LeBron's attempt to hide college kid's dunk

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/phil_taylor/07/23/lebron.tape/

LeBron's attempt to hide college kid's dunk disturbingly revealing
Phil Taylor
7-23-9
Story Highlights
Nike officials confiscated tape of college player's dunk on LeBron James
Videos of the summer camp dunk revealed a fairly ordinary basketball play
LeBron's ungracious playoff exit and effort to hide tape may reveal growing ego

That was it? Seriously?

Given all the hype and secrecy and video-snatching tactics that surrounded it, you expected the world premiere of LeBron James Getting Dunked On to be something truly amazing, the type of vicious throwdown that makes you bug your eyes out and grab the person next to you in that All-Star weekend, you-better-hold-me-up-'cause-that-slam-was-so-nasty-I-just-might-pass-out kind of way. If the video of a little-known college player, Jordan Crawford of Xavier, jamming over James earlier this month was so embarrassing that LBJ or his Nike minions or both felt the need to confiscate the footage from one of the fans who happened to record it, surely this must have been a dunk for the ages.

The kid must have really posterized the King, you were thinking. He must have tied James' headband in a knot with the force of it. He must have finished a Sudoku as he soared over LeBron's head. He must have dissed LBJ's puppet commercials on the way to the rim. Something. Why else would they have gone to such trouble to try to ensure that the evidence would never leave the gym?

But no, it was just a run-of-the-mill dunk, the kind you might see in any high-level pick-up game. Crawford drove the middle and took off, with James leaving his man along the baseline to come and help. The King got there a split second too late to make the block, with Crawford finishing the flush just beyond his outstretched hand. There was some hooting and hollering from the handful of fans in the stands, but it died down soon enough.

And that's what would have happened with the public reaction if James and/or Nike hadn't tried to keep the footage from getting out -- it would have died down just as quickly. It's not completely clear whether James directed the Nike reps to confiscate the video or whether the idea came from the company, but in any case, he certainly made no objection. However it came about, they were dead wrong in their handling of it; they should have been shrewd enough to let matters play out naturally. Instead, they made everyone so curious that when footage finally hit the Internet on Wednesday -- apparently the Nike reps didn't realize that the fan they strong-armed wasn't the only one recording the play for posterity -- the entire basketball world was eager to take a look.

So the attempt to suppress the evidence was a miscalculation by James, which wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't his second misstep in recent weeks. The great dunk cover-up comes on the heels of his rather ungracious exit from the playoffs in late May, when he drew criticism for leaving the court after the Cavs' elimination without bothering to shake a single Orlando player's hand. Neither of these is a major offense, of course, but taken together, they do point to a troubling possibility. Could it be that LBJ, who had until now shown such unerring public relations instincts, is beginning to take himself too seriously?

Some diva tendencies are starting to show, first pouting after a big loss and now trying to suppress video that shows him as something less than a superman for about five seconds. It's a little like an actress who won't allow herself to be photographed unless her makeup is on and the lighting is perfect. It would be a shame to see James, who has been so appealing in part because he has seemed so natural and down-to-earth, turn into the kind of celebrity athlete who becomes so self-absorbed he can't handle defeat with grace or so image conscious he tries to micro-manage the flow of information about him that reaches the public.

As unfair as it may be to LBJ, we can't help think about what Michael Jordan would have done in the same situation. His Airness wouldn't have destroyed the dunking footage, he would have destroyed the dunker. He would have focused on outplaying Crawford so mercilessly for the rest of the game, and every game the youngster had the misfortune to play against him thereafter, that Crawford would rue the day he ever learned to dunk. Jordan's legacy was not that he never came up short, it was how ruthlessly he exacted revenge on those rare occasions that someone did get the better of him.

James would be wise to follow Jordan's lead -- among MJ's many talents, after all, was the ability to remain utterly likable without appearing to try too hard. It appeared that James had figured out how to do the same, but he seems to be in need of a refresher course, or at least a reminder that presenting yourself as a sore loser or a thin-skinned star is no way to keep the public on your side.

The occasional embarrassing moment on the court can't damage LeBron's reputation, but his own overreaction can. That much, James needs to realize, is a slam dunk.

LeBron James Is Acting Like a Baby

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/07/10/lebron-acting-like-baby-nike-like-goons/

LeBron James Is Acting Like a Baby, Nike Like Goons
Posted Jul 10, 2009
Jay Mariotti

If LeBron James dares to venture online and see himself scorched by the masses, he might as well do some instructive Web-surfing, too. I suggest he call up a dubious Michael Jordan clip on YouTube, where a certain John Rogers, CEO of Ariel Investments, beats him in a one-on-one game at his "Flight School" basketball camp. What's funny is how Jordan opens with trash-talk -- "Don't be mad at me. I'm just too good for you," -- only to be schooled on three driving, twisting layups.

And how did the Greatest Player Ever respond to this professional embarrassment, which he knew was being taped? Oh, by hugging and congratulating Rogers, then willingly absorbing verbal abuse from comedian Damon Wayans while the other campers howled.

Wayans: "How do you feel about being humiliated in the game?"

Jordan: "You get dunked on, you get crossed-over. It all happens."

Wayans: "But at your own camp?"

Jordan: "Sure."

Wayans, pointing to a portrait of Jordan hanging in the gym: "Take that picture down and put up Rogers right there!"

Consider it Exhibit A of how LeBron should have responded when he was dunked on in a pickup game at his own camp -- a two-handed hammer by Xavier sophomore Jordan Crawford over a leaping, late-arriving James. It was a perfect opportunity for LeBron to humanize himself and have fun with the "indignity,'' just as MJ had at his camp. He could have congratulated Crawford, taken him over to the two videographers who had captured the dunk and done, say, a makeshift interview that could have been part of a creative Nike promotional campaign. Think of the eventual possibilities: a Jordan Crawford shoe for the LeBron brand marketed and downpriced for Everyman, with James and Crawford starring in a clever Nike commercial.

Instead, James acted like a baby, much as he did when he sulked off the court and didn't shake hands with Orlando players after he and the Cleveland Cavaliers were ousted in the Eastern Conference finals. Just having seen several college and high-school players run around the court deliriously, stunned that LeBron had been posterized by a collegian, James summoned a Nike executive named Lynn Merritt. A short time later, Merritt approached the videographers and confiscated the tapes. This reminds me of what happened to American journalists at the Beijing Olympics last summer, when Chinese authorities threatened to shut down our Internet access -- and maybe banish us to a concentration camp? -- if we were overly critical of the government.

But that was a Communist country. This is America.

And in our land of the free and home of the brave, we can't stand cover-ups by Big Business, the only way to describe the corporate censorship tactics at work. Yes, there apparently is a rule forbidding videotaping of after-hours pickup games at James' camp. But funny how no one seemed to notice the cameras until after the dunk. One of the videographers, Ryan Miller, is a freelancer trying to make a few bucks fresh out of Syracuse University. He was specifically covering the camp for ESPNU, the network's college-sports channel, and for Syracuse.com. Here was a chance for a hustling young guy to make a name for himself. But that can't be done when Nike takes the tape and burns it, or whatever the Swooshheads have done with it. And want to know the craziest thing? Miller isn't even sure he caught the dunk footage on tape.

In the end, James and Nike look much worse than if they'd simply let the dunk run its course in cyberspace. They're trying way too hard to protect LeBron's global image, which sends a message that James is more a businessman than a basketball megastar. In a weak attempt to justify the tape grab, a company spokesman said, "Nike has been operating basketball camps for the benefit of young athletes for decades and has long-standing policies as to what events are open and closed to media coverage. Unfortunately, for the first time in four years, two journalists did not respect our no videotaping policy at an after-hours pickup game following the LeBron James Skills Academy.''

OK. So tell them to shut off their cameras, period. By taking the tapes, there is only one motive: Protect The King. Shame on James for letting his wounded ego initiate the process. And shame on Nike for playing the goon role. Blessed with some of the most creative minds in sports, Nike still can save face by using the confiscated tape in an ad. That way, LeBron can look human, Crawford's thundering moment can live forever, the company can sell some shoes and Miller can get a fat check for his work.

Just do it, Nike. Just release the tape. My guess is, we'll never see it, though we might get a second round of those creepy LeBron-Kobe puppet ads.

"That's Nike and LeBron,'' Crawford said. "That's kind of over my head.''

But doesn't Crawford deserve his place in YouTube history?

"I would love my family and teammates to see it,'' he said.

Wouldn't we all love to see it? Too bad we'll have to settle for a T-shirt selling on a Web site, which says: "I DUNKED ON LeBRON (but he stole the video).''

Let me make it clear, right here and now, that LeBron James has been a model citizen and NBA ambassador in his early 20s. In a sports culture dominated by bad news -- Steve McNair murdered by a 20-year-old girlfriend, Donte Stallworth killing a man while driving drunk, more steroids, more deceit -- he has behaved himself and stayed out of legal documents and courtrooms. If the worst thing he ever does is try to cover-up a dunk and walk off a court without shaking hands, he might win a Nobel Peace Prize.

He's also a cordial, well-grounded guy who does cool commercials. This could have been his best one yet. But if we are his "witnesses'' -- the ongoing LeBron marketing theme -- it seems he only wants us to watch him on his terms.

I think a call from Michael Jordan is in order.

Computerized “Taylorism”

http://wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/reta-d15.shtml

Computerized “Taylorism”
US retail giants utilize software programs to drive productivity
By Charles Bogle
15 December 2008

Taylorism—a theory of management that analyzes workflow to increase productivity—was depicted most memorably in the Little Tramp's frantic and futile attempt to keep up with the "feeding machine" in Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. Named for F.W. Taylor, an American mechanical engineer who developed its central concepts in the 1880s and 1890s, the theory was first put into practice in early 20th century factories and rapidly became ubiquitous in large-scale manufacturing.

In order to wring the greatest possible productivity out of a worker in the least amount of time, this system divides a job into its smallest possible units, measures the minimal amount of time and motion required to complete each unit, and then arrives at a standardized, machine-like routine that each worker must follow scrupulously at his or her job. A byproduct of this standardization of the workplace is the transfer of all decision-making from the employees to the managers.

This same system has now been computerized and is being used at more than five-dozen retail chains. The Operations Workforce Optimization unit of Accenture Ltd., formerly known as H.B. Maynard & Co., is providing software programs to giant retailers such as Toys ‘R' Us Inc., Gap Inc., United Brands Inc., Office Depot Inc., Nike Inc., and Meijer Inc. that borrow heavily from Taylorism. According to the Wall Street Journal, Operations Workforce Optimization first breaks down jobs into "quantifiable units," arrives at standardized times to complete the units, called "engineered labor standards," and finally writes software to help their retail clients "keep watch over their workforces."

Each employee is expected to achieve at least 95 percent of the baseline score, i.e., successfully complete each engineered labor standard. If an employee fails to reach this goal too many times, he or she will either be moved to a lower-paying job or fired.

Interviews with employees at Meijer stores reveal what one might expect: They feel stressed and insecure in a field of employment that once provided enough security, wages, and benefits to gain a livelihood and raise a family.

Mr. Gunther, a 22-year old cashier at a Michigan Meijer store, "told a longtime customer that he couldn't chat with her anymore during checkout because he was being timed," according to the Blade (Toledo, Ohio). His fellow cashiers admitted to avoiding eye contact with their customers for the same reason.

This reporter interviewed Kevin, an 18-year-old college student who works 32 hours a week for $9.40 an hour as a general warehouse clerk at the Meijer warehouse in Newport, a small town in southeastern Michigan. Kevin's job involves driving a pallet cart up and down aisles to pick up items and deliver them to hi-lo drivers.

Kevin's orders arrive on a sheet of paper with "picks," i.e., items to be picked up, wrapped, and delivered to the drivers within a standardized amount of time. Kevin says there is no tolerance for mistakes, including pickup up the wrong items, and since the warehouse is contracted to Meijer, making a mistake, or not "making rate," often results in termination. Kevin says the turnover rate is "extremely high"; he sees new faces every other week.

This system has had deleterious effects on working conditions at the Meijer warehouse. Kevin related that the warehouse employs some 500 workers, and that as many as 10 workers at a time drive up and down the same aisle—resulting in delays, not making rate, and the consequences that follow. He also stated that the standardized times pit one worker against the other: "So, if someone needs help for five minutes, I can't."

Kevin offered an anecdote as an example of the stress produced by the program used by Meijer. "When you're finished with your picks you have to get back to the front office and scan your card in time. I remember one time a younger employee was trying to scan his card so he could take his lunch break, and an older worker was trying to ‘make rate' and pushed the younger guy out of the way." It's no wonder that an employee with 20 years seniority told Kevin to "finish your schooling and get out of here."

The veteran employee's remark is reflective of conditions existing now in occupations that once offered humane working conditions and decent pay and benefits. The startling figure of 533,000 lost jobs in the November unemployment report, the largest one-month loss of jobs since 1974, includes over 91,000 jobs in the retail sector. In the midst of a severe recession that threatens to become a depression, these losses will no doubt mount, while the retail giants, armed with computerized Taylorism, try to squeeze every last penny out of their remaining employees.

Why Does The Michael Vick Case Hurt Hip-Hop?

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1567399/20070817/id_0.jhtml

Aug 20 2007
Why Does The Michael Vick Case Hurt Hip-Hop?
Genre's glamorization of dogfights and pit bulls has led critics to associate it with blood sport.
By Michelle Rabinowitz, with additional reporting by Nick Neofitidis and Jayson Rodriguez

The Michael Vick dogfighting case has created many victims. First, you have the alleged victims: the dogs. There are also the Atlanta Falcons, who are out a quarterback. And there's hip-hop. Yes, hip-hop.

Vick's indictment on federal charges related to a dogfighting ring allegedly run on his Virginia property — to which he agreed to plead guilty on Monday (August 20) — has brought the brutal blood sport into the public consciousness. And hip-hop is one of the only outlets in America where you'll find references to it. Dogfighting's presence in videos and lyrics led to critical newspaper editorials and columns, along with on-air berating from Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly.

All of them addressed the same explicit examples: The scene in Jay-Z's "99 Problems" video where everyone is getting ready for a big dogfight just as Jigga goes down, DMX's album Grand Champ (which is the title given to a dog that wins five matches without a loss), and DVDs of dogfights sold alongside mixtapes in some parts of the country.

There was also a lot of grumbling about the less blatant examples: Pit bulls seem to be the breed of choice among rappers, appearing on many album covers and in numerous videos — without direct references to fighting, but nearly always looking threatening. Rappers and video directors seem to love playing up the same features that make the breed so popular with dogfighters.

"That pit bull, it's a statement dog — it's that beast dog that you have to have," said Bow Wow, whose first video, "Bounce With Me," featured the then-12-year-old morphing from a running pit bull. "Those are the go-get-'em dogs that are really going to protect you and get down. When they bite you and lock their jaws, there is no escaping that."

Despite the glamorization of pits in videos and magazines, most of the imagery doesn't actually show them fighting — and it's worth noting that voices inside hip-hop have been critical of Vick. Russell Simmons was one of the first public figures to call on Nike to pull Vick sneakers. Producer Just Blaze posted a scathing criticism of the quarterback on his blog, citing his love for his own dog as justification for his suggestion of throwing Vick "in a pool and [letting him] play catch with a few hair dryers."

The sport has a long history in this country. Dogfighting has been documented in the U.S. as far back as the 1750s, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or ASPCA. It grew in popularity after the Civil War, leading to many states banning professional matches and passing anti-cruelty laws. For many years, dogfighting remained most popular in parts of the rural South, especially North Carolina and Louisiana. In recent decades, however, it's moved into urban and suburban areas all over the country.

Dogfighters, also known as "dogmen," often breed their own animals and favor traits like aggression and a strong jaw. Dogs are raised to be fighters from the time they are puppies. They are conditioned like athletes: There are dog treadmills, swimming workouts and strength-building regimens that often include hanging dogs by the neck. They are often trained to fight by sparring with "bait animals" — which can be other dogs, cats or smalls animals — to test their fighting prowess. If a dog has potential as a fighter, its ears and tail are often cut off.

"[One reason] they do that is so the dogs don't get grabbed by the other dog and cause harm and injury," said ASPCA Senior Vice President Gail Buchwald. "But really, they are doing it to mask certain forms of body signals that dogs will use to signal one another to say, 'Here is my white flag of peace — I submit, the fight is over.' "

The fights themselves are high-stakes gambling operations with purses sometimes totaling upward of $100,000. In some communities, the high-rolling fight attendees resemble crowds at a prize fight.

"One of the reasons it has been difficult to investigate and eradicate the dogfighting rings is that they are so well-attended by citizens of influence," Buchwald said. "So we do have attorneys and doctors and judges and lawyers attending dogfights."

The fights can last for hours and are often fought "to the death." Even dogs that don't die in the ring are often victims of the sport: Animals that don't live up to owners' expectations are sometimes killed by other methods, including electrocution, drowning and shooting.

While she acknowledges the glamorization factor, Buchwald said hip-hop doesn't bear much responsibility for the popularity of dogfighting.

"We don't feel as though it is actually adding fuel to the fire and proliferating the dogfighting itself," she said. The real problem, she said, is that the glamorization of pit bulls has led to there being too many of them.

"We are finding that too many people are attracted to the machismo — this image of this macho breed that is strong and dominant," she said. "People acquire these dogs, and these dogs are not easily trained or managed. They are very high-energy and typically they end up in streets and in shelters because they are acquired for the purpose of an image."

While the ASPCA estimates around 10,000 dogs are involved in dogfighting every year, many more pit bulls end up on the street and in shelters — or worse.

Pits are the number-one breed of dog euthanized — put to death — every year in the U.S.