By Sylvester āNunnieā Robinson
Ladies and gentlemen, young and old, the first annual Florida Beach Bowl is upon us and I canāt wait. We, as residents of the Gold Coast community representing Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, can make this inaugural football festival a must attend event for years to come. More importantly, our attendance demonstrates our love, support, appreciation for and commitment to Historical Black Colleges and Universities throughout the land. On Wednesday, December 13, at Drive Pink Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls will face the Fort Valley State Wildcats representing theĀ historic CIAA and SIAC Conferences respectively. Start time is 7:30 p.m.
For ticket information visit www.floridabeachbowl.com.
The results of the state high school football playoffs were surprising, disappointing and expected. Letās start with surprising. American Heritage and Norland losing to Berkeley Prep out of Tampa left many scratching their heads. BP apparently has followed IMGās blue print for recruiting and developing talent. That result leads to disappointment. At one point my grandson played for Norland so I had some knowledge of the effort they put into making a state playoff run, and as the remaining public school in state playoffs, it was disappointing to see them lose in the finals. We in the public sector are extremely proud of the Norland Vikings for both their athletic and academic achievements.
The juggernaut known as the St. Aquinas Raiders won their fifth consecutive state title, and Chaminade won its third. Congratulations on these milestone achievements.
The free agency for college football players to sell their talent to the highest bidder isnāt good for the game in my opinion. I am totally committed to players being compensated for their talent and sacrifice, but this new system may end up ruining the true spirit of the college experience. Iāll touch on it more next week.
Dan Olovsky of ESPN pointed out something very interesting about Chiefs wideout Kadarius Toney. He basically lined up offside on every play he was on the field. So why was it called at that particular moment? Had he been checked earlier, perhaps the outcome would have been different. Based solely on the rule, itās the offensive playerās responsibility to make certain that he lines up properly and onside!
