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jenkinscountytimes.com
The Jenkins County Times
Wednesday, December 13, 2023- Page 9
912.531.5086
101 North Main Street
Downtown Sylvania, Ca.
IF YOU’RE
WAITING
FOR A SIGN
THIS
IS IT.
WAR EAGRE
BRAD ASBURY
By Brad Asbury, Sports Editor
for
l i 11 : Times
pastorbradasbury@gmail.com
Under the
Bleachers
Bowl games start this
week in college football.
These games will
continue through the new
year, and they will include
playoff games which
will culminate in the
national championship
game that will be held
on January 8 th , 2024.
These bowl games
sometimes provide
great entertainment
and one more game
for your favorite teams.
Unfortunately, bowl
games are being hindered
by the transfer portal and
players sitting out the
bowl game for fear of
injury. The transfer portal
allows players to seek
out other teams without
penalty, and the athletes
are doing this before the
end of their season has
even come! The transfer
portal is becoming veiy
similar to free agency in
professional sports.
The NBA just finished
its first-ever “In-Season
Tournament.” The
championship was won
by the Los Angeles
Lakers as they defeated
the Indiana Pacers by a
score of 123-109. Each
player on the winning
team was awarded a
$500,000 cash prize!
In Major League
Baseball news, free
agency has finally started
to heat up. In addition to
free-agent signings, there
have been some trades.
The most significant
signing in free agency
occurred on Saturday
afternoon. Superstar
Shohei Ohtani signed
the largest contract in
MLB histoiy. He will be
making $700 million over
the next 10 years. Putting
this into perspective, if
Ohtani were to donate
one million dollars to
eveiy person in America,
he would still make more
than 35 million dollars
per year for 10 years.
The age-old question
will continue to plague
the MLB over this deal
as well as many other
professional sports deals.
That question will be,
“Do athletes make too
much money?” It is truly
hard to justify large sums
of money for playing a
sport; however, it is the
entertainment industiy,
and it appears that there
is no shortage of money
to go around in the
entertainment world.
One issue that I have
with large sports contracts
and huge amounts of
money being sent out
to athletes is placing
a value on someone
based on the ability to
make a basket, run fast,
or some other attribute.
Is the player forgotten
when their skill is no
longer useful? If they
get injured, how are they
viewed? Did you know
that Christmas is about
placing value on another
person? Christmas is
about Jesus, coming
into the world to die on
a cross in the place of
man. God places a value
on the life of eveiy man!
He found that eveiy man
was worth dying for so
that they might be in the
right relationship with
God. May we praise God
for His indescribable gift
to us, and that gift is the
life of His son.
Time is slowly ticking
by, and we are just days
from a new year. This
Christmas, buy someone
the gift of sports tickets,
sporting equipment, or
some other way to enjoy
sports. Encourage them
to get out from “Under
the Bleachers” and play
or watch or both this year!
Until next time, go hit a
ball! Go catch a ball! Go
do something, sometimes
it is dangerous under the
bleachers!
Paid to Play: Are
You Ready
On October 2 nd of this year, the GHSA approved a bylaw
that would allow high school athletes to profit from name,
image, and likeness (NIL) deals. This decision will make
a significant shift in the landscape of high school sports
across our state. Presently, 30 other states in addition to the
District of Columbia have passed a similar bylaw.
The new bylaw allows high school athletes to sign
endorsement deals, earn money from sponsored social media
posts, and receive compensation for personal appearances,
among other opportunities. However, it's important to
note that these deals must not interfere with the athletes
educational pursuits or the teams practices or competitions.
Under the bylaw, athletes will not be allowed to link their
NIL deals to specific achievements or performances, and
they will not be allowed to use their school’s name, logos,
uniforms or any other intellectual property.
Many see this as a positive step forward as it will allow a
level playing field for student-athletes who may come from
lower-income backgrounds. Additionally, it will provide a
pathway for athletes to build their brands and potentially
earn money in the process. How does this work? For
example, if an athlete’s photograph is taken while wearing
an athletic brand, and that brand uses the photo to promote
their products without the athlete’s consent, that athlete
could claim the brand violates the right to publicity.
Could this create an uneven playing field for schools
that have lower budgets, or come from a community that
does not have the resources to fund deals for athletes?
Undoubtedly, this and other issues will arise with the new
NIL deals. Athletes will have the potential to earn large
sums of money. For instance, class of 2024 and University
of Georgia signee Dylan Raiola of Buford, Georgia already
has NIL deals worth $894,000; while Bryce James, the son
of Lebron James has deals of upwards of $ 1.2 million.
My opinion is very simple, “Let kids be kids for as long
as kids can be kids.” Too often we push the children to grow
up beyond their years, while never truly growing up. They
are student-athletes and as student-athletes let us not put
pressure on them to make money on their name. Secondly,
I fear that, while there are no intentions for this to affect
where students play ball; it appears that some would be
drawn to a larger area looking for deals.
In addition to these concerns, I often wonder if students
who are under the age of 18 are capable mentally and
maturity-wise of handling large sums of money at an
early age. There is more to being paid than just being paid.
With pay comes responsibility. Being paid means you are
a professional at something. Therefore, they will move
from being student-athletes to professional athletes at a
very young age. I would also think that this could hinder a
student from making wise decisions about college.
Regardless, the decision by the GHSA to allow NIL
deals for high school athletes is a significant one that will
undoubtedly have an impact on the future of high school
sports in Georgia. Only time will tell how this new policy
will play out and what its long-term effects will be on
student-athletes, their teams, and the high school sports
community.
Students Recieve
Letterman Jackets
The Sights and
Sounds of the Season
The gyms are filling up. The smell of popcorn fills the
air. Whistles are blowing and crowds are cheering. This
could only mean one thing: basketball season is officially
underway. The Jenkins County War Eagles and Lady War
Eagles have been busy on the court over the past two weeks.
The War Eagles started their season off on the road on
November 28 th against the Claxton Tigers. With many of
the players just finishing football season two weeks before,
there was little time to get basketball ready. However,
the War Eagles who were preseason ranked 10th and
now jumped to 7 th , jumped right into the season. In the
first two weeks of play they defeated Claxton 50-33 and
Treutlen 69-67.
This past week, the War Eagles kept rolling. They had
three blowout wins. They defeated Jefferson County 68-35,
Johnson County 71-46, and Screven County 58-36. In the
Johnson County game, the following scored for the War
Eagles: James Allen 27pts, Tyrone Martin 7pts, ZZ Wilson
17pts, Javarious Gilmore 4pts, Tyree Abraham 2pts, Tyler
Williams 2pts, Quavo Roberson 4pts, Tumani Chandler
2pts, Rashad Allen 2pts, and Ge’Marion Newton 4pts.
The Jenkins County Lady War Eagles have played three
more games than the boys team at this point of the season.
The girls’ team started off with two games early in the
season, dropping both. They lost 61-48 at EBA and 48-30
against Pinewood Christian. They got their first win of the
season playing at Claxton with a final score of 42-36. In
addition, the Lady War Eagles got in the win column at
home against Treutlen with a final score of 59-39 and a
win over Jefferson County 46-32. They did fall at Johnson
County 51-48 and at Screven County 61-47.
In the loss to Screven County, the following Lady War
Eagles had these statistics: ShaNya Lake 13 pts, 4 assists,
7 Rebounds, Konstance Langston 16 pts and 2 rebounds,
Nevaeh Campbell 11 pts, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals, Mya
Abraham 6 pts and 1 rebound, and Jakhaila Oglesby 1 pt.
In the win over Jefferson County, the following statistics
were recorded: Sha’Nya Lake lOpts, 2 assists, 1 rebound,
and 4 steals, Konstance Langston 18 pts, 2 rebounds, and
1 steal, Nevaeh Campbell 12 pts, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and
8 steals, Talaya Milton 4 pts, and Joyin Roberson 2 pts and
5 rebounds.
The Lady War Eagles and War Eagles will be back in
action on Tuesday, December 12th at Jefferson County
and on Friday, December 15 th at home against Screven
County. The girls’ game will take place at 6:00 PM both
nights and the boys’ game will follow shortly after the girls
are finished.
Get out and support your War Eagle basketball teams!
Boys’ Basketball Class A D-II
1. Portal (6-0)
2. Calhoun County (5-0)
3. Macon County (6-1)
4. Christian Heritage (5-1)
5. Greenforest (3-3)
6. Mitchell County (5-1)
7. Jenkins County (5-0)
8. Seminole County (4-0)
9. Terrell County (5-1)
10. Warren County (4-0)
Screven County Fitness
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• Weight lifting
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• Silver Sneakers Club
FFA needs sponsors for
increased competitions
By Carmen Bennett,
Special Contributor
for
The Times
This year our chapter is seeking sponsors to help cover the cost of hotels
for state finalists. Normally our chapter fundraising covers such costs, but
this year our kids are showing out a little more than usual. We already
have FIVE state bound teams. The hotel cost is significantly higher than
in years past. If you would be willing to become a sponsor this year or
renew your sponsorship from last year, please email Mrs. Bennett at
carmenbennett@jchs.com. I know our kids would be appreciative. They
have worked very hard to be able to compete at this level and we would
very much like to be able to cover their expenses at least partially at state
contests.
As always, thank you for supporting our students throughout the years.
