Author Archives: kiatyus

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About kiatyus

Kia Tyus is a senior at BGSU. She is a sport management major and marketing minor. Her short-term goal is to work with in the marketing department or communicaton department for a small Division I or Division II sports program. Her long-term goal is to become the marketing director or the head sport information director (SID) of the Michigan State University athletic department. This is her third year participating with the Maxwell Project.

The Poor Decisions of the Los Angeles Lakers

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By Kia Tyus

Kelly Dwyer wrote a compelling article about the Los Angeles Lakers recent poor decisions in recent years; most notably their signing of Kobe Bryant to a two-year $48.5 million.

Dwyer brought on the point that just about everyone thought that the Lakers made a ridiculously poor decision. Everyone except the Buss family and Bryant has a firm understanding that Bryant is by no means able to play at the level of a $48.5 million contract.

Dwyer also points out that the Lakers organization is very careless with their money because they know that they have the money to spend.

On of the best comparisons that was made in the article was how Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki took pay cuts to make sure that there respective organizations had money to spend on free agency without going over the luxury tax. Dwyer also noted that Duncan and Nowitzki respective teams got a good bargain with their recent contract extinctions.

The Lakers are clearly in a different market that most National Basketball Association teams. I like how Dwyer stated facts like the San Antonio Spurs aren’t getting $2 billion dollar TV deals. And that even with Bryant’s recent contract the Lakers still have plenty of cap space to sign free agents.

Which brings Dwyer’s next point in the recent Laker’s poor spending habits. The Lakers should have never hired Mike Brown. The Lakers were looking at whom Brown was coaching instead of his actual coaching ability. Second, the Lakers spent a large sum of money when they acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. This was a huge waist of money because Howard lasted a year and played terribly and Nash has yet to have a healthy season with the Lakers.

Dwyer also helped his claim when he stated that they shouldn’t have hired Mike D’Antoni because they didn’t have the offensive weapons to run a D’Antoni offense and Byrant under his new contract has yet to play a full season and is in is 19th NBA season coming off of two major injuries on both legs.

Dwyer wrote a great article about the Lakers poor choices over the last few years. He stated multiple facts and gave great examples about how their poor choices have done nothing but harm the team. In fact, the Lakers have started the 2014-15 season 1-7.

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College Football Committee

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By Kia Tyus

Dan Wetzel wrote an article on whether the College Football Playoff Committee is making fair choices, and if their choices are influenced by outside behavior.

Wetzel made a host of great points throughout the article, one of them being whether or not there is there a point in the Top 25 poll? Wetzel made suggestions that there is no longer a point in the Top 25 polls because of the recently new playoffs. With the new playoffs, the top four teams in the nation make it. Therefore, if I chose to agree with this thought, I would suggest maybe that the NCAA should start doing a top seven-team poll. That way the nation would have an idea of who would be the first four teams in and the next two teams out.

Another suggestion Wetzel had was criticizing how fair it would be if there were three to four Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams to make the playoffs. Wetzel stated that the teams that should make the playoffs should deserve to be there. My question to challenge this would be to think about the other undefeated teams in the nation. Many teams can’t help the conference that they play in.

I feel personally that the committee recycles the top seven or eight teams until they have two or more losses. Which isn’t fair to the few teams that continue to win games week in and week out.

Wetzel suggested that the committee might be influenced by the outrage that pours in each week. I feel like he may have a point because in a scenario of a low-level team matching up with a team with the skill level of Alabama, it wouldn’t be as entertaining for fans to watch. While there is a slight chance that the public influences the committee, it is still a thought to think about.

The final point that Wetzel made was the fact that the ranking system will probably not be changed in the near future. I completely agree with Wetzel with this. In reality, the top 25 ranking system gets college football fans talking every week. More and more people tune in every week to watch college football and every Tuesday to see who is ranked in the top four.

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Michael Vick Gets the Start

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By Kia Tyus

Frank Schwab wrote a great article on the quarterback woes of the New York Jets.

Schwab started the article off by discussing how the play of Geno Smith simply isn’t cutting it. Schwab wrote that the Smith isn’t a valuable option for the Jets. Schwab picked apart Smith’s play and rightfully so since he opened the game this past Sunday versus the Buffalo Bills throwing three picks in the first quarter alone.

Schwab continued to rip apart Smith by using critical stats. As a starter, Smith has a miserable 19 touchdowns and pitiful 31 interceptions. Clearly, like Schwab stated, Smith has not learned from him rookie mistakes. Currently, the Jets have one of the worst records in the NFL sitting on a 1-7 record. Which promoted the quarterback change for the Jets.

Schwab shifted the article toward the coach decision. Rex Ryan is probably one of the most indecisive coaches in the league in my opinion. Schwab helped back up my thought by writing about how Ryan still has hope for Smith this season. How Ryan isn’t worried about any other game except for the one this week. How this isn’t a long–term deal for the Jets. Ryan has failed to realize that in the system the Jets run, Smith simply doesn’t pull through.

Michael Vick use to be an elite quarterback in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons before his poor choices off the field interfered. The aging quarterback who will be turning 35 is now the starting quarterback for a team that needs a major confidence boost.

Schwab made good points when it came to Vick and the quarterback future of the Jets. Vick is an older quarterback who granted has had some remarkable moments since reentering the NFL, but he has failed to really show that he can consistently make those necessary plays for his team on a week-to-week basis when given the chance.

Schwab ended the article stating that Vick obviously is not the franchise quarterback but at this point in time starting Vick over Smith is the smart move and I agree.

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Michael Sam Gets Cut

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By Kia Tyus

An article written by Tom Pelissero explains just how hard it is to make it in the NFL. Pelissero’s main focus is Michael Sam getting cut for the second time.

Pelissero jumped right into the article explaining how typically, no one would have noticed that the Dallas Cowboys cut a player from the practice squad. But, since Sam is an openly gay football player it is a bigger deal. I like that Pelissero jumped right into it because it gets an unimportant topic out of the way so Pelissero can focus more on what is important. While I understand that Sam being the first openly gay player in the NFL is a big deal, I don’t like how that particular story always seems to find itself in the news when there is more important stuff to discuss about the NFL.

Pelissero gave facts about the cut stating that linebacker Troy Davis would take Sam’s spot on the practice squad. Also this is the second time in two months that Sam is out of a job.

Something that surprised me about this article is how low of pay players receive for being on the practice squad. To be fair, you are not actually on the active roster, nobody knows who you are, and you don’t have to deal with all the extra drama and stress the active players and superstars deal with; but, Pelissero stated that practice squad member receive roughly $6,300 a week. Obviously for your average citizen that may not be half bad, but for billion dollar organizations I just figured that they would be paid a little more because they are the ones making the superstars better players.

Pelissero proceeded to then talk about Sam’s college stats. I liked the direction he took this because it shows that even someone who was an All-American and co-SEC defensive player of the year spot in the NFL is not guaranteed. Pelissero went on to say that may get you looked at by NFL scouts but, at the end of the day, size and speed play a big part in a player’s success in the NFL. I like how Pelissero explained that Sam simply is too small and slow for his position in the NFL. That just lets the general public know that being gay isn’t the reason why Sam currently isn’t making it in the NFL.

I like how Pelissero ended that article explaining how Sam shouldn’t give up hopes because many players have been cut more than they can probably count and still have succeeded in the NFL. It ended what seemed to be a negative article and giving it a positive light.

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Positive Spirits for Michigan State

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By Kia Tyus

An article written by Mike Griffith of Mlive.com touched on the expectations about Michigan State.

Griffith starts the article off touching on the point that Michigan State has gone from being hopeful to win a Big Ten Championship, to it being expected from the general public that they are going to win the Big Ten Championship.

I like how Griffith used facts like how the Spartans are 5-1 and ranked 8th in the nation, and how he noted major wins against Nebraska and Purdue respectfully.

Griffith also compared two of the nations top coaches: Mark Dantonio and Nick Saban.

Griffith explained how Dantonio has a calmer approach when dealing with pressure. Griffith even goes into detail about how Dantonio is more worried about his players being happy and embracing the moment, even stating “I think it’s a good problem to have.”

Saban on the other hand had more of an aggressive approach complaining about how it pisses him off that the public puts so much pressure on his players to win, but still isn’t satisfied enough if he doesn’t win by a lot. At the end of the day, Saban is more concerned about his players fighting through a hard fought game and coming out with the win. Saban just cares about his player’s happiness.

The way the editor edited each coaches approach made Dantonio seem nice and calm and Saban seemed like a loose screw. In fact, both coaches wanted the same thing, for their players to be happy. They both went about the interviews in different tones but there is no wrong to the way they answered the question.

Both coaches are passionate about the game and most importantly, both coaches care about there players.

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Redskins NEED Name Change

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Christopher L. Gasper wrote an incredible article for The Boston Globe on the need to change the Washington Redskins name.

I completely agree with what Mr. Gasper had to say about the name of the Redskins and how it is offensive to Native Americans.

Gasper talked about how it is racist for any team to be named the Redskins and how it is equivalent to a team being called the N-word. And, if you were to think about it, he is absolutely right because there is not one African-American who would be okay with any team being called the N-word.

I also like how Gasper pointed out how changing the name of the Redskins will not erase the history that they have made since moving to Washington. It will simply be the start of something new and fresh.

In fact, Gasper mentioned how the Indian removal Act of 1830 and Trail of Tears support the removal of the Redskins name.

Even powerful figures such as President Barack Obama, US Attorney General Eric Holder and Redskins cornerback Champ Bailey stated that it was a no-brainer that the Redskins should change their name.

Gasper did a great job in finding facts about how outraged people are when he said that the US Patent and Trademark office canceled the Redskins trademark.

Gasper did look at both sides stating that a lot of die-hard Redskins fans wouldn’t approve of a name change because it is what they grew up on. I understand that because I couldn’t imagine calling the Detroit Lions another name.

A simple solution would be to change the Redskins name to the Washington Braves. Many teams that move to different cities keep the original name and just change the city. For instance the New Jersey Nets recently changed their name to the Brooklyn Nets. I also feel like Native Americans should do peaceful protests so the world can actually see first-hand that the Redskins name is truly offensive to them.

Gasper did a great job with this article by critiquing how disrespectful it is for the Redskins to be called the Redskins and did a wonderful job backing up the sources.

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Brock Boyer Back in the State Tournament

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By Kia Tyus

Andrew Williams of The Courier recently published an article about Brock Boyer making history in North Baltimore.

This article starts strong by stating multiple facts about Brock Boyer and the history of golf in North Baltimore.

The article did a great job in talking about the 34-year drought since a player from North Baltimore made it to state finals. Meaning, since 1980, no golfer from North Baltimore has made it to the state finals.

Boyer wasn’t even thought about the last time a golfer from North Baltimore made it to the finals, which is why the senior’s impressive 78 at the Division III boys district golf tournament on Thursday at Stone Ridge Golf Club got the community buzzing. Boyer will compete at the golf tournament on October 11 and 12 at North Star Golf Club in Sunbury.

Boyer stated that this accomplishment was a “great feeling”.

After the short Boyer introduction, the article took a turn for the worst by discussing other competitors whose scores happen to be better than Boyer’s.

I feel as though if you are going to highlight such a historical moment the author of the article Andrew Williams needed to focus more on Boyer and his accomplishments in the tournament.

Williams in a way disrespected Boyer by not fully acknowledging him throughout the entire article. Something Williams could have included in his article was writing about Boyer’s early golfing days and the struggle and heartbreak of never making it to the finals.

Maybe Williams could have asked more questions, such as if there was any pressure to break the drought.

To me, if you are going to acknowledge someone especially in the title you owe that person a full article, not half an article. It was wrong for Williams to discuss the competition Boyer would face.

It was Boyer’s time to shine and embrace the moment of such accomplishment. If Williams wanted to write about Boyer and his competition, that should have been a separate article.

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