Obsessedsportsnut's Blog

July 25, 2010

The Rise of Jeremy Lin

Filed under: basketball — Tags: , — Jonathan Lee @ 11:41 pm

I’m really not sure what’s left to be said about Jeremy Lin that hasnt been mentioned in the press yet.

“Asian American Bay Area kid who led his high school to defeat Mater Dei in one of the biggest upsets in California basketball history, who then went on to have a standout college career at Harvard. Despite not being drafted in the 2010 NBA Draft, he impressed numerous general managers and executives with his play at the NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks including a sensational performance against John Wall, which caught the eyes of the Lakers and the Warriors, who eventually sign him to a contract.”

Jeremy Lin’s road to the NBA has been an inspirational one to many people. Ive had the pleasure of following his career from Palo Alto all the way to Harvard to the Dallas Mavericks, and it’s been a joy to see him grow as a player. He attends a sister church of mine and has been a youth counselor at our joint summer retreats. At these retreats, I’ve the opportunity to play against him on a couple occasions, and I have to say I’ve never felt better after being taken to school so badly…

Anyways, the one thing I’ve noticed about Jeremy is that he’s taken advantage of every opportunity that he’s given to impress. While playing in the Ivy League, Jeremy never really had the opportunity to impress on a national level, since most people dont really follow the Ivys. However, during Jeremy’s junior and senior years, Harvard schedule 4 games against Big East and ACC opponents, Georgetown, Uconn, and Boston College twice. During Jeremy’s junior year, Harvard played Boston College, who was coming off a win over the #1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. In this game, he lead Harvard to a huge upset over BC where we saw Jeremy drop 27 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 blocks. The next year, he lead Harvard to another victory over Boston College, and hard losses to Uconn and Georgetown.

In these 4 games against these top teams, he averaged 24.25 points, 4.75 assists, 4.75 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1.25 blocks. His season averages were 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks. These 4 games put Jeremy on the map, and made his name known to the entire sporting world.

After the Uconn game, coach Jim Calhoun (who’s won 2 national titles and is one of the top 5 college coaches in the game said this about Jeremy: “He’s a terrific basketball player. What I really like about him is he’s athletic, more than you think so. He controls his temperament to a really nice tempo. He knows how to play. He’s one of the better kids, including BIG EAST guards, who have come in here in quite some time…I really love his composure. There are a lot of teams that come through here… I can’t think of a team that he wouldn’t play for. (Jeremy Lin) really has great, great composure on the court; he’s got change-of-pace dribbles; he’s really, really good.”

After graduating from Harvard, he made a successful showing at the Portsmouth Invitational, which showcases some of the best college players who are not sure draft picks.

Because of his play, the Dallas Mavericks signed him to their Summer League team, where he went on to impress many many people, clearly showing everyone that he belongs and deserves a chance to play in the NBA.

After this performance, the rest is history. This past week he signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors.

This signing is a win-win situation for both parties.

For Jeremy, getting this contract is the culmination of many years of dedication and hard work, and to get a contract with the team that he grew up loving has to be one of the best feelings in the world. Compared to other teams that were interested in him, the Warriors have a very very thin back court. After Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, the Warriors dont have much depth. Depending on how he plays in training camp and improves overall, Jeremy has a very real chance of getting decent playing time come the regular season. Had he gone to the Lakers he would have been stuck on the bench behind Derek Fisher and Steve Blake. Had he gone to the Mavericks, he would have been stuck behind Jason Kidd and Rodrigue Beaubois. Yes he probably would have learned tremendously from Fisher and Kidd, but he would not get any playing time come game time. By going to the Warriors, he has his best chance of playing at Oracle Arena…and plus…he’s playing for the Warriors. What an opportunity!!

For the Warriors, this is very very smart low risk, high reward investment. Financially, they are committing very little to Jeremy Lin. Reports have the contract at two years, including a $500k salary with half of it guaranteed and the rest incentives based. The 2nd year is a team option meaning that they would have the say in whether to bring him back for a 2nd year or not. However if you look at this from a marketing point of view, the Warriors will probably make this money back by the tickets they sell. Using a very conservative estimate, assume that the Warriors sell an extra 100 seats/game because of this signing. That’s 41 games x 100 seats x $50/game. That’s already $200,000. Throw in jersey sales (Im definitely buying one), and this signing can mean a ton of revenue for the Warriors.

From a business point of view, this is a very smart move. But this would be a total insult to Jeremy if you were to say that this signing was purely done for marketing. The Warriors definitely saw enough talent and potential in Jeremy to be a solid role player off the bench behind Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis that they wanted to bring him in and try to develop him. This is an investment. I truly believe that Jeremy can make it in the NBA, but then again, he might not be able to cut it. It was a chance that the Warriors were willing to take. If he makes it, its great for everybody. If he doesnt, they didnt invest that much financially in him that they would get hurt by the move. Like I said, low risk, high reward.

I’m truly happy for Jeremy Lin and what he’s been able to accomplish so far. I definitely will be heading out to more Warrior games this season to cheer him on. However, it makes me happier to see his faith in God shine throughout everything. I leave you with a recent interview conducted with ESPN.

How important is the [Asian-American] identity stuff?
You know, it’s important but not as important as my being a Christian. That’s first and foremost the most important thing to me when it comes to my identity.

Is it more important to your folks?
No. We believe in the same thing. That’s how our house is and how I was raised. We’ve always taken our Christianity and our walks with God as our first priority.

July 13, 2010

the Miami Heat: A Dynasty in the Making?

Filed under: basketball — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 2:29 pm

After Lebron James announced that he was joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami last week, many people pointed out that you can’t win a championship with only 3 players, and that you need solid role players and bench players to round out the team. When Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen came together in Boston in 2008, they had strong supporting talent around them in Leon Powe, Eddie House, Tony Allen, Sam Cassell, etc.

Pat Riley bringing Bosh, James, and Wade together on one team was one thing. How he would fill out the remaining roster with a very little money remaining is another. However, everyone knew that if there was only one person that could pull this off, it’d be Riley.

and after only a couple days, the Heat are shaping up to be one scary looking team come the Fall.

In a span of a couple days, Pat Riley has retained Udonis Haslem, and brought in Mike Miller and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Miller brings outside shooting that every team needs, Haslem brings in hustle and rebounding, and Ilgauskas brings size off the bench to compete with the likes of Boston and Orlando in the East, and LA from the West.

Rumors have it that there’s interest to join the Heat by Jamaal Magloire, James Jones, Juwan Howard, and Carlos Arroyo. These aren’t stars, but they’re solid, decent role players who could contribute well off the bench.

How did this all happen? How is Pat Riley able to pull this off with very little cap room after signing Wade, Bosh, and James?

Two things: Friendship and a commitment to winning.

Lebron, Bosh, and Wade have grown to be close friends ever since they entered the league together and won a gold medal in Beijing together. They are very close to each other, and throughout the entire process, they have consistently said that this was never about the money…it was the opportunity to do something special. This was evident when they took a pay cut and signed less than max contracts so that Riley could have money left over to fill out the roster.

This mentality has stuck with the team and their recruiting of other players.

1) Udonis Haslem has been with the Heat for 7 years, and he’s grown to become a very close friend of Dwayne Wade in their time in Miami.
2) Mike Miller is a close friend of Lebron James, and Miller’s son, Maverick, is even named after Lebron’s closest friend, Maverick Carter. Miller is a close friend of Haslem as they were teammates at the University of Florida in 2000.
3) Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been probably the closest friend to James on the Cleveland Cavs for the past 7 years. James personally recruited the Big Z to come join him in Miami.

In all three cases, Haslem, Miller, and Ilgauskas took significant pay cuts as well for the opportunity to be part of something special. It’s scary to think about how good this team can be.

The Lakers are still the team to beat. They brought back Fisher and have the rest of their core intact. Yes they lost Jordan Farmer, but definitely improved by signing Steve Blake. Rumors have it that Raja Bell and Tracy McGrady are interested in signing with LA as well. Based on current rosters, I think the Lakers still have the edge over this current Miami team. Wade/Bryant is a push, Pau Gasol will destroy Bosh, Ron Artest can still effectively guard Lebron, and when healthy, Andrew Bynum will dominate Ilgauskas. I will also give the Laker’s role players a slight edge over Miami’s.

However, you are naive if you think this Miami team doesnt have the possibility of being dangerous. Chemistry wont be an issue, as I truly believe everyone will check their ego at the door. And if Riley brings in another veteran center and point guard, this team will be very strong.

A couple more smart moves, and we might just be seeing our next basketball dynasty.

July 9, 2010

World Cup 2010: Previewing the Finals between Spain and Netherlands

Filed under: World Cup — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 11:43 am

FIFA Rankings
Spain – #2
Netherlands – #4

Head to Head matchups

Since 1920, Spain and the Netherlands have played 9 times. Each team has won 4 times, lost 4 times, and drawn once. The last meeting was a 1-0 victory for Netherlands in 2002.

Best World Cup Performance
Spain – 4th Place in 1950. Quarterfinalists in 1934, 1986, 1994, and 2002.
Netherlands – Finalists in 1974 and 1978. Fourth place in 1998.

The Netherlands are arguably the best team in World Cup history to have never won the title.

Best European Championship Performance

Spain – Won the Euro in 2008 and 1964.
Netherlands – Won in 1988. Was Semifinalists in 1992, 2000, and 2004.

How did they get here?

In the final round of qualifying for the World Cup, 9 teams in the World finished with no losses, either all wins or ties: Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Australia, South Korea, and Nigeria.

Interestingly enough, only two teams won every single final round qualifying game: Spain and the Netherlands.

World Cup 2010 Performance

Spain: Lost their opening round game against Switzerland in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Despite the loss, they went on to win their group. Beat Portugal, Paraguay, and Germany to advance to the Finals. Outscored opponents 7-2 in 6 games.

Netherlands: Went undefeated in the group stage, and beat Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay in the knockout rounds to advance to the finals. Outscored opponents 12-5 in 6 games.

Players to Watch

Netherlands: Wesley Sniejder, Arjen Robben, Mark Van Bommell, Drik Kuyt, Robin van Persie
Spain: Xavi, David Villa, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres

Just take a look at the nominees for the Golden Ball, the trophy given to the best player of the tournament and the characteristics as identified by the FIFA Technical Study Group. 5 of the 10 players play for the Netherlands or Spain.

Andres Iniesta (Spain) – Very fine ball-playing attacking midfielder, a star for the team, impressive dribbling ability
Arjen Robben (Netherlands) – Very good pace and dribbling skills, wonderful ability to cut inside from the right, effective to his team
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) – A maestro in midfield, exceptional work rate, the engine of Netherland’s attacks, excellent passer and scorer
David Villa (Spain) – Top scorer; quick, two footed, very good on one-on-one situations, provides good final passes, excellent finisher
Xavi (Spain) – The metronome and the engine of the Spanish team, very influential in the passing style of the game, one of the finest midfielders in the tournament

The outcome of the game will be determined by…

…who will control possession and dominate the midfield.

The Spanish midfield composed of Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, and co. is the best unit in the World, and as a result, they are the best passing and possession keeping teams in the tournament. Against Germany, Xavi completed 105 passes, just only the 8th player to complete at least 100 passes since 1966. For the tournament, he now has 509 passes, only the 2nd player in history to complete at least 500 passes in a single World Cup (the other was Brazil’s Dunga who completed 589 in 1994). If the Spanish midfield is clicking on Sunday, they will give David Villa plenty of opportunities for chances on goal.

However, the Dutch midfield is pretty dang good as well, with Wesley Sneijder, Mark Van Bommell, and Nigel De Jong more than capable of holding their own.

The key will be whether or not van Bommell and De Jong can contain Xavi, Alonso, and Iniesta, and whether or not Sneijder can work his magic up front.

The competition within the competition

Currently, Spain’s David Villa and the Netherland’s Wesley Sneijder share the tournament goal scoring lead, with each scoring 5 goals. With both teams probably playing a very tight game, the lone goal can very well come from either Villa or Sneijder. Their team will win the title, and they’ll win the “Golden Boot”.

However, you can’t rule out Diego Forlan of Uruguay who sits behind Villa and Sneijder with 4 goals. If Villa or Sneijder dont score in the finals and Forlan scores 1 or more goals against Germany in the 3rd place goal, Forlan will pull the upset and win the Golden Boot.

For what it’s worth, in my group stage recap post, I had David Villa winning the Golden Boot Trophy.

The X-Factor

The biggest X-Factor has to be Fernando Torres, the player who scored the game winning goal against Germany in the Euro 2008. One of the best strikers in the World, Torres was hurt while playing for Liverpool earlier this year, and has struggled to regain his form. To a shock of many, Torres has scored no goals in 6 appearances this World Cup.

It’ll be interesting to see if Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque gives him the start this coming Sunday. If he happens to find his form and contributes well, he will form once again a very scary strike partner with David Villa, and give the already shaky Dutch defense even more problems.

The Predictions

I will agree with Paul the Octopus, and predict a Spanish victory.

July 8, 2010

The End of the Lebron James Saga: Part 1

Filed under: basketball — Tags: , , , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 9:33 pm

If you’ve remotely been following the news, you’ll know that something big happened today in basketball…namely Lebron James joined Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami to play for the Heat in the foreseeable future.

Before I go into what this means for the future of the NBA, I want to say that I’m really disgusted by what Lebron James did tonight. He felt a desire to fuel his already enormous ego by having a 1 hour special on ESPN all to himself where he explained to the entire nation why he decided to choose Miami. In the process, he broke the hearts of thousands of Cleveland fans on national television. Bill Simmons put it best in a tweet tonight,

Totally fine with LBJ switching teams. But doing that to Cleveland via a one-hour TV show was absolutely brutal. An unprecedented Eff You.

Having spent 5 years in Pittsburgh and growing to love the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ive come to develop a “sports hatred” for the cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati, two of the Steelers biggest rivals in the AFC North. However, after seeing what Lebron did on national tv, I cant help but feel the pain of Clevelanders. He pretty much insulted the entire franchise and told the entire country that the team wasnt worthy for him. He talked about having an opportunity to play with some of the best players that he never was able to play with in Cleveland.

The backlash against Lebron is nothing what he expected it to be. However, he brought it upon himself by doing this on national television. He essentially humiliated the entire city of Cleveland, and caused numerous fans to burn his jersey in the streets and caused the owner, Dan Gilbert, to write this insanely scathing open letter to his fans, which I think was the stupidest thing he could have ever done. I stand by my criticism that Gilbert was a horrible owner who never brought in a good player to play with Lebron.

Had Lebron just released a statement and held a press conference in Miami, I dont believe Cleveland would have reacted in this way. It would have been tough for the city to accept, but there wouldnt be cries of betrayal and such.

I love Lebron’s game. Without talking about championships and winning, Lebron James is one of the most special players to have ever played the game of basketball. Any impartial and unbiased fan would readily admit that Lebron James possesses a talent unseen in the league in such a long time. I respect his game, but as of now that’s about it.

Ever since Lebron walked off the court without shaking his opponent’s hands, I started to lose respect for him. Then there was this incident at his camp where he was dunked on and posterized by a college player and immediately had the videos confiscated. Now there this incident. I feel I cant respect him or admire him as a person anymore, only as a basketball player.

Take a look at what Kevin Durant, one of the best young rising stars in the league, did this week. Unlike Lebron, he simply signed a 5-year $85 million deal and released a statement. No press conference. No hoopla. Nothing. Just plain modesty.

Lebron needs to take a page out of Durant’s book.

Coming in a future post: The implications on the NBA championship for years to come….

The Lebron James Fiasco

Filed under: basketball — Tags: , , , , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 12:05 am

Rumors have it this evening that Lebron James will be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami for the near future, combining a trio of players unseen in the NBA since the 1980s. Tomorrow night, on the outside, Lebron James might seem happy about this decision, but on the inside, I have to believe that he’s not thrilled with how everything played out.

All along, we knew the following thing: Lebron James really wanted to play with either Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh, or both.

However, while he would love to play with Wade, I believe Lebron wanted Wade to join him at a new team, whether it’d be Chicago, New Jersey, or New York. Wade lead Miami to the title in 2006, and this is clearly his team. If Lebron James goes to Miami, he will definitely be 2nd fiddle to Wade in the eyes and hearts of all the fans. If Miami ends up winning titles, the knock on Lebron will be that he had to join Wade in Miami to win a title…he couldnt win it by himself. Wade didnt need Lebron to win it.

All along, analysts and commentators believed that Lebron James would shape the entire free agency picture. He would be the first domino to fall, and everything else would just fall into place after his decision. Deep down inside, I believe Lebron felt that he had complete control over the situation…even going so far as to think that Bosh and Wade would follow his decision and what he did.

Has Lebron James been completely torn over where to go? Who knows? But for the sake of discussion, lets suppose that as of Wednesday morning, he was still unsure where to go. After hearing that Bosh and Wade both decided on Miami, I feel that the decision wasnt his anymore, and that his hands were tied.

He knew that if he went anywhere else, hed have to compete against Bosh, Wade, and a probably very strong Miami team. He knew that if he didnt join them, hed still have to compete against other strong teams like Orlando and Boston. After hearing about Bosh and Wade, Lebron James really has no other choice but to go to Miami if he wants the best chance to winning championships. Had he gone to another team, his life in the Eastern Conference would continue to be a nightmare.

But at the same time, I think he’s taking a big hit, and his brand name will suffer. Again, he’d be going to Miami to a team that already has a beloved player. James would always be 2nd in the eyes of Heat fans. Even if he wins championships, he will still continue to face criticism for not being able to achieve this on his own.

Deep down inside, I think Lebron wished that Bosh or Wade would join him at either Chicago, New Jersey, or even in Cleveland, though Bosh was 100% against that idea. On these teams, he’d have as good as a shot to win the title, but then he’d also be better positioned to be the alpha dog of his team.

For the first time in his life, Lebron didnt get his way. For the first time, he had to base his decision on others. Let’s see how he deals with it.

July 6, 2010

World Cup 2010: The quarterfinal rounds

Filed under: World Cup — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 12:40 am

The quarterfinal matchup of World Cup 2010 brought about some of the most interesting story lines of this world cup, none of which was more controversial than Luis Suarez’s handball incident during the Ghana vs Uruguay match.

Besides this incident, the other biggest surprise was the outcome of the Germany/Argentina and Brazil/Netherlands games. All 5 South American teams made it out of the group stage, and 4 of the teams made it to the quarterfinals. Many analysts predicted that the South American countries would breeze through this round as well and occupy 2 or 3 semifinal spots. However, this was not the case as Brazil and Argentina both were defeated by the Netherlands and Germany, respectively.

What happened in those two games? Weren’t Argentina and Brazil very strong in the group stage and the round of 16 stage? Were they over hyped? Are Germany and the Netherlands that good? Are Argentina and Brazil that bad?

Argentina and Brazil both boast some of the greatest collection of talent and skill of any team in the world. However, going into this tournament, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the managers of both these teams.

After Argentina struggled through qualifying for the World Cup, the Argentinian Federation fired Alfia Basil and brought in Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players ever in the sport, but also one of the most controversial. His appointment was marked with ridicule by the media and he was heavily criticized, mainly because this was his first time coaching a team at any level. He was further criticized after he used over 100 different players in his first years of coaching the team, trying to figure out the right players and strategy.

Brazil too had its share of controversy after Dunga took over as coach. He abandoned the traditional Brazilian, free flowing, creative style of play, and instituted a very traditional, conservative, defensive style of play. He even went so far as leaving Ronaldinho, one of the best players in the world, off the team because Ronaldinho didnt fit in his plans for the team.

Knowing this, how does this explain what happened?

Like I mentioned above, Brazil and Argentina both have some of the best collection of talent out of any team in this world. I believe they were able to breeze through the group stage and their round of 16 game on pure talent alone. For Argentina, I dont think Maradona knows that much about tactical football strategy and I really dont think that he did THAT much coaching during the World Cup. Argentina was by far a better team than Nigeria, South Korea, Greece, and Mexico and Maradona just let them be and let them outplay them. However, when they faced a strong team like Germany, who is coached by a very smart Joachim Low, they simply didnt have a chance against them because I think Maradona didnt really know what he was doing.

Brazil’s loss against the Netherlands was unlike the Argentinian’s loss…it was a bit more unfortunate. Brazil was up 1-0 at the half, but eventually fell victim by an own goal and a complete meltdown of the team after a player was sent off with a red card. However, like Argentina, Brazil wasnt as strong as everyone thought they’d be. I think the biggest warning sign was their 2-1 victory over North Korea. The one goal given up was the only goal scored by North Korea the entire tournament, who were defeated by Portugal 7-0 and Ivory Coast 3-0. A lot of people gave credit to North Korea for playing a very strong game, but that was no excuse for Brazil to not score more goals. After their 0-0 tie with Portugal, one could have seen that this team wasnt like Brazilian teams from before. This team’s offense at times looked out of sync, and unlike that of the number one team in the world.

What about Germany and the Netherlands? Where did they come from?

Germany has always been a powerhouse in soccer, and their success shouldnt come as a surprise to many people. Some might say that they’re the strongest team remaining in this tournament. Despite a 1-0 loss to Serbia, I think they are playing some of the best football right now after scoring 4 goals each against Australia, England, and Argentina. They are also the “biggest” surprise of the tournament for me. Before the World Cup started, I didnt think they would be able to advance far because of the injury to their captain, Michael Ballack, and because of the poor form of one of their best strikers, Miroslav Klose.

I think the injury to Ballack was a blessing in disguise. Ballack is a semi-diva on the field and constantly wants the ball. With him off the field, it’s given the younger players a chance to shine, which is what exactly Bastian Schweinstiger has done in the midfield. Another surprise has been the form of Klose. Klose scored only 6 goals in 38 games this past season for his club, Bayern Munich, which was the lowest goal total in his career. However, he’s completely turned around his game for the World Cup and has scored 4 goals for Germany so far. Just like the lesson learned from Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics this past season, star veteran, experienced players will always show up on the greatest stage.

Now, the Netherlands success might be a bit surprising to some people, but it really shouldnt be. The Netherlands, like Spain, is widely considered to be the best country to never have won the World Cup. They have always enjoyed much success at the European Championship level, making it to the semifinals twice this decade in 2000 and 2004 as well as the quarterfinal round in 2008. The Netherlands now are what Brazil used to be back in the day…a skilled, creative, free flowing team that is also very sound defensively. I fully expect them to dominate Uruguay in the semifinals and earn a birth in the finals.

Semi-final Predictions

The Netherlands over Uruguay
Germany over Spain

July 2, 2010

The Luis Suarez handball: Cheating or Not?

Filed under: World Cup — Tags: , , , — Jonathan Lee @ 5:37 pm

Today’s quarterfinal matchup between Ghana and Uruguay produced the most interested end to a World Cup game this year.

To recap what happened, there was less than 15 seconds left in the game, and Ghana had one last free kick before the game went into a penalty shootout. There was a resulting scramble in the box, with many shots/headers on goal. At the end, a header went on goal and was finally deliberately blocked with the hands of Luis Suarez. He was given a red card and will miss the next game. Had he not blocked it with his hands, it was a sure goal. Ghana was given a penalty shot, but it was then missed. Ghana went on to lose in the shootout.

A lot of people have been criticizing Suarez for cheating and many people have called for a ban or what not. A lot of people have even compared him to Thierry Henry, and his cheating incident by scoring a goal with his hand.

Do I have any problem with what Suarez did? No. On the contrary, I applaud him for what he did. He knew what the rules were, and he decided to play by them with the whole world to see. He knew that if he used his hands in the box, he would get a red card and a suspension for the next game. He knew that he would give up a resulting penalty kick where Ghana could still win. He knew too that this was the only way to give his team a chance at survival. He took one for his country, and his gambled paid off after Ghana missed the resulting penalty kick.

This happens all the time in American sports. In basketball, when a player is on a fast break and has an easy path to the basket, he sometimes intentionally fouled so that he doesnt get these “free points”. The fouled player then just gets to shoot 2 free throws as a result. In hockey, when a player is on a breakaway, he is often times tripped up as a last resort to save a goal. This player is then awarded a penalty shot. In football, if a receiver has a clear shot at the ball and the defender is beat, the defender will purposefully foul the receiver. The defender will then be called for a pass interference penalty and his team is at a disadvantage.

In all these cases, the defender purposefully sacrifices himself for the team so that the other team doesnt get an easy or sure score. In all situations, the defender knows that there will be retribution of some type, whether that be free throws, penalty shot, or field position. But in each case, he knows that these none of these are “gimme points.” He knows that free throws or a penalty shot can be missed. He knows that better field position might not lead to points. Its a gamble that the player is willing to take.

Now back to Suarez, he did the exact same thing. He sacrificed himself, and everything worked out perfectly. Suarez did something wrong. He was caught. A penalty kick was given, Ghana couldnt capitalize, and there’s no controversy what so ever.

However, I guarantee you things would have been a lot different had the referees not called the penalty and given the red card. All hell would have broken loose, and Suarez would have been vilified by the entire world for cheating. Im actually scared to imagine what would have happened had the refs not seen the handball.

Did he cheat? I would say no. Again, I applaud him tremendously for what he did. If he wasnt caught, would I have a problem with the situation? Yes, but not because of what he did, but because of the inadequacies of the refereering that didnt spot the penalty to begin with.

What do you think?

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