Whats Your Problem

April 16, 2019April 17, 2019

Should players be allowed to take a knee during the National Anthem?

In my opinion I believe that players should be allowed to take a knee during the national anthem if they choose to. Players who choose to kneel are exercising their first amendment right and should not be punished for doing so.

In recent years there has been a lot of controversy over this subject due to 49ers player Colin Kaepernick. While he may have taken a knee during the national anthem, it wasn’t out of disrespect for the men and women who fight for our country, but for the division he saw between the people of our country. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media (Wyche & Wyche, 2016).

Since then, “NFL owners have unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer” (Seifert & Graziano, 2018). I think that this rule is a fair trade off for those who believe they shouldn’t be required to stand for the national anthem. They can still choose to stay in the locker room and there will still be the question of why they did so. Questions will still be asked and they can still use this as a platform for other issues that they are trying to bring into the light, like Kaepernick did.

One of the reasons I think that this has become such a controversial issue is because of the media. They have the power to portray the way the pubic views this information and can twist it in any way they want. While many people may have seen Kaepernicks kneeling as a sign of disrespect he was just trying to improve the quality of life for others. There may have been another and possibly better way to do so but he stuck to his guns and did what he thought was right in his mind.

Citations:

Seifert, K., & Graziano, D. (2018, May 24). New policy requires on-field players, personnel to stand for anthem. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23582533/nfl-owners-approve-new-national-anthem-policy

Wyche, S., & Wyche, S. (2016, August 28). Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem

April 7, 2019

Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete with the gender they identify as?

In my opinion, I don’t think that transgender athletes should be able to compete with the gender that they identify as. Many of us today still don’t want men and women to be allowed to play in the same leagues and this, to me, is kind of the same issue. Many times people aren’t able to get their reassignment surgery until they are at least 18. Up until this happens you are still developing as your predetermined gender, meaning if you are a man you will be gaining more muscle than your female counter part. “Women are just over half as strong as men in their upper bodies, and about two-thirds as strong in their lower bodies” (Wolchover, 2011).

Another reason i s disagree with this is because there is a safety issue with allowing a transgender male compete with men. When you look at what it takes to change your gender they can do a lot, but one thing they don’t do is change your skeletal structure. Women have wider hips allowing them to carry babies but also putting them at risk to tear their ACL. While having wider hip may be ideal for carrying a child in your stomach for nine months, its not ideal for pivoting hard and making sharp cuts. The wider angle places more stress on the knee and can lead to an ACL tear. “Women are two to four times more likely than men to tear the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knee (Duke University Medical Center, 2018).

Allowing women who change their gender to play with the gender they identify as only puts them at risk, because while their body may be of a male their skeleton is still that of a female. This can lead to future knee problems and maybe even worse.

Citations:

Duke University Medical Center. (2018, April 18). Study shows men and women tear ACL the same way in non-contact injury: Women still at higher risk; new research could improve prevention. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 7, 2019 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180418092031.htm

Wolchover, N. (2011, September 22). Men vs. Women: Our Key Physical Differences Explained. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/33513-men-vs-women-our-physical-differences-explained.html

March 31, 2019

Should Sports Gambling Be Legal?

In my opinion I think that sports Gabbling should be legal. People are going to place bets on games regardless if it is legal or illegal where they are at. Recently the supreme court has “reversed a 26-year-old federal ban on sports betting, enabling each state to decide whether to allow wagers to be placed on baseball, basketball, football, hockey, among other sports games” (Piccioto, 2018). Before this reversal sports betting was only legal in four states Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware.

Like I said before people are going to place bets even if it is illegal. Illegal sports betting is a multi billion dollar industry, estimated at over 150billion dollars. This kind of money would be great for the economy. Now that they supreme court has lifted the ban of sports wagering the states are free to legalize it if they choose. It is estimated that by 2023 sports betting could bring in 6 billion dollars in state revenue.

Allowing sports betting is also controversial because people believe that it will corrupt leagues. “They said that if people can bet on sports, then players, officials and coaches could be tempted to throw a game to win a bet” (Phillips, 2018). I don’t believe that this will be a problem though. Once legalized sports betting will be monitored and any thing that looks suspicious can be easily dealt with. It is way easier to fix games in an unmonitored environment were money is dealt with under the table.

Citations:

Phillips, A. (2018, May 14). The confusing battle over sports betting, explained. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/14/the-confusing-battle-over-sports-betting-explained/?utm_term=.7ab480858c54

Piccioto, E. D. (2018, June 06). Should sports betting be legal? Retrieved from https://www.theperspective.com/debates/sports/sports-betting-legal/

March 20, 2019

Should kids be given participation trophies?

This topic has been under debate for quite some time now. There are many people who would say that giving kids participation trophies is a great way to keep them motivated and interested in sports. These people think that by rewarding kids just for showing up will in the future allow them to have the passion and motivation to be successful, but in reality “participation trophies can stunt our children’s internal motivation” (“K2 Awards and Apparel “).

Kids today are entitled, thinking that everything should just be handed to them. I’m not saying that participation trophies are the cause of this but they sure aren’t helping with the situation. “The feeling of losing and moving on are particular skills children need to develop in order to deal with negative experiences in life when they become older”(Anne Steinhoff, 2016). If kids aren’t taught that losing is a part of life they will never be able to develop the skills are logical thinking of how to overcome these loses and what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again.

When kids are always handed things in life and never have to work for them they aren’t learning any valuable life lessons. Learning what it actually takes to be a winner and the hard work that you have to put in would be more beneficial towards their development. Teaching kids how to take a loss and that its not the end of the world should be what we are trying to teach our kids, not that they are going to be winners all the time.

Citations:

Are Participation Trophies Good Or Bad? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.k2awards.com/informationcenter/resources/participation-trophy-debate

N. (2016, August 23). Why Winning and Losing Is Important for Children. Retrieved from https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/winning-losing-important-children/

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019

Why do I play Sports?

My involvement in sports started at a very young age. My family is passionate about sports and my mom even owns a gymnastics gym. Both of my sisters compete in gymnastics one just graduated from Boise State and the other is currently still there competing. My little brother is a swimmer and actually just qualified for junior nationals. Both of my parents were high-level athletes as well, my dad a football player and my mom a gymnast, both receiving offers from D1 schools but plans changed when they had my older sister.

Ever since I can remember I have been involved in some sort of physical activity. I have played many sports including football, baseball, gymnastics, and wrestling. My biggest passion is wrestling and I am still currently wrestling for Chadron State. Before coming to Chadron I wrestled 2 years at Boise State until they dropped their wrestling program. I have been wrestling since I was about 4 years old which now makes it a total of 17 years that I have been competing.

One of my biggest reasons for continuing my career in wrestling at the colligate level is because of my family. I want to make them proud of me and see all that I can accomplish. Another reason is that I have put so much time into this sport that ending my career after high school wouldn’t have seemed right to me. There is still more for me to accomplish and I intend to get what’s rightfully mine.

February 16, 2019

Should Athletes Have To Go To College Before Going Pro?

In my opinion, I believe that athletes should have to go to college for a period of time before being able to go to the pros. My reasoning for this is because young adults, specifically 18-year-olds, are not mature enough to handle everything that comes with the lifestyle of being a professional athlete. “Good judgment isn’t something that teens can excel in, at least not yet. The rational part of a teens brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so” (“Understanding the Teen Brain “). Now I think that teens can definitely gain the knowledge required to handle these responsibilities but that’s what I believe college is for.

Another reason that I believe that athletes should be required to go to college is because how do they know that they will enjoy being a professional athlete. This can become a problem because “you have to be an amateur to participate in collegiate sports” (Jcoleman@ncaa.org, 2018), meaning once you claim the title “professional” you can no longer play sports in college. If an athlete gets to the pros and decides that it is no longer the best option for him then he just lost out on the four years of playing he could be doing while in college.

Being able to attend college and gaining the experience and knowledge that it takes to manage yourself and your time would be the best option for any athlete. After that 2-3 year period that they spend in college they still want to go pro then I think that they will be ready to do so.

Citations:

Jcoleman@ncaa.org. (2018, April 05). Amateurism. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/amateurism

Understanding the Teen Brain . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051

February 1, 2019

Should Athletes Be Required To Talk To The Media?

As a professional athlete, you are paid not only to perform well at your sport but also to take time to go to press conferences and answer questions. This can be challenging for some athletes especially after losing a game and if a player is found to have not gone to the press conference they can be fined thousands of dollars. So should they be required to do so? To me, I think that they shouldn’t have to. Many times at these press conferences the reporters are asking questions that have nothing to do with the game but more about the personal lives of the players. They don’t focus on the game, “instead of focusing on providing necessary information, they take provocative stances on issues, speculate details, and share more opinions than facts” (“Stop the Presses!”, 2013). Another thing I see wrong with this is that reporters often twist the words of the players making it seem like what they said to be something it isn’t. Kevin Durant told reports “To be honest, man, I’m only here talking to y’all because I have to. So I really don’t care. Y’all not my friends. You’re going to write what you want to write. You’re going to love us one day and hate us the next.” (Lennon, 2015). Reporters aren’t there for the game. Viewers can see highlight reels of the game on ESPN and social media. They are there for the personal things happening in the player’s life so that people will read their articles. Making players sit through this and forcing them to answer these questions doesn’t seem right and shouldn’t be required of them.

Citations:

Lennon, D. (2015, February 22). Lennon: Media dealings part of athlete’s job. Retrieved from https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/dealing-with-the-media-is-part-of-an-athlete-s-job-1.9962978

Stop the Presses! (2013, November 25). Retrieved from http://thesportjournal.org/article/stop-the-presses/

January 24, 2019January 28, 2019

Should Ahtletes Be Role Models?

What is a role model? A role model is “a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated” (“Role model”). Athletes seem to fit this definition. As athletes being a role model comes with the job, whether you like it or not. Having found so much success in your career leads others, especially little kids, to believe that if they can emulate what you are doing they will find the same success. Over the years there have been many athletes that have used their fame and platform to bring awareness to many issues. For example Aly Raisman, she is using her position as an Olympic gold medalist to bring awareness to sexual abuse and also to help others who may be suffering from this. She believes that being an effective role model means you need to be ready for “work” at any time. “Sometimes people will come up to me in the market or at the mall, and they’re sharing their stories about being a survivor for the first time,” Raisman says. “I want to do everything that I can to make sure they feel heard, and make sure they are believed—I really want them to feel that.”(Dodson & Tiffany Dodson, 2018). The actions she is taking to voice her opinion has inspired others to do the same. She and embodied what it means to be a role model and further leads me to believe that athletes are great role models if done the right way. Now there are always going to be those who mess up and make mistakes but they are only human. The media tries to portray these actions in a much bigger way than they actually are and I believe that this is what leads people to see athletes as bad role models. If we can look a these mistakes as a lesson and learn from them then maybe we too can find the same success.

Citations:

Dodson, T., & Tiffany Dodson. (2018, September 13). What We Can Learn About Self-Care From Olympian and Advocate Aly Raisman. Retrieved from https://www.self.com/story/self-care-aly-raisman

Role model. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/role-model