Week 12: Invisible Users

In Jenna Burrell’s Invisible Users, Burrell relates the rise of the usage of internet cafes in Ghanaian youth to their cultural and non-elitist status. She describes, with much detail, the conditions of these “invisible users” both inside the internet cafes and outside in their impoverished towns. Burrell explains how their social and economic barriers make using the internet more difficult for them; their inequality offline affects their equality online. However, although this inequality can manifest itself online, through internet usage these young Ghanaians can pursue a sense of equality that before seemed so unattainable.

Devin Gardner: A “CLASS” Act

If indeed a picture is worth a thousand words, the following image may sufficiently replace all of the positive descriptors and superlatives that come to mind when describing University of Michigan football player Devin Gardner. Words like gifted, dedicated, resilient, humble, and genuine to start with.

Devin Gardner consoling an injured J.T Barrett

When Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a fractured ankle during the 4th quarter of the November 29th Michigan/OSU game, Devin Gardner quickly came to the side of the injured rival. As a University of Michigan student and fan, I could not have been prouder to be represented by a student-athlete who shows such sportsmanship. Few who know anything about Gardner were surprised by his actions and even die-hard OSU fans praised his empathetic reaction. Dave Claborn, Director of Development and Community Relations for OSU sent this letter of gratitude.

http://instagram.com/p/wJ8kDOTVHR/

St. Louis Rams: Jocks for Justice

In response to the most heated and controversial issue in the US right now, the murders of unarmed black men by white police officers, protests have taken many forms.  Violent riots broke out in Ferguson, MO as after Darren Wilson had not be indicted.  After the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York, Al Sharpton arranged a more peaceful protest, a national march in Washington DC.  Even those who didn’t physically participate in demonstrations still voiced their opinions via social media; the hash tag #blacklivesmatter began trending on Twitter.  While obviously looting stores and violent demonstrations don’t solve anything, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and should be allowed to voice this opinion if not inflicting harm on others.  However, last Sunday, when St. Louis Rams players made a grand gesture during player introductions, there was a lot of outrage.

GLMS: Girls League for Meaningful Sports

Girls may be able to play but it doesn’t mean they’re treated as equals

Equality. What does that mean? What does that mean in sports for men and for women? Is it merely the right for a woman and a man to be able to play the same sports? Is it really that cut and dry? Not exactly and here’s why.

Letter from Birmingham to Ferguson

After Missouri police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown on August 9^th, Ferguson experienced protesting continuously throughout the following weeks. The controversial issues of police brutality and racism turned many protestors violent. The grand jury ruled Darren Wilson not guilty on November 24^th and that night, angry citizens surrounded the Ferguson Police Department.

What began as an angry, but nonviolent, protest intensified throughout the night until buildings were burned and businesses were looted. To fend off the violent protestors, police launched tear gas and plastic bullets into the crowd. While protests in Ferguson have not all taken such dramatic turns, this was not the first violent protest. While citizens of Ferguson maintain their right to speak out about what they perceive, or what might actually be, injustice, do they have the right to break the law while doing so?

Sports: The Importance of Fans and the Community

On Sunday October 12, I attended my very first NFL game in Cleveland, Ohio. I am from Los Angeles, so there never was a keen focus on the NFL as there is no team in the area. USC football is our version of NFL football. After going to multiple USC games, I though I had gained the feel of the live football experience. There was never really any interest in me to go to any NFL games until I got the offer from one of my new close friends at U of M. As an Ohio native and an experienced NFL fan, my friend really sold the live NFL experience to me. He explained how the intensity of the game and the fans create a unique atmosphere that can only be experienced at an NFL game. I was sold.

As my three friends and I are walking to the stadium and I look around at all the people walking alongside, raging from babies to seniors, I realize that this game is more about the city and the community than just the players on the field. People from all walks of life (socioeconomically and racially) are joined together in this special community.

A view outside the stadium from my perspective

I had the privilege of sitting in box seats for my very first NFL game. Given that I am a Los Angeles native and it was around 30 degrees that day, I was especially appreciative that I had a nice, warm, private room to watch this game. But, what I realized later is that the box literally kept me in a box and I was only able to witness the incredible atmosphere and interaction between the fans from afar and not actually experience it. The game was incredible, but watching all of these Browns fans rejoicing in success was an even more sensational feeling. The whole stadium was one, cheering and jeering with one big voice. The Cleveland Browns routed the rival Pittsburg Steelers 31-10, putting a smile on everyone’s face as they left the stadium.

Hes Normal, I Swear..

There are those who go with the flow, and those who go away from the flow. People who go with the flow are usually considered conformists, and those who don’t show their individuality. We see this everywhere in society. Usually it is evident in the high school scene, where the “odd- ball out” is not the one to fit in. In class, we learned and read about John Stuart Mill. He argues that a person, once introduced to the world and society around them, should express their individuality in a way that is positive for a society. There are times where things can get out of hand but lets look at an example of people who do things “differently” but in the end show Mill’s argument.

Hunter Pence being, Hunter Pence

Lets take Hunter Pence as an example. He is an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. Dude has absolutely the most unorthodox swing and throwing motion in the MLB and maybe even in MLB history. His style of play got him to where he is today. He plays extremely hard and aggressive and plays with a swagger most people do not have. He also just looks ridiculous. In a way it is awesome to see somebody go out there, looking like that, and playing without a care in the world. This relates to Mill. Pence goes out there, doing him, and does well, plays hard, brings positive energy to the park with him and gives the people hope. Sometimes people get bored of normality. Pence brings his individuality and provides a spark for San Fran. Mill wants this kind of player. He wants somebody who acts like they want, not how society wants them to and makes a positive impact while doing it. Now, lets look at somebody who Mill might have a problem with.

Brian Bosworth, also known as ‘The Boz”. Boz was a stud football player at the University of Oklahoma. He was the calling to bring the Oklahoma team back to its glory days. He did just that. He also had this alter ego, “The Boz”. “The Boz” expressed his individuality with his actions off the field, how he talked to the media, and his crazy hair. So far, Mill would be all for Bosworth, with all of these different things about him. Now Mill would start to argue that he is bad because his actions did not reflect in a positive manner. He was arrogant, cocky, and did steroids. Mill, again, would be ideally looking for someone who can express him/ herself that does not conform to society while giving a positive image.

Brian “The Boz” Bosworth

Mill does make a good point I believe. Expressing individuality is something most people should do. As long as it makes a good impression on who you are and can benefit your community, people should avoid conforming. It would make the community more unique and also, could change the world for the good.

LSA Theme Semester Events

Sports are a pretty big part of my life. I have been watching them for as long as I can remember and frankly I plan on continuing to watch them for as long as I live. This type of intense commitment which millions across the globe share with me has always been somewhat puzzling. I ask myself how is it that I have always been a Yankees, Giants and Knicks fan yet my food or TV and movie preferences are always changing. Why do sports somehow transcend other human behaviors where people are invariably changing their opinions, views and ‘likes’. After attending two LSA Theme Semester events I believe I had formulated a sort of crude and shaky answer, but an answer nonetheless.

Mill on Marijuana

Having attended a small high school in a small town, hearing about a fellow student experimenting with marijuana was always so controversial. First, the entire school found out and then it quickly escalated to parents, teachers, and coaches, and was “the talk of the town.”  Coming to the University of Michigan, a very liberal college, seeing the nonchalant talk and shameless usage of marijuana was a bit of a culture shock. It has changed my view of marijuana and I have come to the point where I don’t see any reason for not legalizing it. 

Our Defeats, Our Connections

This pass Saturday, I, along with thousands of other U of M students, witnessed the Men’s Basketball team’s shocking loss to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). While I can honestly say I enjoyed nearly every minute of the game, the end result was truly disappointing and carries major implications for the potential of our team this year—at least I was told.

Above, a picture of junior shooting guard Caris LeVert. LeVert lead the Wolverines in scoring during Saturday’s loss to NJIT.

To start the first half, our players appeared to have a slight edge. We did a really good job passing the ball in the first several possessions, though our ability to produce consistent stops on the defensive end seemed challenging. By the end of the first half, a dominant team seemingly was nowhere to be found.

In the second half, the tone of the audience saw a drastic shift. As NJIT slowly created a lead for themselves, I began to overhear surrounding fans contemplating the possibility of witnessing a major upset. “This can’t be happening,” a fan sitting directly behind said. “We’re way too good to lose to a team like this,” another said, highlight her general sentiment of utter disbelief. One of the team’s star players, junior Caris Levert, led the impressive offensive effort in the second half, but his personal success proved not enough to challenge the nearly perfect-from-the-field shooting opponents. The end score of the tense and clearly competitive contest was 72-70, in favor of the visiting team.

For a fan of any sport, there exists an ever-present consciousness of the feasibility of unfavorable results. No matter how good a sports team is, the reality is that to win, you must lose—though, of course, some teams end up losing far more than others. Coming from Washington, D.C., I am extremely familiar with that reality.

In recent years, the major four professional sports teams (baseball, basketball, football and hockey) that call D.C. their home have experienced abysmal results when faced with achieving “champion status”—to say the least. The Washington Capitals—the hockey team—consistently yield a high playoff ranking, only to be defeated in the first or second round by an unworthy competitor. The team has yet to win the Stanley Cup. The Redskins, considered the most historically successful D.C. franchise, hasn’t won the Superbowl since 1991. In the past two seasons, the team has posted a total of six wins. Similarly, the Wizards haven’t won the NBA championship since 1978 and have also recently struggled in the early rounds of the playoffs. Lastly, the Nationals—the most recent testament to the city’s unsuccessful athletic state—for the past two years have been considered favorites to win the World Series (as projected by ESPN). The team was filled with young talent, considered entirely capable of bringing the World Series back to D.C. for the first time since 1933. This year and last, the Nationals suffered early elimination from playoff contention by subordinate competitors, each of whom boasted fewer wins throughout the regular season. I had the distinct misfortune of observing the final game of the Nationals season a year ago—an event that will forever go down in history as one of the most disappointing loses for a D.C. team in the playoffs.

The game started nothing like it ended. Before the game and throughout the first four innings, fans were loud and filled with excitement for what was to come. The game was the last in a series against the St. Louis Cardinals that would decide who would advance to the next round. The Cardinals held a notorious reputation for being a team that executed on an elite level in the both the regular season and in the playoffs. With an elite pitching from our then ace, Gio Gonzalez, and sold early run production, the Nationals created a six run lead (6-0) by the end of the third inning. That lead was soon to disappear.

By the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals were up slightly (7-5). Davey Johnson, the team manager, called in its final pitcher, Drew Storen, to close out the game. In that one inning alone, the Nationals blew their lead from 7-5 to 7-9. The Cardinals ultimately won the series, but lost the next round to the San Francisco Giants.

On the train ride home, I remember a sense of incredulousness filling the air. Washington sports fans were experiencing a feeling that felt all too familiar: failure in the playoffs. I remember claiming that I no longer considered myself a fan, for the shock was too challenging to come to terms with at the time.

Above, a picture of the Washington National’s park in 2011.

In witnessing both unexpected losses—the Men’s Basketball team this weekend and the Nationals a year ago—I can’t help but ponder why people continue to come back and support their favorite teams. According to Bartlett Giamatti, the former commissioner of Major League Baseball and author of Take Time for Paradise, “sports can be viewed as a popular or debased religion.” I can’t up help but agree with this assertion. Only those who follow sports can truly understand the satisfaction of having your team find success. With both professional and collegiate athletics, a team’s results are often viewed as an extension of a person’s identity. Fans defend their teams as if they are protecting their own children.

Since enrolling at the University of Michigan, I have noticed an increasingly strained relationship I hold with my home city as a result of distance. After watching the Washington Nationals get eliminated from the playoffs this year, I felt like a major link to my city had been destroyed. I knew my fandom wouldn’t be compromised by the loss, but it made me sad to think about how I could no longer brag about the Nationals to those I met. I can only hope that a similar affinity with the Michigan Basketball team develops during my time in Ann Arbor.