UofM-D vs. WMU

On Saturday, the University of Michigan Dearborn Wolverines defeated the Western Michigan University Stallions 4-2.

     Last Saturday, the University of Michigan Dearborn Wolverines defeated the Western Michigan University Stallions 4-2.  The Wolverines also defeated the Stallions 7-2 on Friday night.  Both schools compete in Division I of the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association), and both teams play in the GLCHL (Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League).  Scroll down to check out exclusive photos from Saturday night's game. Click on the links below for more information about the ACHA, or the GLCHL.
     The University of Michigan Dearborn Wolverines currently have an overall record of 6-5-1 (1 shootout loss). The Wolverines are ranked #14 in the Country according to the latest ACHA Division I Poll.  Click on the link below for more information about the University of Michigan Dearborn athletic program.
     The Western Michigan University Stallions currently have an overall record of 4-9.  Western Michigan University also fields a NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I hockey team known as the Broncos.  Click on the link below for more information about the Western Michigan University athletic program, or the Western Michigan University Stallions.
     Leave a comment, or email the Mitten State Sports Report at mittenstatesportsreport@rocketmail.com Scroll down and vote in the monthly Poll Question.  Check out Game Notes.  Click on past months to check out all of the Mitten State Sports Report's archived material.  

The Wolverines are currently ranked #14 in the Country according to the latest ACHA Division I Poll.  

                                                                            Game Notes







-  The WMU Broncos are ranked #18 in the Country according to the latest NCAA Division I Poll.



-  The WMU Broncos currently have an overall record of 6-3-1 (1 tie).



-  The UofM-D Wolverines will not play another hockey game until December 2nd.



-  Chris Brassard is the Head Coach of the WMU Stallions.



-  Chris Haltinner is the Head Coach of the UofM-D Wolverines.



-  Chris Haltinner is in his 4th season as Head Coach of the UofM-D Wolverines.  

Western Michigan University also fields a NCAA Division I hockey team known as the Broncos.  Click on the links below.

For more information about the UofM-D athletic program click on  gowolves.net 



For more information about the WMU athletic program click on  www.wmubroncos.com 



For more information about the WMU Stallions click on  wmuhockey.pointstreaksites.com 



For ACHA stats, and standings click on  http://achahockey.org 



For GLCHL stats, and standings click on  glchl.pointstreaksites.com 



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Ice Sculptures In Dearborn

There were ice sculptures at Henry Ford College last Saturday.  Henry Ford College is located in Dearborn.

     On Saturday, November 12th, Henry Ford College played host to a College Ice Carving Invitational. Oakland Community College, and Henry Ford College were just a couple of the schools that competed in the event. Saturday's competition kicked off the 2016-2017 College Ice Sculpting Season.  Henry Ford College is also scheduled to compete in the 2017 Plymouth Ice Festival (January 6th - January 8th).  Scroll down to see exclusive photos from Saturday's ice carving competition.  Click on the link below for more information about Henry Ford College.
     Leave a comment, or email the Mitten State Sports Report at mittenstatesportsreport@rocketmail.com Scroll down and vote in the monthly Poll Question.  Check out Game Notes.  Click on past months to check out all of the Mitten State Sports Report's archived material.

Henry Ford College is scheduled to compete in the 2017 Plymouth Ice Festival.

                                                                          Game Notes







-  Henry Ford College is home to the Hawks.



-  Henry Ford College was formerly known as Henry Ford Community College.  



-  Fox 2 Detroit was at Saturday's College Ice Carving Invitational.



-  HFC baseball, basketball, and softball teams have all been featured on the Mitten State Sports Report.



-  The 2014 Plymouth Ice Festival was featured on the Mitten State Sports Report.



-  The 2015 Plymouth Ice Festival was featured on the Mitten State Sports Report.  



-  The 2016 Plymouth Ice Festival was featured on the Mitten State Sports Report.  

Saturday's competition kicked of the 2016-2017 College Ice Sculpting Season.

Click on the link below for more information about Henry Ford College.  

For more information about Henry Ford College click on  https://www.hfcc.edu   



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Best of October 2016

     The month of October featured 14 posts that were viewed by people throughout the State of Michigan. October was also the highest viewed month (over 7,000 views) in the history of the Mitten State Sports Report. Scroll down to see what everyone is clicking on.  You can always leave a comment, and you can email the Mitten State Sports Report at mittenstatesportsreport@rocketmail.com  Check out Game Notes.  Scroll down and vote in the monthly Poll Question.  Click on past months to check out all of the Mitten State Sports Report's archived material.










                                                                   Best of October 2016












1.  "UofM-D vs. Niagra"  posted 10/2/2016

2.  "CU Reserves 31-24 Midwest Prep"  posted 10/8/2016

3.  "Concordia vs. Rochester"  posted 10/8/2016

                                                                     Best of the Rest














-  "Heidelberg 28-21 CU Reserves"  posted 10/15/2016

-  "Blog of the Month - October"  posted 10/5/2016





                                                                                                                             No Photos!















                                                                      Pic of the Month

The Pic of the Month is a photogragh of Cardinal Stadium, in Ann Arbor.

                                                                       Link of the Month  







                           For more information about Hockey TV click on  www.hockeytv.com











                                                                     Blog of the Month  







     For more info about the Blog of the Month click on  http://www.minorleaguemom.blogspot.com












                                          Mitten State Sports Report's monthly Poll Question.











                          Will Jim Caldwell be the Head Coach of the Detroit Lions next season?









                               Yes                                                                                   0%







                              No                                                                                 100%













                             Will P.J. Fleck be the Head Coach of the WMU Broncos next season?









                              Yes                                                                                            0%







                              No                                                                                          100%













                                                                           Game Notes









-  The Mitten State Sports Report has published 756 posts.



-  Concordia University football has been featured on the Mitten State Sports Report for each of the last 3 years.



-  UofM-D hockey has been featured on the Mitten State Sports Report for each of the last 4 years.



-  College Soccer has been featured on the Mitten State Sports Report for each of the last 4 years.



-  College Baseball has been featured on the Mitten State Sports Report for each of the last 4 years.  











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Click on the arrow next to previous months to see the Mitten State Sports Report's archived material.

ULL suspends four players for caring about the election

I have written a few posts recently about the open questions surrounding the free-speech rights of college athletes. But these cases have generally arisen at private universities (Harvard soccer, Columbia wrestling) that may abide by First Amendment norms as a matter of courtesy, but not law. And those cases involved pretty disgusting instances of racist and misogynist speech that, one could argue  has no value or runs afoul of other considerations (such as Title IX). I disagree with that conclusion, but it at least confounds the analysis.

But the constitutional issue has been teed up directly by the decision of University of Louisiana-Lafayette to suspend four football players after they recorded themselves in the locker room singing and dancing to a song that says "Fuck Donald Trump." Football coach Mark Hudspeth and the university expressed disappointment in the players' "immature behaviors" and the use of lewd language towards one of the candidates. Hudspeth also pointed out that none of the players voted, which has nothing to do with anything. Interestingly, he initially offered a partial defense of his players against those who have "vilified a few 19-year-olds making some immature decisions, and then they were the same ones that voted for someone that has done much worse by grabbing a female in the private areas for the office of the [president of the] United States of America." He backed off that on Friday, saying he regretted offending Trump voters. The school has not identified the four players.

If we are looking for a situation in which punishment triggers a genuine First Amendment claim, this is it. ULL is a public school, so the First Amendment is in play. The players were engaged in core political speech and it is unquestionable that the use of the word fuck and associated gestures as part of a political message is also constitutionally protected. The attempt to frame this as a problem with profane lyrics and gestures, apart from the political message, is unavailing. According to this piece, Hudspeth has made rap music part of the team culture, celebrating a 2011 bowl victory with music blaring in the locker room and having music playing over speakers during practice. And that includes rap songs containing profanity.  So profane rap music is ok, as long as it does not offend a political candidate? It seems to me the First Amendment, if anything, demands precisely the opposite conclusion.

We now are left with the question of whether student-athletes are different than ordinary students because they play for, and represent, the school, making them more like employees. The university statement got at this in its statement when praising Hudspeth for "continu[ing] to educate the team on how their actions are a reflection of the name on the front of their jerseys." This is twisted in two respects. First, a university should be educating players less about the name on the front of their jerseys and more about their opportunities and obligations to be politically engaged citizens. You complain about young people and athletes not being engaged, they you punish them when they are. Second, even if student-athletes are analogous to employees, even public employees enjoy some protection when speaking as citizens on matters of public concern--this would seem to qualify.

This is moot, of course, since it is unlikely the players will challenge their suspensions. Which is too bad, because this looks like a situation in which the school has overstepped, both its role as an athletic institution and as an institution supposedly committed to educating the next generation of citizens.

A post-election thought on athlete speech

This has been a significant year for athlete speech--Colin Kaepernick (joined by several other players) and national-anthem protests, the opening speech by four NBA stars (LeBron, Carmelo, Wade, and Chris Paul) at the ESPY Awards, protests against police violence by several WNBA teams, and everyone taking sides in the presidential election. It is ironic that this occurs in the year Muhammad Ali, one of the most significant activist athletes, passed away.

But reactions to the election results highlight an important qualifier to discussion of speech within sports--different sports feature and express very different political attitudes and ideas. When we think of athlete speech, we must parse it by sport and even role within the sport.

Consider recent comments by coaches in different sports about the election. Two NFL coaches--Bill Belichick of the Patriots and Rex Ryan of the Bills--were high-profile Trump supporters; Trump read a letter of support from Belichick at one of his final rallies on Monday. Meanwhile, three NBA coaches--Stan Van Gundy of the Pistons, Steve Kerr of the Warriors, and Gregg Popovich of the Spurs--reacted angrily to Trump's election. Kerr spoke about the difficulty of talking to his daughters and facing his players in the wake of the misogyny and racism of the campaign. Popovich, a thoughtful and well-read guy, went with empathy--"I'm a rich white guy, and I'm sick to my stomach thinking about it. I can't imagine being a Muslim right now, or a woman, or an African American, a Hispanic, a handicapped person"--and history, stating he feared we have become Rome.

The difference is explicable. The NBA is a "player's league" and is overwhelmingly African-American, so it makes sense that coaches would be more sympathetic to the targets of Trump's rhetorical ire. Meanwhile, football coaches all fancy themselves as George Patton, so their affinity for the authoritarian Trump is understandable.

Along the same lines, there was discussion earlier this fall about the absence of anthem protests in Major League Baseball. Adam Jones of the Orioles explained that baseball is a white sport, with fewer African-American players (8.3 % of players) who are easily replaceable and thus less willing to put themselves in position to get kicked out of the game by taking unpopular stands, especially within the game.

Could Donald Trump Expand Sports Betting Nationally Through His AG Appointment?

In the aftermath of Donald Trump's shocking election night victory, many gaming analysts are assessing what, if any, impact a Trump presidency might have on the U.S. gaming industry. Some point to his past experience as a casino owner/operator as a positive harbinger of things to come. But others astutely note that his backing by Sheldon Adelson (a staunch opponent of online gaming), coupled with the Republican Party regaining full control of Congress, could have a negative overall impact, particularly in the online sector. The possibility exists that a Republican-controlled Congress could enact legislation banning online gambling, and thereby roll back the clock for those states (e.g., New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada) that have already entered the online poker space. Whether or not that scenario actually comes to pass is unknown at this early juncture, but a number of leading analysts view the Republican control of all three branches of government as a potentially troubling development for online gambling.

But one area where a Trump presidency could benefit the gaming industry is in the sports betting sector. As many might recall (especially with the help of YouTube), President-Elect Trump was a vocal supporter of legalized sports betting when he owned several New Jersey casinos. During the early 1990's, when New Jersey was given a "one-year" window under PASPA to legalize sports betting, then-casino magnate Trump pushed hard for New Jersey to enact sports betting legislation, calling it "vital to keeping taxes low and putting the bookies out of business." While New Jersey failed to beat the PASPA clock in 1993 and have been unsuccessful (to date) in overcoming the federal ban in court, the Garden State's sports betting hopes could receive a significant boost with Mr. Trump in the White House and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in an influential advisory or cabinet role (perhaps as Attorney General).

Specifically, President-elect Trump could influence sports betting policy through his appointment of a new Attorney General. Under PASPA, the Attorney General is empowered to seek an injunction against any violation of PASPA in federal district court. (28 U.S.C. § 3703). By contrast, "professional sports organizations" and "amateur sports organizations" (the only other entities with standing to sue under PASPA) can seek injunctive relief for violations of PASPA only when their own "game[s] are alleged to be the basis such violation." (Id.). Thus, a sports organization would only have standing to sue under PASPA to protect its own games, but not those associated with another sports organization (despite Judge Michael Shipp's ruling to the contrary in the Christie II case). For example, while the National Basketball Association could seek a court injunction against any State or federally-recognized Indian Tribe that has legalized sports betting on NBA games (since it meets PASPA's definition of a "professional sports organization" with respect to its own games), it would lack standing under PASPA to seek injunctive relief to block the wagering on the competitive games of other sports organizations, such as those sponsored by Major League Soccer or the PGA Tour.

This standing limitation could provide states with an unconventional avenue for legalizing sports betting on soccer, golf, tennis, boxing, mixed martial arts, arena football, and NASCAR (as well as a number of other "non-major" sports), since the governing organizations of those sports might not object to such wagering schemes, and, indeed, might tacitly (or even explicitly) support it to increase interest in their sport. And the five major U.S. sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and NCAA) would be powerless to block it in court, so long as the legislation at issue expressly excluded those organizations' athletic contests from any new sports wagering regime. Of course, this strategy would only work if the U.S. Attorney General (who is empowered to seek injunctive relief against any violation of PASPA, irrespective of the sport) opted not to pursue litigation against states that have authorized this limited form of sports gambling. But as we have seen with the recent spate of state legislation approving fantasy sports wagering (which arguably falls within PASPA's broad scope), the Attorney General has not exactly been a vanguard of PASPA enforcement. In the nearly 25-year history of PASPA, the Attorney General has never initiated a lawsuit against a state for violating PASPA, opting instead for the more subservient role of an "intervener" or "interested party" in the two PASPA lawsuits brought by the major sports leagues against the State of New Jersey. Although a number of states have explicitly legalized fantasy sports through legislative enactments, the Attorney General has not involved PASPA to block any of those new laws, and probably never will.

With the Attorney General possessing so much discretionary power (especially when the major sports leagues are not incentivized--or, in some cases, not even allowed--to sue), Mr. Trump's election could lead to the expansion of traditional sports betting without requiring any Congressional action. By way of illustration, a new Presidential administration could decide that blocking state-authorized sports betting is not a high enough priority (especially when it is supported by the affected sports organizations) and thus direct the new Attorney General not to pursue any legal challenges when the sports betting at issue is legal under state law and is undertaken with the approval or acquiescence of the affected sports organizations. This could provide an opportunity for a state like New Jersey to enact a true sports gambling regime--with regulatory oversight--albeit one that is somewhat limited in nature (involving only those sports organizations that support wagering on their games). Perhaps Major League Soccer or mixed-martial arts could whet the sports betting appetite for now. After all, having some sports betting is better than having none. A measure like this could provide some temporary relief to New Jersey's struggling casinos and racetracks until a more comprehensive federal regime is enacted. This is one potentially intriguing approach for expanding legal sports betting without repealing or amending PASPA.

-- Daniel Wallach

Blog of the Month - November

                                                                     Blog of the Month


                                                          rochesteravonhistory.blogspot.com


                                                                     Blog of the Month










     Remembering Rochester is a very informative blog about the rich history of the city of Rochester. Remembering Rochester also contains historical information regarding Rochester Hills, Michigan.  The blog was created, and is posted regularly by an anonymous citizen from Rochester Hills.  Remembering Rochester was created in 2009.  Click on the link below for more information about Remembering Rochester.
     Leave a comment, or email the Mitten State Sports Report at mittenstatesportsreport@rocketmail.com Scroll down and vote in the monthly Poll Question.  Check out Game Notes.  Click on past months to check out all of the Mitten State Sports Report's archived material.  










                                                                       Game Notes








-  Rochester, and Rochester Hills were formerly known as Avon Township.



-  Rochester is home to the annual "Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade" since 1951.



-  Madonna (singer-song writer) graduated from Rochester Adams High School.  



-  The city of Rochester is located in Oakland County.



-  Oakland University is located in the cities of Rochester Hills, and Auburn Hills.  



-  Oakland University is home to the Golden Grizzlies.  









For more information about Remembering Rochester click on  rochesteravonhistory.blogspot.com



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