DJ Grand
Bio
Co-host of the Grand Designs Podcast, located at granddesignspodcast.com. Where we link the chains of reason to sports, politics and culture. Who are you listening to?
Stories (10/0)
Equality in Sports Revisited
What does it mean when those who claim to be marginalized by society want equality? On the surface this seems like a fair proposition. Yet upon a deeper examination, equality is a commodity that hard to accomplish outside of the courtroom, where everyone is, ideally, equal before the law. Once again, it seems fair but the modern-day application of equality comes well short of being fair. The question that needs to be asked, yet seldom is, is fair to whom?
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Conspiracy Theories in Professional Sports
Did we land on the moon? Are there aliens in Area 51? Although there are definitive answers to each of those, that’s not always the case when it comes to conspiracy theories in professional sports. All four major sports leagues have been plagued with conspiracy theories with answers to some being obvious, and others not quite so easy to decipher fact from fiction.
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Is Tyreek Hill Fit to Play in the NFL?
Repeat offender (at least to this writer’s principles) Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs from the NFL has shown that it depends on the character of the person if second chances are worthy or will work. Recently, an audio was leaked of Hill being recorded by his fiancée, Crystal Espinal. That 11-minute audio was published by KCTV5 and recorded while Hill and Espinal were walking in Dubai International Airport. Even though the contents of the audio were shocking, it was also not very surprising given Hill’s past demonstration of his shallow character.
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Fan Behavior in Sports
Something has happened to sports fans. No longer is it acceptable to local fans, for anyone, whether resident or visitor, to cheer on an opposing team, and woe to thee who wears the opponent’s jersey. What happened to allow this type of knuckle dragging behavior to become acceptable?
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Is It Ever Too Much?
With the announcement that Mike Trout was signing a $426 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball, an unintended firestorm was set off. Local and national sports radio hosts, as well as ordinary spectators and fans, gave (sometimes) uneducated opinions on whether Trout—or anyone—deserved such a stratospheric contract. When is any salary, in any profession, too much?
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports
Modern science has brought along many wondrous advancements that help us along, but those advancements have also smuggled in with it some serious ethical conundrums. One of those problems is chemical enhancements. It is one thing if they are used to advance and prolong health, it is a totally different matter if they are used to boost strength, speed, and overall performance to give one a physical advantage in competitive sports. Society doesn’t care if a police officer, fireman, or Joe Carpenter uses physical enhancements. It might even be encouraged as there may be arguments in its favor. The difference in sports lies in the fact that there is open competition in these endeavors.
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
The Thug Mentality
There’s a rot that exists inside the culture of hockey that is a top-down type of disease. This malady can be easily understood as the Thug Mentality. It starts with the likes of Don Cherry, currently a prominent NHL analyst and commentator and former head coach of the Boston Bruins. Eventually it trickles down into the leagues of the little ones because the veins of the hockey culture are clogged with this viscous disease.
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Grand Designs Podcast—Episode 7—Equality in Sports
Lately, the buzzword has been equality. The debate has ramifications well beyond just sports. For example, equal pay for women to that of what men make. In sports, it’s about equality of transgendered and biological people, and just equality with biological females competing with biological males, as well as equal pay. So, the question of the day is: Is equality in sports even possible?
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced
Grand Designs Podcast—Episode 6—The Seismic Impact of Paying College Athletes to Play Sports
Paying college athletes will have a seismic impact and leave behind many aftershocks to reverberate throughout the whole of college academic life. No longer will academics be the focus of college sporting life. Getting paid will become the primary focus. It will open up a colossal can of worms that will echo well beyond the playing field.
By DJ Grand5 years ago in Unbalanced