TRINITY SCHOOL'S PREMIER SPORTS MAGAZINE
GAMETIME VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01
LEBRON JAMES Better than Bryant?
SPRING 2016
A LOOK INTO ESPORTS WHAT IS AN ESPORT?
SERENA WILLIAMS FALLS SHORT OF GRAND SLAM
Staff Editors-in-chief Creative director Senior editors Contributors
Mahtab Shihab & Will Cramer Jeremy Ben-Meir Jeremy Ben-Meir, Jake Fisher, Will Kingham Jake Fisher, Alec Kahn, Victoria Kuo, Will Mandelbaum, Charlie McCollum, Arnold Nam, Henry Puopolo, Mit Ramesh, Mahtab Shihab, Geordie Young
03 SPARKING A BASKETBALL REVOLUTION
04 IS KD STILL AN NBA SUPERSTAR?
05 HAS LEBRON JAMES' CAREER ALREADY SURPASSED KOBE BRYANT'S? 07 RISING AND SURPRISING: HOW
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS WON BACK NEW YORK
08 PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2016 MLB SEASON
09 CHELSEA’S SHOCKING SEASON 10 FANTASY FOOTBALL 12 DJOKOVIC AND THE “BIG FOUR” 12 SERENA WILLIAMS FALLS SHORT OF GRAND SLAM
13 LIFE AFTER LOSS: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE (MAYBE DEPRESSING) METS POSTSEASON
14 IT’S TIME FOR TOM COUGHLIN TO GO
15 ESPORTS
Mahtab Shihab EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived, Trinity’s premier and only Sports Publication has been released. All your latest information in the world of sports will be at your fingertips. Whether you want some deep basketball insight from our very own Mit Ramesh or want to be enlightened by Jake Fisher’s expertise in the everexciting sport of curling, we’ve got you covered here at Gametime. We’d like to give a huge thank you to Mr. Schmidt, our faculty advisor, for his relentless support, and to Dean Keigher and the administration who made our idea into a reality. Finally, if you like what you see here, young blood, be sure to reach out to our staff if you’re at all interested in participating in the thrilling experience of writing sports articles. IMAGES: SEANADAMS.NET, PIXELSTALK.NET, WIKIPEDIA.ORG, PRESSHERALD.COM, TODAY.COM, ESPN.GO.COM, COGCONNECTED.COM
Sparking a Basketball Revolution By Mahtab Shihab
SPORTINGNEWS.COM
When we think of the prototypical professional basketball player, we attribute them to characteristics that are unobtainable by the common man: insane hops, great height, incredible strength, unimaginable speed and agility. The best players throughout the NBA have always exhibited seemingly supernatural athletic ability. Whether it is LeBron James’ freight train body, Jordan’s incredible jumping ability, or Durant’s extensive wingspan, such physical features are incomprehensible by most individuals. NBA success has always been ascribed to hard work, dedication, and an abundance of natural, God-given talent. This season, the following status quo has been abolished by one man. He is is 6’3", 190 pounds. He does not have incredible quickness, or the best hops, he can barely dunk. He looks more like you and me than the behemoths which roam the NBA courts. There’s a reason why many pundits refer to him as “The Baby-Faced Assassin." This guy just happens to be the runaway candidate for MVP, while leading a team on pace to become the greatest in NBA history. That’s right, we’re talking about the one and only Wardell Stephen Curry. Steph Curry’s impact goes beyond his box-score statistics. His 39 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds per game average is extraordinary, the same can be said for his 52/45/90 shooting line. He’s on pace for over 400 threes, shattering the all-time NBA record of 286, also held by him. However, for one moment, let’s forget the aforementioned statistics, because what Steph Curry has done for the game of basketball transcends his individual brilliance. He has changed the structural foundation of the standards for an elite professional basketball player. The framework of an NBA star used to be that if you weren’t tall, couldn’t jump, or weren’t quick, you never had a shot. Steph Curry has shown us that an idealistic perception, that hard work can be the catalyst for anything you want, can actually come into fruition. Genetics are no longer the be all, end all they once were. Thus, Curry epitomizes the basketball version of the American Dream; his determination brought NBA Stardom, rather than relying on
natural ability. The notion that anyone can become as good as Steph Curry, the best shooter of all time, appears preposterous. However, it’s not that you will become as good as Steph Curry, it’s that you have all the requisite tools necessary to do so. Finally, Steph Curry has single-handedly terminated the age-old mantra that jump shots cannot win championships. Despite Charles Barkley’s ardent beliefs in fundamental, low-post basketball, Curry and the Golden State Warriors have proven that the oft-unreliable jump shot can propel a team to the promised land. This isn’t to say that the rhetoric of Charles Barkley and other old-school basketball pundits is invalid; after all, shots taken closer to the basket have always been made with greater efficiency. The jump shot has a proclivity to be streaky, and when they’re not falling, it could ultimately devastate the offensive flow of a team. Steph Curry and the Warriors contradicted such mid-range jumpshot inefficiency with one simple tactic: the three pointer. Due to Curry and his teammate, Clay Thompson being the most prolific shooting backcourt in history, they have rendered the three point shot more efficient than the two pointer. Last season the Warriors shot the three at just around 40%, an equivalent to scoring twos at a 60% clip. In addition, defensive schemes have been geared towards Curry in particular, as he generates a double team seemingly every play. His shooting ability occupies the defense so much, that the rest of his team is always playing 4 v 3 basketball. He orchestrates an offensive juggernaut, the likes of which has never been seen before. The efficacy of Curry and the Warriors has been copied by the other teams in the league. The three point shot, often a luxury, is now a necessity to compete with the elite in the NBA. In last season’s playoffs, each of the conference finalists were also the top 4 teams who took the most threes. As a result, Steph Curry’s skillset has ushered in a new era in basketball, one fundamentally defined by the ability to shoot three-pointers.
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Is KD Still An NBA Superstar By Mit Ramesh Bill Walton, Yao Ming and Grant Hill. These names represent 3 of the most influential players in NBA history. One is a Hall of Famer, while the other two are potential Hall of Famers. These names serve as nostalgic reminders of the incredible talent in the NBA from the the 70’s to the 2000’s. These players also serve as reminders of whose careers were cut short due to foot/ankle injuries. Yao retired at the age of 30 after being plagued with foot problems, while both Gran and Bill saw their production and effectivity drop after major ankle and foot surgeries. These 3 players' injury histories, have made many skeptical about the production of players coming off major foot surgeries, respectively, leaving many with questions and doubts. Recently, these questions have arisen surrounding KD. Kevin Durant, a former MVP; 4x scoring champ; 6x NBA All-Star; the 2008 Rookie Of The Year; and the prodigal son of the NBA, has made a mark in this league and is widely known one of the best players in the world. Many are wondering if the superstar can come off of 2 major foot surgeries and meet the high expectations he set previous to the injury. Furthermore, many continues to ponder if he is even an elite player in the NBA. Before the beginning of the season, it was difficult to place expectations for Kevin Durant because we did not know the extent of the foot injury. Even though he was limited by another foot injury last season, Kevin Durant still generated stats that are expected from superstars of his caliber. Though they weren’t as impressive as the stats he put up previous to the injury, his numbers were incredible nonetheless. He still scored 25.4 PPG at a 51% clip; shot 40% from three; and averaged 6.6 RPG; 4.1 APG; 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG; all impressive numbers. However, these stats could not guarantee anything about his future seasons because of how unaware many were to the physical damage it could cause on Kevin Durant’s
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body. If his feet were shown to be weak and unable to support his frame, it would obviously destroy a part of his effectiveness. With KD’s game relying on the fact that he towers over small forwards with his 6’10” frame and 7’4” wingspan all while still being a mobile, lengthy forward with a jump shot; his abilities would take an immense toll if he suffered the same fate as Bill Walton, Yao or Grant Hill. Undoubtedly, if the injury were serious enough, limited KD’s ability to generate offense immensely. In fact, it may have even destroyed his ability as an isolation scorer and could force him to relegate to what Grant Hill became after his injuries: a spot up shooter with some scoring ability but not the superstar expected. Not only could this hurt KD and the Thunder, but it could hurt the NBA as a whole. However, because of his recent performance in the early months of the 2015-2016 NBA Season, this injury has shown no effect on KD’s performance. He has been starting to light up NBA defenses, and traces of his MVP season are reappearing. The Thunder have benefited immensely both with him and Russell Westbrook, who has increaced production since KD’s absence. Though they aren’t the favorite in the Western Conference, KD’s resurgence gives the
Thunder hope for being the team that can defeat the Warriors. With his 28.7 PPG on 52% shooting, while shooting 47% from the 3 pt line and averaging 7.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 BPG; he has been propelling the Thunder forward along with Russell. But even thought KD is appearing to be back in form, has he still proved that he is the consensus #2 player? Skillwise, it is obvious that he is one of the elite players in the league who changes the course of a game by just stepping on the floor. However, in the time before his injury-plagued season and this season, his competition for the #2 spot has changed immensely. Specifically, the rise of Stephen Curry in the last 2 seasons, has changed the NBA landscape. After winning the MVP last year and just dominating this year, Curry is most likely the consensus #1 player in the league. His stats have been jaw dropping this season, as he has averaged 32.6 PPG, on 51% shooting ; while shooting 44% from 3 and averaging 6.1 APG, 5.2 RPG and 2.5 SPG. Furthermore, he has also been making a staggering 5.2 3pointers a game, and is projected to hit 400 3 pointers in a season after hitting 87 threes in just 17 games (which would shatter the NBA record, 286 in a season, which Curry set last season). The success of Curry and (continued on page 16)
Did you know.. Stephen Curry was born in Akron, Ohio, the birthplace of another established NBA star, Lebron James!
Cleveland has more titles in the four major sports than Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, Baltimore, and Denver! Wayne Gretzky broke the all time single season goals record by 16 and the all time points record by 65 as a 20 year old on the Edmonton Oilers
If Michael Phelps were a country he’d rank No. 35 all time on the Olympic gold medal list, ahead of 97 other nations!
There are only 18 minutes of total action in an MLB game, likewise disregarding the time between plays, there are only about 11 minutes of action in an NFL game
WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Has LeBron James' Career Already Surpassed Kobe Bryant's? By Mahtab Shihab In the post-Jordan era, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have graced the basketball court as the NBA's most sublime superstars. Other players such as Tim Duncan, Shaq, Dirk Nowitzki, and Allen Iverson have transcended the game in their own respective ways, but in no way compared to the likes of LeBron and Kobe. Over the past decade, both LeBron and Kobe had the undeniable distinction of being the best player in the game. In the late 2000s, there was an ongoing debate over which superstar deserved supremacy atop the NBA. Unfortunatly, what was once a legitimate argument has turned into a foregone conclusion. LeBron's prominence has only grown, and he now stands alone as the NBA's sole, unquestionable best player. On the other hand, the oft resolute Kobe Bryant has ultimately lost his battle against Father Time. Age and attrintion
have gotten the best of him; as he posted career low numbers in efficiency and advanced metrics last season. Kobe's recent shortcomings shouldn't deteriorate what was an otherwise spectacular career. However, it remains ambiguous whether Kobe Bryant's 19 years of excellence still exceed the achievements that LeBron James has put forth during his twelve year tenure in the NBA. Statistics. In regards to pure box-score statistics, LeBron James has the clear edge. For their respective careers, LeBron James averages roughly 27, 7, and 7 while Kobe Bryant averages about 25, 5, and 5. Both stat lines are impressive in their own right, especially considering they're over the course of an entire career. Nonetheless, LeBron James' all-around versatility is superior to that of Kobe Bryant's.
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out the best in his teammates, contrary to Kobe Bryant, whose reputation elicits the exact opposite.
unproven. His unparalleled athleticism and ability to stay healthy convey that his skill set won't significantly regress.
Longevity. Here, LeBron James has the definitive advantage in nearly every relevant statistical category. However, this should not be the be all, end all in this debate. The game of basketball goes far beyond just statistics.
However, since we're discussing LeBron's career as it stands right now, his longevity is inferior to that of Kobe Bryant's. Kobe Bryant consistently put up strong numbers for the first 17 years of his career. It's hard to differentiate his stats in Year 16 from 17 to his stats in Year 3 or 4. Until LeBron has similar consistency for the next four or five years, his overall body of work still pales in comparison to Kobe Bryant.
Before a recent string of injuries, Kobe Bryant was the poster child of durability and consistency. After all, at 34 years old, with 17 seasons under his belt, Kobe Bryant averaged an exceptional 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. Such numbers have never been produced by any player over 32 years old, let alone a 34 year old. LeBron James can't flaunt such accomplishments, simply because he has yet to reach the age to do so. As he begins to exit his prime and his athleticism slightly falters, it's unclear whether his caliber of play will diminish substantially or not. This past season, a decline in his game was conspicuous, as he missed the most games of his career, and had his worst per-game averages since his rookie season. Of course, it's hard to call 25, 6, and 7 a decline, when such statistics would entitle a career year for practically the entire NBA. Nevertheless, his ability to continue playing at a proficient, MVP level during the latter portion of his career remains
Signature moments. Whether you like it or not, the signature moments of an athlete's career often overshadow their overall body of work. It's why Robert Horry, a glorified role player, has become a fringe Hall of Fame candidate, solely based on his knack for hitting big shots. Of course, without his monumental shots, it's unlikely that either the Lakers or Spurs would have procured the amount of championships that they have. Thus, when evaluating the careers of NBA legends such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, it's imperative to compare one another's signature moments. That is what most casual fans will look towards when both players leave the game for good. On the surface, Kobe Bryant's litany of buzzer beaters and 60 point performances appear far more memorable than the highlights that LeBron has produced. His clutch shots against the Phoenix Suns will be engraved in NBA lore years after his retirement. His 81 point performance will be immortalized as the closest thing we'll ever see to Wilt's 100. Scoring 50 points in four consecutive games or scoring 40 in nine consecutive games; these feats are hard to forget. However, LeBron has also had his fair share of notable performances. His herculean efforts against Detroit in the 2007 playoffs -scoring his team's final 25 points and 29 of the last 30- is regarded as one of the greatest playoff performances of all time. He has the most playoff buzzer beaters in NBA history, only the G.O.A.T Michael Jordan can boast such a number.
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Unfortunately, LeBron's signature moments won't be as everlasting as Kobe Bryant's. Likewise, his shortcomings will receive more scrutiny than those of Kobe Bryant's. This has nothing to do with their on-court performance, but more to do with public perception. As much as Kobe Bryant's personality is criticized, he isn't received as a quitter, something LeBron has been accused of, unjustly so. (continued on page 16)
How Kristaps Porzingis Won Back New York
The Curling Corner
By Charlie McCollum
By Jake Fisher
Before even donning a Knicks jersey, Kristaps Porzingis was already the joke of New York City. The 7’3" Latvian was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd in the Barclays Center on draft night as fans were left puzzled, as his overnight ascension to the top of draft boards was deemed comical. After he donned a Knicks hat commemorating his selection, he introduced himself to the ignorant crowd in an English more fluent than some domestic draftees: “For those people who don’t know me, they may think I’m you know, soft, European,” … “there have been busts before (foreign players), but I’m different. I just really love the game.” Now five months later the Porzingis pick has been somewhat of a cautionary tale for Knicks fans, as the rookie continues to silence doubters with every highlight. Only a month into the season, Porzingis has already established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young players. He kicked off his NBA career in grand fashion with a flurry of putback dunks over stars Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, and Kevin Love. In a game against the Rockets, he was three blocks away from a triple double, chalking up 24 points and 14 rebounds in a Knicks victory. His rapid adaption to the NBA’s playstyle has drawn praise from numerous Knicks executives, including former head coach Derek Fisher. “To me, the best part about it (The development of Porzingis) is that a lot of it’s happening naturally, in the flow of the game. To me, that’s a sign of a really good basketball player, when you can be effective and impactful in the game without trying to make it happen.” Porzingis has been no fluke. Averaging 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in only 28 minutes per game, the rookie’s towering 7’3" frame and 7’6" wingspan consistently creates havoc on both ends of the court. Although his career has barely started, it is apparent that Porzingis isn’t the next Darko Milicic.
THECAULDRON.SI.COM
For curl-o-philes like myself and curling newbies alike, this column will recap some of the highlights of 2015 in curling in brief, so we can all relive the excitement. 2015 had a lively World Curling Championships, with Sweden and Switzerland taking home the trophy for men, in Halifax, and women, in Sapporo, respectively. Swedish champion skip Niklas Edin, who is also the men’s world champion, led his team back to victory after a setback with a disappointing 2013 season, where his team placed 5th. I would have also talked about the women, but Niklas Edin is the only curling player with a good Wikipedia article. This author’s personal favorite, team USA, came in 5th in men’s, and 10th in women’s. Next year, lads! Superior, Wisconsin’s John Shuster won it all at the 2015 United States Men's Curling Championship in Kalamazoo. This was his 4th victory. He had taken home the bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. At the 2015 United States Women's Curling Championship, also in Kalamazoo, Erika Brown was the big winner. She’s from Oakville, Ontario, but was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She led America to 10th place at Sochi. For those curling casuals out there who don’t know, the winners of the USA championships go on to represent America at the world championships. Well, curling fans, looks like that’s all the time we’ve got. Join us next year, when who knows what we’ll have in store!
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Predictions for the 2016 MLB Season By Henry Puopolo
NL East. The Phillies will continue to attempt a rebuilding and will fail to win 65 games. The Atlanta Braves will call up young talent prematurely and come in 3rd in the NL East. They will win 75 games. The Washington Nationals will have big expectations, and come in 2nd in the NL East, unless Papelbon strangles Harper again. Harper will also hit over .325 and hit 30 home runs and win MVP back to back. The New York Mets will not resign Murphy or Cespedes, but will still come in 1st in the NL East due to a lack of serious competition. NL Central. The Chicago Cubs will come in third again, and a lack of bullpen depth will make them lose at a critical moment in the playoffs (if they win the wild card) Jake Arrieta will have a 14 Win season.Bryant and Schwarber will hit a combined 58 home runs. The Cubs will try to sign talent in Free Agency, they will scrape the bottom of the barrel. The Pittsburgh Pirates will come in 2nd because...The Cardinals, they will lose the wild card if they get it Andrew McCutchion will hit .320 and lead the Pirates. The Saint-Louis Cardinals will come in first with 98+ wins while the Pirates and the Cubs have 95+ wins.
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NL West The Los Angeles Dodgers will win the division again if they sign Greinke, if they don’t, they will lose the division by 5 games or less to the Giants. The San Francisco Giants will build upon last year and be a serious contender for the wild card if not the division The Arizona Diamondbacks will come in 3rd, try to make a playoff rush and fail The San Diego Padres will come in 4th only because the Rockies will lack a shortstop when Jose Reyes goes out because of an injury to his leg The Rockies will come in last because of the aforementioned lack of a shortstop, while ironically, Troy Tulowitzki will have a great year with no injuries AL East. The Toronto Blue Jays will win the division by more than 5 games, Troy Tulowitzki will have an amazing year hitting .303 and more than 22 home runs The New York Yankees will put misguided trust in Mark Teixeira who will be injured and miss 50 games The Baltimore Orioles will Struggle to be fourth in the division and try to remember who they traded for Jake Arrieta
The Milwaukee Brewers will come in last and fail to win 65 games. Ryan Braun will not produce and hit less than 19 home runs.
The Boston Red Sox will come into the season with huge expectations of Ramirez and Sandoval. They will fail these expectations and the Red Sox will try to unload them for whoever and whatever they can. They will be 3rd in the division
The Cincinnati Reds will come in 4th only because the Brewers will come in last, they will fail to win 72 games.
The Tampa Bay Rays will come in last, struggle to win 60 games, but Evan Longoria will (continued on page 16)
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FOOTIECENTRAL.COM
Chelsea’s Shocking Season By Geordie Young The 2015/2016 season for the Barclays (BPL) has been shocking for all of premier league fans. Last season, Chelsea finished with the fewest goals conceded, the second-fewest defensive errors leading to a goal, and the most clean sheets. However, this season, they have conceded the second most goals, the sixth most shots per match, zero clean sheets, and have committed the third-most errors leading to a goal in the entire Barclays Premier League. If you didn't know, nobody would guess that this was the same Chelsea as last year. There are many theories as to why they have had little success this season. The main theory revolves around José Mourinho, the manager of Chelsea and former manager of F.C. Barcelona. Chelsea lost seven of its twelve opening Premier League games, including losing the last three in a row. This is shocking for the players of the defending Premier League champions and their fans. Chelsea’s manager, José Mourinho is believed to be the main cause of this flop season. After a rough start of the season, Mourinho failed to make roster adjustments in response to a lackluster first few games. Consequently, the squad has yielded the same results without any sight of improvement. Furthermore, instead of taking the blame for his mistakes, Mourinho criticized the players. Chelsea has recently terminated his role as manager of the team. This is not the first time
that he has has been fired. In 2007, Chelsea called together a crisis meeting and made Mourinho resign after a three year long streak of not winning the title. In soccer, you can usually tack a teams faults by looking at the top. When there is good leadership, a respected chain of command, and great players, a team will be successful. A team can have all of the best players but that is not necessarily enough. If the club have a poor manager, then the team will not act as a cohesive unit and play well well. Chelsea is a club that is full of world class players. Many people, including the players and coaches assumed that by the virtue of having these world class players on the same squad, would allow the team to turn around the horrible start to the season. That overconfidence is the main reason that Mourinho kept the same starting XI the same. Chelsea was not able to fix their early season issues immediately, so they have continued to make some on-field mistakes throughout the season. Another major shock this season, is the astounding performance of Leicester. Last season, Leicester ended up in fourteenth place, and they are currently leading the Barclays Premier League. At the start of the season, Leicester signed on a new manager whose name is Claudio Ranieri. This hire proved to be a great decision on the behalf of the club. It will be exciting to see how the rest of the season plays out.
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Fantasy Football By Will Mandelbaum In typical fantasy football fashion, this 2015-16 season was both filled with great steals and horrible busts. Each season brings about the same questions, for instance, are busts like Eddie Lacy and Calvin Johnson, worth picking up off of the waiver wire? And who deserves to be dropped more than Mark Sanchez? This article will highlight the top steal and bust for every position so far this season. (Excluding defenses/special teams and kickers because (1) if you have defense/special team that is playing the Titans, you are set, and (2) having a good Kicker matters next to nothing.) Quarterback (QB). Depending on the settings of your league, the QB can be the cornerstone of your team. That being said, the best QBs in the league go too early in the draft and are simply not worth it. thus, that high a steal can pay huge dividends for your team. Steal. Derek Carr, the starting QB for the Oakland Raiders. He is a second-year quarterback out of Fresno State, averaging 18.1 points per game (ESPN). Carr is owned by 99% of leagues on Yahoo and has lead his team to a Bust. This QB has caused me great pain this season, including a minus 7-point performance one week, in which he threw 4 interceptions and an appalling 35 total yards. His name is Peyton Manning, and while he did surpass Brett Favre’s record for most passing yards all time, Peyton has not lived up to his fantasy stock so far this season, averaging only 7.7 points per game (ESPN). Running Back (RB). Although statistics say that NFL offenses rely more and more on their passing games each year, RBs still carry a tremendous load on fantasy teams. Steal. Before the season began, Devonta Freeman was unknown. Now, he has the reputation as one of the top backs in the NFL. Freeman is a rookie who has done more than just fill the job of starting running back for the Falcons. Devonta averaged 16 points a game, and has rightly earned his spot on this list. Might he be the pick of the season?
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Bust. Before the start of the season, most analysts believed the CJ Anderson would continue to produce the same great numbers that he put up in the second half of last year. Most ranked him as a first-round pickup, but sadly, he averaged only 5 points per week. Anderson has been another disappointment in the Broncos offense, and now appears to have lost his starting job to Ronnie Hillman. Wide Receiver (WR). Picking a good starting WR on your fantasy team can be challenging, because so many good WRs lack consistency. There are few WRs consistent enough to live up to your expectations week in and week out. Steal. Although many people knew the talent and skill of Amari Cooper, few imagined him as being one of the top WRs in the league in his first season. Averaging just over 9 points a game, Cooper satisfied all of his lucky owners with multiple solid outings. Bust. Although Dez Bryant’s season was plagued with a lingering injury, in the weeks he has played, Dez hasn't performed well. He has averaged just 5.8 points per game,
a figure well below what he was projected to produce before the season. Although Dez has been forgiven by some in conjunction with his injury, he still earned his spot on this list with too many sub-par outings. Tight End (TE). Picking a TE can be difficult before the season begins, because it is hard to know which TEs will receive be the biggest targets in the rezone. If a TE is their team’s #1 option, he will most likely be a key addition to your lineup. Steal. Tyler Eifert emerged this season has a touchdown machine and has claimed the position of second best TE in the league, behind Rob Gronkowski. Eifert averaged 10.9 points per game and has reeled in 12 touchdowns. Bust. Zack Ertz had a bad season this year, averaging only 3.3 points per game. With no touchdowns on the year (yes, zero), Zack lacked the ability to rack up points even though he does receive multiple targets a game. Although this could be expected of a TE on a bad team, many team owners were blindsided by his lack of production.
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Djokovic and the Big Four By Alec Kahn Many part-time tennis viewers, who watch only the U.S. Open and possibly other majors tournaments (the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon), know of the “Big Four” tennis players in men’s tennis: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, all of whom finished the top four ranked players 2008 through 2012. The four have dominated the sport in recent years; however, after 2012, Djokovic began to distance himself from his competitors. By 2016, many believe that the term “Big Four” is no longer applicable. Djokovic has overtaken men’s tennis. Djokovic won four of the past six majors, while the other members of the “Big Four” did not win any. However, this term continues to persist among viewers the question is, why? Possibly because the other members continue to go far in tournaments, and appear high in the rankings. As a result, Djokovic does not seem as dominant in the sport, and does not receive the recognition he deserves. Of course this does not mean that Djokovic will absolutely dominate the sport in the coming years. Right now he may be the best in the sport, but tennis is flexible and ever-changing.
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Serena Williams Falls Short of Grand Slam By Alec Kahn Serena Williams, the female American player who dominates the sport, recently fell short of a Calendar Grand Slam - a feat in which a tennis player wins all four major tournaments in the same year. Many view Williams as the best female tennis player to have ever played the sport; this particular accomplishment would have separated her from other great players. Few have accomplished the Grand Slam, so when Serena won three majors in a row, American fans were ecstatic for the US Open, the last of the four majors. She had a chance to complete a Grand Slam, on her own turf at the U.S. Open. She blew through early
competition, putting away many players with only two sets. In the semifinal against Roberta Vinci, an unranked Italian in her first major semifinal, Serena lost in the third set, crushing American fans and disappointing many others abroad. Angry fans blamed Drake, a rapper rumored to have had a romantic relationship with Williams, who attended the match. Drake had recently been at other sports upsets, so many fans took out their frustrations on the rapper labeling him a “bad luck” omen. Whether or not Drake was involved, fans were torn apart from the loss. For the 2016 season, Williams will be back at it again, striving to dominate the sport.
Life After Loss Victoria Kuo
In case you haven’t heard, the Mets made it into the postseason for the first time since 2006. They also made it into the World Series for the first time since 2000. Yes, they did lose against the Royals after just five games (they just couldn’t make it back to KC) but that does not undermine any of the amazin’ feats that this team pulled off during the postseason.
Duda came up to bat next and walked. The shift against Duda left the path to third base clear for Murphy to steal. d’Arnaud then hit a sacrifice fly ball which brought Murphy home. For the NLDS alone, Murphy had 5 RBIs and 7 hits from 21 at bats; three were home runs and one was a double.
Here are some highlights:
“I’ve said it before. If I knew what I was doing then I would’ve hit a lot more home runs in the regular season,” Murphy said about one hundred times to every reporter who asked the same exact question.
Daniel Murphy. During the regular season, Daniel Murphy hit .281 with 14 home runs–– not bad but it certainly gave no indication that he would be a threat to be reckoned with in October. In the first game of the NLDS, Murphy hit his first home run of the postseason off of Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw in the fourth inning. Kershaw finished the regular season with a 2.13 ERA and 301 strikeouts- the highest number by anyone in the National League in 2015. In game four, Murphy’s record began when he hit another home run off of Kershaw. It’s hard enough hitting one home run off of the left hander but two in the same series is unheard of. Murphy hit his second consecutive run in game five when he hit a home run against Zack Greinke. He also led the Mets to the win when in the fourth inning, he hit a single. Lucas
TODAY.COM
The NLCS was no different; the Mets were facing the Cubs who had a strong group of young hitters. In game one, the Mets were up against Jon Lester who had a 3.34 ERA for the season. Murphy set the tone right away when he hit his third consecutive home run in the first inning of the game. At this point, the record was still 1-0 Mets and with Jake Arrieta on the mound for game two, the series was not over. Arrieta had a 1.77 ERA for the season- the second best in the National League in 2015 (behind Kershaw). Murphy wasn’t intimidated and, for the second night in a row, hit a home run in the first inning of the game which extended his (continued on page 17)
GAMETIME
It’s Time for Tom Coughlin to Go By Mahtab Shihab *Note that Coughlin has since left the Giants This season, the New York Giants are an enigma of a football team. At certain points they appear to be a juggernaut, able to compete with the NFL’s best as portrayed by their close games with the two best teams in the game, the Patriots and Panthers. However, lapses within their defense along with questionable decision-making have the Giants performing well below their utmost potential. More often than not, the latter occurs when the game wanes in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. 11-3 is what the Giants’ record would be were NFL games 59 minutes long rather than 60. That one statistic epitomizes the Giants identity, and the one man culpable for such atrocity is none other than the head coach himself, Tom Coughlin. It may appear brash to ascribe total liability on his decisions. After all, it wasn’t him who threw those late interceptions or allowed those game-winning drives. Nevertheless, the one man in control of all the plays being run, the personnel involved, and the amount of time being run off the clock is Tom Coughlin. What further discredits Coughlin is how he’s managed the egos on his team this year. A simple pep talk with his superstar wide receiver could have inhibited the UFC fight that broke out in Week 15 between Odell Beckham Jr and Josh Norman. Thus, his prestige is deteriorating both as an effective play-caller but also as a positive role model for his players. What makes the decision to let him go so difficult is his vast array of achievements with the Giants franchise. He spearheaded two improbable Super Bowl runs using his prowess on the defensive end. He’s also coached Eli manning for the past 11 years, a chemistry seemingly impossible to replace. It always seems fitting to give a man with such a resume another chance. However, as he inches ever closer to his 70th birthday, it may be time for the Giants to act in the best interests of all parties, and let him go. (continued on page 18)
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SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 01
ESPN.GO.COM
FEBRUARY 2016 | ISSUE 01
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Esports By Arnold Nam When you think of the word “game”, one either thinks of physical games, like sports, or mental games, like board, card, and video games. Sports are typically defined as just competitive physical activity or games, but in some scenarios, it also can include other games with physical elements, like chess or cords. However, starting mainly in the early 2000’s, but with roots going back to the 70’s, video games arose as a new field for large-scale competition; an electronic sport. Esports (also known as e Sports, e-Sports, competitive (video) gaming, electronic sports or pro-gaming) can be defined as a form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are facilitated by electronic systems. The earliest known video game competition took place on October 19, 1972 at Stanford University for the game Spacewar. Stanford students were invited to an "intergalactic spacewar olympics" whose grand prize was a year's subscription for Rolling Stone, with Bruce Baumgart winning the five-man-free-for-all tournament and Tovar and Robert E. Maas winning the Team Competition.The Space Invaders Championship held by Atari in 1980 was the earliest large scale video game competition, attracting more than 10,000 participants across the United States, establishing competitive gaming as a mainstream hobby. In the summer of 1981, Walter Day founded a high score record keeping organization called Twin Galaxies.The organization went on to help promote video games and publicize its records through publications such as the Guinness Book of World Records, and in 1983 it created the U.S. National Video Game Team. The team was involved in competitions, such as running the Video Game Masters Tournament for Guinness World Records and sponsoring the (continued on page 18)
MOTHERBOARD.VICE.COM
College Sports Headlines By Mahtab Shihab College Football’s Villains Reign Supreme Again Looks like Roll Tide is once again at the apex of college football. After a thrilling battle with Clemson, Alabama, always recognized as a defensive stalwart, boasted its offensive arsenal in a 45-40 victory over Clemson. Alabama has officially cemented itself as the Patriots of college football. They have a savvy coach, an array of talent on both sides of the ball, and success that makes fans of every other team in the nation jealous. Once thought to have shown vulnerability following their shocking defeat to Ole Miss in the early portion of the season, Alabama proved that it is fully capable of overcoming adversity, a trait they lacked these past two years. Even with heisman winner Derrick Henry and many of their best taking their talents to the NFL, Alabama’s superb history recruiting should have it in championship contention once more at the beginning of next season. Lack of Clear-Cut Contenders Has March Madness Looking More Exciting than Ever The College Basketball world is quite the enigma at this point in the season. Contender after contender has fallen to seemingly overmatched, unranked teams. Whether it be Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, or Michigan State, teams appearing to have even a semblance of momentum, collapse at the hands of the unlikeliest foes, Oklahoma, the current no.1 in the nation, has a strong frontcourt led by Buddy Hield, and have shown the most consistency only suffering one loss thus far. However, their ability to come through when the lights shine brightest is skeptical, as they have encountered little to no adversity in their run thus far. The lack of a clear-cut contenders to emerge from the pack, should prompt a thrilling, upset-riddled March Madness to come. Prepare to have your brackets busted and your hearts broken. Cornell Hockey on the Precipice of Championship Glory Following a stunning upset over the defending national champion Providence Friars, Cornell has firmly supplanted itself as a legitimate threat to procure that coveted championship they’ve awaited for over four decades. Led by the oft reliable scoring of Jeff Kubiak and Anthony Angello, Cornell Hockey is currently ranked #7 in the nation, per the NCAA. Their defense has been prone to succumb at certain points, as evidenced by their 0-8 loss to a mediocre Ohio State, however they have all the necessary pieces to compete with the best teams in the nation. Big Red is on the rise once more.
SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 01
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Continued...
be looking towards the latter perception. Merely looking at the arbitrary number of titles would render this debate mute. Kobe Bryant's 5 titles are far superior to LeBron James' two. Their finals records speak for themselves.
IS KD STILL AN NBA SUPERSTAR?
Instead, it is crucial to acknowledge each player's playoff contributions and whether they effectively took advantage of the opportunities they had at winning a title.
Continued from page 4
and the Warriors (who now have set the NBA record for the best start to a season with their 17-0 record) has threatened KD?s standing as the consensus #2 overall player. Though Lebron James has started to show signs of declining, he still is one of the top 3 players in the league. In fact, one could make the extremely bold argument that KD isn?t even the best player on his team with the astounding production of Russell Westbrook. Furthermore, players like Anthony Davis (whose reputation has declined with his health and the production of this year's Pelicans) also have the chance to be included in the mix. Though KD seems to be top 2-3 right now, he isn?t the surefire #2 player he was simply because of the talent level of the NBA. Personally, I would place him at #2 with Lebron?s slight decline in stats,but KD is no longer glued to the #2 spot. The NBA has evolved, as many players have started to produce insane stats. KD is back but the talent of the league around him has escalated to new levels. And that might be the most entertaining part of all.
Looking primarily at their playoff stats, LeBron once again has the decisive advantage. He edges Kobe in every major statistical category. Unlike Kobe, LeBron has always been the indisputable best player on his team. Kobe has been overshadowed by the likes of Shaq and Pau Gasol in his title runs. In fact, Gasol had more win shares than Kobe Bryant in both 2009 and 2010. There have been numerous instances throughout Bryant's career in which his team has been considered the prohibitive title favorite. Most recently, his 2012-13 Lakers were considered a lock for 60+ wins, but ended up falling flat at 45 wins and a first round sweep. LeBron has not had such a luxury, with the exception of his years with the Miami Heat. Rather, he's been constantly leading undermanned, overachieving teams to the Finals year after year. Furthermore, Kobe Bryant's clutch play in the playoffs, and LeBron's lack thereof is a myth. LeBron is far more efficient when it comes to playoff game winners. Naysayers will attribute said statistic to LeBron's inability to step up and take the last shot, but in reality it depicts how LeBron is more inclined to make the right basketball play. Therefore, despite a clear discrepancy in titles, LeBron has been just as valuable, if not more so, to his team's chances of taking home a championship. LeBron's playoff legacy deserves to be placed in a more positive light, but unfortunately, his dearth of titles when compared to other all time greats prevents that.
HAS LEBRON JAMES' CAREER ALREADY SURPASSED KOBE BRYANT'S?
Continued from page 5
Thus, even if it seems unfair to include such a category to determine who's had the better career, ultimately, signature moments define an athlete's legacy. Superstars with greater signature moments tend to rise up to the occasion at the most opportune moments. Kobe Bryant eclipses LeBron in both the quality and quantity of his signature moments, thus giving him the edge as it pertains to the public perception of his career. Tit le. Here comes the most ubiquitous argument in all of team sports. How much do titles matter for an individual player? There are the pundits who perceive a multitude of championships to be a necessity in order to establish oneself as an all-time great. Then there are those who adamantly believe that titles aren't significant to a player's resume, simply because it's a team sport and the efforts of one individual are never enough. In comparing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, we'll
For now, when it comes to the titles, we'll determine Lebron's success to be nearly equivocal to that of Kobe Bryant. Looking past the sheer number of championships, LeBron's contributions in the postseason have proven to be just as beneficial as Kobe Bryant's. Global Transcendency. Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have transcended the game of basketball in an unprecedented manner. They've assisted in the NBA's campaign to expand its horizon to all parts of the world. However, Kobe Bryant's impact on the game has resonated in a manner LeBron's never had. Kids everywhere yell "KOBE!" before taking a tough shot to show off to their friends. There are statues of him in China. He is the only reason the Lakers have maintained any semblance of relevancy. In truth, his lucrative 25 million dollar salary may not be enough, solely because he generates millions more in revenue for the Lakers. This is not to say LeBron's popularity isn't massive either. He has the best selling jersey once again, and made 44 million dollars in endorsements alone. Though, such sales are warranted considering he's in the midst of his prime.
What's even more impressive is that Kobe Bryant still has the third most popular jersey, and makes over 25 million dollars in endorsements. In all likelihood, he'll still garner millions of dollars from name brands, years after his career is over. His persona enhances not only the NBA's public image, but the sport of basketball in general in a way that even LeBron James, the sport's most gifted player, hasn't achieved yet. Now, why is this being used in our criteria? It's because when evaluating the careers of the NBA's elite, it's important to note their effect both on and off the court. Michael Jordan would not be universally recognized the G.O.A.T, if he didn't have his own billion-dollar brand and worldwide recognition. An athlete's ability to effect the general public is undermined, and is really what separates the greatest players on every level Final Ver dict . So, has Lebron James' career already surpassed Kobe Bryant's? The answer is a decisive no. From a pure statistical standpoint, LeBron has the irrefutable edge. He's posted more impressive numbers in both the regular season and the playoffs. However, thus far, his overall career has not ascended to the level Kobe Bryant's has. Kobe Bryant not only has the upper hand in longevity and career totals, but his game has transcended basketball in a way LeBron's has not. For now, LeBron will have to be content with being the greatest player in the game today. However, there's still time for him to reach that coveted title of G.O.A.T.
PREDICTION FOR THE 2016 MLB SEASON
Continued from page 8
hit .310. AL Central. The Kansas City Royals will come in first, go to the World Series again due to a lack of competition, but lose. They will get 93 wins. The Chicago White Sox, unlike their North Side rivals, will come in fourth, Jose Abreu will be the only ?big?factor in their lineup, and he will bat .300. They will struggle to come in fourth The Detroit Tigers will come in last, Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera will be the only batter in their lineup, and he will bat .280 and .298 respectively The Cleveland Indians will come in 3rd, win 75 games and continue to believe their delusions that their mascot is not racist.
The Minnesota Twins will come in 2nd, win 81 games and be uneventful throughout the season. AL West. Houston Astros will finish in first place in the AL West, with at least a 5-game lead on the 2nd place Rangers The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will have Mike Trout lead an offense only type of team, as the lowest ERA of their Starting Pitchers will be 3.60. They will come in 3rd. The Texas Rangers will be in 3rd for most of the season, and then will win fewer than 76 games, but they will make key trades that put them into second The Seattle Mariners will come in 4th, and struggle to get rid of Cano?s ridiculous contract The Oakland Athletics will come in last, struggle to win 60 games, Billy Butler will lead them in avg with .298 but he will be the only player over .270
LIFE AFTER LOSS
in the beginning- giving up two runs in the first inning. He quickly settled in and was able to pitch six innings for the Mets giving up only two runs. Noah Syndergaard came into the game and pitched one inning of relief in the seventh inning. He gave up one walk and zero hits. The Mets? star reliever Jeurys Familia, who had pitched 4 out reliefs and 5 out reliefs before, pitched his first six out relief. He pitched two innings and gave up zero hits. The Mets continued to use their outstanding rotation in the NLCS against the Cubs. The Cubs were known for their talented group of young hitters as well as their ace Jake Arrieta. Harvey pitched 7.2 innings in game one with five hits and two runs. Syndergaard pitched 5.2 innings with three hits and one run. He left the game with a man on second and Jonathon Niese came into the game to pitch to Anthony Rizzo. He got arguably the biggest out of the game striking out Rizzo on a full count. deGrom struggled again in the first inning of game three. He gave up a total of two runs- one in the first inning and one in fourth inning. He hung on and pitched seven innings with seven strikeouts. Matz led the amazin?s to their four game sweep pitching 4.2 inningsand giving up only one run. In the worst possible time to screw up, the Mets screwed up. Quite simply: they did too much research.
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streak to four home runs. In the third inning, Murphy was intentionally walked with Wright on second in order to get to Cespedes who was not doing well in the postseason. ?I didn?t even want to mess with that,? said Maddon. Understandable. Are you getting bored yet?The Mets swept the Cubs with Murphy single handedly carrying the entire team offensively. In game three, he hit his fifth consecutive home run against Kyle Hendricks. He was the second player to have five consecutive homers in the postseason- joining Carlos Beltran. Of course, this wasn?t good enough for Murphy so in game four of the NLCS, he hit his sixth consecutive home run off of Fernando Rodney. This just so happened to be a two run home run which led the Mets to their 8-3 victory. Offseason update: Murphy has rejected the $15.8M qualifying offer by the Mets and will try his luck as a free agent. The Big Four. The Mets are known for their strong pitching. Everyone knows that they would have never gotten to the postseason without their strong rotation that included Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz. Jacob deGrom, the 2014 Rookie of the Year award winner, was awarded the first game of the 2015 postseason with the possibility of pitching two in the NLDS. He pitched seven shutout innings against Clayton Kershaw with 5 hits and 13 strikeouts. The Mets were unable to win the series at home, so in game 5, deGrom was on the mound again. Game 5 was by no means a shutout game. deGrom struggled
The Royals are known for putting the ball in play. They rarely strikeout. They are good at hitting fastballs. These are the types of things that ruined the greatness of the great Mets pitchers. It started with Matt Harvey. Instead of playing to his strengths and pitching his fastball, he decided to mix in more of the other pitches. Only 37.5% of his pitches in game one were fastballs- a career low. He allowed three runs and struck out only two batters. Jacob deGrom followed. He pitched only five innings, allowed four runs, and struck out two; looking completely different than he did in the NLDS and NLCS. Syndergaard had clearly learned his lesson from the mistakes of Harvey and deGrom. His first pitch was to Escobar who was known for swinging on the first pitch. It was so far up that Escobar fell back onto the dirt. Yes, the Royals were upset for the remainder of the game. Yes, the Royals complained about it during postgame. But you can?t say that it didn?t do its job. The Royals were uncomfortable and that was what Syndergaard was going for. He pitched six solid innings, giving up three runs with six strikeouts; yes that is more than Harvey and deGrom combined. He led the Mets to their first win of the World Series. Matz pitched game four with the same fire that Syndergaard had the night before. He pitched five innings, gave up two runs and struck out five. And yes that number is still more than Harvey and deGrom combined. Game five rolled around with the Royals leading the series 3-1. Harvey would get a second stab at the Royals. After watching Syndergaard and Matz, he knew what he had to do. He pitched eight innings, gave up only five hits and two runs, and he had? wait for it? NINE strikeouts. Let?s take a moment to remember when he struck out just two batters in game one.
heart and not his gut.? However, I strongly believe that letting Harvey go out for the ninth was not the problem. The problem was that Collins didn?t take Harvey out at the right time. Harvey walked the first batter (Lorenzo Cain). This is when Collins should have taken Harvey out. Not after Cain stole second base, and he definitely should not have waited until after Eric Hosmer hit a double. The Utley Slide. In game two of the NLDS, the Dodgers won the game 5-2. The sole reason for this was the controversial Chase Utley slide. In the seventh inning, the Dodgers were trailing behind 1-0. With the tying run on third base, Chase Utley tried to break a double play with a hard slide into second base- injuring Ruben Tejada, the Mets? first shortstop, in the process. Tejada couldn?t return to the postseason and Wilmer Flores had to step up and replace him. Tejada fell with the ball still in his glove so Utley was ultimately successful with breaking up the double play. Utley was initially called out but after review, Utley was called safe because Tejada never touched second base. So the score was tied with men on first and second. And the Mets lost their shortstop. There were many sides to this slide. Utley supporters said that he was just being aggressive and he was just trying to do what was needed in order to break up the double play. "Obviously I feel terrible that he was injured. I had no intent to hurt him whatsoever but I did intend to break up the double play. Anytime you have the chance to break up a double play, you should do your best to do that,?said Utley about the play. The main point of people against Utley is that the slide was late and he was evidently not aiming for the bag. The slide was also the turning point in the game. The Dodgers scored all of their runs in the seventh inning which meant that if the umpire had called Utley?s slide an interference, the inning would have been over with the Mets leading 1-0. The Mets had a lot to say about the incident. ?He got in and took out our player first before he even touched the dirt,? said Kelly Johnson. ?We just need an explanation on where is the line at what point is it bad and not fair. Is it a judgment call, is it up to opinion, in my opinion we missed something. We?re losing our starting shortstop now, he?s got a broken fibula and cost us potentially this game, we don?t have anything to show for it.? ?You are going to have to ask Chase what the intent was,?said captain David Wright, ?Ruben had his back turned to him, obviously he can?t protect himself.?
Yeah. Let that sink in.
Of course I can also mention the fact that in game one of the World Series, on the first pitch, Escobar hit an inside the park home run that should have been caught. Or the fact that in the bottom of the ninth inning of that same game, with the Royals behind 3-4, Eric Hosmer hit a home run which led to extra innings which led to the Royals?win. Or that in game two of the World Series, Johnny Cueto pitched the whole game and allowed just one run.
So what if Harvey was a little selfish for wanting to go out for the ninth inning? The crowd went crazy when Harvey came out of the dugout in the ninth. That said, Harvey went into the ninth with the Mets leading 2-0. Terry Collins said that he ?followed his
All this being said, I believe that the Mets had a strong postseason. No one believed that they would get past the Dodgers. Even if you did, there was no way you thought they would beat the Cubs (and sweep them? Not a chance). It was a miracle the
Issue 6 | Volume 4 | 2015 Mets made it into the World Series. They bounced back from d?Arnaud and Wright?s injuries in the beginning of the season and also from a difficult period of time when John Mayberry Jr. (.170 average) was batting cleanup and Anthony Recker (.125) was allowed into the lineup. Overall, I think Mets fans have a lot to be thankful for.
IT'S TIME FOR TOM COUGHLIN TO GO
Continued from page 14
Doing so will not damage Coughlin?s impressive legacy, and will give the Giants a chance to finally escape the mediocrity they?ve been entrapped in for the last five years. This subpar results of this season is not an anomaly, rather it has become the norm. Following their miraculous Super Bowl run of 2012, the Giants constantly failed to make the playoffs in a horrid NFC East. In fact, were it not for that championship, it?s likely that Coughlin would?ve been gone long ago. This team?s new identity, as an offensive powerhouse, with Manning and Beckham just doesn?t adhere to the philosophy that made Coughlin so successful. Each of the Giants? Super Bowl championships were achieved by means of a fortuitous defense and a stout run game, both of which the Giants severely lack this year. As a result, the personnel of this team just does not coincide with Coughlin?s play-calling schematics. Therefore, in order for the Giants to move forward in their ambitions to return to championship glory, the onus is on their front office to make the arduous, long-over awaited decision of firing Tom Coughlin.
ESPORTS
Continued from page 15
North American Video Game Challenge tournament. During the 70?s and 80?s, video game players and tournaments begun being featured in popular newspapers and magazines including Life and Time. One of the most well-known classic arcade game players is Billy Mitchell, primarily for holding the records for high scores in six games including Pac-Man and Donkey Kong in the 1985 issue of the Guinness Book of World Records. Televised Esports
events aired during this period included the American show Starcade, which ran between 1982 and 1984, airing a total of 133 episodes, on which contestants would attempt to beat each other's high scores on an arcade game A video game tournament was included as part of the TV show That's Incredible! and tournaments were also featured as part of the plot of various films, including 1982's Tron. In the early 90?s, many video games benefited from the increasing internet connectivity. This is especially true for PC games. One such case is the 1988 game Netrek, which is considered the third internet game. Netrek was a team game for up to 16 players and became the first internet team game. Netrek was also the first internet game that used meta servers, which located the closest open servers to join, and the first to have persistent user information. In 1993, this game was considered the first online sports game. Apart from the growth of video with the increasing internet connectivity, some of the first major Esports tournaments occurred. In 1990, the Nintendo World Championship, which toured the United States, held its final at Universal Studios Hollywood, California. Nintendo held its second world championship in 1994, specifically for the SNES, called the Nintendo PowerFest ?94, in San Diego. In the late 90?s, larger tournaments emerged, such as the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), QuakeCon, and the Professional Gamers League. Of the three, CPL was by far the largest tournament. PC games played at CPL included the CounterStrike series, the Quake series, and Warcraft. In the early 2000?s, Esports mostly grew in Korea. This is attributed by the mass building of broadband internet networks following the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In addition, high unemployment rate likely caused many out of work in need of hobbies. The Korean Esports Association, an arm of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was founded in 2000 to promote and regulate esports in the country. However, in the 2010?s, Esports has grown tremendously, leading to a large increase in viewership and prize money. Although there were many large tournaments before 2010, the number and scope of tournaments has increased significantly, going from 10 tournaments in 2000 to around 260 tournaments in 2010. Many successful tournaments were founded during this time, including the World Cyber Games, the Intel Extreme Masters, and Major League Gaming. Televised Esports have also grown recently. Television coverage was best established in South Korea, with Starcraft and Warcraft III competitions regularly televised by dedicated 24-hour cable TV game channels. Elsewhere, coverage was sporadic. The online Esports-only channel ESL TV briefly attempted a paid television model which ultimately failed. Recently this year, ESPN3 hosted the DotA 2 international championship. ESPN had also attempted to host a Madden NFL competition in 2005 to 2008 with a show called Madden Nation. The popularity and emergence of online streaming services have helped the growth of Esports even more so, though. Online streaming services are now the most common method of watching Esport tournaments. One such streaming site is Twitch, which launched in 2011, and was bought by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million. Twitch routinely streams popular Esports competitions. In 2013, viewers of the platform watched 12 billion minutes of video on the service, with the two most popular broadcasts
being League of Legends and DotA 2. During one day of a large tournament, Twitch recorded 4.5 billion unique views, with each viewer watching for an average of two hours. The modern Esports boom has also seen a rise of video game companies embracing the Esports potential of their products. After many years of ignoring and at times suppressing the Esports scene, in 2014 Nintendo hosted an invitational Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U. The tournament was held at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conference and was streamed online on Twitch. In 2014, Halo developers 343 Industries announced plans to revive Halo as an Esport with the creation of the Halo Championship Series and a prize pool of $50,000. Both Blizzard Entertainment, developers of Warcraft and Diablo, and Riot Games, developers of League of Legends, have had their own collegiate outreach programs with their North American Collegiate Championship. Since 2013, universities and colleges in the United States, such as Robert Morris University Illinois and the University of Pikeville, have recognized Esports players as varsity level athletes and have offered athletic scholarships to said players. Physical viewership of Esports competitions and the scope of events have increased in tandem with the growth of online viewership. In 2013, the Season 3 League of Legends World Championship was held in the sold-out Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2014, the Season 4 League of Legends World Championship was held in Seoul, South Korea and had over 40,000 fans in attendance, featured the band Imagine Dragons, and had opening and closing ceremonies in addition to the competition. However, labeling Esport as a sport is still somewhat controversial. While some point to the growth in popularity of Esports as justification for designating some games as sports, others contend that video games will never reach the status of "true sports". However, popularity is not the only reason identified: some have argued that "careful planning, precise timing, and skillful execution? ought to be what classifies an activity as sport, and that physical exertion and outdoor playing areas are not required by all traditional or nontraditional 'sports'. In a 2014 technology conference, when asked about the recent buyout of popular game streaming service Twitch, ESPN president John Skipper described Esports as "not a sport - [they're] a competition." In 2013, on an episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, the panelist openly laughed at the topic. In addition, many in the fighting games community maintain a distinction between their competitive gaming competitions and the more commercially connected Esports competitions of other genres. Video games are sometimes classified as a mind sport. In the 2015 Esports World Championship hosted by the International Esports Federation, an Esports panel was hosted with guests from international sports society to discuss the future recognition of Esports as a recognized, legitimate sporting activity worldwide. While this debate is ongoing, regardless of Esports? status as a ?sport?, it is evident that they are a massive and growing phenomenon. Who knows, maybe one day you?ll be able to use those hours of League as a gym exemption.
WHAT TIME IS IT?
GAMETIME