Tag Archives: NCAA

Fauci and football

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to rain on your tailgate, but… The NFL is planning to begin its season on time, but Dr. Anthony Fauci pulled the reins on that optimistic view Wednesday. “Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What kind of college football season will there be?

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Governor says to expect half-full stadiums for college football. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told athletic directors from the state’s largest schools to expect 50 percent capacity at football games this fall, USA Today reported, but Texas A&M athletic … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

UT athletes take a stand

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Several athletes at the University of Texas at Austin are refusing to participate in recruiting incoming players or show up at donor-related events if university and athletics officials fail to respond to a list of demands geared … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 30 Comments

Reopening 3.0

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to go to a water park? Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Tuesday announcing additional services and activities that can resume under his second wave of reopenings, allowing food courts in shopping malls to reopen immediately and giving … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abbott expects there to be college football this fall

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty optimistic, if you ask me. Gov. Greg Abbott said he believes college football will begin on schedule in Texas with some fans in the stands, he told KXAN during an interview Friday. “My prediction is yes we’re going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The NBA is still looking for its way back

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody really knows what the next couple of months look like. On the eve of what would have been the start of the postseason, NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Friday said he could not predict when, if or how it … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The NBA is still looking for its way back

Whither college football?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On paying college athletes

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed this news out of California. California is going to pass this likeness rights bill and boy howdy does the NCAA not like it California Senate Bill 206, otherwise known as the Fair Pay to Play act, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

“How Baylor Happened”

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Deadspin: There’s not much to recommend spending four years in Waco. Driving into town up Interstate 35 from the south, the endless stretch of Texas nothing fills out slowly. It’s flat in the way you think Texas is flat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Final Four returns to Houston

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. The NCAA announced Monday that Houston and NRG Stadium will host the 2023 men’s Final Four. College basketball’s marquee event will be held April 1 and 3. It will mark the fourth time the event will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How bad is the “Patrick Lite” bathroom bill?

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For one view, there’s this, from Texas Competes: A review of press coverage shows that the Texas “bathroom bill” debate generated $216 million in publicity for the state of Texas in the period from January 10, 2016 through May 22, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

NCAA rewards North Carolina for its weaksauce HB2 repeal

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So this happened. Discrimination won the championship this year. The NCAA announced Tuesday morning that it completely fell for the bait-and-switch concocted by Republican leadership in North Carolina’s legislature and Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Last week, they passed a compromise … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on NCAA rewards North Carolina for its weaksauce HB2 repeal

North Carolina “repeals” HB2

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s “repeal” in a mostly meaningless sense. Late Wednesday night, for the second day in a row, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R) and Senate leader Phil Berger (R) held a press conference announcing that they’d established yet another … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on North Carolina “repeals” HB2

Athletes against SB6

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Athlete Ally: Dear Texas, The love of sport is in part what makes Texas great. The passion and competitive spirit that reverberates throughout the Texas athletic community is hard to match across the United States. It’s that passion – … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SB6 is already costing us business

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There will be lots more of this to come as it advances. Three groups — with meetings estimated to bring $3.1 million in total spending — no longer are considering the Alamo City for their events because of a bill … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SB6 is already costing us business

More on Mack Beggs

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I like this kid. In the wake of winning a controversial Texas state girls’ wrestling title over the weekend, Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old transgender wrestler, spoke to the need to “stay strong” while also calling on state policymakers to “change … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mack Beggs

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I guarantee, we have never paid as much attention to the Texas high school wrestling championships as we did this past weekend. If the fervor over Euless Trinity transgender wrestler Mack Beggs during the last week could be swelled into … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

The NBA is keeping an eye on SB6, too

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’d be shocked if they weren’t. While lauding the work of New Orleans to take on the NBA All-Star game after the league pulled its events from Charlotte because of House Bill 2, which limited anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The NBA is keeping an eye on SB6, too

Again, there is no such thing as an acceptable bathroom bill

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The current strategy for Dan Patrick in trying to round up support for, or at least blunt opposition to, his bathroom bill is to claim that it will contain exceptions for sports venues, so no one needs to worry about … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Super Bowl or bathroom bill?

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Choose one or the other. Texas’ next trip to the Super Bowl may hit a roadblock in Austin, where conservative lawmakers are pushing a bill to ban transgender people from the public bathrooms they feel most comfortable using. “If a … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The burden that keeps on depriving

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

North Carolina’s bathroom law, y’all. The North Carolina Sports Association, which represents 27 counties across North Carolina that recruit and promote major sporting events, sent a letter to the state’s House of Representatives and General Assembly on Monday urging an … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The burden that keeps on depriving

Politifact muddles the economic debate over SB6

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This doesn’t change anything, but we must fuss about it anyway. In what appeared to be an attempt at a show of force, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday once again attacked claims that the proposed “bathroom bill” is bad … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Politifact muddles the economic debate over SB6

More on the cost of a bathroom bill

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever one thinks of the Texas Association of Business, you have to hand it to them for their lobbying focus on the great potty issue. With the legislative session just weeks ahead, the Texas business community is digging in its … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Business owners tell Dan Patrick to back off on bathrooms

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. Saying Texas Republican leaders are threatening jobs and the economy, more than 200 small-business owners issued an open letter Tuesday urging legislators to abandon plans for a state law targeting transgender bathrooms. The letter described “a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Big XII declines to expand

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, UH. The University of Houston’s campaign to join the Big 12 Conference was crushed Monday by the league’s presidents, who ruled out expansion without discussing the merits of any individual applicants, including the confident, fast-rising Cougars. Bob Bowlsby, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

“The only game in college sports history whose the final outcome was decided after the game”

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If you follow sports, you have probably heard about this: In one of the more improbable finishes to a football game, Central Michigan wide receiver Corey Willis grabbed a lateral from fellow receiver Jesse Kroll at the 12-yard line after … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ACC makes it three

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So long, North Carolina. Just two days after the NCAA announced they were moving scheduled tournaments out of North Carolina in protest of the state’s anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2, the Atlantic Coast Conference—which includes North Carolina’s biggest Division I programs … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Patrick whines about NCAA decision to pull events from North Carolina

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized the NCAA on Tuesday for its decision to pull seven of its championship events from the state of North Carolina. The action came after North Carolina passed a law regulating the use … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

NCAA removes all championship games for 2016 and 2017 from North Carolina

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Actions, they have consequences. Based on the NCAA’s commitment to fairness and inclusion, the Association will relocate all seven previously awarded championship events from North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year. The NCAA Board of Governors made this decision because of the cumulative actions taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

NCAA lays down a marker on anti-LGBT legislation

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hope the Lege is paying attention, because they can’t say they haven’t been warned. The NBA and NCAA may have just dealt a preemptive, one-two knockout punch to anti-LGBT bills in the upcoming Texas Legislature, which convenes in January. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on NCAA lays down a marker on anti-LGBT legislation

UT will not push UIL on transgender athletes

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. Despite objections from LGBT advocates, UIL’s longstanding informal policy is set to become official August 1 — when it takes effect as an amendment to the league’s constitution. The amendment, initially approved by UIL’s Legislative Council last year, wasoverwhelmingly ratified … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UIL punts again on transgender athletes

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, please reconsider this. The debate over the University Interscholastic League’s policy for transgender athletes continues after the organization’s legislative council took no action during Tuesday’s meeting in Round Rock. The UIL rule stating a student’s gender is … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Baylor fires Art Briles

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Baylor University, in response to allegations of sexual assaults made against students — including by several football players — announced Thursday that football coach Art Briles has been suspended with intent to terminate, and Kenneth Starr will no … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The dry run for the Super Bowl

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It went pretty well. In less than a year, the Super Bowl is expected to draw almost twice as many as the 70,000 out-of-towners who flocked here for the Final Four. More than 1 million are expected to come downtown … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The dry run for the Super Bowl