Unnecessary Roughness...

By: Suzanne Sweeney

            If it were not for the surreal tragedy and respect for those mourning, NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell would have yet another example as he climbs atop his soapbox and draws more attention to the unnecessary roughness in the NFL.  On Thursday, February 17^th, Dave Duerson, former safety of the Chicago Bears, took his own life with a single gunshot to the chest.  In a cryptic message, Duerson left instructions that he wished for his brain to be donated to science so that it could be examined.  Duerson’s brain will be examined for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE.

            Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a degenerative disease that affects the brain and believed to be caused by repeated head trauma resulting in large accumulations of tau proteins, killing cells in regions responsible for mood, emotions, and executive functioning. (1)

In the middle of the 2010-2011 season, the commission handed out heavy fines for violent plays that were outside the rules.  In a letter to the players and coaches Goodell wrote: ““Players are expected to play within the rules. Those who do not will face increased discipline, including suspensions, starting with the first offense.”(2)  Dave Duerson’s untimely death is just another case in the growing list indicating that Rodger Goodell may be on the right track with cracking down on “unnecessary roughness.” 

(1.)http://www.sportsmd.com/Articles/id/44/cid/1/n/chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy.aspx

(2.)www.therecordlive.com

Team Rivals Make the Game

by Melissa Cunningham

Rivalries have been around since sports were invented. Whether your rival is another person, team, or country you have some kind of rival. Living around the Pittsburgh area we have all sorts of rivals. We you come to this area you learn very quickly what teams to hate. Steeler fans do not like the Baltimore Ravens, Penguin fans do not like the Washington Capitals or the Philadelphia Flyers, and Pirate fans just learn to hate whatever team is coming to town that week. During this blog I am going to be discussing the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.

This rivalry is so big and so well known that HBO ran a special four-part documentary that aired on Wednesday, December 15, 2010. The last episode was about the NHL Winter Classic, which was held at Heinz Field on January 1, 2010. This special show cased the stars of each team and what they do to get ready for a game each week. It also showed how the teams as a whole got ready for a game.

The main star for the Pittsburgh Penguins is Sidney Crosby. He was drafted 1^st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2007, which is a trophy given to the player with the most points. He also won the Hart Trophy in 2007 for being judged the most valuable player to his team. He is the team captain and is nicknamed “The Next One.”

The main star for the Washington Capitals is also their team captain, Alex Ovechkin. He was also drafted 1^st overall in the NHL Entry Draft, however, he was drafted in 2004. Just like Sidney Crosby he also won the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Trophy both in 2004. He is also the most important player to that team and pushes them to become the best team that they can be.

Whenever these two teams face each other it is like a whole different game. They are more aggressive when it comes to taking shots on goal and also taking shots on each other. There are usually more fights and penalties, because of the team agitating one another. The fans also get more involved when the two biggest stars in NHL get together on the same rink. There is more yelling and booing at one of these games no matter which city the game is being held in and the more that the crowd gets involved during the game, the more the players get excited to go on the ice.

During this season of NHL hockey, the teams have faced off four times. The Capitals have claimed the victory three times; however, Crosby has only played in two of those games. Right now in the player stats given by the NHL, Crosby’s 66 points are beating Ovechkin’s 62 points. These standings can change in one game, so next week Ovechkin could possibly be beating Crosby. The only thing you can be certain is when these two rivals get together you are going to have an amazing game with the two biggest stars in NHL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NHL_Winter_Classic

http://www,nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm

Illegal Drugs and Our Teens

By: Eric Cogovan

       We hear in the news quite frequently that sports stars were found guilty of using this or that drug. That they tried to enhance their performance through drugs to make themselves better players. With all of our teens playing sports out there, seeing this happen can only lead to one thing: curiosity. They might think that if their favorite player used it why shouldn't they? Or, if it didn't hurt them then why can't I use it? Teens are often unaware to the effects of these so called performance enhancing drugs. The only thing they may see is that it made them a better player or helped them gain an edge against all the other players. Some teens use performance enhancers to be less insecure about their bodies. Also, They might use them to try and gain muscle mass quickly. There are different drugs that a teen player may experiment with first. Such things as Creatine, which can be bought by anyone in stores. Although that one is not deemed illegal, it can still lead to a person using a more potent substance. Anabolic Steroids are one of the more popular drugs that are used illegally among athletes. Football players will most likely use steroids to gain muscle and strength. Although they are gaining muscle and strength, there are things that lead to health problems that they may not realize at the time of taking the drug.

        Parents could quite possibly be the only person to monitor a teens use of performance enhancing drugs. They should watch out for signs of drug misuse. There are also precautionary methods they can take to ensure that their teens are not using any illegal drugs. One of the major things to look for is behavioral changes. If their kids play sports and are acting out of character they can do a couple of things to find out exactly what is going on in their teens life. Another very important thing to watch out for is what exactly they purchase and why. Check ingredients of any over the counter drugs they may buy and keeping an eye on what they have such as vials or any other drug paraphernalia. A parent should be very involved in the actual sporting events and games. They should attend and know what is going on with the team and the coaching staff. Getting involved is the best thing that a parent can do in attempt to discourage illegal drug use.

        Teens need to realize the risks in using illegal drugs as an advancement in sports. When these teens begin to use at such a young age they might not realize what they are doing or just not think twice about their actions. They may not understand that what they are doing to their body is not good and the long term effects of the drug are not good. The drugs they use in high school may inhibit them from getting into a college of their choice. It could also affect them in college if they begin to use to much and coaches and staff find out about the problem. Teens need to see that hard work and determination are the right way about advancing in their sport and to not chemically alter their bodies in hopes to get ahead of the competition.

References:

Mayo Clinic Staff, . "Performance-enhancing drugs and teen athletes." http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/performance-enhancing-drugs/SM00045. Mayo Clinic, 22122010. Web. 22 Feb 2011.

NFL Lockout: The Real Cost of No Football

NFL Lockout: The Real Cost of No Football
Casey Reese

            Since the conclusion of the 2010 NFL season only a few weeks prior to the posting of this blog, the main topic discussed in regards to the National Football League has been the potential lockout and player strike that could potentially occur this year, putting an end to the 2011 season before it even begins. Why is this situation happening, and what cost will it have to us, other than our own Pittsburgh Steelers?

            Since the NFL decided not to extend the current CBA (collective bargaining agreement), it will expire in March of the current year, following a year in which there was not a salary cap or salary floor. A new CBA has not been adopted by the NFL Players Association (the NFLPA, or the union that represents NFL players) or the National Football League, and without a CBA in place, a lockout would ensue. Disputes over health care benefits, the proposed extension of the regular season to 18 games rather than 16 games while keeping salaries the same and increasing the injury risk, and the percentage of funds that players receive (currently at roughly 59%, which the league would like to see lowered) have forced the NFLPA to contest the current CBA in order to ensure an equal benefit for both parties in the upcoming agreement.

            According to the AFL-CIO (a major American union), the upcoming lockout would cost each city that hosts an NFL franchise an average of around $140 million dollars per city in addition to thousands of jobs outside of the players and owners. These would include hotel workers, concession workers, stadium workers, and so on, players who do not directly participate in the sport but are employed as a result of the popularity of the National Football League. The result of such losses would be crippling, potentially leading to a domino effect within the community that would lead to greater job loss and a limitation of investment due to the funds lost to the lockout. (As stated here) These numbers are even different for the NFLPA’s estimates, which estimate roughly $160 million dollars per city, with around 3,000 jobs per city. If New York City is accounted for twice on behalf of both of its teams, this number works out to be $5.1 billion dollars and 96,000 jobs nationally.  (As stated here)

            These are substantial numbers in a period of economic recovery for the United States. As talks continue, the NFLPA and the NFL have hired a federal mediator in order to resolve the situation in a timely fashion that would be fair to both parties. In my opinion, a lockout will not occur, and a great deal of rhetoric has been hashed out by both sides in order to build a stronger case to get what they want. In the end, a compromise is imminent, with an 18 game season likely to come to be, while player salaries will increase as the number of games played will do the same.  Compromise will ultimately prevent us from missing the only thing that matters on Sundays: football.