan

Winning the Heisman trophy is the dream of college football players all across the country. To them, it is the equivalent of an NFL Super Bowl ring, an accomplishment that will always be held dear to their hearts and their respective universities. This year, the player who got to take the “stiff arm” home with him was none other than Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. As he was favored by a landslide over Andrew Luck, LaMichael James and Kellen Moore, Newton getting the Heisman was centered on a lot of joy, as his family celebrated one of the most memorable moments of his life. But the joyous event was somewhat overshadowed by some controversy that recently arose concerning some “illegal play” off the field.

The situation is very reminiscent of Reggie Bush’s a few months ago. Only difference is that Papa Newton was the one who was doing wrong. Auburn’s star quarterback’s father, Cecil “Huggy Bear” Newton, was a ringleader in some money schemes behind his son’s name throughout his football career. The question now remains is whether or not Cam Newton knew about his father's actions. No solid evidence has been brought forth that proves that he was aware of what took place. But the way some poll voters were acting, you would have thought they had some inside info that the rest of the world was unaware of.

Simply based off accusations, a number of voters, 105 to be exact, chose to leave Cam Newton off of their ballots. Funny how being accused of something can have fans turning their backs on you at the drop of a hat huh? I could have sworn voting for the Heisman was based on player performance on the field and not on pending accusations that were made against them. Hmm, I must have missed that part of the voting process. Regardless of what conclusions people have drawn concerning the Cam Newton situation, he has made it clear that he is innocent.

On this Sunday’s episode of The NFL Today, Newton was questioned about whether or not he was guilty of participating or having knowledge of any rule breaking activity going on concerning his family. And his response was pretty much what we all expected him to say. Not only did he say that he was not guilty, he also said that his trophy would be making its way back to College Park, Georgia and to Auburn. Newton is standing firm behind his word that he has done nothing wrong and that his Heisman will remain in his possession.

Hope you’re right Cam.

If you recall, Reggie Bush gave his Heisman trophy back after accusations began to surface about him accepting gifts while he was at USC. Guess he figured he should give it up seeing as though so many people thought him to be guilty anyway. Still not agreeing with that move right there. But hey, when you have millions of people pointing the finger at you and writing you off even before you are officially proven guilty, what’s a man to do?

Cam Newton was an outstanding player for Auburn. And like Bush, he will always be remembered for what he did on the gridiron. But if these accusations against him are revealed to be true, get ready to cough up the “stiff arm” Cam.

By: Taren Vaughan

By: Taren Vaughan

With the NFL cracking down on quite a few things when it comes to their players and how they are behaving both on and off the field, a number of people’s pockets are starting to feel the hurt. And Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison just happens to be one of those people. The linebacker recently got fined $25,000 for a roughing-the-passer penalty in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. This made the fourth hit that cost Harrison a sizeable chunk out of his paycheck. Of course, Harrison wasn’t too thrilled about losing his money. But apparently his recent loss has led his coach to take up for him on the matter.

Mike Tomlin on Harrison’s fine:

“He’s got two kids. That’s some serious college schooling right there potentially for those kids 16, 18 years from now.”

Come on now, let’s be serious here people. Like this man is the only NFL player that has kids to send off to college because he most definitely is not. Most importantly, the amount of money that he got fined for is equivalent to some people’s yearly salaries. So why are we supposed to get all up in arms about this again?

No disrespect to Coach Tomlin at all, as most of us applaud his exceptional accomplishments as the Steelers head coach. But I’m not so sure how many people actually feel the same amount of sympathy for Harrison as he appears to have. Sorry, but most of us out here are not pulling in million dollar salaries and are still finding ways to send children off to college.

$25,000 is no chump change for anyone, whether you are throwing a football in front of thousands of fans or not. And as of now, James Harrison has racked up approximately $125,000 worth of fines for the season. Harrison may not be a “dirty player”, as Tomlin said Harrison felt he was being portrayed as. But at this rate, he will be a broke one if he doesn’t get it together.

By: Taren Vaughan

Losing your starting position to a rookie can be a tough pill to swallow. But you have to be the bigger person and simply take it for what it is. However, for Vince Young, his way of dealing with becoming second string was to throw a pure, needless to say, b**** fit.

The Tennessee Titans’ QB reportedly stormed off of the field during Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins as a result of not returning to the game. Now it wasn’t just enough for Young to simply walk off the field. Nope. He had to let the whole world know just how mad he was by adding some extra dramatics to his exit, tossing his pads into the stands. Was all that really needed though Vince?

Many may have thought that Young losing his starting spot was related to the thumb injury that he received late in the second half during the Titans’ loss against the Redskins. But with the way he behaved, even with a healthy thumb, Vince Young may be riding the bench for much longer than he expected.

Coach Jeff Fisher on Young’s angry outburst:

“Clearly, that is no way to respond, so we have some things we have to sort out with him. He may need surgery, and if that's the case, he is done for the year. If that's the case, Rusty is our guy.”

Fisher also said that he was unaware that Young even wanted to go back into the game. So remind me again why Vince Young showed his ass? Sometimes I think these pro players forget who runs the team. It’s the guys with the headsets on better known as the coaching staff. The next time Vince Young feels the need to let his anger out, he may want to think about doing it behind closed doors. Nothing’s worse than a public tantrum for all to see.

By: Taren Vaughan

While many have given Kobe Bryant the title as one of the greatest NBA basketball players ever, that comment would be of no real validity without the input of a certain someone.

It’s not Air Jordan this time folks. But “Sir Charles” has spoken on the Black Mamba’s untouchable skills on the basketball court. And if you know anything about Charles Barkley, you should know that he is not afraid to speak his mind about a player. During a recent airing of TNT’s “Inside the NBA”, Barkley coined Bryant as not only a great player in general, but the ultimate cream of the crop.

Barkley’s comments to Kenny Smith on Kobe:

Barkley: "Remember last week that I said that Kobe Bryant was one of the 10 greatest NBA players ever. I want to change that"

Smith: "To what?"

Barkley: "He's one of the five greatest ever"

Well there you have it. Yet another former NBA superstar has crowned Kobe Bryant as one of the greats. Now as Sir Charles doesn't speak for everyone of course, but his comments are far from, as he would put it, "turrible". So far this season, the Laker star has managed to average over 26 points per game already with NBA basketball not even in full swing yet. Love him or hate him, this man has some serious talent.

Former NBA star looks to bring pro football back to Los Angeles.

By: Taren Vaughan

Nowadays, it’s simply not enough for professional athletes to just merely dribble a basketball or throw a football. Aside from the numerous endorsement deals that many of them get, these already millionaires are not satisfied with just one source of income. They are now searching for multiple ways to make their bank accounts increase. From launching rap and acting careers to opening up their own restaurants, many have tried to claim the status of notable businessmen. But only a handful of them have found lasting success in it. And in this bunch lies one former NBA star that has made his mark not only on the court but in the business world as well. And it’s not Air Jordan by the way.

NBA commentator and HIV activist Magic Johnson has managed to take the business world by storm and is continuing to take on new ventures as we speak. From movie theaters to restaurants, Mr. Johnson has tried his hand at a number of different things. And so far he has seemed to have the “Magic” touch.

Take Magic Johnson Enterprises for example. The company was started by the former NBA star 25 years ago and has continued to grow rapidly before our eyes. Not to mention the company has a net worth of approximately 700 million dollars. That’s way more money than he ever made shooting jump shots. Although based out of Beverly Hills, California, Magic Johnson Enterprises has reached several areas of the country. One of its main cash cows is the ever so popular Magic Johnson Theaters that gross millions of dollars each year. Despite all of the success he has had business-wise, there have been a few flops here and there for Mr. Johnson. Remember his late night television show? You may not have seeing as though it didn’t last too long. However, it did pull in viewers while it was on air during the late ‘90’s. So what if Magic wasn’t the next Montel Williams? Who really needs a TV show when you already have a company generating millions of dollars?

Now that he has virtually tried everything out there, Johnson has his heart set on bringing a professional football team back to one of the most popular cities in America. Doesn’t seem to be out of his league at all I must say. Many have come to the table with interest in doing so as well. But the offer seems to be leaning in Magic’s favor.

The question now is exactly how successful could Magic potentially be with this venture?

Chances are that he could do one hell of a job with it. For starters, the location of the team couldn’t be any better. Seeing as though the city of Los Angeles is a hot spot for tourists, flooded with thousands of Hollywood celebrities and is home to some of the current popular professional teams, I don’t think an NFL team would have a problem pulling in a substantial amount of cash. And I’m sure this is something LA residents have been waiting for to surface for quite some time now. It was all about finding the right person to carry out the job with perfection. So do you believe in Magic? Does he have it in him to bring about a successful NFL team to LA? With his track record, he could very well pull this one off with ease.