Published April 14th, 2010
A Slap at Foul Play
By Mikaela Cowles
Rocco Brown-Morris
Miramonte graduate Rocco Brown-Morris is standing up against athletes who think the rules do not apply to them and to the increased emphasis on money over the sport itself. Morris' new blog, Oakley Will Slap You, puts the cold, hard truth in electronic print.

The blog is named after former NBA player Charles Oakley. Morris believes, "(Oakley) is the ideal candidate to administer justice to the sports world. He values fairness, pride, punctuality, and a quick, yet firm, backhand to the face. Charles Oakley will restore reason and sportsmanship to those who have gone astray."

With witty language and gut-wrenching details, Morris forces the horrific reality of athletics into the open. In his first post Morris says, "(Carl) Edwards intentionally drove his 3,500-pound metal vehicle at 190 miles per hour into Brad Keselowski, sending his car soaring through the air and crashing upside-down into the pavement."

The weight of Morris' topics has seen no decline; he has gone on to describe enraged hockey fans attacking players. He most recently wrote about the falling grade point average among top collegiate athletes, pointing out that both schools and coaches are more interested in students' monetary value than their academic success.

As a long time fan and participant of competitive sports, Morris built his blog to focus on unfortunate events such as these, and how to handle them. At the end of each posting, he provides a forum where readers can vote on how the situation should be handled and see how their peers have voted.

The inspiration for his blog came from listening to radio broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks on KNBR. Morris said Fitz and Brooks were discussing regrettable events in sports and the proper ways to handle them.

Though Morris recognizes that dwelling on such behavior is not necessarily beneficial, he is dedicated to making sure that the negative performances that take place "during the course of play (as opposed to off the field antics; ahem... Tiger, McGwire, etc.) are recognized and discussed." Morris invites the public to join the slapping, "(By lending) your hand in delivering justice to the world of sports." View Morris' blog at: http://oakleywillslapyou.wordpress.com/ and add your slap to the disturbing foul play in athletics today.


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