A Shorter and More Light-Hearted Post

"As I exchanged weight from my left foot to my right, quantities of brown liquid seeped out of my shoes".
Normally, that would seem like a miserable way to end a story. In this case, however, it was quite the opposite.  In the most exciting football game that I've seen from the stands at any level (which isn't many given that I played in high school) Virginia Tech emerged victorious with a triple overtime win over a Marshall University team with a very potent offense. But a lot happened before the approximately three hour game ended.

The first quarter came and went, and so did my roommate because he forgot to eat breakfast. BeamerBall was finally back and our offense was really clicking, too. Fourteen quick points and some thought we had the game in the bag.  Well, at least until Marshall's receivers refused to drop the deep ball and the Thundering Herd lived up to their name, storming their way down the field for a quick seven.  It hadn't begun raining yet but we all knew that the impending monsoon would soon be upon us.  The clouds were as gray as the spur the moment jerseys our boys wore against Alabama and the forecast called for rain, rain, and more rain.



The second quarter was a dull one.  The drizzle had started, and as that got going, it seemed like the Hokies were falling apart.  Our consistently stingy, lunch pail defense was allowing third down conversions like it was their job and it seemed like Marshall could take first downs at will.  Because of this, the team allowed two touchdowns during this span and went into the half down 21-14.  Normally this wouldn't be a worrisome score, but it is when you're a Tech fan playing against a theoretically weaker Marshall team.  With that in mind, more people left the game for fear of an embarrassing loss.

As the rain intensified, so did the game.  The third and fourth quarters were absolute madness and we were gasping for breath every chance we had. During the fourth we managed to put one more score on the board and tie the game up.  At this point the remaining fans were glued to the stands of Lane Stadium and overtime was upon us.

Defensive stand after defensive stand ensued as a suspenseful game only became more so.  The rain was coming down hard and even my so called "waterproof" jackets was soaked.  Dripping from head to toe we continued to bellow out the occasional "Let's go!" chant.  Finally, we punched it in and had a successful 2-point conversion.  All waiting on a defensive stop to clinch the victory, our boys came up big.  But to be fair there may have been some defensive pass interference that was left uncalled on the final play but a win is a win!

By the end of the game the dark brown Sperry's I was wearing were as heavy as logs and wet all the way through. As I exchanged weight from my left foot to my right, quantities of brown liquid seeped out of my shoes.  The leather was so damp that the dye was basically pouring out of my shoes. The walk to the bus and from the bus stop home were extremely cold and I was shivering the whole way, but being able to be a part of the fans who stuck around for the entire game was truly something special.  Maybe the goosebumps I got were from the wet and cold.  Or maybe I was still just that excited.

Go Hokies.

As You Can Tell, I Don't Like the NCAAs Rules

As times goes on, advancements in technology and culture are made.  Another thing that has noticeably changed in the last couple decades is the extent to which athletes from high school to professionals are training.  I won’t try to say that the all-stars of yesterday were not completely dedicated to their respective sports and that’s why they’ve achieved success.  What I will say, however, is that the athletes of today are coming into the college and professional ranks as physical freaks and specimen.  This can be attributed to the fact that children today see athletes put on a much higher pedestal today than in the past due to the prevalence of the media around sports.  Because of this, people are spending absurd amounts of time dedicating themselves to the field, weight room, rink and what have you.  In addition to scholarship money, I don’t think that universities should be allowed to pay their athletes.  But what I do think is that college athletes should be able to receive money for small things they can do that are forbidden by the NCAA today.

            The entire sports community has been put on notice of every single step in the career of Heisman award winner and Texas A&M quarterback Johnathan Manziel, also known as “Johnny Football”.  In the saga that is Johnny’s collegiate experience was one major story that blew up in early August of 2013.  Johnny Manziel was being investigated just before the season began for allegedly selling his autograph to an eBay dealer who would then sell autographed memorabilia for a profit.  The uninformed may see nothing wrong with this situation, but the NCAA defines amateurism by not allowing “contracts with professional teams, salary for participating in athletics, play with professionals, benefits from an agent or prospective agent” and other similar rules.  Essentially the NCAA does not want their student athletes receiving benefits (money) due to any success or notoriety they may experience on the field of play.

 Prior to this year, the NCAA could sell shirts and jerseys with the names of student athletes on them for profit, certainly near $100 for an authentic jersey.  In past years, the NCAA has subtly said that it is okay for them to make enormous profits off of their NCAA athletes but that a player cannot sign a picture of himself and receive even a penny for it.  Accordingly, after the Manziel investigation the NCAA removed licensed apparel of member schools from their official fan shop, so to avoid the hypocrisy that seems to linger with them in many cases.  As an NCAA Division III athlete last year, I could’ve signed a hat for a fan and if I even received something as insignificant as a piece of chocolate soon after from the same person, I could technically be investigated by the NCAA.  Student athletes barely even own their own signatures. They only own them to the extent that they can sign an honor code statement before a test.  The fact that athletes like Johnny Manziel cannot benefit in any way from having the kind of outbreak season that he had is ridiculous. 

Students should be able to make all the money that they can as athletes.  Not necessarily through agents and the like, but rather through selling autographs and memorabilia.  It’s only fair when they worked to earn every bit of fame and popularity that they have.  Babe Ruth made his ascent to fame on a diet of beer and hot dogs, that wouldn’t fly in the ultra-competitive environment that we see in college athletics today.  Student athletes devote most of their days to their sport and deserve to be recognized and rewarded as such.  The NCAA needs to maintain amateurism as part of their corporation but the least that they could do is loosen the restrictions on student athletes receiving benefits.

I Don't Like Title IX

Title IX, a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972, is a Civil Rights act that attempts to create gender equality among high school and collegiate athletics.  While this may seem like a fantastic idea, it has a heavy dose of downsides that cause it to be viewed otherwise. 

            For decades, women have fought to gain equal opportunity and equal rights to that of men.  I have no problem with the idea of women having equal rights, in fact, I’m all for it.  But Title IX has taken this concept and, when applied in its current state, is reducing the growth of America’s fastest growing sport on the youth, high school, and collegiate levels.  America’s first sport, created by the Native Americans hundreds of years ago, is being held back from expanding at the Division I level because of  the tic-for-tac gender quotas set forth by Title IX.  In the most recent season, US Lacrosse reported that the NCAA’s Division III fielded 189, while NCAA Division I fielded a mere 61. The numbers of their counterpart, in NCAA Women’s Lacrosse, read 216 Division III teams and 92 Division I teams.  ESPN The Magazine’s Peter Keating said “A lot of the battles that seem to be about Title IX are actually not about men versus women”, and that is where my argument begins.

            In Title IX’s current form, many collegiate institutions are left with the hard decision of what to do to meet the standing ratio that 43% of school’s student athletes are women.  While adding more women’s sports to their athletic departments is all well and good, the problem begins when revenue earning men’s sports like soccer and baseball are being cut in order to meet the standard set by Title IX.  Another issue arises when potential revenue earning sports, namely men’s lacrosse, cannot sprout from institutions that could profit and would yield interest because the school would not be conforming to the predetermined guidelines. 

There are currently 213 Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) teams.  This league is made up of club teams at schools that do not have varsity lacrosse programs.  Many of these schools are in discussion, whether serious or not, of making the leap to become NCAA programs.  To make a short-list, schools like Southern Methodist University, Georgia Tech, University of Minnesota, University of Southern California, Virginia Tech, Colorado State, and the University of Colorado have all been rumored to look at the potential jump to varsity status.  These schools, all larger institutions with plenty of funding, can only explore this opportunity that may never come to realization strictly because of numbers.  Each of these school would also be able to bring in very decent crowds as lacrosse expands across the country as opposed to being a New England/Maryland based sport as it was 20 years ago.  Virginia Tech, as an example that we can all relate to, has had tons of success in the MCLA Division I ranks and yet cannot become an NCAA program because of the school’s very balanced 10:10 ratio of men’s teams to women’s teams.  If the men were to have more teams than the women, Title IX would shut down the idea and some would see the move as sexist and unfair.  Therein lies the problem.  With the way that Title IX is currently being implemented, it is preventing expansion that would bring profit (which we all know the NCAA loves) at the expense of seeming “fair”.

            

From Troy to Blacksburg

As the Fall semester begins, many of the students on college campuses around the country begin a transitional phase of their lives.  This change could involve the move from home to school, school to school, even country to country. As a sophomore transfer student, my transition was more significant than some may perceive. Last Fall I kicked off my college career in Troy, New York at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a small engineering school just outside of Albany.  Life was great and times were good as I found my first semester away from home to be something new and exciting compared to my years in high school.  My lacrosse teams fall season, what we referred to as "Fall ball", came and went as my teammates and I adjusted to the speed of the college game. But come mid-October as the leaves began to turn and the weather cooled down I started to take note of the experiences of all my friends from back home.  Pictures of football games, tailgates, student-run events, and the like flooded my means of social media. Posts cluttered with "I love my school!" and "My school > your school!" were abundant. While reading through all the spirit-filled notes, jealousy crept its way into my thoughts. I knew that in choosing RPI I had the opportunity to pursue a world renowned degree in engineering and play the sport that I loved at a very high level. But, to me, the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.  Very often I found that my teammates and I spent most of our downtime either doing homework or creating new jokes about the nerd-infested population of our school.  Once those jokes led to realization and the lack of school spirit slapped me in the face I felt the need to take action.  Over Winter break I began filling out applications to a couple schools closer to home that had more of a community feel than I felt during my time in Troy.  The winter months in Upstate New York were harsh and having practices outside made me much more aware of the seemingly sub-polar conditions.  Lacrosse season was eventful, albeit cold, and I enjoyed all the time that  I spent with my teammates, but I knew that what I was looking for in a college was a little more than I had seen thus far.  As the spring came to an end I regretted leaving the good friends I'd made at RPI but I knew that better roads lie ahead.  What I've experienced of Blacksburg so far this fall and during the Summer semester I spent taking classes has me overjoyed and filled with anticipation of what is to come. The sense of pride that pumps through the veins of Blacksburg is absolutely breathtaking, and it seems that every corner of the town oozes orange and maroon. Given all of the differences between what I had come to know at Rensselaer and what I will come to know at Virginia Tech, I could not be more excited to work my way into Hokie Nation.