Leaving behind a team

Seeing as it is the end of the year and that many are taking the time to reflect on their high school experiences, I thought it would make sense to blog about graduating and often times the sadness that comes with it. Most people agree, that the hardest part of parting from high school is leaving behind the friends you have made and come to know. For the majority of students, these are people that they've known and grown up with their whole lives. That is what's scary. We are in a transitional phase that is changing our lives more than ever before. We are changing environments entirely, to a knew place, with new people, where we have the opportunity to redefine ourselves and our image.

Though we most likely will enjoy our college experience just as much if not more than high school, the experience will never be the same. The friends we meet abroad will be wonderful, maybe in some cases better, but nevertheless, they are not the friends we knew.

For me, it is especially difficult to leave behind my teammates. In my case, my teammates are also some of my closest friends. Talking to others in my grade, I found that they felt something similar. That's when I asked the question: What is it about a team that fosters such strong friendships and makes it so tough to leave?

First off, any member of any club or team would agree that the team takes up a lot of their time and effort; a team requires devotion. Naturally, you care about the things you spend your time and effort on, from an art project to your homework. Thus, we care about the teams we participate on and their well being.
However, that doesn't necessarily explain why we care so much about those on the team. In order to explain this, we should review the concept behind a team. A team or club is a group of individuals working together to accomplish a common goal. The success of a team is not determined by single member's actions but by the sum of all the group's actions. Knowing this, people on team are constantly supporting and rooting on one another. If a member suffers, you feel for them. If they succeed, you feel that too. The truth is that your lives become so intertwined that you can't really just do without them.

The Rarity of Humility

My name is Patrick and I am one of Merrick’s classmates. I write my own blog about sociology, but I also enjoy sports and decided to do a guest blog for Merrick this week.

Phil Humber, a Chicago White Sox pitcher, ended an almost two-year drought in perfect games by Major League pitchers on April 21. Only the 21st game of its kind in MLB history, Humber's ended with a wild pitch on a 3-2 count. The umpire may have been partial to letting Humber have the perfect game, as he made a controversial call that Brendan Ryan, the batter, had swung at the pitch. 

Regardless of the details of Humber's perfect game, his post-game comments were remarkable. Referring to the list of pitchers with perfect games, he stated, "I don't know what Philip Humber is doing in this list. No idea what my name is doing there, but I'm thankful it's there."Humber famously spent much time in the minor leagues, switching between various teams, before finally finding success in this game.

Humber's situation recalls that of the Chicago Bulls' John Lucas III, who played for nine different teams in four countries between 2005 and 2010. After spending time in the United States D-League, Lucas was acquired by the Bulls and finally got a chance to play this season with the absence of star point guard Derrick Rose. He stepped up with multiple big games and is now a fan favorite with the Bulls (despite being the lowest-paid played on the team). Lucas's perseverance and humility recall the traits of Rose himself, and are truly refreshing in the age of stars like LeBron James and Chad Ochocinco, two notoriously outspoken athletes. 

Sports stars are role models for many, and they receive greater exposure than most other celebrities. I find the salaries of athletes to be positively ridiculous, but it's incredible to see those who retain their humility despite their burgeoning paychecks. Humber, Lucas, and Rose remind us that hard work does pay off, but also that it pays to have a good personality. 

The lone Tiger in the jungle.

Tiger Woods: Arguably the most dominant player in any sport of this century. Just take a look at these statisitcs: He has been world number one for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any other golfer. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons. He has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player only behind Jack Nicklaus, and 72 PGA Tour events, third all time behind Sam Snead and Nicklaus He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer does. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. In addition, there is a video game series  named after him (Tiger Woods PGA tour) 08"With all of this success, Tiger Woods was expected to break down cultural and racial barriers in golf and usher in a generation of African-American stars. But the revolution has yet to materialize.

In fact, fourteen years into Woods' professional career, there are now fewer African-American players on the PGA Tour than were in 1976. As other sports have grown to become predominately black, Golf is one sport that remains racially singular. Over the course of history, there have been few blacks that have joined the PGA Tour. This lack of diversity is due to the fact that Golf was considered a white man's sport, and often excluded and discouraged those of other races from playing. Charlie Sifford, the first black golfer to join the tour and often considered Golf's Jackie Robinson, joined in 1961 and became the first African-American to win a PGA tour event with his win in 1967. Up until that point, the PGA Tour had a clause that stated "Caucasians-only". During these times, black golfers had to instead settle for playing in the UGA, an all-black tour which is often compared to baseball’s Negro Leagues. However, this exclusion and deterrent doesn't only take place at the professional level but also at the local levels too. Up until the 1990's, majority of Golf clubs around the US had in place racial restrictions for those who wanted to utilize their course. And for those courses that did allow blacks during that time, there was often racial hostility shown to those who played by the other whites on the course. Even today, there are country clubs within our own community that restrict blacks from joining or frown upon their playing. Although the problem was worse in the past, there still remains an element of racial discrimination that prevents African Americans from gaining success and following in the sport. You simply cannot expect a level of equality on the tour if there is none at the local level.

Besides racism, African American financial situations are another factor that skews the percentages of black golfers. Our nation is comprised of 12.6% African Americans. Part of the reason we don't see a similar percentage of black golfers is because compared to the white majority, blacks are receiving worse educations and, on average, are earning a lesser salary. This in mind, Golf is a sport, unlike basketball, soccer or football, that costs lots of many to play and improve. Each time you play, you are paying anywhere from 15 to 40 dollars. In addition, the cost of clubs, balls, tees and other apparel makes it even more difficult to play.  Compare this to soccer, where all you need really to practice is a ball. If you desire to improve, you have to take lessons and practices, which costs even more money. Thus, it's more likely that the successful golfers we see come from wealthy backgrounds, which, due to the difference of salaries, which are converging but yet still unequal, often equivilates to a higher percentage of whites in the sports than normal.

Man, woman, both?

         An undefeated season are what most teams can only dream about. Last night, this dream came true for the Baylor lady bears as they beat Notre Dame in the National Championship to finish their season 40-0. One of the key reasons for their victory last night and their success this season was the play of the all American, Brittney Griner. Watching her yesterday, she was literally head and shoulders above the competition. She stands a whopping 6'8", has a 88 inch wingspan, and more athleticism than majority of the girls in the game. Being a Notre Dame fan, it was both fascinating and frustrating to watch dissect the Notre Dame defense time and time again all the while not allowing Notre Dame anything inside. In no other sport have I seen a player become that dominant and vital in a game then Brittney Griner was in this game. After the game, I looked up some youtube clips, only to be shocked and a little apauled. There were many times when she spoke, dunked, or looked at the camera with her adam's apple bulging, where I mistook her for a man. Immediately I thought back to the story of Caster Semenya, the South African sprinter who after reaching great success in the sport, in the form of a few gold models, she was tested and discovered to lack ovaries and have three times the amount of testosterone in her body than the average female. Both Semenya and Griner are clearly dominant in their respective sports but also continue to show some very manly qualities. The difficult part is what we should decide to do.

          Putting Griner in a women's league gives her a severe advantage over her competition. It would be like if a baseball player took a large amount of steroids, but had no side effects. Though this is something that Griner can't change nor control, having such high testosterone levels is simply unfair to the other girls in the league. Just like with steroids in baseball, if you want to compete with the other players that are steroid users, you have to level the playing field by taking steroids yourself. Only thing here is, no girl in the WNBA or WNCAA can make this change. For now, most sports officials seem to not want to address the issue and are allowing the girls to play on.

        What Griner and Semenya have both taught us is that gender isn't as black and white as it seems. Not only is Griner bringing in great audiences with her play, but she is paving the way for those of mixed gender worldwide.  Many people today still view gender switches and hermaphrodites as abnormal, freaks, and something that should be frowned upon. They believe that gender is something that can't be ambiguous or changed, it is simply something that is given to you and a part of your identity. However, for a few, gender isn't as straight forward as it seems and is often something that can confuse an individual As society becomes more accepting of sexual orientation, seeing as it no longer is labeled a mental illness, I challenge it to become more accepting of the transgendered and hermaphrodites as well.

Bad-willed Bounty Hunting

The New Orleans Saints organization, under Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams, was busted for the Bounty System they had in place. The system, consisting of monetary rewards for players that were able to knock opposing members of the other team unconscious or have them leave the game with injury, has existed within the organization for certain since 2009. However, the Saints weren't the only organization that had this system put in place by Coach Williams. Having been either a defensive coordinator or a head coach in the NFL since the 1987 season, Greg Williams has put in a similar "pain for gain" system wherever he has worked. As of now, the NFL is still deciding what to do with the future of Greg Williams.

Reading many different bloggers reactions, I was surprised of the variety of viewpoints and the validity that pertained to each one. Some bloggers, like Charles Barkley, see nothing too wrong with the program. Barkley even went on to call the person that turned in the coach a "punk". Though I appreciate Barkley's humor on a regular basis, I would like to immediately condemn this statement. No conclusions should be made about the player who tipped the news because we don't know the reason for his actions. He could have done it for selfish reasons like trying to get back at the coach but he also could have done it out of bravery and out of wanting to prevent future injury.  Either way, it's not too important because the real issue is the system and the idea of competition. We've heard the outrage from the side that demands justice for Williams' despicable act. One can understand the frustration. In a league where rules are being changed and players being fined for large hits, this system has no place. Commissioner Roger Goodell is leading the efforts to make football more safe and less destructive to the players that play the game by discouraging large hits (even though they are perfectly legal) and altering the game itself. Seeing as many don't agree with this and are frustrated that football is being tampered with, they are disgusted to see that causing injury is still being encouraged within the league. As one reader put it bluntly, "Putting prices on the heads of others and watching it for entertainment? We're just returning to the Roman days of gladiators. This is a criminal act and if the society doesn't punish it, than it is disgusting and perverse." Majority of the people don't see injury as a necessary part of competition but as a unwanted byproduct of the game. The goal should be to limit injury and provide the safest atmosphere for the players as possible. Competition does not have to involve someone getting hurt.

However, many of William's supporters believe that the system was a just a way of giving the extra incentive for players on defense. Seeing as it is football, a sport that originated from players hitting each other and trying to overpower the other all the while receiving points accordingly, this argument does hold some weight. Big hitting and injury have always been apart of football; if you didn't like the violence and the pain, you played/watched a different sport. It's important to note that this system was not created with the design to cause more injury, but instead was made to inspire defenders to play with heart and intimidate the other team. In addition, many defensive players, regardless if they are under the influence of the system or not, already have have the mentality of punishment and inducing pain to the other team. Defenses pride themselves in deterring the other team's offensive production through big hitting. Not only does the hitting take a lot out of an offensive physically but it also effects them mentally, causing them to loose focus or become less motivated. In short, the desire to hurt your opponent has always existed in football and is a part of the competition. In this light, the Williams' system was an overly simplistic method to motivate a defense and increase the level of passion with which they played, or a system that shouldn't be punished.

Complete Equality?

The women's movement beginning in the early 1900's led the way radical but necessary political change. As a result of the efforts of those who supported the movement, we now enjoy a society in which women and men receive the same opportunities and are treated and valued with the same level of respect. Today, women hold positions all over the job world, from politics to CEO's. Women continue to become more independent and successful as a gender as time goes on and with the majority of college students being women, it seems as if this pattern might continue. Though colossal strides have been made, there are still some individuals and elements of society that continue mistreat women. However, society is working hard snuff out any inequalities wherever they arise. Though society today stands to foster gender equality and integration, there is one element where the gender difference seems most wide: athletics.

As I watch ESPN, (which I do quite often I might add), I gain little insight into the world of female athletics. I always hear, through comedy skits on Comedy Central or by word of mouth, how much of a joke the WNBA is. I am always bothered by the disrespect and lack of support and Women sports receive as oppose to men, particularly at the professional level. Feminists admit, that it is true females athletic ability, due to the minimal levels of testosterone in their body,  and thus, in many sports, basketball for example, the level at which men play at is higher than women. That said, admitting that there is inequality in gender's biological makeup and thus their level of performance and societal support, is equality a possibility in the realm of sports and competition?

The introduction of Title IX in 1972 seemed to be the equalizer and indeed, through its separate but equal policy, it has provided women in high schools across the nation opportunities in leadership, teamwork, and in rare cases, a career path. Though opportunities are given to both genders, there is an obvious difference in the level of societal support. Seeing as it is impossible to will society to like something and support both genders equally, as long as the current structure remains in place, it seems that the area of athletics will remain unequal and a testament of the one gender's superiority over another. Indeed, it makes it very difficult to preach equality and convince others that women are just as capable as men in all aspects when there is evident inequality in the world of sports. As the solutions seem limited,  there are some who believe that we must continue along with the theme of complete equality and look to integrate genders in athletic activity. This solution would not only solve the problem of transgenders, but might improve the quality of play among women. The problems with this, men might continue to dominate the various leagues, undermining women athletic ability and providing, once again, an example as to why men are superior to women. My solution: require each team to have a certain number of women and play them a certain amount of time each game. That way, women are playing together with men and are guaranteed playing time at all levels. Though this problem, giving the biological differences, is very difficult to overcome, I believe there is still a better way to ensure equality among the sexes in the world of competition and will continue the search for a solution.

The System that Failed.

Desiring to watch some college basketball, as I usually do on a Saturday afternoon, I came across a documentary I had yet seen. It was about Hank Gathers, a college basketball player from Loyala Maramount who died during a game in 1990. Hank Gathers grew up in the streets of Pennsylvania along side his friend and teammate Bo Kimble. Through basketball, Hank and Bo were able to attend the University of Southern California. However, after a dissapointing 11-17 season, the coach was fired, and they made the decision to transfer. They later found a home at Loyala Maramount, a small school known for its coach, Paul Westwood, and his notorious strategy dubbed "The System". The System, a fast-paced strategy that involved a constant full court press and quick shots/layups, was at first, not to successful. However, with the arrival of athletic 6'7 Gathers and quick 6'4 Bo Kimble, the system obtained immediate success. The system allowed Loyala to average over 120 points per game (the national average then was around 72 points per game) and allowed Gathers to lead the entire NCAA in rebounds (13.7) and in points (32.6). After two successful years, Gathers career was tragically cut short after a heart condition caused him to miss a game, and later, miss the rest of his life. 

Listening to his friends and family talk about Hank, I came to realize how unusual Hank's death really was. To everyone, Hank was a beast. Very strong, very tall, great athleticism, was able to run the floor, and, what people most about him: his relentless desire to work and improve. In fact, Hank had clapsed weeks before during a game, but, being Hank, he quickly got up to say he was okay. Even after being diagnosed with a large heart, he was determined to beat out this condition and not let it effect his play. To many, Hank was an unstopable force, but everyone soon discovered that like everyone else, Hank was human. Everyone that knew Hank Gathers, or college basketball for that matter, were completely surprised how rapidly everything happenned and how quickly Hank Gathers career ended. His suprising death, like that of the death of a King Hamlet, goes to show how quickly life can end. In Hamlet, Hamlet's father, who seemed to have much going for him, had his life aburptly ended by his brother. Both of these are examples of how life, like anything else, is a previlage that often times is fragile. That being said, we should not take it for granted. Too often we get caught up in our lives. There will be times where you will believe your life can't get anyworse or times where you believe you are invincible and forget the consequences of your decisions. The point is, we forget that we are blessed to be living in the first place. So as you read this blog post, though I know it isn't November, please take the time to appreciate your existence on earth and the presence of those around you.

Promise Cut Short

The Super Bowl is indeed a time of excitement and promise. The two best football teams in the nation square off against each other with the prize being a super bowl and a spot in history. Fans (About 91 million) eagerly wait for the anticipated showdown and, of course, the always entertaining and ridiculously priced super bowl advertisements. Players, coaches, and staff know that it is the most important day they will have for years to come and most likely, will not get another chance. It’s a special day for many, but a day of painful memory for one. Tiquan Underwood, a wide receiver on the New England Patriots (one of the teams playing in the super bowl), was released today, the day before the biggest game of his career, the super bowl. Imagine, working so hard and putting in so much time just to get to this stage, and then something out of your control undermines all of you hard work. Indeed, he wasn’t an integral player on the team, but unlike some players, he played in 6 games and had catches in 3 of those games. The point is, he did what he could to help the team and though it wasn’t much, it was more than most. Fortunately, Underwood has taken the news in stride recognizing in his tweets that his situation is still better than most and is grateful for what he has. What we realize by these unfortunate events is that Football, and life for that matter, is business. What it boils down to in the end is “What is going give you the best chance of success?” with this case success being a super bowl victory. In the end, players’ and coaches’ egos and emotions have to be ignored and the situation assessed for what it truly is, a cutthroat business. Life too, regrettably, can be examined in a similar light. Put simply, it’s a competition between many players. Everyone desiring to do well and better themselves and their families. Occasionally, this causes us to act without regards to morals or others’ emotions because we so badly desire our own success wealth. However, society excepts this as part of the game, or part of life. It is the necessary collateral that one will suffer in order for others to succeed, thus, you, like Tiquan has, must remember two things in life: 1: Always work hard and ask yourself what you can do to improve yourself/situation and 2: Be grateful for what you are given and what you have for the moment because like Tiquan, you might not have it for long.

The Jagged Path to Fame

Sam Hurd, a bears wide receiver guaranteed 3.97 million over the next three years, was arrested for conspiracy and possession of Marijuana and Cocaine. Initially, I was in disbelief that someone could be so greedy and so selfish to disgrace the team and himself by involving himself in the drug trade. It just didn't make sense to me, or anyone for that matter. Why risk throwing away a promising and stable NFL career in order to make some corrupt money on the side? In a way, this scandal reminded me o the scandals taking place in NCAA sports. This past year, NCAA officials have uncovered multiple attempts by colleges to bribe players into coming to their school with gifts and money. Seeing as paying collegiate players is against everything the NCAA represents, teams, like my brother's USC Trojans, have faced penalties and fines that have made it more difficult to compete. The most famous of the NCAA scandals belongs to the University of Miami. During the late 1990's and early 2000's, Miami had an unstoppable team, stacked with great professional talent at every position. However, this past year they discovered that a man named Nevin Shapiro had been offering gifts and access to his fortune to much of the Miami team. It was scandals like Sam Hurd's and that of the NCAA that perplexed the sporting community and had many asking "How could someone be so greedy to completely disregard the law/rules and risk ruining their career?" It just doesn't add up. Over the break, I read the book, We Beat the Streets. Besides being a great read, the book allowed me to see the extreme troubles outside suburban life but more importantly, allowed me to see from the perspective of a Sam Hurd. For those of you that haven't read it, the book is an autobiography of the lives of Sampson, George, and Rameck in Newark, New Jersey. Growing up, these three friends faced many difficult obstacles due to the environment that surrounded them. Because of their location and race, all three characters had to survive, enduring the threats of law and crime, with little support and money. Through friendship and determination, each author tells their account of how they we're able to escape the meek future of the streets and achieve success by becoming doctors. What the book did was give me an idea on how difficult it was to not become swallowed by city's vice. After reading the book, I begin to do some research and discovered that Sam's childhood wasn't the easiest either. Growing up, Hurd lived in a similar situation as the authors, having a low income and having to deal with the street's obstacles. Growing up, he watched his uncle battle with his drug addiction only to die when Hurd was 19. Understanding this, it's possible that Hurd had become involved in drug trafficking to get by before reaching fame, and, as I discovered from reading the book, was unable to "simply" drop out of the business. It's important to realize that this case, and perhaps many of the NCAA cases too, are much more than a selfish individual being greedy. Hurd was in fact admired by many and was extremely giving to his community. Instead, seeing such a moral individual throw away his professional career for crime, let us understand the difficulty of living in "the streets" and attempt to change it for others.