It’s NBA Playoffs season, and once again as fans are glued to their televisions. There is something strangely familiar abrew between the online keyboard warriors and the voices of punditry as they respond to the continued dominance of the Oklahoma City Thunder. A young, disciplined, strategically crafted organization, impeccably drafted and relentlessly adherent to a culture of selflessness and community, suddenly finds itself resented. The greater the Thunder’s success becomes, the more critics seem determined to diminish it or even root for its demise.

As both a fiercely proud Oklahoman and a Jew, the parallels between the Thunder and the nation of Israel are difficult to ignore. Neither was supposed to become what it is.

Oklahoma City remains one of the NBA’s smallest markets. We lack the glamour of Los Angeles, the nightlife and beaches of Miami, Florida, or the finance and media power of New York City. Yet we built something remarkable anyway. Rather than buying relevance, we created it. Rather than following others, we reimagined our own path to success by relying on the resources and skills we had with discipline and our own brand of resilience.

Israel’s story shares many of those attributes — a young, microscopic nation limited in natural resources, surrounded by hostility, perpetually under scrutiny, and constantly forced to justify its actions and existence. Israel nonetheless transformed itself into a global powerhouse of innovation, technology, defense, medicine and agriculture. Like the Thunder and even Oklahoma City, it has risen out of the ashes of a traumatic past despite all odds.

And yet reaching a mountaintop has a strange way of generating dislike.

When dynasties emerge in sports, fanbases often cry ‘foul’ questioning the legitimacy of success. The more competent and victorious the organization becomes, the more emotionally invested outsiders hope for its failure. We are witnessing that now with the Thunder. They are young, composed, and incredibly well-managed. Instead of praising the blueprint, many fans react with disdain, espousing conspiracy theories amplified by social media.

Israel experiences a similar phenomenon on a far more consequential stage. Of course, criticism of governments and their policies is fair game. But the hyper-fixation on Israel often transcends normal criticism into deeper and darker discomfort with Jewish strength, sovereignty, and achievements. When Israel thrives across a spectrum of global stages, many observers convert healthy criticism into rabid animosity.

That reaction says less about Israel or the Thunder than it does about our human nature.

We are comfortable with underdogs. What unsettles us is when underdogs stop behaving like victims and consistently triumph. The world loves stories of perseverance until it produces an uncompromising might. Then admiration mutates into skepticism and distrust.

The Thunder are not hated because they somehow gamed the system. They are hated because they mastered it. Israel is not obsessively scrutinized because it failed, but due to its success despite deeply-rooted envy and darker historical motives.

More: A guide to submitting letters and guest columns to The Oklahoman.

Both represent communities that learned how to persevere through adversity by becoming sharper, more resourceful, and unified. Both inspire fierce loyalty among those who identify with them. And both remind us that prosperity, especially when unexpected, rarely comes without a side of envy.

The takeaway? Success does not solely reveal excellence. It often reveals buzzards circling overhead waiting for the demise of whom they underestimated.

Eitan Reshef, a native Oklahoman, is a Chicago-based entrepreneur, investor and former advertising agency CEO.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Like Thunder, Israel has risen out of ashes despite all odds | Opinion

Well before his breakout performance against N.C. State and two-touchdown games against California and Duke, J’Mari Taylor had a moment that served as his introduction to Power 4 college football.

A transfer from N.C. Central to Virginia last spring, Taylor took the handoff during a spring practice.

“I made one wrong step and the hole closed up,” Taylor said. “At NCC, you couldn’t lollygag, but one or even two wrong steps, the hole was still there. At Virginia, boom, you miss it.”

It was of Taylor’s only missteps.

Taylor, a 5-foot-9 pocket full of production and passion, was a quick study for the Cavaliers, rushing for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn an undrafted free agent contract from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“When you looked at him against some of the top backs in the draft and their production against the same teams, it was pretty impressive,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said.

The Jaguars did not draft a running back last month, but neither did many teams. Over the final four rounds (Nos. 101-257), only seven running backs were selected, bad news for players like Taylor, but good news for teams like the Jaguars, who wanted to add depth via rookie free agency.

Taylor quickly agreed to terms with the Jaguars post-draft to join the group of Chris Rodriguez, Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen, Jr., Deejay Dallas and the recently-acquired Ameer Abdullah. The initial 53-man roster will likely have three backs (Rodriguez, Tuten and Allen), but a good training camp would earn Taylor a practice squad spot.

Starting from the figurative bottom of the depth chart? Taylor is used to it. He’s head-down, spirits-up kind of a guy … and he had to be after starting his college career as a walk-on at FCS N.C. Central and not starting until his fifth year in the program.

“He always carries himself like a blue-collar worker, trying to find ways to get better and give himself an edge,” Virginia running backs coach Keith Gaither said. “With the Jaguars, he’ll be able to do the same thing.”

Gaither saw it for one year with the Cavaliers.

Matt Leone saw it for five years as N.C. Central’s offensive coordinator.

“A special player and a special young man,” Leone said.

’Extremely dominant’ in 2024

Taylor rushed for 1,461 yards on 193 carries and scored 12 touchdowns as a high school senior, but was an unranked recruit. N.C. Central came through with an offer to walk-on. No scholarship. No promises.

Taylor then waited and worked … and waited and worked … and waited and worked.

N.C. Central’s 2020 season was cancelled because of the coronavirus and redshirted in 2021. Still, the Eagles’ coaches saw steady improvement in practice.

“It didn’t take us long to see what we had in in J’Mari and that he was a scholarship-caliber player we were able to get as a walk-on,” said Leone, now the offensive coordinator at Tennessee State.

MORE FROM RYAN O'HALLORAN: Liam Coen: Jaguars had 'seamless' start to offseason program

Taylor carried a combined 155 times (eight touchdowns) in 2022-23 as the No. 2 tailback and his persistence and patience paid off in 2024 when he rushed 196 times for 1,146 yards and 15 touchdowns (plus 30 catches) to earn first-team All-MEAC honors.

“Extremely dominant,” Leone said. “We couldn’t get him the ball enough.”

How did Taylor use his smaller frame to his advantage? A low center of gravity to serve as a human wrecking ball.

“Big time,” Leone said. “Usually, the first hit wasn’t bringing him down. He has great contact balance and is a very physical, tough runner.”

And two other things …

“One, he’s a very smart player,” Leone said. “He’s a guy who can take concepts from the meeting room and apply them instantly on the field. And two, he has good enough speed to take the ball the distance.”

Taylor entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season.

“The way college football is, I fully understood (the decision) and supported him,” Leone said.

Workmanlike mindset

After his dominant 2024, Taylor heard from Virginia, the connection being Cavaliers defensive tackles coach Kevin Downing, who played at N.C. Central knew current coach Trei Oliver. Taylor visited Charlottesville, received a Name, Image & Likeness tutorial from coach Tony Elliott and committed to the program.

“It was a great amount (of money),” Taylor said.

More than $150,000?

“It was over that,” he said.

At least $1 million?

“It was less than a million,” said Taylor, laughing as I used my hand as a makeshift sliding salary scale.

Whatever the number, Taylor was worth the investment for Virginia, which went 11-3. He started all 13 of his games and burst out with a three-touchdown game in a loss to N.C. State and later rushed for 105 yards against Wake Forest and 133 yards in the first meeting against Duke.

“We knew early on that we had a special one,” Gaither said. ”He came in everyday with a workmanlike mindset. Football was very important to him so he was able to become a leader in a short period of time.”

Coen’s earlier point about comparable production is notable.

Clemson’s Adam Randall was drafted by Baltimore in the fifth round. He had 48 yards against Florida State (Taylor 99) and 30 against North Carolina (Taylor 69). Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round. He had 35 against N.C. State (Taylor 150), 27 against Florida State (Taylor aforementioned 99) and 58 against Duke (Taylor had 65 and 133).

“The season Virginia had, a lot of that had to do with (Taylor’s) success and his ability to affect the game in the run and pass game,” Coen said. “People just bounce off of him and he forced a lot of missed tackles. And he’s super sharp.”

Taylor was invited to the Senior Bowl and had brief meetings with all 32 teams, but he had no formal interviews at the scouting combine. Day 3 of the draft was a long day.

“Oh man, it was tough,” he said.

The Jaguars called and Taylor was off to Jacksonville for his next chapter, motivated to prove his production overcomes his stature.

“You have to be determined and can’t be scared out there,” he said. “Your size doesn’t really matter. It’s what you have in your heart.”

Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com or on X at @ryanohalloran. Listen to Ryan on 1010AM on Tuesdays (6:35 p.m. on “Into The Night"), Thursdays (1:15 on "XL Primetime") and Fridays (4-6 p.m. on "The Lead").

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars undrafted rookie J'Mari Taylor's used to long odds

“I just try to focus on keeping my teammates calm and see that we all have the same energy and mindset. We try to keep it as fun as possible because that’s when we all play our best.” ― A Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse junior midfielder and draw control specialist).

Absolutely right. And that’s at least part of what makes college athletics what it is – or is supposed to be: fun. 

But so much learning takes place here: competitiveness, responsibility, discipline. And somehow working all of that into a harrowing schedule of classes, social life, family. These years leave them breathless, full of fantastic memories and trained in the arts of becoming an adult. 

NIL, the transfer portal – in short, money – is graphically changing the way college sports work; and is assaulting both its purpose and its meaning to those who participate. 

The NIL and the spawning of new and chaotic rules have wreaked havoc on the Platonic education model: “mind, body, spirit” (in presumably equal parts). It has remade the geography in ways with which none of us – except the grim gamblers and “sports agent”-types – should feel comfortable.

High school athletes dream of the day they can play – their skills still developing – under a talented and dedicated mentor/coach at the “next” level of competition. But now those above them, with the five-year rule, no age limit and financial incentives to stay, are clogging entry to the fray. 

The greatest effect has been on NCAA Division I, of course, where money, and the scandals that wrack the division because of money, are old news. There is a proposal on deck for Division I that would set an age cap, with a strict five-year playing term. It's a start, except for the fact that a) it has not yet become official, and there is a possible “grandfather” clause in the wording to allow current players to continue, and b) no one seems to be seriously talking about applying it in Division II or III.

The other immediate effect NIL and related enterprises have is actually reducing the number of sports even offered. Gaining the most attention is Arkansas cutting their redoubtable (and very longstanding) tennis programs. That program was reinstated last week after public and alumni outcry. But they were joined by eight more at the Division I level, with 13 more in other divisions … and that’s only tennis.

We all have a stake in this. But first and most importantly, the students have a stake in this. Athletic directors are not to blame – nor are the institutions. Hard decisions are being made because of vicious market forces. 

I had the pleasure of running the broadcast camera during the Florida Southern women’s lacrosse match against archrival University of Tampa. Through four quarters, the game hung in the balance – both teams played with incredible heart, guts, skill and determination, neither giving an inch until an overtime goal won it for FSC. 

I left the cheering stadium for the quick ride home, hoping to be able to catch at least part of the very last FSC softball game this year – my morning sunburn kept me from the field itself, so I flipped on the digital stream to what had to be the best softball game I’d seen in several seasons. The Mocs had been on a losing streak, but as I tuned in, they were suddenly back in this game ― a grand slam ― bringing them even. A walk-off run in the 10^th inning sorted it.  Electricity.

Two “walk offs.” Both were huge wins, but different outcomes. One team was headed to the regional championships, and the other was going home for the summer. In the moment, it did not matter which ― both sent the athletes home with a sense of confidence and value. 

And it was fun.

Slashing programs, stalking dollars and disfranchising the student experience is an incredibly damaging rewrite of the education handbook – that’s the real “bottom line.” And it threatens to send us all home, losers.

R. Bruce Anderson is the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. Endowed Chair in American History, Government, and Civics and Miller Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. He is also a columnist for The Ledger and political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: NIL is bleeding college athletics, and maybe college itself | Anderson