There are times when politics and sports get intertwined. Normally it's not too pretty, but there are lessons to be learned. I think that there are multiple lessons and realities that can be taken from the Boston Marathon tragedy. First, tragedies shouldn't scare us from public events. While the attacks on Boston had no connection to marathons at large, sports are often common targets for violence. This shouldn't be a deterrent to participating in, and spectating, sporting events. Also, sports often serve as a stage for international politics.
There was talk of changing marathons so that all 26.2 miles would be secure. I don't think this is a good idea. Runners should be able to run marathons with no fear whatsoever. Making marathons "high security", like airports, would be a hassle, and would make marathons exclusive in a way. Police officers are one thing, but metal detectors and body scanners would just make people not want to watch marathons. Also, tight security is just going to scare runners more. The fact is, being in a free society, we should have the right to run marathons. With tight security, marathons will focus more on being safe, than personal accomplishments. Marathons are public events shared by a community; marathons, as well as other events, are best held without the fear of terrorism.
There are many stages where political views are expressed. The press, cinema, and internet are just a few outlets. But one of the largest transmitters of opinion is sports, especially on a global level.Throughout the Olympics and especially soccer, politics are often transmitted. Regrettably, these opinions are often reproduced forcefully, memorably through acts of terror. Palestinian soccer players in Israel are tormented and persecuted, but vice versa, Palestinians killed numerous Israelis in the Munich massacre of the 1972 Olympiad. Maybe the reason why sports are targets of terror is that sports are universal. Almost every culture has athletic competitions. Sporting events get a lot of attention from a vast audience. There's also peaceful forms of protests in sports. There's Tim Thomas' infamous political goalie masks as well as athletes having mottos on their undershirts that are revealed when he or she scores. Peaceful sporting political expression can have a very large impact. Sports and Politics are definitely not separated, both are part of culture and will probably be long intertwined.
Sports are just like politics. They require strategy, opinion, and most importantly, the ability to please the population. The link is fascinating. Sports allow those with opinions to spread their views - peacefully or not.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Master's Review
The Masters' this year was full of controversy and excitement. Tiger Woods entered the tournament number one in the world, but he exited the tournament in controversy. But in the end, it was an Aussie who donned the Green Jacket.
The controversy didn't start until after the second round. At Hole 15, Tiger Woods hit the flagstick and the ball bounced backwards into the water. Woods could have either a) played the ball from besides the water in the "drop-zone", b) played the ball from behind the water, but still on the same projectory, or C) dropped the ball from where his last stroke was. Woods went with the final option, but with a catch. He admittedly dropped the ball two yards in front of where his last stroke was on purpose. This set Woods up for a decent stroke that would allow him to minimize the damage. When the Masters' Committee found out, they discussed the matter amongst themselves and with Tiger Woods. Woods was given a two stroke penalty, pushing him away from the lead. The public was outraged. Many called for him to withdraw from the tournament. While the penalty did set Tiger a fair way from the lead, (No pun intended) it didn't knock him out of contention. Personally, I thought the punishment was fair. For such a minor amount of yardage, dropping out of the tournament would be a tad over the edge.
However, the magic doesn't reach the climax until the final round. In this case, the defining moments were deep into the fourth and final round. When Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Adam Scott of Australia, both had a score of -9, everyone knew this was just another thriller. The first playoff hole was the eighteenth, which both players recorded a par. Impending celebrations would have to wait. It was on to the tenth. Cabrera came up just a little short by failing to make a birdie. Scott, however, did make a birdie, and became the first Australian to ever win the masters. Scott's inspiration, Greg Norman, is the only other Aussie who came close to winning the Masters in 1996 when he surrendered a six stroke lead. Like his idol, Scott also broke down in the final round last year, except Adam had a four stroke lead at the British Open.
Golf is one of those sports with a very global reach. Which is interesting because it's often viewed as a "Rich Man's Sport" while other internationally popular sports are popular be sauces they require little equipment. (For example, association football/soccer, in theory only takes a couple fabrication of home items found in African homes. A large part of golf is mental. Because of this, I could very easily see both genders competing against each other. The only dividing factor between males and females in golf would be driving distance. In the short game, physical strength doesn't matter nearly as much as finesse and fundamentals.
The Masters has kicked off a bit of a summer fiasco for the PGA. The four major tournaments are starting to begin their cycle, just as the prestigious tennis tournaments have their own cycle. Golf is just another game that's so fascinating to follow because of its global reach and intricate competition.
The controversy didn't start until after the second round. At Hole 15, Tiger Woods hit the flagstick and the ball bounced backwards into the water. Woods could have either a) played the ball from besides the water in the "drop-zone", b) played the ball from behind the water, but still on the same projectory, or C) dropped the ball from where his last stroke was. Woods went with the final option, but with a catch. He admittedly dropped the ball two yards in front of where his last stroke was on purpose. This set Woods up for a decent stroke that would allow him to minimize the damage. When the Masters' Committee found out, they discussed the matter amongst themselves and with Tiger Woods. Woods was given a two stroke penalty, pushing him away from the lead. The public was outraged. Many called for him to withdraw from the tournament. While the penalty did set Tiger a fair way from the lead, (No pun intended) it didn't knock him out of contention. Personally, I thought the punishment was fair. For such a minor amount of yardage, dropping out of the tournament would be a tad over the edge.
However, the magic doesn't reach the climax until the final round. In this case, the defining moments were deep into the fourth and final round. When Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Adam Scott of Australia, both had a score of -9, everyone knew this was just another thriller. The first playoff hole was the eighteenth, which both players recorded a par. Impending celebrations would have to wait. It was on to the tenth. Cabrera came up just a little short by failing to make a birdie. Scott, however, did make a birdie, and became the first Australian to ever win the masters. Scott's inspiration, Greg Norman, is the only other Aussie who came close to winning the Masters in 1996 when he surrendered a six stroke lead. Like his idol, Scott also broke down in the final round last year, except Adam had a four stroke lead at the British Open.
Golf is one of those sports with a very global reach. Which is interesting because it's often viewed as a "Rich Man's Sport" while other internationally popular sports are popular be sauces they require little equipment. (For example, association football/soccer, in theory only takes a couple fabrication of home items found in African homes. A large part of golf is mental. Because of this, I could very easily see both genders competing against each other. The only dividing factor between males and females in golf would be driving distance. In the short game, physical strength doesn't matter nearly as much as finesse and fundamentals.
The Masters has kicked off a bit of a summer fiasco for the PGA. The four major tournaments are starting to begin their cycle, just as the prestigious tennis tournaments have their own cycle. Golf is just another game that's so fascinating to follow because of its global reach and intricate competition.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Final Four Galore
The aftermath of the 2013 NCAA Tournament has set in; its conclusion was just under a week ago. Louisville built upon last year's Final Four appearance by going the distance this year. Upsets came early and came often. Most notably, Florida Gulf Coast's upset of Number 2 Georgetown made headlines for weeks. But in the end, it was the Final Four that got us all up off our feet.
The upset that everyone talked about was Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown. Many people didn't even know such a college existed. However, Georgetown, favorites to go the whole way, fell to this basketball minnow. The nation was taken by storm by the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles who not only won one game, but two to advance into the sweet sixteen where they were valiantly beaten out by the Florida Gators. Another headliner upset was Number 14 Harvard beating Number 3 Arizona. Though Harvard's run was short lived, it was the first time Harvard won a NCAA tournament game since 19461.
However, things don't truly heat up until the Final Four. Louisville and Wichita State (Surprise!) played in the first game, while Michigan and Syracuse played in for the other ticket to the finals. Louisville won the first game, while Michigan won the second. This set the stage for a fantastic final. The game was close throughout, but it ended with the Louisville Cardinals having an eight point advantage over the Michigan Wolverines.
NCAA Basketball's through, giving way for baseball and eventually football to transition into the sports spotlight. Sports fans can only hope to have a tournament next year as exciting as this year's.
The upset that everyone talked about was Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown. Many people didn't even know such a college existed. However, Georgetown, favorites to go the whole way, fell to this basketball minnow. The nation was taken by storm by the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles who not only won one game, but two to advance into the sweet sixteen where they were valiantly beaten out by the Florida Gators. Another headliner upset was Number 14 Harvard beating Number 3 Arizona. Though Harvard's run was short lived, it was the first time Harvard won a NCAA tournament game since 19461.
However, things don't truly heat up until the Final Four. Louisville and Wichita State (Surprise!) played in the first game, while Michigan and Syracuse played in for the other ticket to the finals. Louisville won the first game, while Michigan won the second. This set the stage for a fantastic final. The game was close throughout, but it ended with the Louisville Cardinals having an eight point advantage over the Michigan Wolverines.
NCAA Basketball's through, giving way for baseball and eventually football to transition into the sports spotlight. Sports fans can only hope to have a tournament next year as exciting as this year's.
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