BCS


One thing that many college football fans can agree on is that the BCS has probably screwed their team over once or twice. This system where rankings are based simply on wins and losses and strength of schedule, while being determined by a computer, has been very controversial for many seasons. Many people, including me, think that college football's post season should be determined by a playoff instead of being determined by a computer and a bunch of numbers. A computer can't watch the games or even take the scores of the games into consideration which ends up causing big problems. In this case, many of the nation's best teams get knocked out of the championship race because of one silly loss or mistake.
I think we should make a transition in college football toward a playoff system where the top 16 or so teams get put into a bracket to play for the national championship. We have this system in the NFL and we have it in mostly every other sport so I don't see why college football is considered to be any different. Playoffs would still raise a good amount of money like the bowl games do, while giving top teams a chance to SHOW they are the best. A playoff system would hands down be the best way to prove who the best team in the nation is rather than leaving unanswered questions after every college football season.

College Boxing is Back


This saturday will be the first time an intercollegiate boxing match will take place since 1960! I think this is a great addition to the long list of college sports we have today because not many people follow boxing but I think having it in college will help popularize the sport. Another aspect of this comeback that I think will attract many fans to the ring is that our first match is against our heated rivals, the Florida Gators. Especially after such a tough loss this previous Saturday in football, I think a lot of students and alumni would love to come watch their Seminoles beat up on UF.
The main reason I'm so excited about this boxing match is because I have one of my good friends who I went to high school with who is on the team. Even though it's nothing like actually taking part in the events, I always feel more connected to the sports if I have personal relationships with the athletes. I would still be inclined to go and watch this event if I didn't know anyone on the team. Having people on the team that I know and hang out with just makes it that much more exciting, especially since there hasn't been a intercollegiate match in more than 50 years.

Is it a big deal?


Earlier this week, Jack Taylor, a guard from division III Grinnell College scored 138 points in a single basketball game. At first glance, this seems to be an extremely significant accomplishment for this player and the sport of basketball. Is it really that impressive? In this performance, Taylor took over 100 shots and shot under 50% on these shots. It is said that the average time between his shots were 20 seconds. Although he scored a great amount and led his team to a win, why was he the only one shooting the ball? This is not as impressive of a milestone as many people would think simply due to the lack of team play shown and the performance that night was very selfish on Taylor's part. Basketball has always been a team sport and it is very unlikely for one player to score such a high percentage of his team's points, and Taylor went completely against this idea during that game. One statistic that has been left out of this story is that Taylor recorded 0 assists in that game.
Scoring 138 points in a single game is a difficult task for almost anybody but when you look at how it was done it isn't as great of a story as people want it to be. The game plan for Grinnell that day was to keep giving Jack Taylor the ball and it obviously worked out for them but that isn't how basketball was meant to be played, and that strategy will seldom work efficiently for a team. This performance should definitely be recognized for its unlikeliness but Taylor is not some superstar in the making from this school.

Thanksgiving Sports Memory


Thanksgiving has always been about getting together with your family and eating as much as you possibly can. Another important part of this day for my family and me is watching football. Every year for Thanksgiving I always try to watch as much football as I can because after eating so much nobody ever wants to do anything but sit in a comfortable couch and relax. Watching football on Thanksgiving as become one of the biggest traditions on this day for me ever since I started liking the sport. All of the guys in my family have always grown up watching football on Thanksgiving and it was passed right down to me. Watching football on Thanksgiving is almost a way for the guys of our family to get away from the women and have a real bonding experience over watching some great games. While the women are cooking and talking about every little thing that the men don't want to talk about, we would all escape away to the TV and talk football. It never matters how old or young the men are, we are all able to bond over watching these football games on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Memory


Thanksgiving has always been a time for my family to get together and share the new experiences we all have had since the last time we spoke. My family hasn't ever been that close so Thanksgiving was always the perfect time for us to do this. Every year for this holiday my family would meet up in Alabama and stay in cabins for a few days just so we could all get away from our own lives and responsibilities. This is one of the most significant memories I have for Thanksgiving because it was an annual tradition, it's very rare for my family not to do this every year.
This tradition has become a very important thing in my family because it's one of the only ways we stay connected. We are all able to catch up while still enjoying the scenery surrounding us. I really enjoy going up to Birmingham with my family for Thanksgiving and I especially enjoy it because we don't ever stay for more than a few days. In my family, a few days is more than enough time to catch up and get together before anyone begins to argue too much. Going to Alabama every Thanksgiving is something I'll never forget and probably continue doing for a long time.

Ryan Dez Bryant Ad buster

In the case of Dez Bryant's allegedly beating up his mom almost everyone thinks he is guilty and should be punished for these actions. But what if his mom is making the whole thing up? In situations like these where super star athletes have family members that are less well-off, those family members will sometimes make things up to get some money from the athlete. This may be the case for the Bryant family. Dez's mom could very well have made up the whole story about getting hit by her son just to take him to court and make some money of his successes. There was never any real significant proof that Dez committed the crime. The case was primarily his mother's word against his and most people would easily side with the mother in that case no matter what the story is. There wouldn't even need to be much evidence, once the idea of a grown man beating his mother is brought up, people look at him with such disgust that they don't even care to listen to what may have REALLY happened. By accusing her son of hitting her, Dez's mom was definitely setting herself up to get some serious sympathy and a big payday from her super star son.

Politics in Adbusters


There are apparent politics in the doping scandal of Lance Armstrong and most other athletes who have been accused and punished for substance abuses. It seems that whenever someone makes extraordinary achievements or amazing improvements people think they are using steroids rather than working hard. In many cases this is the truth but it turns political when the public finds one athlete guilty of doping and then all of a sudden, they trust the same guys to tell them who else is involved in doping. People tend to root for the big underdogs but once these guys get to a point of unbelievable talent they tear them down again. Everyone who ever watched Lance Armstrong loved him for everything he had overcome and then once doping came into conversations he became the worst man in the world and everyone seemed to hate him. Also, the people trust the proven abusers of these performance enhancing drugs to be completely honest and say who else was involved in the doping when in reality, they could just be making up stories about other athletes to salvage their own reputations.

What am I following?


Right now I am really involved in watching the progress of the New York Knick's apparent success during the beginning of their season. After the great city they play for went through such a traumatic experience with Hurricane Sandy, the people of that city were beaten and seemingly destroyed. It is in times like those that sports seem to have its greatest impact on our lives and it becomes much more than a game, it gives people something to cheer for and be happy about. It is amazing to me to see a city go through so much turmoil and continue to support their team and be able to come together over this game they all love to watch. I definitely want the Knicks to continue their success and have a great season not only for the sake of the franchise but I believe that with their success comes a rising morale in the city of New York.
There are a lot of skeptics arguing about whether or not the Knicks are a legitimate threat to be a contender in the East, and I believe they will be even though they've only played 4 games so far. I think starting off their season at home against the defending champion Miami Heat and beating them by 20 points in front of all of their disheartened fans was inspiration at the ultimate level. The Knicks have something greater to play for this year; more than just a championship or the playoffs, this year the Knicks are playing for their city and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

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For an adbuster based on Lance Armstrong's doping controversy and also the fame he once stood for I could use the last two pictures in smaller versions to put over the cars in the first image. If I used these images I would write about how many athletes seem to get to their levels of fame so quickly and astonishingly and are later found to be using performance enhancers. The first image is an ad that was made during Lance's winning as a cyclist and also when people didn't suggest he was doping. By adding the other two pictures it helps show the change his career has gone through. 

Adbuster Idea


For my adbuster paper I plan on using an ad involving Lance Armstrong and nike which has a photo of him on his bike with a small caption saying "He did it." This ad is obviously referring to Armstrong's overcoming of his cancer and going on to win several Tour de France races. And this would be all well and good had he not have been accused of using performance enhancing drugs and stripped of all of his racing triumphs during that time. The ad I'm using shows Armstrong in a manner of overcoming all odds and it shows that if he can do it, you can too; but this was before anyone knew about his enhancements.
To make my adbuster I'm going to add in text saying "So did they..." followed by multiple pictures of other significant athletes who were caught using performance enhancing drugs. All of the men that will be in this adbuster were seen as such inspirational figures and role models for many kids until people began to find out how they achieved their goals. Lance Armstrong was one of the most praised and inspirational athletes of our time and it was hard for many to believe that he used these drugs. The adbuster I make will try and depict Armstrong and the other athletes' road from glory to disappointment.

Advertisements:

I like this ad about "finding your greatness" because it expresses an idea that almost everyone wants to believe in; that anybody can be great no matter what circumstance. This ad includes a young boy who has all odds against him to be a pitcher but it doesn't matter in his mind because he found a way to make it work. Most people found in difficult situations tend to give up and quit right away without even seeing what they are capable of doing. This ad shows that giving up should ever be an option and that if you want to succeed in something you can. There is always a way to accomplish what you believe in and this ad is a perfect example of that spirit. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vKsEtpKwOA

This is the advertisement that I really dislike for more than just one reason. First off, I am not a fan of Lebron James at all so that makes me not like the ad from the beginning. The main reason I dislike this ad though is because it gives off a feeling that now that Lebron has won ONE championship he is the best to ever live. I think he still has a lot to prove to a lot of people in order to be the player he thinks he can be. This commercial makes it seem like all Lebron needed to do was win a title and now his career has been satisfied and I completely disagree. I think it's ridiculous that the Miami Heat winning a championship has turned into just being Lebron's first title. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nh-MpzJ4C8

Explosion

I woke up with my alarm clock blaring and the afternoon sun blinding my eyes as I attempted to get out of bed. With no food to eat and no fresh clothes to wear, I threw on yesterday's outfit and dragged myself out toward my car to head to work. Once I got on the road, everyone was driving like idiots and I kept getting passed and cutoff by everyone around me. When I got to work more than an hour later, my boss had put a huge note on my cluttered desk telling me that she needed to see me. I didn't have the slightest idea of what the note could be about, but I proceeded to move down the hall to my boss' office. My boss saw me walking over and before I could even say hello she jumped out of her chair to hand me an envelope telling me that I was fired and then she quickly shut her door and continued on with her day. Without any questions, I packed up all my things, went back to my old broken down car, and drove home. My drive home was no better than my drive to work and I was still getting cut off by everyone around me. Now that I am finally home, I just began to realize what had happened and that I should probably start looking for another job soon.

Remember the Titans

This movie is about a high school football team who goes through their first season being fully integrated. The community is very bothered by the integration but the team pushes through all the negativity and ends up going undefeated and wins the state championship. This movie has a lot of different aspects that help keep the viewer able to watch this film over and over. The combination of imperfection and perfection at the same time is a big idea in the film. While the football season is going as perfect as it can with no losses, the community and team struggle with the racial battles showing the imperfections of people. Almost everyone starts out in the movie being very discriminatory and against the integration of the school. This is also an inspiring film because it shows that people can overcome anything and still come together to achieve a common goal.When one of the stars of the team in injured and can't play, the team sticks together and performs in the championship game for him. There are many parts in the movie where the team could have fallen apart, but they stuck together due to their common will to win. The final aspect I want to mention is that the team goes through impossible odds to win their state championship. From the beginning of the season, nobody believed an integrated team could play together, win together, and overcome the racial issues. The kids in the movie are only in high school yet they are challenged with, and overcome a huge race difference and fight to win. This movie could hit some sort of emotional nerve with almost anybody because there are so many aspects that reach out to the viewers.

Favorite Non- Sports Movie

My favorite non sports movie would have to be Step Brothers simply because it is so funny. The movie is about two 40 year old men who never quite grew up and still live at home depending on their parents. The parents of these two men end up marrying each other so the two guys turn into step brothers and have to try and live together in peace. The entire story of the movie deals with the two guys having a power struggle in the house and trying to get rid of the other, while their parents push them toward becoming more like adults. The movie is filled with hilarious punch lines and countless humorous scenes. The theme of the movie has to be the idea of two kids who just never grew out of their childhood. Throughout the movie the guys refuse to take part in any sort of adult activities and act completely like children. Once they are forced to move in together, both of the guys become very defensive and hostile because they are no longer the only "kids" left in the family. They start acting like two children fighting over small stuff and fighting for who gets the most attention and favoritism. In time, they end up becoming best friends. Later in the movie, the parents split up and the former step brothers are forced to get jobs and act like real, everyday adults even though it makes them miserable. At the very end of the movie they quit their jobs and get into business together doing what they both love and go back to their old ways of acting like children. The ending shows that these guys had what it took to be successful and happy even though everyone thought they were immature idiots. As long as they ended up doing what they loved, they would end up happy.

What's Your Trigger?

When I watch a Little League baseball game it instantly brings me back to the days when I first began playing the sport. I started to love the game of baseball from the first day I picked up a ball. Every weekend, I would go out to the local fields and practice for many hours with my brother and my dad. These memories are constantly brought back up into my head whenever I see any sort of baseball being played but Little League especially. This form of the game is perfectly representative of a young boy playing baseball for pure joy and happiness. That's how it began for me. I loved going out and playing catch with my brother or my dad, and I looked forward to it every single time. My first game came along with such an amazing feeling and to know that it was strengthening my relationship with myfamily made it even better. Little League was the starting grounds for the rest of my baseball life and whenever I see a group of kids playing in a game it reminds me of how baseball began for me, with my family. Watching a Little Leauge game is more than just remembering the sport I played, it's about remembering all the practice and great times spent with my brother and my dad on those fields back home.

Sports Effect on Communities

Both the essay “33” and the Rodney Jones poems deal with the idea that sports are not just some hobby or game to most people. Sports are a bigger, much more important part of life to most and especially the writer’s. In “33”, Klosterman tells the deeper meaning behind the great Lakers-Celtics rivalry and how it taught him much more about life than just basketball. He says how this rivalry taught him about politics, race, religion, and much more. Rodney Jones’ poem, “The End of Practice”, is a poem about how important and significant sport is in his life. It shows how if he doesn’t succeed on the field, he is going to be overwhelmed and over run. He describes this by saying “ If I did not rise above the field, I would be eaten.” In both of these pieces, sport is such an amazing aspect of the culture these authors are involved with and there is a sense that sport completely defines who these people are. The culture that Klosterman tells about live their lives based on this rivalry. He talks about how if you’re a Celtic’s fan you were representing the republicans and you were likely to be white. While Laker fans were likely to be black and support democratic ideas. It’s shocking that just from this one rivalry he can determine so much about people. In this case, the sport definitely defines who these people are, and in most cases, what they believed in. The poem is a little less intense in these aspects but it still shows signs of defining the culture surrounding the sport. This poem is less about a big rivalry separating the community and more about how the sport affects people’s opinion and reputation of someone. Jones expresses the idea that if he doesn’t succeed on the field, he won’t succeed off of it. This idea resembles how important the sport is to everyone in the community because they only believe that those who succeed on the field will have any success at all. 

Dear Urban Meyer,

We all know that you left Florida becuase you wanted to coach the Buckeyes. There is no reason to try and lie about it and use your health conditions as an excuse. I understand why you left, I don't know why anyone would want to coach the Florida Gators in the first place but we all make mistakes I guess. Ohio State is obviously a better place for you and I understand your REAL reason for leaving but nobody is believing that it is due to your health so give it up. Of course the gator fans are going to cry and try and hate you for leaving them but nobody really cares about the gators anymore anyway, especially because they aren't any good. Just know, I'm not buying your excuses for leaving, but I would've found a way out of that terrible place if I were you too. But next time try and make up a more believable excuse when leaving one of the worst schools in the country for a slightly better one.

Sincerely, Tyler Mistretta

Participants Versus Spectators

I have been a participant in all of the sports in my life throughout my whole life. I was always a spectator as well but I definitely preferred and primarily acted as a participant. It is just recently that I am taking more of a spectator’s role in the sports in my life. This is because of a lot of the reasons that the author of the text book explained in this section. When I was younger, sports were such an enjoyable experience for me, but as I grew older it become much more competitive and I couldn’t see myself committing to such a rigorous athletic lifestyle past the varsity high school level. My involvement in sports today is based much more on intrinsic goals and rewards rather than the extrinsic goals i once went for. 

Now that I have begun to move on from participating in organized sports, I have begun to watch them a lot more closely and actively. I have a lot of things going on in every day life that make it difficult to maintain a physical activity regimen. Because of this, it is much easier to follow the professional athletes and their teams during my spare time. Just as the top sport for spectators in America is professional and college football, those are also the top sports that I like to watch.

Games We Should Never Forget

Both of these pieces incorporate aspects of memory and ethnic diversity, while the purest nature of sport overcomes these issues. In “Three Man Weave”, a small and extremely unknown juco basketball game is finished with one team only having 3 players. This team was very undersized and supposedly incapable of winning from the beginning. The Native American ‘Thunderbirds’ also had the challenge of overcoming the stigmas and stereotypes against them. This team played most of their season with only 5 men who played every minute of every game. But, in the first game of the NJCAA tournament in 1988, they were forced to play with only 3 men due to foul outs by two of their players. Once the Thunderbirds were down to 3 players, the few people that were attending this game believed it was over, and so did mostly everyone else in the gym that night. Yet with only 3 men on the court, the Thunderbirds were able to stay within reach and eventually take the lead with only seconds left in the game forcing the opposing Lumberjacks to go for the game winning shot at the buzzer. The Thunderbirds walked away with the win that night, but the practically nobody knew about their great performance. It was a great sports moment that went unheard for way too long. The poem “ Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio” is about the influence that even a small football game can have on all communities. This poem describes all kinds of people with many different issues in their lives but still they have one thing in common and that’s the ability to “escape” from their problems through football. The author probably uses a high school football game because in high school the kids are just playing the game for the fun and joy. There is no aspect of scholarship, payment, job securities, or anything else. This football game gives a good perspective on how sometimes its the little things that matter instead of the issues in life. 

In both of these pieces, the sports played serve as more than just a game between men, they serve as a form of purpose and pleasure for everyone involved. These sports surpass racial stereotypes by playing a common game that all races can relate with. In “Three Man Weave” these Native American players, who regularly minimal recruitment, make an effort which will help future athletes like themselves. In the football game in the poem we read, all races mentioned have separate issues, even women, but they all agree on the appreciation of a high school football game. 

Memory is a very important aspect in the essay “Three Man Weave”, and in our love for sports as a whole. This is because in the essay, there was a very small amount of people actually at the game and it was not broadcasted in any way. The stories and reproductions from that night are all based strictly on memory. In a way, most of our sports memories are like that as well. Not a lot of people have ways to relive their greatest sport triumphs besides remembering. The way we remember sports is definitely going to have a huge effect on our love for the game. 

More than a Memory

Sports have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. There are so many memories throughout my past where sports have influenced my way of life, but there is one memory that sticks out as the first. Throughout my childhood, my dad was a huge New York sports fan. Anything in sports that had to do with the city was a big deal to him and soon enough I followed along his path. My first sports memory was being able to sit down and watch so many Yankee baseball games and so many Giant's football games with my dad. Watching all of these games was a huge bonding experience for my dad and me, and sports became a huge part of my life because of this.
This memory of watching sports with my dad and getting so involved in the games helped me enjoy the games that I play and watch today because it showed me that sports were more than just a game. Sports were one of the main methods of bonding between me and my dad and it still is today. My first memory of sports is more than just a memory of the games, it's a memory of a beginning to a whole new connection in my family. Even now when I only see my dad periodically, there is always one thing that we know we can agree on, and that's sports.