The Audible: On sponsorships (and gambling), the power of No. 44 and the NFL’s Week One

Jim Alexander: Before we start today, one thing I’ve got to share: The death of James Earl Jones this week reminded so many of us of so many memorable moments in cinema and TV that involved – relied on, actually – that wonderful booming voice. And the first that came to mind for me was “the speech” in Field of Dreams, when he convinces Kevin Costner’s character that, yes, not only is it not foolish to rip out acres of corn stalks to build a baseball field, it’s damn near patriotic.

Now, from nostalgia to … well, I’m not sure where we characterize USC athletics’ latest sponsorship deal. The department has thrown in with Cookies, described in Luca Evans’ story as a “rapidly growing cannabis and CBD company.” This does break new ground, I’d say, in the increasing (and increasingly necessary) quest for revenue throughout college sports, especially with some sort of official athlete compensation just beyond the horizon.

I can already hear the jeers and the wisecracks from the rest of the country, even from fans in those other states that have legalized marijuana use in some form or fashion. (And I’ll start: I honestly believed Cal would have beaten USC to this. Or maybe San Diego State, and that’ll be the last reference to a “party school” in this Audible.) It is rather bold, and maybe courageous, to recognize the potential for adolescent jokes and pearl clutching on the part of those who still remember those “Reefer Madness” films, and still go ahead and do the deal.

At some point the one-liners will die down, right?

Wait. This is college football. The type of behavior that belongs in middle school never dies where this sport is concerned.

Your take, Mirjam?

Mirjam Swanson: I’m not offended. Even by the bad one-liners. Green money, green plants … I guess I’m not surprised.

I am bothered by all the gambling sponsorships we’re being force-fed; those seem significantly more unhealthy an idea to promote, both in terms of encouraging people – including young people – to gamble and in terms of what it’s meant for athletes who are inundated with idiots direct-messaging them about messing up their parlays.

USC also has Modelo and Coors and High Noon and Gin and Juice by Dre and Snoop as sponsors, so Cookies feels like a similar deal. And Luca pointed out that none will be “provided to USC’s training staff or players.” Sorry, guys?

It’s not like we’re not used to seeing Michelob Ultra signs at Dodger Stadium or and Bud Light branding at Crypto.com Arena.

This feels like that, no?

Jim: Mirjam, you hit on another sponsor partnership that bugs me far more than ads for alcohol or cannabis or other supposed “vices.” The gambling component has become such a feature of sports at all levels – point spreads, parlays, prop bets, etc. – that it’s having a deleterious effect on the athletes, if not the games themselves.

For instance, this week’s report out of Auburn. Following the Tigers’ loss to Cal in Week 2 – that’s Cal, that burgeoning Atlantic Coast Conference football power, by the way – Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said fans were demanding that he Venmo them money to compensate for what they lost betting on his team.

“They’re definitely not sending cash,” Thorne said in a Tuesday interview with the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. “It’s funny, when they lose money, they want the money back. But when they win money on a parlay, no one’s ever sent me any of the money.”

We’re seeing this more and more, fans grumbling specifically because they lost, rather than the team losing, and taking it out on individual players via social media. The more I see, with the way sports are increasingly covered in this age of legal sports gambling, the more I think that the Supreme Court screwed up on this one – screwed up again?? – when it opened the door to unfettered wagering on sports throughout the country.

(Anyway, when my lotto numbers don’t come up, there’s no one else at whom to point the finger. That is so not fair.)

Speaking of numbers, the Lakers are venerating No. 44 this season. They announced this week that Jerry West’s number will be worn on a uniform patch all season, in honor of the late Hall of Famer, and that there will additionally be a giveaway of replica West jerseys at their Oct. 22 regular-season opener against Minnesota.

Two thoughts here: First, the Clippers, for whom West was a consultant since 2017, haven’t announced any sort of similar honor, but I’ve got to believe they have something in mind.

Second? For the Lakers this seems like a makeup call, given the criticism that the organization and particularly Jeanie Buss received for what seemed to be underplaying their emotions in the wake of West’s death this past June. Remember, West was a Laker for life until he wasn’t – a player, coach and executive from 1960, when he was drafted out of West Virginia, right up until August of 2000 when he resigned as executive vice president amid reports that not only was he burned out but was troubled by the organization’s internal politics.

There was never a public schism, per se, between West and the Buss family early on as he moved to the Memphis Grizzlies as an executive, then to the Golden State Warriors and later the Clippers as a consultant – at least not like the battle of wills between West and Jack Kent Cooke for a few years after his retirement as a player. But in later years there seemed to be a definite coolness in the relationship between West and the only organization he’d ever played for.

Am I wrong, or is this in fact a makeup call?

Mirjam: Makeup call or not, it’s the right thing to do.

Jerry West is one of the greatest Lakers ever, which is saying a hell of a lot. So of course they should honor him by wearing No. 44. I’m glad they will be, regardless of whatever personal issues arose.

He also became a beloved member of the Clippers organization as a consultant, of course, but he didn’t play for them, so I don’t think they’d put No. 44 on their jerseys, but I’d be shocked if they didn’t honor him in some way.

And good. Right? I say let’s have a great season of basketball here in L.A. to honor the great Jerry West.

We all owe him our thanks for all the ways he helped deliver such compelling hoops theater all these years.

And NBA season is coming at us fast, but first – the NFL is here.

You saw the Chargers beat the Raiders last weekend, how do you think the Bolts will do this season?

Jim: It’s easy to overreact over Week 1, the only exception being if you’ve got a bunch of guys headed for IR after your first game. (And we’ll get to the Rams here in a minute).

That said, I like the Chargers’ return to more of a run-pass balance, and I think the way Sunday’s victory was achieved showed some positive signs – not only running the ball, and blocking, with purpose and efficiency, but showing poise in a dominant second half. (Aside from that fracas behind the end zone in the fourth quarter after their final touchdown, and even Jim Harbaugh got involved. The message seemed to be that guys need to stand up for each other, which is a positive in terms of team bonding even as it looks undisciplined to the naked eye.)

But again: This is Week 1, there are 16 games to go, and it is a long way from beating the Raiders in the opener to ordering playoff tickets … especially in a division with Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs are the kingpins until someone knocks them off.

Conversely, I did not see any of the Rams’ loss to the Lions in Detroit, though it sounded like a rousing second half for L.A. on radio driving back from SoFi Stadium, and you can take that for what it’s worth. But it also sounded like the Rams’ defense was totally exhausted by the end of regulation, and the injury toll – wide receiver Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom to the injured list for at least four games – doesn’t bode well for the next few weeks.

What did you see?

Mirjam: I liked what I saw from the Chargers. This is the sort of game they’d have lost last season, the kind of grind-it-out win that exemplifies the sort of ball Jim Harbaugh said he’d give us, and that he’s known for. What I’m saying is I have an inkling that Chargers’ fans enthusiasm is warranted. I’m not saying I’d go bet (ahem) on them having a better season than KC when it’s all said and done, but I think these guys, the way they’re constructed, as hungry as they are, with the coach that they have … I think they could win some ugly games and that that could be fun to watch.

Meanwhile, it’s getting ugly already for the Rams. Didn’t we just go through this two seasons ago, when they were limping off the starting line, banged up on the O-line and unable ever to recover? I know Coach Sean McVay has talked a lot about all that he learned that season, but I don’t think he wants to go through it again. I don’t think anyone involved with that team, or rooting for it, does. But to have that many key guys injured already … turn the injuries off, man. Turn ’em off.

But, like you said, it’s just Week 1. New storylines are going to emerge, the next men will step up, or try, there’s bound to be surprises along the way. But heading into Week 2, yeah, I’d say, I feel optimistic about one team’s chances and concerned about the other’s.

Originally Published: September 12, 2024 at 5:46 p.m.