1. The Browns and Lions played their final preseason game with Baker Mayfield starting for the Browns and playing the entire first half (or at least a significant amount of time). Despite the fact many starters did not play for both teams, how do you evaluate his performance and does he look like a franchise quarterback?
2. John McCain passed away Saturday after a year-long battle with brain cancer. Since then, he’s laid in state in the Arizona Capitol for two days with tributes from everyone from Joe Biden to Larry Fitzgerald. He’ll lay in state at the U.S. Capital starting today and he’ll be buried Saturday with eulogies from former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. News networks have aired specials on his life and his career has dominated the news cycle for a week. Is all this warranted and is this excessive for a man who never served as president?
3. Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day. Have we forgotten the meaning of Labor Day through the years and does it really matter?
4. Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and an opportunity to use the grill. What’s your favorite recipe for Labor Day?
5. In the debut episode of his new HBO Show, “The Shop,” Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said white and black athletes are held to a different standard in the United States. On the show, prominent athletes and entertainers like Odell Beckham Jr., Draymond Green, and Snoop Dogg agreed that athletes like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning are excused when they shut down fans from approaching them but black athletes are shamed in the media and on social platforms. Do you think the country looks differently at white and black athletes?
6. French tennis star Alize Cornet had her shirt on backwards at the US Open and, during a break in the match, she took it off – revealing a sports bra – and then put it on correctly.. She received a “code violation” and officials called the incident “inappropriate.” Since men can take off their shirts during a match and she didn’t expose any body parts, some have called the handling of the situation sexist. Is there a double standard for female athletes, particularly regarding attire?
7. Tag, Dodgeball, Duck-Duck-Goose, and Red Rover might be removed from schools in Alabama. A “guidance document” from the Alabama State Department of Education is recommending those game be removed from schools because they lack “physical stimulation” and have a “high chance of embarrassment for students.” Is this another example of American getting too soft?
8. Facebook is the most likely social platform to ruin your chances at a job. HR Managers says Facebook is the most incriminating social media platform. A poll by HR solutions firm Paychex found 85% of managers check Facebook when vetting potential employees while only 66% check LinkedIn and 40% for Twitter and Instagram. Should you be judge for a job by your social media posts, particularly on Facebook?
9. The list of richest sports owners is out. Native Clevelander Charles Dolan (and brother of Indians owner Larry Dolan) is number ten. He owns the Knicks and New York Rangers. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is number seven. Microsoft co-founder and Seahawks/Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen is number two at $26-billion and Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, who owns the Clippers, is number one at more than $40-billion. Do you have any desire to own a professional sports team?
10. A British city of Hackney has a nightclub for the elderly. The Posh Club puts the “disjointed hip in hipster.” The Raves kick off at two in the afternoon but the 120 partygoers still rock the house, throwing “granny panties” at an Elvis impersonator. Shouldn’t these people just get old gracefully and forget trying to stay young?