Business as Usual-

Where ya’ at Nelly!? I think if Bryant Gumbel is anywhere near you, he’s probably saying it’s “Gettin’ Hot In Herre!” After some major controversial statements about NFLPA head Gene Upshaw being the “personal pet” of outgoing Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Gumbel will need to wait for word on his future as the new play-by-play man for the NFL network. If anything, Gumbel must be looking for some sort of change to occur in what is by far America’s number one sport-whether it’s a change in the front office or a change in his job is the question.

Gumble who has over the years become a very respected journalist by some and the host of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel where he dropped his thoughts during his August 15 show. I’m constantly amazed how journalists though surrounded by athletes, owners and teams day in and day out, seem to sometimes feel like they too are athletes or really understand the situation. Covering the life is one thing, living it is another and for any human being to make that stretch is totally unfair, yet we do it with sports each and everyday.

The sad thing is the NFL just received accolades on it’s diversity issues and here are two African-Americans unfortunately re-affirming the crabs in a bucket mentality. Everyone is in a position for professional and personal gain, but the lure of a billion dollar sport has squeezed out a bit of controversy and the season hasn’t even officially begun. Upshaw has been unable to be reached for comment since he’s on vacation and will soon have to deal with essentially a non-football issue upon his return.

Also interesting to note is what will be the affect of the NFL broadcasting eight games on the NFL network this season. Will the translation equate bigger bucks from advertisers and subscribers? Depends if the taste most fans get at sports bars leaves them hungry for more , but if successful look for more games to be added with at least one high profile match up being moved there. This type of branding allows the League more control of content and distribution, similar to the NBA TV set up by the NBA.

This weekend Idlewild opens in theatres starring the duo of OutKast; set against a 1930’s backdrop, this musical has received mixed reviews from media outlets such as vibe.com and The New York Times. On Monday the box office will offer it’s opinion, though I do know that over the years OutKast has been able to mix both hip-hop and rap to blend a perfect concoction of hits, money making and uniquely infused sounds that appeal internationally. We’ll see what happens since this project has been highly anticipated by fans and they’ve seen the timeline continually pushed back by the director/writer, Bryan Barber and the stars, Andre’ 3000 and Big Boi.

I’m out, but shouts out to J Dilla-R.I.P.