College Football at its Best
As a writer for espn.com, Eric Neel travels around college campuses and examines the many different atmospheres on college football game days. One of his many visits was to the city of Columbus to witness one of the greatest traditions in sports in the Ohio State Buckeyes. His campus tour as it is called is not a competition and he does not rank the schools, but in his article about Ohio State he voices his opinion that it is the top place to watch a football game. For many citizens of Ohio and mainly Columbus, Buckeye football is a religion and this fact impressed Eric Neel and compelled him to say that Columbus was like no other place he had ever seen. He is analyzing Columbus’ football atmosphere on a beautiful Saturday in which the fans are tailgating for the game against the Spartans of Michigan State. The article is written to all college football fans and especially to Ohio State fans to credit them for being the best college football fans in the nation.
There are many great places to watch college football games in the nation and giving one the distinction of best is a bold statement. The author supports his claim with his experiences during his day in Columbus and gives different stories of his interactions during the day. His examples are convincing because they show many different aspects of the experience of Ohio State football games. Each story and example is very different, but truly shows the spirit of Buckeye followers. He starts his article with a story about three men dressed in scarlet and grey suits, which are the Ohio State colors, and tells how they are going to a wedding. This simple story tells how important Buckeye football is to the people of Columbus and the support that is present from all the fans. He tells of the miles and miles of tailgaters who are located all around the stadium, and he even compares this situation to a pilgrimage to Mecca. A pilgrimage to Mecca is the most important part of the entire Islamic religion and being compared to this, is a strong support for the passion present during a game day in Columbus. The list goes on and on with supporting evidence and the author does not even come close to including all the different aspects of his topic.
In a generation focused on social justice and the elimination of prejudice from our society, there is still a use of offensive language and terminology in the area of professional sports. In “The Indian Wars” by S. L. Price, Price attempts to make the reader aware of sports teams that use derogatory terms as their team name and their mascot. He does this by highlighting football, and trying to determine whether Native-Americans are offended by team names in sports, or more specifically, the Redskins. Price’s essay is ineffective because although he raises good points, he doesn’t help the reader to form an opinion by adding historical context to the derogatory names used. He also uses inaccurate poll results to make assumptions about the feelings
The Odessa football players couldn't be objective about criticisms of football. Their total self-esteem depended on how they did on Friday night. This was the glorified culmination of their football career: wearing the black MoJo uniform in the stadium under the big lights. Football was more than just a game to them; it was a religion. It "made them seem like boys going off to fight a war for the benefit of someone else, unwitting sacrifices to a strange and powerful god" (Bissinger, p.11). Because football was so meaningful in their lives, to criticize it was to criticize everything they'd worked so hard for and lived for.
The search for our definition of the good life is wrought with trials and tribulation, working to overcome deep seeded trends of oppression within society or family. For some, finding the good life requires them to rise above subjugation, regardless of consequences. This struggle is illustrated in Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr, who argues the necessity of peaceful protest to find a future of equality free from persecution, and in Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse where a woman must rise above her father’s tyrannical will to find a good life. While no struggle is without its consequences, the finality of finding the good life and the benefits of that achievement ultimately overrides the fight for happiness.
While college sports play a valuable role on university campuses, it is important for administrators to not lose perspective. That some football coaches earn more than university presidents, for example, is clearly wrong. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on college support for sports teams. In your essay, be sure to: • analyze and evaluate the perspectives given • state and develop your own perspective on the issue • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
Where are the fans? That is the most commonly asked question at a University football game. During the past few years at University football games, the university has been lacking with their football fans. How come nobody comes to the games? At most universities, football season is the largest season of the year. People spend hundreds of dollars on season tickets and go out of their way to attend the games. What can the university do to attract more fans to their games?
The Southern Methodist University football scandal, also known as Ponygate, was one of the most severe consequences that the NCAA has ever given out to a college or university. In this instance, the Southern Methodist University football program was found to be illegally paying their players after already being in trouble with the NCAA several times. The first time this football program had been caught by the NCAA for not following its rules was in 1985. This was when an incident regarding offensive lineman Sean Stopperich came up. Prior to transferring schools after going through an injury which made him unable to play, he was paid $5,000 by one of the Southern Methodist Universities booster programs to attend the school and play football there. This caused “the NCAA to place SMU on three years of probation in 1985, limit its postseason appearances, ban the boosters involved and strip the football program of 45 scholarships.” This did not show the program or the school a lesson though. Again in 1986 the Southern Methodist University football program was found breaking NCAA rules. This was their seventh time they had broken and been caught breaking NCAA rules. This time it was found that, “an unnamed booster had been found to have paid 13 Mustang players $61,000 from a slush fund with the approval of key members of the SMU athletic staff.” The result of this complication with NCAA rules is what became known as the, “death penalty”. This death penalty declared that there were to be, “no football in '87. only seven games in '88. no television or bowl appearances until 1989 and restrictions on off-campus recruiting and the number of assistant coaches until 1989 SMU which signed no high school players to letters of intent this winter...
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a satirical news show that first aired on Comedy Central January 11, 1999, and since then, has become one of the most influential sources for news for young Americans. Through the satirical news format, it grabbed the attention of coveted 18-34 age demographic that traditional nightly news shows have tried to attract (Heflin, 2006). Even though Stewart does not see himself as an influence, studies show most young adults get their news from his show and are able to understand complex political issues (Morris, 2006). Due to this, The Daily Show changed the format of how young Americans consume their news, not only should it be informative, but it should have entertainment value. Due to the large following, The Daily Show is seen to have great power over the young adults.
Smoking tobacco in the cigarette form was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century. Many people joined in the popular habit, got addicted, and had no fear of the future consequences or health concerns. Many people were under the impression that smoking was good for their bodies, and were unaware of the unhealthy side affects that cigarette smoking caused. Some famous people like Walt Disney, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth all were killed from their love of tobacco. Soon enough more and more cases of lung, throat, and mouth cancers began popping up all over the place, but people were reluctant to blame their beloved tobacco. It wasn’t until 1964 when Surgeon General Luther Terry stated that smoking causes lung cancer in people who smoke and inhale the fumes, that perceptions on smoking began to change. Since the findings of the Surgeon General, there has been an on going battle between pro-smoking, and anti-smoking groups over the rights of smokers. As the non smoking movement is growing at a rapid pace, and smoking bans have been ruled to not violate the 1st Amendment. In the last decade we have banned smoking in almost all public areas from bars and restaurants, offices, malls, and living quarters. The smoking bans are one effective way to abolish smoking, but it fails to address the major component in smoking; addiction to nicotine, and the psychological effect it has on users. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to end smoking. This is because treatment plans have such a small level of success. Medical treatment such as prescription medication often have more side effects than positive effects for the user. But one product has been making huge gains in the fight to quit tobacco, and that is the electronic cigarette...
H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights brings to mind the cold, autumn nights of 1988 where a town, just like any other rural town in America, was brought together in such a raw and emotional way. From the rise and fall of Boobie Miles to the push for the playoffs, it is clear that 1988 Odessa was swept up in the glory of football to replace the grandeur of the 1950s, which seemed to deteriorate throughout that hectic decade. While a modern reader may view Bissinger’s masterpiece as a tale from a dated and faraway place, several factors have kept it in the public’s eye. What is it about Friday Night Lights that still resonates today? The answer can still be found in the same rural towns of America. Though it may seem incredible, Texas is still football crazy, and it may be fairly concluded that emotions have only slightly receded from the obsession they once held towards high school football. People’s inability to analyze themselves, the impact a community can have on younger generations, and the way priorities can easily be warped all struck me as subjects that have stayed true in Texas culture over the past 26 years. I will be discussing these topics throughout this dissection of Friday Night Lights.
The roaring of the crowd on November 17 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC finally fell silent late in the fourth quarter after star linebacker Luke Kuechly was slow to get off the field after a huge hit to the head. American’s live to be entertained, and the football field is one of the main sources of enjoyment for many. Immediately after Kuechly’s hit, it was quiet in the stadium for the first time that day. The fans watched in fear, waiting to see if their star player could finish the game and bring out the win. However, they all became disappointed as Kuechly shed tears while being carted off the field, not because they were worried about the player and his head but because they feared about losing the game. Americans want excitement,
Recently you have received a letter from Martin Luther King Jr. entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In Dr. King’s letter he illustrates the motives and reasoning for the extremist action of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960’s. In the course of Dr. King’s letter to you, he uses rhetorical questioning and logistical reasoning, imagery and metaphors, and many other rhetorical devices to broaden your perspectives. I am writing this analysis in hopes you might reconsider the current stance you have taken up regarding the issues at hand.
In Friday Night Lights we see the theory of functionalism not only in the team, but the town and its dream of solidarity through winning the state championship. In a small town, such as Odessa, Texas, high school football helps to keep the town together by keeping it alive. On Friday nights, when the flood lights turn on inside the Permian stadium the strength of Odessa seems dependent on what will occur in that football stadium. Businesses shut down; families and community come together within the constraints of this stadium to cheer their team onto victory. Thus during football season, litt...
Throughout the duration of human existence there have been defining moments in our history where the resistance and zealous disobedience of an oppressed populace has led to a transformed society. Slavery, oppression, and the forced subjugation of minorities have been shrouded truths for our minuscule history. The precedent fact that an ethnocentric elite always manages to oppress the belittled majority is a truth not easily ignored. King argues that the virtue of freedom is not “voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Citizens are obligated to fight for their fundamental rights; Widener’s “Tank Man,” Thoreau’s “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” and the Arab Spring validate King’s claim that freedom is a virtue that can only be acquired through resistance and insubordination.
Cigarette smoking stay the top preventable cause of sickness and early death in the United States because not only it asserts over 400,000 lives a year but it enhances the danger of someone dying from illnesses such as heart disease, stroke emphysema and a diversity of cancers (Douglas E.Jorenby) . Despite information about the bad side effects of smoking on health, 25% of adults in the United States keep on smoking. One of the reason why people seems to not easily quit smoking and continue to do it has to do with the addictive nicotine, a substance found in all types of tobacco products.
Everyone feels the need to belong. Some people find the answer to fulfill that need in sports. In the United States, the go-to sport is football. Following one’s hometown team or childhood NFL team through the regular season, playoffs, and hopefully, the Super Bowl has become a staple for today’s culture. Whether or not their favorite team makes it to the big Super Bowl game, they still find themselves cheering on one of the teams competing. T...