Live fast die young

Noah Aniser

Sources:

•  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/sports/sports-coronavirus-impact.html
• https://fortune.com/2020/04/02/college-football-coronavirus-ncaa-d1-sports/
• https://www.voanews.com/student-union/desperate-play-coronavirus-impact-college-sports
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/27/fearing-cuts-non-revenue-college-sports-look-ways-to-weather-this-storm/
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/25/colleges-dropping-non-revenue-sports-jeopardizes-us-olympic-model/

Is Covid-19 the End for Non-Revenue Sports in College?

Through the pandemic, colleges started cutting non-revenue sports like women’s water polo, men’s volleyball or soccer. The virus had an undeniable impact on sports in the United States and Colleges are facing a significant decrease of their annual revenue. 

Cutting non-revenue programs might have a bigger impact then most of the people think. According to the Washington Post, four of the of the last Gold Medals that the U.S. won at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were won by athletes from sports among the 11 programs that Stanford decided to cut. Overall, Twenty-nine U.S. athletes who had ties to Stanford won combined 27 medals for the United States, more than any other university’s contingent. 

The American system is different from the systems that countries like Germany have because in the U.S. model, sport is tied to school. Out of the 558 members of the 2016 Olympic team, nearly 80 percent participated and competed at a college level. The success of American athletes at big sport events is undeniable and almost scary but the dominance might come to end. If more colleges like Stanford start cutting sport programs, the U.S. Olympic model is lost. 

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening the revenue streams that help athletics departments to survive. The revenue made through broadcast rights, ticket sales, donations and more is gone. Schools like Stanford see no other option than cutting sports that are not always in the public eye or sports that have no revenue at all. Even though some college sports don’t generate as much revenue as football, basketball or baseball, they are important and very much needed. 

Since the N.C.A.A. cancelled the Men’s Basketball National Tournament in March, coaches knew that it could affect their sport. For all the people who are not familiar with college sports in the U.S. here is a quick crash course of how the athletic departments or in general how the N.C.A.A. operates. 

Basketball and Football are the two sports that usually receive the biggest amount of money. They spent the money on scholarships, gear, trainers and just other costs that come with competing at college level. But the basketball and Football programs of that country are also the sports that generate the most profit. The revenue is generated through ticket sales, broadcast rights and sponsorships. That helps fund all the sports that are not able to finance themselves because the are just not as much in the public eye as basketball or football. 

David Ridpath, a professor of sports management at Ohio University said that even before the pandemic “it was a very fragile system” and that he thinks “anybody like me who’s been around it for 30-plus years knew that a tipping point was going to come one day.”

That question that a lot of people ask themselves is why schools rather cut several different sport programs across the nation instead of putting less money into athletic departments like football or basketball. Wouldn’t it be the better way to have several different athletic departments and therefore a broad-based athletic program? 

The college system in the United States is facing a big decision and it will be very interesting what they choose. One thing is sure though, some athletic departments will suffer. 

Moyer Quick 65 of South Iowa City was killed in a two car yesterday Morning at 11 a.m.

The accident happened two miles east of Sioux City on Hwy. 28. The vehicle Moyer Quick was driving collided with a truck driven by Randy Radin, 17.

The three survivors were transported by ambulance to Sioux City General Hospital.  The injured included two passengers out of the Quick vehicle. Dorothy Quick has been released from the hospital, Maxine the second passenger in Quick’s car is in a “fair ” condition and scheduled to be released . Radin is listed as “critical”, with a fractured skull and internal injuries.

Patric Stewart, an South Iowa Highway Patrolman said, both vehicles were westbound on the two-lane highway. Quick passed the Radin vehicle but his rear-end struck Radin as he completed the pass. The impact sent both vehicles into the ditch on the north side of the road. Quick’s vehicle rolled once.

The accident, which is still under investigation, occurred under cloudy skies with rain in the forecast. The road was clear and dry but the autopsy showed that Moyer had a heart attack which may have caused the accident.

Hand-held radar guns got banned yesterday but Adam Smith said “The whole situation is under review.”

They were banned because of concerns that troopers could develop cancer from longterm exposure to the radiation waves emitted by the device.

The ban affects 70 radar guns that will be withdrawn from service. State troopers will continue to use radar units with transmitters mounted on the outside of their cruisers.

The move is considered to be the first of its kind by a state police agency. It comes two months after three municipal officers in cedar Rapids filed workman’s compensation claims, saying they developed cancer from using the hand–held units.

“The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue,” Smith said. Studies are conducted into the possible links between cancer and the use of such guns.

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/world/australia/melbourne-covid-doctor.html

The article is about a medical worker who expresses his fears about the effects that Covid-19 may has. Of course, there are the fears of people dying, especially elderly people but he is even more concerned about the fact that we lose what it means to be human. The author starts the article by explaining the current Corona situation in Australia. As in most parts of the world, the second wave of infections is increasing but at least the medical stuff could use the calmer times to restock on medical equipment and stuff. People know now that there is a very high chance that they will catch it at some point, but at least they know that they will probably be better in no time. As of now the uncertainty which caused a lot of fear is gone. After describing the current situation and the hope for the future, the author comes up with an interesting question. “Are we allowing this virus-which is the antithesis of humanity- to win anyway?”

To Dr. Lokuge, the biggest threat is that we slowly lose the ability to be and know what it means to be human. 

The virus took away touch and hugs but also gatherings and even the smile with mandatory masks almost everywhere. Dr. Lokuge even describes the feeling of losing a patient unexpectedly and not being able to express any emotions because of contact restrictions. 

The author mentions an even harder situation afterwards. People in nursing homes haven’t seen their families in months, some people even say goodbye through video chat which is just far from being human. 

After that the doctor shares a personal issue that he is facing at the moment. His father is part of the risk group because of his age and several other stuff which means he isn’t supposed to see him at all, but he insists to stay in contact. He says: If hugs are numbered why wouldn’t you want as many as possible. 

Humans need contact and if people gather at park, it is not always because they are selfish, is because they are human. 

I personally think that the article is really interesting and well written. The structure makes definitely sense and the topic is highly relevant. There are a lot of discussions about the selfishness of especially young people who gather in a park or somewhere else, but he says that things like that is just human. I think it is definitely news worthy because it relates to all of us. Everybody is facing covid and we are all missing important parts of being human like hugs and touches. 

The author is in my eyes not really objective, because he shares a clear opinion and clear statements towards one direction.

I also think that the headline is chosen very well because it attracts the audience right away. If a doctor says something, people are usually listening. 

Over all, I think the article is really good and should be read by a lot of people.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Walt Disney

That is probably one of the most famous quotes and also the favorite quote of Nathanael Roop. He is 19 years old and has four siblings. They were all born and raised in Marcus, Iowa. He is a sophomore who studies at Morningside College. At Morningside he is a captain of the E-sports team and competes in “Overwatch” tournaments. Morningside’s E-Sport team wants to step up their game this year and actually compete for tournament wins. In order to be more successful they started focusing only on the 3 major E-Sport games which are Overwatch and two more. Surprisingly, Fortnite isn’t one of them

If he is not practicing for his E-Sport team, Nathanael focuses on school work. His major is MassComm and once he is done with college, he wants to become a professional voice actor. Another big plan for his future is to travel to Germany. In the interview he couldn’t exactly tell me if his last name origins in Germany or England. Either way, visiting Europe would bring him a step closer to his roots.

Outside of class, he likes to watch Sports especially Baseball. His favorite sport team are the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nathanael has some core values which shape the way he approaches his life. He says: “I do what I want, when I want and I don’t let myself influence by others”

Aleksei Navalny, Putin Critic in a Coma, Was Poisoned, German Doctors Say

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/world/europe/aleksei-navalny-poison.html

The article is about Aleksei Navalny who is known to be one of Putin’s biggest critic. Navalny got poisoned and is now in a coma. After falling ill in an airplane, he got transferred to a hospital in Berlin, Germany where he was under round-the-clock guard. German doctors identified a poison called cholinesterase as the reason behind his sickness. 

Navalny isn’t the first famous critic of the Russian president who suddenly falls ill. Russia is known for their history in attacks against political activists and is therefore called outlaw nation. 

After giving this short background information, the two authors focus on the person Aleksei Navalny and what made him a threat for president Putin. Russia is still denying any kind of fault for Navalnys sudden illness. Even though Germany and Russia are on good terms, Germanies government requests an investigation and will be extra precautions to ensure the safety of Mr. Navalny.

The two authors dig even deeper in the history of Russia’s attempts to eliminate potential threats for president Putin and name several examples of people who experienced some sort of mysterious attack like Navalny in the past. 

They also mention that it is not the first time for Navalny to be involved in an accident like this. In 2017, Mr. Navalny suffered a serious eye damage through an attack. 

The authors do a really good job in creating background information for the reader. The article is build up quite nice and does a really good job in explaining the history of Russia as an outlaw state. I think it is a good choice for a headline because it tells what the whole story is about.

It is definitely news because it’s about prominence. Putin and are Navalny are quite famous and therefore interesting to a lot of people. A state president poisoning a political activist is news because it is something that usually doesn’t happen especially with other nations like Germany involved in the case.

I am a student athlete from Germany who is studying at Morningside College. Being from a different country makes the college experience really intense and unique. Living in cultures that are so different made me to the person I am today. The blog will show how I approach my life and goals. So, I highly recommend following me on my path of living life to the fullest.

Life is a game, play it.