Last blog!

For my last blog I decided that I would discuss my experience in this class. Honestly, I really enjoyed myself because I was free to express my opinion on situations without being judged. The class was always so chill and I liked how we had class room discussions almost every class. I found Mr. Mink very helpful when he would revise my papers. I can honestly say that I have become a better writer this semester. I will miss this class a lot.
I registered for this class not knowing it was a sports related class, and once I discovered it was I immediately interested in it. I've learned how to add enough details into my papers so that it will keep the readers attention. I can say that Mr. Mink is one of my best teachers since I've been to Florida State University and I am glad that I got to share this class with a good groups of students.

Mens Basketball.

Basketball season finally kicks off. This is what hundreds of fans have been hyped about during football season. But the mens basketball team has had a rocky start this season. Considering that FSU was the ACC Champion the following year, it is truly a shocker how bad we are playing. I can honestly say that I am disappointed with them this year. An as I can see, this is a rebuilding year for the Mens Basketball team.

I have been following FSU by watching them on TV, but I do plan on attending the game when they play against the number 7 ranked UF on December. Hopefully, by this time the Men will be prepare to beat the Gators! It is unusual for a basketball team to have a bad start and to build and become successful throughout their season (once there comfortable around each other). So I look forward to for the Mens Basketball season to become successful and who knows maybe even win another championship!

FSU football falls short

Every year. we face off aginast our biggest rivals UF in a intense game to determine which University inf Florida is the best. After two years of defeating UF, FSU has fallen short of being victorous this year. The University of Florida came to Doak on a mission to beat the seminoles and sadly they accomplished it. The game started off with the crowd going wild and each time hyped to play one another. For the seminoles our offesne was rocky for majority of the game. With EJ Manueal (the quarterback) throwing 3 interceptions in the first half of the game. I couldn't help but to loose faith in FSU. Clearly UF was playing as if they were the better team regardeless of us having the number one defense in the nation.

Finall it hits half time and the score is 3 to 10 UF up.The teams return for the 3rd quarter hyped and ready to go. FSU starts off the game amazingly. They manged to score two touchdowns back to back giving the FSU fans hope that we might win the game. The score eventually becomes 20-23 FSU. Then something bad happens. EJ gets sacked which put him out of the game for a couple of minutes, Those couple of minutes were the turning point of the game. The second string quarterback manged to give UF the ball and they ran in for a touchdown. The mood of the FSU section totally shifted to disapointment and sad.

EJ finally returns and the seminoles are down. UF managed to score another touchdown on us in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter UF scored a total of 24 points which pretty much gave them the victory. Although our defense gave up 24 points. EJ managed to score a ending touchdown in the last remaining seconds of the game. Although the seminoles lost, they have other things to worry about  the upcoming Championship game.

Thanksgiving sport

Each thanksgiving the men go in the back to play a game of basketball. Usually the older men think they can keep up with the younger boys. So usually it is pretty funny to watch. They play touch football with 4 on each team. Usually they divide it eventually so its not unfair with only the younger guys on one side.

So the game starts off with arguing about how the older men can keep up with the "babies". They just talk straight shit to one another until one side scores. Thats when the game starts to get intense. They almost start to play tackle football and usually someone hurts their back or leg. I always enjoy watching them play and wish I was able to join in. Sports is a huge part of my family and it is a tradition that they play every year.

Thanksgiving memory/story

My most memorable thanksgiving would have to be last years. The reason why it was so memorable is because I had all of my close family memories gathered at my mothers house. Some members of my family I haven't seen in years so it was exciting to see them. My favorite part of thanksgiving is hands down the food. That year my mom cooked ham, turkey, mac and cheese, greens, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and etc. I had at least three plates before I visited other peoples house.

Next I went to my best friends house for thanksgiving. It was nice to see how she does things to celebrate the holiday. In my opinion it was totally different because her mother didn't cook the same way as mine. An it was also excited to try new things that I wasn't use to eating on thanksgiving. All-in-all thanksgiving last year was one of the most memorable thanksgiving because I got to share the holidays with two different families that I cared about and I won't forget about it for the rest of my life.

The AD I am creating a opposition for is about Alyson Felix holding the American Flag while jumping in the air. This is a symbol that women in sports is starting to take over. But honestly who cares, when half of America believe that men run things in the world anyways. Men bring in more revenue, bigger audiences, and are much stronger and faster.

I do agree that women are starting to hold a strong position and are becoming more popular in sports. This is bringing young ladies to watch women track and field, volleyball, basketball and etc which in many cases is bring more revenue and crowd to the sports industry. Although women will probably never out do men in sports because they always seem to outdo women in almost everything athletic wise. Both athletes (male and female)  are arguable  both role models to kids and should be looked up upon for their extraordinary talents.

The way in which I could include a political view into my adbuster is by talking about unequal pay for women and men. In many cases, Women generally get paid less which isn't fair. It is said that the reason why Male athletes get paid more than women athlete is because of the amount of revenue generated by the males. Male sports bring in more ratings on television which in turn brings bigger sponsors which are willing to spend more of their money to endorse the team. Also it is said that women lack pay because they aren't as physically good as men in sports. Which is true because there is no women running times like Usain Bolt. This isn't fair to women athletes and in my opinion should be addressed and both male and females should have equal pay.

World Of Sport

In the world of sports that activity that I am most involved in right now is the Florida State University football games. I strongly support the football team here and watch the away and home games. I stand by my teams side no matter what the outcome may be. For example when we had lost to NC State I was disappointed, but I didn't let that get in the way of my expectations for them. Currently FSU is ranked in the top ten which is decent at least. Also there is a big upcoming game coming up against UF which I will be attending.

I am also starting to engage with the Mens basketball games. I am aware that we lost the first home game against South Alabama. And the other game was against Buffalo on 11/12/2012. I am not completely engaged in FSU basketball just yet but it is begging to catch my attention as the season is starting. I support both the Mens football and basketball teams and I look forward to future games to attend throughout my college experience.

For my adjbuster, I will be talking about a powerful Africian American Athlete that has the world on her shoulders. I will have the wings because she is flying and has power due to her being fast. I will be talking about how she has shifted peoples opinion on women being fast and how it has affected our views on women's dominance.

Adbuster

For my adbuster I want to use a track and field picture. I have considered using two pictures, one is of Alyson Felix kneeling down with her on the blocks. I picked this one because it reminds me of my high school career. It is such a powerful picture because it also includes her highlighter nike spikes on. She is wearing the U.S track and Field uniform for the 2012 Olympics.

The other picture is of Alyson Felix striding in the air with the U.S.A uniform for nike. For the motto I want to it related to the brand nike and her being a professional althea. I am not exactly sure what I am going to add to this picture yet. But I do want it related to her having the ring on her finger and being a dominate figure in the 2012 olympics. 

The Old spice Commercial of Greg Jennings was pretty funny in my opinion. It is promoting the mixture of spice and champion together. I personally love the smell of that soap. Pretty much what this commercial is starring is a great champion mixing business and pleasure together. Overall its a great commercial and I could watch it over and over again.

I woke up with the worst headace of my life-as usual. I rolled up from my bed with a huge smirk on my face. Looking through my closet for my work clothes I realized I had no clean clothes. My stomach then speaking me so I quickly ran over to the fridge. Suprisingly, there was no food. Just a loaf of bread and a half a bottle of milk. Glancing over at the clock I then realized I was ten minutes late to work. "Damn" I screamed out loud. "Could my morning get any better?" Quickly I grabbed some clothes from the dirty laudry and bolted out to the car.

Driving onto I-95 in my 1995 beat down nissan versa the traffic began to get heavy. A car had flipped over into a canel. The scene looked horrible. I saw a young girl with a missing leg and shoulder bone sticking out. She was getting pulled away in a stretecher. There were three injuried in the accident.

Finally I get to work and before I could walk to my desk my co-workers bitched at me for being late. I coldly brushed them off and spotted a folded letter placed on my desk. I immediately began to read it. "Please meet me at my off" were the words I repeatively read over. My heart was beating rapidly. The palms of my hands began to get moist, I couldn't help but to think "what did I do wrong?"

20 minutes later, after I've gathered my thoughts, I walked my way over to my boss office. I waited outside her office for almost a decade it felt like. "Lisa please come into my office," My hearted dropped and my legs went num.

I sat down in the comfy seat infront of her desk and glanced into her eyes. My boss handed me a enevlope. "What is this all about," I asked timidly. She remained quiet and watched me open the enevlope. Tears dropped from my face. She looked me in the face and announced that my services were no longer needed and I was free to go. I stormed out of the room slamming the door behind me.

I couldn't stop shaking. Quickly I grabbed the remaining of my shit from my desk. I over heard co-workers whispering to one another which made me feel ashamed. The ride home was depressing and long. I called my mom crying non-stop. Thinking over the past couple of months it didnt add up. I was no late to work, disrespectful to my peers, or was I a slacker. Walking through my front door I thought to myself "damn I am unemployed,"

Prompt 8

My favorite sports related movie is Love & Basketball. Love and Basketball stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan.  This movie is about a young love that grows over time. This love connects with two people that have a love for the sport of basketball. What makes this movie my favorite is because it is a inspirational love story that shows that the impossible is possible. All though people go through troubles it can be over come if the two people share the same passion.

Love and Basketball starts off as two young children having crush on one another. They eventually grow up and the scene leads to them being in high school. The girl is a tom boy that guys arent really attracted to and the guy is the big time jock that all the girls want. Soon they end up noticing one another at their high school dance. An they rekindle their lost love for one another. Eventually they end up breaking up in college and going their separate ways.

During this point of the movie, you can notice the gender roles that affected their relationship. The male character is the all star player on his team while the girl is struggling to get in the starting spot. This leads to him getting big headed and leaving behind the girl that cared for him all a long. This leads to arguments and then something bad happens. He gets injuried while playing in a game and isn't able to return of the season. He then gets engaged to this gold digger but then realizes that this is not what he wants.

The love between Omar and Sanna eventually sparks up again and they both become professional athletes. But this time they both have a baby girl and live happily ever after.  Everytime I watch this movie I get jealous because thats what I want when I get older. It would be a dream come true if I could get married to somebody that has the same passion as I do. To me life would be so much more enjoyable. Thats why this movie gives me hope and passion. Unlike the "The Elmo" article this movie isn't about fake love. Although it was during the time when they were separated and with other people. They evenutally came back to one another because they shared true love.

Prompt 7

My favorite non-sports related movie would have to be Taken. Taken stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen. It is one of the best action movie I've seen. Basically it is a movie about a father trying to rescue his daughter that was kidnapped in Paris. Her and a friend went on a vacation to a foriegn country and managed to get caught up with strangers that they assumed were "friendly." Little did they know that these strangers would soon break into their house and take them away for prostitution. Luckly, the girls father was on the cell phone with her while she was about to get adducted so she was able to describe the guys and let him have clues to find her.

So the father immediately does his research to rescue his daughter. He hires people to help, kills people, and eventually finds his daughter at a auction. She was being bought for prostitution from a rich guy. The father sooner then later finds out who bought her and is able to get her back into his arms.

All in all, this movie was interesting from the moment it start til it end. It grapped my attention because it could happen in real life. I am a little scared to travel out of the country a lone now and it makes me more aware of my surroundings because it could happen to anybody. Also sense the movie had so much action it had the viewer wondering what would happen next The acting in the movie was phenomenal. I could watch this movie over and over again any day.

Prompt 6

Every four years I always look forward to the 2012 Olympics. Mostly to watch Lolo Jones performe in the 100 meter hurdles and Sanya-Ross Richardsons dominate in the 400 meter dash. The United States Olympic Track and Field team has the most powerful runners in the world. There's nothing  that excites my mind more then watching these women run.

Around 9pm, every day the Track and Field events would be on television. I would be tuned in from start to finish on every race. First race I watched was Lolo Jones perform in the 100 meter hurdles. I was anxious and all I could think about was her bad fall in the 2008 olympics. I couldn't stop walking around my room and screaming at the tv at the top of my lungs. I couldn't stop moving! My room mate couldn't help but to laugh at me. Watching her run made me feel as if I was running as well, becasue I was breaking a sweat. Watching the announcer say "on your mark, get set, GO" made the palms of my hands feel sweaty. My heart beat faster and faster as Jones got closer to the finish line and a feeling of disapointment rushed through my body as she placed 4th.

The second race I watched was of Sanya Richards. She is a great performer every year in the Olmpics. I always feel butterflys when she is at the starting line. Her muscler legs and arms aspire me to want to keep in shape. Theres nothing like being in track shape, it's the best type of shape to be in! My eyes would be glued to the tv screen, I barely even wanted to blink my eyes because I was scared I would miss something. She blew all the women out  with her outstanding strides and quick steps when she was running in the 400 meter dash.

Hands down the best race I saw in the 2012 Olmpics was the Womens 4by4 race. I was running laps around my room! From the very momment the gun went off for the first leg, my heart was beating uncontrotalable. I was jumping up and down, smiling from ear to ear, and screaming at the tv telling the women to "run run run run!" all at the same time. Then they handed off the stick to the last leg, Sanya-Ross Richards. The USA already had a 50 meter lead on the other teams, Sanya extended the lead to atleast 20 meters more. I couldn't help but to have tears of joy. To be apart of that team would be a dream come true to me. Those are my idols.Watching them run made me feel so happy. I enjoy watching Track because it brings back so many memories.

Watching the Olmpics was a huge trigger to my first running track. It made me realize how valuable the sport really is to me. It made me remember how energized I first was when I ran in the field day events. How the sun was beating against my skin, how dry my mouth felt, and the rythem my heart maked as I was running around the field. I always remember how it felt to cross the finish line in 1st place that day.

Blog 5

In the society that we live in today, sports is what most Americans live, eat and breaths. It's almost as if they can't survive without it. In my opinion it defines our culture as a whole. 

In the essay "Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs" it is evident that sports divides our society by the color of our skin, white v. black. Basketball has in ways turned people against one another because our culture has gotten so involved in the basketball career. Now they falsely install in their minds that the division of race is right and this continues on to the younger generations. Furthermore, this essay elaborates on how the pro basketball teams should try to show important politic throughout the games, because its a essential way to teach the people. Instead of doing insignificant things, that people shouldn't be so concerned about like "Michael Jordan coming back" as stated by the author. 

People are so concerned about the image of our athletes that they forget about the valuable information. The hype of the Boston Celtics versus the LA Lakers has in the past dragged our society against one another. Our culture has allowed it to represent almost everything in their lives. In the author’s opinion, if you aren’t with a basketball team, you don’t have a purpose in life.

In the poem “Winning” by Rodney Jones he talks about how his sister wins all the prizes, and the only thing he won against her was a H-4 club sack race.  Which he could have cheated on to win against her? In the other poem “The end of practice” Jones talks the experience a football team had at the end of their practice. They had to run and do drills. He describes the procedures the players had to do during their practice, including them going to the locker room.

Furthermore, both pieces of work relate to one another because they represent the competitiveness of our society. Nobody wants to be a failure, so they will do whatever it takes to win. The combination of sports and a culture defines us because people allow it to. People get so involved with the images of our athletes and the victory of a win or disappointment of a lost that is determines their mindset. Now, it is accepted by our culture and we don’t even realize that we are doing it at times. It is apart of us. We live, breath and eat sports. 

How does it feel to be MVP, a Gold medalist in the Olympics and a Miami Heat champion all in one year? It must feel nice to have all those titles and have the ability to stay humble throughout your struggle and hate from thw Cleveland fans. I would always defend you because the stupid "intellendent" people would always try to compare you to Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryan. I never understand why people would do that because you are your own individual basketball player. I was so happy for you when you finally reieced your ring because every Miami Heat hater would always try to throw you under the bus with "how many rings does Lebron have?". I would always reply "How many does your mother have, zero so STFU!" I would ALWAYS get into heated arguements with Kobe fans because they ALL hated on you even when the Lakers were clearly out of play offs. And they would still claim that the Lakers were the better team. Now sense they got there tranfers, they feel as if they stand a chance against us. I doubt it. But they will learn the hard way that you are a monster that can't be stoped.

You know what I thought was funny, how in the world do people HATE you so much but still watched you play in the Championship. All they would say is hurtful negative things the whole time. Why waste your time and breathe, what a dumb a**. What sense does that make? So you were making more money then your haters, got your ring and more fame from your accomplishment while all your haters watched it on TV. I got a good laugh out of that. There was nothing anybody could do to take those awards from you and I supported you every step of the way. Now I have the ability to say that you have accomplished way more then any basketball player in the league today in one year other then Micheal Jordan.

James, you have really took basketball up a level. Your size and strength and age has classified you as one of the greatest basketball players to ever touch the court. Continue the good work and I look forward to watching you next basketball season.

Blog 3

There isn't a better feeling then participating in a sport rather then watching. Everything feels so different from the viewer’s perspective and from the athletes. When your watching or participating in any sport it's different because you get a different type of excitement when you see and hear from the crowd and get a distinct anxious feeling you receive from within your body.  In my opinion watching and participating in a sport are two complete different experiences. 

Although a person may acquire a different type of feeling from watching and participating in sports these emotions both seem to come to a comparison.  There are two different ways a person can become an athlete. A person is more and likely to become active in a sport if they understand it. They understand it by watching it on television and by doing their research on their favorite athlete or team. In order to be the best at any sport it starts by becoming watchers and grasping the material and installing it into their physical activity. Another way is just by the parent simply having their youth join a community driven sports team. Having children start at a young age only allows them to have more time to improve on their skills and become a better athlete. While the athlete is still young, they usually have their parent and coach pushing them to their highest peak. 

Varsity High school and College sports prepare the athletes for the more intense Divisions. If the athlete is talented enough in the Division 1 College, then he or she is most likely to be drafted to professional level. These professional athletes are often rewards with money and publicity from the media and their fans. Being a professional athlete is only a temporary job because it requires a great amount of work and force to the body and eventually it won't be able to keep up with it. Although not everybody is able to perform at the professional level there is other opinion. People can perform at the recreation level, which doesn't have a specific level of skills or achievement. There are many different opinions in and out of universities to join a sports team.

With that, people are influenced to continue to participate in a sport based on numerous things. It all depends on their talent level and the out side sources that are behind them in their physical activity. Another factor is social class, depending on the available resources for the high, middle and lower class it will affect what sport they will participate in. For example in high school sports most classes would be able to participate in football, basketball, track and field and etc. because they are low in cost and are available for everybody to try out for.

Sports have come a long way in the world. There were racial issues and discrimination against women participating in physical activities. People from around the world love to participate or watch sports and it will continue to evolve for the rest of our lives. 

Blog 2

Heart, dedication, and talent are the three main ingredients to make the impossible possible. Both poem and essay readings focuses on memories of the past. In the poem Autumn Begins In Martins Ferry the narrator of the poem, James Wright, concentrates more on the men themselves then the high school football game. Wright reveals that these fathers watching their sons perform in the game reflects their dreams of being a high school athletes. Meaning these fathers and mothers live by lost hopes and dreams. This poem depicts the negative aspects of society and reflects how people accept the harsh ways of life as the normal ways of living. The football field is a place where the best memories of a man live forever because the sons only have two options in their life, football or their father’s mill.

In the reading Three-Man Weave it discuss a valuable moment in the authors life. A moment that many don't know about but it was life changing for many who watched and knew about it. Although the low-profile junior college basketball team was the under dogs, they never lost hope and went into the tournament confidently. Due to poor defense, 2 of the 5 players fouled out forcing them to play with only 3 players. Worried and scared the Native American team still played with the remaining players. This essay reflects on how nothing is impossible even when things don't go as planed. 

Both the essay and poem relate to one another because it reflects how negative society can be. It shows how people misjudge things due to their beliefs and feelings towards something. For example the Junior college team of three players were automatically suppose to loose the game in viewers eyes due to the lack of people on the court. But the team still managed to win the game and prove society wrong. Although it's a story based off memory and not recorded it still is a story that should be heard. Like the author said the Native Americans were know as "lazy" humans because that’s what society stereotyped them as. In the poem  "grey faces of Negroes" are men who suffered and had to work hard in the mills for their sons so they won't have to suffer through their fathers fate. These women and fathers watch their children live the dream that they only can watch and push their children to be the best and be successful at it.

There is universality within these sports because they both require teamwork in order to win. Also these literary pieces both reflect on how the best memories are playing sports. Memory is an essential ingredient in these two pieces because they both show low-key events that happen in the world that changed society and these people’s lives in some way. Memories are important in relation to sports because it can be used for motivation for people to perform at a higher level. Once you accomplish the best and remember it, it makes athletes want to accomplish more and make the impossible possible. The love for the game of basketball, football and etc. can only increase as you perform better each time. If the athlete has the dedication and heart to win then their talent will eventually match up and they will begin to succeed in every sport they play.

The retelling of these stories defines the culture because even though they were local events. They still are monumental events that sculptured the sport of basketball and football to the way it is today. For example, in the poem the sons were playing football for a better future then their fathers makes the sport of football more valuable then it was before. Also the basketball players winning the tournament even though all negative things were said about them changed the sport of basketball. Each event that happens in the world is a stepping stool towards making sports more entertaining and respected more by viewers and athletes. 

When writing my first paper I could use both the poem and essay and share a moment in my life where basketball or track made a difference to me. I could share my story of being a high school athlete and how my love for the sport of track grew throughout my middle and high school career. My experiences would be different because I would share a story from my kindergarten field day event of me running my first race. My story would be told off memory like these two pieces of work. I would structure my paper by writing a informal paper of my thoughts and feelings during my first marathon race and how it affected my life from that point forward.

Prompt 1

I was 6 when I was introduced to my first basketball game. I was walking through the gymnasim holding my fathers hand. Chants and cheers were heard across the gym which made my heart drop. I wasn't use to it. I never understood basketball at a young age. All I knew was that my two older brothers played the sport. While walking to our seats we passed a group of girls with mini skirts and half tops. One girl decided to do a front flip right infront of us. I was fascinated. I never seen anything like that before. They all smiled from ear to ear and had make-up caked on to their faces. They repeatively chanted over "Go Panthers Go" each time the team scored.

I started to micmic the cheerleaders moves during the half time show. A girl named Ashely noticed and allowed me cheer with the team. I began to understand basketball a little bit better that day. I knew the differnce between a free throw shot, lap up and a three pointer. I could also tell who the point guard and center were. Thats when I realized my love for basketball. I was anxious to play. I couldn't wait to get back to my seat and let my father know. I was doing flips and cheers with the assistance of the cheerleaders and they also allowed me to have my own uniform.

Ever since my first basketball game I would also practice in the front yard by myself. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed I would practice drippling and shooting. As soon as I was old enough I joinded the Lady Panthers basketball team. I fell in love with the sport. I played as center and sometimes point guard. Nobody could remove me from the court. I loved the sport of basketball and watching Lisa Lesle in the WNBA gave me motivation to become a better  ball player.