Deflate-gate

        The 2014-15 NFL season did not end without controversy for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The issue, however, did not sprout up in the actual Super Bowl, it was in the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts. This game was a complete blow-out with a score of  45-7 Patriots. 11 of the 12 footballs that the Patriots used were two pounds per square inch under the league's regulations. This problem quickly became known as Deflate-Gate. The Patriots, mainly Tom Brady, were accused of inflating the balls with a low PSI that greatly exceed the league's minimum. The punishment enforced on New England was a $1M dollar fine, termination of a 2016 first-round draft pick and a fourth-round pick in 2017, and a four game suspension on Tom Brady in the 2015-16 NFL season. There is a huge amount of argument brewing from both sides. 

        I, as a Patriots fan, am a great believer that Tom Brady is not guilty. However there are a lot of reasons and evidence on how he was guilty. Based on my knowledge of the Patriots, I am absolutely aware of the things New England does to get an advantage by bending the rules and pushing them to the limit. To contrast that, I know that Belichik is very educated on the game and always knows the regulations and make sure his team does not exceed them. I also think that these footballs had no implications on the outcome of this game. Sure it was a cold January day and softer footballs are easier to throw, catch, and hold on to, but a lower air pressure is not going to create a 38 point deficit. I think that somebody deflated the footballs, but I do not deem that Brady had a thing to do with it. 

        For being found guilty, Tom was granted a four game suspension for the next season. Even if he did do it, this punishment is outrageous! My question is if this was an average quarterback on an average team, would this punishment be consistent? My guess is most likely it wouldn't be. It is rumored that the league commissioner Roger Goodell dislikes the Patriots. Could this have anything to do with it? It's not a very far fetched theory. Taking draft picks is fair, taking a million is fine, but suspending our star player just baffles me. I would even accept one or two games as fair, but one fourth of the season is a little bit excessive. I do not think the punishment fits the crime and I am glad Brady appealed because I think the league needs to take a second look at this. 

        Nobody wants to see a team cheat the game whether New England did it or not. I expect to see a quick rule change really fast. I think a good idea would be for the refs to inspect the balls after every quarter rather than before the game and then saying let's go. These footballs could be partly the referees' faults. If they become a little more strict then we most likely will not see a dilemma like this again. No matter what happened with these footballs, I think "Deflate-Gate" got blown way out of proportion.               

Blog Post #8

        In Josh Greenbaum's documentary titled "The Short Game"(2013), he displays that children that are so young can be extremely dedicated to a sport. The author first shows dedication by interviewing the kids on their drastic methods to get better; he then shows clips of them actually performing these training tactics to show how hardworking they really are, and to conclude he finishes by showing the end result of the tournament. His purpose was to show how invested kids can be. He most likely has a younger audience in mind and not just athletes, but just to let them know to work hard at their dreams. 

        Children at the age of 8 and younger are being documented on their journey to the World Championship of Golf in the documentary titled "The Short Game". It shows the path these kids take one by one. How they started playing golf, how they got good, and all the sacrifices they made to play the sport they love. It uses interviews from the kids asking about things like what their daily life is and what they do to get better. At first the interviews are just to help you get to know the kids. Their future goals are also included, like what they wanna be, and what they want to achieve in golf. Their names are Allen, Amari, Sky, Jed, Agustin, Alexa, Kuang, and Zama. When the Championship comes, they all meet their expectations for the most part. Zama was the most improved player from last year. Allen placed first for theyboys division. Jed showed up late once due to rain delay and received a 10 stroke penalty who would have won without it. Amari was the winner of the girls' division. The rest played well but nothing special. One plus is that almost all of the kids said they made new friends and had fun.

        Personally, I really enjoyed the film. It is so impressive to see such a great amount of talent that young. However, I do not like how their parents were so hard on them. I mean I understand why they wanted to see their children do well and succeed but sometimes it seemed to be over the top. An example is when Agustin's mother was talking down to him and yelling at him. I would imagine that the competitiveness might get the parents fired up. Another thing is I have never seen so much heart and dedication in children that young. They leave themselves no time for a true childhood. At least that's how I viewed it. When he was asked though Allen disagreed. He said that he was not giving up his childhood, rather this was his childhood. I have such a great respect for that and that heart was shown in all of the children.

Blog post #7

        In Trevor Martin's documentary titled "Schooled: The Price of College Sports", he expresses that college athletes are treated unfairly by the NCAA and should not be exploited the way they are without pay. The author first argues with examples of the wrongdoings of the NCAA towards student athletes, he then adds to the argument with clips or stories of conflicts with the rule, and to conclude he addresses the audience with  sources like interviews with past college athletes who had no money to provide for themselves. His purpose is to persuade the audience that consumerism and things like that are hurting college athletes and are against the rules. He seems to have an audience of future student athletes in mind to show the cautions of becoming a student athlete.

        An example of how the NCAA has treated students unfairly is when a UCLA basketball player was put into a video game where he was not notified or paid for it. It was encouraged that being a student athlete could interfere with a student's education. Like when UNC running back Devin Ramsey was suspended for getting help from his tutor on an essay because of NCAA violation. Martin portrays that the NCAA's rules should either be changed or at least revised.

Westbrook's streak comes to an end in Chicago

        On Thursday, March 5th the Oklahoma City Thunder traveled to Chicago to take on the Bulls. Prior to this game, Thunder point-guard Russel Westbrook had recorded four straight triple-doubles. The first player to accomplish this since the legendary Michael Jordan who got seven straight. Although he may not of got a triple-double, Russel still managed to put up 43 points, along with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. With the absence of Thunder star and reigning MVP Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook has worked himself into an MVP candidate himself. Although he had a prime-time performance, it did not cut it against Chicago.

         Now for the game. This game could not be decided until the very last seconds. Westbrook, who obviously had an amazing game, but it was the Thunder's power forward that made a huge impact as well. Serge Ibaka, a defensive force in the league recorded 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists. The Bulls were without star Derrick Rose and first time all-star Jimmy Butler. Russel put up 19 in the third quarter taking the Thunder into the final 12 minutes with a 79-72 lead. with 1:07 left to play, Oklahoma City had a 4 point lead. On the last crucial drive for Chicago they were down 2 with little time. E'twaun Moore hit a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to take the game despite Westbrooks performance.

Celtics Blow Lead and Fall to Steph Curry and the Warriors

        Isaiah Thomas' 20 points wasn't enough to hold a 26 point lead midway through the second quarter against Steph Curry and a surging Warriors team. After a mediocre second half, the C's defensive breakdown cost them the game last Sunday, March 1st. At the TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics fall 106-101.                                                                                                                                       The Celtics are without scoring and rebounding leader Jared Sullinger for the rest of the season who was arguably their best player. Point guard Isaiah Thomas who was acquired from the Suns at the trade deadline has quickly became the Celtics premier scorer. The Warriors, arguably the best team in the league, with MVP candidate Stephen Curry were more than the Green could handle.             

         "This was a fun challenge for us," Coach Steve Kerr said. "If we lost, it wouldn't have been the end of the world. But we were down and we came back. I was happy we showed good poise."

         This quote is from Warriors' first year head coach Steve Kerr. Although it seemed like Kerr did not care too much about the game, it must be great to see his team fight that hard in a game that might not be all that important. 

        So how did this game even play out? The Celtics had a hot start in the first half of play with a three-point barrage. At one point leading by 26 points. By halftime, the lead had been cut to 16. "Twenty-whatever we were up in the first half felt like three to me," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "And 16 at halftime feels like two against those guys. They just come back so fast."

        Brad Stevens had no intentions of letting the Warriors come back at all. This game however, was not decided until the final seconds. With 10.5 seconds left to play, with a score of 104-101, the Celtics only chance was a three pointer. Off the Tyler Zeller pick, Isaiah Thomas seemed to have a clear look at the hoop. Thomas is also an excellent three-point shooter so the Celtics were not in such a bad position. Unfortunately, the shot rolled out, Curry grabbed the rebound, and hit the game clinching free throws. 

        Curry led his team with 37 points, which was a game high. Thomas led the Celtics with 20 coming off the bench. He is the first Celtic to get 19 or more points off the bench for four games in a row since the legendary Kevin McHale in 1989-1990. Jae Crowder also had a great game and swiped a career high 17 rebounds. However, the result was the Warriors second best comeback in 15 seasons.   

                   

Did Arthur and William's "Hoop Dreams" Come True?

        The documentary titled "Hoop Dreams", about two young basketball players living in Chicago trying to make it in life through basketball. William Gates was recruited to St. Joseph's high school, where he became an instant star. Arthur Agee, also recruited to St. Joseph's, had to transfer due to payment issues. He then went on to play at Marshall high school. They both had to overcome many hardships like drugs and gangs where they were living. Basketball was their "way out" and it did not give them any time for things like that. William's playing was limited during high school due to a knee injury that continued to bother him. The film made it seem as if William had a brighter future than Arthur which is debatable. It was portrayed that William was doing better with grades and was even more successful on the court than Arthur. At this time it also seemed that Arthur was unlikely to ever make it to a real college because of his grades. The documentary presented Arthur's lack of a true role model to look up to a lot. His father being in and out of the house and family, also getting involved with drugs many times. This really appeared to have impacted Arthur. The case was much different for William. His older brother Curtis had hoop dreams of his own. A basketball star, just like William and Arthur, that lacked the obedience to really shape a career. Curtis decided to put all his dreams into his younger brother so he helped William develop his skills on the court.  
        After high school, William got a scholarship to Marquette University. He graduated after playing three seasons for Marquette. Although this was not an easy few years for Gates. He had quit the team and even dropped out of college.  Eventually he came back and received a two year scholarship to complete college. After, he got a bible degree and became a pastor in his hometown of Chicago. Grades would not allow Arthur to receive a scholarship from any colleges. However, after going to junior college, Arthur was awarded a two year scholarship to Arkansas State. Unfortunately, his dream of making it to the NBA never happened. His father was killed on December 15, 2004 by someone who was believed to be paid to kill Arthur Agee Sr. I think this led to the creation of the Arthur Agee Role Model Foundation. This was to "help underprivileged kids to understand that their role models are not professional athletes, but their parents at home." Arthur most likely finally understood that there is more to life than making it to the NBA or being a great athlete. Overall I think that "Hoop Dreams" portrays that being a professional athlete is not the only way to succeed.  
       

Sports Effects on Culture

        Sports have modified the American culture in many ways. Whether it has created parties, or broken racial barriers. Racism was a huge issue in our country for a long time. The Jackie Robinson story is perhaps what eliminated this problem. He was the first African American baseball player ever to play in the MLB. Although he got a bunch of hate, this led to great things. Sports have also changed the way people act now. They are things to talk about and hobbies. For few, it is more than a game. For some, sports are a lifestyle that people put their blood, sweat, and tears into. Sometimes, sports can make somebody forget about everything else in the world. Maybe even ignoring priorities so it might not always be a positive thing for our culture.

Jackie Robinson

        Even today sports continue to effect our culture. Super Bowl Sunday has basically worked itself up to a holiday in our country's culture. Family and friends get together and have parties just to watch a football game. I guarantee this day's festivities will continue to grow and get even bigger. Also, sports have brought a huge market along with it. People pay for gear, to go to games, their favorite players jersey, and so much more. This is mostly for younger people, but with sports there is a whole new wave of role models. A lot might look up to an athlete and want to be just like them. Sports can spark a lot of conversation too. They are on the news, TV shows, the radio, they are seen almost everywhere.
        My life has been greatly impacted by sports. At first, they were just a hobby and something to do. However, as I played them more, and understood them, they have become a huge part of my life. Sports are responsible for at least 90% of my friends. This is because there are no family-like bonds built like there are in sports. Winning, losing, and fighting alongside with the same people always makes it that much more special. Following sports in my opinion is a hobby to me. I think it is fun to keep updated with them, talk about them, or even pay attention to stats. I think sports are amazing things and our culture has been greatly shaped based on them.