QUICK HITS — The Weekly Opine

Lots to discuss… (Photos credit The Weekly Opine/AP, The Weekly Opine, NBC Chicago)

A potpourri of observations

After my spring break the noggin is populated with thoughts. Here goes…

New Yorkers can be braggarts. But as it relates to holding Trump accountable New York gets the gold medal. While criminal cases against Trump languish in D.C., Georgia and Florida, officials in New York have Trump roasting like a marshmallow over a campfire. Attorney General Leticia James, District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Engoron and Judge Merchan are not messing around.

The oft-used refrain, “no one’s above the law” cannot be discarded if Trump is convicted. MSNBC show host Lawrence O’Donnell opines that, due to Secret Service protection (which is guaranteed by law), it would be logistically untenable to send Trump to prison. I say baloney. You cannot say no one’s above the law and then say, well, Trump can’t go to prison. I’m sure the Secret Service can figure out how to protect Trump if he’s sent to prison.

Last week’s eclipse lived up to the hype. In Chicagoland we were treated to a 94% eclipse. I was surprised that at 94% it did not become darker here. There was a haze or filtered effect, but it was still daylight. Friends in Indiana who experienced totality said it was like nighttime.

Next up, 17-year cicadas. For me, as cool as the eclipse was, the big show will be the emergence of cicadas who’ve spent the past 17 years patiently waiting 12”-18” below ground. Unlike the eclipse, which lasted a few hours with totality lasting four minutes, the cicadas and their cacophonic, amazing sound will stick around 4-6 weeks.

Women’s basketball is all the rage, led by Caitlin Clark. Despite grumbling (jealousy?) from some WNBA veterans, there is no denying Clark’s generational impact on bringing deserved attention to the women’s game. Attendance, TV viewership and media coverage have skyrocketed thanks to Clark and her nemesis, Angel Reese. Similar to the Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird rivalry, Reese and Clark brought record-breaking viewership to women’s college basketball. With both on to the pros, the WNBA should benefit from the rivalry, with Clark playing for the Indiana Fever and Reese nearby with the Chicago Sky.

I do lament that South Carolina’s women’s team, undefeated and national champions, has been ignored with hardly a mention following the conclusion of their great season. Back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. Back-to-back SEC tournament titles. Lost in the Final Four last year and then completed perfection winning the NCAA championship this year. Give the Lady Gamecocks some love, people!

An explanation for those wondering about meager WNBA salaries compared to money the boys make in the NBA. It is all about revenue. The NBA generates $10 billion annually compared to a reported $200 million for the WNBA. The net worth of the NBA is $60 billion compared to $1 billion for the WNBA. Hopefully, the WNBA’s popularity will continue to ascend, and player salaries will rise commensurately.

Golf braces for the inevitable: will the huge crowds stick around after Tiger strolls into the sunset? (Photo credit The Open/USA screenshot)

Speaking of sports and money, greed is ruining sports. Look no further than the game of golf. The PGA’s greed led many top players to exit for easy (and dirty) money from Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The PGA then stepped up but apparently too late. Even with all the world’s top players – from the PGA and LIV – competing last week at the Master’s, TV ratings fell 20%. Sometime in the not-distant-future Tiger Woods will exit golf and that will likely hurt viewership and media rights fees.

Greed is ruining college sports, too. College football is almost unrecognizable. For example, the Big Ten, at one time made up of 10 teams from the Midwest, now totals 18 teams including four West Coast teams and two East Coast teams.

The portal and NIL, lacking thoughtful structure, have turned college football and basketball into a complete mess. Don’t blame the athletes. They should be paid along with having freedom of movement, like coaches who are permitted to leave one school for another without sitting out a year. But the greed of big conferences, universities, the NCAA and the media opened the door for players to rightfully demand a piece of the financial action. Rather than get out in front of the movement to pay athletes by establishing a more formal, legitimate process, greedy executives sat back as chaos ensued.

And don’t get me started on the prevalence of sports gambling. This may not end well.

On Monday, just before leaving home to drive to O’Hare to pick up my significant significant other, it was shocking to learn that protesters blocked the highway leading to the airport. The road was blocked for some 90 minutes causing a huge mess, with traffic backed up for miles and people getting out of cars with their luggage and walking to the airport. (A similar protest happened on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.)

I would like to know why big-time cities are not prepared for protests. Like, don’t they have a priority list of vulnerable locations (such as airports) where as soon as just a handful of protesters start setting up on the roadway authorities swoop in and drag them into paddy wagons? (Yes, I said drag them). Why are protesters allowed to gather in numbers significant enough to block the width of an entire three lane highway?

Look, I respect the right to protest. However, protests should not be tolerated when the protest severely inconveniences people who have nothing to do with what’s happening in Gaza and are in no position to stop what’s happening in Gaza. And more importantly, this type of disruption makes it impossible for emergency responders to reach those in need. Unacceptable.

I was in Bloomington, Indiana, last weekend for a scholarship ceremony at Indiana University. And it hit me; IU is my happy place. It was a short visit. Arrived in the morning, breakfast at Uptown Cafe, attended the ceremony at The Media School (my scholarship recipient is a vibrant young woman with a bright future), and then drove home. I head back to B-town next week for a board meeting and will stay for a few days. I cannot wait!