My main man ERIC BERRY
My main man ERIC BERRY
Monday, April 24, 2017
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Post #10 Women Can Be Great Too!
Everyone always says "women's basketball ball is terrible" or "if there was a sport I could get rid of, it would be women's basketball". I do understand why people say this though, but why do the people of society continue you say things like this? I've always grown up playing sports, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, track, I've literally done it all. Yes, I have seen my fair share of women's basketball games. I actually do camera work for Washburn University's men and women's games. The big difference between a men's game and a women's game is the speed and competition level. Men get after it and compete with one another tot he highest level. Don't get me wrong, I think women play as hard as they can but its just not the same.
Theres always been the belief that women sports (particularly basketball), are boring and slow. Now, an interesting point came to me thinking about this topic. Would this technically be a form of sexism? If men think women can't perform to a certain level then they are completely wrong. Being a male athlete, I have several friends that are girls who play sports. Yeah, there is a difference in competition level but that is because male athletes are much more overlooked than female athletes. I believe that is because so much is expected from male athletes and women just can't give that certain level of competition. But, they can give their maximum effort and women are certainly talented. We have to understand that women have their own level of competition with each other, and we shouldn't compare them to men.
Women have several models of greatness in the sports world. The women's USA gymnastics team, the WNBA, USA women's soccer, the list could go on and on. But, a good example to talk about is the University of Uconn. Their women's basketball team over the last 3 years won 111 games in a row. That statistic has never been done before, and is the most insane accomplishment of all time. Even though that streak ended this season, the history of this school has been amazing. I don't think you could compare the history of male sports to this either. This just goes to show that you can't treat women unequally in the sports world, they have proven themselves many times in the past and will continue to do so. Someday, it may be the men's sports that are frowned upon and disliked because of the poor competition level, looks like we will have to wait and see! Tell me what you guys think!
Theres always been the belief that women sports (particularly basketball), are boring and slow. Now, an interesting point came to me thinking about this topic. Would this technically be a form of sexism? If men think women can't perform to a certain level then they are completely wrong. Being a male athlete, I have several friends that are girls who play sports. Yeah, there is a difference in competition level but that is because male athletes are much more overlooked than female athletes. I believe that is because so much is expected from male athletes and women just can't give that certain level of competition. But, they can give their maximum effort and women are certainly talented. We have to understand that women have their own level of competition with each other, and we shouldn't compare them to men.
Women have several models of greatness in the sports world. The women's USA gymnastics team, the WNBA, USA women's soccer, the list could go on and on. But, a good example to talk about is the University of Uconn. Their women's basketball team over the last 3 years won 111 games in a row. That statistic has never been done before, and is the most insane accomplishment of all time. Even though that streak ended this season, the history of this school has been amazing. I don't think you could compare the history of male sports to this either. This just goes to show that you can't treat women unequally in the sports world, they have proven themselves many times in the past and will continue to do so. Someday, it may be the men's sports that are frowned upon and disliked because of the poor competition level, looks like we will have to wait and see! Tell me what you guys think!
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Post #9 Opening Day! Go ROYALS!
The 2017 MLB season is finally here after a long and boring offseason. Lots of trades and signings are torturing us with impatient for this year! As a huge Kansas City Royals fan, last year wasn't the best for the Royals, after being participants of the 2014 and 2015 World Series. The Royals fell short of making the playoffs last season. But, there were several reasons why we didn't make it back again.
About 27 games into the season, our All-star third baseman Mike Moustakas, tore his ACL by colliding with left fielder Alex Gordon. This had a big impact on the entire Royals organization, including the fan base. Immediately following this game, Mike was overwhelmed with love and support from the society of Kansas City. We truly showed that Royals fans come together and love their players. Mike is completely healthy and has been playing great during the spring season. He's back and ready to fire this team throughout the season! Another big problem that the Royals had last season involved another All-star, center fielder Lorenzo Cain. He simply could never stay away from the injury bug. Throughout the season he felt with several injuries and couldn't get back to normal on the diamond. Causing the Royals to never get hot and make a run. But this year we are ready, were ready to get back to the World Series yet again.
This upcoming year could be the Royals final shot at winning another World Series for awhile. Next year our roster will change a lot due to contracts ending with our best players including Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain. Players like these are easy to loose due to other teams having better cap space to spend on players. Im afraid we won't have these two players, along with Mike and a few other fan favorites and they will be on different organizations. But, I believe that these players are willing to negotiate contract extensions to stay in Kansas City because of the amazing fan base and the incredible atmosphere at Kaufman Stadium. I've seen the Royals win a World Series and it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. It's an amazing experience to be apart of and I really wish I can go through many more throughout my life. I want my son to be able to see a KC World Championship, that is if I can lead him on the right path to liking the Royals haha. Anyways, I'm excited for this upcoming season and I know a lot of people are as well. Thanks for reading! GO ROYALS!!
About 27 games into the season, our All-star third baseman Mike Moustakas, tore his ACL by colliding with left fielder Alex Gordon. This had a big impact on the entire Royals organization, including the fan base. Immediately following this game, Mike was overwhelmed with love and support from the society of Kansas City. We truly showed that Royals fans come together and love their players. Mike is completely healthy and has been playing great during the spring season. He's back and ready to fire this team throughout the season! Another big problem that the Royals had last season involved another All-star, center fielder Lorenzo Cain. He simply could never stay away from the injury bug. Throughout the season he felt with several injuries and couldn't get back to normal on the diamond. Causing the Royals to never get hot and make a run. But this year we are ready, were ready to get back to the World Series yet again.
This upcoming year could be the Royals final shot at winning another World Series for awhile. Next year our roster will change a lot due to contracts ending with our best players including Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain. Players like these are easy to loose due to other teams having better cap space to spend on players. Im afraid we won't have these two players, along with Mike and a few other fan favorites and they will be on different organizations. But, I believe that these players are willing to negotiate contract extensions to stay in Kansas City because of the amazing fan base and the incredible atmosphere at Kaufman Stadium. I've seen the Royals win a World Series and it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. It's an amazing experience to be apart of and I really wish I can go through many more throughout my life. I want my son to be able to see a KC World Championship, that is if I can lead him on the right path to liking the Royals haha. Anyways, I'm excited for this upcoming season and I know a lot of people are as well. Thanks for reading! GO ROYALS!!
Post #8 The Ball Family
Let's take a trip to crazy land and talk about an interesting family. This year, a great college basketball player began to attract people's attention. This player's name is Lonzo Ball, he plays for UCLA. He is known as one of the best players across the nation for his talented skills with the basketball.
Now, one of the reasons that he has become so popular is his over confident and obnoxious father, LaVar Ball. This man has recently done some wild and weird stuff. LaVar was interviewed for his talented son, anyways, he went on to say that he could outscore the greatest basketball player ever (Michael Jordan) in a one VS one matchup. This quote immediately took the sports world for a turn. Receiving criticism from ESPN analysts, public newspapers, and of course the sports fans. Personally, I thought he disrespected Jordan with this, while giving his family a bad reputation.
BUT, then I got to thinking about this and I thought to myself, he is a genius. All of his shenanigans have plastered the Ball family all across the US. giving his boys the recognition they need to make it to the next level. Lonzo also has two little brothers that have great talent as well. Both who are committed to UCLA next year, they are currently seniors in high school. All three brothers are trending everywhere you see basketball. I have mixed emotions about this situation. I think that LaVar is smart by putting his family on the map for people to see, but my main concern is he has done it in the wrong way. Yeah the market for his sons is probably going to richen them forever. But, I believe that family will be frowned upon because his father has shown their image as cocky, and self-conceded. Would you want your success in a negative way? If I was Lonzo and his brothers, I wouldn't want my dad saying certain things especially when its live across the nation. People judge and give others images in our society today. And that type of stuff will stick with you forever. Lonzo Ball will be entering next year's NBA draft, but the city he goes to could have a negative image of him.
LaVar Ball has become very popular in the sports world along with his family, but not everyone is happy with how he has done so. I don't agree with his actions mainly because of what I mentioned earlier about being self-conceded. If you guys think otherwise and want to rant then be my guest! Feel free to comment and list your opinions! Thanks for reading.
Now, one of the reasons that he has become so popular is his over confident and obnoxious father, LaVar Ball. This man has recently done some wild and weird stuff. LaVar was interviewed for his talented son, anyways, he went on to say that he could outscore the greatest basketball player ever (Michael Jordan) in a one VS one matchup. This quote immediately took the sports world for a turn. Receiving criticism from ESPN analysts, public newspapers, and of course the sports fans. Personally, I thought he disrespected Jordan with this, while giving his family a bad reputation.
BUT, then I got to thinking about this and I thought to myself, he is a genius. All of his shenanigans have plastered the Ball family all across the US. giving his boys the recognition they need to make it to the next level. Lonzo also has two little brothers that have great talent as well. Both who are committed to UCLA next year, they are currently seniors in high school. All three brothers are trending everywhere you see basketball. I have mixed emotions about this situation. I think that LaVar is smart by putting his family on the map for people to see, but my main concern is he has done it in the wrong way. Yeah the market for his sons is probably going to richen them forever. But, I believe that family will be frowned upon because his father has shown their image as cocky, and self-conceded. Would you want your success in a negative way? If I was Lonzo and his brothers, I wouldn't want my dad saying certain things especially when its live across the nation. People judge and give others images in our society today. And that type of stuff will stick with you forever. Lonzo Ball will be entering next year's NBA draft, but the city he goes to could have a negative image of him.
LaVar Ball has become very popular in the sports world along with his family, but not everyone is happy with how he has done so. I don't agree with his actions mainly because of what I mentioned earlier about being self-conceded. If you guys think otherwise and want to rant then be my guest! Feel free to comment and list your opinions! Thanks for reading.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Post #7 NFL Free Agency
This NFL off-season has been a crazy one so far! Players signing with other teams, players not being able to agree on contract extensions with their current teams. The last few weeks were very interesting to watch for you football fans out there. Several star players signed contracts with new organizations including Brandon Marshall, Dontari Poe, Eddy Lacy, Alshon Jeffery, Latavius Murray and many others through out the league. One of the most interesting moves this off-season was that the New England Patriots acquired Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints. This could be very dangerous for the entire NFL because NE quarterback Tom Brady just got a brand new threat at WR and he is a good one. Coming off his rookie season, Cooks had a wonderful first year in the NFL and now gets to be with arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game of football.
This can tie into my post a few weeks ago regarding Chiefs safety Eric Berry, most of these athletes want more and more money because they think they played well enough to earn it. But if a deal can't be made with an organization then that player will move elsewhere to try to get his hard earned money. Sometimes teams won't have enough "cap space" in order to agree to terms with a player becoming a free agent and that is usually when players find new teams. There has been numerous roster moves already and free agency doesn't end until the following season! Now some of you may not know this but each team has a "franchise tag". I mentioned this in my earlier post as well, but anyways, this tag is placed on a certain player for the reasons of not being able to agree to terms with that player(placing the tag would give the organization until June 15th to make a deal), or not having enough cap space, or simply not wanting to pay that player more than he's already being paid. Giving a player the franchise tag will only ad 15% salary to what he was paid the past year.
I love seeing new faces on new teams so I am very excited for this upcoming year. The Chiefs are ready to get to the Superbowl I can sense it already! Feel free to comment and tell me what you think about some free agency moves so far! Thanks for reading!
This can tie into my post a few weeks ago regarding Chiefs safety Eric Berry, most of these athletes want more and more money because they think they played well enough to earn it. But if a deal can't be made with an organization then that player will move elsewhere to try to get his hard earned money. Sometimes teams won't have enough "cap space" in order to agree to terms with a player becoming a free agent and that is usually when players find new teams. There has been numerous roster moves already and free agency doesn't end until the following season! Now some of you may not know this but each team has a "franchise tag". I mentioned this in my earlier post as well, but anyways, this tag is placed on a certain player for the reasons of not being able to agree to terms with that player(placing the tag would give the organization until June 15th to make a deal), or not having enough cap space, or simply not wanting to pay that player more than he's already being paid. Giving a player the franchise tag will only ad 15% salary to what he was paid the past year.
I love seeing new faces on new teams so I am very excited for this upcoming year. The Chiefs are ready to get to the Superbowl I can sense it already! Feel free to comment and tell me what you think about some free agency moves so far! Thanks for reading!
Post #6 World Baseball Classic
This week's topic will feature the USA baseball team! Every spring, there's an international baseball tournament called the World Baseball Classic. This event includes 16 teams by invitation from a qualifying match prior to the tournament. For the last 4 tournaments, there has been 14 of the same countries invited to play. Including USA, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Panama, South Africa, Dominican Republic, etc.
The tournament is actually under way right now! I'm a big Royals fan by the way and there are 7 Royals players competing for team USA. Danny Duffy, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and others have played great so far in 3 games. USA actually defeated the defending tournament champions on Saturday (Dominican Republic). They will move on to face Japan in the Semifinals on Tuesday. During their matchup against Venezuela, both teams were tied at 2 and Eric Hosmer was up to bat with 1 runner on base. He drills a shot to deep right center field for a home-run to make the score 4-2 USA. USA went on to win that game 4-2 and Eric was awarded MVP for his game winning homer.
Baseball has been one of the most popular sports around the world for while now, especially in the US. There are so many great athletes that have come through the major leagues since the great Babe Ruth. A lot of people say that baseball is boring or not a real sport, these people are uneducated. Baseball is one of the hardest sports to play and some people don't understand how much skill you need to have in order to play baseball. Look up how fast a pitch reaches home plate and how fast a batter has to react to that pitch in order to hit the ball. The results will change your mind about baseball completely I promise. If you guys have any comments or questions about the World Baseball Classic or baseball in general then please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!
The tournament is actually under way right now! I'm a big Royals fan by the way and there are 7 Royals players competing for team USA. Danny Duffy, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and others have played great so far in 3 games. USA actually defeated the defending tournament champions on Saturday (Dominican Republic). They will move on to face Japan in the Semifinals on Tuesday. During their matchup against Venezuela, both teams were tied at 2 and Eric Hosmer was up to bat with 1 runner on base. He drills a shot to deep right center field for a home-run to make the score 4-2 USA. USA went on to win that game 4-2 and Eric was awarded MVP for his game winning homer.
Baseball has been one of the most popular sports around the world for while now, especially in the US. There are so many great athletes that have come through the major leagues since the great Babe Ruth. A lot of people say that baseball is boring or not a real sport, these people are uneducated. Baseball is one of the hardest sports to play and some people don't understand how much skill you need to have in order to play baseball. Look up how fast a pitch reaches home plate and how fast a batter has to react to that pitch in order to hit the ball. The results will change your mind about baseball completely I promise. If you guys have any comments or questions about the World Baseball Classic or baseball in general then please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Post #5 MARCH MADNESS!
Hi everyone! Here were are at post number five already! This week I thought I should discuss the 2017 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Today, March 13th, was actually known as "Selection Sunday" for this long awaited tournament. Most know this tourney as "March Madness" as well, mainly because the entire tournament takes place during March and every game is insane!
This tournament consists of 68 teams total, spread out through 4 regions(16 teams per). At first this tournament used to only be 64 teams but now there is such a thing known as "first four out". Before the NCAA tournament begins, 8 teams will face off to see who makes the last 4 spots in the bracket. Thus creating the 64 team bracket and beginning the first round of play! This is one of the most exciting sports times of the year. By far the biggest tournament in the sports world aside from the Olympics. Literally, anyone can win the entire thing. Each region is seeded 1-16 and each match up is based on worst vs best seed. For example, the number 1 seed will play the number 16 seed. Followed by 2 vs 15, and 3 vs 14, etc. Upsets happen all the time and they come out of nowhere!
My favorite division 1 college is Kansas State University and this season wasn't their best. But they still somehow proved their way into the "first four out", so they will play on Tuesday night against Wake forest for the last spot in their region. I think they can win because K-state had some great wins and went toe to toe against Kansas twice this season. Anyways, if you're reading this and have no idea what the NCAA tournament is, I would encourage you to watch several of these games! Even if you don't like or know the schools playing, every game is very competitive and will satisfy your time with excitement!
Something pretty cool that anyone can do is, go to ESPN.com and create you're own bracket. You predict what teams move on and what teams finish their season. I usually make 5 brackets just to fool around and get lucky! It's really fun to do and you can register to win like 10,000 dollars! I don't think anyone has ever had a perfect bracket but some have come very close. To conclude, I hope you guys watch a game or two from the tournament and please comment to tell me how it was for you!
GO STATE!
This tournament consists of 68 teams total, spread out through 4 regions(16 teams per). At first this tournament used to only be 64 teams but now there is such a thing known as "first four out". Before the NCAA tournament begins, 8 teams will face off to see who makes the last 4 spots in the bracket. Thus creating the 64 team bracket and beginning the first round of play! This is one of the most exciting sports times of the year. By far the biggest tournament in the sports world aside from the Olympics. Literally, anyone can win the entire thing. Each region is seeded 1-16 and each match up is based on worst vs best seed. For example, the number 1 seed will play the number 16 seed. Followed by 2 vs 15, and 3 vs 14, etc. Upsets happen all the time and they come out of nowhere!
My favorite division 1 college is Kansas State University and this season wasn't their best. But they still somehow proved their way into the "first four out", so they will play on Tuesday night against Wake forest for the last spot in their region. I think they can win because K-state had some great wins and went toe to toe against Kansas twice this season. Anyways, if you're reading this and have no idea what the NCAA tournament is, I would encourage you to watch several of these games! Even if you don't like or know the schools playing, every game is very competitive and will satisfy your time with excitement!
Something pretty cool that anyone can do is, go to ESPN.com and create you're own bracket. You predict what teams move on and what teams finish their season. I usually make 5 brackets just to fool around and get lucky! It's really fun to do and you can register to win like 10,000 dollars! I don't think anyone has ever had a perfect bracket but some have come very close. To conclude, I hope you guys watch a game or two from the tournament and please comment to tell me how it was for you!
GO STATE!
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Post #4 The NFL Combine
This week's topic is the 2017 NFL Combine. This event is stretched out through a three day span consisting of collegiate athletes across the nation to compete to be drafted in this years draft. This day is special for these athletes because this is one of the tools they get to use for their chances in the NFL. Some of these athletes perform great numbers and some perform average numbers. This event includes several agility drills, a 40-yrd dash, a vertical jump and a broad jump. These numbers give NFL coaches and scouts ways to study players and decide who they want to draft this season.
This is my topic this week because three of our Washburn football players are currently training for the draft. Hoping to get their name called, these players are Cody Heiman, Zach Franklin, and Michael Miller. All three were great players for us! Being a Chiefs fan, I love the NFL draft, also because I am a college football player dreaming of being drafted to an NFL team one day. Anyways... I think what I'm trying to say is why does the NFL make it so hard and nerve-racking to make it in the NFL. These guys go through years of training and practice, yeah most of them don't even think of making it to the next level after college but the ones who have the talent and ability have to go through so much work and basically have to prove themselves to these coaches and scouts. Is the dream of playing in the NFL worth all this effort and time just to fall short and not get drafted at all? Less than four percent of all high school athletes go to college to play sports, 1.6 percent of college athletes make it to professional sports.
I love the NFL draft, I love watching athletes compete, I have no problem with anything towards the process of getting to the NFL. What do you guys think? Do you think it should be easier to get drafted or should every athlete get their shot on an NFL team? I'd love to hear what you guys think! Please comment your thoughts!
This is my topic this week because three of our Washburn football players are currently training for the draft. Hoping to get their name called, these players are Cody Heiman, Zach Franklin, and Michael Miller. All three were great players for us! Being a Chiefs fan, I love the NFL draft, also because I am a college football player dreaming of being drafted to an NFL team one day. Anyways... I think what I'm trying to say is why does the NFL make it so hard and nerve-racking to make it in the NFL. These guys go through years of training and practice, yeah most of them don't even think of making it to the next level after college but the ones who have the talent and ability have to go through so much work and basically have to prove themselves to these coaches and scouts. Is the dream of playing in the NFL worth all this effort and time just to fall short and not get drafted at all? Less than four percent of all high school athletes go to college to play sports, 1.6 percent of college athletes make it to professional sports.
I love the NFL draft, I love watching athletes compete, I have no problem with anything towards the process of getting to the NFL. What do you guys think? Do you think it should be easier to get drafted or should every athlete get their shot on an NFL team? I'd love to hear what you guys think! Please comment your thoughts!
Post #3 Should Athletes Make Millions?
It's Sunday blog day everyone! This week I thought that we should talk about how much money should professional athletes be awarded with contract extensions and reaching agreements on long term or short term contracts. Currently, my favorite player in the NFL is the starting Free Safety for the Kansas City Chiefs. Eric Berry has earned his right to be named one of the NFL's best defensive players. When a team is winning and the players are having great seasons and the fans are cheering and not focusing on the next year or the next few years. People and organizations don't enjoy counting the days until a particular player's contract comes to an end and new negotiations need to begin. For the 2017 season, Eric Berry will be a free agent, unless the Chiefs can find a way to agree upon a long term deal with Berry. Also, the Chiefs could set him as their franchise tag, making Berry the franchise tag for the second year in a row. Being a franchise tag take your last years salary and adds on 15-20% for the following season. Berry has already taken to the public that he doesn't want to play as the franchise tag next season. Sources say that Berry is asking for 75 million dollars over a long term deal. Thats A LOT of money, most offensive tackles or quarterbacks don't make that much money. Therefor, this could be a break up or make up year for the Chiefs All-Pro Safety. I really hope the two find a way to agree to a long term deal. Anyways, do you guys believe that professional athletes are asking for or are being paid too much money? I honestly think that some athletes are paid way to much money and more than they deserve. For example, LeBron James is the greatest basketball player in the NBA but he isn't the most paid player in the NBA. Some athletes make more than they deserve and that is the only problem that I have with this topic. I want to know what you guys have to say! Feel free to comment and speak your mind! Thanks for reading.
Post #2 Where's the Defense!?
Hi again everyone, how about we begin our sporting adventure with the NBA All-star game, which happens to be streaming live as I write this blog! Most of the people that I've asked about the All-star game have told me that they enjoy it and are always excited to watch it. The issue that I have been trying to address with people for about 3-4 years is the competition level in this game alone has dropped significantly in the last couple years. Yeah, both teams score at will and reach over 140+ points per contest but my main point here is THERE IS NO DEFENSE. All of these professional athletes including LeBron James, Kevin Durant Kobe Bryant, etc. None of them play any defense until the end of the game. Something needs to change down the road or I believe that the NBA All-star game will become one of the lease popular sporting events out there. I don't think its anywhere close to the top already, so increasing the competition levels of the players would do this game some good!
That's what I think, what do you guys think? Feel free to comment or ask questions!
That's what I think, what do you guys think? Feel free to comment or ask questions!
Chase Williams Intro
Hello everyone, my name is Chase Williams and I am a communications major here at Washburn and I'm actually looking to switch my major to Sports management while making communications my minor. I have a passion for sports and I'm looking to take my career into the sports world.
I'm from Winnetonka high school in Kansas City, Missouri. This is my second year here at Washburn and it has been a pretty great experience so far! I've met a lot of new people and the college experience has been really cool.
I also am continuing my football career here at Washburn on a football scholarship. I am a defensive back for anyone wondering! Football is by far my most favorite sport and after college I wish to be involved in some type of way with football! whether thats coaching, playing professionally, or even being a sports analyst. Thanks for reading!
I'm from Winnetonka high school in Kansas City, Missouri. This is my second year here at Washburn and it has been a pretty great experience so far! I've met a lot of new people and the college experience has been really cool.
I also am continuing my football career here at Washburn on a football scholarship. I am a defensive back for anyone wondering! Football is by far my most favorite sport and after college I wish to be involved in some type of way with football! whether thats coaching, playing professionally, or even being a sports analyst. Thanks for reading!
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