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Living in a modern society that has established the government as a democracy encourages the citizens to be vocal about political issues. This notion should apply to all the citizens regardless of their profession or standing in society. When applying politics to sports, the athletes are told they cannot have the same ideas on an issue that involves the whole country by telling them to "stick to sports". In the articles  Should Athletes Stick to Sports?  by Jay Caspian Kang and  The End of “ Stick to Sports”  by Bryan Curtis discuss this idea of athletes and sportswriters breaking out the sports bubble in this new generation. The ability to ignore the increasing political climate has become difficult for everyone to just ignore as Kang states,  "But the latest intrusion of political talk into sports whether you deem it excessive or welcome has had a drastic effect on coverage". This should not surprise anyone especially with the wide divisions in poli...

The term sports can often be associated with the male gender despite females being able to perform the same feats to a certain degree. Even knowing this, people have gone out of their way to exclude people that were not overtly masculine because they had felt that people that were not bursting at the seams with testosterone are inferior. The very people that look to shutout all those that are different from them in appearance are most likely well informed on sports but are ostracized from their depiction of sport connoisseurs. This theme of discrimination is entwined in Scott Almond's article, What I learned in the Locker Room, and Kristin Huckshorn's article, Female Sportswriter Finally Rocks the Boat .  With the Almond piece there is this sense of belonging that is lost on the night editor, Shelly, as she had transitioned from male to female. Whether the reason was to feel comfortable in the body that she had always envisioned or not, the fact still stood that She...

When did the lights turn out and in the middle of the game too. This is ridiculous to think that in the middle of a hockey game; the refs would just turn out the lights on you. That is really rude to think that the bills are not being paid in the barn. You know what I had the puck too, then wham the lights are gone and it is suddenly pitch black. I do faintly remember the train that was coming to pick me up and take me to me to the hospital if I did not avoid it. I was already expecting it to miss me and in the middle of that thought they just go and turn the lights off on me. Now I believe that I can move, but I am not too sure because the lights are still off. I really hope that they turn the lights back on because I have to get home after this because I got places to be in the morning. This is not the first time that the rink has turned the lights out on me like this, as scared as this makes me feel when they do some shenanigans like this. Usually I am able to pop my body right...

In the realm that is Sports one of the components that has made these pastimes last is the emotional investment. Whether that be anger, sadness, thrill, or disappointment in your faction's outcome. With these emotions flowing throughout sports from the players to the fans, the birth of Jim Murray's depressing article, If You're Expecting One-Liners , and Mike Royko's more humorous article, A Very Solid Book , are given as they explore two sides of the spectator. Murray's article does not start on a light note as he states, "I lost an old friend the other day. He was blue-eyed, impish, he cried a lot with me, laughed a lot with me, saw a great many things with me. I don't know why he left me. Boredom, perhaps". The character that he describes is not a person, but his own eyes. The loss of his vision had left him feeling as though a major part of his life was now closed off to himself. Now he would have to learn to live without the seeing his family or ...

To build a real-life person or animal into astronomical proportions to the point that their very lives are passed around like a folk tale is not an easy task. As seen with athletes such as Babe Ruth, the concept is not far off as the stories surrounding them can build to the likes of Jesus as someone recounts an interaction that changed their life forever. As many attempt to construct the story of their heroes to be God-like, the expectations can also cause their downfall. Two different cases of this myth building escapade comes from Tom Wolfe's article, The Last American Hero , about NASCAR legend, Junior Johnson, and Gary Smith's article, The Chosen One , about Tiger Woods. From Wolfe the legend that is Junior Johnson is one that had helped to popularize stock car racing in the early years. To paint the portrait of Johnson Wolfe states, " In this legend, here is a country boy, Junior Johnson, who learns to drive by running whiskey for his father, Johnson, Senior, one of...

The nervous jitters that are embedded into championship games are enough for a player to break down from the pressure, but when the clock winds down the intensity picks up as you edge closer to the end. Dependent on the result, a player can be overcome with pure joy or be wrought with despair. Both feelings can last an eternity as one team celebrates while the other contemplates what could have been. An ingredient that makes the victory all the more sweeter is when you claim it from those that were supposed to end you. Not only did the Los Angeles Kings during the 2011-2012 playoffs bring to life what it meant to be an underdog, but they completely shattered the expectations that were placed upon them. As the lowest seed in the Western Conference during the playoffs, the Kings never held home ice advantage in any of the four series that would eventually lead them to the Stanley Cup. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs a team needs sixteen total wins to claim the top prize, but Los Angeles ...

The role of an athlete is to not just entertain, but to be something more than the shell of a human. Two athletes that were able to encapture their audiences were Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay. Even though the two athletes were similar in nature with their cockiness, Ali was discriminated for his actions while Ruth was this untouchable legend. Writer Grantland Rice in his article,  Game Called, romanticizes the life that Babe Ruth had led up to his death. The perspective of Ruth on the people is summed up when Rice states, "But Ruth was something more than a great ballplayer. He was an emblem, a symbol. No other athlete ever approached his color, not even the colorful Jack Dempsey, who had more than his share". The idea of believing in Ruth as something more than an athlete is great and all, but the actions of Ruth in the article can be perceived as despicable for anyone. Such as driving recklessly or hitting an officer, then being able ...