Is the NHL’s first female coach a sign of progress or imminent disaster?



On October 8, Jessica Campbell coached her first game as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken. Campbell is the first female coach in the NHL.

According to reports, when asked about his decision to hire Campbell, head coach Dan Bylsma claimed that he was simply hiring the best coach, and Campbell fit the bill.

Her list of accolades is long and impressive. Campbell played college hockey at Cornell University, won numerous medals playing on Canada’s national team, and even played professionally in Canada and Sweden.

Is this a situation in which a woman really is the best-qualified candidate? Or is this simply the woke agenda disguised as meritocracy?

Jason Whitlock and Steve Kim discuss the unique situation.

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“I just can’t see this not ending poorly,” says Jason, pointing to the reality that Campbell is 32, attractive, and surrounded by male athletes in the same age range.

“I would hate to be the HR department for Seattle,” he tells Steve.

Steve, however, thinks that a bigger problem is the fact that a female will have authority over men.

“At the highest levels of professional sports, there is no man that wants to be coached by any woman,” regardless of what they’ve been conditioned to say, he tells Jason.

“If you're going to be screamed at, if you're going to have a finger pointed in your direction, if you're going to be disciplined at that level of athletics, men want to be disciplined by other men,” he claims.

But Jason sees an even bigger issue.

Granted the amount of money the NHL players make, he thinks they will be motivated to “hop on board” with inviting women into the league. However, in private they will be resentful because “this isn't really about competition,” and they’re being forced to be “part of some social experiment.”

According to Jason, behind the scenes, the players will be thinking, ‘“They've got this 32-year-old hot blonde coaching me; this is a television show, it's not a competition.”’

“I think it harms the integrity of the game, and it makes the players more cynical about the actual sport they're competing in,” he explains.

Steve then points out that men’s hockey is still “largely a white sport with a lot of guys from different parts of the world where none of this DEI stuff is actually going on.”

“I actually wonder how these guys are going to take to quote-unquote female leadership,” he says.

“The DEI stuff is global,” Jason counters, “but as it relates to the athletes inside their homes ... you're right, this is not the construct that they grew up with.”

“I do think most of these white athletes ... are from a two-parent household structure that probably is more patriarchal than matriarchal,” he adds, noting that this will only serve to “enhance the cynicism” of the athletes forced to submit to Campbell’s authority.

Going back to the reality that Campbell is young and attractive, Jason is sure it’s not going to end well.

“It's like whatever woman is there during training camp, let's say if in real life she's a six, during training camp she's an eight and a half, damn near a nine,” he says, drawing on his own experience playing football at Ball State.

“The female trainers turned into the most attractive people on planet Earth,” he recalls, adding that Campbell “will be under attack in that environment.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above.

America has 'GONE SOFT' and needs a return to masculinity



Bill Maher and the alpha of the UFC, Dana White, have basically nothing in common — until now.

When White went on Maher’s "Club Random" podcast, this became clear when they started discussing the softening of sports and landed on the topic of Damar Hamlin’s injury.

“By the time night had fallen on this event, it was just the one true opinion that this game could not have been played, because that’s the way America reacts to things. Now, I’m in the opinion that they should have played the game,” Maher told White.

But they didn’t play the game, because they claimed the most important thing was Damar, which Maher called “bad logic.”

“How does that affect playing the game? He’s in the hospital. Unless the doctors are watching the game out of the corner of their eye while they’re operating on him, I don’t think it’s going to affect anything,” Maher continued, noting that the first thing Hamlin said when he woke up was “Did we win?”

“No, because you live in baby land, Damar,” Maher laughed.

“I don’t disagree with you,” White said, adding, “The last thing that I want to see is any more of the p***ification of this country.”

Jason Whitlock is thrilled that this conversation is happening between such big names.

“These types of conversations where Bill Maher’s trying to bring sanity back to the left always please me. And to see Dana White co-signing pleased me as well,” Whitlock says.


Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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Whitlock: It's GAME OVER for Skip Bayless and Sports Debate Shows

Whitlock: It's GAME OVER for Skip Bayless and Sports Debate Shows

Here's why Patrick Mahomes will NEVER rival Tom Brady



As legendary quarterback Tom Brady confirms the rumors of his retirement are true, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock explained why Patrick Mahomes will never rival Brady: too much talent.

Blaze Media contributor Steve Kim joined Jason on the latest episode of "Fearless with Jason Whitlock" to talk about how much Mahomes has accomplished in his short career and why the Kansas City Chiefs’ starting quarterback's "overabundance of talent" could put him on a similar path to Miami Dolphin legend Dan Marino.

Watch the video below, or find the full episodes of Fearless with Jason Whitlock here.

Can't watch? Download the podcast here.



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To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock and Uncle Jimmy, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

Steve Kim: Bill Belichick and the Patriots are starting to party like it’s 2001



Guess what: Bill Belichick can still coach his ass off.

After their third consecutive victory, a 24-6 romp over the struggling Carolina Panthers, the New England Patriots now stand at 5-4. On Sunday they made Sam Darnold look like he still played for the Jets. Darnold tossed three interceptions.

New England consistently seemed one step ahead of the Panthers on defense and did just enough on offense to control the game. Using a conservative game plan based around their trio of running backs Rhamondre Stevenson, Brandon Bolden, and Damien Harris, the Patriots didn't ask quarterback Mac Jones to do too much.

It looked a lot like the early Brady-Belichick years, when the Patriots relied on a stingy defense and a quarterback who managed the game.

Last year in the midst of the divorce from the iconic Tom Brady, the franchise suffered through a 7-9 season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Meanwhile, Brady lifted his seventh Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay.

This divorce seemed as one-sided as that of Jeff Bezos.

It was believed that Brady was the overwhelming winner in this high-profile parting of ways. Belichick was exposed as nothing more than the beneficiary of an all-time great behind center. What people forgot is that Belichick is one of the most adroit football minds the game has ever seen.

There were many people who may not have wanted to admit it, but they yearned for Belichick to fail miserably. To them, he was a curmudgeon. He didn't play nice with the media, and others didn't agree with his political leanings.

This year's Patriots were expected to struggle again, but at 5-4 they are now just half a game behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. Three of their four losses have come by a combined nine points. Strangely enough, they have suffered all their losses at home, but are now 4-0 on the road. They are a team surging in confidence and getting better each week.

Yeah, I know, Belichick is an easy guy to hate. He's not a warm-and-fuzzy guy. What really grinds the gears of those who aren't Patriots fans is that he really doesn't seem to care. He's about football and really nothing else. Belichick is cold, calculating, and at times seemingly heartless — ask Stephon Gilmore, and before him, Lawyer Milloy and Richard Seymour.

Belichick wouldn't have hesitated to shoot Old Yeller.

Don't expect Belichick to say too many good things about his current squad. "The Patriot Way" is about doing your job (well) and then doing it again the following week. This just feels like the quintessential Belichick team.

As he would say, they're on to Cleveland.

Steve Kim: For the Rams, winning over the city of Los Angeles is more important than winning it all



The Los Angeles Rams want to be more than Super Bowl champs. They want to be L.A.'s team, which is a much loftier goal than champions of the NFL. The Lakers and the Dodgers run Tinseltown and have for decades.

That's why Stan Kroenke's Rams approach every season like it's their last.

That's why they started the week making a bold move, trading a couple of early-round draft choices to the Denver Broncos for eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller, arguably the premier edge rusher of the past decade. He'll pair beautifully with arguably the premier inside rusher of all time, Aaron Donald.

Donald and Miller could be the greatest one-two punch in Los Angeles since Shaq and Kobe or Magic and Kareem.

Of course, on the other side of the ball, the Rams cut bait with former No. 1 pick Jared Goff. They shipped him off to Detroit for the strong-armed Matt Stafford, who has shown that he can expand Sean McVay's offense in ways that Goff simply couldn't.

The financial commitment to acquiring Miller is relatively small. The Broncos will pay the majority of Miller's $9.7 million salary for the rest of this year. But the move is symbolic of the mission statement of this franchise

The Rams have one goal — not just to get to the Super Bowl, as they did in the 2018 season, but to win it. Anything short of that will be a letdown. For this franchise, there is no five-year plan. The window is squarely 2021. They'll worry about the subsequent seasons as they come.

It's a far cry from the Rams team that ended up leaving Southern California back in the mid-1990s. Back then, the team was owned by Georgia Frontiere, who took over the reins after the sudden death of her husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, in 1979. After moving to Anaheim Stadium in Orange County, after decades at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rams played second fiddle in this region to not just the Lakers and the Dodgers, but the Oakland Raiders, too.

Frontiere's run was relatively successful, but it was marked by a frugal nature.

If I had to compare her ownership to anyone, it would be Rachel Phelps, from the classic baseball movie "Major League." Phelps' plan was to tank the fictional Cleveland Indians so badly that ticket sales would decline to a point where they could break their lease and move the team to Miami. And as you look back at how the Rams were run, there are some parallels, as they ended up in St. Louis for the 1995 season.

During the 1980s, I was a hard-core Rams fan. To this day, the great Eric Dickerson is one of my all-time favorite athletes. But for as much as I remember his prodigious rushing records, his career was marked by multiple holdouts, the last of which led to a blockbuster trade to the Indianapolis Colts in 1987. That was the day I realized professional sports was first and foremost a business.

Now under the stewardship of Stan Kroenke, the Rams are no longer just a mom-and-pop shop. Their home is the multibillion-dollar SoFi Stadium, a new, glistening, state-of-the-art structure that is a monument to the financial power of the team's owner.

Kroenke understands that Los Angeles has many entertainment and sports options. The Lakers, the Dodgers, the Kings have all won championships this century. And the Clippers are now a serious franchise. The Chargers are a talented squad, but largely an afterthought.

The NFL is the most popular league in America, Los Angeles the number two market. The Rams aren't just trying to lift the Lombardi Trophy. This latest gambit is about being the most important and influential franchise in all of Southern California.

Steve Kim: Someone might want to tell ESPN’s Sarah Spain to save some of her Aaron Rodgers disgust for Henry Ruggs



In today's society, or at least within sports media, not being truthful about your vaccination status is worse than actually killing someone.

You think I'm being hyperbolic, right?

Tell that to Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers superstar quarterback. Rodgers tried to execute a play-action vax, and now he's in major trouble for his incomplete vax.

According to veteran NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, Rodgers "received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels and asked the NFL to review his status. The NFL, NFLPA and joint docs ruled him as unvaccinated. Now, he has COVID-19."

The reaction from those who cover sports was typically one-sided and judgmental. And no, this is not a defense of Rodgers, who should have been clear and transparent about his vaccination status from the beginning. But it is interesting to see the outrage from those who are castigating him in contrast to Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs and his situation.

Early Tuesday morning, police charged Ruggs with a felony DUI and felony reckless driving. He drove his Corvette 156 mph and accidentally rammed it into the back of another vehicle, causing it to burst into flames and killing a 23-year-old female and her dog. It was reported that Ruggs also had a loaded gun and that his blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit.

The Raiders organization acted swiftly, releasing Ruggs, a former first-round pick out of Alabama. But the bigger story was that a young life was lost.

I happened to see ESPN's Sarah Spain pop up a few times on my Twitter feed on Wednesday afternoon. She unloaded multiple tweets (and retweets) admonishing Rodgers for his transgression. Which is certainly her choice.

She tweeted: "Rodgers had said he was immunized. Lying about being vaccinated (and not being vaccinated for that matter) is garbage. Irresponsible. Selfish. What protocols has he been following all season? Did the whole team, staff etc know he wasn't vaccinated or did he lie to them too?"

Then in response to another tweet asserting that people were misinterpreting his statement that he was immunized, Spain responded: "No. One statement in a presser isn't the official declaration of status - either he lied to the NFL, team doctors, staff etc or he was honest and they've allowed him to skip required measures for unvaccinated."

She later tweeted: "He is not vaccinated. That is not up for debate. That has now been confirmed by the team & the league. The fact that breakthrough cases can happen for vaccinated people is also not — and has never been up — up for debate. Holy shit how do you people make it through the day alive."

But what did she have to say via Twitter to her 256,000 followers about Ruggs?

Well, her lone tweet was a quoted retweet reply to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, who put up an excerpt of his reporting. She replied "Oh no. Just awful."

And that's it.

So yeah, killing someone is "awful."

But to some, what Rodgers did is the ultimate mortal sin.

Yet it has to be asked, does the outrage really fit the crime here in either situation?

Steve Kim: Baker Mayfield is Jared Goff 2.0, an average quarterback masquerading as a franchise QB



When you draft a quarterback number one, the expectation is that he will lead your franchise for the next dozen years and, if not lead you to a few Super Bowls, at least be an upper-echelon signal caller.

By those standards, the Browns have an issue. Because Baker Mayfield isn't that guy.

Not that he's JaMarcus Russell or anything. To be fair, he is serviceable. But he's far from elite.

That was shown again in the Browns' most recent loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where they lost to their AFC North rivals 15-10, dropping to last place in the division at 4-4.

Once again, Mayfield was OK. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 225 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Too often his passes aren't accurate enough for his receivers to run through the ball and have the opportunities to get yards after catch. Coming out of Oklahoma, he was thought to be a precision passer. That simply hasn't manifested itself in the NFL.

It has to be mentioned that he is playing with an injured left shoulder. But there is a large enough sample size at this point to determine who he is. Right now, he's a better pitchman than a passer.

To be fair, in the fourth quarter of this loss to the Steelers, Mayfield didn't get much help, as there were drops, a key fumble by the usually reliable Jarvis Landry, and inexcusable penalties. Certain quarterbacks can overcome their teammates; Mayfield isn't one of them.

But looking at the big picture, while the blue-collar Landry has always been a productive player, the flamboyant Odell Beckham Jr. is now basically a non-factor. This week Odell had a lone catch for six yards.

Generally, Mayfield has a strong running game to lean on, but with the Browns generating only 96 yards on the ground, the offense produced just 10 points.

Go back to the 2018 draft, when Mayfield was chosen by the Browns. He was one of five quarterbacks selected in the first round alongside Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson. From that class, Mayfield is no better than the third-best player.

The Browns have a decision to make. Do you commit to a highly lucrative second contract with Mayfield? The Rams faced this dilemma. They signed 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff to a lucrative extension, then decided to cut bait with him two years later. Goff actually led the Rams to a Super Bowl.

There is a belief that in the NFL there are two types of teams: Those who have their franchise QB and those who are looking for one.

The Browns are the latter.

Steve Kim: Professional athletes are going to regret volunteering to be 'more than an athlete'



Last year, many athletes adopted LeBron James' mantra about being "more than an athlete." For them, playing sports was just a small part of their identity. In essence, they shouldn't be forced, like most of us working stiffs, to have their identities attached to their profession.

No. They weren't just grossly overpaid performers on the playing field. They're activists and community leaders. And that's exactly how the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People treated them on Thursday, when it asked professional athletes to eschew opportunities to work in the state of Texas.

According to ESPN, NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson wrote a two-page letter addressed to the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and WNBA players' associations asking athletes to avoid Texas over the state's recent laws regarding abortions, voting rights, and mask mandates.

"Over the past few months, legislators in Texas have passed archaic policies, disguised as laws, that directly violate privacy rights and a woman's freedom to choose, restrict access to free and fair elections for black and brown voters, and increase the risk of contracting coronavirus," the letter states.

So much for just playing ball, making a living, and negotiating happy endings. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson now has to factor in abortion laws, mask mandates, and voter IDs into his decision-making about where to play next season.

The NAACP website states that the organization's mission is to "ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all citizens."

Certainly a noble endeavor, but it has to be asked -- what sacrifice are Derrick Johnson and the NAACP making in all this? I guess he did take the time to craft the two-page letter. That took some effort.

But this is nothing more than grandstanding and a cheap attempt to stay relevant by an organization whose influence has been fading for years.

It's very easy to request that others reduce their economic opportunities in highly lucrative careers that have relatively short life spans. All of the sacrifice — and almost none of the benefits (if there are any ) — in this instance would be for the players who are learning that being a willing pawn means that others make the moves for you on this chessboard.

Real activism should go farther than hashtagging and sitting out games. Now they are being asked not to play for certain teams in major markets.

Hey, guys, don't you just want to be an athlete and leave the grandstanding to the professional grandstanders?

But, hey, you asked for all this. Next time read past page one of LeBron's book, "Social Justice Warrioring for Dummies."

Steve Kim: The attempt to convict Cal McNair of a hate crime offends me far more than his alleged crime



On Tuesday, it was reported that the chairman of the Houston Texans, Cal McNair, had apologized for making anti-Asian remarks at a team function back in May.

What was his offense?

According to Bally Sports, the PC/woke crime police charged McNair with a felonious case of insensitivity. When he addressed a crowd at the River Oaks Country Club for the Houston Texans Foundation Charity Golf Classic, McNair uttered these words: "I'm sorry we couldn't get together last year, because of the China virus."

I'm shocked there wasn't an immediate riot. But maybe that's because McNair immediately started apologizing.

"I immediately apologized to people who approached me then and I apologize again now. I know how important it is to choose my words carefully. I would never want to offend anyone," McNair said in a statement to Bally Sports.

A few years ago, McNair's late father, Bob, ruffled a few feathers when he said that the league "can't have the inmates running the prison" during a meeting with fellow NFL owners as they discussed the issues of players demonstrations during the national anthem.

McNair, who passed away in 2018, actually botched the phrase. It's really "inmates running the asylum," a reference to the 1989 film "Dr. Caligari." What it really means is that you simply can't have the least capable individuals in charge of running an organization.

But back to his son's comments, for years various viruses were given names based on where they originated. From the Spanish flu (which is self-explanatory) and Zika virus (which originated from the Zika Valley in central Africa) to MERS (which stood for Middle East respiratory syndrome), many illnesses had monikers that were geographically based.

It's interesting, though, that before this pandemic officially became COVID, it was known as the Wuhan coronavirus. Don't believe me? All you had to do was turn on some of the same major media outlets that are so outraged by certain labels used by select individuals.

Right now, the Texans are having a miserable year. Currently they are dead last in the AFC South with a record of 1-6, and their relationship with Deshaun Watson is not destined for a … happy ending. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

The story on McNair is selective outrage, at best. An overreaching agenda at worst. This should be a non-story.

Several months ago the term "China virus" — or anything close to it — was blamed for the spike in so-called Asian hate. Asians were allegedly less safe in their communities. But the truth is crime spiked throughout the country on all races, colors, and creeds.

McNair's words might be ill-timed, but they certainly aren't as damaging as the narratives that are crafted from them.

I'm not Chinese, but I am Asian last I checked. I'm Korean. Am I offended by McNair's words? No.

But I do take offense at the attempts to turn this into something it's not.