Brent Metcalf Interview

Lapchick Column

Since when are things in life fair? Nothing is and probably will never be, especially in the realm of sports. I am referring to the amount of minorities and women in professionals’ sports today. The 2006-2007: Racial and Gender Report Card by Richard Lapchick, shows how professional sports and collegiate sports hire individuals in comparison to the athletes chosen for the institution. Not too sound callous or ignorant, but is this something needed to be harped on in our society.

Lapchick’s study grades each sport by how well they hire minorities and women into an organization. The study also looks at the ratio between white athletes and minority athletes in American sports. While this may have been a highly debated topic years ago, I feel as if there are more pressing issues to be looked at.

The study shows how the NBA has over 76 percent of their players being of African American descent and the NFL has over 67 percent. In comparison, the MLB has only 8 percent African American athletes. These numbers are large because all three leagues are prominent in American society.

Could the breakdown of races have to do something with interests in the sports? With all do respect, yes. The interest of baseball has never been very significant in baseball with African Americans, but with Whites and Latinos it has been. Even after Jackie Robinson broke the race barrier in baseball the interest in baseball has never been extremely high, and seems to be decreasing year after year. Who knows if it has to do with the way people are raised or does it apply to a significant hero kid’s look up to and idolize that makes them participate in one sport or the other?

The race and gender study also shows these numbers to be lacking when it comes to the hiring of individuals for executive and coaching positions.

But why is this significant? It isn’t. The athletes are paid millions of dollars to perform and bring in the revenue for teams. Coaching and executive jobs should go to the highest qualified candidate. It should not come down to race or gender, but rather who is best qualified for the job.

Call me a racist or a sexist, but when an overqualified applicant gets passed over to meet a ‘quota’ in favor of a minority or a woman, something doesn’t feel right or just in the hiring practices.

However, the NFL has taken steps to combat the lack of minorities when it comes to head coaching positions. The Rooney Rule made it mandatory for NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate. The rule helped to increase the number of African American coaches to seven in 2007, compared to only two in 2002. The rule was showcases in 2007 when two African American head coaches led their teams to the Super Bowl, and Tony Dungy became the first to win a Super Bowl championship.

Another breakthrough for minorities came when Robert Johnson became the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. At the point of publication, Johnson was the only African American to be an owner of a franchise in any

professional sport.

While the Rooney Rule might be effective to a point, it is just another form of affirmative action. Many people agree with affirmative action, but as stated earlier, I find it hard to give a job to a person based simply on race. Also, the fact that there is only one African American owner in professional sports means diddlysquat. It all has to do with money. In the end the power of the all-mighty dollar outranks race. There are plenty of wealthy minorities in the world and in America. If one wanted to own a team and is willing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to own it, then they should do so. But don’t wine to me about not getting an opportunity to own a team, especially when a league has over three fourths of a minority group.

This is the 21^st century. There is an African American in the White House. Granted, the survey was conducted a few years ago, but the opportunities are there for every race not just for Whites. Some of my favorite athletes are African Americans and the study seemed too preachy and whinny at times. I feel everyone should have the right for growth and opportunity, but it should ultimately go to the most deserving and credentialed applicant available.

Twitter, is it good?

1. How do media use Twitter for "good?'

• The use of Twitter is good for the media because it allows journalists to break news. By logging on to their Twitter feed, a writer is able to Tweet his/her thoughts on a current topic. Often, the topics are hyper linked to a full story for further reading. Big media chains such as the NY Times and Chicago Tribune use it to entice readers. Enticing the reader makes the reader click the hyper link to view the story, thus creates more traffic and attention on ones website.

2. How do media combat/reach readers who don't know the difference between gossip and genuine reporting?

• The media is able to combat what is gossip and genuine reporting by using sources. The more sources a writer has on a topic, the more credible the story generally is. Readers who don't know the difference between here say and truth need to rely on facts and information from reputable sources. Also, a journalist has ethical issues when writing a story. They won't libel a person because it is ethically wrong and also could have major repercussions on their career.
• One main point of readers is to realize breaking news from news that has had time to marinate and sit. Breaking news is short and to the point. It usually tells what happened and who was involved without much speculation. A story that elaborates on the breaking news, usually has been written a few hours after the event occurred. This would give the journalist ample time to put facts and sources together, in order to elaborate more on the breaking news.
  
• Also, check who is distributing the news. If the news is coming from a well known distributor, then the story is more often genuine. If it comes from a tabloid, then gossip is usually what is written.
  

UFC 105 Predictions

Well fight fans you won't have to order this event, instead you can watch it from the comfort of your own home. The broadcast will air on SpikeTV. However, the event will not be live, instead it will be tape delayed because the event is currently taking place in England.

Predictions

Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera

• After watching Couture's last fight I find it hard to pick him as a winner. Vera is younger and faster than the aging Couture.
  
• Vera will ultimately win, most likely by unanimous decision. Youth will prove key over experience in this fight.
  

Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy

• I fully expect Swick to win this fight. He has been riding some heavy momentum as of late, and will fight with a chip on his shoulder. He has not been given the credit he deserves in his recent wins.
  
• Swick will dominate with a first or second round TKO of Hardy.
• With a TKO and an impressive showing, Swick would be next inline for a title shot against George St. Pierre.

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang

• This fight could lead to some controversy if Bisping doesn't win via TKO or submission. Bisping is fighting in his native England and the judges will play a role if the fight goes to the judges.
  
• In order for Kang to win he has to get a TKO or submission.
  
• I believe Bisping will win this fight mainly because it is the home crowd and he will be motivated to give them a good fight.
  

James Wilks vs Matt Brown

• Wilks on of the Ultimate Fighter 9 and showed great poise and confidence during his stay. I really enjoy watching Brown fight because he is a brawler. He isn't the most athletic fighter but he has heart.
  
• I expect this will go to the judges with Brown winning by split decision.
  

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

• This fight is all about experience. Riley is undoubtedly the experienced one and has not shown any ring dust in past fights.
  
• Experience out-ways youth in this fight with Riley winning by split decision over Pearson.
  

Youth will attempt to guide Iowa City West to State

Youth and perimeter shooting are two things Iowa City West’s women’s basketball team will rely on this season.

Last year the Trojans finished 16-6, losing in the sub-state final to the Ankeny Hawks. But the main parts of the team have graduated.

Gone from last years team are the two leading scores, Emma Krieger Kittle and Madison Sadecky. The two graduated last year and took with them over half of the teams’ total points and rebounding.

This year’s team will rely on younger faces in order to replace the production of Krieger Kittle and Sadecky. But perhaps the hardest part to replace is the height.

The height factor is something West head coach B.J. Mayer will have to adapt to. The tallest player is only 5’10”, which creates some problems in the post.

“It’s definitely one of our weaknesses,” said Mayer. “We will probably rely more on the three-point shot this year.”

Not having an inside game would usually worry a coach, but not Mayer. Instead, the Trojans will look to run a more up-tempo style of offense, more conducive to their strengths. Senior Kristin Foman will be one key player the Trojans will look to for the three point shot. Last year, Foman averaged 27% from beyond the arc, but this year coach Mayer will be looking for her to improve her game.

“Kristin is a good shooter, but struggled last year to find her stroke,” said Mayer. “Hopefully she has a more productive season shooting the ball this year.”

Two other seniors looking to make an impact are Courtney Fritz and Mackenzie Reed. Fritz averaged 5.9 points per game and Reed averaged 5.2 last year. Mayer understands the importance of senior leadership, which will be a key part if the Trojans look to make the jump from sub-state to the state playoffs.

To help the seniors will be the addition of key players from last years 20-1 sophomore team. The added players will help establish a consistent rotation. Mayer expects to have a 10 player rotation compared to last year’s seven person rotation.

However, one key factor still remains unaddressed, the defense. In order to battle the height issues, the Trojans will run a zone defense to create more confusion on the floor, and to allow for more double teams in the post. Sophomore Tatum Klein is expected to be the main defender Mayer will look to in tough situations.

“Tatum Klein, who was a freshman last year, played a little with the varsity squad last season,” said Mayer. “Her defensive ability will be a big part of this year’s team.”

The first test for the young Trojans will be on Nov. 24 against non-conference opponent Fairfield. This game is important for the Trojans, because if they want to be able to complete with the elites in the Mississippi Valley Conference, they will need to get off to a solid start.

“Getting off to a good start, and gaining some early momentum is going to be really important, especially with such a young team," said Mayer.

The road to state for the Trojans officially begins with practice on November 9^th.

Response to Vincent Article

John Vincent’s article, Equitable Media Coverage of Female and Male Athletes: Is there a Solution?”, analyzes the many challenges female athletes face when it comes to representation in the media compared to male athletes.

Vincent’s argument is that society has stereotyped women with a certain gender role of being sexual. One example is that of Anna Kournikova. She plays tennis but is not a considerable talent such as Serena or Venus Williams. Kournikova plays into the stereotype of being sexual. Her appearances in Sports Illustrated and other publications show how her role is not of an athlete, but rather a sexual entity.

There are many social constructed ideas about female athletes that Vincent touches upon. One of the ideas is “gender appropriate sports.” Vincent notices female athletes who compete in tennis, swimming, gymnastics and so forth receive more media coverage. The idea is women who compete in more physical sports, such as field hockey, are categorized as being more masculine and thus receive far less attention.

A key aspect for women not receiving as much media coverage is because of revenue. Female athletics doesn’t draw the money men’s athletics do. For that reason, newspapers do not lead with a female story as often as a male story.

Women also don’t receive the same respect when it comes to sports journalism as a career. Sports journalism is a male dominated work place and this is still evident today, most notably on ESPN. There are female anchors on the network but generally, women work as side-line reporters. Not many women have been able to work their way from the side-line to a higher position. A reason for this is could be attributed to the stereotypes of women in society. In some ways this is true. Pam Ward, and ESPN announcer, is criticized for her play calling abilities. She often gets things wrong, and to a big sports fan, this can be seen as unacceptable. It also doesn’t help female analysts when there are blogs about how poorly Ward does.

One of the main problems I see with women breaking the barrier into mainstream sports is history. Men’s sports have saturated history, and women have been competing for a much shorter time then men. The gap between the two almost seems insurmountable. Even though history has changed, and women have gone from the household to the workplace, history has yet to change the dominant role of sports.

Even when there is a terrific female sports story in society, it generally gets overshadowed by a lesser male event. There have been times when female athletes have been able to snag the headlines such as the US Women’s World Cup team, the UCONN basketball program, and Shawn Johnson.

The conclusion Vincent gives is interesting to note. We do live in a society saturated by media and the Internet, but ultimately it is the parent’s responsibility to nudge their daughters into a direction of athletics. The idea of sitting on a couch and gaining weight is not something any parent wants. Vincent says, “it is important that parents perceive that their daughters' athleticism will be valued,” is a good measure of how a child relies on their parents to teach good lessons to them even if they don’t see them on TV or the Internet.

I believe female athletes are just as talented as male athletes. A good example is Danica Patrick. She has won an Indy Car race and continues to beat men every weekend on the track. I believe most people know she is a race car driver, but many would recognize her as the Go Daddy sponsor. She wears tight clothes and is seen with other gorgeous women in the ads. There are many other great athletes out there but still have little recognition with endorsements or by the media.

At the end of his article, Vincent lists ways in which the media can change their approach in order to equally give the same amount of coverage to both sexes. However, like most things, it all comes down to money. The media is a business, and they need followers in order to survive. It is clear to see where the media stands on male vs. female athletics. It would be hard to change something that has worked for the media for such a long time.

Fighter Bonus Awards for UFC 104

Awards

Fight of the Night

• Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry
  
• This fight was not on the main card and thus did not air on Pay-Per-View. However, it did air live on SpikeTV as part of the preliminary card. This fight was intense and very entertaining for any MMA fan. There was constant action, which was a great lead into the Pay-Per-View. It is a shame that not all UFC fights are like this one.
  
• Result: Barry won via TKO in the second round. Both fighters received a $60,000 bonus for the fight
  

Knockout of the Night

• This bonus was awarded to Patrick Barry for the onslaught of punches that he unloaded on Hardonk.
• Barry was awarded another $60,000 for the knockout.
  

Submission of the Night

• Stefan Struve won the bonus. Unfortunately, this fight was part of the non-televised fights and was only aired after the main event as a replay.
  
• Struve locked in a triangle choke against Chase Gormley. The choke happened in the last minute of the first round.
• Struve earned $60,000 for the submission.