Wednesday, September 6, 2017

The Perfect Landscape of Communication

What if I told you, I knew men and women more powerful than the politicians in our elected offices. What if I told you that the words of a few could move mountains in regards to social and political activism. This power is highly sought after in an ever changing global climate, with polarization and violence becoming more and more common. The power I speak of comes from sport.

Political activist Nelson Mandela once said "Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people, It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers". Race relations is merely one problem that has taken root in contemporary debate, and many athletes have chosen to take a firm stance and speak their minds on the issue. Global icons like Lebron James, and Colin Kaepernick have spoken out in their own personal ways, but they have received varying forms of feedback.

Sports capture the emotions of millions day in and day out, and some of the most idolized individuals in the world are professional athletes. Yet, some people believe that these individuals shouldn't speak up on controversial topics. This is not only a confusing statement, but it's also troubling. It seems that there are people in society that believe athletes should remain athletes, and serve as pure entertainment for the viewers, but that goes against the very principles of our nation. These are human beings, with an extraordinary opportunity to touch the hearts and minds of millions who look up to them, and I believe it should be encouraged for them to speak out.

My opinion is not shared universally, and even the individual leagues and organizations these athletes are apart of differ slightly in their own opinions. Of course they don't bluntly come out and say they don't want their athletes to speak, but the subtle way they lead and treat their athletes can be investigated and interpreted.

I have a passion for sports, and I'm very interested in the relationship of sports and how they affect civic life. The goal of this blog will be to select current events in sport and interpret and analyze them.  I hope to affect change in my own way through this blog, by sharing the stories of sport and its power.


Photo courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal







6 comments:

  1. I really like the passion to use in your writing! Sports definitely seems like the right way to go for you! I really like your opening! It really caught my attention! And the quote you use was very insightful!

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  2. I love this! It is a really interesting and new perspective, one that I personally would not have thought of, as a way of talking about social issues!

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  3. Your blog is a very unique take on sports. I have never thought much about the influence that athletes have on society and I'm very interested in your perspective.

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  4. This is a really good idea. Most people do not think about sports figures this way and even the media will report about their controversial stances in a negative light. Your post hooked me in from the first sentence and the use of the quote fit in perfectly. You can definitely tell through your writing that you are passionate about this and I look forward to reading your future posts!

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  5. This is a really unique way of writing about sports for a blog, I like it a lot! It would be cool to read about more than just reported scores. I completely agree with you when you say people tend to look down upon athletes when they try to do something non-sports related.

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  6. Man, you have me hooked! I'm amazed by the way this has been written and the different approach you have taken to sport, instead of the general sports blogs maintained by sports fanatics that simply 'fangirl' over their beloved teams and sports. I'm excited for this.
    Good Luck!

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Eye Got This

Eye contact, yeah it can be pretty awkward. Most occasions staring at people is not only uncomfortable for them, it just makes things weird ...