Last week, The National Football League (NFL) released a memo outlining its COVID-19 policy for the upcoming season. The NFL will not be forcing players and coaches to get vaccinated; however, it is incentivizing them to do so.

Specifically, if a contest is cancelled because of a COVID outbreak and cannot be rescheduled, the team with infected players will forfeit the game, assume all costs associated with the cancelation, and players on both squads will not be paid that week.

Following the NFL’s memorandum, a cohort of furious players voiced their displeasure. Arizona Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins tweeted: “Never thought I would say this, but being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the NFL.” Thereafter, Hopkins tweeted that his girlfriend’s brother “had heart problems” after being inoculated.

LA Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey tweeted: “The NFL is pressuring/ influencing guys to get the vaccine. They are saying if there is an outbreak, the team will be penalized heavily…I know 2 people right now who got the vaccine but are covid positive.”

LA Raiders running back and anti-vaxxer Jalen Richard said unvaccinated players will be “playing in jail” this year.

Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley who’s spoken regularly against receiving the jab tweeted, “nothing has changed, I’m still livin freely.”

New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon simply said, “The NFLPA (NFL Players Association) f–king sucks.”

Our View

At TQC, we often concur with libertarians on a myriad of issues. We believe in a smallish government and that individuals should do as they please so long as they abide by the law and do not impose their will on anybody by means of coercion or fear of reprisal. However, in extraordinary circumstances, we think there is a place for policymakers to enact and enforce sensible rules and regulations to protect public health and/or their own employees, so long as they are not onerous to abide by. The coronavirus global pandemic qualifies as such. Hence, we agree with the NFL’s COVID policy; it makes prudent sense.

Last month, University of Pennsylvania transgender senior Lia Thomas competed at the 2022 women’s NCAA swimming and diving championships. Ms. Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle (crawl) event, besting second-place finisher Emma Weyant of the University of Virginia. Thomas’ victory capped off a record-breaking year for the Penn swimmer in which she captured numerous Ivy League records and trounced the competition. (In December, she won a 1650-yard freestyle race by 38 seconds, an astronomical margin of victory in swimming).

‘22 was Lia Thomas’ first-year swimming for the lady Quakers, and she dominated. Previously, Thomas swam for the men’s team where she had a solid, though unremarkable career. (After her junior season, Ms. Thomas sat out for one season while transitioning to a woman and underwent hormone replacement therapy.)

Thomas’ success on the women’s team elicited passionate responses from both sides of the ideological divide. Generally, supporters of Thomas viewed her as a courageous trailblazer for transgender athletes, celebrated her accomplishments, and rightfully pointed out that she broke no NCAA rules. Detractors cried foul, arguing Thomas’ record-breaking season should be null and void because she had an unfair physical advantage over the competition.

Important Nuances

There are some significant differences and more nuanced subtleties within the pro and anti-camps that are imperative to highlight.

Among those who do not believe Ms. Thomas should have been able to partake in swimming for the Lady Quakers are two distinct subgroups: individuals who believe Lia Thomas should not be able to swim because they are bigoted against trans-people; and those who fully accept transgender people and support trans rights, but believe that in this specific instance, Ms. Thomas should not have been allowed to participate. We vehemently reject the former and accept and subscribe to the latter viewpoint.

At TQC, we are not discounting the fact that people can and do identify with a sex other than the one on their birth certificate. However, we do not think this qualification entitles Lia Thomas or any other male who transitions into a female (transgender female) the right to compete in an event sanctioned for biological women.

Within the group of people who believe Ms. Thomas had a right to compete on the women’s squad, there are also two distinct subgroups: those who believe that Lia Thomas followed the rules currently established by the NCAA, underwent HRT to lower her testosterone levels, identifies as a woman, and was therefore correct to swim for the Lady Quakers (we can understand and appreciate this view, we simply disagree with it); and those who believe that anybody who says Lia Thomas should not have been allowed to swim is bigoted towards trans people. We emphatically disagree with this notion.

Tom Brady, the ageless quarterback for the New England Patriots will lead his team on to the field today to compete in Super Bowl LIII vs The Los Angeles Rams. Mr. Brady, already anointed the Greatest Of All Time. (G.O.A.T.) by many NFL analysts has earned numerous accolades. At 41 years old, he is also an outlier with respect to age and ongoing superior performance. His illustrious career has spanned almost two decades; to date, Brady currently ranks 3rd in touchdown passes (517), 4th in Passing Yards (70,514), Passes Completed (6,004) & Passer Rating (97.6) and 13th in Completion Percentage (64%). Today will be Brady's record breaking 9th Super Bowl appearance. He has emerged victorious in five previous championship games and enjoyed MVP honors in four of those contests. Let’s also not forget that Brady has been crowned the NFL's most valuable player 3 times and been selected to 14 Pro Bowls.

Remarkably for most his tenure with the Patriots, Brady hasn't had the benefit of throwing to top flight wide receivers. He is particularly skilled at transforming average players around him into stars. Unfortunately for his divisional rivals, he does not seem inclined to hang up his cleats any time soon; Brady stated that there is "zero chance he is retiring" after this year’s Super Bowl.

Some experts make the argument that it is unfair to compare Brady to former greats like John Elway, Joe Montana & Dan Marino. Those stars played in an era when teams relied more on running the football. Quarterbacks of that time did not benefit from as many opportunities to pad their statistics. Moreover, as a result of numerous rule changes football is a less violent sport. Players today, and particularly quarterbacks, are afforded more protection than ever before. This has enabled them to stay healthier and avoid absorbing the most debilitating hits, thereby extending their careers. This skews the equation when comparing Brady to other football greats. While the argument over who is the G.O.A.T won't be settled anytime soon, it is without debate that Mr. Brady is the most successful quarterback of all time both on and off the field.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is often referred to as America’s National Pastime. It is also a treasure for statisticians and data geeks alike. Indeed, baseball statistics carefully logged from over 218,000 games spanning 150 years, are available free of charge to anybody. In fact, many baseball teams hire “quants” to parse through and reconcile the raw data to obtain an edge against the competition. Probability and Statistics professors incorporate the data into their course offerings. Sports writers and everyday fans use it to compare players over multiple generations and help decide who reaches the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Some of our readers do not like baseball; we do not care for it much ourselves. However, a cool thing about baseball is one need not be a fan to marvel at the sheer magnitude of meticulously recorded statistics and how they are applied across various disciplines for learning and fun.

To make this trivia more relevant for non-fans, we have refrained from mentioning too many specific players. Instead, we focused on interesting facts and data points. Answers are provided below, along with fascinating supplemental information.

1) In baseball, what does “hit for a cycle” mean?

A) Smashing 4 home runs in one game.
B) Hitting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game.
C) Walking 4 times in the same game.
D) Hitting a home run in 4 consecutive games.

2) What is a “no-hitter,” and can a pitcher toss a no-hitter and lose the game?

A) When a pitcher does not allow any batter on the opposing team to reach a base, no.
B) When a pitcher does not allow any batter on the opposing team to get a hit, yes.
C) When a pitcher does not allow any batter on the opposing team to reach base, yes.
D) When a pitcher does not allow any batter on the opposing team to get a hit, no.

3) Has a major league pitcher ever struck out all 27 batters in a nine-inning regulation game? If not, what are the most batters a pitcher has struck out in one game?

A) No, 21
B) Yes
C) No, 20
D) No, 15

4) How old was the youngest person to ever play in a MLB game?

A) 18
B) 17
C) 21
D) 15

5) What are the most consecutive MLB games played by a National League player?

A) 2,632
B) 2,130
C) 1,207
D) 807

6) What is the rarest MLB feat?

Chess: a thinking man’s (and woman’s) game of intellect, patience, and prestige; a mechanism to exercise one’s brain. Chess is global. Hundreds of millions of amateur players partake. Professionals play in sanctioned tournaments – in person and online - that pit the very best in the world against each other.

Although quite popular, Chess is a staid game. News typically stays out of the mainstream press and is relegated to chess focused newsletters and websites; matches are rarely televised. Of late, however, chess has been embroiled in a salacious cheating scandal. Before we delve into specifics, let us first explore a brief history of chess, and more.

History

The antecedent to modern day chess was a game called Chaturanga, that originated in India in the 7th century. It was a tactical game though the precise rules remain a mystery. However, what is widely accepted is that Chaturanga was the precursor not only to chess, but also to other popular board games like Xiangqi, Shogi, and Makruk. Chaturanga then spread to Persia. From there Persian traders introduced the game to Europe, and beyond.

Before modern-day Chess came into being around the year 1500, the Queen, originally called a “ferz,” in Farsi (Persian), was the weakest piece on the board. Bishops were also weak; both pieces were slow-moving. As a result, the games progressed at a glacial pace.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the rules changed. As many people are familiar, The ferz – now referred to as a Queen – became the game’s strongest, most versatile piece. The Bishop also became a key piece, permitted to move diagonally across the entire length of the board.

Benjamin Franklin helped popularize Chess in America. An ardent supporter of the game, In 1750 he penned an essay entitled The Morals of Chess. In it, he argued that Chess could help in many facets of one’s mental development and advocated for a strict moral code among participants.

The first U.S. Chess Championship was held in 1845 for men and 1937 for women. The National Chess Foundation, later known as the USCF was established in 1939.

Bobby Fischer

American Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) is American history’s most famous chess player. He was also an unabashed racist, anti-Semite, Holocaust denier, and anti-American, who stated he was happy the attacks of 911 happened.

In September 1972, Fischer took part in a celebrated chess match against Russian Boris Spassky. The match was marketed as an intellectual cold war. Fischer won. In August of ’72, he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (it was not the swimsuit issue). After that Fischer did not play in public for nearly two decades.

In 1992 Fischer played Spassky in a rematch. A purse of 5 million dollars was on the line; (still) the largest in chess history. The match was to be played in the former Yugoslavia. However, the United States had an embargo against Yugoslavia. Fischer was forbidden to play there, per U.S. order. Fischer physically spat on the order, played and won the match, and a warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.

Fischer lived as a fugitive for the remainder of his life. First, he lived in Budapest, Hungary. From there he moved to the Philippines, then Japan. He was arrested in Tokyo for using an invalid U.S. passport and imprisoned. While in jail, Fischer married Miyoko Watai.

Thanks to a combination of deft political maneuvering and pockets of eccentric compassion, Fischer eventually managed to secure citizenship in Iceland. He lived for the remainder of his life. Fischer died at the age of 64 from kidney failure.

Chess Rankings

There are many rankings’ systems in chess including the Ingo System, Harkness System, and the Glicko Rating System. However, the most common ranking system is called the Elo System, invented by a man named Arpad Elo. The United States Chess Federation (USCF) adopted the Elo System in 1960. The international chess body (FIDE) followed suit in 1970.

On Saturday May 4th Maximum Security, the clear (unofficial) winner of the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, was disqualified. After the race was over, two jockeys filed objections. They argued that Maximum Security committed a foul under the rules that govern horseracing in the state of Kentucky. After ~20 minutes of suspense, three judges or “Stewards” as they are known in the sport, upheld the competing jockey’s objections and made a unanimous decision to disqualify Maximum Security for violating Section 12 of rule 810. That rule stipulates that disqualification is warranted if "a leading horse or any other horse in a race swerves or is ridden to either side to interfere with, intimidate, or impede any other horse or jockey." Maximum Security thus became the 1st horse in Derby history to be disqualified on race day (though in 1968, Derby winner Dancer’s image was eventually stripped of his title for receiving performance enhancing drugs).

Through their attorney Barry Stilz, Maximum Security’s owners, Gary & May West, immediately appealed the Steward’s decision. It was denied. The West’s could theoretically pursue legal options but the odds of any substantive changes are shall we say, a “long shot.” Thus, Country House, a 65 to 1 long shot in his own right was declared the winner while Maximum Security dropped to 17th place.

For the record, at The Quintessential Centrist, prior to this year’s Kentucky Derby, we did not know much about horseracing. For this piece, we thoroughly researched the sport and its rules. We also conducted interviews with several knowledgeable racing fans. And as always, we welcome our reader’s feedback. Your thoughtful comments, ideas and opinions are a material part of what helps us improve our process. We thank you in advance for your participation.

Taken what we have gathered over the past week via our own due diligence coupled with probing interviews, our view is as follows: from the untrained eye, it appeared that Maximum Security clearly veered out of his lane and impeded other participants. Under the state of Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) rules, this is a violation that warrants disqualification. That said, we wonder if there was room for the Stewards at the Kentucky Derby to be more holistic and qualitative in their approach.

At TQC, we are avid (American) football enthusiasts and as such, have the benefit of a deeper understanding of the nuances surrounding the sport. In the National Football League (NFL), one of the most common penalties in the game is “holding.” If officials wanted to, they could throw a flag for “holding” on essentially every single play. That said, referees typically only penalize a team for “holding” if the foul was either blatantly obvious no matter where on the field it took place, or it had a material impact on the play. We enjoy watching basketball too. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), players often take an extra half-step or “travel” when penetrating towards the basket. While “traveling” is not permitted under NBA rules – and when called results in a change of ball possession – officials rarely blow their whistle for this offense. “Traveling” occurs frequently. Unless the “travel” was egregious and or allowed for an easier pathway to produce a basket, it is often ignored.

Of course, “holding,” violations in the NFL, “traveling” violations in the NBA, and disqualifications in horseracing are subjective judgment calls. It is extremely difficult to get it right all the time. Mistakes do happen. That said, we would think in a race with 19 live animals weighing upwards of 1,000 pounds each, it would be abnormal for bumping and crowding not to happen. In our view, technically the correct call was made, but the Stewards probably should not have made the call. Maximum Security clearly impeded other horses, but would it have made difference in the outcome of the race? At least pertaining to which horse ultimately won? We would say unequivocally no, it did not. Maximum Security won by over a length (a legitimate argument could be made that Maximum Security’s foul affected the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the race).

Last month, Megan Rapinoe, co-captain and star midfielder on the U.S. Women’s national soccer team, indicated that she would continue protesting the national anthem during the upcoming World Cup tournament. Rapinoe called it a “good ‘F you’” to the Trump administration. In fact, regardless of who eventually succeeds President Trump, Rapinoe stated, “I’ll probably never put my hand over my heart. I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.”

Ms. Rapinoe was inspired in part by Colin Kaepernick, a mixed-race former NFL quarterback who in 2016 began sitting and then kneeling (to show more respect to current and former military personal) during the national anthem before games. That season, Mr. Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem before each regular season game arguing that he would not “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color” and vowed to continue his protest until “the American flag represents what it’s supposed to represent.” Other NFL players joined him.

Said Ms. Rapinoe of Kaepernick’s actions, “Colin Kaepernick very much inspired me, and inspired an entire nation, and still does, to actually think about these things.” Many people credit Colin Kaepernick with being a catalyst that reinvigorated a national movement to protest racial injustice, civil rights violations and other forms of mistreatment of African Americans and other minorities.

Many athletes like Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe are quick to assert that protesting the national anthem is by no means a sign of disrespect to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, many of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice, in order for Mr. Kaepernick, Ms. Rapinoe or any American to exercise their right to free speech. However, many servicemen and women, as well as Americans in general, view it as just that, and take strong exception. At TQC, we have no reason not to take Kaepernick and others at their word. Yet we also can understand and appreciate how our military and ordinary citizens alike could be offended by their actions. To note, President Trump didn’t help bridge the divide when he asserted that “NFL owners should ‘fire’ players who protest the national anthem.”

At TQC, we support the right of anybody to protest the national anthem or anything else they see fit; as long as it’s done in a peaceful way. We stand firmly behind all Americans and their cherished right to organize against and reject anything they deem unjust. That said, while we have no issue with Mr. Kaepernick and Ms. Rapinoe’s actions, and in fact commend them for fighting for a cause they wholeheartedly believe in, we think the venues used to lodge their protest are inappropriate.

Current reality is a 24-hour news cycle full of rage, vitriol, violence and controversy. Furthermore, “reality” television and various social media platforms serve as a tinderbox for spats, allowing them to escalate to the point where an entire nation is consumed by taking sides and lobbing insults - often at perfect strangers - back and forth.

Most people attend sporting events for leisurely entertainment. Watching our favorite sports teams allows us a window to get a reprieve from it all. Often, children accompany their parents to the ballfield to root for their favorite teams and see their heroes in action. Spectators, most of which are ordinary Americans making ordinary salaries, spend a large percentage of their disposable income to purchase tickets, in part to take a break from the stresses that encompass life, to be entertained, spend time quality with their children, and watch their favorite players compete. As such, a professional football game, soccer match, or any sporting event is the wrong forum for a political protest.

Ever since high school, I have taken a keen interest in physical fitness, worked out consistently, read different books and periodicals and consulted with many fitness pros to broaden my knowledge base on the subject. I have logged thousands of hours in the gym testing out numerous weight lifting (anaerobic), aerobic, stretching and dieting routines, using myself as a human guinea pig. Since then, I have tailored many strength training and conditioning programs, stretching routines, and given copious amounts of nutritional advice to family, friends and fellow gym rats. When I was in my twenties and early thirties, a disproportionate amount of inquiries that came my way were about lifting weights and stretching. Once I turned 40, the majority of questions I received had more to do with diet and weight loss.

Mythos

Does a “diet” exist that people with an average amount of willpower can actually stick to over the long term, does not deprive them of their favorite foods and is well-balanced? The short answer is “no.” Indeed, the number of get slim quick gimmicks, get lean fast fads, and other enticing offers that conveniently find their way into our inboxes (talk about “junk” mail), mailboxes, across our computer screens or in books and magazines is mind boggling, can be overwhelming and most importantly, are of little long term practical value. The notion of the term “diet” is temporary, which is why they often fail; it inherently implies a short-term solution to eating and lifestyle choices that will revert to the mean. Below is a sampling of three of the most famous diets:

The South Beach Diet: In this diet, the subject must eliminate “bad carbs” derived in part from sodas, candy and cookies and eat protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and “good carbs” derived in part from brown rice, corn and legumes.

The Paleo Diet: Commonly referred to as the “caveman diet.” Only foods that existed hundreds and thousands of years ago before the advent of modern food processing technology, are allowed to be consumed. Meat, fish, nuts and vegetables are permissible. All grains and processed foods are not.

The Atkins Diet: The most famous of all fads. The original Atkins Diet simply instructed its participants to avoid all carbohydrates; fried eggs and bacon where fine. The new Atkins Diet is “healthier.” It includes leaner protein and “good carbs.” However, whole grains are not allowed until later, once the dieter enters the “maintenance phase.”

All three of these diets are rigid, not particularly well balanced, and close to impossible to stick to over the long term. The primary reason is because they all deprive of us of some of our favorite foods. That is no fun and tends to put people in rotten moods.

Last week, there was a social media tweet storm followed by a sprinkle of “protestors” who made a conscious decision to cancel their Equinox membership and / or stop paying for SoulCycle classes because Steve Ross – a passive investor in the aforementioned entities – hosted a fund raiser for Donald Trump at his home in Long Island.

At TQC, we respect the right of Equinox members to cancel their membership in order to keep their discretionary dollars from somebody they (apparently) disagree with politically, or for any reason for that matter. Unfortunately, for some of the protestors whose objective it was to financially impair Mr. Ross, quitting the gym won’t make a dent in his wallet. However, it could materially impact the bank balances of the employees – often young men and women of modest means - who work at Equinox.

Many Equinox employees are hardworking students working to subsidize their education or are young trainers trying to make contacts with the goal of building of a client roster to grow their book of business. It is a shame that if anybody is to bear the brunt of a cancelled gym membership, it’s going to be them.

Additionally, in our view, many of the protestors’ angst are misplaced. We have never met Steve Ross; everything we know about him we learned from indirect sources. That said, 99% of the people who canceled their gym membership have never met Steve Ross either, and know next to nothing about the man, other than that he supports Donald Trump. In this case, a better allocation of their discretionary dollars would probably go to supporting a politician that stood for what was important to them or perhaps donating the money or their time to a charitable cause of their choice.

If You Support Donald Trump, That Makes You a Morally Corrupt Person?

In our February 24th issue, we posted an article titled Where We Think Trump is Right. In it, we reminded our readers that:

“Our platform promotes civil discourse irrespective of political leanings. This, more often than not, involves highlighting and examining some uncomfortable hypocrisies. And it almost always involves rejecting overly-simplistic black-and-white binaries.”

In 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by ~3 million votes. That said, ~63 million people or ~47% of people who casted a ballot, voted for Mr. Trump. There are certainly a minority of Trump supporters who are unabashedly racist, and another sub-sector of Trumpists who might harbor racist views but don’t actively promote or act on them (we would be remiss not to point out that racist views do not just apply to Trump supporters and the far right. Some Clinton supporters and current radical Democrats are racist, too). That said, to lump 63 million adult Americans who support Donald Trump, toss them (and Steve Ross) into one bucket and label them uncaring, stupid or racist etc., is ignorant and simply wrong in its own right.

At TQC, we do not support Donald Trump, but we do stand behind a few of his policies when they make sound sense. We also believe that somebody can support Trump and be a perfectly law abiding, tax paying, charitable-giving, community-building, socially-accepting, job-creating, generally decent human being, as Steve Ross appears to be. Indeed, just because somebody is a Donald Trump supporter, doesn’t necessarily make that person evil or morally corrupt. However, an argument could be made that anybody who thinks it does, is closed minded and divisive themselves.

This Sunday November 10th, at 1PM EST, The New York Giants will host The New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, the venue in East Rutherford, NJ, where both teams typically play their home games. To say that both organizations are struggling would be an understatement. Sadly, struggling is nothing new for the “same old Jets,” the widely-used catchphrase fans use to describe the anticipation (finally) of success, only to be let down, time and again.

New York Jets

Many die-hard Jet fans – including this one - point to a divisional playoff game vs the Cleveland Browns in 1986 when the football gods decided to put the Jets in the penalty box. The men in green were leading by 10 points late in the 4th quarter. The Browns had the ball and were facing a second down and 24 yards to go. Star defensive end Mark Gastineau sacked Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar; it appeared the Browns would be in a desperate 3rd and 24. But a flag was thrown; Gastineau was penalized for roughing the passer, a foul that is (too) common today but relatively rare back then. The Jets protested to no avail. The Browns subsequently drove down the field and scored a touchdown. After stopping the Jets and getting the ball back, the Browns tied the game with seconds remaining on the game clock. In the first overtime neither team scored. The game was settled with ~2 minutes remaining in the second overtime when Browns kicker Mark Mosely booted a 27-yard field goal to seal the victory. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Jets have not won their division (the AFC East) since 2002, and only once before then in 1998. They have not made the playoffs in almost 10 years when a then over-hyped quarterback named Marc Sanchez “lead” the team to back-to-back AFC Championship games in ’09 & ’10. In reality, it was a stout defense and power running game that enabled the Jets to advance that far. A microcosm of the Jets folly was Sanchez’s famous “butt fumble” that occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 2012, on national television, the seminal moment in a 49-19 lashing courtesy of the New England Patriots. Another embarrassing spectacle in Jets history was the “fake spike” engineered by Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins in 1994. That play propelled the Dolphins to victory and took the air out of the Jets season.

Over the past three decades, Jet supporters have been teased on numerous occasions as it appeared that “greener” pastures lay ahead. There have even been brief windows of success within the multi-decade malaise of New York Jets football. In addition to the back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, the Monday Night Miracle will forever be a bright spot in Jets history. Unfortunately, one of the few things the Jets have done consistently during this span, even during times of reprieve, is come up short. In 1998 after winning the AFC East, the Jets were one game away from reaching the Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos ended that possibility by scoring 23 unanswered points in the second half of the AFC Championship game, which resulted in a 23-10 Broncos victory. In 2004, (historically) reliable kicker Doug Brien missed two 4th quarter field goals that would have sent the Jets to the AFC title game.

In a 2013 pre-season game, Marc Sanchez was inexplicably playing behind the 2nd team offensive line. They proved porous. Near the end of the game, Sanchez absorbed a hard hit and injured his shoulder. Rookie Geno Smith was summoned and started all 16 games of the season. The team finished 8-8. Smith improved in 2014 but had a weak supporting-cast. The Jets struggled and finished with just 4 wins against 12 losses. Nevertheless, the future appeared bright with the young talented Smith under center. Expectations were lofty leading up to the 2015 season. However, in a stunning example of intra-squad dysfunction, during training camp of that year, Smith was involved in an altercation with teammate. Reserve linebacker IK Enemkpali was enraged that Smith failed to repay him $600 for a plane ticket to a football camp. Unable to settle their differences through dialogue, a fight ensued. Enemkpali punched Smith in the face. Smith suffered a broken jaw. His season was over before it started, his fate as a Jet all but sealed. He is currently a backup for the Seattle Seahawks.

Selecting 1st round draft busts is one area where the Jets have excelled. This has been a specialty of Jets management since quarterback Richard Todd was selected in the first round of the 1976 draft. Other notable 1st round busts include WR Lam Jones (’80), RB Roger Vick (’87), RB Blair Thomas (’90), QB Browning Nagle (’91), DT Dewayne Robertson (’03), LB Vernon Gholson (’08), DB Kyle Wilson (’10), DE Quinton Coples (’12) and DB Dee Milliner (’13). While QB Christian Hackenberg was not selected in the first round - he was a second-round pick - he deserves special mention. The Jets selected Hackenberg with the 51st pick of the 2016 draft. He was signed to a four-year contract worth $4.66 million, with $1.6 million guaranteed. The Jets cut him after two seasons. He never stepped on the field in a regular season game. He is currently out of football. Jets management accomplished an even more stunning feat of ineptitude by selected Jachai Polite in the 3rd round of this year’s draft. Polite was given a $1.12 million dollar signing bonus. After paying $100,000 in fines for being late to team meetings, the Jets released Polite before this season even began! He is currently on the Los Angeles Raiders’ practice squad.

We continue our TQC Q&A Series with a question and answer session focused on the sports memorabilia and collectibles market with Ezra Levine. By way of introduction, Mr. Levine is the CEO of a startup called Collectable whose goal is to revolutionize the multi-billion-dollar sports memorabilia and cards industry. Collectable is a fractional ownership investment platform and marketplace that enables the general public to own shares of the most sought-after sports memorabilia in the world.

In addition to leading Collectable, Mr. Levine also serves as the Chief Strategy Officer & CFO of The Spring League, a professional developmental football league that organizes talent showcases throughout the United States. Prior to this, he was a Portfolio Manager & Trader at Hilltop Park, a NYC based hedge fund.

Mr. Levine graduated from the University of Michigan in 2010 and earned an MBA from New York University in 2016.

tQc: Ezra, we appreciate you taking some time to sit down with us today. Before we delve into our subject matter, tell us something else about yourself that our readers might like to know?

Excited to be here. As a frequent TQC reader, I appreciate your weekly insights and thoughtfulness. I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where I now live with my wife and 15-month old son, Eli. As a matter of fact, my dad has been the senior rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom for ~30 years. I also love to golf and play tennis in my free time.

tQc: Please explain what Collectable’s mission is?

We are applying widely accepted financial market principles to a fragmented, and in many ways antiquated, memorabilia and card market. Think of Amazon stock. You can purchase shares of Amazon on a public stock exchange without needing two trillion dollars to acquire the whole company. By fractionalizing high value sports collectibles, we enable people to purchase equity or fractional stakes in expensive memorabilia in a similar way they might purchase stock of Amazon or Apple.

In addition to operating a fractional ownership marketplace, we create sports related content and will be rolling out a digital and live events business shortly.

tQc: What is Collectable’s value proposition?

As a fractional ownership platform, our primary value proposition is access. We allow all sports fans, collectors, and investors the ability to invest in some of the finest, most valuable, and most culturally and historically significant sports memorabilia in the world.

tQc: Talk to us about demographics and your target market. Isn’t sports memorabilia and card collecting an older person’s hobby? Are young people even interested in this space?

It’s a good question. Collecting and investing in trading cards and related memorabilia have traditionally been considered an older person’s hobby. To that end, we have a tremendous pipeline of vintage items that will appeal to older collectors, investors, and fans. However lately, trends have been skewing younger. In fact, card collecting has quietly become a cultural phenomenon. We plan on leveraging that momentum by educating younger consumers about our unique product opportunity.

Many of our readers remember the late 1990s: The Internet 1.0, the.com craze, the “new economy,” Y2K, and the advent of inexpensive online stock trading. Beginning in or around 1998, until the spectacular “tech wreck” that commenced in 2000, seemingly any stock with a “.com” attached to its name experienced a period of parabolic price increases. Most of these companies (Pets.com, eToys, theglobe.com, etc.) went bust. A few were absorbed into other entities for pennies on the dollar.

During the .com boom, everybody wanted to get in on the action. And for the first time, “everybody” could. For just $10 or $20, online discount brokerages like E-Trade and Ameritrade provided platforms for retail investors to buy shares of the latest.com star.

(The timing of this post is fortuitous. We are in the throes of another speculative stock mania. That will be next week’s topic of analysis. Stay tuned).

Wall Streeters

Beginning in the 1980s, inspired in part by the blockbuster film “Wall Street,” bankers and traders were the envy of the public. The release of that movie also spoke to the times when Wall Streeters were Masters of the Universe and their excesses on display for all to see. In the decade leading up to the new millennia, online trading coupled with the .com craze exacerbated this phenomenon. Indeed, Wall Streeters and the new kids on the block, “Hedge-Funders”, were larger than life characters who could seemingly do no wrong. For a while, they enjoyed cult-like status, immune to the perils of the public’s wrath. Then 2009 happened.

The subprime mortgage fiasco ignited an intense backlash against the entire finance industry. Bailouts at taxpayer expense (the government was reimbursed, and taxpayers earned a handsome profit from their “bailouts”) enraged Main Street. No matter that a small minority of bad apples were primarily responsible for the complex financial instruments that brought the financial system perilously close to collapse; anybody who worked on wall street was suddenly a villain.

Tech Bros

Following the .com bust, the tech industry went through adolescence and (im)matured. The result: trillion-dollar companies run by billionaire “Tech Bros” in charge of seven-figure software engineers showered with plush perks. The founders of these new economy stalwarts and their army of lieutenants were adored by the public and envied for their genius and newfound wealth. Advanced technology had ushered in exponential quality of life improvements through efficiency gains and democratization of information. The former “geeks” were the new kings in town. Then #MeToo happened.

Bloomberg news anchor Emily Chang published “Brotopia: Breaking up the Boys Club of Silicon Valley” depicting the sexist and misogynist culture of Silicon Valley. Big Tech had abdicated its responsibility to establish meaningful standards in the quest for workplace dignity and equality for women and minorities. Indeed, regarding protections, opportunities for advancement and recognition of women and minorities, Silicon Valley finds itself today, where Wall Street was a generation ago. Coupled with the increasing scrutiny of being oligopolistic gatekeepers of (mis)information, TechBros were no longer immune from the public’s ire.