Mr. Maxwell (R), Contributors Lily Smith (C) and Sam Morris (L) pose for a picture.
By: Lily Smith and Sam Morris
Lily Smith is a second-year undergraduate at BGSU from Oregon, Ohio. She is majoring in Sport Management with a Marketing minor. She is passionate about all things women’s sports, and all things women in sports.
Sam Morris is from Madison Heights, Michigan, and is an undergraduate student at BGSU majoring in Sport Management. He has a passion for sports writing and journalism. In his free time, he also performs, writes, and produces his own raps for the music industry club at BGSU.
October 11, 2024
Kicking off Bowling Green State University’s 2024 Homecoming was the Academy of Distinguished Alumni event. This event highlighted past BGSU alumni and their accomplishments.
The event was held on September 26th at 6pm in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Ballroom, and it recognized Larry Benz, Seshadri Tangutur, and Jeff Witjas as the most recent alumni to be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
Although the three distinguished alumni inductees were the main stars of the event, others, like their families, their friends, deans, professors, other BG alums, students, and a few former Distinguished Alumni recipients also attended the induction.
One of the former Distinguished Alumni who was at the ceremony was the founder of the Maxwell Media Watch, 2018 inductee, Dick Maxwell (above). Maxwell graciously invited both of us to go to the event which turned out to be a night full of networking, great food, great speeches, and an overall great night.
Sam’s Perspective
Before guests took their seats, Mr. Maxwell introduced us to many people, which was a fantastic way to network with BG alums who are now professionals in the sports field. One professional to whom I spoke was ESPN and ABC Sports former producer, Peter Englehart (below) who explained how making connections with people throughout your academic professional journey will get you to where you want to go. This was the case with him, as he became a producer for 2 of the largest sports production stations. Englehart is not only a great professional figure but also, like Maxwell, in 2015, he was inducted into the BGSU Academy of Distinguished Alumni.
After taking our seats, we began to network with people at our table. I talked a lot with Dawn Shinew, the dean of the EDHD college, who helped me contact with Curtis Danburg, the Cleveland Guardians VP of Communications and Community Impact. This connection was great for me to have as I now have a future Zoom call with him scheduled after the MLB playoffs end.
I also talked with Erik Hildebrand, BGSU’s Associate AD for compliance. He was another interesting BG professional because he had extensive knowledge on how NIL works in college athletics which I thought was really cool to be able to get input on.
Lily’s Perspective
Before the event even began, Sam and I sat down and spoke with Mr. Maxwell about updates in our lives and our journeys in sport. Mr. Maxwell was very interested to hear about our current internships and future opportunities. I found this very endearing and welcoming when it came to my first in-person interaction with Mr. Maxwell. He was super engaged and interested to hear about our different experiences.
Once the event began, I sat next to Jordan Cravens (below). She is a BGSU alumnae herself (’09, ’13), but is now HHS Senior Director of Development. We chatted about her experiences in the masters of Sport Administration program, as well as her time working with the BGSU Volleyball Team. It was very encouraging to hear insights about the sport industry from another woman in this space. We talked about the transition from the sports world into the fundraiser world, where a lot of the same skills can be applied. This was appealing to me because I am interested in the marketing/public relations side of sports, which is similar to her current position.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, we thought the event was a great networking opportunity for alums, and luckily enough, for us, to participate in. We personally got a lot of value out of it because we made multiple professional connections and got to see so many different sports careers and perspectives.
As for the actual Distinguished Alumni themselves, we thought all 3 did a fantastic job with their speeches and they all seemed to have wonderful careers in their respective fields.
Fitzpatrick Metzger is from Lakewood, Ohio, and is a graduate student at BGSU completing a masters in Sport Administration. He has a passion for soccer, rugby and sport analytics. In his free time, he is on the BG Rugby team as a player, club secretary, and SID.
October 9, 2024
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green (4-1, 2-0 MAC) had their second non-conference win this season. The Falcons put on their best performance of the season in a 79-3 victory over the NCR D-1AA Top 20 Coaches Poll No. 16th Maryland. The Falcons closed out their non-conference play with a promising record of 2-1.
“A much better performance. Obviously the scoreline was probably a little lopsided, a little more than we kind of expected for sure,” said Head Coach Tony Mazzarella. “I think we played some really clinical rugby, certainly in the middle 40 minutes. Just a good win to get us back on track.”
The Falcons went into Homecoming weekend as the No. 5 ranked D-1AA team in the NCR Top 20 Coaches Poll with a match against the No. 16 team Maryland. After the weekend and a 79-3 home blowout, the Falcons have advanced to the No. 3 rank in this week’s NCR Top 20 Coaches Poll and dropped Maryland out of the top 20. These two teams have not played since 2013, which resulted in a BGSU victory. The match started with a Maryland penalty kick to take the lead 0-3. From there on, the Falcons would play their best match of the season.
“Overall, I think as a team we played closer to our potential than we have in the past, which can attest to 2 things, attitude and effort,” said Captain Joey Apel. All 15 players on the field at any time played unselfishly and motivated, and they did it all at full pace for 80 minutes.”
After going down 0-3, the Falcons would score 79 unanswered points, more than double the 35 unanswered points scored against Michigan (Big Ten) in the week 1, 47-12 win. In what was a much needed complete 80-minute performance, the win will provide a massive boost going into the second half of the season.
The 2nd XV was also able to secure a win for Homecoming weekend. This gave the club their fourth weekend sweep this season. In what was a hard fought 29-15 win for the 2nd XV, 8-man Nathan Medved led the way by scoring his first hat-trick of the season (3 tries for 15 points). Additionally, Paolo Sferrella and Robbie Bricker contributed one try each and Isaac Radke provided 4 points (2 for 5 on conversions, 40%).
NOTABLES
The Falcons scored 79 unanswered points to defeat the No. 16 Terps.
Three Falcons scored 10+ points: Joey Apel 14 pts (1 try and 7 from 13 on conversions, 53.85%, Griffin Wilson and Phil Tracey 10 points (2 tries each).
In his First XV debut, Evan Holderer scored his first try for the First XV.
The Falcons had their highest points total, 79, and largest points differential, +76, of any game this season.
Nathan Medved scored his first hat trick (3 tries, 15 points) for the Second XV.
Robbie Bricker scored his first try of the season for the Second XV.
Bowling Green (4-1, 2-0 MAC) will be off the weekend of October 5th due to Fall Break. The Falcons will start up again with their next MAC Conference game against Ohio University (1-3 MAC) at 1 pm on Saturday, October 12th at the Roger Mazzarella Rugby Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED 1st XV Bowling Green 79, Maryland 3
Caption: Shohei Ohtani dawns Samurai headgear and celebrates with teammates after a Home Run.
By Ryan Harless
Ryan Harless is a fourth-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
August 13, 2023
The Los Angeles Angels decided to pull (arguably) the greatest baseball player of all time off the trading block in what looks to be a statement move. The Angels have shown baseball that they are doing everything they can to get Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout to the playoffs.
They got all four of these players without having to give up much at all and I think they will all be great late-season pickups for LA. However, simply acquiring these players isn’t going to automatically put the team in first place. They are in a very tough division dealing with both the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros who are currently in first and second place, respectively.
The Angels now sit in fourth place, 12.5 games behind Texas and are six games behind the Seattle Mariners. On top of that, they are 6.5 games back from holding a wild card spot and punching their ticket to the postseason. They trail Tampa Bay, Houston, and Toronto who are all currently in place to get wild card spots as well as Boston and the Yankees who have them by 3 and 4 games respectively.
Now only time will tell if the Angels made the right decision keeping Ohtani for the full year. Some people might be of the opinion that they should have traded Ohtani while they still had control so that they could get something for him. Some might think that they still have a chance for a postseason push, although chances seem to be fading fast.
Many were speculating that a trade deal for Ohtani would be team altering. A team that wanted Ohtani would have more than likely had to give up their top prospects as well as one or two Major League ready players who could fill a roster spot right now. There were very few teams who were willing to make that sort of shift in a franchise and I believe that Angels GM Perry Minasian didn’t want to be remembered as the GM that traded (possibly) the greatest player of all time.
That being said, the biggest question now outside of the will they/won’t they playoff talk, is what team is going to have the funds and ability to pay Shohei Ohtani this offseason?
The Angels seemed to be going into “win now” mode with all of their eggs in the basket for this season, so I would be very surprised to see a resigning. We always have the huge market teams like the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and San Diego. Especially with the Mets dealing their 40-year-old, $40 million pitcher (Max Scherzer) to the Rangers and their 43.3 million pitcher (Justin Verlander) to the Astros, they could be selling this year to make salary space for the money Ohtani will command.
I think it is entirely reasonable to assume that Shohei will sign the largest contract in baseball history in terms of average yearly salary. I would even venture to say that paying North of $50 million a year would be more than fair. When you think of all that you are getting with Ohtani OUTSIDE of his pure baseball greatness, you realize that he can entirely change the way the baseball world looks at a team.
He is easily the most marketable player in baseball right now, everyone loves him as a person, he has done wonders in bringing Japanese fans to MLB and expanding that market. In terms of being on a team, what more could you ask of a player?
Another aspect of Ohtani that has been overlooked is the fact that he is a two-way player. So, the way I see it, if you sign him to a long-term deal, even if he starts falling off as either a pitcher or a hitter in a noticeable way, he can just stop doing one and focus on the other. Now, obviously that is a decision that is entirely up to Shohei, but I still think it could be an option in the future.
I think the most reasonable outcome of this upcoming offseason would be a team inking Ohtani to a 1–3-year deal. He is still going to take a ton of money a year to play so I can’t see many teams committing to Ohtani at his price for much more than that.
As of today, Ohtani is slashing .302/.403/.680 with a 1.083 OPS, a 187 OPS+, 39 HR, 7 triples, and 66 walks. He is leading MLB in all of those stats minus his .302 average.
As a pitcher he is 9-5 with a 3.43 ERA, 131 ERA+, 156 strikeouts and has only given up 18 HR in 120.2 innings pitched. He is also leading the MLB with 5.9 hits per 9 innings.
He is clearly dominant in all facets of his game. He made this incredibly evident on the 27th of July during an Angels doubleheader. In the first game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher and threw a complete game shutout which is becoming increasingly rare in today’s game. He was hitless in the first game going 0-5 at the plate, but once pitching wasn’t on his mind, he let us know. In the second game of the day, Ohtani hit not one but TWO homers furthering his home run lead over everyone else in Major League Baseball. I was super excited for this trade deadline in the MLB and as exciting as it has been, I am super stoked to get to watch the Shohei sweepstakes unfold over this offseason.
Caption: Elly De La Cruz (L), Jake Fraley (M), and Joey Votto (R) pose in the dugout following a Joey Votto home run
By Ryan Harless
Ryan Harless is a fourth-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
July 22, 2023
Entering the 2023 season of Major League Baseball, many baseball fans didn’t put much thought into standings of the National League Central. The division had been run by the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers for almost an entire decade and with very little changing on these rosters in the offseason, it didn’t look like much would be changing for another year.
However, heading into the All-Star break, the Brewers were in second place by a full game to the Cincinnati Reds with the Cardinals firmly in last place eight games back from first. You might read this and wonder if the Reds made any big offseason moves that have helped them. And the answer to that is, not really. The biggest offseason acquisition in Cincinnati was outfielder and first-baseman Wil Meyers who was designated for assignment and released before the break.
So now you might be thinking, “Just how bad is this division?” Well… pretty bad, but let’s focus on the good things!
This Reds team has been able to show that they are not only competitors for this year, but plan to cause issues in the National League for many years to come. As of 7/11/2023, FanDuel has three Cincinnati Reds rookies in the top five for favorites to win Rookie of The Year. Those players respectively are Spencer Steer (3B), Matt McLain (SS), and Elly De La Cruz (SS). Each of these young stars has brought his own spark to this team and has helped to make them actually fun to watch for the first time in years.
To see how well these three rookies are performing, here’s a brief breakdown of their stats so far:
Elly De La Cruz – .297/.333/.478 OPS+ 113, 4 HR, 41 Hits, 16 SB (33 Games)
Although De La Cruz and McLain didn’t get to join the team until later in the season, they both have had tremendous impacts on the team. As soon as De La Cruz joined the team, his impact was felt as the team went 13-2 in his first 15 MLB games. During that spell, he led Cincinnati to a 12-game winning streak which is now the longest such streak in franchise history.
De La Cruz capped off that 12-game streak with a cycle in just his 15th game in Cincinnati’s 11-10 win over the Atlanta Braves in one of the most exciting games of the year. Since then, De La Cruz has also set the bar in the MLB with the fastest sprint speed in baseball at 30.8 ft/s and the fastest throw on an infield assist in the Statcast era (since 2015) at 97.9 mph. He has truly been a human highlight reel to this point.
Along with all of those great rookies I have mentioned, the Reds have also gotten plenty of help from other notable rookies Will Benson and Andrew Abbott who have shown incredible spots of greatness to come.
Speaking of pitchers, Cincinnati has had a rough go of it thus far on the pitching front. As of today, arguably their best two pitchers are still on the 60 day injured list, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. The fact that this team has been able to not only compete but command the division for almost a month without their two best starting pitchers shows me that when everyone is healthy, the Reds are going to pose a problem for opposing teams.
As things stand today (7/22/2023) the Reds are in the midst of a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and are 1.5 games behind the Brewers after going 4-6 in their last ten games. Although Cincinnati had seemingly hit a cold patch with a 6-game slide, they have since bounced back to win 4 straight. I think once they have a fully healthy team, they still have a chance at the division. And while they aren’t in first, I can still take solace in the fact the St. Louis Cardinals are 11 games back and in next to last place.
Ryan Harless is a third-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
April 1, 2023
It is officially my favorite time of the year, Wrestlemania season. It is the time of the year when World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has their culminative PPV event that wraps up the biggest storylines of the past 12 months and showcases their plans for the next year.
Over the last few years, WWE has split their Wrestlemania card up into two nights to help prevent fans from tiring out by the end of the card. This year is no different with 13 matches (as of now) being spread across the two-night event.
As I did with AEW Revolution, I will be explaining the matches and storylines leading into the event as well as giving my prediction as to who I believe will walk out of “The Showcase of The Immortals” victorious.
Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky) vs. Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus
This should be a really fun contest pitting some of the biggest stars in women’s wrestling today against two of the stars of yester-year. Damage CTRL consists of Bayley and two women who were previously released from their WWE contracts amidst one of their many “budget cuts.”
I was really excited for their team when they re-debuted in August of last year but they are yet to do anything of major note on TV. That is my reasoning for predicting the team of Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus.
I think this will be a good match that sees the babyface team emerging victorious while getting the crowd tuned in and ready for the night ahead.
United States Championship: John Cena vs. Austin Theory (C)
John Cena hasn’t been a full time wrestler for the last few years, but every time he shows up to wrestle it is always an important occasion.
This story has many layers as many people were quick to compare Austin Theory to Cena as his gimmick was that he was handpicked by Vince McMahon himself to be the next big thing in WWE.
Cena himself was a nondescript good guy when he arrived and was rejected by fans and had to adapt and grow. Theory is undergoing that transformation for himself right now. He already is a great wrestler between the ropes, but I think that a clean victory over Cena here could be what he needs to cement himself as a star.
I believe that Austin Theory will win and retain his United States Championship over Cena in a good sports-entertainment match.
Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins
Yes, you read that right. YouTube star Logan Paul has a match at Wrestlemania against Seth Rollins. These two have a rivalry that has spanned a few months with Paul interfering in Rollins’ matches over the course of the last few months.
Although Paul has only wrestled a handful of matches, he has consistently been a highlight on every card he has been featured. Paired up with Seth Rollins at ‘Mania, this has a very good chance to be the best match of the night.
I think this is the perfect place to show just how good Paul is in the ring. I expect Logan Paul to win and, much like Austin Theory, cement his place in WWE for many years to come.
‘Fatal 4-Way’ tag team: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi and Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville
Sadly, not all Wrestlemania matches can be held to the highest standard. This is the first of two seemingly thrown together tag team matches on the Wrestlemania card.
I expect this to be a “cooldown” match to give the crowd a rest between big matches. There is very little story going into the match and basically all of the teams are completely thrown together.
I would expect this to be mainly a showcase for Shayna Bazler and Ronda Rousey as they are both former MMA fighters and have been portrayed as such in the recent weeks.
I predict that Rousey and Bazler will win this match pretty easily and possibly go on to win tag team gold.
‘Fatal 4-Way’ tag team: Braun Stroman and Ricochet vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) with Valhalla
Here is the second of the two “cooldown” matches that I noticed when I looked at the card. In my opinion, the biggest saving grace here is that three of the four teams are actual teams with actual team names.
The odd men out are Braun Stroman and Ricochet who have actually been teaming together on WWE TV as of late. All of the competitors are super talented and there is a chance this could be a really fun match to watch.
But the lack of anything being on the line for this match keeps me from being fully invested. Again, like the previous match this might be a way to catapult a team into the tag championship scene (more on that later).
I predict that the Street Profits will win this match and possibly even tease a breakup with the emergence of Montez Ford as a fan favorite.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dominik Mysterio
What a long way we have come since Summerslam 2005 where Rey Mysterio fought Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match for the custody of Dominik.
Dominik is now all grown up and, against his father’s best wishes, has aligned with the dark side while teaming with The Judgement Day. Rey has spent most of the past few weeks doing everything in his power to not resort to violence against his son.
Dominik has terrorized his father in the past months, breaking into his house, attacking him in front of his family and going to jail in the process. Finally, we get to see a match almost two decades in the making.
With Rey Mysterio being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, he looks to be winding down his career. I think it makes perfect sense for Dominik to get his first Wrestlemania win against his dad.
This should be a great match as the two have amazing chemistry together.
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos with MVP
If you would have told me four months ago that Brock Lesnar would be facing off against Omos at Wrestlemania, I would have laughed and probably ignored you. Oh, how the tables have turned.
This match could go many different ways. In their weigh-in segment on WWE Monday Night Raw, Omos got the better of Lesnar after battering him with the scale.
But, Lesnar still managed to look like a beast as he hurled himself around the ring in a way that we haven’t seen out of Lesnar in a while. I think if “The Beast Incarnate” (Brock Lesnar) shows up to Wrestlemania wanting to work, this will be a blast.
It is hard for me to imagine Lesnar losing a match at Wrestlemania, but if there was ever someone who could beat him, I think Omos could be the one to do it.
Omos is one of the biggest stars (in stature) in WWE history and if they want to make him a scary giant who can terrorize the roster for years to come, this is their chance.
I believe that Omos will beat Lesnar in a statement victory as WWE gains their new giant.
Bobby Lashley vs. Bray Wyatt
This is a weird one to predict as many wrestling fans don’t know where this match stands. It has been mentioned that Wyatt is either sick or injured and more than likely won’t be able to compete at this years event.
However, I can’t imagine that WWE will leave Bobby Lashley off the card. If Wyatt is unable to make the event, I expect Lashley to pick up an easy win against a surprise return or possibly a debut.
Hell in a Cell: Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Bálor
“The Demon” is the alter-ego of Finn Bálor that we haven’t seen in a long while. It was overused by WWE for a time and lost a lot of its alure. But now, after a long hibernation, it is back and (hopefully) better than ever.
This match has been a long time coming, too, as Edge was the original leader of the group known as “The Judgement Day” but he was kicked out by the group soon after Finn Bálor joined and became their de-facto leader.
Edge cut a promo this week on Raw that looked a lot like a revision of his original vampire gimmick in the group known as “The Brood” in the late 90’s. This could be a really cool showing of supernatural wrestlers using their spooky magic on a huge stage.
This match will be held inside of Hell in a Cell to prevent the interference of The Judgement Day and also to keep the two warring wrestlers inside. I expect this to be a brutal match that sees “The Demon” picking up a huge win and vanquishing Edge from The Judgement Day for good.
Intercontinental Championship triple-threat: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther (C)
I am so excited for this match, it is hard to put it in words. These three have been going at it with each other for most of the past year, but we are yet to see them all in the ring at the same time.
These are three huge men that love to beat up other large men. Put them in the ring together and let the magic happen.
WWE has already made it increasingly clear that Gunther is the superstar of the future with his record breaking showing in the Royal Rumble this year where he lasted over an hour in the match.
The largest storyline in this match, in my opinion, is the fact that Sheamus has won every title in the WWE EXCEPT for the Intercontinental Championship. I think that this has a serious chance to be the match of the event and I predict that Sheamus will walk out with the IC title.
I also expect Gunther to enter the World Heavyweight Title scene following this match.
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (C)
In a rematch from Wrestlemania 36, Rhea Ripley faces off against the champion Charlotte Flair. The main difference being the championship being fought over. Three years ago, the pair fought at Wrestlemania over the NXT Women’s Championship.
Many people (myself included) were baffled at the choice to have Flair beat the up and comer Ripley. But, WWE has given themselves a chance to right their wrongs with Ripley being an entirely different animal from who she was all those years ago.
I think this is the time for Flair to pass the torch to Rhea with a clean victory that stamps Ripley as a dominant, monster heel that can rule over the SmackDown Women’s division.
Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair (C)
Bianca Belair has been Raw Woman’s Champ for quite a while. This year at the Royal Rumble, we got to see the return of Asuka looking a lot like her gimmick from Japan as Kana.
She is one of the most believable fighters on the WWE roster and has been one of my favorites to watch for many years. This should be an absolutely crazy match showing off the athleticism and brutality of both competitors.
I think Asuka should win this match so that she can finally lead the Raw Woman’s division with a proper title win. Also, like I said, Belair has been the champ for almost a year. If she loses the title here, she can take a few months off to rest and then come back better than ever.
Unified Tag Team Championship: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (C) with Solo Sikoa
This match should be the culmination of the best story WWE has told in years. The never-ending saga of best friends/enemies Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn has gone on for two decades.
They seem to be on the same page again and look to dethrone The Usos who have held tag-team gold for the last 600+ days. The Usos have accepted Zayn into their family and, more recently, kicked him out in violent fashion.
After Zayn lost to the World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, he has been scrambling to avenge his loss and to become the mega star the fans want him to be.
I think this will be the feel-good moment of the night as I predict that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beat the Usos to become the Unified Tag Team Champions.
Undisputed Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (C)
It is finally time for the main event, The Undisputed Universal Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Reigns has been champion for over 900 days and Rhodes is looking to do what his father Dusty Rhodes could never do – win the WWE Title.
I didn’t think this match had much substance at first, but after the work that Paul Heyman (Roman’s manager) and Rhodes have been putting in week after week, I’m invested.
This should be a great match with huge implications for the company. I predict that Rhodes will finally dethrone the Tribal Chief and send him packing for quite some time.
Caption: Shohei Ohtani celebrates striking out Mike Trout and winning the WBC
By Ryan Harless
Ryan Harless is a third-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
March 26, 2023
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has come to a close with Japan taking the crown after a 3-2 win over Team U.S.A. on March 21. If the final game were to be a movie, people would have a hard time believing it.
With Japan up 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen to put the final nail in the coffin for Team U.S.A. After getting the first two batters out, his Angels teammate, Mike Trout, stepped to the plate in one of the coolest baseball moments of all time.
Mike Trout, who is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time since his 2011 debut in MLB. Shohei Ohtani, who could arguably become THE best baseball player of all time faced off with the WBC championship on the line. It was the most poetic end to a baseball game (or other athletic competition) I have ever seen.
Ohtani fanned Trout on just four pitches. Now that is impressive enough as is, but when you look into it further, it’s even crazier.
Through Trout’s 6,174 plate appearances, he has only struck out on three swinging strikes 24 times. Yes, I said 24 times.
And if that wasn’t enough for Ohtani, he also recorded the hardest hit ball (118.7 MPH), the farthest hit homer (448 ft.), and threw the hardest pitch in the entire tournament (102 MPH).
We got to see Shohei pumped up, playing his hardest, and at the top of his game in one of the most important games of his career. And it was a thing of beauty.
Pedro Martinez talked to Ohtani and gave him the praise that every baseball fan has thought, saying, “Shohei, I want to say…on behalf of baseball…we want to thank you for the effort, for the discipline, for everything that you have done for baseball and what you represent for baseball. I just want to personally thank him for all you do. All you do. We are really proud and thankful and grateful for what you do. You are a special human being. So we want to thank you and recognize it.”
I am so happy that someone like Martinez was able to thank Ohtani for being as fun to watch as he is. Baseball is truly in a ‘golden age’ with fans getting to see stars like Trout and Aaron Judge, but Ohtani is the face of baseball and I think it will stay that way for a while.
The game is now the most watched WBC game of all time in America with 5.2 million viewers. That was up 69% from the 2017 WBC final which was an all-timer itself.
Ohtani has gained 3 million Instagram followers since the beginning of March, Lars Nootbarr gained almost a million himself after his performance and bromance with Ohtani. These games were huge for the sport of baseball.
Mike Trout has already declared that he will play in the games again when they return in 2026 and I expect many others to follow suit. Ohtani will only be 31 at the time of the next WBC and could be performing even better than he did this year.
I cannot wait until the next WBC as it is consistently the most fun professional baseball tournament in the world. It manages to bring the fun of the Little League World Series to the pros, and we get to see the athletes play the game like kids again.
We will have to see if the popularity of the WBC translates to MLB regular season games as they begin on the 30th. I really am hopeful that MLB will be able to capitalize on some of the excitement and bring some more eyes to the league and start to turn around the game.
Ryan Harless is a third-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
March 14, 2023
Trevor Bauer made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being quietly traded to the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians) in December 2012. He became a full time starter in the big leagues in the 2014 season when he started 26 games.
Bauer worked his way toward his first (and only to date) all-star appearance in 2018 when he went 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 175.1 innings. He was also sixth in Cy Young voting and 22nd in AL MVP voting.
At the trade deadline in 2019, Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, which proved to be a smart trade as he won the Cy Young in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He started 11 games, going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA while leading the league in shutouts and complete games with two each.
However, all of that would change on the 29th of June, when sexual assault allegations were brought against Bauer. It was also reported that the accuser had filed for a restraining order against Bauer on the 28th, one day prior.
The story starts around April 18, 2021, when Bauer first had physical contact with the alleged victim. Court documents state that Bauer reached out to the victim over Instagram direct message after she had tagged him in a post about watching his game.
The victim accused Bauer of “assaulting her on two occasions during what began as consensual sex.” Along with her accusations, there are also text messages between the two as well as pictures the accuser took of herself to document the abuse.
Shortly after these accusations were made public, the Dodgers announced that Bauer would be placed on paid administrative leave while the charges were being examined. Then, in April of 2022, MLB announced that they would be suspending Bauer for what was essentially two years.
Bauer would later appeal and have his suspension reduced from two years to one plus what he had already served after it was decided that he would face no criminal charges.
The Dodgers would go on to release Bauer after the opt-out in his contract came up making him available to be signed by any professional team. There were many MLB teams that could have used Bauer’s pitching every fifth day to help them make playoff runs but no team offered a deal.
Most, if not all, MLB front offices declined to even consider signing him due to the PR nightmare that they would have to brave, and rightfully so. Bauer sat idle for a while posting videos to his YouTube channel, sometimes alongside the “King of JUCO” where he would take part in baseball challenges.
Bauer is now eligible to pitch on opening day for the BayStars on March 31.
Bauer isn’t the first disgraced baseball player to find a home in Japan. The most recent example being Addison Russell of Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics fame who quietly left MLB after having allegations of domestic assault brought against him. I didn’t anticipate any team picking up Bauer, however, due to the nature of his allegations. Bauer has been out of professional baseball for over a year so we will have to see if he holds up to his former self in Japan or if he even has a place in professional baseball anymore.
Ryan Harless is a third-year undergraduate at BGSU from Hillsboro, Ohio. He is majoring in Sport Management with a Journalism Minor. Baseball and golf at all levels are his primary interests but he is also interested in combat sports, hockey, basketball, and football.
March 2, 2023
Coming up this Sunday, March 5, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) “Revolution” will air on PPV and will culminate with some of the best feuds in recent AEW memory. There are currently seven matches on the card. In this article, I will break down each match as well as give my predictions on each winner.
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks (Everyone Banned from Ringside)
The two have had one singles’ match previously which Starks won and I expect the same outcome for this match. Especially with the added stipulation that the JAS are banned from ringside ensuring no interference. Starks should win so that he can put the JAS behind him and begin looking toward the world title picture.
Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow – (TNT Championship)
This feud was kickstarted with the return of Wardlow a few weeks ago on AEW TV. At the last AEW PPV, Samoa Joe beat both Wardlow and Powerhouse Hobbs to regain the TNT title in a great match that kept Wardlow off TV. Joe is a great wrestler albeit not as quick on his feet as he used to be, but this should be an absolute ‘hoss fight‘ and a super fun match to watch.
I think this would be a great way for Wardlow to get a huge win and a title to carry. Joe already is the Ring of Honor (ROH) Television Champion so with him holding two belts, he can stand to drop one without hurting his status.
Jamie Hayter vs. Ruby Soho vs. Saraya – (AEW Women’s World Championship)
I really want to be excited for this match as all of the competitors are super talented. Hayter is one of the hottest acts in AEW right now and is loved by all of the fans, but it’s the other two competitors in the match that scare me.
Soho’s return has been marred with injuries and poorly received matches, and many of us have been really let down with Saraya’s in-ring-return. To me, a lot of her segments have fallen flat and haven’t shown me that she is on the level of others such as Athena or Emi Sakura in the women’s division.
I hope that this match can live up to the expectations of an AEW PPV match, but either way, I expect Hayter to retain her title and possibly start the inklings of a feud with someone else.
The Gunns (Champions) vs. The Acclaimed vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett vs. TBD – (AEW Tag Team Championship
AEW has one of the best tag team divisions in all of professional wrestling and it will be put on full display this Sunday in this four-way for the tag titles. There are a few storylines going on in this match. The Gunns took the titles from The Acclaimed a few weeks ago on TV. The Acclaimed are managed by Billy Gunn who is the father of The Gunns so there is plenty of tension between those two teams.
The TBD is one of the most interesting parts of the match. On March 1, there will be another match on AEW TV to determine the final team in this match. I predict that the Best Friends will win this match and make their attempt at the gold as the fan favorites that they are.
However, I predict that the Gunns will retain their titles as I expect them to hold them until they can drop them the FTR whenever they return to AEW programming.
Jon Moxley vs. “Hangman” Adam Page – (Texas Deathmatch)
I am so stoked for this match! These two have put on amazing matches every time they step in the ring with each other. Except that maybe their match on Dynamite where Page was severely concussed. But that aside, this match should be bloody, violent, and beautiful.
This feud has taken place over many months with Moxley targeting Page and trying to break him both physically and mentally. Page has been aligned with a group called The Dark Order for over a year now and they have helped him get out of many jams but Page has requested they stay away and not get involved.
The last time this happened, Moxley left Page a bloody mess in the ring. However, I anticipate Hangman getting the win here and finally sending Moxley on that vacation he was supposed to take last Fall.
The Elite (Champions) vs. House of Black (AEW World Trios Championships)
In my opinion, this will be the match of the night as far as work rate goes. These two teams leave it all in the ring without fail every chance they get. The Elite are continuing to defend their Trios Titles in amazing matches week after week and it looks like House of Black is finally committed to making their presence felt weekly on AEW programming.
This should be a fast-paced barnburner that finally cements House of Black as the most intimidating and fierce team in all of All Elite Wrestling. If there ever was a “must win” for House of Black, this is it, for sure. I predict House of Black takes the titles from The Elite and holds them for most of 2023.
MJF (Champion) vs. “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson – (60 Minute Ironman Match for AEW World Heavyweight Championship)
Whereas the previous match should be the most intense as far as pace and action, this will be the match of the night as far as storytelling goes. MJF and Danielson are masters of using pacing and visuals to tell stories in the ring. Danielson continues to wrestle after years of being on the sideline with severe head and neck injuries and MJF is the cocky champion that will stoop as low as he needs to stoop, to continue his reign.
This feud has gotten very personal in the past weeks with MJF telling Danielson’s children and wife that he is going to send him home for good and end his wrestling career. Danielson, coming off winning the Wrestling Observer Award for best technical wrestler last year, is looking to carry the title as a respectable champion who will take on all comers.
It should be super fun to watch how MJF handles the longest match of his career by far against a man who can wrestle for an hour at the drop of a hat. I predict that MJF will find a slimy cheap way to retain his titles and continue his reign of terror over the AEW locker room and programming.
Brady Shick is a third-year Sport Management Major at BGSU from the Akron area. His main goals for the future are to work in baseball on the front office side of operations.
February 25, 2023
Earlier this month, I was able to travel to Glendale, Arizona, with 19 other students, to work both the Super Bowl and other related events prior to the game. Throughout the week we were able to spend time together as a group and develop new friendships all while participating in a once in a lifetime experience.
Early Week Activities
We arrived in Arizona the Monday before the game but did not have an actual shift until Thursday, so we had a few days to experience the area and learn about the other people in our group. Monday, we spent a lot of time at our hotel hanging out in a big group – either hanging around the pool or when we sat down to eat our meals. Tuesday, we started to get more into a groove. First thing in the morning we drove to Phoenix from our hotel, which was about 20 minutes away, to pick up our credentials. After obtaining our credentials, our large group split into two groups with my group going to the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf event and the other going back to the hotel.
At the tournament, the golfers were playing a practice round so we were able to get in free. We saw golfers such as Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tyrell Hatton, and Viktor Hovland all while walking nearly eight miles that day. Wednesday was our last day off and we split into groups again with one group touring Chase Field, the Diamondbacks’ Stadium, and the other going hiking. I went on the Chase Field tour where we were able to see the clubhouse, dugout, bullpen, and even one of the suites.
Working Experiences
On Thursday, we finally had our first shift at the Phoenix Convention Center where the Super Bowl Experience was happening. The Super Bowl Experience was a fan event put on by the NFL the week before the Super Bowl. Most of our group was on the top level of the convention center helping to run the various games for the children. One group was at a kind of obstacle course while another was at a pickle ball station where a bunch of current and former NFL players came by. I was tasked with a job at the lower level of the convention center where I watched the line for the Super Bowl ring displays. Also downstairs were multiple autograph stages and the showcase of the Lombardi trophy.
On Friday, most of the group volunteered at Hance Park after our training at State Farm Stadium but another member of our group and I just hung around the Glendale area and tried to soak it in a bit more. Saturday came with another shift at the convention center. Again, a large group of us was tasked with running the various games for the little kids. Meanwhile, I was outside making sure everyone got into the convention center in an orderly and safe manner. It wasn’t the most interesting of jobs, but I saw a few different NFL players and got to talk to some of their families which was really rewarding. After we were done working at the convention center, we got to meet up with Dick Maxwell and his wife at their hotel where Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell let us talk about our career aspirations and they gave us some advice on our future endeavors.
Gameday
On Gameday we were tasked with employee egress. We were responsible for making sure that all the employees and fans went out of their own respective gates and thus made it to the proper destination. Again, it may not have been the most glorious of jobs but at the end of the day it is something that needs to be done to ensure a great experience for both the fans and the workers. By doing this we were able to actually be on the campus of the Super Bowl which is a once in a lifetime experience and I thank both Bowling Green State University and SMA for allowing me to do so.
Carsen Hageman is a first-year undergraduate student at BGSU, where he majors in Sport Management. As an active member of the Sport Management Alliance, he was part of a group of 20 students who attended and worked at Super Bowl LVII.
February 25, 2023
Growing up a huge NFL fan, I never thought about going to the Super Bowl. As I grew older though, I knew I wanted to work in sports so it was always a goal to make it there. So, once I learned that it was a possibility to attend the Super Bowl in my first year at BGSU, I was ecstatic! I was also fortunate enough to plan part of the trip to the Super Bowl through the Sport Management Alliance (SMA). As the Assistant Travel Coordinator, I helped plan the trip with the Travel Coordinator. Everything from flights to the rental cars needed to be planned months in advance.
One of the first things we did once we got to Arizona was to attend Super Bowl Opening Night. This was an event where all the players in the Super Bowl were available to be interviewed by the media. Fans got to sit and watch all of the players from each team being interviewed.
My favorite non-football event that we did in Arizona had to be touring Chase Field, the home of the Diamondbacks. On one of our days off, we found out that Chase Field did tours. It was perfect timing because pitchers and catchers reported in one week so people were in the building getting ready for spring ball. This was such a fascinating tour as we got to learn what it is like to run a facility like that. Lastly, our tour guide was from Springfield, OH, so we got to bond over being from Ohio. Since we fostered such a great relationship during the tour, our tour guide allowed us to take one of the bullpen balls home from the Diamondbacks’ personal batting cages within their locker room.
During the week leading up to the game, we all worked at the NFL Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center. The NFL experience is an event where fans interact with players and have fun at games like the one pictured above. The capacities we all worked in varied from working to make sure games ran smoothly to facilitating autograph lines. Throughout The Experience, there were a variety of autograph booths that included current and former NFL players signing autographs for fans. This was such a rewarding position as we got to interact with fans and make their experience one to remember.
During Super Bowl game day, we worked with Gameday Stadium Services assisting with the egress of teammates and other staff as the Super Bowl campus was very hectic. This was a little bit disappointing as we wanted to be inside the stadium. It did not turn out as badly as anticipated because we were able to go into the game during our break or even just to use the restroom.
The disappointment quickly went away after the game as we were able to get onto the field. Since it was an hour or two after the game, security allowed us onto the field. This was the highlight of my trip as everyone dreams of being on the field for a Super Bowl. Once we were on the field, we were able to walk around and take pictures for almost an hour. This included pictures on the sidelines and the Lombardi presentation stage.
Overall, this was an experience of a lifetime. To be able to spend a week in Arizona and gain real-world experience in sports is something I will never forget. I want to thank the entire Sport Management Faculty and Sport Management Alliance for a truly life-changing trip. Without the support from the staff and great planning from SMA, we would have never been able to have such a successful trip.
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