Ryan Viselli Introduction

     I am Ryan Viselli, I’m from Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada and I’m a junior at Bowling Green State University.  I came to Bowling Green because I was recruited to play for the hockey team and the campus and atmosphere were the main reasons I choose to go to Bowling Green.  Hockey is my favorite sport and I have been playing hockey since I was three years old.  It is an important part of my life and is the main reason why I am at Bowling Green and able to travel and continue my education in a different country which many people do not have the opportunity to have.  I am doing my undergraduate degree in exercise science because I want a career in sports or related to sports.  So far my time at Bowling Green has been terrific and I have met many people and made many friends that without hockey I would have never been able to experience.

   The athlete that I would pay to see is Muhammad Ali because of the status he had as an athlete.  He was a phenomenal boxer and the way he carried himself in the ring and outside of the ring was admirable.  He also stood up for what he believed in which he did not join the army and that has affected athletes in today’s world.  He was also very powerful and his confidence and attitude was entertaining to watch.  He was a great world champion for a long time and I wish I could have seen him in his prime.

    The female athlete I would pay to see is Maria Sharapova because I believe she is very talented and is a determined athlete.  She is a top ranked player and a multiple time grand slam winner in a field where there is high competition.  I also like the way she is emotional and is not afraid to show how she feels which makes here very likable.  She also brings women’s athletics to the forefront in which she has endorsements and is viewed well publicly, which I believe will grown not only women’s tennis but also women’s sports.   

     I am looking forward to this class and am ready to learn how each gender is affected by sports and how the challenges are similar and different in which they are affected.

Marc Rodriguez

My name is Marc Rodriguez and I am from the Chicagoland area. I play hockey here at BGSU and that is why I chose to come here. I learned to ice skate when I was just two years old and have been playing hockey ever since. However, I am a huge fan of most other sports and enjoy watching and following some more than hockey. I am a Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls fan and I attend games whenever I get the chance.

The female athlete I would most want to see play is Alex Morgan, or just the US Women's soccer team in general. As someone who does not follow women's sports, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for this team while watching the Olympics this year. I actually came to believe that the female soccer players were much tougher than the males. Although they may not have as much skill as the males, it's a more exciting brand of soccer to watch in the Olympics in my opinion.

The male athlete I would most want to see play is LeBron James. His raw athleticism and power is something I think is unmatched in the history of sport. Being a Bulls fan, I am not a fan the Heat or of some of LeBron's personality traits, but he is just that good. I don't believe he'll ever surpass Jordan or even Kobe as far as greatness but when it comes to sheer athleticism, he is the most gifted of all time.

I look forward to another class with Dr. Spencer and learning about how gender has impacted and continues to impact sport.

Douglas Deprest Introduction

Hello my name is Douglas Deprest. I am from Roseville, Michigan which is two miles outside of Detroit. I am a junior here at BGSU, majoring in Sports Management. I used to be in the Navy, and when I decided that I was not going to make it a career, I wanted to find something that would really interest me. After doing some research over the internet I found that BGSU Sports Management program was one of the best. I have always had a passion for sports, starting for my love of the Michigan Wolverines. I did not start playing football till the seventh grade and played throughout high school at Harper Woods Notre Dame. I also played baseball in high school and started playing golf when I was 12. I walked on to the football program at Division II Ferris State University which is in Big Rapids, Michigan. After playing one year I transferred out of FSU and into Eastern Michigan but did not continue playing football. Currently I love to play golf, tennis and intramural football.

 

The male athlete I said I would pay to see is Jack Nicklaus, retired professional golfer. Jack holds the all-time record for major championships won at 18. He is the greatest golfer who ever played and I would love to see him play at The Masters tournament in his prime.

 

The female athlete I would pay to see is Martina Navratilova former tennis great. She won 18 grand slam titles, 31 doubles titles and 10 mixed doubles titles. She was dominating at Wimbledon and I would love to see her play against Chris Evert whom their battles were legendary.

I look forward to this class this semester and hope everyone enjoys my posts.

Aaron Keyer Introduction

My name is Aaron Keyer and I am from Waterville, Ohio, which is about twenty minutes north of Bowling Green. I am currently a junior here at BGSU but will be a senior following this fall semester. I originally attended Ohio Northern University where I played football my freshman year. In high school I played football, basketball and baseball. When I was looking to transfer at the end of my freshman year I decided on Bowling Green because of the sport management program. I am currently a sport management major with a double minor in general business and economics.

Although I grew up in Ohio, my dad’s side of the family is from Wisconsin and my mom’s family resides in Michigan. I don’t really care to have a favorite team in any sport except professional football. Due to the fact that my dad grew up in Wisconsin, I grew up in a household that is diehard about the Green Bay Packers, and I am the same way.

The male professional athlete I would pay to see would be Tiger Woods. Although I pay to see him every year at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, I will continue to pay to watch him play golf until he stops playing. My reason for saying this is because he is simply a transcendent athlete. He completely changed the way the game of golf is looked at, and the way golfers are looked at as athletes. Tiger Woods has undoubtedly played golf at a higher level than anyone else in golf history for a longer period of time than anyone else. This statement is be supported by his run form 2000-2002 when he won 7 of the 11 major championships that were played and won 8 consecutive golf tournaments at one point. He has already passed the total number of wins that Jack Nicklaus has and is only 36 years old. Tiger Woods has changed the world of golf forever, and has inspired many young kids around the world to want to play golf.

The female athlete I would pay to see play would be Annika Sorenstam. Annika is considered to be the greatest and most successful female golfer of all time. As an avid competitive golfer, the way she dominated the LPGA tour in her prime was amazing. She won 10 major championships and 90 tournaments internationally. Another thing that I admire about Annika Soremstam is that she was the first female player to play in a men’s PGA tour event, and although she did not compete, she broke down a barrier for women golfers to follow such as Michelle Wie.

Michael Berti Introduction

My name is Michael Berti, and I'm from Troy, Michigan. Troy is about 30 minutes north of Detroit. I transferred to BGSU two years ago after attending Oakland University for a couple years. I decided to come to Bowling Green because of the Sport Management program. In high school I played baseball and hockey. I still play hockey in the senior leagues at the BGSU ice arena, and would love to continue to play baseball but my summers are always too busy to join a league.

The female athlete I would like to see compete is Brittney Griner. She is so dominate at her sport and she is very tall. Female athletes like her only come along every so often. I haven't seen many women's basketball games in person, besides going to a couple BGSU games. It would be interesting to see someone of her size and talent play against people much shorter than she is.

The male athlete I want to see compete in person is Jonathan Quick. I love watching him play because of his goal-tending style. He is not a typical butterfly goalie, he is very athletic, improvises a lot and is very quick in net (no pun intended). The Kings are one of my favorite teams and once Martin Brodeur retires, then Quick will be my new favorite goalie. If the Kings play in Detroit this upcoming season (if there isn't a lockout) then I will for sure get tickets to the game.

As far as this class goes, I am interested to learn how perceptions of gender and sport has changed over the last 30+ years.

Paxin Stern Introduction

 My name is Paxin Stern. I’m from a small town in Michigan called Leslie, about 30 minutes south of Lansing. I’m currently a junior here at BGSU, but I will be a senior after I finish the semester. I’m majoring in sport management with a minor in marketing. When I graduate from here, I’m not sure what aspect of sports I want to go into. I don’t have that set dream job in mind. But, I want to end up in major league baseball. My ideal job would be working within the New York Yankees organization. Although I’m from Michigan, I don’t root for my “home teams” when it comes to sports. I am a fan of the Lions, but that’s as far as it goes. I’m a diehard New York Yankees fan, as well as Chicago Bulls. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit old Yankee Stadium, as well as the new one. It’s an incredible atmosphere there. I was named after a former Chicago Bulls player, John Paxson, so I naturally, am a Bulls fan because of that, and can’t forget about Michael Jordan.

The female athlete that I would pay to see play would be Hope Solo, who in the goalkeeper for the US woman’s soccer team. I never was a fan of soccer growing up, I never played it, I never really watched it until recently. I became a fan of Hope though, because of her story. As she grew up with an alcoholic mother, a father who was never around, being benched in the 2007 world cup, and dealing with her father’s death as well in 2007, Hope has an incredible story. After I heard about her story, I automatically took a liking to her. Anyone that can go through so much adversity, but still push through and come out on top deserves to be credited. The energy that Hope brings to the field is incredible. She is so passionate about the game of soccer, and it shows. She drew me in with what she does, and I wasn’t even a soccer fan to begin with. 

 The male athlete that I would pay to see play would be without a doubt Michael Jordan. Being too young to be able to watch him play in the 90’s, I would give anything to be able to see him play today. He’s an incredible player on the court. What he brought to the game of basketball, nobody will ever be able to do. His talent far outweighs the talent of any other athlete that will, in my mind, ever play the game. He changed the game of basketball forever. In addition to seeing Michael Jordan play, I would want to see John Paxson. Ultimately, I would pay a large sum of money to see the whole 1991-1992 Chicago Bulls team play.

I currently don’t have any concerns for this class. I believe this class is going to be fun and interesting at the same time. I’m looking forward to learning more about the concepts, and being able to apply them as I dive deeper into the sports field.

Marc Horwitz Introduction

My name is Marc Horwitz and I am a junior from Delran, New Jersey. I am a sport management major with a minor in marketing.  Upon graduation, I hope to obtain a position working in the front office for a professional hockey team.  My ideal job would be a position within team operations, preferably with a concentration on team marketing.  In high school I was a four year member of both the varsity ice hockey and varsity track teams.  Although I had played hockey at a fairly high level throughout high school, I chose to come to BG to focus on academics rather than persue continuing to play collegiate hockey at smaller schools closer to home.  I still compete recreationally through participation in area men’s leagues.  I do, however, still run track as a member of the BGSU Club Track team, which actually represents Bowling Green in Division I, II, and III NCAA meets since we no longer have a men’s varsity team here at BG.

Although I have had the opportunity to see her play many times, the female athlete who I would most like to see compete in her sport is Carli Lloyd.  As a member of the U.S women’s olympic soccer team, Lloyd has developed into an integral member of the team.  Luckily, I have had many opportunities to see her play, seeing as she is a graduate of my high school and often reaches out to offer tickets to matches when the team is in the area.  Although I have had the opportunity to see her play already, I would most definitely be willing to pay to see her compete again as I find her aggressiveness and skill on the field very impressive. It is hard to believe that someone from my high school could develop into a starting player on an olympic team and score not just the game winning goal to clinch the gold medal in Beijing, but also record both goals in the gold medal game just a few weeks ago in London.

The male athlete who I would most like to see compete is Usain Bolt, a much more mainstream choice, especially around the time of the olympics.  My reasons for wishing to see Bolt compete are rather self explanatory, the man is simply extraordinary in what he does.  While I am sure to keep up with his races both during the olympics and each year at the World Championship meets, I feel as though it is very hard to completely grasp just how fast he is when watching it on television.  After his gold medal race in London, a video was put together by the New York Times which compared Bolt’s race to that of past olympians, and to see the gap between Bolt’s finishing time and those throughout history really puts his incredible speed into perspective.

Usain Bolt Compared to Past Olympians

I am looking forward to taking this course.  After getting a brief taste of gender in relation to sport through the sport history course, I look forward to learning more of how gender influences sport in countless ways.  A subject which I am most looking forward to learning more about throughout this course are the formation of the various laws that have led to the equality we see sport moving towards today. I am also very interested in learning about sport in relation to media coverage, as I feel as though that is becoming an increasingly debated topic, especially around the time of the olympics and during NCAA tournaments.

Pat McFall - Introduction

My name is Patrick McFall. I am a from Youngstown, Ohio which is about three hours away close to the Pennsylvania border. I originally chose BGSU because I had planned on playing football in college, and after I was hurt in high school many teams stopped talking to me. Bowling Green was the only team that still wanted me to come play for them, so I committed here. I only played here for a while before I re-injured my right knee. I chose to major in Sports Management because I have dreams of becoming either a coach, or athletic director somewhere in the future. I want to be involved in a way where I can help these young athletes grow into mature adults. I would like to know that I made a difference in someone's life.

Like I mentioned earlier, I played football all the way up to college. I also participated in baseball and track until my senior year in high school. My favorite thing to watch on T.V. is college football hands down. My favorite team is Notre Dame. I grew up in a family in which we were all Notre Dame fans except for my sister. It was pretty much drilled into my head that there is no other team besides Notre Dame. I have been there multiple times, and to many games. The campus is absolutely beautiful, and the atmosphere on Saturday mornings is unreal. I really can't stand to watch other sports on T.V. until its close to the championship. However, I do like the Indians.

I mentioned in class that the one male athlete I would pay to see was Herschel Walker. I just think the story that he has is unbelievable. He grew up an overweight kid, and was bullied a lot in school. One day he got beat up, and when he went home he said to himself that it would never happen again. He started doing push-ups, sit-ups, and running on his own. He worked his tail off, and eventually went to the the University of Georgia and won the Heisman. He has never lifted a weight in his life, and is still fighting UFC for fun today.

My female athlete that I would want to see would be Serena Williams. I really do not watch women's sports, but just the way she has been recognized in the media, and he overall dominance of the sport makes her one to watch. Also to compete against your sister your whole life would be really interesting.

As of this time I don't have any questions about the class, but am eager to learn!

Alicia Jefferson-Introduction

My name is Alicia Jefferson. I am from Ypsilanti, Michigan, which is about 15 minutes from Ann Arbor or 25 minutes from Detroit. I am a senior here at BGSU and I run track for the Women's Track and Field Team. I am a Sport Management major here with a specialization in Psychology. When I graduate from college I plan to go to Grad school to pursue Sport Psychology. Also, I have a twin sister who attends BGSU and who also runs track! I started playing sports at a young age like the most you all. I played soccer and did gymnastics when I was in elementary school. I started running track when I was in 6^th grade and started running cross country when I was in 7th and 8th grade. After 8th grade I finally decided that I hated running long distance and switched over to running sprints and as you can see I made the right decision. I also, started running AAU Track and Field when I was a sophomore in High School. On campus I am a part of the Sport Management Alliance, Student Athlete Affairs Committee and I am also an Assistant Track and Field Coach for one of the local elementary schools in BG called St. Aloysius, which I enjoy doing very much. The only other sport that I watch other than Track is the NBA. My favorite basketball team is of course the Detroit Pistons and my favorite basketball player is Richard Hamilton, even though he does not play for them anymore. L

The female athlete that I would pay to see is Sanya Richards Ross. She is the London 2012 400m Olympic Gold Medalist and was a part of the winning USA Women’s 4by400m Gold Medalist Relay Team in London. I would pay to go see her, because she is just amazing to watch on TV and just to see her in person would be even more exciting! We both run the same events, so she is definitely an inspiration to me to be like her. The way she runs is just so amazing! Her stride is, so phenomenal that it’s breath taking!

The male athlete that I would pay to see is Terrance Trammell. He was the Silver Medalist at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Summer Olympics in the 110 hurdles. He has won 3 Silver Medals at the World Track and Field Championships. He, also qualified for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, but had to pull out, because of an injury. Even, though he has not made any big appearances lately, he is still one of the best hurdlers for the USA team and plus he is very attractive to watch as well. (: 

The class seems interesting and I hope to learn a lot in this class and apply them to my future goals!

Mike Frank Intro

My name is Mike Frank and I am from Maumee, Ohio which is a suburb of Toledo. I played basketball until my freshman year of high school and I also played soccer all the way through high school. I still play baseball in college for the varsity team.

The female I would most like to see compete is Mia Hamm. I would love to see how dominant she actually was in person.

The male athlete I would like to see compete is Nolan Ryan. Being a pitcher, I would appreciate how dominant he was and at the major league level at that.

At this point in time I do not have any concerns for the class. I look forward to learning more about what sport is all about and obtain a deeper understanding of the concepts.

Chelsea VanAssche-Introduction

My name is Chelsea VanAssche and I am a junior from Macomb, Michigan. If you are unfamiliar where Macomb is, it is about thirty minutes north of Detroit. I am a sport management major with a minor in journalism. I am aspiring to work in community relations for Major League Baseball. My dream job would be working in community relations for the Detroit Tigers since I have grown up watching the team and I am passionate about the organization’s success. I have played various sports while growing up but I played softball and golf at Dakota High School. When playing softball in high school, I played third base and the outfield. My junior year while at Dakota the school began a women's golf team which was an incredible experience to be a part of by helping build a team and a program. My senior year I was captain of the team leading them into the postseason.                                                                       

The female athlete I would like to see compete is Abby Wambach. I have never been a huge soccer fan but I became a fan of hers when I saw the Japan vs. USA world cup game last year. It was her leadership and determination I saw on the field while watching the game that I became a fan of more than anything else despite the unfortunate loss for the US. I was excited to see her play at the summer Olympics where she led the team to winning the gold medal. She is a role model for female athletes young or old. She has contributed to giving women’s soccer a name here in the United States. I would like to see her leadership on and off the field, her determination, and her amazing head shots to lead the team to victory. Tim Tebow is the male athlete I would like to see compete. I became a HUGE Tim Tebow fan a few years ago before the Tebow mania took over. I take quite a bit of criticism for being a fan but I refuse to let it stop me. His leadership on and off the field is inspiring. Besides being a quality quarterback now with the New York Jets, he inspires me by the way he gives back to others of all ages and has never lost his faith in God despite constant criticism. I would love to see him compete on the field to see his leadership and his “never give up” attitude firsthand.                                        

Currently, I do not have any concerns for this class. I feel the workload and expectations are fair and attainable. I am hoping more of my classmates decide to do a blog because I am looking forward to reading others opinions and thoughts about we learn throughout the semester. I am specifically interested in learning how females how impacted the sport industry up until this point because they have helped pave the way for me into choosing a career in the sport industry. I am excited to learn about the topics that will be presented in the class and expand my knowledge in sports that will benefit me into my future.

Aaron Crouse - Introduction

My name is Aaron Crouse and I am a junior from Livonia, MI.  I am a sport management major with a minor in general business.  I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration with the hopes of one day becoming a high school athletic director.  In high school I played hockey for four years along with baseball for two years.  I am currently planning on playing in a men’s hockey league in Findlay and am considering trying out for the club team at BG.  I also help coach the high school hockey team at Livonia Stevenson along with working several youth camps and acting as a private goalie instructor for several teams and young athletes around my hometown area.  While I have given up playing baseball, I still serve as an umpire for youth and high school leagues during the summer.

The female athlete that I would be most interested in seeing compete in her sport is Alex Morgan.  I personally believe that she has become the face of women’s soccer in the United States.  For a sport that generally does not receive much recognition, her performance in the Olympics has seemingly put women’s soccer on the map.  There can be a great argument made that women’s soccer is actually more popular than the men’s game in the U.S., which is quite remarkable given the shortcomings of other women’s leagues such as the WNBA.  The NBC Sports Network reported that the USA vs. Japan women’s soccer gold medal game was the most watch event in the channel’s history (4.35 million viewers), which is an accomplishment considering the network also shows the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, along with NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball for the Mountain West Conference (NBC, 13 August 2012).  While it may be easy for many fans to focus more on her looks than performance, there is no doubt that Alex Morgan has become a great ambassador for women’s soccer.

The male athlete that I would most want to see compete would be Peyton Manning.  The way he prepares and studies the game of football is remarkable.  I think any fan would be hard pressed to find an athlete that puts as much intensity and dedication as Manning does into achieving perfection on the practice field and in the film room.  Watching him run an offense or navigate his way through a two-minute drill is like looking at an NFL art form. On top of all this, Peyton Manning remains one of the greatest off the field figures in the NFL.  During a time where it seems as if every day someone is being arrested, suspended, or demanding a new contract it is reassuring to see guys like Manning standing for what is right in football.  I personally love his commercials, work on SNL, and interviews.  For an NFL superstar and no doubt first ballot hall of famer, Peyton Manning is very down to Earth and respectful of his fans.  I wish him the best of luck this year in Denver and hope to see him in a live game before he calls it quits.

Overall, I feel the workload and topics that are going to be discussed are very fair.  I would like to focus on gender relations and equality in intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics since those are topics I will come across as an athletic director.  I really like the idea of having a class weekly blog in order to discuss articles and topics related to the class so I was disappointed in seeing that the majority of the class plans on submitting journals instead.  After reviewing the class schedule of topics and sitting in on a few lectures, I am definitely ready to see even more of what sport and gender has in store this semester.

Geoff Roberts - Introduction

My name is Geoff Roberts.  I am a junior here at BGSU, but will be a senior at the end of this semester.  I am from a few different places actually.  My hometown is a small town called Croswell in the thumb of Michigan.  The only time you may have heard of this was when the Little League Softball World Series was going last year because the team from my hometown won it all.  I usually just tell people I am from Port Huron, MI.  I also lived in Fort Bragg/Fayetteville, North Carolina while I was in the Army.  Except for the 15 total months I spent in Iraq, I was stationed at Fort Bragg the entire time.  I served as a Scout and Parachutist for the 82nd Airborne Division.
I am a hometown guy in my sport team affiliations.  I love the Detroit Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings.  I root for the University of Michigan in everything except for hockey because of my attendance here at Bowling Green.  This is the last year that they will play together in the CCHA so, I may end up liking Michigan again while still rooting for the Falcons.  I am also a Carolina Hurricanes fan from my time being stationed there.  I could only watch Red Wings games that were on national television so most nights, all that would be on was the Hurricanes.

I played baseball during high school.  I was an outfielder and saw some time at 3rd base.  I played pond hockey every winter growing up but didn't participate in any formal hockey until I moved here and found the BGSU Ice Arena Senior League.  I am learning better hockey the more I play and it's a blast.  I wish I had the chance to play growing up but it is an expensive sport.

As I said in the first class, the female athlete I would pay to see is Abby Wombach.  I hadn't seen her much before the Olympics and I was just really impressed with how hard she competes.

Also, I would pay to see Pavel Datsyuk.  He is also an amazing competitor.  Every time he steps on the ice, there is a chance that you will see him do something amazing with the puck.  I have attached a video with some of his best magic.  It is called "Russian Magic" and is set to some Russian music.  It is awesome to watch if you're a Red Wings fan.  http://youtu.be/V_RmXpF47Ms

Joey Durant - Introduction

Hello fellow bloggers!

So as you know, we are required to post an introduction about ourselves! My name is Joseph Earl Durant, but I normally go by Joey. I am a junior at Bowling Green State University, but got started at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, OH. I am in the Sport Management program at BGSU with a specialization in marketing. I got involved in sports at young age by playing soccer in second grade, and continued to play soccer and other sports throughout high school. The class that I am posting for, Sport and Gender, is based around the idea of defining sport, race, and gender in sport. I would define sport as an athletic competition with a clear cut set of rules, and a winner and loser based on common scoring rules. I believe gender is as simple as male and female, but I do understand other people have different beliefs on the same topic. I would personally love to witness Jim Brown and Hope Solo, one iconic man and woman athlete from different generations, play in their respective sports. They both have dominated their sport individually, and have unique skill sets that I believe would be amazing to see in person. This class seems like it will be challenging, but I expect to learn a lot about gender and race in sports and be able to apply them to my future goals.

I also included two links, one for each of my athletes, to help everyone visualize why I would love to see them.

Hope Solo

http://youtu.be/O2X_XRSK7Nk

Jim Brown

http://youtu.be/_Xj4d23_MaY

Joey Durant

Kara Arend - Introduction

My name is Kara Arend and I am the TA for SM 4250 this semester.  

I am from Toledo, Ohio – it is the region along the border of Michigan and Ohio, which was officially obtained by Ohio after the Toledo War.  Local college football fans in my hometown take the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan very serious.  I completed my undergraduate studies at The Ohio State University and it is difficult to hide the fact that I am an avid Ohio State fan.  Although I received my undergraduate degree in psychology, my interest in the sociocultural aspects of sport grew when I met with Dr. Spencer in 2010.  When choosing what university to attend for my master’s degree, she had a great influence on my decision to come to BGSU.  Go Falcons!! 

My participation in sports ended when I went to college.  In high school I ran cross country and I played lacrosse.  Now, I would rather run for fun (if that is possible) and there is no professional women’s lacrosse league (hopefully that will change).  I follow both collegiate and professional sports and there are very few sports I will not watch.  Currently, if I had to choose one female athlete to see compete it would be Missy Franklin at one of her high school meets.  I think that her story in fascinating and if I had the opportunity to interview her that would be an added bonus.  The Detroit Tigers are my favorite baseball team as well as my favorite professional team; I follow them from pre- to post- season.  Every time I have the chance to see Justin Verlander pitch I feel like I am watching something memorable.  However, I’ve always wished that I could have seen "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr in person.  Specifically, when he broke the record for most consecutive games played on September 6, 1995. 

In the graduate program my area of emphasis is Sport Administration (SA).  Graduate school has challenged me and I truly enjoy my own classes.  However, I have high expectations for the undergraduate courses I TA because I find your options/thoughts on various subjects very valuable.  Critical thinking is a necessary skill and this course continues to help you develop that skill.  My concern for this course is that discussions will be stalled if people are fearful of sharing their thoughts.  I am looking forward to respectful and insightful class discussions.  If there is a fear to share thoughts publicly then I hope they are expressed in your journals because it is important to reflect on the content of this course.  The readings will supplement the content and your discussions so it helps when you reference them in your journal entries and blogs.  I am excited to get to know everyone and this is going to be a great semester.