SPEAKING of court cases, we understand that Nike has filed a “friend of the court” brief on behalf of golfer Casey Martin.
Martin, who suffers from a circulatory condition that makes extended walking impossible, is in U.S. Supreme Court, citing the Americans With Disabilities Act in contesting the PGA Tour’s attempt to ban him from using a cart during sanctioned play.
Two years ago, after Martin became a national figure who inspired widespread sympathy, Nike was eager to slap one of its swoosh caps on his head and pay him an endorsement fee. Good PR, ya know.
But Nike’s sentiment on behalf of Martin and the disabled doesn’t quite rhyme with one of its wise-guy ad campaigns, published just two months ago, for one of its running shoes.
The ad suggests that this Nike shoe will prevent its wearers from “compressing my spinal cord into a Slinky . . . thereby rendering me a drooling, misshapen non-extreme-trail-running husk of my former self, forced to roam the earth within a motorized wheelchair with my name, embossed on one of those cute little license plates you get at carnivals or state fairs, fastened to the back.”
But Nike’s so sensitive on behalf of disabled Americans that it wants its position entered into the record in a Supreme Court decision.
As for Martin’s case, the words of Bob Corbo, senior pro golfer, Staten Island native and Martin supporter are worth repeating: “Remember, about a week after they invented golf, back before they’d invented golf carts, they invented caddies.”
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AND one more from the wide world of sports in courts: Former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards was last week sentenced to 10 years in prison for extorting payoffs from businessmen, including former 49ers owner and current felon Eddie DeBartolo Jr., in exchange for riverboat casino licenses.
During the sentencing, federal judge Frank Polozola declared that Edwards was responsible for furthering Louisiana’s image as a corrupt state. He might have added that Edwards is responsible for furthering the corrupt image of America’s legal gambling industry.
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THE most underplayed sports stories of the week were Notre Dame’s women’s win over UConn, ending UConn’s winning streak at 30, followed by Aspen’s Chris Klug, recipient of a liver transplant this past July, winning a World Cup snowboarding event in Olang, Italy.
The worst thing about a Giants-Ravens Super Bowl is that those long-running and annoying Charles Schwab commercials that have the Ravens’ Shannon Sharpe talking investment-portfolio trash to the Giants’ Jason Sehorn, are not likely to disappear in the near future.
Fran Tarkenton, late-night/early-morning infomercial host who last year agreed to pay a $155,000 fine to the Securties and Exchange Commission, is profiled on HBO’s “Real Sports,” tomorrow at 10 p.m. As a cocky, charismatic businessman, Tarkenton still appears to be scrambling – for credibility.
The difference between Kerry Collins last week and Kerry Collins much of the season was his sprint-out passing. Against the Vikings, it was quicker, more accurate and it went right and left – a big reason why the Vikes’ soft defensive secondary became softer, more non-committal.
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HE Likes Al Roker in the Fifth: Sean Nolan, who won second-place prize of $30,000 in last week’s Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Thoroughbred Handicapping Championship in Vegas, is a meteorologist for the NYC Office of Emergency Management. Perfect.
Phil Simms has re-upped with CBS, a multi-year deal and with a big raise that likely pays him well over $2 million per.
Would you take your eyes off the basketball court in a close game, the clock running and under a minute left? Heck, no. But national network basketball directors, wedded to mindless formulas, continue to do just that for us.
Monday, in the final 35 seconds of UConn-Texas, a two-point game, ESPN shot a close-up of a Texas player, then a closeup of UConn coach Jim Calhoun – with the ball in play.
Every year finds a crop of ex-coaches and players exploiting TV (and TV executives) as a quick-buck layover between jobs. But the current crew that’s abandoning sports TV for a return to sports is rare in that three of its members gave TV a good shot, and over many years.
ESPN’s Buck Martinez (new Blue Jays manager), Fox’s Matt Millen (new Lions president and GM) and Fox’s Bob Brenly (new Diamondbacks manager) all put enough seasons and caring into their TV careers that none can be accused of taking the money and bolting.
