Despite the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick's demonstrations during the national anthem back in 2016, Nike has made him the face of their 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign. I find it hard to believe that they planned to air it right before the Thursday Night Football Opener. I figured there would be some strings being pulled or something. Like the CNN article says.

"It's an awkward juxtaposition for the league. The NFL is still grappling with the firestorm that Kaepernick started two years ago when he sat and later knelt during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice."

Thoughts anyone? Should the ad air? I hear tell that Nike is still in contract with the NFL to supply the jerseys. I wonder how this commercial falls into the mix.

I'm not that big into golf, but I do like to keep track of well known players in most sports, especially a Goliath such as Tiger Woods. He's faced countless injuries to both his career, reputation and body. All of that combined can definitely have an impact on a golfers game. It's the tenth anniversary of Tiger's last major win, and some people are thinking he's through or due. There's a strong argument for his improvement this year. He tied for 23rd at the Memorial Tournament, shooting 9 under par, and according to the dude in the video, Tiger claimed he hadn't "hit it" that well in 5 years. His putting was another story. You have to give the guy something for his persistence. He hasn't given up despite the setbacks and the drought. Could this be number 15 for him?

SFriedman Wrote:

Iceland. You want an underdog to root for? This is easily my pick. They are the smallest country ever to be in the World Cup. I also think they can make some actual waves; I really don't think they will be a one and done team. They qualified ahead of Ukraine and Croatia last year.

High School can be strange for all of us, but it could be even stranger to look to your right or left and see a 25 year old man posing as a fellow student. Now, we've heard about how police will enroll NARCs to investigate possible drug rings, but older folks have made it into High School either with the "assistance" of staff or not to play sports. Perhaps they wanted to relive the glory days of their youth, or they were brought in as a ringer. Either way, it's weird and kinda funny.

Recently a story hit the web about a 25 year old man who enrolled in the Dallas school system to play basketball. I suppose he looks rather young. I think it's kinda funny when this happens. I wonder if it's a tad insulting to the individual when they find themselves still struggling with subjects they did when they were a teen. This guy pretended to be a high school freshman though? Come on. I'm over 30 years old and most high school seniors look like they're 14 to me now. I guess he used the "over active pituitary gland" argument. haha In another instance a 21 year old enrolled in a Michigan high school to play football. I could see that being more feasible and believable. Can anyone recall any other ridiculous stories of adults infiltrating high school sports?

Reminds me of this scene :

Dallasite Wrote: I think the winner of Vegas vs San Jose will go to the finals. My hunch is that we will get a Bruins/Golden Knights final. That would be sweet. Can't help but root for Vegas all the way this year.

I thought I'd browse the interwebs and see what teams everyone is making a fuss about. I thought I'd add some picks/odds for teams, as well as highlight players that are favored for MVP. Let's see if we all agree here. Also, you can see each player's stats and breakdown when you click their name.

Teams:

• Nashville Predators+350
• Tampa Bay Lightning+500
• Boston Bruins+600
• Vegas Golden Knights+750
• Winnipeg Jets+750
• Toronto Maple Leafs+950
• Washington Capitals+1000
• Pittsburgh Penguins+1200
• Anaheim Ducks+1650
• San Jose Sharks+2050
• Philadelphia Flyers+2050
• Columbus Blue Jackets+2200
• Minnesota Wild+2250
• Los Angeles Kings+2250
• New Jersey Devils+2550
• Colorado Avalanche+3050

MVP Contenders:

• Nashville Predators - Pekka Rinne, G
• Tampa Bay Lightning - Nikita Kucherov, RW
• Pittsburgh Penguins - Phil Kessel, RW
• Boston Bruins - Patrice Bergeron, C
• Winnipeg Jets - Patrik Laine, RW
• Vegas Golden Knights - Jonathan Marchessault, C
• Toronto Maple Leafs - Frederik Andersen, G
• Washington Capitals - Nicklas Backstrom, C
• Anaheim Ducks - Ryan Getzlaf, C
• San Jose Sharks - Logan Couture, C
• Columbus Blue Jackets - Sergei Bobrovsky, G
• Los Angeles Kings - Anze Kopitar, C
• Minnesota Wild - Jason Zucker, LW
• New Jersey Devils - Taylor Hall, LW
• Colorado Avalanche - Nathan MacKinnon, C
• Philadelphia Flyers - Claude Giroux, LW

The bracket seems so different from last season. The Penguins are lagging behind, and the Predators are on top. I'm hoping the Predators get the chance to redeem themselves from last season's loss to the Penguins. Or is that just a safe bet? :) Well I like to see a formerly defeated team come back with a vengeance, as stereotypical as it may be. Let's get the debate going. Post your top picks!