Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest in basketball would be the gambling of Michael Jordan.  Michael Jordan had many gambling incidents but there is one particular one at an airport.  "Back before NBA teams had grasped the rejuvenating power of chartered airplanes, the Bulls were waiting for their luggage in Portland when Jordan slapped a hunny on the conveyor belt: I bet you my bags come out first. Jumping on the incredibly favorable odds, nine teammates happily accepted the wager. Sure enough, Jordan's bags led the rollout. He cackled with delight as he collected everyone's money.  What none of the suckers knew, and what MJ presumably never told them, was that he had bribed a baggage handler to help him out. He didn't pocket much (a few hundred bucks), and considering his net worth hovered around nine figures at the time, it's safe to say he didn't need the extra cash. But that didn't matter. There was a chance at an easy score, and he took it."  This incident is not that big but it still shows the addiction Jordan had to gambling.  Most of the gambling incidents Jordan was involved in were never reported because it would destroy the image of basketball.  Jordan was and still is one of the most popular and famous basketball players to ever live.  And if he was reported on gambling and he got in trouble it would ruin his image and probably ruin the image of basketball.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060614

King of Basketball

If I was the king of basketball I would change the rules to make a 4 point line.  Somewhere between the 3 point line and half-court I would make a 4-point line.  Having a 4 point line would have more exciting games and would have players become better outside shooters.  Even though it would be a very difficult shot I think it would make the game very entertaining.  Also, I think kids would enjoy basketball more if they could make a 4 point shot.  Even some coaches and owners think a 4 point line would be an exciting aspect to the game.  Phil Jackson, longtime coach and owner, had something things to say about the 4 point line.  "So, Jackson's a purist, but he's a purist who would be fine with a 4-point line. How fascinating. He's always been a guy who places emphasis on versatility and skill with the basketball, and he values ball movement over one-on-one play. The game has moved in that direction, but away from the post-ups and midrange jumpers that were so prevalent when he coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers."  Basketball would definitely change a lot with a 4 point line and I think that's the main reason against it.  Although the game would never be the same, I think it would increase a lot of attention to the sport and gain younger athletes to start playing basketball  

Youth Basketball

Youth basketball is all about AAU.  AAU is looked at as a more competitive type of basketball and it is supposed to get you more college exposure. Last week was the McDonald's All-American Game, where the top 48 college recruits play in a game.  Each of those 48 kids all played and may still play AAU basketball.  AAU basketball teams play in, what is known as a showcase tournament where they play in a tournament where colleges will attend.  This gives kids a great chance to get their name out their and be recruited.  For instance the #1 prospect in the country, Ben Simmons, an LSU commit, got noticed at the 2012 Pangos Camp, which is a very large showcase camp that gained him national attention.  AAU basketball gives kids great attention and good competition but do the kids gain skill and work on fundamentals?  Most coaches expect the kids to have good skills and fundamentals.  With that being said the coaches do not necessarily stress basic fundamentals and growth of skills and only care about getting the athletes exposed to college coaches.  Having coaches only focus on college and playing at the next level is not always a bad thing but I think if parents are paying a good amount of money they would want their kid to be trained and become a better player not just doing showcases and tournaments.  Kobe Bryant even went on to say things about AAU basketball.  “I just think European players are just way more skillful,” Bryant said Friday Night. “They are just taught the game the right way at an early age. … They’re more skillful. It’s something we really have to fix. We really have to address that. We have to teach our kids to play the right way.”  The main culprit, Bryant believes, is AAU basketball:  “AAU basketball,” Bryant said. “Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game. It’s stupid.”  In my opinion Kobe is exactly right,  AAU basketball players are not taught the basic fundamentals of the game.

Rule Change NCAA

A rule the NCAA should change is having the referees be able to check the instant replay monitor whenever they want.  In this years Round of 64 in the NCAA tournament SMU played UCLA.  UCLA won off of an air balled three pointer that was called as goal tending.  They called goal tending with 10.7 seconds left in the game and it gave UCLA a 60-59 lead.  The refs could have went to the monitor and easily saw that there was no goal tending on the play but you cannot go the monitor on a goal tending call.  Despite having the ability to review almost anything else pertaining to close calls during a basketball game, were unable to go the monitors to look at this play and make a determination themselves.  Here’s what should have happened: After the goal tend call on the floor, the refs should have been able to go to the monitor, see that the two replays that CBS aired were inconclusive and ruled that the call on the floor stood.  But that’s not what happened, of course. The confusion after the call and the brief look refs took at whether it was a two-pointer or three-pointer, combined with the absurdity of the refs not being allowed to review the goal tend led to SMU having to rush their final possession. Whether it was a goal tend or not, SMU got robbed and Moreira, the player who made the play, was left in tears, blaming the loss on himself.

NCAA Connection

Without College Basketball the NCAA wouldn't be as popular or as wealthy.  March Madness alone makes the NCAA over one billion dollars and that money covers expenses for all of other non-popular and sports that aren't televised.  NCAA basketball is one of the top watched sports and easily gets the most money, even women's basketball.  In 1995, when the UConn's women's team won the first of its nine national championships, that all changed.  Those championships have not only boosted Huskies pride, they've helped to draw billions of dollars in public funds and alumni donations to upgrade UConn's academic image and the school's facilities. Indeed, there are multiple examples of colleges previously unknown for their basketball programs that have prospered financially after making a deep run into the March Madness that surrounds the NCAA basketball tournament.  The same day the triumphant '95 Lady Huskies visited the state legislature, Connecticut lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to pump $1 billion into "UConn 2000," a campus-improvement project that has since followed the initial billion with another $1.3 billion.  The NCAA also thrives off college basketball by the Cinderella teams making long runs in the tournament and making money off of their gear.  Universities like Butler in Indiana, Florida Gulf Coast and Gonzaga in Washington state, all saw a rise in student application numbers following previous tournament runs.  After Butler reached the national championship game in 2010, its student applications rose about 40 percent, according to a university spokesman. Applications at Florida Gulf Coast increased by nearly 40 percent after that school reached the Sweet 16 in 2013, and applications at Gonzaga rose nearly 12 percent from fall of 1998 to fall of 1999 after the team reached the Elite Eight.  The NCAA makes almost all of its money and popularity off college basketball.  They make money off TV ads, selling gear, and ticket sales.  The NCAA thrives off of college basketball.

Trail Blazers vs. Rockets

On February 6, 1995 the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Houston Rockets at Portland Memorial Coliseum.  A Trail Blazers fan started yelling at Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell after his wife's miscarriage.  Maxwell ran a dozen rows into the stands and punched the fan, Steve George right in the face.  After the incident Maxwell was suspended 10 games and fined $20,000. Everyone's stories with this one seemed to be different and there is no lasting video footage available, but this much we know is true: Vernon Maxwell charged up into the stands during the third quarter of a game in Portland and punched a fan named Steve George in the face. George said it was because he made fun of Maxwell for having five points; Maxwell claimed it was because George was making fun of Maxwell's wife's recent miscarriage. Whatever the reason, it was the first time a player had charged into the stands to fight a fan, and carried with it a 10-game suspension.  This incident could have been stopped by having more security around the stands, but there wasn't.  There is a low chance this will happen again because the security in the stadiums are a lot higher.  This was an unnecessary action by Maxwell and shouldn't be done by a professional athlete.

Rights of Fans

The rights of a fan is to be respectful and support there team.  I think a fan is required to attend the game and respect themselves, their team, and fellow spectators.  There are too many times when fans go to the games, get drunk and act crazy.  For instance, the Hillsborough event when drunk Liverpool fans overcrowded the section behind the goal known as Leppings Lane.  The section was severely overpopulated and people in the front rows were crushed up against the fence.  As a result of the Hillsborough disaster 96 fans were killed and about 766 were injured.  Another event similar to this could happen if fans get out of control.  This shows how fans need to show respect for themselves and others.  It's hard for this to happen in certain sporting events especially because of how big the stadiums are.  It's also difficult for an event like Hillsborough to happen again because most stadiums don't have standing room and you can only get in with a ticket, and once the stadium is sold out, no more fans will be allowed in.  I think fans are allowed to have fun at sporting events but they need to control themselves.