Watching The NFL: Why Does it make Me Sick to My Stomach?

Sports are supposed to take our mind off of things. The whole reason we watch them is so that we can eat pizza with our buddies and forget the fact that we have work in the morning, or that we haven't taken out the trash, or whatever tedious part of our day to day life that is looming over us. However, inevitably, real life intrudes. Sometimes that can be a powerful thing, with sports being a historical arena where all races could be placed on an equal footing. Jackie Robinson helped to break down barriers and the Dodgers team ultimately helped with that, although somewhat reluctantly.  This happened again this year with the NBA, when Donald Sterling was stripped of his ownership of the LA Clippers by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after highly publicized racist remarks.  Despite the fact that Silver said (in a GQ man of the year interview) that the NBA's response might have been different had Sterling's remarks been less well publicized or if they had been directed at a minority group which was less well represented within the NBA, it was still a positive action. 

Unfortunately, this year in sports, many such interactions have been negative, and the NFL (the US's biggest pro sports league) has been the biggest problem. This manifested itself with the pro team from Washington D.C. which still insists on standing by its team name (citing loyalty to the fans) despite the fact that the name inherently alienates a significant portion of the US population.  However, this problem is one of stagnation which over time, and combined with the protests coming from both public figures and the population at large, this issue will be resolved as soon as Dan Snyder (the owner) realizes that his stubbornness is cruel and that it benefits no one.  More terrifying, is the NFL the institution, specifically its handling of women’s issues. 

Recently, my fantasy football league’s message thread blew up with the news that Ray Rice had been reinstated.  We were all unsurprised, because this sort of thing has been happening all year.  As one person said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2014 NFL….Actually, make that just Gentlemen.”  At a time when women make up more than 45% percent of the NFL’s fan base, the League is doing a terrible job at even pretending to value women’s issues.  Three weeks after the NFL handed down Ray Rice’s two-week suspension (with full knowledge of the horrifying video that led to increased public outrage), the NFL suspended Orlando Scandrick for a full month.  What did he do?  He tested positive for MDMA, a party drug.  The NFL is fully invested in defending the moral character of the league, but they see drugs as more of a problem than cold-clocking one’s wife on an elevator and then dragging her down the hallway. 

This disconnect makes it difficult to watch sports.  You want to be able to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play their playoff game, but you see parts of their fan base display an insensitive, and at times incredibly racist response to the events in Ferguson, chanting things like “Let’s go Darren!” back at demonstrators.  You want to support a team, but if its name is a racial slur, how can you?  The good news now is that Ray Rice was dropped from the Ravens roster after the video surfaced, and it is hard to imagine any team picking him up this late in the season.  However, in this instance the damage is done.  The NFL was tested on its humanity, and it gave Rice a slap on the wrist until public opinion swayed further against him.  The NFL is hard to watch this year, and that is the opposite of what sports should be. 

The Sandwich:  A peanut butter and pickle sandwich, which I recently discovered is a real thing.  It works well with these issues, because it tastes bad at first, but then begins to work itself out.  Similarly, these issues will only get better with time, as already people are striving to improve them.

Harrison and Dhario Get a Little Help from Their Friends [Podcast]

Dhario and Harrison reveal their fantasy football team names, analyze Federer's injury, and discuss how to maximize sandwich making in a cafeteria. All the usual segments--plus some special bits (including a weather forecast!) from some longtime listeners.

Try to Remember Nikolay Davydenko

By Deghasio

It’s easy to forget Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian, who retired last month, had a career high ranking of number 3, never reached a grand slam final, never beat the best players when it mattered. He didn’t had a signature shot, like Hewitt’s lob or Nalbandian’s backhand, and he lacked the fiery personality—and domestic popularity—of compatriots Marat Safin, Mikhail Youzhny, and even Dmitry Tursunov. Pretty much the only thing he was famous for was being involved in a year-long betting scandal. (He was ultimately exonerated.)

The defining statistic of Davdenko’s career is that he’s a combined 3-24 against Federer and Roddick, including an 0-16 combined start to these “rivalries.” Classic Kolya. He was always, at best, the third best player on tour. At 5’10, 150 lbs., he lacked the firepower to beat the two hall-of-famers at their peak. When he was playing his best, the other nine players in the top 10 probably could beat him if they were playing their best too.

And yet, some facts are undeniable. He was the most consistent player on the tour (non-Federer, non-Nadal division), becoming the first Russian ever to finish in the year-end top 5 five straight years in a row, something Roddick can’t say. He’s the only person, ever, to have a winning record against Nadal (minimum five matches)…albeit with a dominant record of 6-5. And every once in a while he would catch fire, his opponents would be just a step slow, and he could roll of a stretch of victories. That’s what happened when he won his then-biggest tournament in 2008 in Miami, leading one overzealous writer to proclaim: "Who would have thought that tennis could be rescued by Nikolay Davydenko?" (No, really—that was an actual headline.)

It happened again 18 months later, when he won the 2009 Year End Championships. The other players in the tournament? Oh, just some nobodies: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, del Potro, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Soderling. Every player, except Verdasco and newly minted US Open champ del Potro, would eventually reach multiple grand slam finals. And Davydenko, despite being placed in the group of death, beat Federer for the first time en route to the biggest win of his career over del Potro. He was the perfect version of David Ferrer, running around, getting back every ball, and using whatever small opening his opponent gave him to seize the advantage.

Although this was the biggest tournament for Davydenko, it won’t be the one that defines him for me. That would be the 2010 Australian Open. He entered the tournament on a—well, not a winning streak, but a winning patch against Federer, having beating him in the ’09 Finals and a warm-up tournament in Doha. The hottest player on tour (though maybe not in looks), then got bagelled by Federer in a four-set quarterfinal*. Kolya wouldn't beat Federer for the rest of his career.

*If you don’t click on any links in this article, at least click on the Steve Tignor recap of Davydenko’s ’10 Australian Open in the above paragraph. Also the picture of Davydenko.

So what sandwich is Nikolay Davydenko? I eventually settled on a PB&J. Not the most glamorous sandwich, but one you need to have. There will always be players like Davydenko on the tour. I’ve already mentioned one in Ferrer, but there are scores of them throughout history. Davydenko played the foil to Federer and Roddick and even to Nadal throughout his career. Every time one of the top players played a classic final, Davydenko was in the shadows. He never played The Match against them; he was the guy the top players battled before the match that really mattered. You’re probably not going to remember a PB&J very long, but it was still pretty good when you ate it. That, in two words, is Davydenko’s career: Pretty good.

Mark Sanchez Likes Philly Sandwiches, and Other Sandwich and Sports Topics [Podcast]

Dhario and Harrison, along with a special correspondent, break down the latest in the NBA, NFL, German sandwiches, and chess--that, plus of course listener questions about sandwiches.

The Great Sandwich Episode [Podcast]

Ever wondered the proper etiquette for dealing with end pieces in a loaf of bread? Want to know the etymology of hoagie? Dhario and Harrison answer these questions, and many more, on this week's podcast!