CBS Sports: NFL 1975- The NFL Today-Pre-Game Show For The NFC Divisional Playoffs

Source:The New Democrat

The pre-game show for one of the best NFL playoff games of all time was this 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys, led by, of course, Tom Landry and QB Roger Staubach vs. the Minnesota Vikings, led by, of course, Bud Grant and QB Fran Tarkenton. What is strange about this game is that the 1970s Vikings were famous for losing Super Bowls.  They lost three in the 1970s alone and one after the 1969 season. Actually, technically they lost four in the 1970s if you want to be real technical, since Super Bowl 4 was played in January 1970. But they actually had the better team in this game but lost on a Hail Mary touchdown pass at the end of this game.

Reason Magazine: Sharif Matar Interviews Christopher Kay- What's Wrong With American Politics?

Source: Reason Magazine- A Christopher Kay documentary about American politics. 

Source: The New Democrat

There's an old saying about the American political system that goes something like this:  It is the worst political system in the world except for all the rest. Not exactly a high bar to shoot for, kind of like a football team that only wins one game all season and says, "Well at least we didn't go winless." And even if that saying about our political system is true, it's simply not good enough when you think about the power that is centralized in Washington with all that money coming into the city, buying influence, with most Americans not knowing how the money is spent and where it came from.

Not trying to make a libertarian anti-big government argument here, but they have a point that when so much power is centralized in one city and one government and when the two political parties are not even in favor of full campaign disclosure for all political incumbents, candidates and third-party campaigns, it is easy to see why you have such a corrupt political system, because regardless of what Washington politicians do for the most part, good or bad in a lot of cases, very few people know what they are doing, who they are talking to, where they get their money, and what their donors expect in return.

No wonder we have a United States Congress with an approval rating somewhere around 10 percent, with the people who do approve either no longer living or in mental institutions and who can't tell the difference between a good Congress and a bad Congress. Because this is why the word politician is equated with conman or scammer, "Oh, he is an elected public official, he must be up to no good," instead of applied to elected public officials as public servants. Because who are you really serving when your reelection depends so much on a few donors?
Source:Reason Magazine

FOX Sports: Beyond the Glory Mike Tyson

Source:The New Democrat  

Mike Tyson was the most devastating and intimidating force in boxing for about five years from some point in 1985 to 1990 and I could end the story right there because that pretty much sums up his career. Oh wait, you want the rest of the story.  A man who was the most devastating and intimidating force in boxing for five years, who was undisputed World Heavyweight Champion during that time is not good enough for you. You actually want more than that?

That was really the only productive part of his career.  He was not only champion but was also winning  fights against major contenders. For the rest of his career, he was either in prison, beating fighters who had no business fighting him, or losing to simply better fighters like Evander Holyfield, twice, and Lennox Lewis.

But the five-year run that he did have was one of the most impressive careers any boxer had.  Not just because of the fights he won and how long he was undisputed World Heavyweight Champion but also because of how he won the fights, the title, and how he defended it against the best.  It is not his fault that he fought in a relatively weak era.