As a football player, this stadium means that every time I step on this new field, I play for those who made this opportunity possible, for all the people who contributed to the making of this stadium and to all the players before me who had shed their sweat, tears, time and many other valuable assets to make a rich tradition at Emory & Henry College. It is not every day that alumni at any college are willing to shell out millions of dollars so that the current players can play in some of the best facilities possible, but at Emory & Henry College we are just blessed that we have alumni who are willing to do this great deed. One day the current athletes will be called upon to help out with something involving the college, and they will answer the call willingly.

How many people do you see texting on their cell phones, instant messaging their friends, or watching the TV instead of going outside and exploring? These are only a few examples of the way media outlets have taken over people’s lives.  We have allowed the media to change the way we socialize because people want an easier way of living.

            The media has geared its products toward the very young and middle-aged population.  Children would much rather stay inside and watch television than explore the environment they are exposed to everyday.  Preteen’s now have cell phones that they text message on to keep up with their friends instead of going to friends houses to play, talk or watch movies.  Many young adults use AOL Instant Messaging, Yahoo Messenger, or MSN Messenger to “chat” with friends instead of having face-to-face conversations.  The media have evolved the traditional postal system into electronic mail; instead of sending hand-written letters, most people now use E-Mail accounts, Myspace, Facebook, or myYearbook.

            A worrying consequence of all this media attention has been child obesity, which is at its all-time high.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared surveys from 1976-1980 and 2003-2004 to find obesity increases.  They found in children aged 2-5 the obesity increased from 5.0% in 1976-1980 to 13.9% in 2003-2004, children aged 6-11 increased from 6.5% to 18.8%, and those aged 12-19 increased from 5.0% to 17.4%.              Schools have now replaced dodge ball and basketball in their physical education curriculum with Dance Dance Revolution and Wii video games because children were getting hurt.  Children play rough and there is always a risk of injury no matter what. But, in the scheme of things, a sprained ankle is a far less health risk than childhood diabetes.  The physical fitness test, which was to reduce childhood obesity, is now being changed so that the mile is instructed from a CD player which is played indoors and challenges students to sprint a total of twenty-five yards twenty or so times.  Media are changing these things because parents complain that their obese children feel bad because they are the last ones to finish running 4 laps around the track.  Physical education class is probably one of the only forms of exercise obese children get these days.

            It is the parents fault for letting the media take control of their children’s health.  Young children do not understand why carrots are better than fries; they just understand that fries taste better than carrots. 

            Young children do not understand that exercise keeps you healthy and in shape.  However, parents know these things, but would rather not have to be responsible for watching their children because they have a lot of work they need to do in order to be prepared for the following day.  The television, video games and computers have become our children’s babysitters.  They are convenient and reliable.

Jess Burks 

The remarks were made in reference to Tiger Woods, an African/Asian American who is widely regarded as the best player in the golf world.

Tilghman and her co-anchor Nick Faldo were talking about Wood’s potential challengers in their telecast of the Mercedes-Benz Championship after the second round, when Faldo said that because of Tiger’s play that his opponents should gang up on him. That’s when Tilghman said the words she most certainly must regret.

For those comments, Tilghman was suspended by her network for a two week period and drew the ire of many sports fans and analysts worldwide.

However, it wasn’t until GolfWeek magazine made the mistake of printing a noose on their cover of a recent issue (costing their editor his job) that the issue really took off.

Tiger finally addressed the media about the string of issues last Thursday at the beginning of the Golf Channel telecast. Woods claimed that Tilghman is a personal friend and that he had discussed the issue with her. He claimed that there was no malicious intent, and that all people say things at times that they don’t mean. Tilghman also offered a public apology.

Tiger is certainly the most recognizable face and name in the sport, and golf would not be where it is today without him. He carries himself in such a good manner, and his opinion should matter. But NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown had a good point as well.

“The word ‘lynch’ … there is no redeeming part of it. That is a very embarrassing word, a humiliating one, in the history of our country,” Brown said.

Brown also said that Woods should have come out earlier and taken a harder stance on the comments that were made.

After hearing Brown’s eloquent response on ESPN’s “First Take,” I reconsidered my opinion. Tiger (though showing his undeniable class throughout this) should have taken more offense to this statement. These comments were completely unacceptable and the cover of GolfWeek was far worse.

However, as for coming out earlier, I’m glad Tiger did not. As the saying goes, “cooler heads prevail,” and time heals all wounds.

Emory & Henry’s men’s basketball team was able to pick up their second win in conference play on Wednesday night against Lynchburg 105-96.

The win is something that this squad need. They were able to come out and show that they can play defense and close games when time is running out. The Wasps came out to a fast start. They lead Lynchburg 5-0 in the first 30 seconds of the game. From this point on, the team never looked back. They had a 55-53 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Wasps were able to stay out in front of the Hornets. They never trailed after halftime.

The Wasps had six players score in double figures against Lynchburg. Andrew Hart led the team in scoring with 17 points while shooting 5-11 from three-point range. Both Josh Lee and Robert “Downtown” Hudson contributed 13 points each. Jarell Christian and a physically sick Camillo Weinz had 12 points respectively. The big man down low Kyle Huckins had a solid 10 points as well. The two people getting them the ball also had good games as JD Dyson had nine assists while Marques Thomas had six. Antonio Leary had team high 6 rebounds.

If conference play were going to start before this weekend, the Wasps would be in the final playoff spot. With the system that the team runs, they are a scary team to play. E&H can hit many three-point shots in a row, which can make a two point lead turn into 20 points in matter of minutes.

It is positive to see the team also play some defense. Before this game, teams playing against the Wasps are averaging 118.8 points a game. When Lynchburg only scoring 96 points, it is truly a good sign for things to come for this team. They go into a weekend where they need to defeat one of the top teams in the conference.

With a win, the team is looking forward to the games this weekend as they play against Virginia Wesleyan College and Randolph-Macon. Both of these games are on the road. The Wasps have a record of 6-11 and 2-8 in ODAC games.

But good or bad, The Mitchell Report ordered by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig exposed some inconvenient truths to sports fans that might not have been willing to hear them. Of course now, one player’s alleged steroid use is dominating the headlines (Roger Clemens) and no person is more appreciative than Barry Bonds, but fans and the media alike need to shift their focus back to the grand scheme of things.

Even though it is a big deal that “The Rocket” might have been juicing, he is not the only player who was caught by the probe. In fact, he wasn’t even the only big player caught by the probe.

At least one player from every Major League team was caught. So those who say that steroids are not a problem in baseball (and in sports altogether) try to justify that. Obviously they have a negative effect on sports in all phases, as well as the children that look up to and admire athletes in these sports, but what about the health concerns?

It’s impossible now to measure the ramifications of an athlete’s steroid use over a long or short period of time because it has just became pervasive in sports, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s not healthy. If that’s the case, it should be the biggest concern for the MLB. They have to make sure the players are safe first and foremost.

Secondly, they have to maintain the integrity of the game, so it’s either all get steroids or none get steroids. Let’s hope it’s the latter. Also, even a player who is proven guilty of using steroids cannot be eliminated from Hall of Fame contention.

Who’s to say that the player opposite them was not juicing themselves? It is entirely possible. And where do you draw the line? Would Barry Bonds for instance not have hit a lot of home runs if he hadn’t juiced?

The MLB has tried over the last several years to loosely police steroid use, but I think that was only an attempt to save face for the league in anticipation of what a probe such as The Mitchell Report would uncover.

As for punishment? I think lots of community service (talking to kids at school about avoiding steroids), a stiff suspension and fine (say a year and a year’s pay) and counseling and rehabilitation are key to curbing this problem. Do this instead of talking about it, and witness the results.

Moss has also been accused of preventing the woman from leaving her house (where the incident allegedly occurred) to seek medical attention.

This news couldn’t have come at a worse time for Moss or the New England Patriots. When the story broke last week, Moss and the Partiots were preparing for the AFC Championship Game.

What has been a record breaking season on the field has also been a fairly quiet season off the field, which is saying something for the often outspoken Moss. Like many NFL receivers, Moss is anything but quiet.

Up until this season, he had simply squirted a water bottle at a referee (which drew a $25,000 fine), verbally assaulted Vikings’ corporate sponsors (drawing a $15,000 fine and mandatory anger management classes), assaulted a traffic officer in downtown Minneapolis in his SUV (landing him one night in jail and a $50,000 fine), pretended to moon fans in Green Bay (causing a $10,000 fine) and had been a distraction on basically every team he had ever played for.

Before entering the league Moss had quite a rap sheet as well. Moss served time for battery and violating his probation by smoking marijuana. Moss also had marijuana in his car at the time of the traffic incident, but not enough to warrant a misdemeanor.

However, this does not make Randy Moss guilty of the crime that he has just been accused of. Like I said, this year we had been witnessing a new Randy Moss through and through. And Moss made some valid points.

“It’s unfair to us as athletes, that when a situation like this occurs, it’s up to you guys to make an assumption,” Moss said during a press conference. This really opened my eyes to the subject. What can athletes do other than deny allegations of wrongdoing?

Of course, unfortunately more often than not, the allegations are true. However, this time I believe Moss. He showed emotion and valid concerns about becoming a meal ticket in his press conference. He has sued based on the premise he’s a victim of extortion.

Moss may be guilty, but I think he’s innocent.