PC College Students Push For Nashville Predators Name Change Because of "Stigma" Attached To It

By Tony Mangia

Well, the PC Police are at it again and — to no one's surprise — the roll out of another politically correct crusade started on a college campus.

A group of students at Emory University in Atlanta are politicking the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators to change their name to the Nashville Sabercats to shield sensitive minds from the stigmas associated with the word "predator."

Students suggest rebranding NHL’s Nashville Predators to the Sabercats to get away from stigmas associated with the word “predator”#NHL #Nashville @PredsNHL @sport_analytic pic.twitter.com/wPycYck3Ck

— Emory MAC (@Emory_MAC) February 19, 2019

Never mind that the budding social justice warriors are sticking their noses into another city's business (Don't they have enough problems with the Atlanta Braves name?) they don't seem to understand that the word "predator" has been around since cavemen grunted it at real life saber tooth tigers many hockey periods ago.

It was during a Power Point presentation in a marketing class where a section of Emory's fine student body proposed that the "Predators" should rebrand the name because the word has the offensive connotation of weird guys stalking women and perverts chasing minors via the internet. It wasn't the first call for a Nashville Predators name change. It began about a year ago through a Change.org petition sent to that relentless hidden camera, predator-catcher Chris Hansen — the television newser, who surprised morally-insolvent pervs in kitchens of "minors" all over America and on camera. The petition has now been closed (It had 10 supporters) presumably because Hansen is too busy dealing with his own personal bankruptcy issues.

The Emory marketing project also included rebranding proposals for sports teams like changing the name of the Oakland Athletics to the Oakland Guardians to represent the city's "rough reputation." That's odd because the initials O.G. have a way more violent connotation in most gang-ridden cities like Oakland. And then some students pushed for the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders to become the Bandits. I don't know about you, but Bandits sends me looking for a safe space faster than Predators.

Students want to rebrand #Oakland @Athletics to the Guardians. Team says new name reflects Oakland’s rough reputation. Oakland G’s reflect long history of winning#Athletics #OaklandAthletics pic.twitter.com/qOYYx24GQ2

— Emory MAC (@Emory_MAC) February 19, 2019

I'm sure some easily offended and attention-seeking students will somehow start a movement and find a way to disparage other NHL teams named after hungry prey-chasing animals — Panthers, Coyotes and Sharks — or deadly natural disasters — Hurricanes, Lightning, Avalanche or Flames — weapons — Sabres — or maybe the just plain stupid — the Blue Jackets.

For me, the team name that really represents death, disasters, perverts and preying on the innocent is the Senators. Now that's offensive.

Ice Cube gives Oakland Raiders sneak preview of 'Straight Outta Compton'

It's been a while since the Raiders have been relevant in the NFL, but thanks to Thursday's release of the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, the team will once again be in the headlines.

Or at least on people's heads.

According to tweets from a number of players, rapper and Raiders fan Ice Cube sent the team a videotaped message and an advance copy of the new movie, which they watched Wednesday night in lieu of meetings.

The Raiders had a team screening of "Straight Outta Compton", courtesy of Ice Cube, last night.

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) August 13, 2015

While they changed pop culture in the 1980's, Cube and the rest of the members of N.W.A. wore Raiders gear throughout their rise to prominence, associating the team in those days with the mean streets of L.A.

And, from the players reviews, it sounds like the film lives up to the pre-release hype.

@icecube thanks for hooking the @RAIDERS up with the early peek of "Straight outta Compton".

— Justin Tuck (@JustinTuck) August 13, 2015

Straight outta Compton 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) August 13, 2015

Man! Straight Outta Compton!! Must see!! Thanks @icecube !

— Khalil Mack (@52Mack_) August 13, 2015

Should we expect Kings hats to make a national comeback too?

Sio Moore calls Colin Kaepernick 'chump' on Instagram after Raiders victory (PHOTO)

Is there a more convenient way to celebrate a win over your local rival these days than trolling them on social media?

If you're Sio Moore there isn't.

The Raiders linebacker rubbed his team's 24-13 upset win over the 49ers into Colin Kaepernick's face by posting a photo of himself and the Niners quarterback going nose-to-nose with the caption: "There's a difference between boys and Men... Freakin chump":

There's a difference between boys and Men... Freakin chump

A photo posted by Sio Moore (@mroaktown55) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:40pm PST

It was the first time Oakland had beaten San Francisco since 2000, so it's easy to understand Moore's vitriol after the Battle of the Bay.

Oh yeah. Moore had one tackle in the game.

49ers owner apologizes for team's loss to Seahawks: Report

The 49ers were trounced by their arch-rival Seahawks on Thanksgiving night. 

At home in their new billion-dollar stadium. 

On national TV. 

And that's not a good combination when you pay for the whole enchilada.

So 49ers owner Jed York took to Twitter to express his frustration, apologizing to fans for the performance:

Thank you #49ersfaithful for coming out strong tonight. This performance wasn't acceptable. I apologize for that
— Jed York (@JedYork) November 28, 2014

The Niners play their cross-bay rivals, the Oakland Raiders next week in a must-win game to keep up in the playoff picture while Jim Harbaugh's future hangs in the balance.

"We know what we have to do now," the 49ers head coach said right after Thursday's game. "We've got to come back and win them all. We'll set our jaw to that."

To reach the playoffs, his 7-5 team technically might not have to "win them all." But they must win three of the four games and somehow hope to gain the tiebreaking advantage over several other teams that will probably have 10 victories.

And who's apologizing?

Raiders cheerleaders win $1.25 million lawsuit over low pay: Report

The Oakland Raiders cheerleaders will have something to cheer about this season even if their 2014 NFL team doesn't.

The Raiders have agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging they failed to pay the Raiderettes minimum wage and forced them to cough up fines for things like bringing the wrong pom-poms to practice.

The team and attorneys for the 90 ladies released a statement Thursday announcing the settlement. 

Two Raiderettes filed a lawsuit in January claiming that the team underpaid them. The suit alleged that the team withheld the cheerleaders' pay until after the season, didn't fairly compensate the women for all their hours of work and asked the cheerleaders to pay for many of their own businesses expenses. 

One of the cheerleaders who filed the lawsuit estimated that she earned less than $5 an hour in pay.

The settlement covers the cheerleaders who worked for the team from 2010-13. The proposal calls for each cheerleader to be paid an average of $6,000 for each season worked from 2010-12 and $2,500 for the 2013 season to cover unpaid expenses and minimum wage. The Raiders raised their pay in 2013, leading to the smaller settlement for that season.

Too bad they couldn't put a price on team spirit.

Former Bills cheerleaders file lawsuit for wages and exploitive 'jiggle tests': Report

Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders are suing the NFL team in New York Supreme Court for unspecified damages, claiming they weren't paid for their time at games or mandatory public appearances that left them open to groping and sexual comments.

Two members of the Buffalo Jills squad held a news conference Tuesday with their attorney, Frank Dolce, explaining how they were each exploited out of "840 hours of work" and subjected to harassment, such as being told to sit of men's laps and being subjected to a "jiggle test,"  reported WIVB.

The women say they were wrongly classified as independent contractors by Stejon Productions, which manages the Jills and failed to pay them for hundreds of hours of work during 2012 and 2013 season.

"We had always dreamed since we were little girls of becoming Buffalo Jills cheerleaders and unfortunately it was anything but a good experience," said former Jills cheerleader Alyssa U.

"[They made us do] everything from standing in front of us with a clipboard and having us do a jiggle test to see what parts of our body were jiggling and if that was something she saw, then you weren’t performing at all."

The five women claim other degrading behavior included being forced to wear a bikini and then go into a dunk tank, being auctioned off like prizes, and "the Jills were forced to sit on participants" laps because there was not enough seats in the golf carts.

The lawsuit is the third filed this year against a National Football League team by its cheerleaders.

The Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals also have pending wage battles.

The Buffalo plaintiffs claim that they did not receive compensation for working at Bills games. Instead, they received a $90 game ticket and a parking pass. 

They also claim that no compensation was paid for practice time.

"We were the laughing stock of NFL cheerleaders," Alyssa U said. 

The Bills said they were aware of the lawsuit and would not comment on "pending litigation."

Raiderette cheerleaders suing Oakland Raiders for wage theft: Report

As if being an NFL defensive laughing stock on the field for the past decade wasn't enough, the Oakland Raiders are now being forced to defend themselves in the courtroom — against their own cheerleaders.

The Raiders organization is being sued by current and former members of the Raiderettes — claiming wage theft and other unfair employment practices.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court alleges that the organization withholds all pay from the Raiderettes until the end of the season, does not pay for all hours worked and forces the cheerleaders to pay many of their own business expenses.

"The club controls our hairstyle and makeup, and we have to foot the bill," said the lead plaintiff, Lacy T., identified only by her first name, in accordance with Raiderettes policy, for security reasons. "We also have to pay the costs for traveling to all kinds of events, including photo shoots... I love the Raiders and I love being a Raiderette, but someone has to stand up for all of the women of the NFL who work so hard for the fans and the teams."

According to the filing, Raiders cheerleaders are paid $1,250 per season, which amounts to less than $5 per hour for the time they spend rehearsing, performing and appearing at events for which they are not compensated.

The suit claims they have been unfairly fined for bringing the wrong pom-poms to practice, wearing the wrong workout outfits or forgetting their yoga mats.

The team had no comment on the lawsuit.

Admit it though, isn't it really about Raider Nation anyway?

Mike Francesa can't pronounce 'Matt McGloin' (AUDIO)

More times than not, Mike Francesa's Long Island accent lends a comical quality to his pronunciation of names and places. But during his WFAN broadcast Tuesday, A-Rod's number one fan was discussing the Raiders' quarterback situation and, on two separate occasions, stumbles on Matt McGloin's name and hilariously rambles over it.

McGlophin, McLoutin or McGlockin — let's try McLovin.

Small earthquake hits near Oakland during Chargers-Raiders game

For NFL fans on the east coast getting up to your first cup of coffee Monday morning, two things happened in Oakland while you were sleeping. First, there was an NFL game between the Chargers and Raiders which kicked off at 11:35 ET (and ended during your REM stage) and there was an earthquake during the second quarter of the game.

Neither of which anyone on the Right Coast has a clue about —and couldn't tell a Janikowski from a Richter Scale.

The quake only added more freakishness to the latest starting game in NFL history.

The 3.1 earthquake had an epicenter about 17 miles from O.co Coliseum in Oakland, according to the United State Geological Survey. The game didn't stop because of the earthquake, but it was felt at the stadium, as you can see in this tweet from the San Francisco Chronicle's Ann Killion.

We had an earthquake about 10 minutes ago. After spending time in Seattle and Denver, I thot it was just fans making the pressbox shake.
— Ann Killion (@annkillion) October 7, 2013

Oakland had a 14-0 lead when the earthquake hit and stretched that to 17-0 before halftime. 

Terrelle Pryor seems to be empowered by earthquakes — or late kickoff times — because he's had his best first half of the year. Through the first two quarters, Pryor was 13 of 18 for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Pryor then set up a late field goal by turning a potential sack into a third-and-long conversion that gave the Raiders a 27-17 victory.

San Diego didn't seem to be enjoying the late kickoff and the earthquakes as much as the Raiders. For the first time this season, the Chargers failed to score a point in the first half.

Jet Fan Beaten Outside MetLife Stadium After Being Mocked About 9/11

In what seems like an unlikely scenario, a die-hard New York Jets fan was severely beaten by a pack of drunken Kansas City Chiefs fans on the home turf parking lot of MetLife Stadium after the Jets routed the visiting team on Sunday.

The whole incident began—reported the New York Post— after one of the Chiefs fans screamed "F--k you New York" then "You all deserved what happened on 9/11!" claims the victim's family.

James Mohr, 23, was set upon by up to seven of the goons as he walked through Parking Lot J of the Jets home stadium after the 37-10 victory.

The incident is being compared to the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium at an opening day game last March 31.

In that attack, Giants fan Brian Stowe suffered brain damage.

Mohr, a Bronx physical-education teacher was wearing  Jets gear in the parking lot when a woman hanging out with a pack of men started screaming the tauts at him.

Any reference to 9/11 might have a deeper meaning to New York and New Jersey residents and this one did.

According to Mohr's sister Anna, her brother was offended by the nasty remarks and called them "disrespectful."

"Our brother is a fireman, and my father is retired FDNY, so you can understand why a 9/11 comment would especially irk him," she said.  "He was shocked anyone would actually say something like that."

Mohr was jumped by the thugs as he was walking alone after leaving a group of his own friends.  One of the cowardly muggers was wearing a Chiefs football jersey a police source reported.

The lifelong Gang Green fan suffered a fractured jaw, cheekbone and eye socket and also has bleeding on the brain due to the attack.  Mohr underwent hours of surgery to repair his battered face.

"He's hanging in there and he's scheduled for surgery," said his sister.  "We won't know too much until that's done."

New Jersey state troopers arrested one of the alleged attackers—who is, surprisingly, from New Jersey—and charged him with simple assault, but a police spokesperson said the investigation will continue.

The similarity between Sunday's attack at MetLife Stadium and the preseason fights at San Francisco's Candlestick Park during a 49er's/Raiders game are glaring.  The NFL declared war on drunken fans after numerous people were pummeled inside and outside that stadium last summer.

Mohr's father Dan said attendants in the hospital ER where they took his son were not surprised by another beating.

"When we go to the hospital, the people in the ER said, 'Oh, not another one,' and told us this happens all the time," said the father.

A MetLife Stadium representative had this statement, "This is an unacceptable attack on one of our guests and we  have been working with the  New Jersey State Police to make sure the man arrested is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The Jets fans have long had a reputation for rowdiness and brawling.  Anyone who has been to a few Jets games over the years can attest to the fact that beefed-up stadium security has curbed the hell-raising.

It's apparent that there is still more to be done.

Broncos' Eric Decker Leapfrogs Lance Ball After TD

The Green Bay Packers may have the made the Lambeau Leap the most-widely imitated post-touchdown jump in the NFL, but now comes its little brother-- the Mile High Leapfrog.

Eric Decker's hop over Lance Ball, who caught a TD pass from Kyle Orton, was ultimately in vain, as the late score couldn't help the Denver Broncos vault over the Oakland Raiders in the second game of Monday night's doubleheader.

With 3:43 left in the game, and a driving storm and a sea of orange calling for Tim Tebow raining down on Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium,  Orton completed a pass to Ball who hurdled a Raiders player at the two yard-line and rolled in for the touchdown.  It capped off an 80 yard drive.  The extra point brought Denver to within three points of Oakland despite an error-turnover-penalty-filled Bronco performance.

More importantly for Orton, the Broncos quarterback wouldn't have to worry about the popular Tebow hopping over him for the starting job-- at least for another week.

Denver could not stop Oakland after the kickoff and the Raiders held on for the 23-20 win in the scuffle-filled game.  The difference was Sebastian Janikowski's record-tying 63-yard field goal to close out the first half.

Janikowski, who's most famous long kick before tonight was a comical 76-yard miss in 2008, joined Jason Elam and Tom Dempsey in the record books

The victory snapped Oakland's streak of losing the previous eight straight season openers.

Woman Holds Crying Baby Inches From Brawling NFL Fans at Candlestick Park

Another camera shot and another angle of the brawl in the stands at Saturday's Oakland Raiders/ San Francisco 49ers game shows a woman clutching a wailing child, just inches from the punches being wildly thrown down, putting her and the infant in harm's way.

The much-publicized incident, one of many which marred the NFL exhibition game at Candlestick Park, is being investigated by San Francisco authorities and the NFL.

It topped off a game where there were numerous fights in the stands and two shootings, one where a 24 year-old man wearing an anti-49ers T-shirt was shot in the stomach outside in the parking lot. The assault victim was severely beaten in a men's restroom inside the stadium. 

Both are in serious condition at San Francisco General Hospital. The other gun-shot victim was not hurt seriously.

Police say the confrontations were not team vs. team issues, but gang-related.  In the video, you can see one thug in a red Niners jersey fight another guy in white Raiders garb, then turn on another guy wearing the Niners colors.

In the fight video above-- which lasted over a minute until it was broken up by security personnel-- you can see a blond woman jump from her seat when the slug-fest breaks out.  The woman holds a crying young child, clad in a Raiders jersey and hat, as she scrambles away from the 200-pound-plus brawlers whose punches sail right by the kid's head.

There is little help from any other spectators who crowd the wild scene and turn their attention from the game and towards the melee. The concerned woman is left to fend for herself, but it looks like she has seen this kind of behavior before.  Caught in the fracas alongside her is a single child of about 12 years of age.

At one point it looks like the woman is raising the child to give him a better view of the action.

Police are seeking witnesses to all of the incidents and have detained a "person of interest" in one of the shootings after he was pulled from a party bus in the parking lot.

The annual exhibition game, known to locals as the "Battle of the Bay" reported no incidents last year.

The NFL, San Francisco mayor, Ed Lee, and  Oakland mayor, Jean Quan, released statements saying violence at stadiums during games will not be tolerated.