When you think of the olympics you think of great competition, representation, and the chance to go for gold and this was all present during the 2016 Rio Olympics but there were also a few controversial situations that promoted negative attention specifically stemming from two American athletes.
Some remarks come with consequences (Photo Creds: Greg Bartram)
The first athlete that we will be focusing on is Hope Solo, the decorated United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) goalie. After an surprising loss to Sweden during the quarterfinals the Americans were clearly upset with there 4-3 shootout defeat. Following the game Hope Solo had much to say about the Swedes labeling them as “a bunch of cowards” for there consecrative strategies that they took during the overtime shootout, following that comment she went on to say that “The best team did not win today” these comments toward the Swedes was a poor show of sportsmanship and was a bad reflection of what the USWNT represents. After these comments were made publicly the USWNT gave Solo a six month suspension from international play then later Solo’s contract was terminated to urge Solo to clean up her off the field acts and to make her earn her spot on the team back by showing a change in sportsmanship and mentality. Comments like these should stay off the record no matter how upset someone is after a loss, an athlete on this high of a stage should be a model of a gracious loser not a sore loser.
Trust is the most fragile thing you can't touch (Photo Cred: Stanislav Krasilnikov)
The next controversial event that happened outside of competition involved American swimmer Ryan Locate and three other American swimmers. Reportedly during early morning hours the four drunken American Swimmers were making there way back from a party and decided to stop at a local Rio gas station where they began to vandalize the gas station bathroom, breaking mirrors and other things. This was not the story that Lochte had originally reported to Rio officials, Lochte originally stated that there was a robbery and that the four swimmers were held at gun point by a man who was impersonating a Rio police officer. This false story left out any account of a gas station and leaving out the vandalism, the gas station's video recording does show the four swimmers sitting on the curb outside of the gas station with there hands up while being confronted by security officers but Rio officials said there were never guns drawn. The four swimmers were charged with reporting a falsified crime, Rio officials held three of the swimmers in Brazil while somehow Lochte returned to the United States. This act committed by the four swimmers is inexcusable and tarnishes the reputation of American athletes. This whole incident shows a total lack of accountability on all four of the swimmers parts regardless of how much they had to drink that night.
The two examples of these athletes should be a great lesson of what not to do when you step out of the athletic spotlight into the everyday life because when you are an athlete of that esteem you are always in the spotlight.
Helen Maroulis Flying the Colors
(Photo cred: Ryan Remiorz)
J'den Cox Representing the U.S. Well
(Photo cred: Jamie Squire)
In February 2013 the International Olympic Committee voted to remove the sport of wrestling from the summer olympics, thus allowing only 25 “core sports” to compete in the games. This caused a great uproar in the wrestling community and many people were set on debating this crucial decision to keep the great sport of wrestling in the highest level of completion that there is. With the pressure to reduce the number of events in the summer olympics after the games in the 2012 games in London, the International Olympic Committee began studies on the 26 “core sports” that had the most impact on the game and what sports had the most worldwide grassroots support. The goal for the International Olympic Committee was to change the number of “core sports” from 26 to 25 starting in the 2020 olympics. On February 12, 2013 the Committee voted to recommend the removal of wrestling from from the 2020 olympics and from future olympics. You might ask, how could the Olympic committee even think to remove one of the founding sports that started the olympics? After the announcement from the committee there was a major disagreement stemming from the wrestling community. This spurred a worldwide petition that spanned from wrestlers of all ages to fans of the sport. These signatures made a major impact on the deciding factor to keep the sport in the sport in the olympics.
Battle Gear
On September 8th, 2013 the International Olympic Committee announced that wrestling won the bid to stay in the olympics in which wrestling was competing with baseball/softball, karate, wake boarding, squash, sport climbing, roller sports, and wushu to stay in the future games. This goes to show that this ancient sport which is said that originally spawned the olympics means a lot to the people who are involved with and these people themselves saved the future of this sport in the olympics for the time being. In the other related news wrestling in the 2016 Rio olympics went on as planned as 3 Americans medaled in freestyle wrestling. Missouri native J’den Cox placed 3rd in mens freestyle in the 86 kg weight class and Kyle Snyder who took the gold in the mens freestyle 97 kg weight class. On the flip side women’s freestyle wrestling American Helen Maroulis took the gold in the 53 kg weight class upsetting the defending 3 time olympic champion Soari Yoshida of Japan by the score of 4 to 1.
One thing that has always grabbed my attention ever since I was a little kid has been fast cars. From playing with Hot wheels to owning my own vehicle at the age of sixteen I have always loved cars. There is one car that has always excited me more than the others, and that car is the Nissan Skyline. The first Skyline to roll off the production line was in 1957 and ever since then Nissan has continued to carry this series to the present day. My favorite car in this historic series is the R32 model that they made from 1988 to 1994. The Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R to me is the ultimate sports car ever made and this car has the trophies to prove it. From 1989 to 1993 the R32 GT-R dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championship by winning 29 of the 29 races that it competed in, after this winning streak the car was dubbed the name "Godzilla".
The R32 GT-R is one of the most iconic Japanese sports cars due to its sleek design and innovative features like all-wheel steering and electronically controlled four-wheel drive. The Skyline was exclusively made and sold in Japan and not legal for import in the USA due to its emission standards and its right side driving design. As of August 2014 the R32 Skyline was legal to import and operate on U.S. soil due the the 25 year rule, this rule means that any car that is 25 years or older may be imported and legal to operate even if it does not comply to federal emission standards. This rule was a Godsend for enthusates like myself because one day soon I plan on purchasing my dream car and I can't wait for that day. Since its only been 2 years that this model of Skyline has been legal in the U.S. it is a rarity to see one of these on the streets, but whenever I do see one I get the biggest rush of excitement and I feel like a kid again.
If you have ever been walking around Avila's campus and heard a beautiful heavenly sound coming from a piano, its probably being played by Javon Goodman. The infamous pianist has only been playing the piano for a year but from listening to him play you'd think he has many years of experience. Javon's love for playing music roots back to when he was a kid listening to artists such as Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, and Oscar Peterson. Javon says that he is a bit of an old soul because not many kids at the age of ten listened to Doo-wop, Old Blues, and Free Jazz like he did. All of these genres of music are what laid the path for Javon's music career. While Javon isn't playing the piano he devotes his time to being a football player but don't let Javon's ability to play beautiful music distract you from his aggressive ball carrying skills on the field. Javon plays the full back position here at Avila where he plows through defenders and makes key blocks. Football is very important to Javon and is one of the big reasons why he is here at Avila. Balancing school work, social life, and football Javon seems to always take time out of his day to play the piano or pick up one of his many guitars to create musical perfection for all to hear. Music is a great way for Javon to release the many stresses of a typical college student and uses music to display his creative side. When Javon isn't busy on the weekends he goes and plays for his church along side his father who sings, with both of their talents they bring together congregations of people to rejoice their faith. If you are ever in Goppert theater or passing through the chapel and see or hear Javon playing don't be afraid to take some time out of your day to stop and listen to the wonderful sounds Javon has to offer, you won't regret it.
Finally, He did it. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for his performance in the Revenant. In the film Leonardo portrays an American frontiersman who is left behind by his brothers after being attacked by a bear while on an expedition. This riveting role earned Leonardo his first Oscar for actor in a leading role. This was a huge win for not only Leonardo but the fans as well, Previously Leonardo had been nominated 5 times for his roles in The Aviator, Blood Diamond, Wolf of Wall Street, and What's Eating Gilbert Grape where he he played many diverse roles that many think he deserved to win. This was a long time coming for this 41 year old actor and In his case the 6th time was the charm. As his name was called to receive the award many knew that he would have a lot to say about the hardship of making the film and of course all of the thank you's that follow but no one was expecting what Leonardo ended on.
Leonardo on the Red Carpet Photo: Jason Merrit
After all recognition was rightfully given Leonardo went to the subject of climate change. The Revenant is a film that shows the connection between man and nature, Leonardo's experiences while making this film opened up his eyes to the real world problem of global warming that he explained by stating "Our Production team needed to go to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow; climate change is real and it is happening right now. " If this doesn't open every human being's eyes there is a serious problem. Leonardo goes on to say that we all should support world leaders who do not support polluters and big corporations. This speech brings our worldly predicament to light and is meant to stop the procrastination and carelessness when dealing with our environment. Climate change isn't something we can't talk about or shove to the side, if we do not take actions to change our ways we will put the future of humanity in jeopardy.
Manny may regret his remarks
Photo: (Getty Images)
Ashley Graham breaking down barriers
Photo: (James Macari)
Over the weekend during a TV interview in the Philippines world renowned boxer Manny Pacquiao made some derogatory remarks toward the gay community. The boxer reportedly said "gay couples are worse than animals." I believe that professional athletes need to be held more accountable for the things they say because many people look up to people as role models. Manny went on to say "Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals.” These comments are uncalled for and never needed to be expressed while he was on the public stage. In reaction to these comments, Nike has cut all ties with one of there biggest athletes that they endorse. Who can blame them for ending a relationship that lasted more than a decade, nobody wants to be sponsoring someone who represents such prejudice towards any group of people. Despite negatory instances like this one, todays world of sports is embracing diversity better than ever before. Today with the release of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition we can see for the first time a plus sized cover girl. This shows that people of every size, shape, color, or background can be expressed through the world of sports. Diversity is becoming ever more important in society we live in today so we must not be quick to judge or put down people who might be different from ourselves.
The Teflon President, The Gipper, Ronald the Right, these nicknames can only describe my favorite president Ronald Reagan. Our 40th president was considered one of the best from a job stand point. Reagan reduced unemployment rate by more than 2% while in office and also signed into law federal income tax cuts. More memorable things that Reagan did during his 8 years in office was surviving an assignation attempt and appointing the first woman into the Supreme Court. Reagan wasn't the typical president, he was involved in radio and acting in films. We will always remember that Reagan got us through the first 8 years of the Cold War which was a difficult time in U.S. history. Ronald Reagan will always be one of my favorite presidents in the history of our great country.
Athletes are looked up to by many people in our society for their talents and the way that they carry themselves. With the ever expanding world of social media it is easy to follow and connect to any athlete we want. Wether you are a sports analyst or a fan you can stay on top of any athlete you have interest in; because of this we see the good and the bad that formulates from each athlete we follow. The media that surrounds these competitors is always looking for the next big story that will spark interest to the public whether it is something notable from there performance on the field or something interesting in there personal lives. Today there seems like there is no line between an athletes personal life and there professional life, where do we draw the line?
College football is the most watched sport out of any collegiate level sport there is, so these players are constantly in the spotlight. Though not all collegiate football players receive the same amount of attention due to how they perform on the field. The players that stand out from the rest are the ones who make big plays and have the stats to prove it. These impact players are being watched by everyone including NFL scouts for a potential chance to pursue a career in the NFL. In 2013 The NFL implemented the "Three-Year Rule" that requires a college football player to complete three years of college eligibility before entering into the professional level; which means that these players who are gifted enough to compete at the professional level could be making six figures before they even graduate. The many athletes who choose to go this route before they graduate are thrown into stardom directly after the draft. Other big time players like Heisman recipients are already stars before they even touch a NFL field which attracts attention from everyone. These athletes are being being thrown into the world of fame faster than ever before. This intense spotlight is making players grow into adulthood at a very fast pace and many of these athletes are still young men that have a lot to learn about life and decision making. So ask yourself what would you do if you were a 21 year old that was given a bigger salary than 90% of people in the country?
The Money Sign, Manziel's signature move Photo: (Time Magazine)
One of the most talked about athletes since the 2014 NFL draft is Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel is a perfect example of getting big in a small amount of time. As the quarterback for Texas A&M he broke many records and won the Heisman trophy in only his first year of playing, being the first Redshirt freshman in history to do so. You can only imagine the attention and hype that was surrounding this young man. Everyone knew that this kid was going to be big and the nickname of "Johnny Football" was born. With Johnny Manziel going into his Redshirt Sophomore year the Texas A&M football team was expected to raise the bar even more although they had lost a couple key wide receivers. As the season progressed Johnny was producing similar numbers from his previous year and continued to produce wins.
Manziel scrambles to find open Receiver Photo: (Jason Miller)
Not a bright future in Cleveland Photo: (John Medley)
After the end of the season Johnny decided to enter the draft. In 2014, with the 22nd overall pick the Cleveland Browns drafted Johnny Manziel. After the draft it was not uncommon to see Johnny at Cleveland Cavaliers games and or out and about with other famed celebrities. Hopes in Cleveland for Johnny to save their team were high and talk about Manziel being the starter for The Browns were floating around. Johnny got his first chance in a preseason game where he showed a glimpse of what he can do in the NFL. The next preseason game Johnny showed his immature side when he let Washington's crowd got into his head then Manziel proceeded to 'flip' off the crowd and he was fined $12,000 by the NFL. This incident seemed to sideline Manziel throughout the season while Brian Hoyer took the helm of the offense. Manziel's work ethic was questioned during his rookie season after he felt that he was the better candidate for the starting job. Overall a uneventful year for the highly sought after Johnny Football. Johnny started off his second year in NFL in the first game of the season when starting quarterback Josh McCown went down with an injury, he had noticeable improvements in his play from the year before. Manziel started the second game where he lead the team to a win over the Titans, despite the win Johnny would not play again till week 7. More rumors arose that Manziel was late to meetings and missed practices showed that he was not happy with the coaching decisions. Manziel made his second start in week 9 and was named the starter for the rest of the year, but shortly after this decision was reconsidered after a video of Johnny partying in Texas arose in social media over a bye week. Johnny finished the regular season with only one more appearance in the second to last game where he beat San Francisco. Talk of the future of Manziel in Cleveland wasn't looking to good after the season meanwhile Manziel's partying didn't seem to slow down. On January 30, 2016 the police received a assault complaint where Johnny was the suspect. The report said that Johnny supposedly struck his girlfriend multiple times and said "shut up or I'll kill us both" to her. Authorities are still under investigation into the involvement of Manziel. Cleveland owner Jimmy Hallam's relationship with Johnny seems to be unfixable at this point. Also rumors of Johnny showing up drunk to practice were covered up by the Browns to protect their player but after this it is hard to see if any NFL team will take a chance on Manziel. Manziel has refused to enter rehab twice in the last two weeks and Johnny's father doesn't think he will make it to his 24th birthday if he does not seek help.Johnny Manziel is clear evidence of how the limelight can make people stray off the path when exposed to temptations and large amounts of money at a young age.The once great Johnny Manziel seems to be nonexistent, you can only guess why someone so young and talented can already be washed up. This story seems all to familiar for Charlie Sheen, who even reached out to Manziel stating "it's time 2 refocus all of your energy on health & Football! it's never 2 late 2 get a fresh start!." Is Johnny Manziel the victim of a kid growing up too fast or is he going to continue on this path to being the next Charlie?
What Miguel prefers to do in his free time, sleep.
Contemplation at its finest.
Miguel whipping up some food.
Stephen Conway is here with his friend Miguel, who is a freshman at Avila University. Avila is the first college that Miguel has been too and he says he enjoys it throughly. Miguel says that he chose to come to Avila because it is close to his home and it is just the right size for himself. Miguel is from Liberty Missouri so it is not a excruciating drive for him if he is feeling home sick. Miguel is planning on majoring in vocal performance because of his passion for singing and producing music. Music has impacted Miguel since he was a child and is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Rumors around campus say that Miguel has the deepest voice out of every other student. Miguel lives on campus in carondelete hall with one other roommate named Vinny. In his first semester of college, Miguel had a roommate who he didn't enjoy living with due to cleanliness, hygiene, and other personal reasons so Miguel is happy Vinny is his new roommate. Even though Miguel doesn't play a sport in college he loves to compete in the many different intermural sports that Avila has to offer. When Miguel isn't in his dorm room studying theres a good chance you will see him shooting pool down in the eagles nest or catching a workout in the Mabee field house. If you ever get a chance to have a conversation with Miguel Roman you will learn that he is a nice respectable person that would do anything for you. One of Miguel’s greatest fears is weakness, Miguel says that weakness and failure go hand in hand. Miguel doesn't like that idea of losing and he prides himself by aways finding ways to put himself in a winning position. One thing that Miguel believes strongly about is that not all stories need happy endings, what he means by this is that not everything we do is going to work out the exact way we want them too so we must perceiver and move on. One thing that Miguel regrets in his life is anytime that he has quit or didn't stand up to make his case so that his voice was heard. Miguel believes that walking away from things is the same as taking a loss. On a less serious side Miguel shared a few words in his vocabulary that he overuses such as “swag” or “dope”. Miguel’s reasoning behind saying these words are because those word have became so cliche and annoying to people that its funny when it bothers them.
One thing that has always grabbed my attention ever since I was a little kid has been fast cars. From playing with Hot wheels to owning my own vehicle at the age of sixteen I have always loved cars. There is one car that has always excited me more than the others, and that car is the Nissan Skyline. The first Skyline to roll off the production line was in 1957 and ever since then Nissan has continued to carry this series to the present day. My favorite car in this historic series is the R32 model that they made from 1988 to 1994. The Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R to me is the ultimate sports car ever made and this car has the trophies to prove it. From 1989 to 1993 the R32 GT-R dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championship by winning 29 of the 29 races that it competed in, after this winning streak the car was dubbed the name "Godzilla". 
The R32 GT-R is one of the most iconic Japanese sports cars due to its sleek design and innovative features like all-wheel steering and electronically controlled four-wheel drive. The Skyline was exclusively made and sold in Japan and not legal for import in the USA due to its emission standards and its right side driving design. As of August 2014 the R32 Skyline was legal to import and operate on U.S. soil due the the 25 year rule, this rule means that any car that is 25 years or older may be imported and legal to operate even if it does not comply to federal emission standards. This rule was a Godsend for enthusates like myself because one day soon I plan on purchasing my dream car and I can't wait for that day. Since its only been 2 years that this model of Skyline has been legal in the U.S. it is a rarity to see one of these on the streets, but whenever I do see one I get the biggest rush of excitement and I feel like a kid again.
