I had the privilege last week to be in the presence of some pretty special people when it comes to the sports world.
Last Tuesday, legendary sports columnist Rick Cleveland provided the program for the annual Rotary Banquet.
A few days later, I was invited to an impromptu luncheon with former NBA star Larry “Mr. Mean” Smith and former Alcorn athlete Dwayne Chilous. I was invited to the lunch by Carver Randle Jr.
Cleveland has been covering Mississippi sports for nearly six decades. There are few things he does not know about the state’s sports history, as he also served as executive director at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame for a number of years, and there are few of the state’s great athletes over the last 57 years that he has not known.
I imagine he wrote a few lines about Smith during Smith’s playing days at Alcorn (1976-80) and during his 13-year NBA career, as well as a successful coaching career afterwards.
During Cleveland’s address, he was asked about his views on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) which paved the way for college athletes to make money legally while in school.
Cleveland is not too bullish on NIL, nor the college transfer portals.
The arguments against those two are not without merit, but I believe Cleveland may be behind the curve when it comes to his overall views on those subjects.
The old system was certainly better for colleges, their sports programs, and it probably seemed to be more wholesome than today’s world of NIL, portals and even sports betting.
But in reality, the old way wasn’t as pure as our nostalgia-clouded minds might suggest.
Players were paid under the old order of things, but the money was dirty and under the table.
People met in dimly-lit parking lots to drop off bags of cash to highly-touted prospects, while players who came from low-income backgrounds were prohibited from taking money to pay their mothers’ light bills or accepting a vehicle to get to and from campus.
Head football coaches owed zero loyalty to their players, the schools and the fans.
Coaches made millions, and they walked at the drop of a hat to competing schools, who for some reason are allowed to negotiate contracts with coaches who are currently under contract.
Meanwhile, the players – the ones who take the weekly beatings on the field – saw no money from their efforts nor the sale of the apparel that bore their name, image and likeness.
Other Notes From Great Sports Talks
I am very grateful to have been included in the lunch with Smith and the others this past weekend.
I love to talk baseball, but I have to plead ignorance a lot of times when it comes to basketball, college or pro.
Smith was very gracious, and he ended up giving his two cents about MLB and the NFL more than we talked about the league he played in for over a dozen years. Thanks again to the guys for including me.
Smith’s on-court nickname “Mr. Mean” was a bit of a twist of irony. It turns out that despite his aggressive play on the hardwood, the 6-foot-8 star is soft-spoken and rarely does not have a smile on his face.
Athletes of High
Character
During Cleveland’s address, he talked at length about the late Dave “Boo” Ferriss and Archie Manning.
Cleveland was great friends with Ferriss and remains close with Manning to this day.
He noted that they were not just among the best athletes to ever come from Mississippi, but they are two great human beings. They have been kind, gracious and servants to others over the decades.
And I think that’s what we’d all like to see out of college and pro athletes these days.
We’d like to see a little less about contract holdouts and franchise tags and a little more about what these men and women are doing to serve others off the field and off the court.
They’re under no obligation to do so, but neither were Ferriss and Manning, but they did so anyway.
And we’re thankful for them.
