My name is Chris Burch and I am a senior at Rutgers University where I major in Journalism. Born and raised in Lawnside, New Jersey, I grew fond of sports at a very young age. Playing and studying them so closely for so many years sculpted me into the avid sports fan I am today. One of the few things I enjoy as much as a great sporting event is a great sports article. Sports writing can paint pictures vivid enough for those not in attendance to feel like they sat front row at a big game. I hope to become a sports journalist in the future. I have written and freelanced for NJ Advance Media at NJ.com, covering high school sports. I can’t wait to really expand this website for you all to enjoy!
This meme shows former NBA player Nick “Swaggy P” Young in complete confusion. This is a very popular meme because of its ambiguity as far as topics it is applicable for. The meme was made from a screen grab of video documenting the life of Nick Young. I think what makes this meme so interesting is because of who the person is himself. Basketball watchers and even socialites know Nick Young as a fun-loving, joke cracking guy who has made a living playing basketball but probably could have done so doing stand up comedy. His moniker, Swaggy P, is almost enough to tell his story.
The former NBA player has repeatedly been characterized as a party animal. His antics on and off the court have immortalized him in the athlete/comedian hall of fame(if it actually is one of those). In this image Swaggy P displays a very confused look, as if he is almost taken aback by whatever comments he is hearing. This meme is hilarious for one. And it is certainly one of the most popular memes today because it’s so easy to plug into so many different situations when you are expressing confusion.
The NCAA will now allow college athletes the opportunity to benefit from their name, image, and likeness. Before this ruling, NCAA student-athletes were not able to profit off of their likeness. Meaning that larger-than-the-sport athletes like Zion Williamson could benefit off of their image and not be reprimanded for making money off of their talents.
The nation’s top high school basketball prospect made his decision to skip college and go to the NBA’s development league. This decision was monumental because basketball players are required to complete one year post-high school graduation to be eligible for the NBA draft. Players who did not want to enroll in college would previously have to have a very high stock as a high school player and go play professionally overseas for a year. The NBA recently tweaked their rules so that high school prospects could enter the G-League, earn up to about $500,000, sign endorsement deals, and get a scholarship of $125,000 to any college they would like to enroll in. This decision by Jalen Green will shape the NBA and NCAA’s futures as more top prospects will skip the college route to avoid the NCAA’s slave-like system of amateurism.
I stumbled upon this video on worldstarhiphop.com in the summer of 2011 amidst an NBA lockout. I was heading into the eighth grade, poised for success in basketball in the coming year. As a huge fan of basketball and a sneaker lover, this video genuinely touched my heart. I can remember watching this video at 2am and deciding that I would go to the basketball courts at sunrise the next morning. I did exactly that. This video motivated my 13-year old self unlike anything ever had before. Long story short, I’m not in the NBA today like I thought I may have been but my love for both basketball and sneakers has never dwindled. This video is important to me today because I really do wish the NBA season would resume as soon as safely possible.
As the days get warmer and the sun sets later, we get closer to that sweet spot in the year in which sports get REALLY interesting. Unfortunately the Covid-19(Coronavirus) pandemic has suspended or delayed all major sporting events that would be occurring right now, leaving many sports fans sad and restless. No March Madness, no MLB opening day, no Champion’s League soccer, no XFL, no college spring sports, no NBA; no sports at all. Many of us who once laughed at that ‘crying Jordan meme’ are finding ourselves with very similar facial expressions.
Amid the coronavirus panic and NBA season suspension, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is donation $100,000 to supports stadium workers at the Cavaliers’ stadium, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Love did this to support employees of the stadium who will be without work now that the season is suspended.
A statement from Love’s instagram post read, “Through the game of basketball, we’ve been able to address major issues and stand together as a progressive league that cares about the players, the fans, and the communities where we work. I’m concerned about the level of anxiety that everyone is feeling and that is why I’m committing $100,000 through the @KevinLoveFund in support of the @Cavs arena and support staff that had a sudden life shift due to the cancellation of the NBA season. I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities.”
Love isn’t the only person who is acting to make sure facilities workers don’t go without pay. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban immediately stated that he would devise a plan so that stadium workers get paid when the suspension of the season was announced yesterday.
Acts of kindness like this is what sports is really all about. It’s bigger than just bouncing a basketball. Athletes form relationships with stadium workers because they see them so often as they work at the same facility. This shows us that all professional athletes and team owners aren’t just money-hungry, some of them actually care about those around them.
When we first got word that Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19(Coronavirus), the hope that an NBA season would continue was immediately deflated. The first case of an NBA player contracting the virus would surely mean that the league would now have to make a BIG decision. After receiving the news, the league would go on to suspend the NBA season for what is now said to be at least a 30 day suspension. This morning we received more unfortunate information regarding the virus and the NBA. Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive for coronavirus early this morning. The news shocked the sports world and depicted the rapid spread of the virus so that all sports fans could see.
Yesterday over 12 conference tournaments were cancelled for men’s and women’s college basketball. Earlier today we got news that the biggest tournament of them all would now officially be cancelled for the 2022 season. The NCAA championship tournament, or March Madness as most call it, will not exist this year. Fans now hold a sense of sadness, confusion, and disappointment as they are left with no March Madness, which is a staple in college sports. With both men’s and women’s college basketball seasons coming to a screeching halt, players, coaches, and fans are left feeling empty. Senior student-athletes pursuing professional careers are uncertain whether they will be overlooked by teams now since they can’t boost their personal resumes with a deep tournament run. The NCAA has not only cancelled basketball, they have cancelled all winter and spring sporting events for the rest of the 2020 school year. The affected student-athletes will be hurt the most by this cancellation because of the obstacles they will have to overcome to be allowed to use another year of eligibility for next year.
The NHL, MLB, and MLS have suspended operations as of today. High school sports championship tournaments for winter sports are currently concluding, many of which are being played without fans in attendance. Popular high school championship tournaments in states across the entire nation have been cancelled as well. One of the only major professional sports leagues, the English Premier League, announced that they will continue to play matches this weekend. However this was before news broke that Arsenal manager Mike Arteta tested positive for the virus.
As the world of sports is being held off, avid sports fans like myself are looking for ways to cope with the loss of excitement the month of March brings. We’ve always used sports as a way to heal fast and come together, but doing that is working against us right now. That’s why this is so devastating.
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