Magic Johnson-The announcement-Corey Krupa

Magic Johnson was one of the greatest players of all-time in a great era of basketball until he received life altering news that he was HIV positive. Many sports fans especially young children idolize athletes and perceive them to be invincible. Back in 1991, the world found out in an emotional press conference that one of the greatest athletes had HIV. Imagine if an NBA superstar like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James announced to the entire world that they had such a serious disease. Athletes deal with injuries all of the time but it is usually never as serious as a disease like HIV. What made it worse for Magic is that he contracted it sexually from someone that was not his wife and that the entire world knew about his personal life. Because of this heartbreaking news, he had to retire prematurely from a game that he was so good at and loved. However, more than 20 years later Magic is still alive and still in great health. He is a very successful businessman, analyst, and even part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even though he has a serious condition like HIV, it should not take away from his legacy as one of the greatest players ever for one of the most successful franchises ever. He helped make the Los Angeles Lakers a household name in the 1980s with his classic rivalry with Larry Bird. He is still beloved in the city of Los Angeles and still well known throughout the world. His announcement helped raise awareness towards prevention from HIV. He has achieved a lot on court, but one could argue that he has achieved just as much off the court. -Corey Krupa

Magic Johnson- The Announcement - Brandon Focht

Magic Johnson is one of the best point guards to ever play the game at the highest level. He is still on many analysts All-Time NBA team at the point guard position. In 1991 headlines swept the media that he was HIV positive. This was before I was born, but watching the video of his news conference telling the world that he was in fact HIV positive put a very different perspective of how that would actually be as an athlete in his shoes in my mind. I cannot imagine having to tell the world that I was HIV positive, and that it would ultimately end my basketball playing career. He had to retire due to the effects it could have had on other players in the league. This was difficult for him alone because his wife did not have the disease. It hindered his family as well which was not good for his personal life either. Not only was his basketball career over, his personal life was effected as well. Magic had said he had contracted the disease sexually, which in the end was completely his fault, but how embarrassing would that be to have to tell the entire world that. He was a role model for so many people on the basketball court that his off the court actions most likely turned many people away from having good envisions of him as a person. When he spoke at the “announcement” he seemed in good spirits and that he was upset he would no longer be playing the game, but he was now able to live the rest of his life. What Magic did do that helped his image was that he started to be a spokesman for the virus. He had to explain why he was retiring but the reason why will in my opinion will be embarrassing for him.

Anthony Cornwell, Jr. Magic Johnson and the Ideology of AIDS

Magic Johnson is one of the best basketball players in the history of the NBA. He had the swag of Julius Erving and the flash of Michael Jordan. He was a NBA Champion multiple times and a league MVP multiple times. He brought in the breed of point guard that no one else had seen before. 6’9” and could handle the ball was unheard of. On and off the court Magic was magic. In the eyes of America, there was no way that Magic could do any wrong. But on November 8, 1991 Magic made an announcement that caught the attention of not just Americans but people around the world. He announced that he was HIV positive. The article mentions how athlete’s bodies are tools of production, especially for male athletes and have become marketable commodities. But for Magic, his was marketable physicality. It in order for him to be as profitable as possible, it was necessary to construct him as an ideal typical hero. There’s a quote that says, “You die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” The quote is wrong in this case. Though Magic did mess up terribly, by far the worst you can mess up. Not only did he cheat on his wife, but got HIV along with it. He didn’t become a villain. Magic could’ve gone crazy after he lost endorsements from the most famous companies, but he decided to make a stand. He made people aware of the virus. He still until this day gives speeches about HIV and even started an organization to raise money to find a cure. Instead of him becoming a villain, he remained a hero. He may not make the flashy passes anymore but his awareness speeches and involvement in the community are just as good.

Jason Collins- Eddie Hodges

Sports are seen to be a form of masculinity amongst men who play them; even women can be conceived as masculine if they participate in sports. So when people think of male athletes you think of warriors and grown men built to participate in sports. Throughout men's sports homosexuality has not been as prevalent as women's sports. Perceiving that a man is homosexual was rare prior to Jason Collins coming out. Jason Collins is a veteran NBA basketball player and has played in the league for many years. No one had ever speculated that Jason Collins was homosexual. So what drove Jason Collins to come out as gay towards the end of his career? In my opinion, I believe that Jason Collins thought his career was over and wanted to leave the league with something that he could be remembered by. When Jason Collins came out as gay to the public, the media took the story and exploited the opportunity and Jason Collins soon became national headlines. Jason Collins then appeared on talk shows, and even received a call from Obama. With social and mass media being very prevalent in society Jason Collins used that as if he was running for office and used it as a way to keep his name out there. After it is all said in done Jason Collins has never been a big name in pro basketball and until a big name player, such as, Chris Bosh or Tim Duncan who is well-known, comes out as homosexual then we will see a difference in how players and fans react. Now I believe people did not really care about Jason Collins because he was an irrelevant basketball player who just wanted his name to be out there. I believe no NBA team will give Jason Collins a chance because of the "Tebow Effect" meaning a player brings outside problems and bad press with him as he travels from team to team and no NBA team wants that in their locker room.

Female Star Comes Out as Gay, and Sports World Shrugs: Brett Bardwell

I actually caught myself in the trap of not even paying attention to the fact that Brittany Griner had come out as an openly gay athlete when reading the article. I had watched her play during the NCAA tournament for Baylor and she was very impressive to watch. You could just tell that she was head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of skill and size. America as a whole has come more to grasp with openly gay people, but I think that sports and that locker room is a world of its own with its own rules. I could never say what its like because I have never been in an NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. locker room, but just from things on television it definitely seems like they are much less accepting to gay people. Back to Griner, it is unfortunate that her coming out did not get more publicity. Jason Collins came out and had interviews on major networks and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This was for a guy who was certainly a serviceable NBA player, but by no means a star, and nearing the end of his career. Why not make Griner the star of this story? This is nothing against Jason Collins and I totally respect his decision to come out because it takes a lot of courage to do it, but I would be willing to bet there are a whole lot more people who look up to Brittany Griner as an athlete than there are people who look up to Jason Collins. That does not make either one of their situations any less significant, but I would think that the more popular player would be the one to carry the torch for this movement. For example, when the Miami Heat win the NBA Championship there aren't pictures of Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Chris Andersen, Udonis Haslem etc. on the cover; it is LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Why wouldn't you do the same in this instance? The article said it was solely because she was female and, unfortunately, I think it is true. There needs to more attention paid to everybody's situation because although they are unique they should be treated almost the same. One person should not garner more attention than another based on gender. It is hard to say, but maybe Griner wanted it to be this way. Maybe she did not want to be the poster image for this topic, but if she did she should have been given the same opportunities as Jason Collins.

Why Jason Collins is Coming Out Now- Corey Krupa

It is pretty amazing to think that America did not have an active openly gay male athlete playing in a team sport until 2013. I could not imagine how difficult it must have been for Jason Collins to come out, especially since he was the first one to do so. I think that there are other male athletes currently playing that are afraid to come out because they fear being treated differently. Many players in sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL are known for making nasty homophobic remarks. However, it is nice to know that athletes such as Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo are supportive of Jason’s decision to come out. I feel that there are probably other players who support his decision, but do not want to say so because they also don’t want to be treated differently. It is sad that Jason Collins had to “live a double life” as mentioned in the article because he didn’t want anybody to know his secret. I think that Jason Collins over the course of his career has proved that gay athletes are no different from straight athletes. He seems like a true professional and I wish that he was still playing in the NBA because it would be interesting to hear the crowds’ reactions towards him. I think that he would get mostly mixed reactions in away games, and positive reactions with home crowds. The NBA is known for doing campaigns to help the community and I think that the NBA could have done a campaign with Collins to help promote equality for the LGBT community. -Corey Krupa

Anthony Cornwell, Jr. Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now

As we all know, Jason Collins is the first openly gay athlete in men’s sports. It’s a shocker to some, but not to all. The funny thing to me is that it was a shocker to his twin brother but not to his aunt. I personally feel that maybe since his aunt is a female, she would be able to notice certain things about Jason that his brother couldn’t. In the article Jason mentioned that, “He (his twin brother) was downright astounded. He never suspected. So much for twin telepathy. But by dinner that night, he was full of brotherly love” (Collins, 2013, p. 15). I personally feel like this is Jason’s fault though. He was living a life giving everyone the wrong messages. He made the world think that he was something he wasn’t. Everyone now looks at Jason like he is some kind of hero but I don’t. He made a woman think that she had found the one person that she would spend the rest of her life with and he faked his image. That makes him a fake person. If he really wanted to be a hero/real, not just for the world but to himself, he would’ve said something when he was around 12 years of age or even earlier than now. Since he hasn’t owned up to it when he was younger, he has put himself through countless sleepless nights, years of misery, and has withdrawn a ton of energy from himself. I also think that if he would’ve come out years ago, he may still be in the NBA. But for right now, I don’t think anytime is ready to deal with this kind of publicity.

Jason Collins Coming Out - Travis Kash

Since the beginning of sport, there has been discrimination and unfair treatment against homosexual athletes of all sports. Although it is not as bad as it used to be, it is still present in professional leagues today as apparent by the alarmingly huge deal made out of Jason Collins coming out as the first openly gay athlete to still play. When Jason Collins came out, it was a huge deal and many people jumped out in immediate support and praise of Collins for making such a brave decision. While I do think it was very admirable of Collins to have the bravery to do this, I also think at the same time that a person shouldn’t have to be brave or afraid to simply be who they are. It is not right that a person, professional athlete or not, should have to be afraid to let those they know closest who they truly are. Our society and the media just makes it even more difficult, because they make “coming out” for a homosexual a huge event and give it so much coverage and attention. I feel like that might cause some people who are homosexual to be more afraid to embrace their sexuality because they are afraid of how big of a deal it can be turned in to. If the culture of discrimination against gay athletes is going to change, I think that people and the media need to treat an athlete coming out as just a normal thing and accept it and move on. A person should never be afraid of being who they naturally are, and I think Jason Collins really helped to change the attitude towards homosexuals in professional athletics.

Jason Collins, Coming Out- Tyler Crellin

Society makes us scared, it makes us afraid to try new things, say something different, or be the person we want to be. The reason for this is because of the norms of our society, our society looks and judges things that are different from the norm. Jason Collins is the number 1 example of sub coming to the norms of society. He faced diversity all of his life, believing that he could not come out of shell because of what society might think of him. Things changed when the 2011 NBA player lock out happened. For the first time Jason did not have the distraction of basketball to provide shelter on his inner thoughts, and on who he wanted to be. It would be extremely difficult to dwell on your own thoughts for a long period of time, when trying to avoid it for so long. It was not soon after that Jason decided to come out and tell the world the person he really is. Someone had to be the poster boy for gays, and be the first one to come out. Before Jason, no male had openly come out in full media press conference and announce that he is gay. I think it is good for society, because there are a lot of people who are gay in our society today, and now they have a role model they can look at and say "hey, he came out, I shouldn't be afraid to too". I think what Jason did took a lot of courage and was not easy to do, but he will be remembered for what he did. To some, he will be looked upon as an outcast, to others he will be looked at as role model to the gay community.

Why Jason Collins is coming out now?- Brandon Focht

Jason Collins is the first male athlete to come out as gay while still playing in the NBA. He finished last season and came out as gay this past summer. He is coming out now because he wanted to take a stand and felt that he was ready to come out. His college roommate had told him that he went to a gay parade and that is why he had wanted to come out because he felt envious that he could not support his own sexuality and that he had to hide it because he was a professional basketball player. There were a lot of mixed emotions after Jason Collins came out as gay. It was headline news on ESPN for a week, there were interviews with him as well. I feel like I have always been able to tell or have a hunch if another person is gay or straight. I cannot tell when someone is bisexual however not to ignore the binary thinking that we are brought to. I am going to just talk about being straight or gay and being a professional athlete. While we are starting to have this image that we need to be more acceptable in today's society that is why we are starting to soften, I believe as a nation. Everyone wants us to accept them for who they are and that is completely fine and I understand that. I don't have to accept anyone for who they are in my opinion because I have learned that being gay or straight is a choice. I do not think it is something that we are born with, and I believe it is a choice. In the end Jason Collins decided to come out, and people can turn either direction they can accept the fact that he is gay or step aside from him in a locker room. He is going to have to accept the fact that some people are not going to treat him the same. Not everyone treats straight people the same. I personally do not have a problem with people that are gay. I will still talk to them and get to know them as a person and see them for who they are outside of their sexuality. I do not agree with their sexuality choice however.

Field of Broken Dreams- Brian Kochheiser

Reading the article, Field of Broken Dreams, was very interesting and eye-opening to me. I was not aware of what Latino athletes had to go through during the 1990s in an effort to make it big and achieve their dreams. While I was unaware of the situation because baseball has never been my favorite sport and I was only 7 years old when this article was written; I find myself not very surprised by this. At the end of the day, baseball, just like all other professional sports, is a business that is trying to make money. If they can pay less money on a prospect that is low risk and high reward then it only makes sense for them to do that. At the same time, some of the best players in the world today have Latino ties, just look at Miguel Cabrera, Yoenis Cesepdes, and Aroldis Chapman, just to name a few. These international baseball stars are compensated fairly and it is my understanding that the situation has gotten better over the course of the past 13 years. Looking at the game today, it boggles my mind when I see how much teams are willing to pay just to negotiate a contract with some of these players. Just look at Daiske Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox paid over $51 million just to negotiate to him and then signed him to a contract of over $50 million. While not all foreign baseball players receive contracts like that, many of them get the opportunity to compete and prove that they are worthy of a high paying contract. Foreign baseball players seem to be compensated fairly in the MLB today.

Field of Broken Dreams-Corey Krupa

I am not surprised that back in the 90s superstar baseball players overseas received significantly lower signing bonuses than American players. Baseball is a business and many businesses make unethical decisions to maximize profit. But, thirteen years later I feel that many foreign players are compensated fairly for their talent. Young foreign players such as Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cesepdes, and Robinson Cano have become the future of Major League Baseball. It is great to see that diversity in baseball is more prevalent because it gives more opportunities to more talent players. However, I feel that some of the signing bonuses and salaries for international players are too high. For example, my favorite team the Chicago White Sox just recently signed a Cuban player named Jose Abreu for six years and 68 million dollars. This is a very large amount for a player that has never played in a Major League game. Also, back in 2007 the Boston Red Sox gave Daisuke Matsuzaka a contract worth more than 50 million dollars. This was before he ever threw a pitch on American soil and “Dice K” never lived up to all of the hype that surrounded him. I would like for Major League Baseball to implement a cap on how high international players can be paid. Top collegiate baseball players do not earn nearly as much when they enter the MLB draft. It is nice to see many foreign players bring more variety to baseball in America, however I feel that some of them have now become overpaid.

Jeremy Lin, race and lessons learned- Brandon Focht

Jeremy Lin burst into the spotlight of the NBA two seasons ago in New York. He brought a new culture into the NBA as an Asian-American. This was slightly different than Yao Ming because he was a foreigner first, and had to learn the culture and English to be able to be involved with the media. With Lin arriving on the scene this called for different racial barriers being tested. It is different with an Asian American making such an impact on the sports world in such a short amount of time. Lin hit the scene and within two weeks was a sensation or "Linsanity." The fact that so many things we say can be seen as a stereotype today is just mind boggling to me. With so many things you say in the media today, it could possibly upset someone solely based on your opinion. J.A. Adande was about to tweet "the only way Lin could be more impressive would be if he got the wrinkles out of those pants." This could have been seen as a play of Asians because of the stereotype that many Asians own dry cleaning places. Lin made a huge impact in a short period of time with the New York Knicks. This was seen as an opportunity for the Houston Rockets to go out and sign Lin in the off season with there good Asian fan base that was attracted by Yao Ming previously. Lin received a large contract and pay raise from the Rockets. He is no longer a sensation but your average point guard in the NBA. Lin did bring a different culture identity into the NBA however.

The “Asianization” of America - Nicole Zawislan

Before I read the article on the “Asianization” of America, I had never really given it any thought. I always just assumed that because America has always been considered as a melting pot, it would carry over into our 21st century. It’s a common thing for a town to have at least one Asian, one Mexican, and one Italian restaurant and bigger towns have an even more widespread array of cultures like Greek, Indian and Irish Pubs. But the USA Today article pointed out that it’s much more than food or a “Made in China” sticker. The East has infused so much in our Western lives that we do not even realize it. Since 2001 when the article was written, even more things have brought eastern culture to America. Some examples would be the Life of Pi movie that was a blockbuster in 2012 or from a political aspect, China buying our debt. Sports have also been involved in helping Asian culture to immerse more in America. Many famous Asian-American athletes have helped, since the article was written, to break stereotypes and increase discussion about incorporating Asian-Americans into mainstream sports. Examples of famous Asian-Americans would be Apolo Anton Ohno, who was a very successful speed skater in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and Hines Ward, the Super Bowl MVP wide receiver for the Steelers, who has a Korean mother and black father. In addition to those cases, Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin both deserve credit for breaking the Asian barrier in the NBA. Lin, being born in America, has helped to break through many stereotypes that people think of when they think of the Asian-American population in sports.

Field of Broken Dreams: Brett Bardwell

I was not fully aware of the situation that went on with Latin players because I was younger at the time of the article and did not pay as much attention to sports, or at least not as in depth, as I do now. It was certainly wrong for the MLB to do the things they did. The Latin players could have viewed it as fine because they had never had anything in their life and this could be a possible way out of the life they have known, but they should have been given the same opportunities that every other player has. There was something that made me somewhat happy when reading this article, though: the fact that MLB has changed their ways. Their are players every year who come into the league from South America, Cuba, Japan, etc. and they get paid for it too. Some recent players to come in include Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Yasiel Puig, Aroldis Chapman and many more. Most of these prospects are signing deals that are in the 30+ million dollar range over 4+ years. I understand that there are players who have been in the major leagues that are making 25+ million dollars per year, but that is because they have hit the free agency market and been paid a large amount of money for their services. Also, barring injury, these players will likely get big pay increases if they continue to perform the way that they have so far. Although things in the past were certainly not the greatest, I am glad to see that the MLB has made strides to more properly pay these foreign players.

Anthony Cornwell, Jr. Fields of Broken Dreams: Latinos and Baseball

After reading the Fields of Broken Dreams: Latinos and Baseball I was shocked. I was shocked of how the Latinos are treated. It really comes into comparison of black athletes. The article mentioned how Miguel Tejada, shortstop of the Oakland Athletics came from a destitute barrio in the Dominican Republic with no running water and little electricity (Breton, 2000). That’s how most black athletes who make a career in sport come from. Most of them aren’t living in conditions this bad, but they are living in less fortunate conditions. It’s also crazy how the Latinos count for 25% of the MLB and are still treated this way. I also find it disrespectful of what Dick Balderson calls the “Boatload Mentality.” The Boatload Mentality” is described as signing a “boatload” of Latinos for little money and if only a couple make it to the big leagues, teams still come out ahead. Dick Balderson describes it as, “instead of signing four [American] guys at $25,000 each, you sign 20 [Dominican] guys for $5,000 each” (Breton, 2000, p. 8). That’s crazy. I’m not that big of a baseball fan but I do watch it. Also being a Yankees fan, I am a huge fan of the recently retired Mariano Rivera. He’s a Latino, and he is the greatest closer of all-time. The records he broke in the MLB may not ever get broken and I believe that the MLB should treat these players with more respect. This is supposed to be a country where everyone is equal, just because someone is coming from out of the country that doesn’t mean treat them badly. If they’re putting their ass on the line for a team and their organization, treat them correctly and pay them what they deserve.

Don Imus Rutgers Women's basketball - Eddie Hodges

Women's basketball will forever live in the shadow of men's basketball when it comes to the amount of respect given to women's basketball programs. Women who play basketball are already more of a "tom-boy" compared to other women who do not participate in sports. So when Don Imus got on the radio and said what he said in his mind he may of felt like it was something that could be said without any repercussions. I personally believe that everything he said was very offensive and very hurtful not only to Rutgers women's basketball program but to all women basketball players. African Americans predominately make up both men's and women's basketball. Knowing that, for Don Imus to attack those women with such hurtful slang that is a disgrace to his character. Those women work hard each and everyday to be able to be successful at the game in which they play. I believe that these comments were said by Don Imus but other people around America were probably feeling the same way but Don Imus just had the courage to say it. Americans believe that we are in a post-racism society but that is not the case. There will always be people who feel a certain way against a different race but we cannot live like everything is perfect, people just have to keep all of their comments to themselves and try to stay out of the spotlight with comments like that.

Anthony Cornwell, Jr. One Nation under a Hoop: Race, Meritocracy, and Messiahs in the NBA

Sports Illustrated dubbed him "The Chosen One" while he was still in high school, a messianic designation that proved telling when, in 2003; he was taken first in the first round of the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world right now. He is arguably on the pace to be greater than Michael Jordan. The NBA analysts will be the judges of that though. LeBron James has accomplished a lot in his short Hall of Fame career. A few years after his coming to the NBA he appeared on Oprah as a guest. Not many athletes appear on Oprah, so this was a preview of what is next to come. Oprah asked him types of questions like, do he ever think he will regret not going to college. LeBron answered every question she asked professionally. A few years later he reached another milestone for that no one before him has done. Not even Michael Jordan. Yeah, you read that right, not even Michael Jordan He is the first black man to ever appear on the cover of Vogue Magazine. The media soon made a big deal out of it. They called him King Kong which most referenced to an animal. Until this day I believe that the photographer of the cover knew what this was in for. I love how the article title LeBron as the second coming (of Michael Jordan not Jesus). Then, later in the year, as the summer of 2008 drew to a close, LeBron James saw himself lead "The Redeem Team" into the Beijing Olympics to win Gold. Then you know it’s real when here are 1,040 items including a brand new James high school throwback jersey. A brand new throwback jersey on eBay. Once again that’s a high school jersey. Whether or not you believe LeBron is the Chosen One. It does seem like he is on pace to proving that right. He at least proves some thus far.

Don Imus Scandal - Corey Krupa

When I first heard the comments that Don Imus made about the Rutgers Women's basketball team I sadly was not surprised that someone thinks that way. However, I was surprised that someone with as much power as Don Imus made those types of remarks. He obviously should have never made those statements because he needed to serve as a role model instead. These types of racist remarks should never be tolerated even if you are just an everyday person. The comments were not only racist but other sexist. Why should a man like Don Imus care about how female athletes look? The Rutgers Women’s basketball team and their University did not need that type of negative publicity. I feel like issue such as racism and sexism will never go away around the world or in this country. Unfortunately, some older people in America are set in their stubborn ways and will not change their racist or sexist mindset. However, I feel like the younger generations of America have a better perspective on issues such as racism and sexism. America will never be perfect and these types of issues will never go away. I feel like we are heading towards a better place and we cannot let the thoughts of a few individuals in the entire population bring us down. Don Imus was the only person out of thousands of radio hosts that work every day to say those cruel remarks. That racism, sexism, and negativity will always exist. We need to look at the positives and appreciate how far our society has come in the last 50 years. -Corey Krupa

Don Imus: Brett Bardwell

When it comes to the topic of Don Imus there are some different thoughts I have about him. Obviously, his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team were completely close-minded and reckless without thought. What is more frustrating to me, though, is that people like this are in the positions that they are in. He as somewhat of a well respected radio host on a national radio station. How does someone who is capable of saying things like this have a microphone in front of him talking to a large group of people? I understand that anybody could say any random thing when they have a microphone in front of them, but he was around for so long that I highly doubt that this was the first touchy thing that he had done or said. It was good that he handled the situation well afterwards, apologizing and owning up to his comments, but obviously the comments should have never been made in the first place. It is also understandable at times that people say things that may sound bad but are not intended that way, but there was no mistake about his comments. He knew what he was saying and, at the time, felt no remorse about it. I do not think that racism is something that can be immediately terminated and, unfortunately, probably never will in the future. That is why it should be extremely important for companies to have over-extensive background checks on people that they are going to hire. When you are giving someone the power of a microphone you have to have absolute trust that this person is going to represent your company or station appropriately. Although nobody is responsible for what was said other than Imus himself, I do feel that these companies could do a better job of monitoring their employees and maybe get a sense of these things coming and stop them before they go on the air.

RUIMUS Scandal -Ben Mathey

The RUIMUS scandal was shocking to me. I remember when the story broke on ESPN and how the hosts of the show were reacting with such disdain and disbelief. In retrospect though, it does not surprise me that someone like Don Imus could make such terrible comments. He was an old, white guy who made millions of dollars and was out of touch with reality. I think that when he made the comments he was not entirely aware of the backlash that he was going to face and how much progress female athletes have made since the passage of Title IX. I also believe that if he made those comments in public, what kinds of things did he say behind closed doors? I understand that people have their opinions and they may voice those opinions in private or among friends and family but a person in the national spotlight has to understand that comments like that simply cannot be made. Also, I think the incident speaks to the continued racial issues our country still faces. Some may argue that race is dead or that we are past racism but it is still very much alive and that's evident from the comments made by Imus. Obviously it would be great to see the end of racism in our country but that may not be possible because of the separation from reality that is often faced by people with money and power, which is exactly who needs to lead the charge of ending racism. Ben Mathey

Rutgers Women Basketball & Don Imus- Brandon Focht

I did not fully remember what was said, so I am glad they put it in this article to give perspective. I do not know how any person can say words like these about a group of young women. Don Imus did a lot of damage both within the African American culture and to his own reputation. It was much needed for Imus to apologize, and the Rutgers accepted the apology. White privilege, new racism, and sexism all played into Don's comments. His comments were not acceptable by any means, but I think it is a tale of the time period that he lived in. We have talked about in class how racism will never go away, and I fully believe that it will never go away. It is very saddening to have that feeling. I think that a lot of this has do to with how we are raised by our parents, and how we are shaped by our environment from a young age. If we are not exposed to other cultures and races at young ages we will not have different views of these cultures, and have a biased opinion on them because they are not like us. Parenting plays a huge role in this too because parents need to teach their children to be accepting of different cultures and races to nip the racism as much as possible. I am assuming that Imus was not raised this way, but I do know that he regretted his comments entirely. I know that Rutgers has had some recent problems with their athletic programs, but I feel that the Athletic Department handled this situation well.