The eye of the tiger

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/9090881/tiger-woods-regains-slice-previous-glory-arnold-palmer-
invitational-win-golf

"Tiger Woods has done it!" "He has regained his domiance in the sport of golf!" These are some of the 
things we heard Sunday in Orlando when Tiger Woods outlasted Rickie Fowler to win the Arnold Palme
Invitational, this was Tiger's third win of the year and most importantly he has catapaulted himself back
to first in the world of golf.  There is no doubt that this is a great acheivment and Tiger Woods is the greatest
golfer ever to live. The question is, "Should we be happy for him"? After Tiger's well publicized fall from
grace which resulted in his divorce Tiger was in a low point in his life and it showed in his golf game.  
That was 2 years ago and now that Tiger is #1 again should we be happy for a person who cheated on his
wife?

As a Tiger Woods fan I admit that I will never look at or respect Tiger the way that I did before I found
out about his extramarital affairs. That is wrong in every way. However, I do believe in forgiveness and 
redemption. I do believe that in the end he was sorry for what he did and that he was punished enough. 
Being that golf is such a mentally challenging sport I see how the shame and embarassment of that 
would effect his golf game. I also think the resurgence in his golf game can be attributed to the fact that Tiger
is in a better mental state. I hope that Tiger continues to learn from his mistakes and becomes a better
man and continues to add on to a stellar career in the game of golf.

Maybe there is no answer

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/366811-will-nfl-widen-field-to-reduce-concussions?sct=hp_bf4_a4&eref=sihp

This article from Sports Illustrated addresses an issue that has troubled football players and fans of the game for a long time now. That question is "How can we make the game of football safer for the players?" There have been plenty of possible solutions in the past 5 years such as new helmet and way WAY WAY more strict rules in the NFL. In this article the new proposal is if a wider and longer field would reduce the collisions of the game and therefore reduce broken bones, concussions, etc. The Canadian football league uses a field that is 35 feet more wide and 30 feet longer than the standard NFL field. The Canadian football league has less injuries than the NFL.

My opinion is that there is only so much that we can do about football without harming the game. Football is a violent game in its nature. There are collisions and injuries. Taking collisions away from football is equivalent to taking punches out of boxing. You just can't do it. Players know the dangers of the game and choose to still play and if you ask retired veterans who face issues such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's due to injuries they faced playing football, they would do it all over again. I agree with making better and equipment and rules against intentionally dangerous hits but a completely different field just may be a little bit too much.

Why such controversy?

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130203/NEWS/702039906/1016

Since we can sue anyone over anything people have to find something to sue about Kevin Stanoschek is focusing his effort

on a bill that requires the pledge of allegiance in Nebraska public schools. The bill only requires that schools make

 time to recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance daily. Everyone isn't required to recite it but they must respect those who do.

The controversy is that the state boards are overruling the local boards and blah-blah-blah.

This article makes me wonder why we don't recite the pledge here at Prep. As citizens of the United States

we shouldn't have a problem with stating our loyalty once a day. We have enough down time in all of our classes

to include the pledge of allegiance without any effect. It also makes me question Kevin Stanosheck who is petitioning the bill.

He is petitioning the bill on behalf of his wife and 3 kids but he doesn't care if his children say the pledge or not. His issue is that 

the state board is taking away control from the local school districts. The problem is he isn't part of the local school district

anyway so why is he complaining? There needs to be serious restriction on the things one can sue for because we are

alot of time that can be focused on real issues.

Athletes charged with crimes

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/23/future-ray-lewis-employer-dredges-up-murder-case/

As we all know a week from now it is Super Bowl Sunday and we are set to see the Ravens and the 49ers. On the 49ers there is Patrick Willis playing linebacker and on the Ravens there is an absolute legend who goes by the name of Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis has rewritten the record books and in his 17th and final season in the NFL is playing for the highest honor, the Super Bowl trophy. Even at the pinnacle of  his success he is marred from an event 13 years prior where he and 2 companions were charged with murder. The charges were dismissed and he was proven guilty of obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor. Ray Lewis plans to work as an ESPN analyst after he retires and the question is raised "Can he handle being constantly asked about it.

Personally I believe in the same position as the U.S. government and that is that you are innocent until proven guilty. If someone is not proven guilty of a crime they shouldn't be treated like or be referred to as a criminal. This standard tends to be negated when it comes to athletes. When they are accused of a crime they are seen instantly as guilty and and can never let it go. I parallel this situation to the Kobe Bryant rape case in 2003. The case never went to court and he is still called a rapist to this day. I don't know what it is that makes athletes unforgivable but it shouldn't be that way.

Royce White

http://nba.si.com/2013/01/19/rockets-royce-white-mental-health-protocol-hbo/?sct=hp_bf3_a2&eref=sihp

The article previews an upcoming special on Royce White, one of the NBA's most interesting first round draft picks ever. 
Royce White was a star at Iowa St. University and became the 16th pick of the draft by the Houston Rockets. The NBA 
season is 3 months in and White is yet to play a game. Now most athletes don't play because of broken bones and torn muscles,
White suffers from anxiety disorder, OCD, panic attacks, and a fear of flying. The Houston Rockets knew that he was a gamble when they
drafted him but after 3 months of no production, they are suspending his contract for refusing to provide services. I believe the Rockets 
are making the right decision. They can't afford to play a player who can't play or even show up to practice. If he wasn't mentally fit to play 
in the NBA he shouldn't have signed the contract. If his mental disorders are as bad as they seem there is no way he would have been able
to handle college, which he did. Also if his mental health is truly as poor as he describes he does not need the pressure of a million dollar 
contract weighing down his mind. In conclusion I feel terribly sorry for Royce White that his mental disorders are giving him so much pain. 
He is a great player and I would love to see him play. Still, he can't expect to be payed by a job he can't perform.

Introduction

         I am P.J. Bryant and I am a sophomore at Creighton Prep. My favorite three things to do are play and watch basketball, the NBA especially, play the PlayStation 3, and watching professional wrestling. Basketball and video games tend to generally be common interest among teenage boys. However watching WWE Raw every Monday is more of an interest for 9-12 year olds. I am a wrestling fan who started young at 6 and I still haven’t grown out of my love for the sport. While I know that wrestling is “fake” and the performers really aren’t trying to harm each other I appreciate the athleticism that it takes to do the things that they do in the ring and the danger that they put their bodies in to entertain us fans. The storylines which can be pretty stupid at times are also comical in my eyes. Still there is no show that can match the intensity and emotion of NBA basketball games. As a basketball player I know that the things the players do on that court are extremely difficult. The NBA is the best of the best and every night you get to watch ELITE athletes compete. All in all   I can say that I like what I  like and I generally don’t care about where the crowd is going or what they are doing. I am comfortable in my own skin and enjoy the life that I live.