Thoughts on Matthew Perry’s shocking death at age 54, and how addiction fights never truly leave addicts. A crazy triple basket that looks photo-shopped but isn’t. And in the NFL, the Bengals are fully back, a new star is born in Tennessee, and the Jets pull off another miracle

Mathew Perry talking about his death shattered my heart into pieces.

His legacy was to help as many people as possible through their addiction.

And he did.#matthewperry #ChandlerBing pic.twitter.com/6Rcq29eYuC

— Ghida (@ghidaarnaout) October 29, 2023

Matthew Perry was a fine comedic actor, and a good dramatic one as well. Of course the first line in every one of his obituaries, written much too soon late Saturday night when he was found dead in a Jacuzzi at only age 54, brings up his 10-year run on “Friends,” where he was the funniest character with the best lines (my favorite Chandler quip will always be, in response to “guess what?” being “The fifth dentist caved and they’re now all recommending Trident?”)

But he was so much more than being just Chandler Bing, or Danny on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” or the guy from “Fools Rush In,” or any of his other roles.

Matthew Perry was a recovering addict, and it was something that plagued him throughout his adult life. The guy got mind-blowingly famous before he was even 25, when “Friends” debuted and suddenly he and his five other castmates were the 1990s version of The Beatles.

Perry was hooked on pills, and alcohol, since he was a teenager, and just watching “Friends” episodes from different eras of the series would show you when he was addicted and he was clean: his look changed dramatically.

Finally clean in recent years, Perry spoke out about his awful behavior and how strong a hold the addiction had over him (He admitted once that he’d go to real estate open houses in California just to rummage through strangers’ medicine cabinets, to see what pills they had that he could steal). He was doing his best to be a cautionary tale, and he wrote a book last year that was brutally honest about his life.

Addiction doesn’t care if you’re famous or a nobody, whether you have $90 million in your bank account or barely $90. It can crush any one of us, and Perry’s bravery in speaking out hopefully will be remembered just as long as his hijinks with Phoebe and Joey.

“When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends,” Perry had said. “And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the World Wide Web … But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”

Matthew Perry died way, way too soon. But his legacy of trying to help people should live on, and will live on.

Watched this 1,000 times, still can’t believe it happened 🤯 #EDGE // #RoarLionRoar // #OnlyHere pic.twitter.com/eLzTsbUDwl

— Columbia Women's Basketball (@CULionsWBB) October 26, 2023

**Next up, this is one incredible sequence that you could try 1,000 times and never have it happen exactly again. From the Columbia University women’s basketball team, Cecelia Collins, Abbey Hsu, and Riley Weiss make the shots of a lifetime while goofing off in practice.

I mean, the timing is perfect! Bravo, ladies!

**Finally, it was another thrilling, frustrating, “go figure” kind of day in the league where they play, for pay on Sunday. So much happened, surprise, anger, disappointment, elation… and that was just the Jets game.

Let me start there because I gotta get this out: This was one of the most offensively offensive football games you will ever see. I sat through some horrendous Jets-Colts and Jets-Pats games in the 1980s and 1990s, where it felt like it would’ve taken an act of Congress to get a first down, and this was as bad as any of them.

For nearly the entire game, the Giants offense was pathetic, as two QB’s, Tyrod Taylor and rookie Tommy DeVito, did nothing against the Jets D. But that’s OK, because Zach Wilson, whose baby steps of progress were erased in the sand Sunday, was so disgustingly bad as well. It was painful to watch, and as the N.Y. Post’s Brian Costello Tweeted out, “these Jets-Giants preseason games are tough to sit through.”

And after the final indignity, Wilson taking a sack on 4th and 10 with the last shot the Jets had (HE TOOK A SACK WHEN IT WAS THEIR LAST CHANCE!!!), mercifully, it looked like the Giants would win and put us Jets fans out of our misery.

But nope, the Giants refused to win. Graham Gano missed a chip-shot field goal, and with 24 seconds left, the Jets somehow drove 58 yards and kicked the tying field goal with one second left. Then the Jets won in overtime, 13-10, and I swear nobody in that Jets locker room should be celebrating. This was an awful game, one that calls to mind the great line from Prez in “The Wire:” “Nobody wins, one side just loses more slowly.”

The Jets are alive at 4-3, right in the playoff race, and Aaron Rodgers is healing miraculously, and I’m befuddled as to what I saw. Zach Wilson must be replaced at QB for the Jets; it’s just not fair to the other 52 players to have someone so clearly not good enough for this job, continue to be handed it.

Sigh. What a crazy game.

— OK so remember when me and everyone else was burying the Bengals at 1-3? Yeah, not so much. Cincy continued rolling Sunday, beating the once-mighty 49ers, and have now won three in a row, and Joe Burrow is looking like Joe Burrow again, and the Bengals defense harassed Brock Purdy, and yeah I don’t want to see the Bengals right now, at all.

— I love when new stars get born in the league: Sunday brought the NFL debut of Will Levis, former star QB of Kentucky, who went ahead and threw four touchdown passes in his first game, as Tennessee (wearing those sweet old-school Houston Oilers uniforms, above) beat Atlanta. I love that we have no idea if this is the first great start of a 10-year career for Levis, or if this is as good as it gets. Sports, man, it’s never scripted, you have to watch.

— The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense might be worse than the Jets or the Giants. And the Jaguars are now very quietly 6-2 and cruising toward a division title.

— Patrick Mahomes is human. The Denver Broncos, who are beyond awful, slapped him around quite a bit Sunday, as the Broncos stunned the Chiefs. Yeah, nobody saw that one coming. Taylor Swift wasn’t at the game so she’s the lucky Chiefs fan, I guess.

— Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles, just as the Vikings were getting good again. Awful break for him.

SCANDAL: #NFL ref decides to move the ball way after the play was over and the ball was spotted, stopping the #Cardinals

😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/xT8feAYmkV

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 29, 2023

— Finally, did you see this insanity in the Ravens-Cardinals game? A measurement was upcoming to see if a first down was made, and then the ref just did this … and nobody questioned it. How in the hell can we, in 2023, still be using chains and down markers to measure first downs??? And how did the ref get away with this???  

 

A letter to my son Theo upon his 6th birthday: You’re growing so fast, but are still always and forever our little boy

Dear Theo,

Hi! It’s me, Daddy! You know, Daddy, the one who dutifully feeds you cheese crackers and milk almost every day at 5:30 p.m. for your pre-dinner snack, and the man who taps you on the back with “Daddy pats” every single night before you’re able to fall asleep.

Guess what? You’re about to turn 6 in a few days! As always, on Halloween. I don’t know if it’s that a kid is born onto the birthdate they belong on, or if a kid gets suited to their birthdate as they grow up, but boy I’ll tell you, you are definitely a Halloween kid. You absolutely love dressing up in costumes, at any time of the year. This year you’re going to be both a ninja and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween, and you’re so excited.

Theo, Theo, Theo. What a year it’s been for you, my beautiful brown-haired, green-eyed boy (no doubt whatsoever you are mine, since you continue to look almost exactly like I did at your age. Enjoy that hair while you’ve got it.)

You continue to thrive at school, which makes us so happy. For the first few months of kindergarten you had some behavior problems, and halfway through the year we were worried you were learning some bad habits. But you settled in, loved doing your homework every day and by June your teacher said you had made a 180-degree turnaround, and even said you were a “role model” for other kids. So proud of you for that.

This has been a big 12 months for you in many ways, Theo: You’ve lost your first teeth (up to four Tooth Fairy visits now!), you can do some chores on your own (clearing your plate after dinner when the spirit moves you) and your vocabulary continues to explode. We still laugh when you say things like “technically, Mommy, I didn’t throw my shirt at Nate, I tossed it at him.” Technically is a big word for you.  You are a literal person, for sure.

Your love of art has continued to flourish this year; never are you so focused as when you’re painting, drawing or coloring. I feel like a tornado could hit our house while you were being artistic, and you’d barely notice.

You discovered a new passion this year, Theo: Hockey! You had already learned to skate over the past year, but this summer I got a notice about a Junior Rangers program that would give you a full hockey uniform, and 10 hour-long group lessons, and we were both so excited!

And now every Sunday morning, we spend 15 minutes getting you dressed in uniform (OK it’s usually Mommy doing it), and you hit the ice and zoom around and look great doing it. We masking-taped a T on your back so we can tell which of the 50 kids is you, and you have gotten so much better in just a few months of playing.

Not sure you’ll get big enough to play in the NHL, but it sure is fun watching you try to take the puck from Coach Keith, who adores you. You’ve also learned almost all the Rangers player names, just like your big brother.

Your personality continues to develop, as does your remarkable ability to be a yenta, as the Yiddish language calls you. You have to know the details of everything, all the time. What Mommy said to Daddy, what Daddy said back to Mommy, what Nate and Daddy were just talking about, who’s on the phone, what just came in that package … your thirst for information is as insatiable as your hunger for snacks.

You also delightfully have zero awareness and recall of what day of the week it is, and what we’re doing on a particular day. We can have a whole family discussion at breakfast on a Saturday about what our plans are, you’re in the room while the chat is going on, and five minutes later will ask “So what are we doing today?” It’s part of your charm.

You are quite the character, Theo Lewis, and one major highlight this year was Mommy taking you to see YOUR favorite characters, in your first-ever Broadway show, “The Lion King.” You knew all the songs, knew all the lines, and were positively enraptured by the whole spectacle. I can see very clearly our future; Daddy taking you to sports games, Mommy taking you to musicals. And I’m totally fine with that.

What else, what else this year: You started taking tennis lessons, which thrilled me, and you continued to talk with a British accent gleaned from watching “Peppa Pig,” which did not thrill me. I keep thinking you’ll get sick of sounding like Lord Geeves of Devonshire, but nope, not yet.

Your behavior at home has improved a bit; you’re still not coming down for dinner until the third or fourth call, and you’re quick to cry when you don’t get your way. I have to keep reminding myself that you’re still new in this world, relatively speaking. (Your diet continues to consist mostly of chicken fingers, hot dogs, pancakes and PB&J. Trying new foods apparently isn’t in your DNA just yet.)

Does Daddy yell at you too much when you drive him crazy, when you won’t get undressed before showering, and when you do something very wrong and we yell at you, and then you start crying? Yes, probably. I will work on that.

Is your British accent, which you love using thanks to watching “Peppa Pig” adorable to others, but infuriating to Daddy? Certainly. I can’t fully explain why it drives me crazy, but it certainly does. I’m hoping this is just a really long phase 🙂

But we love you so much, and I always think THIS time is when the lesson will be learned and remembered. So I yell a little.

Also? We continue to be so happy that you and Nate get along so well. Your big brother is so clearly your hero, and you want to do everything he’s doing, when he’s doing it. You are the “Me Too” kid, whether it’s playing soccer on your knees in the living room after dinner, chasing after him on the playground, or barging into his room to bug him, just because it’s fun. You two are quite a pair.

Finally Theo, a reminder that Mommy and Daddy love you very much, and are so proud of you. You are bright, inquisitive and sweet, and we love the little boy you have become.

We hope you have a fantastic birthday, filled with cake and presents and fun, and I know the next year will bring hugs and hope.

Love always,

Daddy

P.S.: Just so you know, we don’t actually own the electric company. Turn a light off every now and then please.

Remembering a synagogue president in Detroit, only 40 and gone way too soon. A college band does an awesome Metallica tribute, in sounds and visuals. And the World Series matchup is set: The Texas Rangers vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks: Will anyone care about these plucky underdogs?

The news headlines are full of hate and anger right now, and it’s very understandable.
Terrorists from Hamas have brutally attacked Israel, killing and kidnapping scores of its citizens. Israel has rightfully and understandably retaliated, and thousands of Palestinians have died, while others are starving without food and electricity.

Russia is still trying to crush Ukraine, in a war that has lasted years and caused so much bloodshed. There’s anger and hatred and words and bombs flying everywhere, and it sometimes feels like it’ll never stop.
So I want to spend a few minutes talking about a woman who was a victim of violence last week, a 40-year-old named Samantha Woll, who did a lot to try to forge peace and friendship in Michigan.

Woll was a beacon of peace in Michigan. She forged ties between Jews and Muslims. She was an optimist, and someone who believed in the good in people.

From a passage in a column by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch: “In Detroit, home of the nation’s largest Arab-American community, prominent young Jewish leader Samantha Woll joined the liberal-leaning Detroit Jews for Justice in signing a letter that stated: “We will not stand idly by while the administration escalates its attacks on Muslims, Arabs, refugees and immigrants. We pledge to show up: in the streets, at the airport, in our decision-makers’ offices and inboxes. Compelled by Jewish values, history and self-interest, we commit to the struggle against white supremacy and bigotry in all its forms.”

. A profile of Woll, also in 2017, threw a spotlight on her work as “instrumental” in the founding of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit, a grassroots organization that fosters ties between youths of the two faiths through events such as an Iftar dinner welcoming refugees from Syria.

“We Refuse to Be Enemies” was the name of a similar event that Woll worked on in 2015 at Detroit’s Wayne State University, which again featured essays and artwork from young Muslims and Jews who sought to be “unconventional allies.”

“The 40-year-old Woll’s relentless efforts on behalf of peace, love, and understanding drew little attention outside of Detroit — until 6:30 a.m. Saturday, and an utterly shocking and heartbreaking event. The board president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue was found dead on a sidewalk just outside her home in Detroit’s Lafayette Park section, stabbed multiple times. Police believe the crime took place inside Woll’s home before she ran out, leaving a trail of blood.”

So far there is no evidence that this was an anti-Semitic crime, that Woll was killed for being Jewish.

It is so easy to despair in the world today. It is an absolute tragedy that Woll was murdered. But for a second, let’s remember the life she lived, and how she tried so hard to bring people together.

I am heartened that there are still so many good people out there, trying their best to find peace. That’s our only hope, that enough people working to bring peace will one day succeed.

**Next up, it’s been awhile since I’ve featured an amazing college band performance, but this one blew my away. My best friend Clay is a professor at Auburn University, and the other day he sent me this performance of the school’s marching band from a recent football game.

An incredible tribute to the music of Metallica, and the formations and lights and visuals, just sensational. Enjoy.

**And finally today, it’s World Series time! Both league championship series went seven games, and were varying degrees of thrilling.

In the American League, I was rooting for the Texas Rangers, for reasons including they’ve never won a World Series before after coming achingly close in 2011 (like, they were one strike away) and that they were playing the cheating Houston Astros, who have a lovable manager in Dusty Baker, a lovable superstar in pint-sized Jose Altuve, but still, they’re cheaters.

In a bizarre series that saw the road team win every game, it was great to see Texas win a blowout in Game 7.

In the National League, hoo boy, go figure. Phillies dominate the first two games, and look to be cruising toward another World Series. Their fans are going nuts, they seem like a team of destiny, it’s all good.

Then Arizona gets going at home, come back to Philly and cruise to a Game 6 win, and suddenly all butt cheeks are clenched in Pennsylvania.
And then Tuesday night in Game 7, Phillies have lots of chances to score a lot in the early innings, don’t, and now we have the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series.

The Phillies, let’s face it, absolutely choked under pressure. To have Games 6 and 7 at your park, and score a total of three runs, is pretty terrible.

It’s kind of amazing to think that both Houston and Philadelphia were up 3-2, with the last two games at home, and lost them both.

The Diamondbacks, who I still haven’t forgiven for the 2001 World Series, and the Texas Rangers will play for a baseball title.

Is this a marketing exec’s dream series? Nope. Will most of America care about a series between Phoenix and Dallas squads? Nope.

But both these teams fought their butts off to get here, and it’s usually an entertaining series when two teams nobody thought would get there do battle.

Anyway, should be a compelling series.

Australian man fakes own kidnapping to hang out with mistress. Michigan State with an absolutely inexplicable idea for a scoreboard trivia photo. And in the NFL, an incredible QB story in Chicago, the Browns win a wild one, and the Bills are very confusing.

There are men who will go to great lengths to have affairs. They will stay in local hotels under assumed names, tell their spouse they have a “work thing” or do any sorts of underhanded things.

An Australian man named Paul Iera, took things to a whole ‘nother level, though. And in doing so may be just about the dumbest fool of the year.

From the BBC: An Australian man has been ordered to pay compensation to the police after he faked his own kidnapping.

Paul Iera, from Wollongong in New South Wales (NSW), came up with the plot in order to spend New Year’s Eve with another woman instead of his partner.

A court ordered the 35-year-old to pay A$16,218 (£8,506; $10,334) to NSW police for their investigation work.

The Wollongong magistrate said Iera was “motivated by the least compelling reason he has ever come across”.

On 31 December 2022, Iera sent a text message to his partner claiming to be from his kidnappers. The text said the imagined kidnappers would keep him “until the morning”.

His partner then contacted police in the Lake Illawarra district, who found Iera in his van in his hometown of Dapto the following morning.

Officers put in more than 200 hours of police work investigating Iera’s claim of kidnapping, with $16,218 spent on wages and obtaining phone records, local media reported.

Local newspaper the Illawarra Star said Iera had initially claimed he was taken by a group of unknown Middle Eastern men and later let go.

He was subsequently arrested in January and charged with making a false accusation with the intent to subject another person to investigation, which carries a seven year prison sentence.

Iera avoided jail time but was issued a three-year community correction order and told to undertake 350 hours of community service, as well as the compensation to police.”

I mean … Paul, what the heck are you doing? First of all, if you’re going to fake your own kidnapping, you’ve got to get further away! According to a quick Google Maps search I just did, Dapto is 17 minutes away from your town of Wollongong; that’s way too easy for you to be found.

Second, Paul, you needed to come up with a better cover story, something much more credible. I also love that the judge basically called you out in his sentencing, that amused me.

Men. Just really stupid sometimes. At the end of the story it says Paul and his partner are still together and moving forward. She is one forgiving lady!

**Next up today, it has been one hell of an awful autumn for Michigan State football. For one, their head coach, Mel Tucker, has been fired for allegedly sexually harassing a rape victim/activist named Brenda Tracy, an admirable, brave woman who I’ve written about in this space before; then, they are pretty woeful on the field, and got blasted by rival Michigan, 49-0, on Saturday.

And then, well, there is literally no defense for this. Before the game, on the Spartan Stadium scoreboard, there was a trivia game. And during that game, they posted the above photo… of ADOLF HITLER.

There is never, ever, ever a reason to post a photo of the most evil man of the 20th century. Not for a trivia game, not on a poster, not on a whoopee cushion. Never, ever, ever. Also? Not while the state of the Jewish people are in the middle of a FREAKING WAR!

And yet, they did. Because, stupidity. After the game MSU apologized, cowardly blaming a “third-party vendor” as if the university didn’t have the ability to stop it.

Ah, Spartans.  Congrats for going down in history as monumentally stupid.

**And finally today, a look at how things went in the National Football League, where my beloved Jets got a week off so I had no stress at all:

— Why do I love sports? For stories like this dude Tyson Bagent. Who? Tyson Bagent is a former Division II quarterback who a year ago lost to a school called Colorado School of Mines (not Mimes, Mines. If it were the Mimes, well, I gotta think it would be a quiet game, filled with lots of silent snap counts. Thank you, I’ll be here all week.) In December, Tyson Bagent threw two interceptions and was sacked 8 times against Mines.
Sunday, he quarterbacked the Chicago Bears to a big win over the Las Vegas Raiders. And he’s got some killer chest tattoos.

From D-2 to winning an NFL game in less than a year. So, so great. Oh, also his dad Travis — nicknamed ‘The Beast’ — is a 17-time champion professional arm wrestler.

— How’d your Sunday go? Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns had two sacks, two forced fumbles (including one recovered for a touchdown by his team) and a blocked field goal. He’s the first player this century to do that, first player since at least 1991.

The Browns ended up winning a thriller, 39-38, behind third-string quarterback P.J. Walker. Man, what a player Garrett is.

— So, yeah, about those Detroit Lions. Even the best teams play a stinker from time to time, and boy did Detroit play one Sunday. The Ravens absolutely obliterated America’s Team, 38-6, and it was never a close game. Lamar Jackson had one of those days where he looked like an MVP, and he hasn’t had too many of those days lately. The Ravens are just as hard to figure out as the Steelers: Some days they look great, other days, miserable.

— The Miami Dolphins might not be that good. They’ve feasted on bad teams en route to a 5-1 record, and then Sunday night finally played a good team, and the Eagles beat them, 31-17. Man, between the Bills being so mediocre, the Fins being just OK, and the Pats being terrible, my freaking Jets could be dominating this AFC East if Aaron Rodgers hadn’t gotten hurt.

Grrr.

— Oh yeah, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend did OK on Sunday, with 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. He’s kind of good, this Travis Kelce fellow.

Good News Friday: A holistic approach to criminal defense is reducing incarceration, happily. A heartwarming tale of a black man who integrated a school, and an unlikely friendship 60 years later. In praise of college journalists, who’ve been kicking ass this past year.

Happy Friday, humans! I must first start by apologizing for there being no post on Wednesday as there always is; I could give you some decent-sounding excuse, but the truth is, I just forgot to write a blog post on Tuesday night.

Wasn’t too busy, wasn’t too distracted, I legit just forgot, and didn’t realize it until I woke up Wednesday and was like “I’ve got to post my blog today. Wait, did I write a blog for today?”

I’m getting old, what can I tell you.

Anyway, it’s Fri-yay! The baseball championship series are in full gear, I’m excited the weather is turning and I can wear my heavy Stance NBA throwback socks again (wearing my Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers red and black ones today, boy these things are sweet!), and we are just a few days away from Halloween and thus, my little guy’s sixth birthday.

Let’s start the good vibes this week with a very hopeful story of a non-profit doing what it can to help those charged with a crime stay out of jail.

From the website Reasons to Be Cheerful, a New Yorker story recently highlighted the fantastic efforts being put in:

“Public defenders represent 80 percent of all those charged with a crime. But they can only do so much: Their offices are often understaffed, and they’re lawyers, not social workers. That’s why the nonprofit Partners for Justice (PFJ) created a pilot program that placed advocates in public defenders’ offices to help improve their clients’ outcomes.

These advocates — who are trained in storytelling — work with lawyers to put together a persuasive “mitigation package,” which includes letters attesting to the defendant’s character as well as a narrative of their accomplishments and how they wound up in the criminal justice system. “If you are a defender practicing in an office where there are only criminal-defense attorneys, it’s like being in a hospital with no nurses,” explained Emily Galvin-Almanza, co-founder and co-executive director of PFJ.

In Delaware (one of the two pilot program locations), in cases where a mitigation package was submitted, close to 90 percent of clients received no jail time and over 70 percent had their charges dropped, according to Galvin-Almanza. This, she calculates, has prevented an estimated 600 years of incarceration in Delaware. ”

This is fantastic news. Public defenders are completely overwhelmed and overworked, so anything that can help their clients avoid jail, since so many of them go to jail for longer times than needed because of their inadequate defense, is welcome. I love the concept of Partners for Justice, and applaud them.

**Next up, a beautiful story of friendship arising decades after an awful ordeal. Marvin Jones was one of 15 African-American students who integrated Brunswick High School in Lawrenceville, Virginia nearly 60 years ago, and Marvin remembers the awful taunts and behaviors of his classmates.

A few years ago he decided to sit down and write letters to many of his classmates who had tormented him, letting them know what they had done to him and the negative effect it had.

He also, though, wrote to a few students who didn’t pick on him, but were white students who simply let the harassment go.

One of those white kids was named Paul, and well, just watch what happened next. Truly a beautiful, beautiful story.

**And finally today, a shout-out to the amazing work done by college journalists over the past year. The Associated Press had a story this week focusing on several of the major scandals/issues that college newspapers have uncovered and/or written about in 2023, including at Stanford, where an investigation forced out a university President; at Northwestern, where a football hazing scandal was brought to light, leading to the firing of the head football coach, and at the University of North Carolina, where yet another school shooting led to the most memorable front page in years (above).

There’s more, from the story: “The Columbia Daily Spectator in New York conducted a months-long probe that found toxic working conditions within the university’s public safety department. The Harvard Crimson tracked the money in an investigation into stolen funds at the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative.

Students nationally are holding people in power accountable, said Jackie Alexander, incoming president of the College Media Association and director of student media at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

“They are unafraid,” Alexander said. “They are digging deep. They are really living up to the values and principles of being journalists while also being full-time students.”

So proud of these kick-ass young journalists, who are taking risks and speaking truth to power. Makes me wish I was back at Delaware’s awesome student newspaper, The Review, where I had some of the best times of my life.

College journalists rule. That is all. Have a great weekend.

A miraculous Jets win over the Eagles: I still cannot believe it happened. And also in the NFL, the Niners get nipped, and the Bengals and Jags show they’ve got life. R.I.P. Suzanne Somers, who made us laugh. And a fascinating obit of a man who was “Mr. First.”

Well, that happened!

The New York Jets, who have never beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in 12 tries, who had injuries to three of their top defensive backs before Sunday’s game, who spent most of the game on offense trying really really hard not to accept the massive help the Jets defense, and Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts, was trying to give them, actually stunned me and millions of Jets fans by … WINNING!

Yes, the Jets won 20-14 on Sunday, thanks to an opportunistic defense that caused four turnovers, a fantastic kicker named Greg Zuerlein, and yes, some great coaching by Robert Saleh and his staff.

Zach Wilson was, well, not terrible. The Jets actually moved the ball pretty well, until they got inside the Eagles’ 30, and then they fell apart like a cheap umbrella. Zach didn’t turn the ball over, only made 2-3 bonehead plays (hey, that’s an improvement!), and remembered to give the ball to Breece Hall a bunch, so that was good!

The Jets are 3-3, which, given this schedule and given they lost the franchise QB four plays into the season, is a minor miracle.

The Eagles gave this one away a bit, sure, and I have no idea why they were throwing on 3rd and 9 with two minutes left, that led to Tony Adams interception that set up the Jets’ winning TD, and I also have no idea why the Eagles seemed to let Hall score, when there was still so much time left on the clock.

But hey, my green and white fellas came up with maybe the biggest win of the (admittedly not-so-successful) Saleh era, although psychologically felt like the one over the Bills last year was bigger)/

A .500 record, and Rodgers actually walking without crutches a month after Achilles tear? It’s a good Sunday night in the Lewis house!

Some other thoughts from a typically-wild NFL Sunday:

— The Bills were favored by 15 points over the Giants Sunday night, because the Giants are awful and Buffalo is supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. And yet there I was at 11:30 Sunday night, watching a Giants play with no time left, down by five, trying to win the game and score the biggest upset of the season.

Tyrod Taylor (remember him?) saw his pass fall incomplete, and the Bills survived, but that’s a hell of an effort from New York and a very troubling effort, again, from Buffalo. Wow. No one thought this game would be close.

— You know what else nobody thought? That the Browns, with third-string QB P.J. Walker, would beat the undefeated 49ers. But they did! Cleveland may have the best D in the league, the Niners lost Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel with injuries, and then missed a game-winning field goal at the end.

Cleveland and Detroit both might be good this year, and that makes me happy. Those fan bases have suffered so much.

— Not Dead Yet, Part 1: The Bengals won again, barely, beating Seattle 17-13. Joe Burrow and the offense still don’t look right, but hey, they’re 3-3 now and back in the thick of the playoff race.

— Not Dead Yet, Part 2: The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking much more like the team we expected this season, cruising to a 37-20 win on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence looks good, the running game is humming, and the Jags look like a strong playoff team again.

— The Lions! The Lions! The Lions! They’re now in a three-way tie for best record in the NFC. Still can’t get over we live in a world where Detroit’s football team is actually good.

— Finally, this is a mean stat but it’s hilarious and it’s about the Patriots so it’s all fine. Coming into Sunday, the Red Sox, who played one baseball game in October, had outscored New England, 6-3, in the month.
Hee hee. Pats lost again Sunday, and are now 1-5. I’m delighted.

Suzanne Somers was a brilliant comic actor, who also was one of the first to speak up for equal pay.

One of my first jobs in PR was to work with her on her book.

We talked and talked about Threes Company which is like a dream to me.

This scene, always. https://t.co/5qSpk2W44b

— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) October 15, 2023

**Next up, we lost a TV icon from the 1970s Sunday. Suzanne Somers, who played a dumb blonde on “Three’s Company” so perfectly, died at age 76.

Somers was famous for a few things: She became an overnight star when “Three’s Company” became a hit, and while it’s so easy to make fun of that show now (it really was stupid, even though I enjoyed it, how every single episode revolved around miscommunication or misunderstanding), it was a pretty enormous show back then.

Somers also is famous for getting fired from the show after demanding she be paid as much as the male star, John Ritter. And finally, people of my Generation X will remember her for her being the wildly-successful pitchmaster of the Thighmaster fitness equipment device (seriously, those things were everywhere in the early 1990s).

Farewell, Chrissy Snow. You gave us a lot of laughs.

**And finally today, the New York Times obituary section never fails to enlighten or entertain. As part of a series they’ve been doing, and turning into a book called “Overlooked” the Times is giving the full obit treatment to people who weren’t deemed worthy of it when they died.

And recently they introduced me to the bizarre world of Omero C. Catan, who gained fame by becoming the first person to do a large number of roadway-related firsts, like being the first person to drive through the Lincoln Tunnel and the first person to ride the Madison Ave. bus when it opened. He was known as “Mr. First” in his strange life.

Thanks to the uber-talented writer Margalit Fox, we learn in this story that Catan would go to extreme lengths to do things first, like sleep in his car for a night and live in his vehicle for 30 hours at the front of the Lincoln Tunnel entrance area, just so he could be first.

He enlisted his brother in the effort, they eventually had a falling out and became rivals, a fascinating part of the story.

From this wildly entertaining story:

In 1953, when subway tokens were introduced, Catan was the first to drop one into the turnstiles at the 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue station. He was the first motorist across the old Tappan Zee Bridge in 1955, the first to traverse the newly opened lower level of the George Washington Bridge in 1962 (from the New Jersey side), the first onto Interstate 595 in Florida in 1989 and the first to do a welter of other things.

Embarking on this vocation as a teenager and continuing into old age, he had bagged, by his own count, 537 firsts by the time the 20th century had run its course.

A career as a professional firster, Catan made clear, was not for the faint of heart.

“You can’t just get up early and be first in line,” he explained in a 1945 interview, “because they won’t let you park there indefinitely. You have to study the problem, map out all probable routes, grease a few palms.”

The world is full of strange and interesting people, my friends. Omero C. Catan, known as “Mr. First,” was certainly one of them. Read the full obit here.

Good News Friday: A 13-year-old teaches thousands about financial literacy, and graduates high school. A boy in a shopping cart is pure joy. And an unusual father-daughter dance is very sweet.

Happy Friday, y’all! It’s been a hell of a week in world and domestic news: The awful war going on in Israel has brought horrifying images and video each day. So many innocent civilians on both sides dying needlessly in a war that has gone on forever, and will go on forever.

And hey, the House of Representatives here in the USA is doing great! The Republicans can’t elect a Speaker of the House, refusing to hold up their half of, you know, government, and the chaos reigns while Democrats sit back and sip wine, smiling.

But it’s Friday, the New York Rangers won their season opener Thursday night (whooo-hooo!), so let’s forget the troubles of this week, enjoy that funny pic of Henry Winkler’s granddaughter (above) and get to some good news.

First, let me tell you about a remarkable young man named Caden Harris. He’s 13 years old and lives in Atlanta.

As AFROTECH previously told you, the Atlanta, GA, native launched a business in 2021 alongside his parents to expose other children to financial literacy. He purchased a 54-seat passenger bus to serve as a mobile unit to reach nearby schools.

“I want to be able to take it anywhere so that kids all over can learn about financial literacy,” Caden said, according to 11Alive in Atlanta.

His father, Sean Harris, shared, “Once they learn economics at an early age, they can make lifelong powerful decisions that will create generational wealth.”

Since starting that business, Caden’s efforts have only exploded, attracting the attention of several celebrities in the process, including Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Harvey, according to a TV interview he had with Atlanta News Channel 2.

And now, Caden is a high school graduate. He’s Doogie Howser! If Doogie was African-American, good with money instead of medicine, and living now.

Caden’s current focus it to reach 500,000 children through his financial teachings. He has already influenced 50,000 children (at the time of this writing). According to his business website, he offers resources including a family webinar on financial literacy, banking flashcards, activity books, and a budgeting puzzle.

“[I’m] gonna keep inspiring the next generation, and my biggest goal is to inspire 500,000 kids and teach them about financial literacy,” he expressed, according to Atlanta News Channel 2.

Fabulous job, Caden. Love to see his passion and desire to do good.

Life lesson:

When you have the chance to make a child this happy, be like Uncle Steve and always do it again.

🎥 via iamstevesmooth on TT pic.twitter.com/JaLx4Bc3iB

— Dan Wuori (@DanWuori) October 6, 2023

**Next up, here’s some pure joy. Remember how as a little kid things like getting pushed around in a shopping cart were so giggle-inducing?
Well, here’s a boy and his Uncle Steve, having fun in the supermarket. Just delightful.

Father in wheelchair dances and performs with his daughter onstage. Dad will always be there for you no matter what.

pic.twitter.com/A5pLTuE6Bf

— GoodNewsCorrespondent (@GoodNewsCorres1) October 8, 2023

**And finally, a father and daughter moment that is so special: A Dad in a wheelchair, dancing with his child on stage, and having the time of their lives.

Have a great weekend.

A beautiful essay from an Orioles fan about his Dad, his son, and the love of a game. Simone Biles is writing one hell of a comeback story. And an Orlando theme park where you hang around the airport a lot, and pay for the privilege!

The Baltimore Orioles were the feel-good story of this baseball season. They won more than 100 games, brought life back to my all-time favorite baseball stadium (Orioles Park at Camden Yards is a treasure), and re-ignited passions of Birds fans everywhere.

Then, the playoffs started, and things didn’t go so well. They were swept out of the postseason Tuesday night, so maybe this essay I read that moved me so much isn’t quite as timely as it was a few days ago.

But it is SO, SO good. It’s by Michael Graff, a writer in Charlotte, and a lifelong Baltimore sports fan. He wrote a piece for the Baltimore Banner on his love of the Orioles, first as a son to his father, and now as a father to his son.

The story wends and winds but always stays beautiful. Here’s the lede:

Hotchupretty! The Orioles are worth a damn.

That’s what my father would say, using the word he made up — a mashup of “hot damn” and “aren’t you pretty?” — to describe things that delighted him.

Forty-three summers I’ve abided, most of them a loogie in this spittoon of a baseball inheritance. And then. Spring! Out of that gunk rises this rose. Several roses, actually — named Adley and Gunnar and Mounty and Grayson and, maybe my favorite of all, a North Carolina-born, Georgia-raised Campbell Camel named Cedric. They’re all nearly half my age, but they’re family.

You want a fangraph? My existence as an Orioles fan until this year looked like this: 3,207 wins and 3,527 losses, a .476 winning percentage, an aggregate 848 games out of first place. We did have three Ripkens, I suppose. And, above all, we have a sacred stadium to share.

And now … 101 wins and 61 losses, the top seed in the American League. I don’t know what to do with my face.

North Carolina’s been my home for about a quarter-century, but I spent nearly every day of my first 18 years in Maryland. My father was a Chesapeake Bay waterman. Few things make me feel more connected to home than chicken necks on a string, and that warehouse on Eutaw.

The lone World Series championship in my lifetime came in 1983, when I was 3 years old. Which brings me to this: My oldest son, George, is now 3. Apologies to the other playoff contenders, but you can’t doubt the power of signs and symmetry, and you can’t clip these wings. We’re gonna win it all.

I also loved this passage, especially the last line:

Late summer, though, the pull became too much. We had to go. We’d join my childhood best friend and his family for two nights against the devilish Rays. These would be George’s first games, and my first since a chilly April 2019 weekend I was in town to spread my father’s ashes in the Bay.

I figured George wouldn’t make it more than a few innings. But I also figured that one day he’d understand the fragility of time and the Orioles being worth a damn …

Dad loved the bleachers. Specifically, he loved the fence behind the bleachers. In those early days of Camden Yards, you could smoke on Eutaw Street, so he’d lean up against the gate with a Winston Light between his fingers. We had a closet full of Boog Powell autographs because of his proximity to Boog’s barbecue stand. Between innings, we’d go back to hang out with him and watch people walk along the concourse.

I’ve read and watched this year as Camden Yards has been reduced to conversations about ownership and taxes and leases. But it’s far more than that to most of us.

It’s a storage shed of some of my most precious memories.

The whole essay is beautiful. Please take a few minutes and read it. Then call your Dad, if you can.

The floor routine that gave Simone Biles a record-tying sixth world all-around title. 👑

She now holds the record for the most combined world and Olympic medals (34). https://t.co/t7XqQUo2Us

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) October 6, 2023

**Next up, Simone Biles, my goodness. Two years ago she could barely compete at the Tokyo Olympics, getting the twisties, withdrawing from several of her events and looking for all the world like she was done with world-class competitive gymnastics.

Now look at her. Last week she won a bunch more world championships, and looks poised to dominate again at next year’s Olympics. Check out the above floor routine she used to win the world floor title, and watch absolute perfection in action.

**Finally today, I’ve probably spent more time in the Orlando airport than any other in my life. When I lived in Daytona Beach for 5.5 years, my ex-wife and I would fly home to N.Y. from Orlando at least 5-6 times per year.

So when I tell you I know that airport as well as anyone, believe me (will never forget the oddity of standing on a security line and looking up at the hotel that’s right smack dab in the middle of a terminal. Just weird.)

I’ve spent enough time there to last a lifetime. But hey, they’ve massively upgraded MCO over the past decade, and now, you can go hang out at the airport without even flying anywhere! As I first heard on “Wait Wait Don’t Tell me,” Orlando airport has rolled out the Experience MCO Visitor Pass, which allows 50 non-ticketed people per day the chance to explore the airport.

Why would you want to do this? Good question. Check out details from this story:

“Those who want to visit the terminal may apply online up to seven days in advance or take their chances and wait until the day when they want to visit. The application form requests basic personal information, including date of birth, gender and full legal name exactly as it appears on your Transportation Security Administration-approved photo ID.

Once your application is filed, the TSA will review the request and send an approval status email after midnight on the day of the requested visit. Same-day applications are allowed, and the TSA promises to send an approval status email within 15 minutes.

Approved non-ticketed visitors will get a digital pass via email and must present it in digital form — no paper printouts allowed — along with a photo ID, at the Terminal C TSA checkpoint between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the approved date. Passholders will be sent through the same security screening procedures as ticketed passengers and must exit the terminal by 8 p.m.

Officially a pilot program for now, airport officials see the Experience MCO Visitor Pass Program as a “new and engaging way” to help the non-traveling public explore the unique amenities in Terminal C.

In addition to the immersive digital art installations, Terminal C’s amenities include more than 20 food and beverage options, including Orlando Brewing Bar & Bites and Sunshine Diner by Chef Art Smith. Retail outlets include City Arts Market, featuring work by local artists, and branches of souvenir-filled gift shops for Orlando-area theme parks, including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando.”

I mean .. there are A LOT of things to go see in Central Florida. I cannot imagine anyone actually wanting to hang out at the airport, unless they get to sit in a control tower and help guide the planes.

But hey, if eating at an airport pub and paying crazy prices to see art is your thing, then step right up and get your ticket!

Israel attacked by Hamas, and here we go again with awful consequences, as always. Elementary school kids do Led Zeppelin and it’s incredible. And in the NFL, the Lions roar, the Jets are less-bad than the Broncos, and the Patriots are so, so terrible it’s wonderful.

There are no words to describe this horror. But the pictures and video are also too awful to look at.

So what do you do? How do you put together coherent sentences that convey the awfulness, the sheer disgusting-ness, the knot in your stomach that doesn’t go away, when talking about what happened over the weekend in Israel?

Hamas, the terrorist organization that has been fighting the Jewish state forever, launched surprise attacks on Friday in southern Israel. They sailed rockets that destroyed buildings and lives, they kidnapped Israeli civilians, and left a death toll in the hundreds (at least 700) and a count of injured in the thousands. In retaliation, 400-plus Palestinians have been killed.

There is absolutely no justification for attacks like this; to kidnap innocent women and children, to destroy families and lives. It is so completely beyond the pale, and as a Jewish person it makes me sick to see this happen in the homeland of my people.

And yet … I say this with no sense of trying to “both sides” these attacks, since there is nothing anywhere close to “both sides” it. But this war, between the Palestinians and Jews in the Middle East, keeps happening, decade after decade, partly because Israel’s leaders have made almost no effort to broker peace. Almost no effort to truly agree to a two-state solution, only more settlements and attacks and a leader of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, who advocates for war and never for peace.

I am NOT in any way, as I’ve said, condoning what Hamas has done. But I don’t think it makes me a bad Jew or anti-Israel to consider and have empathy for the plight of innocent Palestinians, who don’t deserve what’s happening to them right now, and who also would like to live in peace.

It’s just so damn depressing that this endless cycle keeps repeating itself, over and over and over, all through the decades.

Give peace a goddamn chance, please. Or so many more will be slaughtered.

Kashmir (Led Zeppelin) performed by kids.
This is so damn cool! pic.twitter.com/mLjfUlI4bN

— Yvette☮️🦇❤️🐈‍⬛ (@YvetteABonnet) October 6, 2023

**Next up today, this is all kinds of awesome. Watch an elementary school group, the Louisville Leopard Percussionists, play the classic Led Zeppelin tune, “Kashmir,” on school instruments. It turns out this is from 10 years ago, but who cares, it’s still great, and also these kids are now like, in high school or college. Which is crazy.

And now for thoughts on Week 5 in the NFL…

— The Jets won! They were less bad than the awful Denver Broncos Sunday, and my boys in green and white pulled out a 31-21 win. They finally listened to me and a million other Jets fans and gave star running back Breece Hall the ball a lot, and what do you know, he ran for a huge long touchdown and had 177 yards on the ground all told.
The defense, once again, was pretty poor in the first half then rallied and played very well in the second half (hey, maybe give the halftime speech BEFORE the game, it seems to work wonders!), and Zach Wilson, well, he wasn’t what you’d call good, but he wasn’t that bad. He made some big, clutch throws when needed, the one interception wasn’t really his fault, but oh yeah, you know what WAS his fault??? You know what had me screaming and cursing into the phone at my father and my boy Pearlman?? The absolutely atrocious, unforgivable blunder at the end of the second quarter, when somehow the Jets ran out of time and couldn’t get a chip shot field goal attempt.

It was … horrific. Here, watch for yourself at how unfathomably unhurried Zach was as the seconds poured away. Ugh I was so mad. Just unforgivable.

The coaching continues to be poor; I really did have such high hopes for Robert Saleh when he was hired, but mistake after mistake keeps happening (too many men on the field, the end of the first half debacle) and I really do wonder if he’s any good as a head coach.

But, this was a season-saving win: Going 1-4 with Philly on the sked next week was going to be brutal.

— How ’bout those Detroit Lions! They’re finally good, and throttled a poor Carolina team Sunday, 42-17. Detroit is 4-1 and definitely the best team in its division, and I’m very, very happy for those long-suffering fans.

— Also Sunday, the Ravens choked one away to the Steelers, a team with a miserable offense maybe worse than the Jets. This rivalry is always heated, but man Lamar Jackson did not do anything to dispel his “can’t play great in big games” reputation, as the Ravens scored but 10 points.

— The 49ers are far and away the best team in the NFL right now. I know the Eagles are unbeaten also, but wow San Francisco just throttled a very good Cowboys team Sunday night, 42-10. The Niners can throw with Brock Purdy (who’s 10-0 as a starter!), they’ve got the best back in the game with Christian McCaffrey, and a ferocious defense.

— The New England Patriots, ladies and gentlemen! Not since the days of Scott Zolak have I so enjoyed watching the Pats get utterly destroyed and humiliated as they have the last few weeks. I can’t believe my Jets lost to them. Wanna know the scores of the Belichick’s last two losses? Of course you do! They got skunked 38-3 to Dallas last week and this week, to a thoroughly mediocre Saints team, 34-0!!!

Mac Jones is worse at QB than Zach Wilson, and the Pats are 1-4 and in last place. You love to see it!

I keep watching it and it still doesn’t seem real. Insane pic.twitter.com/cSNMyzctA2

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) October 8, 2023

— Finally, I don’t often write about college football in this space, but what happened to University of Miami Saturday night was just so mind-numbingly dumb, it makes the Jets’ awfulness at end of the first half Sunday look like nothing. So the Hurricanes were leading Georgia Tech, 20-17, with :42 left, and Miami had the ball, and the Yellow Jackets had no more timeouts. So the game was basically over; all Miami had to do was have its QB take the snap, kneel down, and let the clock run out.

And yet, for reasons beyond any human understanding, Miami coach Mario Cristobal decided to call a running play, and the Hurricanes’ back fumbled, and Georgia Tech then went 74 yards and scored a winning touchdown with one second left in the game.
The mind, it boggles. Just an absolutely brutally stupid move and a horrible way to lose a game.

Good News Friday: Vin Scully reciting the “Field of Dreams” speech is awesome. A Minnesota man gets a wonderful 100th birthday tribute. And the University of Utah football team takes NIL to a new level: Everyone gets a free truck!

Happy Fri-yay, everyone! Hope all is well in your corner of the world; here in N.Y. it looks like it’s going to rain for the 423rd Saturday in a row, which screws up autumn plans to go pumpkin picking we had, but hey, at least our windshield wipers are getting lots of use! We’re deep into fall now, leaves should be turning any day now, and yours truly passed his annual physical this week with flying colors.

Let’s get to the Good News this week, starting with a great story from my man Boyd Huppert, the Steve Hartman of Minnesota. Today Boyd brings us the story of a 100-year-old Minnesota man named Keith Davison, who six years ago was lonely after his wife died and decided to build a huge swimming pool in his backyard, so neighborhood kids had a place to have fun.

Six years later, the Morris, Minn. man is loving life and thrilled to have the company he gets.

“Ready to go in the pool?” he asks the kids he each day.

To celebrate Keith’s milestone birthday, the neighbors threw him a birthday party, with a bounce house and a band.

“All I can say is I’m surrounded by friends, and what more can you ask for?” Davison said.

Love this story so much!

 

Vin Scully reciting the “Field Of Dreams” speech will be the best thing you’ll hear today. Simply remarkable pic.twitter.com/wZbH7Czc7e

— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) September 30, 2023

**Next up, it’s baseball playoffs season, the only time I really pay much attention to the sport. There are some great stories this year: The Baltimore Orioles finally getting back to the postseason, and being pretty lovable; the Braves, coming off an astronomically good offensive season, and can they win it all; and the upstarts like the Minnesota Twins, who had lost 18 straight playoff games (hadn’t won one since Barack Obama was a state senator!) but won two this week.

To get you in the mood for this weekend’s action, we give you the late great Vin Scully, maybe the best baseball announcer who ever lived, doing the James Earl Jones speech from “Field of Dreams.”

So, so moving and wonderful.

**Finally today, as all sports fans now, for three years now college athletes are finally, finally getting some compensation for the millions of dollars they help bring in to their universities.

Thanks to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) regulations, kids are allowed to hawk products, do commercials, and take money from legally-registered booster groups that are affiliated with their school, and it’s about damn time, I say (how long has this been an issue? I wrote a column about the topic for my college newspaper. In 1994!)

Well, as good as some athletes have it, the University of Utah football team may have struck the best NIL deal yet.

According to this story, a Utes-backed group has given every single player on the team a six-month lease  of a Dodge Ram truck, for free.

From the story: “In one of the most unique and lucrative arrangements of the 27-month-old name, image and likeness era, the Crimson Collective, the NIL group supporting Utah athletics, is presenting a truck to each one of the 85 scholarship members of the football team. The history-making deal is estimated to be in the seven figures. Each truck’s retail price is $61,000.

Funded by collective donations, the trucks will be leased to each player as part of individual six-month contracts that are expected to roll over contingent on a player’s eligibility and enrollment at the university. Leases end when a player’s eligibility expires or they choose to transfer. The collective will also cover the insurance for each truck.

The Ken Garff Automotive Group, one of the country’s largest auto dealers, is facilitating the deal with a host of Utah donors from the Crimson Collective.”

I think this is fabulous. For decades, athletes were taken advantage of by universities, and now they’re finally getting to reap some of the greater benefits of their athletic talent.