Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Top eight truths about sports, media, and the unholy convergence of the two

Sports media is such a ridiculous business that an ill-informed loon like Skip Bayless can be paid millions to be wrong.

One of my favorite axioms is that all people are idiots. Sad, but true. None of us knows enough about life to understand what the hell we are doing here.

Some people achieve financial wealth, some experience a spiritual awakening, and others know that being nice to everyone they meet provides more happiness than any amount of cash or stuff. But to some extent, we are all idiots destined to die prior to understanding life – or maybe taken at the moment of clarity when we realize all we achieve here is a preposterous waste of effort.

Nowhere is that more true than in the worlds of sports, media, or the unholy intersection of the two – the business of sports media where the nutty collides with the trivial to yield relentless madness and arrogance from tools like Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.

Here are eight immutable truths about life viewed through the silly and foggy lens of sports and media:

8 – Drama requires heroes and villains. Whether you are writing a movie or promoting a sports league/event/fight card, a narrative involving good versus evil is a must if people are going to enjoy the show. Geographic and generational loyalties are helpful, but nothing beats good versus evil. Of course, I’m thinking about the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar as I write this. The series needs a black hat wearing ogre. Being the enemy can be a lonely pursuit, but it’s also very lucrative if you can handle the loathing. If you get a bang out of people screaming profanities at you and can drive really fast, please apply at indycar.com.

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7 – The Cubs are not jinxed. Jinxes don’t exist. The Cubs lost the World Series in 1932 and 1938 because the Yankees were historically good. They lost in 1969 because they had no depth, and in 2003 because Steve Bartman interfered with what should have been the second out in the top of the eighth of what should have been a pennant clinching game. In 1984, commissioner Peter Ueberroth stole what should have been a home game for the Cubs because their were no lights at Wrigley Field. The goat had nothing to do with it, and neither does where you sit during games you watch on TV (but that doesn’t keep me from sitting in the same spot while the Cubs lead – hey, none of us is perfect).

6 – The dogged pursuit of winning is more important than the result. Trying to reach your potential in any endeavor tests the mettle in each of us. Hopefully, we are all engaged in a profession or activity where success is measured daily, and we awaken each morning committed to figuring out how to improve bit by bit. The result is important only in that it affirms our daily effort.

5 – The media is not as important as they think they are. People in many walks of life tend to overstate their importance. Maybe it’s because I have worked in media for a long time, but I notice it among those in this business at all levels. It’s tough to look in the mirror every morning and embrace your own irrelevance, but many of us would benefit a little bit from that. What we do is entirely disposable – a diversion for those who get bored with the repetition in their lives and are strangely obsessed with something as absurd as whether a basketball/football/hockey/baseball team wins or loses. I’m guilty of all of it, but I’m trying to understand that like Bill Murray’s character in “Meatballs” chants in an oddly inspiring motivational speech, “It just doesn’t matter!”

4 – No one in sports is as smart as we would like them to be. Those general managers/team presidents who run franchises are often referred to as “idiots”, “morons”, “chuckleheads”, “asshats”, and “doofuses” by fans and media. The truth is that they are all comparatively intelligent men and women. Mistakes are made with good intentions, but if the results suck, fans cast the GMs into the abyss of fools who were unable to hang a banner. They are held to an impossibly high standard by people who likely make a few mistakes of their own. I’m not saying to forgive the Ryan Grigsons, Larry Birds, Bill Polians, and Jim Hendrys of the world, but a little empathy or allowance for occasional missteps might be a nice thought.

3 – if you don’t own, you have no job security. Getting fired is coming for you unless you own the company for whom you work. That’s life. And there will likely be nothing you can do about it. Every year – at least – the boss, or a group of bosses, will mention you as a candidate for expense trimming termination. You won’t know it, but it will happen. You also won’t know if your boss, whom you may privately call a moron, stood on a table to save your ass. If you have a job, there is someone you should thank for it.

2 – Judging others is a waste. Sadly, our species seems to be lacking in the area of empathy. When people struggle with their own identity or show weakness, we pounce. That’s a crappy way to lift humanity – something we should all be interested in. I am going to venture a guess that I have referred to more people as “idiots” than any other man or woman alive. Most of the time, it happens to drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road, so I know what it is to be critical of others. Holding criminals and asshats accountable is one thing. Being indifferent to pain is quite another. Expressing that indifference in the form of mockery inflicts misery on the innocent.

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1 – College coaches cannot succeed at all they are expected to do well. At most universities, coaches are expected to fill rosters with great kids who go to class, behave themselves, are talented as hell, diligent, and reflect the maturity of their schools. The kids need to go to class and graduate while working out and practicing. Oh yeah, and coaches can’t break any of the hundreds of arcane recruiting rules that ensure kids aren’t subjected to a bidding war among coaches and schools. Don’t forget to discipline the players without being too mean, and treat the trustees, boosters, and media with respectful deference! If you can accomplish all that, and win championships, you’ve got a shot to keep your gig.

Kent Sterling hosts the fastest growing sportstalk show in Indianapolis on CBS Sports 1430 every weekday from 3p-6p, and writes about Indiana sports at kentsterling.com.

Top 10 ways to improve the national image of the Indianapolis 500

All those people having a great time - why is the Indy 500 edging toward national irrelevance, and how can it be fixed?

All those people having a great time and still the Indy 500 edges toward national irrelevance. How can it be improved?

TV ratings don’t lie. Despite the extensive media coverage for the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, ratings were down nationally from a 4.3 share in 2015 to a 4.1 for the 2016 race.

That was despite a 33.6 local rating. If not for the massive number in Indy, the rating for the race would have been in the threes.

There are plenty of success stories that fans can choose to tell about this historic event, but we can’t ignore the national malaise for what was once a Memorial Day tradition that made stars of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, the Unsers, Johnny Rutherford, Rick Mears, and others whose brightness continues to eclipse the current stable of IndyCar competitors.

I love the Indianapolis 500 as an event and a race. I watched it live from the inside of turn three and watched replays of the race twice on TV.

As a spectator at the event, I can’t imagine having more fun than I did Sunday. A lot was done right for the 375,000 people who made the Indy 500 that largest single day sporting event in history.

It’s truly the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but the event and television presentation needs an infusion of excitement, logic, and humility.

Written with love and admiration, here are 10 ways to help the Indy 500 turn the corner toward increased national relevance:

10 – Invite actual celebrities, or no celebrities. The party the night before the race is a parade of men and women who are vaguely familiar in that, “Oh, is he/she still alive?” way. Nothing against Chris Pine, but the majority of the people in the Media Center had to look him up on Wikipedia to figure out who the hell was going to wave the green flag to signal the start of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. No celebrities is better than faded celebrities.

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9 – Run more ovals. The road races are fun, but they look nothing like the Indianapolis 500. People who tuned to the 500 two days ago might want to take a look at the race in Detroit this weekend. They will see something much different as the same cars run a much different course.

8 – All collar events need to be produced as TV shows, not events shown on TV. The three-hour Indy 500 Gala the night after the race is unwatchable. We have all spent a few evenings at awards banquets that last way too long, but few groups have the temerity to broadcast theirs. The gala, along with the parade, and red carpet events where the TV hosts require index cards to recall the identities of the celebrities they interview need an immediate makeover. I am very thankful to the Hulman-George Family for being such gracious caretakers of the race and property at 16th and Georgetown, but being forced to listen to 47 extended thank yous during last night’s banquet was bad TV. One sincere and genuine thanks would suffice.

7 – Encourage disagreements, or at least don’t fine drivers for engaging in them. Watching nice guys and ladies drive fast in circles without context is dull. Knowing that Helio Castroneves is very unhappy with J.R. Hildebrand makes racing more fun. When did NASCAR start to emerge as a major league in racing? It was after the fistfight between Cale Yarbrough and Bobby Allison. No one should promote fighting as a marketing technique, but fining drivers for speaking their minds is beyond counterintuitive. Drama requires conflict. Allow drivers to make fans aware of conflict.

6 – Increase the number of races. At Daytona, starting positions for all but the first two spots are determined via shorter races earlier in the week. IndyCars are comparatively fragile, and running more races would seem a silly risk of cash for owners, except that the last two practices – on Monday and Carb Day – saw 33 cars aggressively circle the track more than 4,000 times. That’s roughly 300 miles per car. Why not run two additional races during the month at 150 miles each to serve as qualifications? Would you rather watch cars circle the track in isolation four times – or race one another?

5 – If celebrities are a part of the marketing for the Indy 500, make them real celebrities. Look, I love Florence Henderson as much as anyone who watched “The Brady Bunch” before it was cancelled more than 42 years ago. If the Hulman-George Family wants to continue to invite Flo back to their suite every year, that’s great. Putting her front and center as a grand marshall is an act of lunacy. There is nothing that could possibly scream, “We are silly non-adapters!” more clearly than Flo as a major participant in this race. More Lady Gaga please!

4 – Start the race later – maybe as late as night. The Indy 500 starts at 12p ET, and while that suits me just fine, it asks people on the west coast to drag their asses out of bed at 9a to watch the race. That’s not a very accommodating overture for a significant chunk of audience. Lighting the track and parking areas would be expensive, but success sometimes requires investment.

3 – More speed. New track records are cool. Doing cool stuff engages fans. There must be a way to safely operate these cars at 240+ miles an hour. If the configuration of the track needs to be changed, do it. The nine degrees, 12 minutes banking from 1909 is a cool feature, but restricting speed because Carl Fisher made that call 107 years ago seems ridiculous.

2 – Open up the engineering. The economics required to field an IndyCar requires a technical platform among two manufacturers forced toward equanimity, but what would happen if the Indianapolis Motor Speedway encouraged innovation – a 2017 extension of Parnell Jones Turbine? Madness, fun, and increased interest.

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1 – Continue showing the race live in Indianapolis. This race does not exist for the majority of kids in Indy because it hasn’t been shown live on TV. Finally, this year the sellout allowed the bigwigs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the necessary leverage to remove this shortsighted and silly impediment between young potential fans and a very exciting event they will enjoy if only they are allowed to discover it on live TV.

[This is an edit of a post that erroneously stated the 33.6 local TV listenership number was share, not rating. I regret the error.]

Kent Sterling hosts the fastest growing sportstalk show in Indianapolis on CBS Sports 1430 every weekday from 3p-6p, and writes about Indiana sports at kentsterling.com.

Top 10 things to remember, ponder, and rely upon for the Indianapolis 500

A party for 400,000 will provide all who attend some serious challenges.

More than the combined populations of Fort Wayne and South Bend will converge upon the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a celebration of speed and history.

One in every 850 people in the continental United States will be right here, hoping to enjoy a beautiful day of racing, beer, food, and friendship.

What Woodstock was to rock and roll, the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is to racing. Never before have so many gathered to watch so few go so fast.

Packing that many people into one spot with seriously limited access to public transportation requires intense planning, great coordination, and nearly 400,000 very calm heads.

If you are coming to the corner of 16th and Georgetown for the biggest event in the history of racing, here are 10 very important things to know and exhibit:

10 – Remember what this weekend is all about. You will be reminded throughout the pre-race festivities that this is Memorial Day weekend – a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices of soldiers who have fought and died for our freedom. Remember too the families of those who perished in wars that allow us to live free and enjoy a comparatively silly event like the Indy 500. Continue reading →

Top 10 reasons to celebrate the lifting of the live TV blackout of the Indy 500

Mark Miles and Doug Boles announcing the ridiculous live blackout of the Indy 500 has been lifted because the race is a sellout. It should be lifted permanently because it’s idiotic.

The live local blackout of the Indianapolis 500 is stupid, and this year for the first time in 65 years, the powers that be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have acknowledged it.

As readers of this list learned yesterday, the Indianapolis 500 is replete with arcane, nutty, and charming traditions that make it one of the most unique events on the American sports calendars.

The local live TV blackout has not been not one of them. It’s simply hasn’t made sense.

TV helps attendance, especially for an event like the Indianapolis 500 so filled with quirky pre-race fooferah in a facility as massive and colorful as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. TV is the gateway drug for live attendance, not a deterrent to buying tickets.

Local blackouts were embraced in the 1950s and 1960s as the equivalent of giving free milk to those to whom you would like to sell a cow. But if people don’t know how delicious milk is, why are they going to buy a cow?

Every sports league, franchise, and single day event in America that I know of has suspended the employment of local blackouts – except the Indianapolis 500, which will celebrate its 100th running this Sunday.

Until now.

Here are the 10 reasons the Indy 500 blackout should be permanent relic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum instead of an ongoing practice:

10 – If it isn’t live, it doesn’t exist. Media consumers have grown wiser over the years, and as TV coverage of sports has exploded over the last two decades, they reject on principle the notion that recorded content is interesting. This is increasingly true the younger the consumer. To expect young people to sit in front of a TV to watch an event that took place seven hours before is absurd. With every advancing year, the number of people willing to watch a delayed broadcast winnows because elderly consumers die without being replaced by equally gullible audiences. Continue reading →

Top 10 reasons Caleb Swanigan and Troy Williams should stay at Purdue and IU

Troy Williams at his Pacers workout was so close to the NBA, he could taste it. That doesn’t make it the right choice.

NBA dreams are so close but so far away for two college basketball players in Indiana.

Caleb Swanigan and Troy Williams are vastly different basketball players, but both should reach the same conclusion – that they are not ready to play in the NBA. And they need to reach that conclusion at some point today or tomorrow, or they will be committed to remaining eligible for the NBA Draft and declining their remaining collegiate eligibility.

That would cause both to say a permanent adios to their respective campuses in West Lafayette and Bloomington.

For their entire lives, Swanigan and Williams have dreamed of playing on the biggest stage for the most cash, but sometimes a great life full of dreams fulfilled requires patience.

Timing is everything for all but the elite athletes for whom early entry to the NBA is a birthright due to freaky maturity and athleticism. Swanigan and Williams need to take a deep breath, listen to the power brokers in professional basketball, and dedicate themselves to improving their skill sets before pushing their chips into the middle of the table.

Here are the 10 reasons for Swanigan and Williams to return for another college season.

10 – Money isn’t everything. When my wife and I were young parents living paycheck to paycheck in Chicago, our son bathed in an inflatable pool we put in our apartment’s tiny shower stall. We didn’t look at it as though we couldn’t afford an apartment with a bathtub – we saw it as having a son lucky enough to play in a pool everyday. Embracing poverty is silly, but t’s smart to understand that having a thick stack of cash has little to do with happiness. Continue reading →

Top 10 beautiful, sweet, wacky, quirky, and ridiculous traditions for the Indianapolis 500

For those of you born before 1970, this is the character for which frequent 500 Festival Parade invitee Ruth Buzzi is best known.

Everything about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway makes imperfect sense.

The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 is six days away, and while the race will be the star – as it always is – the traditions that have been built over the previous 99 Greatest Spectacles in Racing are a huge part of the fabric of the facility and incredible race.

It takes an afternoon to enjoy the Indy 500, but longer to fall in love with it – quirks and all.

Through your first couple of Mays in Indianapolis, you find yourself repeatedly asking, “Why do they do that?” Nothing at Indy makes sense until suddenly it does. Many of the traditions remain head-scratchers for lifelong fans, but that just enhances the fun if you allow it.

Here are 10 odd customs that you have either learned to embrace or decided to remain confused by. This list might bring a little clarity – or baffle you further. Like with everything at Indy – it’s your choice.

10 – The Bill Meck Award for Flawed Meteorology. Okay, there isn’t any such thing, but there should be. In 1998, Meck guaranteed the race would be postponed until Monday due to rain. The race was run without a drop of rain falling after a 35 minute delay, and Meck was soon out of a job. If you are a weatherman or woman in Indianapolis, you can be brash with your forecast 364 days a year. Bets are best hedged on race day. Continue reading →

Top 10 celebrities who should drop green flag rather than Chris Pine

Chris Pine is a great looking guy, but does he really qualify to drop the green flag for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500?

“Who is Chris Pine?” I was asked by a long time Indianapolis sports media type in an actual conversation earlier today.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

“He’s dropping the green flag.”

“For today’s practice?”

“For the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.”

“Is he a country music guy?”

“Let me google him… Nope, he played Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboot”

“Oh yeah, that guy!”

“They say he’s an A-lister.”

“At GenCon, but not at Indy.”

The conversation you had when you heard Chris Pine was going to be front and center during the ceremony to begin one of the biggest events in the history of racing might have been different by a word or phrase, but the tone was the same – somewhere near the intersection of Blah Boulevard and Astonishment Avenue.

A few years ago, Jack Nicholson dropped the flag. That was cool. Chris Pine is not Jack Nicholson.

Given the historic importance of the 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and the understanding that while we love the Indy 500 here, it barely registers on America’s cultural radar, here is a list of 10 celebrities who would be a much better choice to participate as the honorary starter of the race:

10 – A descendant of Ray Harroun. Harmon won the first Indy 500 in 1911 as the pilot of the Marmon Wasp, and never attempted to run in another Indy 500. Obviously, the Indy 500 in 1911 was something quite different from what we know it to be today, but Harroun’s family continues to visit the place where he became a legend decades after his only start and win. Continue reading →

Top 10 reasons I will never drive an IndyCar despite having the chance last night

I will never drive Pippa Mann’s Susan G. Komen Honda car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 11 very good reasons.

I found myself alone yesterday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Jonathan Byrd Racing’s garage with four fully functional and (one would assume) fueled IndyCars.

The track was empty because of the rain that washed out practice, but by the time my radio show ended, the grounds were dry. It occurred to me that I had a rare opportunity – to hop behind the wheel of one of the the finest engineered automobiles on the planet and tour the famed two-and-a-half mile oval where the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be contested in 11 days.

That irresponsible and criminal impulse faded quickly despite knowing that if caught, I would be the perpetrator of the coolest auto theft in the history of the world.

My rational decision came for 11 reasons – the immorality of violating the trust of our gracious hosts, which would be more than enough on its own, and the following 10 very pragmatic deterrents:

10 – No passengers/radio/tunes. Not sure I could drive more than 30 feet without some companionship – whether it’s a person, talk show, or music. Driving 200 mph with nothing to keep my mind occupied would be a terrible confluence of conditions that would corrupt my ability to operate the vehicle safely. Continue reading →

Top 10 reasons to like move hiring Nate McMillan as Indiana Pacers coach

Nate McMillan isn’t Frank Vogel, and maybe that’s the point.

The reason I go to press conferences is to learn something I can’t when reading a transcript, and yesterday I learned something about Larry Bird’s decision to replace Frank Vogel with Nate McMillan.

Vogel is no longer the coach of the Pacers because in Bird’s opinion players were not held accountable for their behavior during practice.

I’m sure other messages were conveyed as I sat listening to Bird and McMillan talk about the move to hire a coach with middling success at Portland and Seattle in 12 seasons, but the word “accountability” was used often enough that it’s still echoing in my head almost 20 hours later.

McMillan is a likable, no-nonsense guy with a calm outward demeanor. He’s not going to light up Bankers Life Fieldhouse with his charisma, but his job is to win basketball games, not charm a city.

There are plenty of reasons to like Nate McMillan a lot, if you take Bird, Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, and McMillan at their word. Here are 10:

10 – Says style of play will be determined by strength of roster. Coaching stylists are prone to force a square peg into a round hole until a roster can be cobbled together to suit their preferred offensive and defensive schemes. That takes time the Pacers are unwilling to waste in building a championship contender. McMillan’s desire to scheme to the Pacers strengths means better results sooner. Continue reading →

Top eight reasons to shrug as Nate McMillan is hired as new Indiana Pacers coach

Nate McMillan is the new boss, and in many ways he appears to be the same as the old boss.

Meet the new boss – same as the old boss.

Nate McMillan will become the next head coach of the Indiana Pacers as soon as the mundane dickering over terms and the insertion of the ubiquitous force majure clause is inserted in the contract.

For a franchise that required change, according to team president Larry Bird – the promotion of an assistant coach, a member of Frank Vogel’s staff, seems an “stay the course” choice.

Bird said in the press conference announcing Vogel’s removal as coach, Bird reasserted his somewhat unique belief that players tune out a coach after three years. McMillan has been an assistant on Vogel’s staff since 2013. You do the math, and tell me how that makes a lot of sense.

There is no question that a voice from the head coach’s seat is different from that of an assistant, even if the voice belongs to the same guy.

This was undoubtedly the least intriguing of all the options available to Bird, a hire that packs no sizzle outside the McMillan household. That doesn’t mean he can’t – or won’t – be a good coach.

McMillan might be the exact right guy for the job, but as far as being a creator of enthusiasm or as an explanation for the removal of Vogel, Bird tapping McMillan does not suffice.

Here are the eight reasons the McMillan hire is worth no more than a shrug:

8 – The known is less sexy than the known. We’ve been around McMillan, interviewed him, seen what he does. There will be no surprises with McMillan. He might be incredibly successful, but as far as sizzle walking through the door, there will be very little as he takes the stage for his presser.

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7 – Blazers pace of play. McMillan’s last three teams ranked 30th out of 30 in pace of play. From an offensive efficiency perspective, the Blazers were always at or above the NBA average, but Bird has spent a lot of time talking about pace over the past 12 months. The guy who authored a historically prudent offense seems an odd choice to lead an uptempo attack.

6 – Three years rule worked (kind of) in Portland. It was actually a four-year rule for McMillan with the Trailblazers. His teams won 21, 32, 41, 54, 50, 48, and were on a pace to win 38 when he was fired in 2012.

5 – Name isn’t as cool as Ettore Messina. If the lyrical quality of a name determined success or failure, Adam Levine would be an entry level tax attorney, but I’ve known a bunch of Nates, and no Ettores. I’d like to know an Ettore. That’s no reason to hire a coach (or tax attorney), but the truth cannot be argued.

4 – While offensive efficiency was good in Portland, defensive efficiency receded through his six years there. Bird wants the Pacers to score more, but they also need to continue to play tough defense. The game is played on both ends, and under Vogel, the Pacers defense was always better than the league average.

3 – McMillan has won only a single playoff series. The Seattle Sonics won their first round series against Sacramento before losing in six games to the San Antonio Spurs, who went on the win the NBA Championship. Other than that, McMillan coached teams never won more than two games in any postseason (one fewer than the postseason that just got Vogel kicked out the door).

2 – McMillan’s postseason record of 14-20. Frank Vogel was fired with a 31-30 postseason record in 5+ seasons. The Pacers team was obviously different from the Sonics and Blazers teams McMillan led, so the comparison isn’t apples to apples, but McMillan had multiple opportunities to succeed and for whatever reasons failed.

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1 – Can meaningful change come from within? A new voice coming from a familiar coach doesn’t make a lot of sense without realizing that a similar change was made in Chicago just prior to their championship runs when Phil Jackson was elevated over the top of Doug Collins. The difference is that if McMillan was another Jackson, we would have seen it when he was in Seattle or Portland.

Kent Sterling hosts the fastest growing sportstalk show in Indianapolis on CBS Sports 1430 every weekday from 3p-6p, and writes about Indiana sports at kentsterling.com.