By Diane M. Grassi
The entire world is watching, and given the attention that the global media has recently dedicated to unethical behavior of certain Olympic athletes, sports fans could mistake it for a newly introduced Olympic sport of its own, during these 2012 London Summer Games.
By Diane M. Grassi
When we think of Miami, Florida, it immediately brings to mind sunshine. Yet even sun seekers might be surprised that it has taken federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) subpoenas to shed any type of daylight upon Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins and their financing deal for their soon-to-open brand new stadium, on April 4, 2012, and presently called Marlins Park.
By Diane M. Grassi
Shortly after 5:00 PM on the Friday prior to Super Bowl XLVI, U.S. Attorney, Andre Brigotte, Jr., of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, quietly issued a three sentence press release.
And the federal investigation against Lance Armstrong had been terminated without an indictment being filed against him.
What MLB did not foresee, much like its compatriots on Wall Street who bought up valueless mortgages, and pimped them off as viable commodities, was that such actions would have such a deleterious impact on their baseball revenues come next season, just a few months from now.
At a time when NYC and NY state are both eliminating important public services due to budget shortfalls, as are many states across the country, it is incumbent for taxpayers to know far more comprehensively the machinations of the public financing of its stadiums.
I am growing very tired of reading or hearing about the national government being involved in today’s world of sports. In no way should it be the government’s responsibility to resolve the issues that different athletes, teams and sports leagues experience. There are far more important issues in this country that require the attention of our government, rather than sports.
The story of Jamiel Shaw, Jr., as reported, is not that of sensation but rather that of the war between our communities and our federal, state and local governments. For they have dropped the ball, not Jamiel, not his family, not his neighborhood.