Randy Smith
The new modern term for winners and losers is now, "trending up and trending down". That's fine but I prefer to continue to use "Winners and Losers." After all, old habits are hard to break. Here is a list of some of the real winners and losers in sports for the past year.
Winner: New Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer. His handling of the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt as the Vols' new head football coach helped to stabilize and bring together a disheveled fan base.
Fulmer has always been a winner and will continue to be.
Loser: John Currie. I don't know what really went wrong in the coaching search that led to his demise at Tennessee but there is no question the whole ordeal was embarrassing. There is also no question Currie had a lot of help in proving to be inept at his job.
Winner: The UCLA basketball team. Be thankful the Ball family is now out of your hair.
Loser: The Lithuanian pro basketball team that signed the two younger Ball brothers to contracts. Enough said.
Loser: Lavar Ball who pulled his 16-year-old son out of high school to go play basketball in beautiful Lithuania. What a nut job.
Winner: Tennessee basketball teams, men and women. A combined 17-1 record between the two teams so far. Great start!
Loser: The NCAA. For looking the other way as shoe companies dictated where basketball players would play their college hoops. The FBI did the job for them.
Winner: The College Football Playoff Committee. For choosing Alabama over Ohio State in this year's poll.
Loser: The Big Ten and Pac 12. Neither league's champ made the playoffs.
Winner: The SEC. Two teams in the final four brings the league to the forefront of college football once again.
Loser: The fans and former players at UTC for being harshly critical of first-year football coach Tom Arth. Give the guy a chance.
Winner: New UTC athletic director Mark Wharton. He has a tough job but he appears to be up for the task.
Loser: New Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter who is having a yard sale and getting rid of all his team's stars to save money.
Winner: New Yankee slugger Giancarlo Stanton who joins Aaron Judge in the Bronx Bombers lineup. Yankee fans can't wait for the season to start.
Loser: The group of analysts on the NFL Network including Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk who were accused of sexual harassment. Some guys will never learn.
Winner: Any man or woman who is brave enough to come forward and fight sexual harassment or abuse. No means No.
Loser: ESPN. For agreeing to pay too much money for rights to televise college sports. Ratings are down and so is income to pay these enormous rights fees.
Loser: Through no fault of their own, college sports fans who could fall victim to ESPN's greed.
Winner: Youth sports coaches who continue to give their time to kids who want to play and learn how to play the games that we all love.