Sports Injuries

Proper practice and training leads to a healthier athlete with less chance of injury.  It is much more common for an athlete to get injured then someone who is not an athlete.  There are different injuries that can happen to an athlete that sometimes may end their careers.  A common injury that happens frequently in the sport of baseball would be the tearing of the UCL in the elbow which usually requires surgery. The thing is these are not the only injuries that happen to people.  A non-athlete can get injured as well but with a lesser chance.  When an injury happens, a main focus is the success rate of the athlete returning back to their prior selves.  There are different types of injuries that happen in each sport.  Would you be amused if you knew that a surgery before the injury even happens makes the athlete stronger?

Comparing football and baseball injuries, we conclude that they both do happen but they are strangely different type of injuries.  In sports, we realize basic things right away.  In football, players don’t use their arms like a quarterback and when it comes to baseball, every single player on the team uses their arm every play.  Knowing this, one can come up with the idea that baseball is usually filled with arm injuries whereas football usually has more lower half of the body injuries.  Either way, both sports have their own injuries that are well known to people all around.  Sometimes it is sad to say but also true, that when watching football, we see someone running and make a cut move and all of a sudden fall, we can tell that they may have injured something in their leg.  When watching baseball, zeroing into the pitcher throwing, we may see them grab their arm, which most likely means they have hurt it.  From this, we know that each sport has their own unique injury.

Examples of injuries in both sports that are very common are a torn UCL in baseball and a torn ACL in football.  We find that they are the some of the longest recovery times post operation in all sports.  The time that happens after surgery from an injury is called post operation.  During this time an athlete rehabs and rests to let the body try to get back to full strength.  There are all different time lengths for all different types of injuries, but some people may say that there is a surgery that not only makes athletes come back to their prior self, but come back even stronger and amplify the game that they play.  Well this one surgery can happen and sometimes even be performed before the injury even happens.  For example, “Tommy John” surgery usually leaves an athlete out of commission for at least 9 months as to if someone in football gets surgery on something as much as a torn meniscus can have them out for as short of a time at 6 weeks.  After a person gets injured, their body has to start to go through the healing process to make them strong again.  Each persons body are all different and can heal fast or some can take longer then others so nothing is ever set in stone.  Different rehab programs will make an athlete come back faster then others but also could cause a long term problem.

An example of this is a meniscus injury.  We can get two different types of surgery in which one is called a meniscectomy where they take the damaged part of the meniscus out of our knee and the other is a full meniscus repair in which they connect it back together and let it heal.  These can be two very different and time-consuming surgeries.  An article from Webmd.com states that “you can return to heavy work or sports anywhere from 4-6 weeks if you have it removed.  They also state that if having it repaired, you will be back to these same activities in 3-6 months.”  We usually see athletes getting it removed to return more quickly, but there is one problem behind this.  Getting the meniscus removed causes bone to bone contact in their knee which can give you arthritis in the future.

There are many leading causes behind sport injuries such as overuse, stops and twists, falls, improper equipment, new or increased activity, fatigue, unilateral movements, and technique and posture.  Being athletes, we need to be in the best shape of our lives and push our bodies harder than they should be pushed at some points which is why we get injured.  There are ways to prevent injuries but some things we can control.   We may even be injured by taking a wrong step.

Injuries do happen to athletes.  They are all different in different sports and there are different reasons why they do happen each time.  It’s never good when they do happen and it is sad to see but it is a part of being an athlete.  There are ways to prevent these from happening but not in all cases.  Injuries are all different, it is important to know how to make our bodies in the best shape for all different sports so that these injuries do not happen.  The athlete has to make sure that they eat, sleep and train correctly just to make sure they have a healthy body and make sure they have the lowest chance of being injured.

Work Cited

Gun control laws were constructed to reduce the overall crimes that are involved with guns. The purpose behind gun control laws was to determine who can purchase/sell firearms, carry/store guns and to reduce and prevent gun related deaths. Gun control laws were deemed necessary because some believe perceived enforcing gun control laws would . According to Richard Perez-Pena in his article, “Gun Control” he claims that gun control is  broad term that covers any sort of restriction on what kinds of firearms can be sold and bought, who can possess or sell them, where and how they can be stored or carried, what duties a seller has to vet a buyer, and what obligations both the buyer and the seller have to report transactions to the government. I support this definition because it covers a good amount of what gun control is about, however it does not mention another part of gun control which is to limit or decrease crime and violence related to guns.

In Tony Cook’s article, “Indiana to blame for Chicago’s gun violence” he states that Indiana and other states with few gun restrictions are to blame for Chicago’s homicide problem. Cook makes this claim because later in his article he informs the audience that Chicago police have been complaining for a long time that there has been a steady stream of illegal firearms from neighboring states such as Indiana, where gun control laws are much weaker. From this evidence Cook has provided, if neighboring states would work together they could prevent this from occurring and lower Chicago’s homicide problem. It is possible because once neighboring states with fewer gun restrictions prevent people for importing guns into Chicago there would be fewer guns to commit crimes with ultimately lower the homicide problem.

According to S.H. Blannelberry’s article, “New Jersey Slaps Felony Gun Charge on Another Law-Abiding Citizen” he claims ” Sgt. Ray Hughes, a correction officers in Pennsylvania, was headed home after dinner with his wife in Atlantic City when they were hit by a drunk driver. Even though he was the victim, Hughes became a criminal – he’s now facing a felony charge for bringing his gun to New Jersey.” From the encounter that Sgt. Hughes experienced it is all the more reason for neighboring states to work together. In Pennsylvania the gun restrictions are considerably lower compared to New Jersey and this is not the only time where people have been convicted coming from states with fewer gun restrictions into strict gun control law states. In Joshua Rhett Miller’s article, “‘Honest mistake’ leads to Philly mother facing three years on gun charge” he states “Shaneen Allen,27, faces more than three years in prison if convicted after mistakenly entered New Jersey, where she was dropped for a traffic violation and found in possession of a handgun loaded with holly point bullets.” Later in the same article it was revealed Allen was in possession of a permit for her firearm, however the permit was not transferable to New Jersey. From the quote it reveals another incident where someone has been wrongfully convicted. In both occasions the accused has been pulled over for something that is unrelated to gun charges, unfortunately ending with gun charges. In order to prevent this wrongful convicts neighboring states must accept permits from surrounding states even if they have fewer gun control restrictions.

In Pro Con’s article, “Gun Control,” Pro Con claims that five women are murdered with guns every day in the United States. The study later stated a woman’s of being murdered increases 500% if a gun’s present during a domestic dispute. From this evidence it shows how even the present of a gun can alter the outcome of domestic disputes. If gun control is intended to be in control of who are the buyers and sellers of firearms, and who are eligible to possess firearms then it should be emphasis that guns should not be present during disputes between spouses and that guns should be tucked away out of reach to prevent the dispute from getting worse. In addition to domestic disputes the presents of a gun has impacted suicides as well. Pro Con has found that in between 1999 and 2013 there were 270,237 firearm suicides in the United States, accounting for all about 52% of all suicides during those years. From this evidence it reveals how the present of a gun impacts a lot of situations. a suitable alternate solution would be simply to keep these guns away from these occasions because without their presence a person wouldn’t able to use a gun to either murder someone or commit suicide.

Pro Con found that countries who have more restrictive gun laws then the U.S. have a lower gun homicide and suicide rates. From this information it reveals how other countries found a solution by enforcing more restrictive gun laws because with more restrictions there will be less guns and as a result less gun related crime and violence. Furthermore Pro Con revealed that approximately 50% of unintentional fatal shootings were self-inflicted. This evidence continues to support the reasoning for U.S. to follow suite with other countries because within other countries this is less likely to occur. Since other countries have fewer guns and more restrictive gun laws.

Pro Con has revealed that gun control laws can lead to preventing injustices from occurring because when looking into some cases it has been found that legally own guns have been frequently stolen and used by criminals. The solution of this reoccurring problem has been addressed because earlier in my work, I suggested that if guns were tucked away it would alter the outcome of situations. This would fix the solution because if done correctly there would be no guns in site for the criminals to steal. Pro Con has showed that high capacity magazines were used in at least 50% of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012. When high capacity magazines were used in mass shootings, the death rate rose 63% and the injury rate rose 156%. From the evidence provided it shows how the average civilian has few reasons to possess high magazine firearms, since most of them result in mass shootings.

Works Cited

Blannelberry, S.H. “New Jersey Slaps Felony Gun Charge on Another Law-Abiding Citizen – GunsAmerica Digest.” GunsAmerica Digest. Fox, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. New Jersey Felony Gun Charge

“Gun Control – ProCon.org.” ProConorg Headlines. Pro Con, 28 June 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. Gun Control Pros and Cons.

PÉrez-peÑa, Richard. “Gun Control Explained.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. Gun Control Explained.

Star, Tony Cook The Indianapolis. “Is Indiana to Blame for Chicago’s Gun Violence?” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 28 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. Indiana Gun Laws To Blame.

The separation of church and state is a concept that has been misinterpreted and blown out of proportion more times than it’s possible to keep track of. It defines the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state. Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 referencing the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It includes this excerpt:

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.” [1]

He’s explaining that the Bill of Rights impedes the establishment of a national church, in turn, preventing the government from interfering with a person’s right to expression of religion by means of supporting one religion over others. After all, this is the reason English pilgrims came to America in the first place. Nicknamed separatists because their religious practices didn’t conform to those of the Church of England, they sailed to America so that they could be free to practice their own religion without fear of persecution or discrimination. In fact, there was a time when America was likely the most accepting as well as diverse nation in terms of religion. People from all over the world fled to America seeking religious liberty. The early colonies were populated by Dutch Calvinists, English Puritans, English Catholics, Scottish Presbyterians, French Huguenots, German and Swedish Lutherans, as well as Mennonites, Jews, and Amish from various European countries. Thomas Jefferson was adamant about supporting and maintaining the separation of church and state to ensure that each citizen felt welcome and protected by our society, regardless of who they chose to pray to.

Over time, the phrase has been so widely used and interpreted that it’s lost some of its salt. The separation of church and state is also tied to more broad religious freedoms such as being able to practice whatever religion you choose in the way you see fit. The United States was founded on biblical principles, most of which serve our country well and support the values of most American citizens, christian or not. However, we cannot claim to be upholding the values of the First Amendment while our laws still solely reflect the values of one religion.

In addition, having legal freedoms yet being oppressed by the general societal stance isn’t true freedom. For example, muslims are legally permitted to practice their religion in America as they see fit but after the Twin Tower attacks on 9/11, animosity towards Muslim Americans has skyrocketed. One in four Muslims either knows someone who has or have personally experienced an act of anti-muslim discrimination, harassment, verbal abuse or physical attack since 9/11.

American citizens are being misinformed about the reality of the situation. This extreme instance of widespread prejudice has blinded us to the truth about the groups involved, resulting in their abuse and our ignorance. Because of the censorship in schools on what pertaining to religion can and can’t be taught, a lot of the details we learn about the 9/11 attacks comes from outside and often biased sources and so forms our own opinions on what actually happened. This is the reason we need to properly educate people on as many religions as possible. Religion is incredibly controversial and a lot of the friction could most likely be reduced if more people truly understood what they were arguing about.

This education needs to start early, in our middle and elementary schools. Far too often, children grow up with convictions they adopted from their parents. Their beliefs aren’t even their own but if they heard it from their parents it has to be right..right? Sadly, that’s not always true but no one has the right to tell them that.

This is why it’s so important to foster an environment conducive to their progress in making these discoveries and decisions for themselves. We have complete control over how we view the world but depending on the lens we use, what filters through will be vastly different. By properly educating our citizens about different religions and cultural practices, we’re giving them a better opportunity to make informed decisions about how they interact with others.

While I truly believe in this concept, there are far too many rigid restrictions for this to flow smoothly. When the separation of church and state policy was adopted by the United States, it prevented one problems but started another. With the way the policy is currently being enforced, teaching students in public schools about religious practices becomes very difficult because the government can’t be seen throwing support behind a religious movement. This also prohibits the government from providing any funding or support to a private school, especially those with a religious affiliation.

However, there is a loophole. Separation of church and state prevents government funded schools from teaching religion so in 2000, the public school district in Modesto, California began teaching about religion. The World Religions program is heavily regulated and monitored. Each class receives the same textbooks, study guides, visual aids, and lesson plan as every other class in the district. As long as the instructors aren’t giving more attention or support to one religion over others, the plan works and has worked brilliantly.

A group of researchers from the First Amendment Center has been following the program since its inception. The team admitted they were unsure of what their investigation would conclude. Students enrolled in the program were interviewed before, during and immediately after the course ended and then again six months later. They found that the student body involved became far more tolerant of other religions and cultural practices and even more likely to stand up for them and protect the religious rights of others. Students themselves said that the course had broadened their views and prepared them to fight back against faith based bullying. [2]

Perhaps the biggest concern of parents in the district is that it would weaken the faith of children who were raised with a religious background. Contrary to expectations, this increased tolerance resulted in no change in the faiths of students. Students who entered the program with religious convictions ended the course with the same convictions. [2]

With religion and religious beliefs being such a controversial topic, particularly in America, we need to take great strides as individuals and as a nation to mold our country and communities into those that cultivate and reflect the diversity growing within them. Diversity should not divide us. It should better prepare us to face controversy and handle it fairly and with an open mind.

Citations

1. “Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury BaptistsThe Final Letter, as Sent.” Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists (June 1998). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
2. Kilman, Carrie. “One Nation, Many Gods.” Teaching Tolerance. N.p., 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Race: Who Gets to Choose?

Self identifying race has never been more important to Americans than it is now because it is more than a source of pride in ones’ history and family – it is a choice that allows people to access more opportunities in society. Censuses, college forms, and any other events with the option to choose which race applicants identify as such as job applications, causes confusion. The main reason for this confusion would be: How do people know what race they are?  Race can be based on whether a man looks African American or on the blood of his African American ancestors. According to D’vera Cohn’s article, “Millions of Americans changed their racial or ethnic identity from one census to the next,” applicants tend to change the race they identify as such as Americans who identified as Hispanic and “some other race” in the 2000 census, who then identified as Hispanic and white in the 2010 census. America’s diversity explains the reason for the 2010 census including an option to check multiple races and a final option for “some other race” if some one couldn’t choose one of the listed races. The fact is, race can’t be defined as easily as black and white because our nation is filled with so many colors. By solving this dilemma of racial identification, proper respect toward one’s race can be given and exploitation of racial benefits can be prevented.

Mixed-race college applicants face the moral dilemma of selecting the race most likely to get them accepted. Natasha Scott, the child of an African-American father and an Asian mother, applied to the University of Virginia in 2011 as African-American to improve her odds, but feels guilty about it. When posting her dilemma on College Confidential, none of the commenters mentioned putting only Asian yet many either said to choose African American and Asian or just African American. She is both races, but in this case, chose to be the one most beneficial to her.

Because the rules for determining race are fuzzy, institutions can dispute applicants’ choices. 27-year-old Afro-Brazilian diplomatic applicant Lucas Siqueira was denied a Brazilian diplomatic position because the government “race commission” decided his looks made him White. Regardless of how he self-identifies, others will determine how he is treated in his neighborhood, at his school, and by prospective employers.

Similarly, in American history a man was deemed Black by society if they had even a drop of Black blood in them. This was called the “one-drop rule.” Even if a man had White parents, White grandparents, and White great-grandparents, if his great-great-grandmother or grandfather was African American, he was considered Black. Institutions such as schools or factories during this time of segregation had the power to identify applicants’ races despite the wishes or appearance of the applicants.

The “one-drop rule” however, in Elise Hu’s article “Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?” can also be applied by applicants to gain the societal benefits as a person of color in scholarships, college admissions, or work institutions. Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren claimed to be Cherokee Indian which in some cases would allow her to have the same health care and education benefits Native American tribe members have. Despite her claim, her self-identification doesn’t match her white looks.

Self-identifying race is important to Americans more than ever because of the benefits and opportunities in school or in the workplace that are more accessible to certain races.  Clarifying what and who makes applicants Caucasian, or African American, or Asian is only the beginning to defining race.

Works Cited:

“For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race.” NPR. 29 September 2016. Web. 31 October 2016.

“Millions of Americans changed their racial or ethnic identity from one census to the next.” Pew Research Center. 5 May 2014. Web. 31 October 2016.

“Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?” NPR. 16 May 2012. Web. 31 October 2016.

“On College Forms a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex.” The New York Times. 13 June 2011. Web. 31 October 2016.

As technology advanced, so did the average life span of the human race. Over time we have come across many new diseases, some with a higher severity. Out of every single disease, there is one that still stands out and strikes curiosity, Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Discovered in 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in brain tissue along with behavioral changes, which inevitably led to the discovery of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of dementia, which also affects the brain tissue and the way the brain functions.

The brain itself is a complex organ. Signals which form memories and thoughts move through an individual nerve cell as a tiny electrical charge. Each thought generated as a result of the brain function creates these charges. After the electrical charge is formed, nerve cells connect to one another at something called synapses. When a charge reaches a synapse, it may trigger release of tiny bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters travel across the synapse, carrying signals to other cells. Scientists have identified dozens of neurotransmitters. In other words, this is how the brain communicates with the body and allows the body to carry out the necessary functions. In Alzheimer’s Disease, plaques can commonly be found between the dying cells in the brain from the build-up of a protein called beta-amyloid. The tangles created from these plaques are within the brain neurons from a disintegration of another protein, called tau. These built up protein clumps found around the neurons in the brain are the main cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. These clumps disrupt the way electrical charges travel within cells and the activity of neurotransmitters, making it difficult for the brain to carry out necessary actions.

Works Cited

“Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer’s Association.” Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia | Alzheimer’s Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

“Alzheimer’s Disease: MedlinePlus.” MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

A concussion is when the head receives a blow causing the brain to shake inside of the skull and strike the inside of the skull. In a sense, it creates a contusion on the brain affecting some cognitive abilities.

Symptoms of a grade 1 concussion include being dazed and an inability to follow directions or think clearly, states Brain Injury Association of America. With a grade 2 concussion, the individual experiences similar symptoms that last longer and may also suffer amnesia. With a grade 3 concussion, the person losses consciousness and experiences more serious symptoms such as a noticeable change in brain function, behavior and cognition.In addition to the cognitive symptoms, concussions may also cause a person to feel nauseous, dizzy or tired, notes WebMD. People with concussions may experience blurred vision, difficulty balancing and sensitivity to light. Changes in sleeping patterns or mood may also occur.

Most people fully recover from a mild concussion with rest, according to WebMD. Even if symptoms disappear quickly after a mild concussion, the brain is still healing and is more prone to injury. Repeated concussions may cause permanent damage and inhibit a person’s ability to learn, speak or move.

Playing competitive ice hockey for the past 15 years has given me a broad insight to the damage that is associated with concussions. I personally have had 6 concussions. Some mild, and some severe. After a few concussions you really start to notice the long term side affects. standing up too quickly makes you black out, exerting too much energy too quickly without warming up makes you dizzy, and concentrating for long periods of time gives you migraines. I can personally say that concussions have a huge impact on your everyday life if not treated properly. I was young and dumb and did not use the proper healing procedure. I refused to sit out for the required time period because all I wanted to do was play. I had all of my coaches and teammates pushing me to get back on the ice. I gave in before I was cleared and now I am suffering the consequences. I should have listed to the doctors and trainers but I was naive and just wanted to play. Now a few pointless hockey games are going to affect me for the rest of my life.

Next on the list of popular sports injuries are ligament strains and tears. Each sport has different common injuries. For example, in baseball a common injury is called Tommy John syndrome. The Tommy John surgery repairs an injured elbow ligament. It’s most commonly done on college and pro athletes, especially baseball pitchers. It’s sometimes done on younger players as well. WebMd explains to us how the surgery is named after former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. In 1974, he underwent the first surgery of this type.Tommy John surgery is also called UCL reconstruction. UCL is short for ulnar collateral ligament.During Tommy John surgery, a surgeon replaces the injured UCL with a tendon taken from somewhere else in the patient’s body.

Now in more physical contact sports other injuries to ligaments are more common. ACL and MCL tears are very common in sports such as football and soccer. Both ligaments are located in the leg and the injuries frequently occur simultaneously. A Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury can cause knee pain and instability, forcing you to take time off from your usual activities. While resting the knee will help prevent further damage, rest alone won’t speed up the healing process. If you want to heal your MCL as quickly as possible, you need to relieve the pain and stimulate blood flow in the soft tissue deep beneath the skin as stated by King Brand. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are usually much more serious than a MCL injury and almost always requires surgery. If it is in fact a tear and not just a strain, surgery is required if you ever want to properly walk again let alone play again. The surgery is the first step but the rehabilitation is the most important part. It is very long, tedious and honestly painful. You have to try and get all of your flexibility back because your tendon is going to be extremely tight after the surgery. You need to re-teach yourself how to walk all over again.

works cited:

Limited, King Brand Healthcare Products®. “Professional MCL Injury Treatment.” MCL Injury Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

“Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction) and Recovery.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

“What Is a Mild Concussion?” Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

Esports? or sport

Competitive gaming or eSports without a doubt is emerging into the professional sports outlet. So much that it can easily compete with other big brand sports like Baseball and Football. Esports has been on the rise in North America for the past two years, with constant growing viewership counts and even now an entrance into some cable television networks, networks like ESPN and TBS. An on looker from the outside of this very large community may think this is a brand new trend. But when compared to the rest of the world such as Europe and Asia we see that this trend or as some may say, new found “sport”, has been around since the early 2000’s. Countries like South Korea have an outstanding communal following to the sport. They’ve had several broadcast stations dedicated to gaming tournaments and events.

At the same time the public population within these countries respect the image of the players behind the sport of competitive gaming. These foreign populations have such a different perspective on the matter. They respect these players and competitions to the same level of professional chess players.

You then turn your sights over to the Americas and there’s this sudden drop of respect. How is it that after almost 16 years of success in Europe and Asia competitive Gaming is finally scratching the surface of mainstream media in the states. Even with its growing popularity in NA it still seems difficult for the population to garner any respect for the game.

An example viewpoint of one demographic learning about eSports for the first time. This evidence comes from the HBO documentary show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. On this episode they reported on the growing spectacle of eSports and how “gamers” are becoming millionaires off of playing video games and there is this new breed of cyber athlete. At the end of every episode they hold a short round table discussing the topics presented during the show. The reporter who lead the piece was at this round table as well as her other colleagues debating the fact of whether or not competitive gaming could be considered a sport or not. The lead reporter supported competitive gaming and truly believed it could be a sport, but then her colleague rebuttal-ed with a statement that shocked me, she went on to say “My issue with this is, its still not a sport its a game it just cant be a sport they are playing video games”.

This statement through me off a bit, what exactly are basketball players or baseball players playing? Is she saying that all sports are not games and are only recognized as sports? Is running around a court passing a ball to teammates not a game? The ignorance is very prominent within some older generations which can be understandable, since this is a very . As this round-table conversation progressed a question was then asked “Do you have the statistics of how many of the eSport spectators have attended Star Trek conventions?”  in response one replied “I’m sure there is a fair amount of overlap”. Its the misinterpretation and prejudgments that competitive gaming receives from the public that enrages this community and hinders its growth. The more validation the fans of eSports receive the more this new found sport will grow viewership wise and fan wise.

This then brings me to the point of, what makes sports so valuable in the first place? What effects do sports have on our society? Well one can say that sports are here for exercise and to keep children healthy. But what really makes it valuable is its social aspect. Sporting events bring thousands of people of all cultures together all at once. There are stadiums that can hold thousands of people, and are dedicated to sporting events in major cities.When there is an important match with great teams these stadiums sell out. Of course this isn’t breaking news, this has been going on for hundreds of years.

Thousands of families all around the world dedicate the time to sit down with their family and friends at home to watch a major sporting event on T.V. People around the world buy merchandise to represent their home teams or favorite teams and players. Schools around the world have their own sports programs so that students can figure out their potential in the world of professional sports. Sports creates communities. Communities of people that are passionate and engaged, communities that will do anything to support their brand of choice.

Some questions may be popping up as to how is eSports accessible to the public since it is gaining so much popularity? Well as presented earlier eSports has been just recently scratching the surface of live television and are being presented on channels like TBS and ESPN. What really kindled the fire to the growth of competitive gaming is live streaming. Broadcasting matches on websites like the ever popular Twitch.tv. Twitch allows anybody from anywhere to broadcast a game of their choosing to anybody around the world.

After some time those leagues that were discussed earlier, ESL and LCS caught on to the huge trend that was Twitch. So what better idea than to create official channels for their league and broadcast these professional matches to the ever expanding gaming community. Well it worked now some of the biggest eSport tournaments are broadcast-ed on Twitch. With some of these matches breaking 1 million concurrent viewers.

With this point made we can now see how important it may be to accept the sport of competitive gaming. Because behind eSports is a community, a community that is passionate but feels rejected by normal society. This community has grown exponentially and these people have found a place where they feel a sense of inclusion. What good comes from rejecting an up and coming sport that has millions of followers all around the world?

The awareness of the public is whats holding back this sport and going into the future I see nothing but growth and its eventual transition into a professional sport that can consistently gather more viewership than Basketball, Football or Baseball.

Works Cited

HBOsports. “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: ESports Discussion (HBO Sports).” YouTube. YouTube, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

“Turner and WME | IMG Announce SNICKERS® as ELEAGUE Official Marketing Partner.” Turner. N.p., 25 Oct. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

“Why ESPN Is So Serious About Covering Esports.” Time. Time, 1 Mar. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Sugary Drinks are Everywhere

Childhood obesity is a nationwide epidemic throughout the United States. While there are many leading factors when it comes to what causes childhood obesity one of the largest causes is from the consumption of sugary drinks. According to the CDC, “80% of youths consume sugar sweetened beverages,” but what they do not mention is what exactly a sugary drink consists of. This poses the question for readers of what is a sugary drink.

For most people when the thought of sugary drinks comes to mind the thought of soda and energy drinks are what constitutes ‘a sugary drink’ however it is actually so much more. According to the National Cancer Center, “sugary drinks consist of fruit drinks, soda, energy drinks, sport drinks and sweetened waters.”  The American Heart Association also gives a list of what is included in sugary drinks including sweetened teas to the list as well. In the Advice for Patients section of the Arch Pediatric Medical Journal, they give examples of some of the types of sugar drinks and examples to go with it. For the type of drink classified under fruitades they gave examples such as Gatorade and lemonade, for fruit juices they give examples like Kool-Aid and fruit punch, for soda they give the example of Coke, Pepsi and 7Up, and for energy drinks they give the examples of Monster or Red Bull.  The drinks mentioned above are a lot of times considered to be healthy or good for you, and are in many American homes. The problem is that sugary drinks are the largest source of added sugars in a youth’s diet and also the main source of calorie intake. What this means is that when a child drinks a soda they are taking in a lot of calories at one time, often more than a body needs which then is not processed and becomes fat.

The largest problem that Americans are faced with is determining if a drink is considered bad for you. Most Americans do not even think to look at the nutritional label when purchasing beverages, as the companies producing these sugary drinks attach positive health claims to the products to hide the fact that these drinks are packed with sugar. One of the most commonly purchased sports drinks is Gatorade. On the Gatorade label it has the word ‘Performance’ in large print as well as the phrases, “thirst quencher and natural flavors”. Gatorade is also known as an electrolyte sports drink, where it is supposed to replace lost electrolytes, however the proper sodium to potassium ratio for replacing electrolytes is a 1 to 1 ratio and Gatorade consists of 250mg of sodium and 65mg of potassium per 20oz bottle making it so that you are not even able to replenish electrolytes. Kids also see many different famous athletes supporting these products and families are lead to assume that this is a good product for their child. What they don’t know is that Gatorade is packed with 35 grams of sugar in a 20oz bottle. Just think 35 grams of sugar is equal to 8.75 teaspoons of sugar and that’s a lot of sugar in a bottle.

While there are many different types of drinks out there, they can almost always be classified as sugary or not. As a country we need to identify these drinks and start to eliminate them from our children’s diets. In efforts to change our children’s diets we also need to be educating everyone around us in order to prevent the childhood obesity epidemic from getting worse.

Work Cited

Childhood Obesity Causes & Consequences.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 June 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Go, A. S., D. Mozaffarian, and V. L. Roger. “Sugar-sweetened beverages initiatives can help fight childhood obesity.” circulation 127 (2013): e6-e245.

Harris, Jennifer L., et al. “Evaluating Sugary Drink Nutrition and Marketing to Youth.” New Haven, CT: Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity (2011).

Ogden, Cynthia . Consumption of Sugar Drinks in the US (2005-2008), et al. . US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2011.

Sugary Drinks and Childhood Obesity. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(4):400. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.16

Discrimination still plays an incredibly large role in society today. Varying throughout many groups, races, genders, etc., people are currently continuing to live through the struggle of being judged based off of physical appearance. The dictionary defines the word discrimination as “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” Much like any other definition of most words, digging a little bit deeper than a textbook interpretation to fully comprehend the word is a necessity. In relation to the researched topic at hand, discrimination is heavily incorporated in the enforcing of laws, and routine traffic stops in particular.

The concept of discrimination is morally wrong and unjust however it is looked at. What is even worse is that this group of minorities being discriminated against are now potentially getting into trouble with the law based on how they look. In Christopher Ingraham’s article, “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show,” proclaims, “Perhaps most troubling from a civil liberties perspective, nearly five percent of blacks weren’t given any reason for why they were stopped, compared with 2.6 percent of whites and 3.3 percent of Hispanics.” This quote speaks volumes toward the issue at hand. Astoundingly, nearly double the amount of African Americans as compared to caucasians are not even informed as to why they are pulled over. This is where the line must be drawn. There is already no room for racism and discrimination, and now it has been blown so far out of proportion that these people being discriminated against have to pay money for it and possibly have a tainted record.

On the other hand, while discrimination is real and potentially harmful in today’s society, it is also interesting to take into consideration what race the police officers happen to be in the same situation. For example, the statistics show that roughly five percent of African Americans are not given a reason for why they are stopped, but would these traffic stops be considered equally as discriminatory if the police officer making the stop was a minority as well? It is most certainly a very intriguing factor in all of this, because if a black police officer pulls over a black man, very few people’s initial reaction is that the cop is racist. Whereas if it were a white cop in the same situation, the very first thought that comes across most everyone’s mind in society today is that it was for discriminatory purposes. This does not automatically make it acceptable for a black police officer to pull over another black man without a reason, but in the big picture, it simply raises suspicion about an officer’s motive.

One of the worst parts about this issue is that the discrimination does not begin and end with simple traffic stops. From illegal searches of a vehicle to license suspensions and tickets, how an officer chooses to discipline a man or woman that they went out of their way to pull over because of their appearance can be equally discriminatory. Recently, it has even been escalated to these citizens having their lives taken away from them in what could have just been a routine traffic stop. Just recently this past July, a Minnesota police officer shot and killed a black man after pulling him over for a broken tail light. In this instance, it is not clear that he was pulled over because he was black, given that there was a tail light out. Nevertheless, this is something that is rarely ever heard about with a white man on the fatal end of gunpoint. It has gotten so bad that in many places, whenever a police officer even approaches a minority, people take their phones out to record what happens in anticipation of it going awry. When it becomes expected that these stops will go wrong to this extent, something must be done about it.

If our country chooses to turn a blind eye to this, we have seen that a revolt is not unrealistic. In her article, “The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers,” Kim Soften asserted that following the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, snipers in Dallas killed five police officers and injured more. This country is not far from potentially going into a civil war between police and African Americans, and the root of it all is none other than the negative power of discrimination.

In conclusion, many different problems stem from judging and disciplining somebody based off of their race and appearance. Racism and discrimination have been around for hundreds of years in this country and it would be nice to be able to say that we have come such a long way as a country, but the fact that this is still an issue in 2016 is proof that laws may have changed, but many people’s mindsets have not. It is that toxic belief in discrimination that has set the progress of this nation back.

Works Cited
Ingraham, Christopher. “You Really Can Get Pulled Over For Driving While Black, Federal Statistics Show” The Washington Post. 09 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

Soften, Kim. The Big Question About Why Police Pull Over So Many Black Drivers” The Washington Post. 08 July 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016

“This Needs a Title”

It’s so bad but so good.  Junk food is broadcasted everywhere it is as if we can’t get away from it no matter how hard we try.  It’s even worse when it feels like it’s your only option depending on your circumstances for example like when you go to a sports game and have to choose between which concession stand you choose to eat at and most of the food you see on display is not always as good as it looks.  This is a double whammy as it can be unhealthy and not taste anything above mediocre at best.  “Unlike school lunchrooms, which must meet USDA regulations, high school concession stands remain mostly exempt from government health intervention, which many groups fear would decrease concession stand sales and customer satisfaction.” (Food&BrandLab, pg.1)  The reason that the issue on food choices has never been resolved is because it is thought that sales would plummet.  It is obvious profit has taken more precedence than our health.  Obesity has been a big problem which affects all ages, genders, and races.  Sports games make it easy to decide on getting a cheeseburger, candy, or a sugary soft drink or maybe all of the above mainly because you do not really have a choice unless you eat before but there is no fun in that.  Most of the time you eat the premade food because it is apart of the experience at least that’s what they trick you into believing.  Their job is to promote options which they can profit the most off of.  Its time we begin to demand immediate change and a call to action on the food being served at concession stands.  They do this because they know they are going to make money off you whether you like it or not.

It is not bad enough that you cant watch television for ten minutes without having a Sprite commercial come on but it is also integrated into events such as Super Bowl halftime shows “Brought to you by Coca-Cola grab one today”.  I do not remember the last time I went to an Eagles game where I didn’t feel pressured into buying a beer, Pepsi, or a cheesesteak.  Since I bought one maybe my brother, or my sister might do the same thing or one up me and buy a large combo instead of the medium.  It is time we bite back at obesity and start fighting obesity.  Changing what we put in our body starts at home and carries over into the rest of our daily lives.  Being healthy is only as hard as we choose to make it.  Once we realize there is healthy alternatives real change will begin to commence.  Eating junk food is a fabricated luxury just as eating healthy is a made up myth.  The more educated we become as a whole the quicker we will see results and light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the ongoing fight with obesity.

Works Cited

Laroche, Helena. “Concession Stand Makeovers: A Pilot Study of Offering Healthy Foods at High School Concession Stands.” Food and Brand Lab |. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.    

Laroche, Helena. “Concession Stand Makeover.” Food and Brand Lab |. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.