Robservations: On McNair’s mistake, and Nike’s gamble
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If you’re like me, you look forward every Sunday to reading Chuck’s compilations of the wacky events that fortunately haven’t happened to any of us.
At least not yet, or not as far as we’re telling, anyway.
With that said, I thought we’d take a page from Chuck’s book and use this week’s edition of your friendly neighborhood sports column to draw attention to the weird news from the sporting world.
Unfortunately, the word “weird” is already taken. So let’s call this: “Sports Stories of Stupidity.”
• Next time, take a cab: Titans QB Steve McNair was cuffed and stuffed early Thursday morning, charged with drunken driving and illegal possession of a handgun.
According to police reports, last year’s MVP candidate showed a blood alcohol content of .18, nearly twice the legal limit.
He also had a 9 mm pistol in the console between the seats of his SUV as he wove his way through downtown Nashville. Although he was licensed to carry the gun, it is illegal for any intoxicated person to have a loaded weapon — hence the second charge.
As a result, McNair paid a $3,000 bond at night court, and will head back to trial late next month. He’ll also have to be evaluated by the league because of the DUI charge.
Of course, anyone who drives drunk is being foolish. But the real kicker, to me, is why was he driving in the first place?.
Steve McNair is a starting quarterback in the NFL. Therefore, it’s needless to say, he makes a lot of money.
A lot of money. In fact, it’s more than enough money to hire a cab, a limo, or whatever type of vehicle he wants to ride around in for a night of boozing it up.
By the same token, if you really think about it, McNair probably has enough money to hire someone to carry his guns around for him, too.
I wonder what a job like that pays.
• Counting their chickens?: Our second example of recent sports stupidity comes courtesy of the Nike corporation, who signed a $90 million endorsement deal with high school basketball sensation LeBron James on Thursday.
The sultans of the swoosh out-dueled rival shoe companies Reebok and Adidas to land James and sign him to what is believed to be the largest shoe contract ever offered to an athlete.
All of this cash, and James has yet to go head-to-head with Iverson, McGrady, Kidd, Bryant, O’Neal or any other established NBA superstar. Add that to the fact that he’s probably going to be a Denver Nugget or a Cleveland Cavalier (not exactly the most popular franchises), and Nike’s gamble looks more and more dangerous.
What if LeBron James gets hurt? What if he’s stuck in a long-term contract with a team that never makes the playoffs?
What if he gets to the big time, and those skills he showed against 6-foot juniors and seniors on the high school level pale in comparison next to the elite players of the professional ranks?
Only time will tell, I guess, and James may very well be the next big thing to hit the NBA.
But until time does indeed tell, I’ll bet unbitten fingernails will be hard to find at Nike headquarters, where they’re waiting for their $90 million man to come through.