 Image c/o https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/aaron-rodgers-injury-ban-artificial-turf-rcna104902 By Oliver Collins Sports Writer Monday night had the potential to turn a new leaf for a Jets football team that has seen its fair share of failure in the last few decades. But, a team battered by busted draft picks and lackluster coaching had finally found their duo, a successful defensive minded coach in Robert Salah and one of the great quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers.
Metlife stadium was an absolute madhouse ahead of their season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Fans were buzzing with the anticipation of seeing their new star quarterback take the field. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until just three minutes into the game, when everything changed. “Protection breaks down and time runs out, Rodgers goes down on the sack from Leonard Floyd. Loss of 10 on the play and the Jets are hoping that’s the only loss on that play.” Joe Buck commentates as Aaron Rodgers takes a tough, but seemingly harmless tackle in the Jets backfield. Rodgers swiftly got up, but eased to his backside after feeling a sharp pain in his lower leg. Team doctors were quick to come to his aid but the damage was done. Jets fans watched in horror as their hero was gingerly escorted to the sideline and placed on a facility cart before being taken to the locker room. Just mid way through the game, nightmare turned to reality for Jets fans as concerns on word about Rodgers came to fruition. An achilles tear. Which, for the Jets, would bench their $150 million man for the remainder of the season. Memes and online hate were quickly spread across social media after news broke out, but Rodgers, who has endured his fair share of disheartening injuries, was quick to respond to the critics. “The night is darkest before the dawn… And I shall rise again”. It seems like the 39 year old is more than ready to take on the rehab process and return to full health for his fans, teammates, and family. As for the Jets, they will be forced to rally around young BYU product, Zach Wilson, to carry the team and silence haters of his own. Sources: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2023/09/13/aaron-rodgers-jets-quarterback-breaks-silence-instagram-message-achilles-injury/70847760007/ - Aaron Rodgers quote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bVDfY60Q4Y - Joe Buck quote
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 image c/o Duane Burleson/Getty Images By Oliver Collins Sports Writer If you know anything about the San Francisco Giants it’s that they have always been underdogs. Even through their many championship spoils, the Giants were at one point or another counted out. A team without the budget that powerhouses like the Dodgers or Yankees possess, this has put the Giants into a difficult situation this season. Having lost six games straight after getting swept by the Chicago Cubs they now find themselves two games back in a very competitive wildcard race. It’s now or never for a club that has already exceeded expectations for this season but is hoping to make that final step to become a 2023 playoff team. What truly sets the Giants apart this season is their exceptional team depth and their next-man-up mentality. Manager Gabe Kapler has fostered an environment where every player feels valued and contributes to the team's success. Kapler also looks to statistics to decide lineups and matchups against various opponents, taking the unpopular statistical approach founded by mathematician Bill James (if you want to learn more, watch the film Moneyball for further explanation). Every single man on the roster is important to the team’s success which can create an epic sense of team confidence, but this has seemingly backfired in recent months. Kapler has become notorious for prioritizing matchups throughout his tenure in coaching. So why does Kapler believe so deeply in the power of lefty/righty vs. righty/lefty matchups? Mark Brooks at Applied Vision Baseball wrote on this new coaching strategy, “Conventional wisdom in baseball is that yes, a left-handed batter does better against a right-handed pitcher… Most of a right-handed pitcher’s breaking pitches will move away from a right-handed batter, making them harder to hit. A right-handed batter has to lunge after an outside pitch and has a weaker swing as a result. But those same breaking pitches will curve toward a lefty, thus making them easier to hit.” The question is whether or not this strategy is working as the Giants have found themselves in a do-or-die situation. While Kapler has certainly found some success with this Giants team they have yet to separate themselves as a perennial threat in the MLB. Fans are growing restless and many are calling on him and general manager Farhan Zaidi to pay more to bring in superstars like international Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani next season. If the Giants don’t make the postseason in 2023, it’s most certainly time to break the bank and bring a new hero to the Bay. Source: https://appliedvisionbaseball.com/batting-left-handed-vs-right-handed/ The downfall of one of the most prominent NCAA athletic conferences.  image c/o Tod Fierner / Saint Mary's Athletics By Drew Paxman Sports Writer Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) announced their departure from the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) conference on Friday, September 1. The Pac-12, marketed as the “Conference of Champions,” has now officially dwindled down to two schools: Oregon State and Washington State.
In addition to Cal and Stanford, eight other schools have left the conference: the University of Oregon, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California, and University of Washington will join the Big Ten conference; and the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Colorado, and University of Utah will join the Big 12. The reason for these departures? A failure on the Pac-12 to secure a media rights deal that would guarantee its member schools sufficient money. “I think it is very sad for college athletics–especially on the West Coast,” said Saint Mary’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Michael Matoso. “If you look at the Pac-12 as a whole–it is the winningest conference in the country and to not have a Power 5 conference on the West Coast is pretty wild to think it will no longer be.” With the departure of these ten schools, there have been a lot of conversations on the impacts this realignment could have on the mental health of student athletes, many of whom will now have to travel over 2,000 miles to play away games. Shannon Cunningham, softball catcher for Arizona State, was one of these athletes, taking to social media back in August 2023, “I chose to play in the [Pac-12] because of the ability to play close to home and in front of family. I chose the [Pac-12] so my family didn’t have to worry about far travel or giving up all their vacation time just to come see me. This affects athletes in every sport [and] academics.” Sam DeCarlo, an infielder for the University of Washington’s baseball team, gave an example to further Cunningham’s argument, “[I]f we were to travel to a school like Rutgers in New Jersey, we might have to leave a whole day earlier to account for the time change. We always practice Thursday night after we make the [trip], but going to New Jersey we might have to leave Wednesday or very early Thursday morning in order to fit that practice in with the time change. This could lead to more missed class.” Despite this different schedule, DeCarlo remains optimistic. “I had a positive gut reaction to the news of Washington making the move to the Big Ten,” he explained. “Separating from schools like Stanford and Arizona will feel odd. However, I’m excited for the opportunity because I know it is the best option for our school and will ultimately elevate our school and athletic programs.” Other than the departure of Brigham Young University (BYU) from the West Coast Conference and some other scheduling alignments, Matoso paints Saint Mary’s as being mostly unaffected by this news. “What could impact us is our scheduling with a lot of our sports as many of the Pac-12 schools may have increased conference schedules which could impact some of our non-conference scheduling,” he explained. “On the flip side, I am sure they will want to have some more regional opportunities to schedule.” So then, what’s next for this new world of college athletics? Well, there is still one more year of Pac-12 sports to be played, and this next year has already started off as a wild one. A judge from the Whitman County Superior Court in Washington “granted a request by Oregon State and Washington State for a temporary restraining order on Monday to prevent departing Pac-12 members from meeting until it can be determined who has the right to chart the future of the disintegrating conference” (Russo, Associated Press). The logistics and outcome of this restraining order remain to be seen. In other news, the Pac-12 topped headlines with eight of its current 12 member schools making the AP Top 25 Poll for football, including Oregon State (16) and Washington State (23). But for the long-term consequences, Matoso sees these changes as completely changing the culture of college athletics. “I think the NCAA should have been more active in finding a solution to separate football out,” he began. “Bottom line on all of this is it’s about football and TV money. We talk a lot about student-athlete welfare and mental health right now and I think these moves are the direct opposite of what is best for our student-athletes.” Source: https://apnews.com/article/oregon-state-washington-state-kliavkoff-pac12-34acf803402e3c5bf99d16d7ee398c67 The actions of a selfish man now defines this year’s Women’s World Cup.  image c/o Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images By Val Hill Sports Editor Yet again Women’s sports finds itself at the mercy of a selfish man’s actions. This time it was the Spanish Women’s World Cup victory over England when player Jenni Hermoso was forcibly kissed by Luis Rubiales, the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation’s President. This sexual misconduct has caused massive outcry in not only the soccer world, but in women’s sports in general. Jenni stated “an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part,” when speaking out about the kiss. Since the kiss was caught off camera, Rubiales claims that the kiss was consensual. Despite that, the cries for the removal of Rubiales’s position as President have been numerous.
The cries of the public were subsequently answered, with Rubiales deciding to resign from his position. The Royal Spanish Soccer Federation faced massive backlash not just from the general public, but also saw numerous protests from players, on both the male and female teams. Even some of the coaching staff for the women’s team has resigned in protest. Dozens of female players have stated that they will not be playing for the Spain’s national team until Rubiales’s resignation. Since the resignation has occurred, it is unclear if the players will return to the team. This Women’s World Cup shouldn’t be defined by the acts of a selfish man, however this has become the reality for most major women’s sporting events. Today there are more female athletes than in years past, but only become popular in the media’s eyes when a male is somehow involved. This should never be the case for women’s sports, these women need to be recognized for their athletic achievements, not in response to a man’s selfish action. Actions like this have gone on for far too long in the history of women’s athletics, not only for professional athletes but also for all female athletes across the globe. |
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