02x10 - March 31, 2023: w*r on Social Drugs

[bunniefuu]

[Hbo click on]

Bomani: hey, man, what

Happened to all the ugly players

In the nba?

We had a one in top ten list for

Ugliest players in the nba.

If they are going to be ugly,

They have to have a skill.

Give them some reason to feel

Good about themselves.

Seriously.

Kids used to do arts, I'm trying

To make weight.

[Cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

[Cheers and applause]

Bomani: welcome to

"Game theory!"

Appreciate it.

March madness is almost over...

How are y'all's brackets

Looking?

The final four is set.

It might surprise you.

Miami and san diego state are

Going to join uconn and florida

Atlantic for a shot at the

National title.

Not exactly what we thought

This was going to look like when

March madness kicked off.

Bomani: I can't lie, this

Final four has a lot of big

Three vibes.

[Laughter]

Hre is something that's going

To blow your mind,

There are 5 fifth-year seniors

And one grad student getting

Real minutes in this final four.

I have never seen someone go

This far to avoid doing their

Thesis.

And the biggest names these past

Few weeks-- drew timme,

Markquis nowell-- they damn

Near my age.

Nowell was a college junior

Three years ago!

Because of covid, a lot of guys

Got an extra year of

Eligibility.

That's why the final four looks

Like a bunch of al bundys with

Jerseys on.

Let me give a piece of advice to

All these not-so-young men:

Stay present!

Enjoy this.

And I'm not talking just about

The tournament.

Or even basketball.

You are in the middle of every

Working adult's fantasy.

You have extended college!

You are delaying adulting!

You are drinking as much as you

Want and not calling alcoholism.

'Cause why in the world would

You be trying to get out of

College, especially if you're a

D1 athlete?

You eat for free.

Your room and board is free.

And yeah, it's messed up players

Don't get paid, but no other

Broke boys are meeting more

Women than they are.

It's obvious most of the

Players on the court this

Weekend are going pro in

Something else.

I mean, you really gotta love

Basketball to watch these games.

Fau vs san diego state is going

To look like when the police

Play against the fire

Department.

And I'm not mad at 'em, 'cause

They figured out a glitch in the

Matrix.

It'll be kinda fun to watch a

Bunch of young ogs battle it

Out.

Win or lose, this an experience

That they'll be able share with

Everyone at their non-nba job

For years to come.

[Applause]

Now, there is one story that has

Been dominating the nfl

Off-season.

It is our guy, lamar jackson.

Lamar jackson revealing that

He has put in a trade request.

"As of march 2nd, I requested a

Trade from the ravens

Organization for which the

Ravens have not been interested

In meeting my value."

That tweet sent right before

John harbaugh addressed the

Media at the afc head coaches

Breakfast.

Bomani: boy, that went from

"What's for breakfast" to "what

Da f*ck?"

Real fast.

Poor john harbaugh, looking

Right through the cameras at

Lamar, wishing he could say, "it

Ain't me, playa."

Look, forget all the naysaying.

Everybody should be team lamar

Right now.

This is a rare situation

In which a player can beat the

System.

And you know this, 'cause

Normally, no player even tries

To beat the system.

Quarterbacks got the leverage.

Teams know it, too.

That's why they lock their guy

Up whenever they find a good

One.

They even lock them up when it's

Not a good one.

Looking at you, daniel jones.

[Laughter]

Point is, no one as good as

Lamar jackson has ever had to

Fight this hard for the deal he

Wants.

The ravens are about to f*ck

Around and find out two things:

One, lamar doesn't need them and

Their $32 million and two, they

Really need him.

Like, who else they got?

Clay davis?

Tyler huntley?

A couple tablespoons of old bay?

People cannot conceptualize

Anybody, let alone lamar

Jackson, turning down

$32 Million.

But you've got to remember, he

Ain't broke like y'all.

He's already made tens of

Millions of dollars.

And he's going to get some more

Money from somebody, even if

He's got to wait a year to get

It.

And if no team steps up, people

Got to start taking those of us

Who have been saying this looks

Like collusion a little bit more

Seriously.

[Cheers and applause]

Jim nantz has been the voice

Of march madness on cbs since



This weekend marks the last time

He will call a final four.

In honor of nantz' many, many

Years of sounding like money on

The mic, let's take a moment to

Remember a few of some

Of his most memorable

March madness calls.

♪ ♪

The inside, clancy.

He will head to the line for

Two.

Tuesday on cbs, a barroom m*rder

Investigation turns into a

Deadly trap, do not miss an hour

Of surprising twists and turns

On an all new "jag," tuesday on

Cbs.

Tomorrow on cbs, "the big

Bang theory" kicks off with an

All new night of comedy.

What w shenanigans will sheldone

Up to?

Tomorrow night, find out at



The president calls on his

Secret weapon, chuck norris

Stars in the action-packed

World premiere movie, "the

President's man," monday on cbs.

When bob speaks, america

Listens.

Catch the smash hit comedy

Everyone is talking about.

All new "baby bob,"

Monday and a special "everybody

Loves raymond" on cbs.

[Applause]

Bomani: our guest tonight

Is a two-time grammy-nominated

Hip-hop artist, and the

Cohost of "it is what it is," a

Sports talk show on youtube.

Take a look.

Cam'ron: I have zero trust

In chris paul.

So why are you saying the

Suns got better?

Cam'ron: because the

Stuff-- that's my opinion,

n*gga.

I like kevin durant.

f*ck is, what are you talking

About?

I think chris paul is a jinx.

I hope that he doesn't drinks

This situation.

Like, he brings experience?

Experience in what?

Not winning no m*therf*cking

Championships.

Bomani: undeniably the king

Of pink, give it up for cam'ron!

[Cheers and applause]

I've got to ask you this, you

Dropped when I was in college,

We were wearing the pink and

Everyone was trying to

Get like you.

Then I get on the internet and

You are wearing suits and trying

To talk sports, so when did you

Decide to get like me?

Cam'ron: I've been a big

Fan for years.

So many people came and said,

Cam'ron, you should do a podcast

But I don't really like

Talking to people for a living.

I'm at a point, thank god, I'm

Financially fine to do what I

Want to do.

I love sports.

What if I had a professional

Background setting meeting a

Barbershop?

I set it up like a real sports

Show.

I got a soundstage, set built,

Then I said I'm going to bring

Me and my family, but--

We are going to talk like we

Talk in the house, in the

Barbershop.

Bomani: you were hooping

When new york high school ball

Was a thing.

With lamar odom and all those

Dudes, when you view the league

Now, thinking about basketball

Through the lens of the

Basketball you grew up with, do

You think players these days are

Too soft?

Cam'ron: I think there is

Too much camaraderie afterwards.

It translates on the court.

That's why love giannis, he's

Not meeting lebron in the

Off-season.

He's not going to hang out with

Anybody.

Where is this gym that everybody

Is going to play ball at?

In the f*cking summertime?

But giannis does not go and I

Think there's too much cool

sh*t after the season is over.

It drips into the season.

As far as new york is concerned,

You know, I was thinking the

Other day, outside of kareem

Abdul-jabbar, new york, we are

So big-headed.

Seriously, we think we are the

sh*t.

We are the sh*t but people don't

Be realizing we are not always

The

sh*t sh*t.

There's been no superstar out of

Kareem abdul-jabbar.

Bomani: new york has street

Legend type stuff.

Like anderson, for example.

Cam'ron: that's the thing.

You speak, legendless.

We have a million street

Legends.

We are street legended the f*ck

Out.

Where are the hundred of million

Dollar contracts for a

Superstar?

You are right, it's a bunch of

Street legends.

Bomani: the draymond-dylan

Brooks thing.

It's interesting and interesting

To talk to you about.

Be honest, it's the brand, what

Do you think when you see

Brooks?

Cam'ron: he's like a no

Frills draymond.

No disrespect.

I don't mean to call a n*gga "no

Frills."

He is an up and coming draymond,

Like-- kind of like how

Draymond was in the beginning.

Crazy sh*t,

He went to give kyrie his jersey

And he just looked at him.

He's up and coming.

But he is not there yet.

Bomani: what you just

Described with brooks and kyrie,

What I imagine what a jersey

Swap would be like with you.

Particularly 25-year-old view.

Just laughing in people's faces

And walking away.

The thing with kyrie, I would

Have taken the jersey and thrown

The jersey away when I did not

See the guy.

But kyrie is a different brand,

Bro.

This n*gga turned down

$340 Million and didn't care.

People don't realize the

Contract he missed out on.

He still don't care.

He is a different brand of guy.

Bomani: the other thing

About kyrie, with the era of rap

You did, these kids did not grow

Up with a bunch of five

Percenters around.

It's all brand-new to them.

Kyrie is a throwback.

Cam'ron: not lying.

These guys, kyrie, used to be on

Every corner, yelling at you.

Black or white.

You don't know what you are

Doing with your life.

Like, what the f*ck?

I was scared of them when I was

Younger.

As I got older, they were trying

To scare knowledge into you.

Bomani: cam'ron, I

Appreciate you.

Cam'ron: appreciate you.

[Cheers and applause]

Thank you guys, man.

Bomani: what sport do you

Think would be fun to play off a

Psychedelic drug?

Boxing?

You are already going to get

Knocked down.

If you are on drugs?

It don't matter!

Ultimate frisbee.

Bomani: really?

Yeah...

I've done it.

Bomani: this is not a

Hypothetical to this man.

Golf.

Bomani: yo, you are right.

All sunny.

Lush, beautiful.

And the trees, the green.

Bomani: I could not imagine

What would happen if your big

Black a*s showed up on the

Golf course on some mushrooms.

We are talking about

Recreational drug use.

Our sports leagues suddenly seem

To be okay with it.

Do you think athletes should be

Allowed to use recreational

Drugs when they compete?

Yeah.

As long as it's not too hard of

A drug.

You don't wanna get tapped with

Somebody that's on like a five

Day bend.

Bomani: if we are talking

About weed specifically, it

Naturally grows from the earth.

Like telling somebody they can't

Eat broccoli and play ball.

My favorite kind of weed

Head.

"It's from the earth."

People can ball high.

But in the press conference, you

Can't blame it on the drugs,

Though.

That's all I'm saying.

[Laughs]

Bomani: that wasn't my best

Performance...

Was not the best bag of dope we

Had, either.

Look, we would like to be

Better and would like this year

To be better too.

[Cheers and applause]

Exactly.

Bomani: something

Interesting happened during the

Pandemic.

I got so bored, I started

Microdosing mushrooms.

I was a bag away from turning

Into a zombie from "the last of

Us" and I wasn't alone.

Lately, it seems like athletes

Have been doing a lot of drugs.

How often did you use

Marijuana during your career?

I used it on the regular.

It definitely increased to the

Point where I'm using it

Every week.

There's not a game

I played in that I wasn't

High.

Ayahuasca is usually

Described as a grandmother

Spirit.

And I met her and walked with

Her.

You don't have to mention no

Names, but was there a tree in

The bubble?

Oh, yeah, we was blowing it

Down in there.

Bomani: jr smith smoked so

Much weed in the bubble, he

Doesn't even remember he won a

Championship.

For those of you that don't

Speak backwoods, this is what jr

Was getting at:

The nba was not testing for

Marijuana in the bubble.

How else do you think they

Convinced the players to even

Go?

Can you imagine being

Adam silver?

There's no one wanna be trapped

In a hotel with no weed.

And mickey mouse is your prison

Guard, who on who?

The league has not tested for

Pot since.

The nba lost its w*r on social

Drugs.

And so has every sports league.

Major league baseball, removed

Cannabis from its list of banned

Substances in 2019, and stopped

Testing for drugs altogether

During last year's lockout.

The nfl now only tests for

Marijuana once during training

Camp, instead, the nfl will

Issue fines for up to three

Weeks' pay."

And eliminated suspensions

For positive tests altogether.

And the nhl, well, they've

Always been pretty chill when it

Comes to drugs.

If you test positive for any

Drug, and I'm not lying about

This, they just call and check

Up on you like a loved one.

The nhl is like, "you good?

You've got enough to drink?

You got enough liquids?"

Nothing but white people around,

The rules get bent.

But if hockey games and started

Looking like "new jack city" on

Ice, it might be a different

Story.

The penalty box would just be

Jail.

All of this looks incredibly

Different from the way

Leagues were when I was growing

Up.

In the '80s, athletes weren't

Talking about doing drugs.

They were telling us not to do

Drugs.

Boxing is a lonely sport.

The sparring, and training, and

Especially the road work give

You plenty of time to think.

One of the things I think about

Most is how bad drugs are.

I don't care if it's your

Friend or at the big football

Player down the block who's

Offering you a change

Chance to get high.

Say no.

There is no home run on

Cocaine.

You get me?

Don't do drugs.

If you are doing it, stop it.

I'm kareem, the captain of

The team.

I don't need drugs.

I got a higher thing.

Just so no, just say no.

Just say no to drugs.

Bomani: yo...

That right there, that's a lot

Of cocaine energy for a free psa

Telling me not to do cocaine.

But this anti-drug messaging was

Everywhere!

So it's kind of funny that the

Nfl and mlb and the nba, all

Of these are now

Quietly trying to

Tiptoe out of their drug

w*r on athletes.

Because they were the ones that

Started it.

Mandatory and random drug

Testing, fines, suspensions,

Lifetime bans.

Bans, all punitive

Measures taken by the leagues

League

That, for the most part, were

Created because of one drug in

Particular:

Cocaine.

People.

Loved.

Cocaine!

That little white powder gave us

Richard pryor's career, every

Movie martin scorsese made in

The 1970s, rick james' whole...

Being, "station

To station" by state david

Bowie, ceramic white

Panthers, walls made of glass

Bricks, and of course, this.

Now the women love you when

You get out there.

Why do you think is that?

What'd you say?...

The women love you when you

Get out there, why do you think

That is?

What'd you say?

The women love you when

You get out there.

Why is that, ladies?

Well, I'm asking you.

Huh?

'Cause I look good, I smell

Good, I feel good.

And you sing good.

And I make love good.

Oh.

Bomani: you know an interview

Is gonna be good when somebody's

Wearing sunglasses indoors.

So high in his chair, he was

Sitting there with a failed drug

Test.

People across the nation were

Using cocaine in the '80s and

Athletes, as it turns out, our

People too.

In the early part of the decade,

Dozens of baseball players were

Suspended, arrested, or accused

Of using the drug, which spurred

Pro baseball to start drug

Testing, and also let us know

That pittsburgh was kind of

Crazy.

They are expected to be made

Public tomorrow, indictments,

Against several people on the

Fringe of big league baseball,

Accusing them of selling ill*gal

Drugs to players.

The probe is centered in

Pittsburgh, drug traffickers had

Easy access to the players and

Clubhouse at three rivers

Stadium.

So much access that the pirates'

Home has been labeled baseball's

Secret drugstore.

The pittsburgh pirates have a

Mascot.

The man who wore that costume

Until june, kevin coke, was

Named today as a go-between who

Carried cocaine into the

Ballpark for pirate players.

Bomani: with a name like

That, that is one way to make

Baseball more exciting.

That bird was so high, tried to

Snort the lines on the field.

But major league baseball's

Crackdown was a reaction to a

Reaction.

Outside of sports, the public,

Or at least the part of the

Public that the league cared

About, had stopped seeing coke

As a harmless glamour drug.

The pro leagues were just

Reacting to the same thing as

Everyone else: a panicked w*r on

Drugs that was

Inextricably

Related linked to a w*r on

The poor and people of color.

The league's reaction should

Have or could have come in the

Form of policies to help players

Who abused drugs.

But cocaine had this stigma on

It.

It was a p.r. Problem.

Nobody wanted their sport

Associated with some stuff-- an

Association that poor people--

Especially poor black people, or

Buying for $2 a hit on the

Streets.

Coke created image problems for

All of the leagues, and none

More

So than the nba.

If you are my age, you will

Remember why...

Two days ago, len bias was at

The pinnacle of his career.

Drafted by the world champion

Boston celtics.

Tonight, his success story has

Ended in tragedy with his

Sudden death at the age of 22.

The maryland medical examine

Has now issued his report on the

Death of the college basketball

Star len bias and it confirms,

Confirming the worst

Suspicions.

He died of heart failure because

He used cocaine.

Bomani: coming out of

The university of maryland, len

Bias was going to be another

Michael jordan , on a

Boston team that had won the

Title

The previous year.

And people in boston were

Devastated by this loss.

Here's the crucial piece,

The city was also home ...

To tip o'neill, the most

Powerful man in congress.

When len bias od'd, tip o'neill

Freaked out and demanded that

Congress pass a bunch of tough

New drug laws.

That's right, everyone under 35,

Congress used to pass laws.

Republicans, of course, couldn't

Let the libs be tougher on crime

Than them.

And that, kids, is how we got

Ourselves the modern,

Supercharged, bipartisan drug

w*r.

In june 1986, len bias dies.

Suddenly, take action.

Voltage suddenly goes through

The congress.

And hearings are

Held on what every congressional

Committee

Can could do about drugs.

In record time, congress

Rewrote virtually all of the

Nation's drug laws.

From the crime

Subcommittee, more severe

Federal penalties for simple

Possession.

From the committee on merchant

Marine and fisheries, stiffdiff

Penalties for drugs found on any

American boat.

From the agriculture committee,

The arming of forest rangers.

Bomani: that right there is

How we got ourselves the modern,

Supercharged, bipartisan drug

w*r.

It started growing faster than

The bumps on

Laurence fishburne's face in

"The matrix."

After len bias' death, the

Leagues were no longer reacting

To the national drug hysteria.

They were leading it .

And we're still living with the

Damage done in len bias' name.

His legacy is the cups you have

To piss in when you take a job,

The court still enforcing

Mandatory minimums for drug

It's, the dealers

Dealer serving life sentences.

And it's the sentencing

Disparities between crack and

Powdered cocaine, which is to

Say, between black and white.

Instead of taking the moment

After len bias' death to help

Other athletes with their drug

Problems, the league took this

Moment to punish players.

The league began mandatory drug

Testing.

Which is kind of a strange

Concept when you think about it.

Professional athletes are some

Of the only rich people in

America who have to get drug

Tested at work.

Like they get paid hourly or

Something.

Meanwhile, roger goodell,

Commissioner of the nfl, doesn't

- Sports owners and

Commissioners don't have to do

That.

We even looked it up!

'Cause when you make the rules,

They don't apply to you.

You don't even have to believe

In them.

If you are davis stern, you

You even got to go on tv and

Talk about how drug problems in

The league did not exist while

Simultaneously punishing players

For using them.

Drugs.

I mean, how big a problem is it?

It's not.

It's not a problem?

It's not problem, no.

You still have players,

Though that are...

And you still have editors.

Bomani: damn, the editors

Caught a stray.

Didn't they?

[Laughter]

Look, that interview is from



Imposed a marijuana testing

Policy in the nba.

In 1999, that also happen to be

When owners had a new collective

Bargaining agreement that was

Being negotiated between the

League and its players.

All while a lockout was

Happening.

Which gets to the heart of all

Of this drug testing stuff.

It is largely about worker

Control.

Players' bodies, and what they

Were allowed to do with them,

Were used as a leverage point in

Negotiations.

In 1999, sports fans had not

Come around to the idea of

Recreational reefer use.

But now?

The nation's views on social

Drugs have evolved.

It's harder to ban players for

Toking up when national support

For legalization has increased



There is no more panic for the

League's to use their leverage

Against their players with these

Drugs.

No more hysteria to justify

Taking away the athletes' power.

Not even with the more

Experimental social drugs like

Psychedelics.

Aaron rodgers, a future

Hall of famer in the nfl, came

Out and proudly said he takes

Ayahuasca.

And the biggest reaction was

People saying he's weird

The weak a*s crystals he was

Wearing around his neck.

There was no outrage.

No, punishment

By the nfl.

Even after five decades of

Sports leagues waging w*r on

Athletes takin' taking drugs.

You did not hear this from me.

Psychedelics might even be good

For you.

Their therapeutic uses are

Promising, especially in the

Case of treating traumatic brain

Injuries.

And, funny enough, I know a

A couple of sports where players

End up suffering traumatic brain

Injuries.

Which is why athletes in these

Sports players are

Getting deep into psychedelics

For therapeutic

Use.

He spent nine seasons in the

National hockey league, but was

Forced out of the sport due to

An overwhelming amount of

Concussions and traumatic brain

He says that after everything

Else he tried and failed, the

Key to his treatment was

Psilocybin.

My life was saved.

Being invited to a farm and

Being introduced to psychedelic

Medicines.

Once I got introduced to the

Shrooms and, the toad and, all

Those psilocybins, my whole life

Changed.

Bomani: the toad that will

Change

Your life-- must've been

Jermaine dupree's pickup line to

Janet jackson.

[Applause]

You know.

Psychedelics may be the future

Of traumatic brain injury

Rehab but the sports leagues are

Not doing what they can to make

That future a reality.

Almost like they are afraid of

Their players doing any drugs

That might be...

Healthy.

Or fun?

But guess what?

Even if psychedelics did not

Have therapeutic benefits?

There's no need to punish

Players for using them

Recreationally.

It is time to stop testing for

Social drugs entirely.

[Applause]

It wasn't okay back then.

And it's not okay now.

It is time to change

"Just say no to drugs" to "mind

Your own damn business."

These players have earned the

Right to add into their bodies

The substances of their

Choosing...

Especially now that we'd stores

Are starting to look like

Starbucks.

On top of the outcome of the

Leagues oh some people some

Reparations for the careers they

Damaged or were cut short.

And if the reparations sound too

Far, I know somebody that could

Offer up an alternative solutio

Solution.

Dear roger goodell, it came

To my attention that you and the

Rest of the nfl changed your

Views on marijuana use.

I will take this opportunity to

Say, ain't that a b*tch?

You suspended me five times,

Including for the entirety of

The 2006 season.

You cost me more than $1 million

In fines and missed paychecks.

That's a thousand 1,000s

You made me take something

Like 500 drug tests in all.

So much weed.

Roger, I've been sampled more

Times than james brown.

I wonder what happened?

Maybe you realized that much

Like the owner's box from which

You view the game, being really

High improves the experience.

Isn't it weird that the

Owner's box is kind of the worst

Seat in the whole stadium?

But it's all good, to

Paraphrase your roc nation

Partner jay-z,

I did that so you don't have to

Go through that.

Next time you are in california,

We can smoke.

Don't worry, the league won't

Ricky williams you.

Highest regards, ricky williams.

[Applause]

Bomani: y'all heard those

Whispers too, right?

That wasn't just me?

Look, if roger don't want the

Smoke, send it to me, I'm not

Saying no to that offer.

That's our show and

Also the final episode of season



Thank you so much for watching

"Game theory."

Thank you so much for helping us

And this run of shows on a high!

>He threw a no-hitter off of

Acid, he said.

The worst sport to play while

You were high?

Probably be skiing.

You can't stop.

You know what I'm saying?

Bomani: it would seem

Really cool until it wasn't.

Going downhill, like "I got you,

Babe."

What would be the worst sport to

Play on psychedelic drugs?

Swimming.

Bomani: I think he won the

Contest without one.

"Swimming."

You've got to be stupid if

You are on drugs and go

Swimming.