Brittney Griner: Future WNBA Star or Not?

    We have all heard of the women's college basketball star, Brittney Griner. She was one of the most dominate forces in the sport. She spent her career as part of the Baylor Bears, in which she set  many different records and led her team to a national championship. It is no question that Griner will be a great addition and player to the WNBA. However, what if she wee to be a part of the NBA? How would she match up with athletes such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, or even Kyrie Irving? Many have wondered and some individuals are even willing to pay to see something like this happen.
     By some individuals, I am talking about Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, who has taken an interest in Griner. He says that he is willing to take Griner in the second round of NBA draft and at the very least invite her to the Maverik's summer league. Now is Mark Cuban really sincere about this or is this just a publicity act? Let's take a look at some of Griner's accomplishments and attributes to try and narrow this down.
      Griner is 6'8 and weighs about 210 pounds. She was the most dominate force in women's college basketball, having a 7'4 wing span. Compared to most players in women's basketball, she is a behemoth. She has won countless awards, including player of the year three years in a row. She ended her college career with 3,123 points, 721 blocks, and 15 dunks (more than all women in college basketball combined). She passes up Maya Moore in total points scored and is the first player to score 2,000 points and record 500 blocks. Undoubtedly she will enter the WNBA draft a top pick, but will she pas that up to take a chance with Mark Cuban and his Mavericks?
       If you ask me, I honestly don't think she will. Yes Griner is a staggering  height of 6'8 and weight of 210 pounds, but remember this weight comes mostly from her height, not muscle. She is just too small to play the position she is naturally good at. I just don't see her matching up to other centers like Carlos Boozer, Kedrick Perkins, or Deandre Jordan. I also don't see her developing a shot quick enough to counter her weakness down low. She just lacks the brute strength that is required of centers to survive in the league.
      Even current NBA forward/guard, Shane Battier of the Miami Heat, says that Griner would not be able to keep up. Shane Battier states,"Look I am 6'8 220 pounds and guard guys like Carlos Boozer. I workout twice a week and believe I am a strong 34 year old, and I struggle with those guys." If Battier struggles, Brittney Griner will certainly struggle.
       Whether or not Griner is not really seen as being "successful" in the NBA, I think people will still pay money to see her try. Which is why I also believe Mark Cuban is doing more marketing than he is team-building. He even states it himself that Griner playing the summer league will sell tickets. I honestly would like to see Griner take this opportunity, though I believe it is highly unlikely,  simply because should she go into the league and fail miserably, it will just reinforce the belief that women's basketball is weak compared to that of males. Regardless, nothing should be taken away form Griner's abilities. She is a great athlete and will be a great  player in the WNBA. Will she go to the NBA? Doubt it. But if she does decide to take a shot, it will grab the interest of basketball fans across the nation, and they will find out if girls can truly hang with the guys.

 Amateur Sports Blogger,
Samuel Medina

Sources: ESPN, SB Nation, and Associated Press.

What is the NFL Doing?!

The NFL's New Rule on Lowering the Head

     I was on the way home from school today when I came across an article on my phone that had to do with the one sport I am really passionate about. The article was about the NFL's new rule restricting running backs of lowering their heads when coming into contact with a defender. Let's take a second here and think about this one.. So the NFL's officials and Rodger Goodell are implying that a running back should just run straight up and take on a brutal hit from a defender?  A little absurd if you ask me. Why not just take away  the nature of the sport along too? Before you know it, we will all be playing flag football, and the new NFL will be called the NFFL.
     Running backs are taught from the day they put on pads at a young age to lower their shoulders when taking on a hit from a defender. The idea here is to avoid getting blasted by the defender and to try to deliver an even bigger blow to them. When a running back lowers his head and shoulders they may hit the defender hard enough to cause the defender to get trucked, which adds great excitement to the sport. This is how we all have come to learn and love the sport of football. Another thing is that it is instinctive for players to lower their head and shoulders when they are coming into contact with another play. This just can't simply be taken away from an offensive player's arsenal of defensive maneuvers. Not everybody can juke and spin, some running backs rely on their big masses to plow through defenders and gain yards. Why should teams spend money on running back if they are going to be less effective with a rule like this one?
     On a final note Rodger Goodell and the NFL officials better be ready for some serious criticism from fans and players alike. They also better be ready for more injury and fines as well, if these running backs aren't going to be able to protect themselves like they have, there will be some serious injuries and some serious fines..