This is Sportscenter

Still to this day the show Sportscenter is one of my favorite TV shows of all time.  Its not just the fact it consists of numerous sports clips and score updates, but the fact that it usually encompasses two of my favorite genres of television: sports and comedy.  Now the comedic side of Sportscenter is usually toned down for the most part during live shows and what not, meaning the sports highlights and interviews take center stage.  The comedy aspect of Sportscenter is most commonly seen in their Ads and commercials however, when the camera's are not live and the atmosphere is much more relaxed.  One of my favorite ads for Sportscenter of all time features one of my favorite hockey players, Alex Ovechkin, a Russian-born athlete who plays for the Washington Capitals.  The scene starts out inside the offices of ESPN, the main set for all of the "This is Sportscenter" ads.  Ovechkin is in full hockey garb filing some papers in the dark.  One of the Sportscenter anchors walks by and notices him in the room.  As he approaches Ovechkin and turns on the light he asks, somewhat sarcastically, "Hey why are you filing papers so late and in the dark?  Are you a Russian spy or something?" The two exchange laughs and the anchor walks away and leaves Alex to his business.  As soon as the anchor leaves, Ovechkin's face changes into a serious glare and grabs some papers as he looks to the ceiling.  The goalie for the Washington Capitals, Michal Neuvirth (a fellow Russian), appears out of one of the tiles and throws Alex a rope, saying "That was too close" in Russian, as Ovechkin agrees saying, "Too close" as well.  It is this kind of comedic genius that makes the Sportscenter ads so funny and so relatable to the athletes they are portraying.  Just the thought of an office being run by athletes from all sports and walks of life makes this ad one of my favorites, as well as all "This is Sportscenter" ads.

A sports ad that i have come to frown upon lately is the Peyton Manning commercial where he is promoting the new Buick car and is acting like a real southern hick while driving it.  Yes, everyone knows that he is a superstar football player.  Yes, everyone knows that he hails from the south and has always been immersed in that culture (graduated from Tennessee University).  But come on Buick, the commercial is just awful and the jokes seem kind of derogatory.  This is probably just my personal feelings on how I feel about the commercial, but I just don't like Peyton Manning or the way they are promoting the car.  Buick should take notes from Sportscenter if you ask me.

Average Morning

The worst sound known to man.  That awful ringing bellowed against my ear drum as I quickly awoke from my comfortable state.  It should have gone off 20 minutes ago, but decides to wake me up now.  Terrific.  Feeling drowsy and tired I roll out of bed to a closet full of hangars and coats; not one article of clothing is clean and hanging up.  I look down on the floor to find the entirety of my wardrobe lying in a heap, waiting to be washed and burning my eyes from the stench.  'What else is new' I mumble to myself and plunge my hands into the mass of dirty laundry, playing my usual game of "mystery outfit" and wearing whatever I manage to pull out of the pile first.  I hobble down the stairs and open the fridge to find an abundance of variety; a jar of pickles and two bottles of Powerade.  'Breakfast of champions' I think to myself as I wash down a salty spear with Mountain Berry Blast, 'And I'm sure the day is only going to get better'.  At this point the sarcasm is literally dripping out of my mouth.  

Traffic is the nemesis for my lead foot as I come to a screeching halt.  I feel like everyone is stupid for going to work at the same time as me, and that no one understands how my day is going.  Its almost like the world is against me at this point, and that everyone planned to get on the highway at the exact same time.  I see an open section in the lane to the left of me and I turn my blinker on as I prepare to turn.  Well I guess my idea was as good as the guy in front of me too as he copies my actions and cuts me off like its his job.  My usual colorful vocabulary began to spew from my mouth as I gave the driver in front of me a piece of my mind, as well as a few choice hand gestures to go along with it.  'Man if I didn't need to pay off this car loan I swear to God I'd ram this bastard' I tell myself to keep up with my tough guy moment, knowing inside that I was truly full of shit.

It felt like years before I got to office, setting all of my morning stress onto my desk chair as I fall into it with thud.  My eyes almost roll back into my skull as I begin to drift off until I see an out of place note sitting on my desk.  The desk chair's wheels screech loudly as I roll closer to my desk and pick up the post it.  Of course its a note from my boss saying that I need to see her ASAP.  You know, the usual note that you love to see on an awful morning.

The envelope felt like a ton of bricks in my hand, and my temperature was rising as  I began to comprehend a few of the important words that my boss was dribbling out of his fat face.  In essence I was being let go, and I didn't give a f*** in this point of my day.  I decided to keep my words to myself, and my thoughts inside.  As I left the office i only had one thing to say to myself.  "Congratulations sir, you just had one hell of a morning!!!"

You just gotta love that smell...

Growing up and throughout my childhood, water was never a thing that I learned to fear or stay away from, but actually quite the opposite.  From as early as I can remember, swimming was a passionate hobby for me, and as I grew up, it became a love affair.  Now in the norms of competitive swimming, I started late.  Very late actually.  My first year of competitive swimming did not actually occur until my freshman year of high school, while most of my team mates had been swimming on teams and practicing to best times all their lives.  Now just because I was a relative beginner in the world of swimming competition, didn't mean I wasn't any good.  Like I said before, swimming had always been a passionate hobby for me, and some of my earliest memories had to deal with swimming lessons at our local pool in the early morning; my mom dragging me out of the warm serenity of my bed and into the cold, yet refreshing, chill of the placid water.  And of course, how could I forget that ever present odor of fresh chlorine wherever I turn, and that constant sound of splashing and yelling.  Arrival at the pool always meant the days first bold move as well; jumping in to that stark water and out of the sleepiness and fatigue that has enveloped your body from a night of peaceful rest and relaxation.  It is a feeling that many would connect to annoyance or disparity, but I learned to love that rush of adrenaline and the burst of energy and motivation that would follow and lead you into the swim practice.  The water was now under your control, and the motion of your body never felt so free and fluid.

Over time, this trigger would mesh with the memories of my high school swim team, and all that encompassed it.  Chlorine is a smell that, even today, triggers all the emotions that I can remember from my competitive swimming days.  The squeak of the locker room floor from wet feet, the constant sound of rushing shower water, and the chill of your body when it was time to eventually jump into that ice-cold pool. My earliest memories coincide so nicely with my memories now that I have with swimming, so I definitely will be using them in my essay as a trigger to either begin the paper or bring it to a clean and summarized end.  My story and timeline in this sport is very unique in that I did not start at until I was older, but at the same time, had been doing it all of my life.  I think that is what makes my relationship with swimming so special, and why my various memories and triggers will draw the reader in and hopefully relate to the emotions and events that I am portraying. 

Sport: The Definition of a Community, a Culture, and Ourselves

Ah Klosterman, your words are so true and never fail to speak to me on a deep, yet so superficial level.    In his essay 33, Klosterman writes about the rich and dominating basketball culture of the mid to late 1980's.  And when I say this, I obviously mean the intense, overblown, highly-contested battle of the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics.  The focus wasn't just on the battle between Bird and Magic on the court, however, but on the hostile and very racial culture that was produced between opposing Lakers and Celtics fans.  This heated rivalry that was created from the success of these two teams helped to form the hatred these fans have for each other nowadays, as well as the racial issues that are so often associated with the sport of basketball, as well as other big time sports in the United States.  Klosterman identified how the Larry Bird-led Celtics were mostly Caucasian in an NBA full of African-American-run teams; one of these teams of course being the LA Lakers.  The stars of Bird and Magic Johnson (Lakers) began to emerge from the two teams, and it wasn't long before these teams began winning the right games and establishing themselves as the best teams in the league.  Now how could two teams have so much success, but at the same time, be so different in their racial make-up, style of play, and overall fan base??  Well, for starters, maybe physical and mental prowess in a sport isn't solely based on race or where a person comes from.  Maybe skill set and a team's chemistry are both learned and achieved through long hours in the gym and at practice, as well from a great passion for the game.  Even if this really is the case, there is no way to escape how race and ethnicity defines a community (such as in Boston and LA), and how people tend to choose sides within these sporting communities so that they can feel like a part of something that they can really embrace as their own.

This passion for sport and the community that a person may find themselves in always depends on the kind of person that he/she is.  Some might even say that age is one of the biggest proponents to one's love of a sport, and that that "fire inside" may tend to dwindle and die as one grows older.  The End of Practice, a poem by Rodney Jones, is a perfect description in my opinion of how youth athletics is one of the most highly contested levels of sport in both the amount of passion that is shown from its players and fans, and in how it creates communities that surround teams and entire towns.  These athletes treat every day like another chance to prove themselves yet again, and practice like their lives depend on it.  Especially when it comes to high school sports, such as football, the players and coaches who devote their time to the game aren't usually there just to have a good time.  Sure, they both have outstanding passions for the game that they play/teach, but it is through the victories, loses, and intensities of games that these kids and adults find their true belonging.  And out of this raw emotional atmosphere comes the passion of the fans who seem to be drawn to every game to watch their son/daughter, cheer for their friends, believe in a team, or believe in an entire town.  There is no other event or activity on this planet that can bring communities together like sports can.  In the poem, Jones talks about the young athletes angst and drive to shine in practice, win the respect from their coaches, and in turn, gain that feeling of accomplishment that is found through a winning touchdown/goal/run and is acknowledged by a community of parents, friends, fans, and elders.  Sure, at times race can be an influence on the makeup of a sports community, as was the case with the Lakers and Celtics, but that is not the only aspiring factor that describes a culture such as this.  I believe that it is the role that all of us fans must take, as well as the athletes that we cheer for, to bring a community of people together to believe in something, no matter what that may be.  Winning that first game, beating that rival team, or even taking that deep run in the playoffs to an eventual championship are all examples of how sports teams allow us to believe in something bigger than ourselves.  When a community forgets its troubles and problems, and can come together to share in a sporting heritage that fuels both the passion of its fans and athletes, that is when that community becomes a culture, and that is how every single person within that culture can choose to define themselves.  No matter what color our skin is or where we come from, we are all sports fans inside, and we all can choose to believe in something that we are truly passionate about.

Dear Nick...

Dear Nick Watney,
Hey man congrats on your latest win at Bethpage Black.  I watched every round and got so pumped when you were in both final groups in the weekend.  Man I love everything about your golf game, and watching you really makes me want to become a better golfer.  I don't know what it is, but I can connect to the way you manage your round, bounce back after mistakes, and the way you carry yourself on the golf course.  You never seem mad at yourself over a bad shot or a missed put, and you always seem to be having a good time.  Thats definitely something that I need to work on because as you and I both know, golf is such a mental game, and it can really tear you down if you let it get to you in the heat of the moment.  So I just wanted to let you know that I'll be working towards a "cooler head" while I play, and always keep in mind that my first priority is to have fun, no matter what the situation (you seem to do this even when there are hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line so...yeah props man).

Also wanted to say that I respect you for the way you handled yourself during this 2012 PGA season.  You seemed to pop up on a few leaderboards here and there, but as you would probably admit, you were having a pretty lack luster season; one that an accomplished golfer such as yourself would be disappointed about.  That was why I was so impressed when you silenced all the haters and won your first tournament of the season last week at the Barclays.  Not only was this the first tournament of the playoffs, meaning it shot you to the top of the FedEx points list, but it was also important for all those Ryder Cup captains to see that you still have incredible game and can bounce back after some bad play.  That is definitely something that I idolize in you and will take away for my own upcoming golf season.  Keep it up man and I know you'll do some more great things.  I know that if I follow your game, I'll improve my game as well.

Best of Luck,

Turner Meek

The Pro, the Am, and the Worlds Biggest Fan

Sports fanatics are a special kind of people.  When you talk to people who label themselves as lovers of sport, they could be referring to a variety of different things in coherence to the actual sport.  There are spectators, participants, recreational enthusiasts, and even people who have jobs that revolve around the world of sports or a certain sports team, even when it does not mean they actually play for the team.  The bottom line is that a sports fan can come from many walks of life and be interested in sport on many different levels.  But all sports enthusiasts do share that common love for the game they follow, and will never have trouble expressing their feelings about it, as well as the passion to compete, no matter what skill level they are at.

When asked about the difference between Participants and Spectators, I really have little trouble discerning the two at an obvious level.  Sure, one person plays the sport, and the other watches the sport.  Pretty simple stuff.  But on a much deeper, passionate level, one can begin to see how the two are very much alike.  To participate in a sport, especially if it is on the professional level, one must be in the top echelon of his/her skill level in that sport, and must be able to compete on a daily basis with some of the top athletes in the world.  Now I'm not saying this is the norm for every sports league in the world, but in a very basic sense of the term, all professional sports leagues ARE competitive.  Every person on that field, rink, or course must have that special set of skills, endurance, and passion for the game to be able to compete with his/her competitors and prove that they should be making a living off of their skill set and ability.  Now for every professional game, there needs to be a crowd, and in that crowd, you will find fans.  Sports fans, of course, are not your typical, out of the box, jaded fan of any activity or hobby.  Sports fanatics are a different breed by far.  Body paint, fight songs, war chants, mascots, homemade signs, and even crazy pregame rituals are almost never seen at movie premieres, wine tastings, or musical gatherings.  Now I'm not saying these things don't happen at other "fan-based" gatherings, but one will usually find these at a sporting event.  Sports fans have the same (if not more) passion than the athletes out there playing their hearts out.  Fans put their hearts and souls into cheering for their favorite players, teams, and even colleges (where I believe the passion for both the players and fans is by far at its highest level).  These fans are almost always athletes themselves; not playing at the professional or collegiate levels of course, but at an amateur level where the passion and sportsmanship fits the skill level and intensity of the players.  Sport is one of the few things in this world that is not racist, bias, or sexist when it is at its purest form.  All fans of sport can participate in sport if they want, and if that isn't for them, then they can choose to watch and cheer, and every single person who does those things fits into the category of a sports fan.  Sure, at some levels there may be more on the line in terms of money and lively-hood, but a sports fan is a sports fan no matter who they are.  And in this sense, a sports spectator is anyone watching a sport and feeling passionate about the outcome, whether they are on the sideline, in the bleachers, or even on the field.

The article that I read regarding Participants versus Spectators (pg. 37-) is a good piece of writing that really helped me gain some knowledge and information on this important aspect of sport.  If I was to choose this topic for a future essay, I know that I would take some of the detailed sections on participant levels, social class, and sports spectators and really embellish my point through them.  The article will really help me get my thesis across and prove interesting topics that will allow the reader to gain a full perspective on the world of sports spectator-ship, participation, and recreational activity.  Hopefully, by using this source, I will encourage the reader, if they don't already, to begin to participate in a sport that they have always been curious in trying, or in the very least, go see a sporting event first hand, and become a sports fan.

Memories and Emotions....and a seat in the crowd

When I think of sports and the rich history that envelops them, the works of Klosterman and Wright do not usually come to mind, but after reading The Greatest Game I Ever Saw (Klosterman) and the poem Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio (Wright), I can see why these sports writers are so often referred to and connected with in relation to sports and the emotions that are brought out in people because of them.  In Three-Man Weave, Klosterman describes a junior-college basketball game that he saw when he was a young kid, and how it was one of the first experiences he had with a sporting event where the game had an awe-inspiring influence on him.  Seeing as the game pitted a team of only 5 under-privileged players against a fully-rostered, capable team, with the smaller team coming out on top, I can't blame him for feeling so highly about what he witnessed.  Klosterman also emphasized how he felt like one of the special few people who witnessed something miraculous, due to the fact that the small team fell to only three members by the 4th quarter, and still managed to come out on top.  He also felt this way because of the small crowd that came out to watch this game, with no media following during or after the game either.

Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio is a short poem that depicts a crowd of people attending a high school football game and the emotions that arise as the sport begins.  The many different people watching this game all come from different backgrounds and ethnicity's, and have unified themselves in their love of football and watching the sport.  The poem describes how the fathers of the boys playing idolize their son's positions and how some people even view them as hero's, just as a child would worship his/her favorite professional athlete.  The point of this poem is to provoke the emotions brought about from sport, especially the ones that bring communities together to share in a ritual of pure sportmanship and game.

These two pieces of writing share many qualities, many of which revolve around how sport provokes memories and influence the emotions people have.  For instance, Klosterman reiterates time and time again that he remembers the juco (junior college) basketball game as one of the first games that he remembers attending and feeling like he was a part of something great.  He could feel the small team's (United Tribes TC) passion for the game, angst when it came down to the wire, and pride/ecstasy when they were able to pull off the victory with only three players on the court.  It is this kind of emotional roller coaster that draws people in to watching sport, I believe.  Humans are always trying to search for good forms of entertainment, especially when it is something that they can relate too.  Sports fans are the best kinds of entertainment seekers because they often play the sport that they watch as well, meaning they can feel a players mistake or success, because they have done the same before.  Even when a sports fan has never participated in a sport, it is that raw emotional atmosphere that pulls them in and allows them to relate just as well.  Usually when it comes to sports fans, they like to circulate around a city or complex that hosts a loved sports team.  It is almost like they are drawn to this hallowed ground to perform rituals of entertainment and pleasure, which in other words, is partaking in the crowd of the sporting event.  This action really makes the point that sports create communities and cultures within these areas, almost as if the city or town where the sports team is based acts as a hub for people to express themselves and come together to join in the thing that they love.  It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, attending a sporting event on common ground where other fans are all around you brings out emotions that few people know they have, and allows everyone to relate to the situations they witness, and in turn, forget about their lackluster lives and focus on something that they love.

Using these sources in an essay based around memory and sporting events would create flow and sustenance in the paper because of the way that they complement each other and feed into the thesis of how memory thrives off important sporting events in a person's life, and vice versa.  In relation to the poem by Wright, I can remember how my high school football games where the big events of the Autumn season, and how it was one of the first times that I could come together with a large mass of people and cheer for a sporting team that I was a part of and could relate too.  Many different people attended these events, but we didn't exploit these differences in those people, only grew closer due to our common interest and love of the team and sport.  Sports, such as football, are the few things in this world that are able to bring massive groups of people together, and I would take advantage of this fact in my essay by focusing on stories where fans come together to watch such events, creating memories and fueling emotions in the process.  Even if the media had no such influence on the hype of the event, such as was the case in Klosterman's tale, it would only be the excitement of the crowd and players that  would create the hype, thus resulting in a memorable game.  I would most likely reference a game such as this, then relate it to my own sporting life, describing my memories and emotions that have formed because of these life-fulfilling events.