BY BRANDON SHRIDER

Major League Baseball and its owners have unanimously voted to expand the use of replay. With this being a hot topic within the sport of baseball, the story has failed to garner much attention by the prodigious network that is, ESPN.

The slight attention that ESPN chose to bring to the topic was directly followed by a banter-filled mockery of the history of manager arguments. And it’s this notion that has caused baseball to become an afterthought in the discussion of relevant sports in America today.

Instead, ESPN will continually show draft predictions at the bottom of the screen for the NFL draft of which is three months away.

Why is this so?

America has grown to love the game of football much more than that of the alleged long and boring sport of baseball. Instead, the biggest baseball stories in recent memory include the story of Alex Rodriguez and his PED scandal, or the blown call by Jim Joyce, which ultimately stole a perfect game from Armando Galarraga.

The notable stories in baseball have become scandalous and controversial as opposed to inviting and representative of the great sport that was once deemed America’s pastime.

BY BRANDON SHRIDER

Another dreadful Monday in the new year of 2014.

Or is it?

This day, being the third Monday in January marks the observed birthday of the late Martin Luther King Jr. Many people recognize him for his renowned speech and his advocacy for equal rights, but why is it that discrimination is still present in our society today?

The actions surrounding the NFC championship game last night vividly demonstrate why these actions still persist in a society that strives for equality.

Following the game, a black man with long dreadlocks chose to pat an opposing player on the buttocks while taunting him after making the game-sealing play to advance to the Super Bowl. This has become quite the story among media outside of the sports world, but why?

This story has become relevant because an African American athlete decided to bluntly rant after the game in a not so eloquent manner about the disrespect the opposing team displayed to him. He followed up these remarks by proclaiming himself the “best” and bringing the attention to himself in a selfish manner. The reporter at the time, Erin Andrews, seemed to be flustered and taken back by the violent post game tirade, and many viewed her actions as that of fear and disgust.

These actions and implications have turned this football issue into a matter of race.

The tirade by Sherman was classless, egotistical, conceited, and utterly shameful. But this fact should not be accompanied by the color of his skin. An array of players in professional sports choose to be outlandish, passionate, and boisterous while on the field, whether that be MLB players AJ Pierzynski and Brian Wilson, former NBA player Rick Barry, former Tennis player John McEnroe, or fellow NFL player Aaron Rodgers. The parallel between each of these athletes you ask?

They all have white skin.

What does this show? No matter the color of your skin, no matter your level of intelligence, no matter the era in which you played, there will always be players who express their passion for the game in a controversial manner. What this does not mean is that if a player becomes selfish for a moment, it does not make him a selfish player, an undesirable teammate, or an inadequate human being.

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

This quotation by Dr. King helps show how far America still has to go in reaching true equality amongst everyone, no matter his or her skin color. And while this specific behavior by Richard Sherman is not desirable, Dr. King had advocated for a society in which any man of color could have the freedom to express himself without the color of his skin becoming a disruption.

So, on a day in which we celebrate civil rights, and the life of a man who advocated for freedom, do not allow yourself to fall victim to the mainstream media and its villainous portrayal of Richard Sherman. Know that sports, while often a commonplace for many people, can yield undesirable yet passionate behavior of which would not occur outside the lines.

As Dr. King would say, “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair”, but rather, judge a man by his character alone, not by the color of his skin.

BY STEVEN KUBITZA

When athletes are under investigation for a crime, or even a victim of a situation, they are extensively covered by the sports media contingents nationwide; the largest of which happens to be ESPN.

Their flagship show, SportsCenter, always includes pictures of the athletes being talked about when an anchor is talking about that athlete.

The pictures are usually the generic team photo of the athlete, with them smiling while looking straight into the camera.

This was not the case for both Jonathan Martin, when he abruptly left the Dolphins, and for Jameis Winston, when he was under investigation for sexual assault.

In the case of Jonathan Martin, he was being played up as the victim of bullying by Richie Incognito. I am not delving into the situation as a whole, but rather the coverage of the situation. On ESPN, every time Martin was talked about they used a picture of him that could not have possibly been his team photo.

The photo shown was of Martin looking off to the side, with a sad look on his face. It almost seemed like the photo was designed to make Martin look like hopeless; to make him the clear victim.

This was not a good move by ESPN to do this, because it completed destroyed any sense of objectivity. If it comes down to changing pictures in order to sway opinions of viewers, that is not a respectable move.

Jameis Winston had his picture presented differently when he was under investigation for sexual assault. His new picture had him looking extremely unprofessional, and was once again not the generic team photo players take.

Remember, this is a nineteen-year-old kid we are talking about, and his image is being doctored in a blatant dismissal of objective reporting. Once again, no opinions are being offered on the case itself, but rather the expectation of objective reporting.

This practice of altering the presentation of athletes is often done by ESPN and even other outlets, and it becomes increasingly noticeable as it is done more and more.

BY STEVEN KUBITZA

Based on current media coverage, or lack thereof, it seems that the only major sporting event in February will be Super Bowl XLVIII. However, an event that sees athletes from all over the world taking part will begin just five days after the end of the NFL season.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia will begin on February 7th, and will end on the 23rd of the month.

For the casual sports fan, the only real mention of the event has come through commercials on NBC. These have been seen for a few months, but there should be much more.

NBC should be having programming that highlights the athletes that will be seen in the Olympics. This would be ideal for fans, but NBC knows that they will still make their money without having to hype up an event that will get viewers no matter what because of the weight carried in the name.

A likely reason for the lack of attention towards upcoming Winter Olympics is the fact that there are less iconic athletes along with less popular American sports in the winter portion of the Olympics.

The likes of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps will not be taking part, with the biggest names being Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White. I mention those two because they were the only names advertised on the original commercial released by NBC eight months ago.

Surely, there are other prominent athletes taking place, but these are the only two “big” names taking part, in the eyes of NBC.

The event will be more popular in places like Scandinavia, Canada, and parts of Europe, where the sports are more popular. That means that just because the media here in America isn’t focusing on the event, it doesn’t mean that it is not popular in other countries.

Promotion of the Winter Olympics will hopefully become more prominent in the next month, both on NBC and across the spectrum of sports media. If not, those in charge of the many media outlets here in America will be making mistakes.

BY TYLER KIEFFER

There is a story that is not getting enough attention in sports right now: Newtown High School Football. Everyone knows of the tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in that small Connecticut town nearly one year ago.

At the beginning of the season, the team decided to dedicate the year to the 26 people that lost their lives in that tragedy. Now the team is giving the town something to rally around. The team just ended the regular season at 12-0 and is now heading to the playoffs.

This team is helping the town heal from what has happened to them in the past. These young men are giving the town joy that they have not had in a long time.

Yet the one question could be asked is this: Why isn’t this getting more coverage? One could say that there are bigger stories that are happening right now that are more main stream and deserve the coverage. But I believe that this story is far from finished. There is still more to be written about this team and their story.

The team is ranked number one in the state, and if they make it to the title game the date will be very important: December 14. The one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. I hope that this team is able to make it to that game. It will give the town something to celebrate on that particular day.

If they make it to the game that is when I see this story taking off nationally. We should not wait until then, we should celebrate their accomplishments that they have already achieved. I hope that I speak for everyone when I say this: We are all pulling for you and Good Luck!

BY THYRAN NOWDEN

I disliked how the media reacted about the Johnny Manziel scheme. I feel that the media blew the whole situation out of proportion in trying to defend Manziel. They could have approached the Johnny Manziel situation in a more negative way to let the viewer’s know what Manziel did was not a good thing.

The media should have spoken more about how Manziel was wrong for signing autographs to make money and less about how he won the Heisman the previous football season.

The media was so focused on how Johnny Manziel was the best player in college football that it overshadowed him being punished for signing autographs for money.

If the media would have spoke more about Manziel being punished and that what he did was not acceptable, the viewers would be more interested in learning about the rules and regulations of college football. More people would realize that signing autographs to make extra money is illegal and if a player does commit some type of illegal action they should be punished.

People would finally understand that college athlete’s participation in illegal activities is a serious problem in college sports.

The media wanted to protect Manziel because he won the Heisman and since Texas A&M was one of the best teams in college football.

I feel that it is unfair that the media didn’t want to elaborate on why Manziel participated in the scheme and how he should be punished for what he did. This is a perfect example of how celebrities get preferential treatment.

BY ANTHONY CORNWELL

LeBron James is the best player in the world right now. He is playing at a higher level than anyone in the league. According to Charles Barkley during a halftime show on TNT, he’s playing on another planet.

You would think that LeBron would get a little credit, but that’s not the case. ESPN always seems to throw LeBron under the bus. Even after reaching a milestone against the 76ers on Tuesday night (a milestone that only 4 players have reached in NBA History), ESPN grilled him.

LeBron reached a milestone of 500 games in a row scoring in double digits. After acknowledging that for about 10 seconds they spent a few minutes saying that he will never be able to break the record.

ESPN began to say that he’ll never get there and he doesn’t have the same drive as the leader in the category, Michael Jordan.

ESPN seems to do this all the time to LeBron. After he won his first and second championship, the first thing they do is compare him to Jordan and look at LeBron’s inadequacies. He [LeBron] doesn’t make a final jump shot in a game; ESPN makes a poll comparing him to Jordan, knowing where the percentage of the votes will go.

Instead of giving the best player in the world a little credit, ESPN looks at his faults and makes comparisons of him and Michael Jordan. Jordan was the greatest of an era. Now we’re in a different era and LeBron should get a little more acknowledgement then the media has been giving him, especially ESPN.

BY TREVOR BITTENBENDER

As we all know, the Miami Dolphins are having a very unique season. They started out 3-0 and then lost their next four games. However, the most intriguing story has been off the field.

After Miami Dolphins tackle, Jonathan Martin, left the team during a meeting it was discovered that teammate Richie Incognito has been bullying him since he’s been drafted. After the transcript of the voicemail of Incognito was released, everyone wanted Incognito suspended.

ESPN went back to all of Incognito’s past incidences and made it seem as though this should be no surprise. The worldwide leader in sports showed how he was suspended from Nebraska and Oregon. However, after his brief stint in St. Louis, he went to Miami looking for a new start.

Incognito insisted that it was not as it seemed and that it’s being blown out of proportion. After another week of waiting to hear what would happen next, new reports came out that the team asked Incognito to “toughen up” Martin. If this is true, ESPN should be punished for tarnishing Incognito’s reputation.

If this story is true, and the Miami Dolphins told Incognito to “toughen up” Martin, ESPN should face some type of penalty. Why is it fair that ESPN gets to write and say whatever they want about someone without repercussions? If a player were to make a statement like this they would be fined.

ESPN is picking on Incognito because of his past. Do people forget how people like Bobby Knight used to treat his players? Screaming at players on national television. It’s unfair for ESPN to treat Incognito this way before they even know the full story. If it’s true that the coaches told him to “toughen up” Martin then ESPN should be penalized in some way for tarnishing Incognito’s reputation and causing him to be suspended from the Miami Dolphins.

BY ANDREW SCHNEIDER

Because so many high profile athletes are considered role models for young children, it is always a shock when we hear that they have done something wrong. Whether it is using performance enhancing drugs, or something as horrible as taking another person’s life, it is hard to continue idolizing these players… at least at first.

There is almost always going to be some sort of coverage when an athlete commits a crime. No matter if the allegations are true or not, there will be a story about it somewhere. And the more famous the athlete, the bigger the story will be.

A few weeks ago, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov was arrested and charged for assault and kidnapping. There wasn’t much national coverage of the event, but two days later, he was allowed to travel with his team to Dallas, where he started the game in goal.

Although Varlamov isn’t necessarily a household name in the United States, he is one of the better goalies in the NHL this season. He is also one of many professional athletes who have gotten in trouble with the law during their playing careers. Ray Lewis, Ben Roethlisberger, and Kobe Bryant are just a few of the many other big name athletes who have been accused of some sort of illegal activity. Varlamov may still undergo a trial, but for now he is free to travel and play for the Avalanche. It seems as though that this is the outcome on too many occasions.

Other than what they have been doing in their sport, it has been while since we have heard anything about the three players mentioned above. Of course when their incidents first occurred, it was big news. But after the legal dust settled, they were able to go back to their teams and make millions of dollars doing what they love.

And it gets worse as athletes make more and more money. There are countless stories of star players getting pulled over for drunk driving or charged with possession of illegal substances. But all they get is a “small” fine of a few thousand dollars, the equivalent of a couple bucks for regular people like you and me, and then they return to their team where thousands of people cheer when they enter the game.

Apparently having millions of dollars and making a public apology on television is the magic combination to being forgiven. I’m not saying that everyone has forgotten about what some athletes have done. There are plenty of people who still think some stars should be punished, but we hardly ever hear from them.

It is almost the opposite of what happens in government. If a political figure does something wrong, that is often the thing people remember most. But when a top athlete is the one in question, their wrongdoings are often over shadowed by their trophies and rings.

I myself am an Avalanche fan, and I am glad that Varlamov has done well for them. But I also think that it is wrong for his actions to go unpunished. Even if it means him leaving the team, punishments should overrule paychecks.

BY KATHRYN ROTH

After a 24-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday November 17, Washington Redskins left tackle Trent Williams made a claim that Roy Ellison, umpire on the officiating crew, made disrespectful remarks towards him during the game.

This story was featured all over the ESPN website, on SportsCenter, and various other sporting reports. All of these reports discussed whether or not Ellison should be punished or not for his actions.

My question is not if Ellison should be punished, but if this story is really news worthy.
It is no secret that this kind of behavior occurs on the field all of the time. You can go to any sporting event whether it’s at the high school, college, or professional level and hear the same kind of remarks that Ellison made.

This doesn’t make Ellison’s behavior acceptable, but the media is making him out to be a criminal for his actions as if he is the only person involved in sports to ever make comments like this on the field.

This type of behavior in sports, especially in the National Football League, has become the norm. It is unfortunate that coaches, players, and officials feel that they need to act this way, but we have to accept it and move on.

The media needs to spend less time criticizing people like Ellison for doing harmless things and focus on the more important stories in sports.

When I log onto ESPN or turn on SportsCenter to see the latest sports news, I want to see actual sports news, not grown men complaining about being called names.