Matt and Conrad Article of the Week

Power Rankings in the MLB:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/page/powerrankings_2017week5/ranking-mlb-teams-week-5-season

What's your prediction for which team will top the list by the end of the season?
Who's your favorite power hitter in the MLB?
Do you think the rookie Aaron Judge, Yankee's star outfielder with 13 HR's this season, will win rookie of the year?

John and Zack Article of the Week

Do you watch Olympic hockey? Should NHL players be allowed to participate in the Olympics? Would amateurs make the games more interesting? If you are a player, do you abandon your team in the middle of the season to play for your country? If you were an owner, would you allow your player to leave?

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/hockey-at-pyeonchang-olympics-will-be-marred-without-nhlers-1.714350

Jack, Chris, and Tyler Blog Post

MLB's Young Superstars

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/03/31/power-play-baseball-enters-new-era-fueled-home-runs-and-young-stars

Do you prefer to watch young prospects, or established stars?
Does the rise of baseball's young talent make you more intrigued to watch?
Do you think baseball's future is more optimistic than it seemed to be 5 years ago?
Do you prefer to watch hitters who hit for average, or power?
Should rules be made to restrict infield shifts?

"Ghosts of Ole Miss" Follow Up Response

The Lyceum Building at the University of Mississippi
from: Oxford Photo Works

Essential questions for the unit on Discrimination in Sports: Race include the following:

• How may the sports landscape reflect the racial landscape of our country?
• How did those landscapes change as a result of the integration of athletes of color?
• What problems occurred during the integration process?
• What impact did integration have on sports?
• What impact did integrated sports have on our country?
• Are there racial inequalities that exist in sports, and how do these affect athletes of color?
• Can the sporting world combat racism in society?  Is this a fair expectation to place on the sporting world?
• What’s the cost of failing to acknowledge our past?  What’s the cost of acknowledging our past?

After watching the documentary The Ghosts of Ole Miss, write a 200-400 word blog post explaining how the documentary addressed one or two questions from above. Be specific in your references and explanations. Be sure to incorporate your own reaction to how or what the documentary revealed about the essential questions you address in the essay.

Please also include evidence from one of these two articles that ties into the Ole Miss dilemma: “Controversy Over Mascots at Ole Miss” or “The Birth of ‘Dixie’”

Zach and Anders Article of the Week

After reading the article:
Are you a hockey fan? Do you watch hockey only during the playoffs or the whole season? What are your predictions on the playoffs this year? What will be the upsets and who will win the Stanley Cup?  

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2704425-nhl-playoffs-2017-updated-stanley-cup-schedule-and-championship-picks

Andrew and Zach Article of the Week

Over the past century, college athletes have decided to spend only one year at the college level and go straight to the NBA. Currently, player like Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, and Jayson Tatum have all decided to go down the one-and-done route of going to the NBA draft with only one year of college experience. What are the advantages of declaring for the draft after freshman year of college? Why do other sports (football) not allow the athletes to declare for the draft after freshman year? How has college level and professional level been impacted by the one-and-done? Do you think that basketball players should be able to declare after their senior year of high school as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnet did?

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/changes-ap-hoops-polls-help-tell-story-of-game-s-evolution-033017

NCAA Tournament Response

We are asking you to watch 3+ games of the NCAA tournament closely.  Any round, any game.  Please keep track of your games viewed.

- What game did you watch?  What was the outcome?  Were you surprised?  Why did you select this game to watch?

If you filled out a bracket, how was your viewing impacted by having filled out a bracket?
If you DID NOT fill out a bracket, what were your impressions of the game?  Without the bracket, what was your investment level?  Are you a fan of the teams playing?

Dan and Max Article of the Week

What is your opinion on players resting themselve? Should they be allowed to rest if it his hurting the league? What is more important to you, quality basketball every night over the 82 game regular season, or quality basketball all the way through the playoffs? Should fans get compensated for going to games where star players are rested?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/sports/basketball/nba-players-rest-warriors-cavaliers.html?_r=0

Media Coverage and Women's Sports

Before you watch the documentary, think about your relationship with women's sports.  Do you participate in them?  Do you watch them?  What do you believe drives coverage of women's sports in this country. Does interest drive coverage?  Vice versa?  A combination of both?  Moreover, what challenges, if any, do you believe female athletes face in our culture?

Watch the documentary from the Tucker Center at the University of Minnesota

After you finish, write a blog post where you discuss your initial responses to the "before viewing" questions above.  Have your views on women's sports changed or deepened as a result of what was discussed in the documentary?  Which evidence or segment(s) was most effective for you?  Is there anything brought up in this piece that you feel you need or would like more information on?

Lexi and Fleur Article of the Week

Should there be an exception for professional gymnasts to have the opportunity to also compete in college? What other Olympic sports experience similar effects from NCAA rules? 

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/gymnasts-face-complicated-choice-olympic-endorsements-or-college-careers  

Michael and Conner

There has been a steady increase in players retiring from the NFL and other contact sports due to do the worry of receiving a life changing head injury. Do you agree with these players decision to leave the game?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dbrickashaw-ferguson-nfl-early-retirement-no-surprise_us_5707c4d5e4b0c4e26a2273fa

Interview Profile

Riz and Ben article of the week

With March Madness around the corner, you have to start wondering who's gonna win the championship. Do you partake in filling in a bracket? Which team do you think is most likely to win it all? Besides being a top seed, what are the most crucial elements for a team to make a run? How do YOU predict how far they will go?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2695705-ncaa-tournament-2017-early-predictions-championship-odds-for-march-madness

It's officially march, folks. Get pumped!

Cooper and Sebastian Article of the Week

http://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/02/19/sports-studio-hosts-draft-ernie-johnson-rich-eisen

Who would you pick as your the best studio hosts/journalists in sports? Why? How do you balance different facets of an on air personality's job—do you value their entertainment value or journalistic qualifications more?

Class Activity Reflection

Bryce and Daniel Article of the Week

What do you think about Tom Brady? Do you agree he is the best quarterback of all time? Would you go as far to say he is the best overall player of all time? How can you compare different positions for all time greatness? What makes him the "GOAT"?



http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jets-marshall-says-tom-brady-isnt-best-player-ever-lists-four-better-players/

Sam and Griffin Article of the Week

How much power should players have within locker rooms, front offices, and the media? How should coaches and players punish a player who had caused problems within the organization or media without disrupting team chemistry or relations with the players? If a star player refuses to play what do you do with them, sit them until their contract expires, trade them with their plummeting value and attitude issues, or attempt to resolve the issue by reaching an agreement?


http://www.nba.com/article/2017/01/26/chicago-bulls-jimmy-butler-dwyane-wade-accountability-effort-slump

Competitive Youth Sports

Are competitive sports a positive or negative influence on children who participate?  Explain your answer!

College Football Playoff

SI Article

Should the college football playoff be expanded?  Read the article and comment in 7-15 sentences.  Point to specifics in the article to guide your writing. Feel free to bring in external sources, experiences, or examples to support your ideas.  Ask questions or build off of what those ahead of you have stated.