Spats and shoe freedom

The NFL uniforms compared to the college uniforms are ugly. Plain and simple, they just don't compare to how those college kids rock their jerseys. You would think that professional players would be granted a little more leeway in terms of dress code, but they aren't.

If your shirt tail hangs out, you're fined. Socks down around your ankles, fined. If you're not wearing the ugly socks, fined and the list goes on and on.

You know what NFL, you win. We understand that if you bend the rules on the NFL dress code, you'll have players sending messages through uniform modifications that may not reflect or convey the NFL properly. Cool, you don't want a player to write "Obama" on his wrist band, because that could turn off Republican or non-Obama supporters off the NFL. The players aren't the league, they are representatives of the league and they should be privileged to play in the NFL yadda yadda yadda, we know. I said you win didn't I?

I do make this request let us have the socks and shoes please. That's all we want is the socks and shoes! The godfather of 6Magazine, Deion Sanders, once said, "If you look good you feel good, If you feel good you play good, If you play good they pay good."

To the NFL player, their occupation is a great career, a very lucrative and enjoyable career, but still a career. There are tons of people who have careers that love/like/enjoy them. They enjoy them better when they have a cool CEO that allows the employees to be themselves a little bit and not be so buttoned up. Companies that allow casual work environments are great and often very successful. Employees are chipper, having fun, and this makes them want to work ten times harder for their CEO because they are giving them some room to be who they are.

Too often in the business world, an employee's main focus is blend in and represent the company. The NFL capitalizes of players all the time, I mean you know the real reason why although Chad Johnson's name was legally changed to Ocho Cinco, he still had to wear the Chad "Johnson" jersey last season right? Well if you don't, in short, the NFL did not have any printed "Ocho Cinco" jerseys and they would have lost money by not selling the "Chad Johnson" jerseys and by making new Ocho Cinco jerseys. Pure business move.

An even better business move, give the players more leeway with their socks and shoes. You could keep it uniformed and only allow players to wear socks and shoes of their team colors or designated shoe color. Let the players wear colored shoes, of their team colors of course. Allow the players to tape their shoes with tape of the same color. This would elimnate the ugliness that plagues NFL jerseys, those damn ugly ass socks. I admire players who find a way to make it look good, but the rule is stupid, there is no need for a white sock.

Why is this a better business move? The players will look good, they will feel good, they will play good, and if they play good, the NFL will get paid good. Fans will be into new look and feel of the NFL. High school and college kids will be more entranced by the game. Imagine a fresh tape job on a New Orleans Saints uniform or even the Miami Dolphins. Of course, the players will be playing at an all time high, feeling free to be who they truly are and look fresh at the same time. NFL records will be broken by the droves and the NFL will be caked up with more money that it ever imagined. Heck, the NFL could even brand the socks and the tape, much like the NBA does with their socks.

Mr. Goodell, you're a fine owner, leader, and a great business man. Make a fashion statment. Give the players their sock and shoe freedom back!

That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

General Goodell reinstates Vick

Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated to the NFL. Duh. You know that already. Let me just tell you my reaction when I got the news last evening.

When I first heard the news, I was much like everyone else. He's suspended 5 more games. WTF! Why, that's not fair. But I didn't hear all of the loop holes laced(forgive me I had to lol) in Vick's conditional reinstatement.

Goodell was quoted in a conference call saying, "This is not a suspension, this a plan for Michael Vick. We want him to succeed, not fail."

So with all that said, I can live with Goodell's decision. I know Vick has suffered enough, and initially I was livid with his conditional resinstatement. But we have to listen to details behind the decision and be optimistic. If you speak it into existence it will happen.

Goodell said he would make a ruling by Week 6. This does not mean Vick is out 5 games. The decision could come sooner than Week 6. Word on the street is that the decision will be made anywhere from Week 2 to Week 6. I've also heard that Vick will petition the commissioner for full reinstatement after the preseason so that he will be available to play Week 1.

Also, stop being negative. If everyone keeps on saying Goodell is being unfair by suspending Vick for x amount of games, then Vick will sit out a few games. Speak positivity into the air people. One thing about Roger Goodell is that you cannot peg him. Everyone that Brandon Marshall was going to be in more trouble than a felon with 3 strikes in Cali, but Marshall kind of got a hand slap. You can make the argument that he is innocent until proven guilty, but Pacman was never convicted of anything and suspended for a full season. People also thought since law was so light in the Donte Stallworth case that Goodell would follow their suit, nope wrong homie. Stallworth was like that lil boy who got spanked by his mama and she warned him, "wait til yo daddy get home, it ain't over", and your pops come home from work in the middle of the night to wake you up to a nightmare of a an ass whipping for the ages. Goodell is as misunderstood as Adam Jones, you're never going to guess his next move, so stop.

The good thing is that Vick was reinstated period, which is the most important thing. The plan of success set in place for Vick has his best interest at heart. More often than not when people leave the prison system they are on some type of probation or parole, which is conditional on the premis they don't screw up again. I agree to gradually ease Vick back into the NFL is the best way to do so, but it couldn't come at a worse time because teams are already taking a gamble with Vick and its even more of a gamble if they don't know when he will play. Also, Goodell could wait until Week 6, and say Vick will stay suspended for the entire year as he did with Pacman in Week 10 of the 2007 season, but that is highly unlikely. Teams looking to sign Mike Vick want some type of certainty on his availability, and they don't have that with Goodell's up in the air date of Vick's full reinstatement.

Let's focus on the good and control what we can. Vick is back support him as much as possible if you're a true fan.


That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

23 months down, The rest of your life ahead

Free at last, free at last. Michael Dwayne Vick is now free from prison. His 23 month sentence ends today. The man has paid his debt to society and there is nothing you nor I can do about it. So for those that feel his punishment was not long enough, I say to you what my mother told me as a young child, "tough titties".

I heard many people say they were going to move to another country once President Obama was elected, and I'm almost positive that 90 percent of those people are still here. Those who can't stand Michael Vick etc, blah blah blah, will still be football fans and still watch his games as well.

Moving on, with all that said. What is next for Mike Vick? He owes a lot of people money. He hasn't played the game he loves in over two years, that very game which brought him fame and millions of dollars. I'd be safe to assume he'd love to play some football again and pay back those debtors he owes. The NFL is his best bet, duh. There is one person standing in his way, Roger "Strict Ship" Goodell(gulp). Goodell is a fair man, for as tough as some of his penalties have been, looking back on it he has been correct every single time. Goodell will have a tremendous amount of pressure from those for and against Vick's reinstatement to the NFL. Goodell will make the right decision as he always does. If I had to put money on it, I'd say Vick is reinstated by the middle of next week.

The next hurdle for Vick is convincing a team to give him a workout and sign him to a contract. The team that decides to take that chance will face the PR pressure from those for and against Vick playing football again.

Once he is signed to a team which I have full confidence he will be, he has to prove to them that he can still play quarterback. People doubted Vick's quarterbacking skills while he was a starting quarterback in the NFL. Now that he has sat out two years and the Wildcat formation has come to fame it seems as if the only positions people think he can play is wildcat quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. I find it funny and typical of mainstream mostly white media to say Vick will not be a good quarterback anymore. I live for the day we see the next Doug Williams, but this is about Michael Vick and not what people think black quarterbacks can and cannot do.

The battle for Vick is uphill. Scratch it's more mountainesque, not so much Everest more like Rainer. Nevertheless, after dealing with different offensive coordinators, head coaches, and receivers allergic to the ball, Vick will succeed in the NFL. Will he be a pro bowl star, lead a team to Super bowl, or a 1st ballot Hall of Famer? I don't know.

I do know that Michael Vick is only 29 years old. He hasn't played football in two years which means, he is rusty, but once the rust is gone he will be fresher than any other quarterback right now. I also know that there will be 32 starting quarterbacks on opening day, and not all of those quarterbacks will be better than Michael Vick. And thanks to all those sentence filled detentions in high school, I know that patience is a virtue and the mountain of success that Michael Vick will eventually climb back too will take time.


That's all I got,



Ricky Writer


PS - for now, check out this great piece via NFL network

Back From Vacation

Hello football world,

How have you all been. 6Magazine took a vacation last week, before we dive head first into football season which is about 3 weeks away. Much has been going on since we've been gone so let's go in.

Steve McNair

The untimely death of Steve McNair occurred a little over a week ago. I was sickened to my stomach by some of the comments people were making. Yes, this man was wrong for cheating on his wife, no one said he was right. I find it funny that many of the people that had negative things to say about Steve McNair, act as if they were the most perfect thing to ever have been created. I heard most of his critics to his character in the Bible belts known as Oklahoma and Texas. On that note, give me a second to preach please, Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not, that ye not be judged." For all of those who want to blast and criticize McNair, please have caution before your dirty laundry be made public like McNair's. No one is perfect and I really wish people would stop acting like it.

Steve McNair, you were a great quarterback. Contrary to negative people, you were a great man. Especially during Hurricane Katrina, when much of the focus was on New Orleans, you helped keep those in need in Mississippi at the forefront. You were a great example of how a person should play the quarterback position by being tough, relentless, and fearless. Rest in peace, you will be missed.

Donte' Stallworth

Cleveland Browns WR, Donte' Stallworth, was released from jail after serving 24 days of a 30 day jail sentence. Commissioner, Roger Goodell, laid down the hammer suspending Stallworth indefinitely. Goodell is expected to make an announcement on the exact length of Stallworth's suspension this week.

This is a tough situation being that in some minds the law let Stallworth off easy. If the family of victim had made a push for Stallworth to suffer a longer jail sentence, I think he would have. I hope Goodell takes the family's understanding of the situation into consideration. I don't know all the answers, but the true question to be asked is, if Stallworth had only been speeding and not intoxicated or had marijuana in his system would he have still hit and killed the victim, Mario Reyes? It sounds silly, but the victim did not use the crosswalk when he rushed in front of Stallworth's vehicle to catch the bus home from work.

Stallworth should be punished because driving intoxicated is inexcusable and he was already a member of the NFL substance abuse program. Mr. Goodell has a reputation for stiff penalties and for that reason, I fear the worst for Stallworth. The best thing Stallworth did for himself was stop at the accident and own up to it like a man, because we remember what happened to Dwayne Goodrich of the Cowboys a few years back.

B-Favre

Brett Favre has been out of the news in the past few weeks, much to my shock, seriously. Well, he's back in it now. Word on the street is that Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell went down to Hattiesburg, Miss., this past week to watch Favre toss the ball around 100 times give or take. They wanted to see the future Hall of Fame quarterback's throwing capabilities since he is six weeks removed from arthroscopic bicep surgery.

Brett told told Bevell that he wants to be a Viking, but wants to be able to perform at full strength all season and doesn't want to commit to the team too early if his bicep doesn't let him. We all know the ending to this story. Favre is a warrior, and will be a Viking warrior when the season starts.


That's all I got and I'm happy to be back,


Ricky Writer

Football or Fu'tbol

I read some shocking news via my friend EB_the Celeb's twitter page. (Check her out http://www.jonesin-eb-style.com/, she is dope) The information was startling, frightening, and near sickening. I have an extremely strong stomach, but I almost hurled. The NFL is going to use their practice jersey's to sell advertising? Are you kidding me is an understatement. WTF!

I haven't heard the term sellout in a very long while, but it's only fitting for this egregious offense. I mean the patches are cool and apart of the culture for NASCAR and for Soccer(fu'tbol) but this is American Football people, and yes it requires capital letters.

So far the only teams thinking about doing such a stupid thing are the Packers(dumb team that chose Aaron Rodgers over Brett Favre) and the Houston Texans (they've been torturing Andre Johnson for six seasons now with incompetent quarterbacks). The Packers decision surprises me, such a storied organization with such rich tradition, how could this happen. Now the Texans on the other hand are about as dependable as Ryan Leaf. I mean, ads don't belong on football jerseys even if it is just a practice jersey. To be honest, I always think to myself how cool some of those soccer jerseys would look if they lost the ads.

I'm not sure if the NFL realizes this, but people hate ads. Why do you think newspapers are going down the drain. Why are magazine's struggling. They all make their money off advertisments and ads aren't the hottest thing moving right now. DVR has also dealt the advertising industry a huge blow. I am a copywriter myself and I love advertising but for the most part many Americans don't, and I understand why they don't. The majority of ads are bad ideas that clutter up whatever medium of entertainmet a person was enjoying before the ad interrupted the moment.

To place a corporate sponsor logo on a jersey is just going to cheapen the jersey, the team, and the game.

Here is Santos Laguna, of the Mexican Soccer League, home jersey








I don't see any numbers on these jerseys(that's un-American, duh). They look like classified ads running around a soccer field. Roger Godell, please stop this madness. I am begging you. This is like the calm before the storm. They are keeping this as quiet and subtle as possible and then before you know it they will be on game jerseys.


For more info read this here dandy link I attached.

NFL to allow corporate patches on practice jerseys


That's all I got,



Ricky Writer