Simone Biles and the Stigma of Quitting, Senator Aaron Rodgers & the Next Step for NIL

Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a deep dive into the Simone Biles situation that took place this week at the Olympics. Say what you want about her mental health an anxiety, but in a word, Biles quit. Period. But that doesn’t mean it has to hold a negative connotation or disqualify her from any larger conversation about her place in gymnastics history. There’s no perfect comparison for Biles in sports history but one that comes close is Robert Duran’s famous ‘No Mas’ fight against Sugar Ray Leonard. At the time, Duran was widely criticized for throwing in the towel. But years later, Mike Tyson said he admired the courage it took for Duran to recognize he didn’t have it and quit. The same logic can be applied to Biles. Moreover, anybody who thinks that Biles can no longer be considered the GOAT of women’s gymnastics because of this is asinine. Should LeBron James be eliminated from basketball GOAT consideration because he melted down in the 2011 NBA Finals? Of course not. Later, Jason shares a few thoughts on Aaron Rodgers’ ‘senatorial’ address to the media detailing everything that’s gone wrong with the Packers organization for the past few years; Rodgers gave the organization a verbal spanking for the world to see. Maybe next time the Packers - or any other NFL franchise - will take their superstar's feelings and thoughts into consideration the next time they decide to make wholesale changes. That's not to say that NFL teams should bow down to their stars, but they'd be foolish not to at least consult them from time to time. Finally, Jason closes the show with a quick note on Quinn Ewers' decision to forego his senior year of high school so he can immediately capitalize on his Name Image and Likeness at Ohio State. Is this going to become the norm for college sports? Only time will tell.

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