Every kid has a special poster in their bedroom. For me, it was a full size poster of Kobe Bryant, dunking in all his glory and ferocity.
I started watching basketball in the early 2000s – too late to see Michael Jordan’s prime, too early to see LeBron James’. It didn’t take long to identify Bryant as the best player of his generation.
The quick moves, the explosiveness, the unrelenting desire to dominate his opponents: nobody else in the NBA was like him. Becoming a fan of his wasn’t an option for me. He was my hero.
In his career, Bryant built a legacy like no other. For 20 years he wore nothing but the Lakers’ purple and gold, growing from a skinny 17-year-old into the Black Mamba. The list of his basketball achievements is endless.
Five NBA championships, 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, two Olympic gold medals and so much more. The two jerseys hanging from the rafters at the Staples Center are a testament to an unparalleled NBA career.
On Sunday, a friend texted me the devastating news. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. He was only 41. I kept refreshing my Twitter feed, hoping it was another celebrity death hoax.
No, not Kobe. He’s a superhero. And superheroes never die like this.
Instead, the news only got worse. ESPN reported that his daughter Gianna, 13, was also on the helicopter, along with seven other passengers. My heart was broken.
Before Sunday, I had never cried for the passing of somebody famous. I always considered death a private matter. Its crushing pain, something meant to be mourned far from the public eye. Bryant’s death changed everything.
The shock of his death brought millions of us closer together. From California to China to Europe, we cried together like one big grieving family.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Every generation witnesses the shocking, unexpected loss of at least one cultural icon: James Dean, John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, Tupac. You had to be there to fully understand the tragedy of their departure.
Only 26 days into the 2020s, it’s safe to say that Bryant’s death will define this decade and my generation.
So many of us have a Kobe story. When he announced his retirement in 2015, I was living in Boston, and I knew I couldn’t waste my only chance to see him play in person. Even if it meant spending Christmas away from my family.
As I took my seat inside the TD Garden, I was surprised to see how many people were wearing a Bryant jersey. After all, the Lakers-Celtics rivalry is one of the oldest rivalries in sports, and Kobe took it upon himself to make Celtics fans miserable on multiple occasions.
That night he did it again, winning the game almost single-handedly.
But this time, in the wake of his retirement announcement, the usual boos turned into deafening chants. “Ko-be! Ko-be!”
That night being a Kobe fan wasn’t an option for Bostonians either. He was their favorite antihero. Bostonians had loved to hate him for two decades and he fed off that energy.
I like to think that being cheered on by his biggest rivals made him feel uncomfortable.
Bryant’s success didn’t stop on the basketball court. As President Obama said, his second act was going to be as successful as his first. After his retirement, he won an Oscar for best animated short film with “Dear Basketball” and created “Detail,” a TV show on ESPN.
Recently, he was often spotted at NBA and WNBA games with his daughter Gianna, a talented young player whose fadeaway jumper was the exact replica of her father’s. With royal DNA and a legendary mentor, greatness was just a matter of time for her.
To honor Bryant, some fans suggested changing the NBA logo. It would be a fitting tribute. “The Logo” himself, Jerry West, brought Bryant to the Lakers in 1996.
But the best way to carry on his legacy is something that we can all do. It only requires a piece of paper, a trash can and a shout that will resonate through generations: “Kobeeeeee!”
Walking into the Billy Goat Tavern is an awe-inspiring experience for many baseball fans. Located at 430 N. Michigan Ave., the numerous photos, autographs and newspaper articles hanging on the restaurant’s walls form a sort of pagan Via Crucis that narrates the decades of miseries suffered by the Chicago Cubs.
The founder of the tavern was William Sianis, a Greek immigrant known for his central role in the so-called “Curse of the Billy Goat.” He and his pet goat Murphy were denied access to the stadium during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Cubs and the Tigers, and an irate Sianis allegedly said, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.”
This story, whose details are intertwined more with folklore than actual history, was brought to fame decades later by Chicagoan columnist Mike Royko. Like precious pieces of memorabilia, many of his articles still hung in the tavern next to the checkered tables. “Series goat was dilly; His name? Try Billy,” titles one of them with big bold letters.
Just like a newspaper elevated a goat to fandom, another one turned a fan into a scapegoat.
The Cubs were still in the midst of the hex in 2003, which the Chinese calendar indicates as guǐwèi yáng, the year of the goat. During Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, a fan sitting in aisle 4, row 8, seat 113 at Wrigley Field deflected a foul ball seemingly directed to Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou’s glove in the crucial eighth inning. The team went on to lose the game and the series.
Despite the fact that the cameras kept showing the deer-in-the-headlights expression of the young man guilty of the attempted catch, the incident appeared to be ready to be quickly dismissed as yet another manifestation of the unforgiving curse.
However, the following morning he found his photo on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times, accompanied by the word “Curses!” After a long night of research, the newspaper was able to track him down and identify the man as 26-year-old Steve Bartman, adding to the piece private information about his home and workplace. For the journalist who covered the story, revealing the fan’s name and personal details was an easy decision.
“He was the center of a national news story and there was no legal or moral problem in naming him,” Sun-Times reporter Frank Main said in the aftermath. “We did not think there was a serious possibility of his being assassinated by fans. We decided to go with the story and tell readers what we knew.”
The reporter’s decision completely changed Bartman’s life. The Chicagoan was never given the option to allow his personal information to be disclosed, nor a real shot at becoming a beloved folk legend like Murphy the goat.
Instead, he became the human simulacrum of the Cubs’ long list of failures and a plethora of death threats began piling up on his doorstep. The apology he issued “from the bottom of this Cubs fan’s broken heart” didn’t diminish the vitriol he received.
There are three main factors to consider in the Bartman case from the standpoint of ethics. First, one has to consider newsworthiness.
Despite entering Wrigley Field as a mere spectator, Bartman stopped being just one of the 41,600 fans in the moment that he decided to reach for that ball and – quite literally – launch himself into the spotlight.
While it’s true that fans always reach for foul balls even when they could interfere with the play, the magnitude of an NLCS game would almost always elevate the level of scrutiny of the most common actions.
But if it’s fair to conclude that his actions warranted some sort of attention by the papers, one has to then estimate whether revealing Bartman’s identity carried the same level of treatment.
Even in a massive metropolis like Chicago, the highly-motivated mob of angry fans was likely going to find a way to track him down. Therefore, total anonymity was arguably never an option for him.
However, there is a massive difference between having your name circulate among acquaintances and MLB blogs, and seeing it published on one of the most read newspapers of the city. Moreover, the Sun-Times went beyond the mere identification of a person of interest.
Releasing details about Bartman’s home and place of employment didn’t add any depth or relevancy to the story, and it was only bound to put him even more in harm’s way. In fact, shortly after his name was published, he was put under police protection.
After the Sun-Times outed Bartman as the scapegoat, other papers followed suit, justifying their decision by stating that other members of the media were doing the same thing. For weeks, media trucks were spotted outside his house, eagerly waiting to discover new intimate details to feed to the public.
As explained by James Burke, a member of the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists team in his article “The Media’s Foul Ball,” identifying Bartman was “an act of irresponsible journalism” that constituted a violation of the Society of Professional Journalists ethics code.
Although the code states that a reporter has to “seek truth and report it,” it also warns journalists about the necessity to minimize harm by balancing “the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness.”
Even if one is led to believe that Main and his colleagues acted with no bad intent and didn’t consider Bartman’s life to ever be in danger, it’s necessary to remember what the last existing images of the 26-year-old Cubs fan. He was being escorted out by security out of the ballpark hiding his face under a jacket like a criminal, while fans were screaming and throwing objects at him. By the end of the game, “Kill that fan” sings were also beginning to circulate outside the stadium.
It was at the very least an act of carelessness to disregard the possibility that putting that man’s face on page one, along with his name and information, could have led to even more forms of intimidation, harassment and physical harm.
The third element to consider is the extent with which the story was reported and pursued. In this instance as well, the papers appear to go against the SPJ code. The reason is their failure to “show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage” in the months and years after the incident.
Rick Morrissey, a Chicago Tribune columnist who has followed the saga from the other side of the spectrum, offered a very interesting perspective on the matter.
He counted 107 instances in the aftermath of that infamous game 6 in which then-Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti named Bartman in his articles. “If my math is correct, that averages out to a mention of Bartman once every two weeks for four and a half years. That’s quite the cold war,” said Morrissey.
This protracted coverage didn’t stop with the press, but it spread to other media as well. Bartman was directly or indirectly portrayed in several shows, like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Saturday Night Live and Law & Order, where one of the characters hints at a “foul ball guy” who was murdered. His attorney Frank Murtha also reported that his client was offered a six-figure check to appear in a Super Bowl commercial.
Such obsession is even more noticeable when compared to Bartman’s personality and demeanor. For more than a decade, he never made a single public appearance or statement after the initial apology. It is quite remarkable how he managed to rebuild his privacy as the world became more and more intrusive because of the emergence of new technologies.
As the new media became increasingly part of everyday life, the protection of privacy has met a new series of challenges. The perceived anonymity and sense of detachment from real-world consequences can be very dangerous. Had the incident happened today, it is very easy to imagine that Bartman’s name would have appeared all over Twitter and Facebook minutes after the end of the play.
Even in this scenario, in all likelihood the media would’ve acted the same way. While it’s true that in this case more people would’ve had access to Bartman’s information right off the bat, technology has made ethical decisions much tougher. The pressure to be the first media outlet to break the news sometimes makes it a luxury to have the chance to pause and reflect on the ethical implications.
In this sense, WBUR reporter Shira Springer believes that blaming the Sun-Times’ decision to publish Bartman’s name can be more tricky than it seems. “As much as you want to blame the paper,” she said, “I think it’s clear that someone else would have done the same. It’s less of an ethical dilemma when there are multiple witnesses and it’s not a child. And also when, as an editor, you know someone else will track him down even if you don’t.”
To Springer, ethics becomes much more of a factor when dealing with private family matters, as she found out when working at the Boston Globe with a colleague on a piece on a former Celtics player. His father had died in mysterious circumstances and the player’s mother had allegedly managed to keep the most shady details away from her son.
“No one knew the story, but we found out that his father was a criminal and possibly a drug dealer. His mother asked my colleague not to interview her son about his father, because it was still a very sensitive subject for the family,” she said.
“I didn’t think there was anything to gain by bringing up those details, but he insisted that he had to ask him about his father anyway. We disagreed on that, because all the stuff that doesn’t happen in the public eye and involves family secrets is usually not meant to be shared with the public. Especially with young people, you have to weigh what the parents say, what you know and what you believe before you decide what to do,” said Springer.
While Bartman’s incident happened on too big of a stage to be kept under wraps, Springer took exception with the ruthlessness of the reporters who covered the story. “I do have a problem with the fact that they included information about his address and workplace,” she said. “There is a line when it comes to personal safety. … The Sun-Times didn’t consider how vilified [Bartman] was going to be and probably thought that it would blow over soon with a fanbase so used to disappointments.”
Their failures ended on November 2016, when the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series, winning their first title since 1908. The team gifted Bartman with one of their rings, which feature 108 diamonds to represent the club’s title drought and also the image of a goat, as a nod to the curse.
The gesture seemingly closed a long and painful chapter for both parties, but no piece of jewelry can compensate Bartman for the 14 years of hatred and bile suffered because of the persistent media coverage. In his first statement since 2003, Bartman took advantage of this occasion to express the wish that his misfortune would change the sports media landscape for the better.
“My hope is that we all can learn from my experience to view sports as entertainment and prevent harsh scapegoating, and to challenge the media and opportunistic profiteers to conduct business ethically by respecting personal privacy rights and not exploit any individual to advance their own self-interest or economic gain,” said Bartman in a statement.
Several extraordinary factors made the Bartman incident a landmark case for ethics in journalism, but the story is very common in its essence. When weighing the necessity of informing the public with the duty of protecting a person’s privacy, the Sun-Times and the rest of the media couldn’t find the appropriate balance.
If, as a society, we want to set a higher standard for ourselves, it has to start with a cultural shift from the media. As technology makes it increasingly easier to dig into somebody’s private life, it is crucial for reporters to set a clear boundary and respect a person’s privacy. Even if there might be a disagreement with their actions, it is vital to protect the people from an indelible damage of their privacy.
It’s the first men’s hockey game of the 2018 Winter Olympics. On the ice, Team USA is facing Slovenia. With the clock midway through the second period, the US attacks down the left side past the blue line. A sudden shot is deflected by the Slovenian goalie, but on the rebound number 18 is the quickest to get to the puck and score.
That right there is a historic moment for American hockey. Not because it’s a great play or the decisive one. Actually, Team USA will end up losing the game 3-2. No, there’s a more substantial reason. Number 18 wasn’t just making his Olympic debut that game. When he stepped onto the ice, he was the first black player to ever play for the US Olympic team. His name, Jordan Greenway.
Greenway’s presence at the 2018 Winter Games quickly became a big deal. Major media outlets like CNN and NBC jumped on the story as soon as Team USA announced the list of players for Pyeongchang. But those waiting for an inspiring quote were maybe disappointed.
“I felt like [breaking the color barrier] just wasn’t a huge thing for me. I just felt like another hockey player who made the Olympic team,” said Greenway. But, at the same time, he confessed, “it would be very nice if kids watched me play on tv and said that their favorite player is Jordan.”
It took a whopping 60 years from the day Willie O’Ree became the first black player to debut in the NHL to the moment Greenway broke this other major color barrier in hockey. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. While hockey has made some progress, this sport is still hardly welcoming toward minorities.
In 2018, for example, former Capitals Devante Smith-Pelly heard “basketball, basketball” chants coming from Blackhawks fans. It all sounded a lot like an open desire for a new segregation in sports. “It’s sad that athletes like myself, 30, 40 years ago were standing in the same place,” Smith-Pelly told the Chicago Tribune. “You think there’d be some sort of change or progression.”
This is not quite the result that the NHL was hoping for when in 2017 the league hired Kim Davis as its executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. Coupled with the “Hockey Is For Everyone” initiative, the NHL is striving to show how hockey made great strides to be more inclusive. Despite the attempts, there is still a lot of work to do.
In a sport so predominantly white, the representation of African Americans at a high level remains scarce. After O’Ree made his debut in 1958, just 92 more black players laced up their skates at an NHL ice rink. However, if just African-American players like Greenway are to be counted, the total goes down to 18 all time and 8 currently active out of a grand total of more than 700.
In other words, African Americans account for about 1% of all the NHL players currently under contract. In comparison, the most recent data show that their representation is 74% in the NBA, 70% in the NFL and 8% in the MLB. In baseball, however, people of color make up 43% of the players. Such disparity in numbers makes it clear how critical Greenway’s presence on the ice is.
The Boston University Terriers play in front of their fans at Agganis Arena
His journey to the Olympic team is a unique one. Born in Canton, NY, he was raised by a single mother, Shannon Sullivan. “I never really thought of myself or my family as black or white,” said Greenway, “even though it’s pretty obvious that I’m black.” Growing up on his mother’s side of the family, in which everybody is white, made it feel normal for him to always be around white people.
“And as weird as it sounds,” he added, “I do like things that, you know, white people do.” And one of those things is, of course, hockey. The sport isn’t just the overwhelmingly favorite pastime in Canton, which is about a half hour drive from the Canadian border, but also a family tradition. His uncle, in fact, used to play for the local team.
When he was just 3 years old, Jordan put on his skates for the first time. He learned to skate with his younger brother J.D. Their great aunt lived on a farm and in the Winter the two brothers would invite their friends over for a barbecue and to skate on the ice pond. Despite not having a lot of money, the family always supported the passion of the two kids.
Hockey is a very tough sport, and when you’re black there’s an additional toll. It’s not just the cost of the equipment and the lack of ice rinks in many black neighborhoods, but also the open hatred by the opposing players.
Earlier this year, NPR reported that 13-year-old Divyne Apollon II became the target of racist taunts from an opposing team during a tournament in Pennsylvania. Throughout the game, Divyne, the only black player on the ice, reportedly heard monkey sounds, the N-word and various other forms of harassment. Surrounded by such unwelcoming environment, many black kids quit the sport they love.
Back in Canton, Jordan’s mother made sure that her kids were aware of potential incidents on and off the ice that stemmed from the color of their skin. “She definitely would tell us, ‘you might have problems,” recalled Jordan. “Obviously no one around here looks like you.’ But my brother and I, we’re not the most sensitive people in the world. So it just never really was a huge deal to us.”
From the moment his father was no longer in the picture, Jordan took it upon himself to look out for his brother. When their mother was at work, they didn’t call a babysitter. At a young age, Jordan already wanted to show that he could be the man of the house and look after J.D.
“Being the older brother and not having a father in our lives,” Jordan said, “I always felt like I had to pave the way. He was the reason I did everything, I just wanted to be the perfect brother.”
J.D., who currently plays hockey at the University of Maine, now understands the importance of his brother’s guidance during those early days. “When I was younger, I didn’t see him like that,” he said. “I’d always go to him for everything, asking him for help if I got in trouble instead of going to talk to my mom. But now, looking back, yes, now I understand that he was a father figure to me.”
By ninth grade, Jordan fully realized that he could turn his passion into his livelihood. However, that meant setting aside his original dream of becoming a doctor. “People probably won’t believe you, though, if you put that in the article,” he said jokingly.
His family put enough money together to send him to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the same prestigious prep school of NHL stars like Sidney Crosby and Zach Parise. Soon, he was recruited by the USA Hockey National Team Development Program to join the most promising talent in the nation. After the Minnesota Wild drafted Greenway in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft, he decided to go to college and join the Boston University Terriers.
When recalling Greenway’s career at BU, Associate Athletic Director for Marketing & Communications Brian Kelley doesn’t mention a signature goal or a particular game that stood out. Instead, he puts a lot of emphasis on his personality. “I wouldn’t necessarily call him a reluctant leader,” said Kelley, “but first he had to find himself and get comfortable.”
That moment arrived during his junior year. Not only he played an important role both as a leader for the veterans and a mentor for the newcomers, but his decision to remain in school opened the doors for his Olympic debut.
In 2017 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had announced that league players would not compete in the Winter Games. The decision stopped a streak of five consecutive Olympics with NHL participation. As a result, Team USA could only recruit professional players under contract with other leagues and NCAA college athletes.
Greenway’s Wild jersey hangs inside Agganis Arena among those of other former Terriers
Greenway was on a shortlist of amateurs on the radar of the national team and, around Christmas 2017, his name was officially on the roster. A quick search in the history of Team USA by staff member Dave Fischer confirmed his initial thought: Greenway was the team’s first black player ever.
When this groundbreaking fact became official, Jordan wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with emotion. It was quite the opposite, actually, as Kelley remembers. “I didn’t see a whole lot of reaction from him then,” he said. “When we got to Korea, it probably hit him a little more. He was like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool.’”
The US coaching staff had assembled a team of professional players coming from eight different leagues, plus four college athletes. At 21, Greenway was the second youngest of the college players. As most of the players were strangers to each other, the chemistry wasn’t immediate.
On the ice, however, Greenway was his usual self. At 6’6” and 226 pounds, Greenway was unafraid to deliver big hits and go face to face against some of the biggest names on the international stage.
It’s always with his play more than his words that Greenway prefers to express himself. He admits that throughout his career he was the target of a few instances of racist slurs, but the left wing realized early on that it was imperative to block out all the negativity, if he wanted to succeed. “I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to that,” he said. “It came natural.”
This sort of demeanor has its pros and cons. On one hand, it allows Greenway to channel all his physical and mental energies in pursuit of his dream of being the best ever. On the other, it can be interpreted by some as a missed opportunity to be a leader for many black kids who just started to lace up their skates.
For now, his number one goal is to work hard every day in order to excel as a hockey player. Because of this mindset, he can’t allow any distractions. Not even the time to reflect on his accomplishments.
What was it like to learn that you were going to the Olympics?
“It was crazy.”
What was it like to take part in the opening ceremony?
“It was just crazy.”
What was going through your mind during your NHL debut?
You guessed it. “Crazy!”
However, his results aren’t the only things he tries not to pay too much attention to. In fact, when asked about his opinion on racism in hockey, his answer seems to come from a similar place.
“I don’t really try to look for it,” he said. “Racism is crazy to me.”
It would be perhaps unreasonable to expect a strong stance on such a delicate topic from a 22-year-old man who just made it to the pros. As a matter of fact, history shows that activism is something that most athletes feel comfortable undertaking only at the late stage of their careers.
Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe all waited until they were older and more established before speaking up publicly. Others never felt quite comfortable in that role. Barrier-breaker Jesse Owens, for example, spoke against Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ protest at the 1968 Olympics.
Given his background, you also have to wonder if Greenway feels a certain kind of hesitation in speaking against the same system that allows him to play, and yet so often alienates many others like him. There are already, however, a few signs that indicate what his future may hold.
The players of S.C.O.R.E. Boston in action on the ice
On a snowy Tuesday night, two teams faced each other on the ice of the Bright-Landry Hockey Center at Harvard University. Despite a ruthless scoreboard, it was the players who lost 12-2 the ones who got the loudest cheers. They are the members of the youth hockey team S.C.O.R.E. Boston, one of the programs part of the NHL’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” initiative. Its goal is to help kids from underprivileged communities cultivate their passion for hockey.
“The beauty of the program,” said President Wendell Taylor, “is that it allows kids to see if they’re interested in hockey and learn the basic concepts. Most importantly, we provide a safe environment for the kids, one that gives them confidence, without name-calling or negativity.”
The program currently allows about a hundred kids from the Greater Boston area to practice and play games every week. Each year, the most deserving kids receive a scholarship to support their dream of playing hockey.
“I love the program,” said Fatima Kaba. “I wanted my son to do something out of the box and here everything is taken care of with just a small fee.” Her son Mallet, 10, dreams to play in the NHL one day. “I’ve been in the program for three years, he said. “It’s great.”
When asked who his favorite hockey players are, one name immediately comes to his mind. “Jordan Greenway,” said Mallet. “I saw him on tv play in the Olympics and in the NHL. He’s an unselfish player and a role model.”
Just like generations of African-American players and fans looked up to O’Ree for more than half a century, now a new mentor has entered the arena. For now, he could be described as a leader in the making. “Do I see myself as a role model? Yeah,” said Greenway. “And I guess that, even if I didn’t want to be, I think I have to be.”
Given his track record in guiding his brother J.D. and his teammates, there are reasons to believe that one day Greenway will fully embrace his role as a mentor for a new generation of black kids. Many of them are already waiting.
The NETA building in Brookline Village prepares to welcome its customers on Thursday, December 5 2019
Matteo Venieri venam@bu.edu
BROOKLINE, Mass. – A Brookline special town meeting rejected a proposal to make marijuana shops in the area limit opening hours to appointment only. At the end of a long night of debate, the results of the voting showed that the town residents were almost split in half on the motion. In fact, 116 people voted against it, 106 in favor and 3 abstained.
On a separate vote, the town meeting members voted to restrict by 23% New England Treatment Access’s hours of operation. NETA, the first recreational marijuana shop in the Greater Boston area, agreed to the terms. From December 1, it is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For the third and final warrant article, a halt on new marijuana businesses, the voters decided to refer the matter to the licensing review committee.
Overall, the result was a victory for the pot shop. NETA president Amanda Rositano called the night a success for the company. “I’m incredibly pleased that the town recognized that the appointment-only model would jeopardize privacy and reduce access for many customers who want a legal and safe purchase,” she said.
NETA, which is located in Brookline Village inside a historic bank building, was the target of a series of complaints since it started selling marijuana products for adult use in March. The neighbors lamented problems associated with the sudden influx of customers, 2,500 of whom reportedly visit the shop every day. Noise, litter, illegally parked cars, public consumption and public urination are some of the issues allegedly related to the presence of the customers.
Sean Lynn-Jones, former chair of the advisory committee, assisted the shop’s representatives and Brookline neighbors in drafting the bylaws that enabled the pot shop to open. However, he admitted that some things didn’t go as expected and deemed the adjustments proposed necessary.
“It was wishful thinking to think [NETA] would be just like a liquor store,” he said. “Its sales volume and the kinds of customers that attracts are different. We didn’t know it would turn out that way. We had better expectations, but as it’s turned out, the customers’ behavior is having an impact on the sheer volume on Brookline Village. … We have to look at the quality of life here in Brookline and keep it a great place to live in.”
Brookline resident Jane Gilman echoed the same sentiments. “NETA is a guest in our community and we know they don’t want to be regulated, but this is our town and we get to set the standards,” she said.
State data show that pot shop customers spend an average of $45 during each visit and the 3% of the total sales is redistributed to the residents thanks to the community impact fee. Gilman expressed her concern that the prospect of a large tax revenue generated by NETA might blind her neighbors, whom she warned against the company’s “greed and arrogance” by using a colorful metaphor. “[NETA] is a golden goose,” said Gilman. “But I think this golden goose is pooping on us.”
On the other hand, some Brookline residents shared a different viewpoint on the matter. Ed LeClair believed that the issues denounced had been blown out of proportion. “I have been monitoring that area recently, including at peak times,” he said. “I just don’t see the parking problems that have been described.”
In addition, Caitlin Studdard suspected that some of her neighbors’ complaints had a hidden agenda. In her opinion, such testimonies had the goal of obstructing the rights guaranteed by the legalization of recreational marijuana that Massachusetts voted into law in 2016. “This crusade was prior to NETA’s recreational opening and therefore was not influenced by any of the outcomes from its opening,” said the Brookline resident.
After two and a half hours of discussion, Rositano left the auditorium happy with the outcome of the voting. She expressed her hope to keep working together with the community to solve issues and build positive relationships with the neighbors.
From her viewpoint, the marijuana industry is a reality that will continue to grow in the near future, in the Greater Boston and beyond. “The industry will continue to take shape. There will be innovations and change, such as delivery service, social consumption sites and online shops. The market will continue to mature, it’s inevitable.”
BOSTON — After almost three years, Colin Kaepernick made his return to the football field on Saturday in front of cameras and fans. The occasion wasn’t a real football game, but a public workout aimed at showing NFL executives his arm strength and accuracy.
“I’ve been ready for three years, and I’ve been denied for three years,” he told the media after the event in Atlanta. The former 49ers quarterback, who started kneeling as a form of protest against the oppression of minorities, has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season and is still unemployed, despite having formerly led San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance.
The workout could’ve been a big win for all the parties involved. On one hand, Kaepernick had the biggest chance in years to be back on the field. On the other, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hoped to show the public that he had no malice toward the player who sued the entire league.
Instead, this fragile alliance collapsed like a house of cards under the burden of their egos. In fact, just a few hours before the beginning of the scheduled event, Kaepernick’s camp announced the decision to move the event 60 miles from the original location and follow a different protocol.
In essence, it became a whole different event without the blessing of the NFL. Despite the fact that 25 out of the 32 teams had allegedly committed attending the original workout, only eight teams showed up at the new location, according to the player’s agent.
The analysis of the week that lead to this fiasco has to start with the NFL. First and foremost, the league didn’t even try to be subtle in showing that it wouldn’t make it easy for the quarterback to earn his spot on an NFL roster.
Despite a lack of formal communication between Kaepernick and the NFL since February, the league reportedly contacted the player’s camp on Tuesday about the unexpected workout. It was reported that the player was only given two hours to accept and less than five days to prepare.
In other words, after letting 986 days go by since the quarterback took a snap in the pros, suddenly the league had the sense of urgency of organizing a workout that could not be postponed by a few days. “At this point, it feels like a PR stunt,” said his friend and former teammate Eric Reid on Wednesday.
In addition, the league was adamant in quashing every request from the quarterback, like having a say about time, location, liability waiver, on-field personnel, camera crew and media availability at the practice facility.
Uncomfortable with this take-it-or-leave-it type of deal, the 32-year-old quarterback decided to change the rules and control the narrative, organizing his own workout. In the eyes of the NFL, the “official” workout never took place and he was considered a no-show.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, the league expressed their disappointment “that Colin did not appear for his workout,” despite the fact that it had been organized to give him “an opportunity to show his football readiness and desire to return to the NFL.”
The “alternative” workout, which was also streamed on YouTube, saw the quarterback throwing for about 40 minutes from midfield to four different receivers, including former 49ers teammate Bruce Ellington. He connected on 53 of his 60 attempts, including a few impressive deep balls.
At the end of the workout, Kaepernick addressed the media, saying that he had proved he had nothing to hide. “We’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people,” he said.
An athlete like Kaepernick would be an instant upgrade to most quarterback rooms, so why is he still a free agent? As a matter of fact, Kaepernick’s unemployment has nothing to do with the flag, the anthem or the troops, but a whole lot to do with his personality. And Saturday’s events confirmed it.
By imposing absurdly strict conditions to the workout, the NFL just wanted to prove a point: everybody has to abide by our rules, no exceptions. In a league that traditionally puts the interests of the NFL before those who are part of it, Kaepernick committed the sin of reaffirming his individuality and standing by his moral principles. And because of that, in all likelihood, he will have to continue to make his own alternative plans on the weekends.
Stephen Curry – photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Matteo Venieri venam@bu.edu
“This kid is the perfect fit for us.” Walking up and down the meeting room inside the Madison Square Garden, Donnie Walsh wants to make sure everybody in the Knicks front office is on the same page. In the months and weeks that preceded the 2009 NBA Draft, of all the players in the mix, he had zeroed in on Wardell Stephen Curry. In December, Walsh had personally scouted when Davidson played West Virginia at the Garden. It didn’t matter that the skinny player had missed 12 of his first 13 three-pointers. Walsh knew that Curry’s special skillset could change the destiny of his moribund franchise.
Other rival executives have a similar idea and the Knicks fear that the chances of the Davidson product falling to No. 8 are slim. The player offers the general manager the first of the many assists he hopes to dish in orange and blue. His agent Jeff Austin lets Walsh know that his client would love to play in New York, and at the same time he gives the cold shoulder to the other suitors. The Warriors suffer the most brutal diss: all their requests for a visit or a workout are unceremoniously returned to sender.
Like many others in the league, Curry sees Golden State as a highly dysfunctional franchise, especially since it’s had only one playoff appearance since 1994. But Curry also knows that he can thrive playing in Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo system in New York. Doing so from the center of the known universe instead than in the Arizona desert is just icing on the cake.
The day before the draft, Walsh one-ups the Timberwolves’ trade proposal and acquires the No. 5 pick from the Wizards in exchange for two first round picks. On June 25, while the New York media sharpen their pitchfork during draft night – a city tradition – Commissioner David Stern shakes Curry’s hand and gives him a Knicks hat. With their main target off the board, the Warriors decide to fall back on their plan b, DeMar DeRozan.
D’Antoni gives Curry the keys of the team right away, putting him on the floor along with a solid starting five of Chandler, Gallinari, Harrington and Lee. The team finishes 41-41 and barely misses the playoffs, but brings back the excitement inside the Mecca, with Spike Lee always rocking a Curry jersey at every home game.
After a promising rookie season, Curry, however, goes through a slump in his sophomore year. Multiple ankle sprains, along with the growing mistrust coming from the organization, limit his development. Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t even try to hide his frustration. “We made a colossal mistake drafting him,” he screams to Walsh during a meeting with other team executives. “And on top of that, we also missed out on the chance to trade for Carmelo Anthony. And you know how much I love Carmelo. Fix this mess, Donnie.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the Warriors have hit rock bottom. With Oracle Arena on its last legs and the other side of the Bay not interested in associating itself with the franchise, the team is for sale. An ownership group led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer outbids an uninspired Lacob-Gruber group, and moves the team away from California. The Seattle Supersonics are officially back.
Among the players following the franchise to the northwest is 23-year-old Jeremy Lin. Despite a lukewarm rookie season, the team promotes him to starting point guard without any better options, opening the door to the global phenomenon known as Linsanity.
Back in the Big Apple, it’s time for some tough decisions. Notwithstanding his potential, Walsh is forced to get rid of a hobbled Curry and his expiring contract, even if it means trading him for cents on the dollar. Hours before the trade deadline of February 2012, the president of the Knicks pulls the trigger and sends the player to the Milwaukee Bucks – a franchise that, with very little to lose, doesn’t appear to be frightened to acquire a player with bad wheels.
Their regret is almost immediate. Just one month after the trade, Curry tweaks the same ankle again and is forced to undergo right leg surgery for the second time in less than a year. Reading the news in his office inside the Garden, Walsh sighs silently, while Dolan bursts out laughing. “I knew it,” he says. “I’m so happy I sent that bust to the Bucks. And I have a feeling that this Larry Sanders kid is going to be a star…”
The Bucks ease Curry back on the floor and they are rewarded with a solid comeback season in 2013. He ends up ends winning the Most Improved Player award. That same year also marks the rookie season of Giannis Antetokounmpo, a player that the head-scratching fanbase can only define as “a Greek kid with an impossible name.”
The following year, Milwaukee fires Larry Drew after a disappointing 32-50 season and starts looking for a new coach. The Bucks’ bench isn’t quite the most coveted job of the league, but for Steve Kerr this is the opportunity he was waiting for. Kerr had his eyes on Curry from his days as the president and GM of the Suns, when he had hoped to bring him in Phoenix to substitute for an aging Steve Nash.
With Popovich’s protégé on the bench, the Bucks become a war machine. Curry blossoms into a lethal sharpshooter who breaks all sorts of record for three-point shots made and wins the league MVP in 2015. While in the paint, the Greek Freak begins to assert his total dominance. As Milwaukee’s record improves every year, they keep adding key pieces to the formidable duo. Marcus Smart is drafted to solidify the defense in the backcourt, Khris Middleton re-signs a multi-year deal and there’s still enough cap space to bring solid free agents like Brook Lopez and Lou Williams to Wisconsin.
At the end of the 2015-16 season, the No.2 seed Bucks defeat ‘Melo’s Bulls in the semifinal and then upset LeBron’s Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, but eventually lose the Finals 4-3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The appointment with the Larry O’Brien Trophy is merely postponed for one year. The following season, the Bucks are in cruise control: they come four games shy of surpassing the ’96 Bulls’ record for regular season wins and in the Finals they defeat OKC for their first title since 1971.
BOSTON – When Audrey Sellers moved from California to Massachusetts, she wasn’t sure what life had in store for her. As a freshman, she joined the BU Terriers Softball team. After a slow start, she is now a key component of the squad.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren discusses her ideas during the town hall meeting on Wednesday, October 30 2019 in Durham, NH
Matteo Venieri venam@bu.edu
BOSTON – Climate change, corruption in the nation’s capital and “Medicare for all” were among the most critical arguments discussed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren during her town hall meeting at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday. More than 600 people attended the event, Warren’s 151st town hall this year.
Warren opened the event talking to the audience about her path to the candidacy, from her mother’s struggles to save their house from foreclosure to her days as a teacher for kids with special needs. The Massachusetts senator went on addressing the three most important points of her presidential campaign, which included making structural changes in the economy, protecting democracy from foreign countries and attacking corruption in Washington D.C. with “the biggest anti-corruption plan since Watergate.”
Climate change was a very important topic for many in the crowd, including UNH sophomore student Paul Pollaro, who waited in line in the halls of the Memorial Union building from early morning to secure a spot inside the Granite State Auditorium. As a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems major, he was mostly focused on Warren’s plan to protect the planet.
“To me, this is the lead point to ultimately decide who I’m going to vote for,” said Pollaro. “Climate change directly affects us and our future. To me, it doesn’t matter what the plan is, how much it costs or who proposes it. I just wants to hear who has the plan that is best equipped to gets things done,” he said.
Warren discussed this topic in the early stage of her hour-long event, incorporating it in the first points of her agenda. “You want to understand the climate crisis we face today? It’s 25 years of corruption in Washington that brought us here,” she said. She added that she intends to fight back with “the biggest anti-corruption plan since Watergate,” earning one of the loudest ovations of the day from the crowd.
Although she didn’t specifically mentioned it in her speech, the senator addressed the delicate topic of “Medicare for all” during the Q&A session with the audience. Retired school teacher Maxine Bellew, 75, had the chance to ask her directly the specifics of the healthcare reform.
In response, Warren told the story of several people she met at other events who confessed that they were happy with their private health insurance, but only until they contracted life-threatening diseases that left them with six-digit bills to pay. Warren vowed to fight head on a system she deems unsustainable for too many Americans. The Democratic candidate didn’t elaborate more in detail, although she promised that under her reform no one would get crushed by medical bills any longer.
After the event, asked whether or not she was satisfied with the answer she received, Bellew responded that, for the moment, it was enough. “I think it was as much as it would be expected,” she said. “When she gets nominated, the plan will have to be more specific. But I’m cool with it for now: my main focus is defeating Trump, without a doubt. I think she’s head and shoulders the best candidate.”
Two days later, Warren revealed her plan on how to pay for “Medicare for all,” which would cost about $52 trillion over the next decade, with $20.5 trillion of new federal spending, according to her website.
Warren’s presence on UNH campus was neither the first of 2019 nor coincidental, as the sought-after student vote is now more crucial than ever. A study from Tufts University revealed that for the 2016 elections the student turnout increased by more than three points, from 45.1% in 2012 to 48.3% in 2016. Warren’s plan for free college could help her gain traction among the students like those who participated in the event.
Freshmen Ella Franzoni and Phoebe Mulry, attending their first event with the senator, strongly believed in Warren’s proposed tax for the wealthy, whom they believe should have an obligation to pay more taxes, especially if this will contribute to the cancelation of student debt for up to 95% of American students. Warren’s proposed reform would call for a 2% tax on each dollar owned above $50 million.
The two students consider this policy a decisive factor for many UNH students and the main reason for Warren’s popularity among their peers. “From what I’ve experienced and the people I’ve talked to,” said Franzoni, “the majority of the time people say that they’re very invested in Warren. She’s the name that I’ve heard the most since I’ve been in New Hampshire.”
The latest CNN poll finds that the race for New Hampshire remains wide open, with Warren at 18% trailing Bernie Sanders by three points. Behind the Massachusetts senator, Joe Biden at 15% and Pete Buttigieg at 10% are the only other candidates with double digit support.
CNN reported that Sanders’ lead at 21% is the weakest since at least 1972 for this time of the year before an election. With only 23% of Democratic voters in the state who have already reportedly decided which candidate to vote and the primaries just four months away, the battle for the Granite State is underway, with most candidates scheduled to hold events in New Hampshire this week.
Hundreds of people gathered at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday to participate to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s town hall. Click here for the full coverage of the event.
UNH student Paul Pollaro is among the many people waiting in line in the Memorial Union building before the beginning of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s town hall meeting in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Sen. Warren addresses the crowd during her town hall meeting in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Sen. Warren discusses her wealth tax plan in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
A crowd of more than 600 peoples listens to Sen. Warren’s speech town hall meeting in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Sen. Warren discusses her intention to fight corruption in Washington D.C. with “the biggest anti-corruption plan since Watergate” during her town hall meeting in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Retired school teacher Maxine Bellew, 75, asks Sen. Warren the specifics of her “Medicare for all” plan town hall in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Sen. Warren talks to the audience about her healthcare plan, adding that under her reform no one would get crushed by medical bills any longer, in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Sen. Warren receives a big applause from the crowd in Durham, NH on Wednesday, October 30 2019
Walking into Marisa Moseley’s office can be a pretty humbling experience. On the walls, there are two framed basketball jerseys, an Emmy Award in one corner, and on a table an Olympic medal, a Coach of the Year award and five championship rings. With the exception of Bill Belichick, perhaps no other coach in town can proudly display such an impressive collection of championship hardware in their workplace. Yet, her demeanor suggests that her most important victories can’t be put in a glass case.
After graduating from Boston University (CAS ’04), Moseley worked for ESPN alongside the late Stuart Scott for a little less than one year. But the basketball sirens kept singing an irresistible melody in her ear. She spent the following 13 years as an assistant coach, notably nine of them at the University of Connecticut under Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma.
During her near decade in Storrs, the Huskies went 331-14, built a 126-game win streak and won five NCAA championships. “For nine years of your life you were just going and into games with the expectation you’re gonna win,” she says. “And anytime there was just one loss, it was like, what’s going on here?”
At first, the big leap from assistant to head coach was full of doubts and second-guessing. During her first month at BU, she remembers calling coach Auriemma, crying. “I think I made a mistake. Can I come back?” On the other side of the phone, her mentor calmly replied, “Marisa, every first-time coach feels that way. As much as I’d love for you to come back, that’s not how this works.” Auriemma told her that it was time for her to cut her teeth at BU, and that her alma mater was a great opportunity to learn, grow and make mistakes.
“And I thought, that’s excellent advice to me,” she recalls. “ And so I did that and I think it was the best decision I could’ve made, to be honest.”
Coach Moseley argues a call with the referee
BU endured a disappointing 2017-18 campaign that led to the firing of the former women’s basketball coach. When Moseley returned to campus, she knew that no one had high hopes for her team. In fact, the Terriers were projected to finish ninth out of the ten teams in the Patriot League, something that the Springfield, Mass. native made sure everyone took note of.
She printed out the preseason poll and highlighted BU’s spot in the rankings, giving her team a clear message: “We’re better than ninth.” And her players proved her right, finishing in fourth place with their first winning record (15-14) since 2013.
While a winning record was a reason to celebrate, it also clearly indicated that she had to recalibrate her expectations and find new ways to define success. Losing 14 games was definitely uncharted territory for Moseley. In one season, she amassed the same amount of losses that she had witnessed in the previous nine years combined.
As a BU player and team captain, she took a lot of pride in her competitive nature and her disdain for limits. In her four years in scarlet and white, she led her team in shots blocked and steals, while helping the Terriers make their one and only NCAA tournament appearance in 2003.
Now, as a coach, she wants to instill that same mentality in her players, making sure they have an expectation of excellence in everything they do – on and off the court. Even when this doesn’t translate into a win in the standings, Moseley knows that this modus operandi will accompany them when the ball eventually stops bouncing.
Coach Moseley and junior Katie Nelson discuss the strategy during a break
When she talks to her players, Moseley saidthe message is always the same, “I want to help you develop into the best woman that you can possibly be. So, what are some of the things that we’re going to need to do to help grow you as a woman? I think as a female coach I have a unique ability to do that. And then as a female coach of color, there’s another layer to that.”
The early exit polls suggest that she’s on the right track. After her first year at BU, not only did she winthe Patriot League Coach of the Year award, but also – and perhaps more importantly – she received many letters from some of her players, and their parents or relatives, thanking her for what she did for their daughters and the impact that she had had on them in that one year. “And so to me,” she says, “that helped me redefine what success versus failure was.”
“But don’t get me wrong,” she adds, “I want to win.”
With last season serving as a stepping stone, Moseley’s Terriers are ready to take another step in that direction. Entering her second season as BU’s head coach, she knows that the bar is going to be higher. When this year’s preseason poll was published last week, BU was projected to finish fourth in the conference.
Again, Moseley printed out the sheet, highlighted the team’s ranking and set a different standard for her team. “I think we’re better than fourth,” she said.“So for my team, we talk about winning a Patriot League championship and going to the NCAA tournament. Whether people picked us or not, these are our goals and we don’t feel like that’s a pipe dream. We feel like that’s a reality.
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