The Bad Ash Blog

  I do not plan on this being your typical, cliché publication of "Yay, 2020 is almost over. Let's get to it, 2021." We will see enough of that on our Twitter timelines and Instagram feeds over the next 72 hours. 2020 has had ups and it has had downs, maybe some more than others. You don't need my personal testimony. I am more for sharing sports stories and opinions anyway.  Speaking of ups and downs, what better way to describe the 2020 sports year than that? January alone had a few great ups, but also had one of the biggest downs we as sports lovers would experience all year. It started off with the LSU Tigers capping off an undefeated and incredible season with a National Championship over the Clemson Tigers. Heisman trophy winner Joe (or, JEUX) Burrow threw up an incredible stat line of 463 yards and five touchdowns. On January 14 the WNBA established a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The new CBA included substantial salary increases, improve...

  I hope that you voted on Tuesday, or the day before that, or the week before that, or made sure your mailed-in ballot was counted for. I want to shed some love and light on your timeline today ... and what better way to do that than to talk some football? I know, many of Bad Ash's blog posts talk NFL football so consider yourself learning a fun fact about me.   We are heading into Week 9 of the NFL season and there have been some games postponed/rescheduled, but the season seems to be going smooth given the pandemic circumstances. We are fortunate enough to be watching games every week and that is a good sign.  Hopefully you all remember when I discussed the sad reality of no more postgame jersey swaps for the 2020 season. The latest on that is there is a new and improved (if you will) way to jersey swap. After much rebuttal, rightfully so, from players the NFL met halfway and came up with a way for players to carry on this beloved tradition. Jersey swaps are now c...

  Let me get this straight ... during this global pandemic, college football players should risk their lives for our entertainment and other peoples' paychecks. Essentially, college football players should be treated like the pros without receiving any of the incentives that the pros receive. That sounds pretty bold doesn't it? Good, it was meant to.  40% of the Power 5 conferences have canceled their football season with intentions of planning a spring season. It sounds weird, but it is necessary. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have thrown in the towel due to their large concerns about the health and safety of student-athletes. Student comes first and athlete comes second, but they are not treated as such.  We have seen a mixture of interviews, tweets and comments regarding the upcoming college football season ... or lack thereof. We have even witnessed Dabo Swinney mentioning that the downsize of college football participation does not sway the playoff picture. "Whoever wins it...

It is no secret that the NBA bubble works, and whatever the MLB is doing does not work. Baseball began play on July 23 and the NBA tipped off their restart on July 30. MLB, players and personnel, have had over 30 positive COVID-19 cases and 20 games postponed. The NBA has not had a positive COVID test since July 13. Out of 343 tests, zero have been positive.  One is not like the other. Shoutout to the bubble. One league has a commissioner that puts forth an effort to make sure its players are looked out for, and their families. This commissioner makes them aware that their health is actually the priority and money is spent in all of the right places in order to appease all parties (you and I included). This other commissioner lacks the effort in taking responsibility for being blind to reality because of the inconvenience that may come with it.  Robert Manfred may not be a "quitter," but also does not appear to be the most rational either.  It took the MLB quite some...

You may or may not be a part of the ever-glorious Twitter world. Regardless, you have probably seen the "#WeWantToPlay" tweeted out by many NFL players. If you follow me on Twitter then you have certainly glanced at this hashtag because I have retweeted many tweets from these athletes advocating for ... themselves.  At no surprise, the NFL and the NFL Players Association are not in agreement. The players want to be looked out for and the league wants the moolah. So, who has to sacrifice? What are the negotiations at-hand? What's gotta give for there to simply be ... football.  On March 31st Jeff Pash, the NFL Executive Vice President and General Counsel, made a bold plan for the upcoming 2020 season. Almost four months ago we had expectations that the season would start on time, fans would be in the stands, games would be played at the regular stadiums, 17 weeks would be played, and a full set of playoffs would ice the cake. Fast forward to today and it may not b...

Mood ALL 2020 I get it … we’re all nervous, right? What does the current state of this country mean for football season? I am certainly more of an NFL lady, but even the uncertainty of the college football season keeps me up at night. I advocate and believe in the ‘football brings people together’ campaign. It is that thing we are certain of every year. For me it is my escape from everything else happening in the world. Multiple conversations throughout the work week consist of making plans for the “big game.” Whether you wake up on Saturdays and have a cup of coffee or crack open a beer at 10 AM, it is socially acceptable … during football season. From tailgates to touchdowns, College Gameday to NFL Sunday Countdown, beers to burgers (or my personal favorite, nachos), debates to friendly debacles, comparisons to controversies … there is nothing like football season. Remember making fun of all the ‘silly’ or ‘pointless’ Bowl games? I take it all back. I would watc...