Breaking Fake News Update (v26)

 Fake News Broke on November 16, 2025!

I have to say, no one is more shocked than I am, seeing two consecutive breaking fake news reports related to professional sports! Last week, it was the NFL's Dynamic Kickoff, and today, it's the NBA All-Star Game? Who had that on their bingo cards for 2025? 

The NBA, for unknown reasons, has decided to totally revamp the format for its mid-season celebration, which will be played during the same time as the Winter Olympics. I'm guessing that might be one reason for the change to the 'USA against the World' team alignment, outlined in the bulletin above. 

I understand from my fake news sources that, if two or more teams end up with the same record after the seven rounds, a draft of the tie-breaker indicates that bonus points will be awarded to the team with the most Americans, but they haven't seen the final plan.

In a 'we thought of everything' move, the league has even devised a way to make sure they can field the teams they want if the voters don't pick enough of the right players. After all, it would be horrible if folks did a little too much America First-ing when they voted. 

If NBA All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum.  In that case, at least one team would have more than eight players.

One would hope that they'd do a whole lot of  'splaining on the new process so that they won't have to resort to the backup plan - especially now that there are four fake teams in the mix. And one would hope that the league's betting partners are well-versed on all of the changes so they can adjust their plans accordingly, too.

As always, if fake news is breaking, I've got you covered. And if you have a fake news tip for me, let me know!

Sidebar: Sunday School 9/13/20 Extra Credit

For the second time in less than a month, I'm offering you the closing thoughts of Jake Tapper, just before signing off from CNN's State of the Union.

Back on August 23rd, he spoke of the callousness of the president (and of his daughter-in-law), and of his support for a conspiracy-theory-supporting Islamophobe for Congress, and his complete lack of empathy. You know - the characteristics of a person who would pretty much do anything to get elected.

And this week? Take a look at was what was on his mind.

Perhaps like so many Americans you've been trying to find a way to spend some time with your family, your children, safely engaged in some form of recreation. Education in a time of pandemic can be really tough and nothing is more clear about our government's failure to protect us then the fact that for so many American kids it's considered unsafe to go into a classroom.

The virus has not been contained. The widespread quick testing needed remains elusive. It's a huge failure by president Trump on down.

So then maybe you seek this respite and you subscribe to Disney+, Disney's streaming service, and you turn on their new live action film Mulan, fun, nice, family-friendly. But maybe you stay for the credits. And you see Disney thank the propaganda authorities of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Jinjiang.

That's right. Not only did Disney film this move, Mulan, in the epicenter of the part of China where the US State Department estimates the Chinese government has detained as many as 2 millionth ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in internment camps, places China claims are for re-education and job training, but the US government says they are subjecting Uighurs to torture and cruel and inhumane treatment.

But not only did they film Mulan there, Disney also thanks a local police department in their credits, a police department that was sanctioned by the U.S. government for its role in running these concentration camps.

Now, Disney's CFO says it's standard to, quote, acknowledge in the film's credits the national and local governments that allowed you to film there, unquote.

Really? How standard is it to film in an area where the local government has concentration camps and is being accused of genocide? I guess we should be happy no parts of Fantasia needed to be filmed in occupied Poland.

And, look, it's not just Disney. The star of the film went on Chinese social media and shared a Chinese state media image expressing support for the police in Hong Kong cracking down on pro-democracy protestors. Of course, that's just one person, a young actor. That's not the big problem. The big problem is Disney thanking people accused of committing genocide. Why? Money.

So, who cares about the concentration camps, right? It's an immoral position and one we've seen from the NBA, which was forced to cancel a training camp held in the same region of China. And, of course, sadly with president Trump who, John Bolton writes in his book, told Chinese President Xi Jinping that China should continue building these concentration camps for the mass detention of Uighur Muslims because President Trump thought that, quote, was exactly the right thing to do, unquote.

This summer two Uighur organizations lodged a complaint against the government of China at the International Criminal Court accusing the Chinese government of genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity.

This is the government to whom the NBA is bowing and president Trump is giving approval and Disney is openly thanking.

After a horrible genocide, the Holocaust, the world came together and pledged never again, never again. The NBA, president Trump, and the Walt Disney Company, they're making those words meaningless.

What's Tapper telling us? 

That we're better than this. That there's more to being a Great America than making money, or making movies. And sometimes, it's not worth it to get exactly what we want if we compromise what we believe in. And that the ends don't justify the means. 

Sadly, it seems these things have been forgotten recently. And, I think, it would do us well to remember them going forward. 

Sunday School 8/30/20: Extra Credit

In this week's Sunday School, we heard from two pretty good non-answer-people, one from each party. Today, I wanted to switch gears and hear from people who are not politicians, who are not afraid of answering questions, talk about a subject that they are uniquely qualified to talk about (and that the politicians are uniquely not qualified to talk about): professional athletes, talking about professional athletes and social justice. 

First up? Chuck Todd on MTP, talking with former NBA player (and SU alum) Etan Thomas, and current WNBA player /VP of the Players Association Sue Bird. The interview comes after last week's actions across multiple sports leading to the cancellation of nine NBA games, 11 MLB games, six WNBA games, four NHL games, and more. 

Thomas talked about the leagues standing in solidarity, and making "their powerful statement heard really around the world" and said they've gone above and beyond, not only by not playing, but through the new social change fund, and through focused advocacy work. And he pointed out how it was "interesting" to hear people complaining that the athletes went back to work after their 'strike' or 'boycott' or whatever it should be called, noting that

...it's also not the job of professional athletes to solve the policing problems that we have in this country. You know, that should be the focus of all the people we just saw at the Republican convention this past week. And I would say, instead of Donald Trump screaming "law and order" at the American citizens exercising their right to protest, that he should be screaming "police accountability." But I bet we probably won't hear that. 

Todd, noting that when players boycott, they're taking money out of the hands of the owners, sponsors, and the leagues, asked Bird what role owners and sponsors should play in all of this. She noted that in the WNBA, the owners support the players, noting that she and others heard directly from their owners saying, "We support whatever you want to do."  That being the case, she said, 

I think a lot of it is more so about, like you said, the corporate sponsors, trying to get them to understand where we stand, what we believe in, what we're fighting for.

And, she added, "this isn't new for us. We've been doing this for year, and years, and years."  She said that

what was so special about this moment was an opportunity, like Etan said, for all of these leagues to be unified. And that’s, that’s when, you know -- we've learned in the WNBA when we're unified as one voice, that's where the impact is felt for us. So to have all these leagues together, I mean, you've seen what's happened. 

Todd asked Thomas about some athletes suggesting that, while they're doing a lot, they're not doing enough. Thomas said people always want to do more, and he also wanted to make clear that "this has nothing to do with being for the police or against the police. That's just the right redefining the issue." He used his kids to illustrate the difference between being supportive and being an enabler.

So, for instance, I love my baby Sierra. You know, that's my girl. But if baby Sierra came to me and said, "Daddy, I want to have chocolate chips for dinner," I wouldn't be supporting her by telling her that she can go have chocolate chips for dinner, you know what I mean? That's not supporting her.

And Trump and the right believe that you have to allow the police to do anything that they want to do and then that equals supporting them... Applauding someone and saying, "Everything that you do is wonderful" is not supporting them. It's actually enabling them. And, you know, so I would say Trump is actually acting more anti-police than what he's claiming to be.

Todd turned to Bird, asking if she understood the need or desire to do more. She talked about being in the 'wubble' (the WNBA bubble) and how all of the players being together, being able to talk about the emotionally and mentally draining, "traumatizing and re-traumatizing" experiences the black players have had, makes people feel like they're not doing enough.

We've actually been doing the work. And to be honest, I've had a front row seat with, you know, my girlfriend Megan Rapinoe. She took a knee four years ago. It took four years for that to come back around. So personally for me, I like to share that message with the players because, while it doesn't feel like you're doing enough and while people are going to come at you and be, like, "Well, what are you going to do about it." Just you have to, like, find solace in the fact that we actually are doing the work.

Thomas was asked about NBA players speaking out more than athletes in other leagues like the NHL and MLB, with Todd noting "here're two sports that are whiter and certainly their fan bases are very white," and asked about the importance of the sports world uniting "across racial lines."  Thomas said it's "definitely important," adding

Right now, you know, when you see from the right there's so much of a divisive type of a tone. I mean, just looking at the Republican National Convention, you know, everything is divisive. And so sports has the opportunity to be able to bring people together. And so -- and it's a matter of empathy. So some of these sports that you say, you know, as you say are whiter, you know, they might not be dealing with the same things that I'm dealing with as a Black man in this country. 

He talked about "the conversation" that black parents have with their sons - and daughters -about what to do when they're stopped by the police. Not if, mind you -- but when they are stopped, and how they can't act like their white friends might, because "they will get to live."  And, he pointed out,

... the fact that you are making millions of dollars in the NBA doesn't save you from being Black. And that's the difference. So when the policeman pulls me over... it doesn't matter what I've accomplished in life or who I am or, you know, what tax bracket I'm in or anything like that. I'm a Black man and I'm a threat.

Final question was to Bird, about what she'd say to the politicians who "don't like it when the sports world speaks out on social issues." 

... as a female athlete, the one thing that I've come to realize is we're judged on everything except our sport. We've been judged because we're Black, gay, because we're women. Nobody talks about us playing. So you fast forward, you know, ten, 20 years of this and we've developed an identity. And we're being authentic to it. And so for us, when people say, "Stick to sports," it's kind of, like, yeah, 20 years ago, we tried. You wouldn't let us. And now you're saying that? So it makes no sense to me.

Or to me, frankly.  

Wondering on Wednesday (v200)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

So, what's on your mind tonight?  Are you wondering about the coronavirus pandemic? You know, the one about which the president said. 

I've always known this is a real - this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.

He might have known it was a pandemic, and he might have felt it was a pandemic, but he sure as heck didn't say anything about it being one. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Barry Rubin of The Bulwark put together this video showing us just what the president was telling us all this time he had those feelings. No need to wonder why he never said anything - it wouldn't have put him in a good light - and as the video shows, he'd give himself a perfect 10 for how he's handled this.

I should note that at least they've changed the podium used for the president's press briefings, so every speaker doesn't have to adjust the microphones to talk. But the task force members are still standing right next to each other, some of them are still touching the sides of the podium, and of course Trump lurks next to whoever's at the podium the entire time. Which is even more odd when you see that the reporters have been separated by an empty chair or two, allowing them to practice the social distancing that the task force is literally begging us to follow.

But the big news from the perfect 10 response? Mar-a-Lago will FINALLY close, after being a hot spot of sorts with several positive tests for the virus among attendees of various events. Here's a note about this from the Palm Beach Post.

...Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach has notified members it will close its restaurant and spa and cancel aerobics classes starting Thursday in response to health concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.

I wonder if he decided to close now because he thought it was a pandemic a long time ago?  Or because he thinks it would be poor form to keep it open while he's telling the rest of us to stay home? Although, I must add, many Florida beaches are still open for spring break, so maybe he's just keeping up with the Joneses.

Some other wonderings, starting with them Dems.

• Papa Joe Biden won the primaries yesterday - Arizona, Illinois, and Florida, picking up another 281 delegates to That Guy from Vermont's 140.  Biden is now up by nearly 300 delegates, and right now we don't really know what to expect going forward as far as potential impact from the pandemic. I wonder if any other governors will do what Ohio's Mike DeWine did - declare a public health emergency and postpone their primaries for a month or nearly three? 

• For his part, TGFV is having to take a look at what his options are, if there are any, and he'll have to wonder whether it's worth it to continue. The margins of victory from yesterday's votes - 11.9% in Arizona, 23% in Illinois, and a whopping 39% in Florida - seem to suggest there's little hope left, but we'll see what happens. 

• Maybe the best thing he can do is to inspire others to attack the "establishment" Dems, get them out of the way, and then let AOC run for president in '24 or '28... and now I'm wondering if maybe that's the plan she's been working towards all along, since it was reported she wasn't all that interested in helping out the Vermonter's campaign when he needed her most?

Meanwhile, Fox News was happy to report, president Trump clinched the Republican nod Tuesday night. I wonder, does anyone even remember who was running against him?

In not-political news, Tom Brady has announced his career as a New England Patriot is over, and he's up for grabs. The problem is not a lot of teams want to grab him - looks like he's going to end up with the Tampa Bay Bucs (probably the most likely outcome) or the Los Angeles Chargers (I think the only other team that's still remotely interested. So, what's the wondering?

Well, for starters, why does he want to keep playing, at this stage of the game? 20 years, six Super Bowl wins, the Greatest of All Time, etc. etc. etc. And then, on the flip side, if you're Tom Brady, would you be able to resist the chance to turn around a team that only won seven games last season?

Elsewhere in the sports world, there's good news to report from the NBA, particularly in how some of the players are responding to the league's suspension of play.  As we learn in this CBS Sports article, a number of the guys have stepped up to assist others in need. One of them is New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, a 19-year-old kid, who is paying the salaries of all the folks who work at the Smoothie King Arena for 30 days.

Why, you wonder, might he do that? Because, he said, his mom "has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have." Good for her, good for him, and good for everyone who's doing things large and small to help others during these crazy times.