Yelling at the TV Syndrome

Recently ran in the Campus Chronicle!  Enjoy:

“Why’d he do that?!” We have all been to a sporting event and seemed to have that reaction at least once a game. The only difference might be to make the expression gender appropriate.

Sporting events seem to be the one time when a person who shouldn’t have made the little league team becomes an expert in the sport. You never see a person with a high school diploma second guess a brain surgeon and seem intelligent doing so.

This could be the single reason why sporting events are quite possible the best thing we attend. Don’t take that out of context or blow that up, but think about it. What can change your mood so quickly?

I remember two years ago when Arizona Reid missed the game winning shot against Winthrop. When the ball rimmed out, the Millis Center became quiet and we stood in disbelief. My friend and I split a pint of strawberry ice cream from the Point.

Rewind earlier in that year and I was at a women’s soccer game against Francis Marion. It was the Saturday of fall break, campus was empty and the stands at the game were worse. The game was 0-0 and went into double overtime. With less than 10 seconds left in the second overtime, Francis Marion scored the golden goal. I proceeded to go back to my room to eat a box of Mac and Cheese by myself.

After both games I found my spirits down and my emotions out of check. Food seemed to satisfy me. During my indulging meals I questioned the games. I relived the games while my ice cream melted and my macaroni cooked.

What do I know about basketball? I know just as much as the other average Joe who played growing up. I was that kid who shouldn’t have made the little league team. What do I know about soccer? I know as much as I do about brain surgery.

It was still fun to question moves and feel like I had the key both coaches Bart Lundy and Michelle Rayner needed to win the close games. The truth is I have nothing that could help the two except being in the stands.

It is ok to question the moves on the field. That is the beauty of sports. It is the only event that we can come with our shirts off, chests painted and act like we haven’t been civilized.

In addition, we can act like we are the general manager of any team of our choosing. One day I’m the GM of an HPU team and the next day I’m in charge of the New York Mets.

If you are going to join me in being an overprotective fan, then I ask one thing. I ask you stay involved in the programs through reading game recaps and going to games. You can’t expect to be even a little bit knowledgeable without reading and going to the games!

Maybe one day you will fall in the coach’s chair and have us questioning your moves. Who knows? Until then, let’s just raise the bar together…

Crocs Next Step Tour

Here is a minute and a half video I did of our concert we had Friday.  It isn’t much, mainly just still photos but as much as I could do.  It was fun, Cartel and Yung Joc played my favorite songs; Honesty and It’s Goin Down respectively.  Cartel was a better performance than Joc in my opinion but I still like Joc more.

Enjoy the vid!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m64BD94eXJQ]

For Sarah

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/qy7t-AG-FDE]

Future of Newspapers

This is a post I had earlier this summer on here.  It made it to print in the Campus Chronicle last Friday.  It is shown as printed.  Enjoy!

 

I look into the future and see a life of Internet news and 24 hour cable news networks but I don’t see a newspaper.  The reason for this forward thinking comes from campus interaction.

At High Point I see 2,000 plus students going through the day reading textbooks, texting on the cell phones and watching television.  Rarely do I see a student stop and pick up any of the papers.

The Campus Concierge has the Greensboro News and Record, the High Point Enterprise and USA Today.  The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are located throughout campus.

The Times is often gone before lunchtime but I think that is because more faculty members pick it up than students.  I rarely see a student stop to peruse through any of the papers.  The News and Record must throw out 40 newspapers a day when they drop them off to sit in our newsstands.

Scarier news came when I actually looked to read the writing (pun intended) on the walls.  Going through my Twitter posts I saw one of the people I followed wrote a blog post titled, “Are the good times over for good?”

Douglas E. Jessmer, author of “Not so Wise Words from Doug,” wrote, “American democracy is impossible without a well-informed citizenry.”  He argues newspapers give straight news to the people without the commentary and watered-down version we see on television and read on the blogs. Although I read it on a blog, I have to say he is right and sadly I enter a profession that is laying off more people.

I want to be a journalist because writing and seeing your name in print is addictive.  After my first article was published in the Campus Chronicle I told a professor, “Reading your name in print is the biggest rush I have ever had.”  He smiled and laughed as I promptly changed my major.

I guess it just will keep getting harder for a writing enthusiast like me. I sure hope the good times aren’t over for good!  I’m just getting to the party.