MINARET
SMOKE STORY ARE E-CIGS A SAFER ALTERNATIVE?
WAX FEVER
Tips for those itching to start a vinyl collection
COLLEGE COLORS DAY 2013 Put RED and BLACK on Your Back! FRIDAY, AUG. 30
Friday, Aug. 30 is the day to show your UT Spartan spirit and wear your favorite UT gear. It’s a national tradition, so wear your UT colors proudly!
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28 Come to the Bookstore and trade in another college or university t-shirt and get a free Spartans t-shirt. Come by early … supplies are limited.
Wear your UT gear and score giveaways and discount cards, courtesy of Sodexo and the Bookstore. All day long, Athletic Marketing students will pass out the items to students wearing UT gear. Post your best photo wearing UT gear on Instagram at #utampa and #collegecolors. The best of the best will win a prize. Stop by the Vaughn Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and give us a 10-second reason why you love UT — on video. Only for students wearing their best UT colors. Faculty and staff, you all are included … The department with the highest percentage of Spartans wearing UT gear, and best Spartan-decorated office, will win dinner at Panache, courtesy of Sodexo.
MINARET ISSUE 80.1 | RETRO EDITION | AUGUST 2013 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR FACULTY ADVISER
Jessica Keesee Mia Glatter Natalie Hicks John Capouya
NEWS AND FEATURES Lauren Richey Katherine Lavacca ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Justine Parks Jordan Walsh OPINION Annabella Palopoli Paola Crespo Richard J. Whitaker SPORTS Jordan Llanes Griffin Guinta PHOTOGRAPHY Casey Budd ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Shivani Kanji | Brandon Caples SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Vanessa Righeimer COPY EDITING Zoe Fowler
WRITERS
Avery Twible Vanessa Righeimer
PHOTOGRAPHERS Donny Murray Jessica Keesee
MODELS
Audrey Quinn Maddie Box Justine Parks Madison Freeman Alfonso Borrell
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Phone - 813.257.3636 Fax - 813.253.6207 Editor - 813.417.5071 Managing Editor - 321. 525.9090
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ADDRESS
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ONLINE
The Minaret Online - theminaretonline.com ut.minaret@gmail.com
At the start or every school year, the buzz is always about what’s new. For incoming freshman and transfers, it’s a fresh start with a new setting and new friends. For seniors, it’s all about looking forward to new possibilities that await after receiving that anticipated diploma. But for me, starting my senior year is all about looking back.
Even walking through UT, I can’t help but enter another time. Taking one step onto the Plant Hall veranda sends me back to the days of the Tampa Bay Hotel. From the veranda to Plant Field, where Jackie Robinson once played, the University of Tampa remains one giant museum for students. This blending of old and new is the focus of our issue. The Minaret has gone totally retro, so soak in the nostalgia and enjoy.
JESSICA KEESEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PAGE 4 | THEMINARETONLINE.COM
PHOTO BY DONNY MURRAY
I always say I should have lived in the 1940s. Or maybe the 1920s. I’ve been a flapper for Halloween at least three times now. There’s something about the past, the technology, the style and the music that’s so intriguing. So much so, that the past is constantly reemerging in our culture. Summer hits like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” give retro vibes with their ‘70s influences. Grungy plaids and drop-waist dresses hail from decades past. Vinyl, believed to be on its way to extinction for more digitalfriendly tech, has seen a resurgence like no other retro tech of its kind. Even cigarettes are making a major comeback, but in electronic form.
JESSICA KEESEE
CONTENTS
6 FROM HISTORIC HOTEL TO HALLOWED HALLS
8 UT THROUGH TIME 10 WHAT’S HOT 11 WAX FEVER 14 FOUR RETRO-INSPIRED TRENDS
16 KICKIN’ IT OLD SCHOOL 18 SMOKE STORY 21 AMERICA’S RAPE CULTURE 24 REVIVING RETRO TECHNOLOGY
26 PITCHING FOR A LEGEND 28 THE BIRTH OF TAMPA BASEBALL
From Historic Hotel to our Hallowed Halls A look at UT’s exotic past and how it’s still affecting campus today
E
very student attending the University of Tampa pulls up for the first time and is awed by the beautiful scructure known as Plant Hall. The intrigue often stops there and Plant Hall is then seen as just another academic building.The intricate statues and decor that adorn the first floor are passed by without a second thought and the same floors where Babe Ruth and Teddy Roosevelt once walked are unknowingly tread upon on by busy students and faculty. A great deal of history has been well preserved within the walls of the Tampa Bay Hotel, and it’s about time it was recognized for it. It all started with a man named Henry B. Plant, a railroad tycoon with a ton of money and a vision. He dreamed of building a hotel that even Jay Gatsby would be in awe of. Investors were weary of the sheer magnitude of his proposition, so he decided to build it himself. Costing about $2.5 million to construct and $500,000 to furnish, even in 1891, the Tampa Bay Hotel was the definition of luxury. It even contained the first elevator in the history of Florida, which is still there today. Numerous celebrities visited the hotel, including Teddy Roosevelt and his team of Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. Others include the Red Cross humanitarian Clara Barton and the great American writer Stephen Crane. In fact, Babe Ruth signed his first baseball contract right in the Grand Dining Room and hit his longest home run in Plant Field. Yet, the mass extravagance that was the Tampa Bay Hotel didn’t last long as visitors were declining at a fast rate. Eventually, the hotel was unable to survive in a world where such decadence was no longer desired.
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A common misconception of modern universities is that they have always been as large and productive as they are in the present time. UT has a much humbler beginning, and its success can almost single handedly be contributed to the Tampa Bay Hotel. At its start, UT was a junior college run by Fredric Spaulding in 1931. The college was expanding at a rapid pace, and pretty soon Spaulding was looking for a bigger building to house his students. Back then, the Tampa Bay Hotel was defunct and run down, but the many rooms that were still intact gave Spaulding the idea to purchase. The junior college became a four-year university, and the University of Tampa was established. Ever since, the relationship between Plant Hall and UT has been a mutual partnership: students continue to roam the the halls to attend class, and a national historic landmark is forever preserved. Now to address the impressive-looking cannon in front of the building. This gun in particular does memorialize Tampa’s role in the 1898 Spanish American War and points toward Cuba. However, this is not the original cannon. Like the engraved plaque indicates on the gun’s mantle, the original cannon was taken from Fort Dade, an old coast defense fort on Egmont Key. Once an embarkation point for Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, the fort served as a quarantine camp during the Spanish American War and was later used as a training camp in WWI. While it is in fact true that the original Fort Dade gun was placed in Plant Park in November 1927, it was donated for steel scrap during WWII. Following the war, the city of Tampa missed the symbolic cannon so much, they replaced it with a similar gun from Fort Morgan, Ala.
By Lauren Richey
Little known to many Tampa students, there is another fort that Plant Park commemorates. Facing the Hillsborough River slightly near the campus library is another cannon, but this one is the real deal. This cannon came from the most important military station in the history of Tampa: the actual fort that helped protect the city. Once called Fort Brooke, this military outpost survived all three Seminole Indian Wars as well as the Civil War. Particularly during the Civil War, the fort was taken under siege by the Union Army where the cannon was disabled, with damage still apparent on the gun today. Shortly after it was decommissioned, Fort Brooke became an independent town and was eventually annexed by the nearby village of Tampa, jumpstarting the city we know today. Unfortunately, due to mass industrialization, all that remains of this military outpost is the cannon. Henry B. Plant thought that this monumental piece of Tampa’s history should be preserved and displayed for all to appreciate amd so the cannon still stands ever since the hotel’s opening in 1891. Today what some may call an eyesore is actually a valuable part of both Plant Hall and the city of Tampa.
All information was gathered from The Tampa Bay History Center, The Henry B. Plant Museum, the University of Tampa website, the City of Tampa website and the Florida Department of State.
THE MINARET | PAGE 7
UT Through Time By Katherine Lavacca and Lauren Richey The University of Tampa has a reputation as one of Florida’s most respected and beautiful private colleges. UT has an interesting history dating back to the 1930’s and its visitors range from corporate royalty like the Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola, to real royalty like Queen Elizabeth I and to President Barack Obama. Buried within the UT archives, there are a few interesting things many people don’t realize about their college.
Babe Ruth vistis the original Pepin Stadium and hits his personal longest homerun of 587ft.
President Spaulding chooses school colors: red for zeal, gold for connections made, and black for dignity.
1923
1935
Fredric Spaulding founded the University of Tampa at the former Tampa Bay Hotel.
1931
1950’s
The groundbreaking for McKay Auditorium takes place June 11.
1962
1984
Queen Elizabeth II visits Fletcher Lounge for a brief reception on her tour of the US.
1991
1995
Students get excited for the Superbowl to be played in the “Sombrero” Rumor has it that students would sneak Crosley cars into Plant Hall and drag race on the second floor, knowing it was a quarter mile
Dr. Ronald Vaughn began as a professor of marketing in 1985. He then became UT’s Dean of Business in 1989 and finally became president of the university.
University of Tampa circa 1980
2000
The University of Tampa becomes a wireless campus.
2002
President Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden visit UT to hold a town hall meeting.
Sykes’ College of Business is recognized as one of the world’s top business colleges.
2007
2008
Presidential candidate John McCain vists UT on his campaign tour.
With enrollment rapidly increasing each year, more and more UT students are caught up in the whirlwind that is our unique college life and atmosphere. It’s easy to get lost between boosting a GPA with loads of schoolwork and enjoying the Tampa nightlife. New sports teams, clubs, and majors are
2010
2013
PHOTO CREDITS FOUND ON PAGE 30
The College of Business was made possible by a generous donation from John H. Sykes.
University of Tampa 2013
April 5th: The Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex is dedicated.
Summer: The Eco-friendly “West Kennedy” dorm awaits a dedication.
entering campus every year opening up new opportunities and not to mention confusing yet exciting mass renovation that has taken place just this past summer. Perhaps it’s time to slow down, take a step back, and recognize how far the University of Tampa has come since 1931. THE MINARET | PAGE 9
PHOTO CREDITS FOUND ON PAGE 30
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Retro Remakes
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You don’t get m ore retro than Ja pan’s largest re ready and willing ptile and he is to destroy anothe r city. Godzilla wi screen again in 20 ll hit the big 14 alongside Kick -Ass star Aaron and Elizabeth O Taylor-Johnson lsen. Hopefully th is remake will mak last one when Fe e us forget the rris Bueller was ou r last hope agains t the beast. Bullies Beware! Carrie is a teenag e girl with telekin lots of angst. Orig etic powers and inally a Stephen Ki ng novel, Carrie hi in 1976. This time t the big screen around, Chloe G race Moretz stars Julianne Moore as as the teen with her controlling an d religious mothe terror in October r. Carrie reigns of this year. PAGE 10 | THEMINARETONLINE.COM
WAX FEVER By Jordan Walsh
Over the course of the past few years, a format of music consumption that some had long considered dead and doomed to extinction has seen an exciting resurgence. So what exactly is so endearing about the vinyl record in an age that is so heavily digitally-oriented? It must be something, since the format saw an 18 percent increase in sales last year, while a more—albeit again—current format, the compact disc, saw a 14 percent decrease. Well, the truth is that there isn’t one obvious reason why the vinyl
record is having a comeback. Some are drawn to the larger artwork— framing their favorites so they can hang them on their walls. Others are collectors and can’t ignore the limited nature of certain colors and editions of their favorite artists’ work. And then there are the audiophiles, who will insist until their dying day that the sound found within the grooves of a vinyl record is unique and superior to digital (an opinion that is very often contested by research-- which often chalks up the “warm” sound of
wax to the increased surface noise and distortion of vinyl records). Whatever the reason, this growth in the industry is much welcomed by many record store owners, who witness the phenomenon first-hand, as the customer base continues to grow each day. As wonderful as it is for any form of physical media to be seeing some growth in the Internet era, record collecting is a difficult hobby to break into, as there are a lot of steps and missteps that will inevitably be taken along the way.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR THOSE OF YOU ITCHING TO START A COLLECTION, SOME THINGS THAT NOBODY TOLD ME WHEN I STARTED MY VINYL RECORD COLLECTION.
The Record Player: Before you can even get started on building your record collection, you’re going to need to buy something to play them on. Since they still don’t have record players for cars, I recommend the Audio Technica ATLP60 Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable ($91.73 on Amazon). This is a reliable and relatively inexpensive turntable with which to start. It is easily assembled and upgradable to your preferences. If you’re looking to spend a little more money, the AudioTechnica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable (USB & Analog) ($229.95 on Amazon) is a popular high-end player. You’ll also need a set of speakers and a receiver. The best advice I can give is to avoid the popular Crosley tables that are seen everywhere from Target to Barnes and Noble, which appear to be the best choice at first glance (they are portable, have internal speakers, a CD player and a tape player). However, they will not do your records justice due to the lower power of the internal speakers and the heavier cartridge, which presses down harder on your records and may even damage them.
The Record Store: When all is said and done, the best place to go for advice on anything vinyl-related is your local record store. In the Tampa area, we’re lucky to have Microgroove (4906 N Florida Ave), Sound Exchange (14246 N Nebraska Ave), Mojo Books and Music (2450 E Fowler Ave), and Banana’s Record Warehouse (St. Pete, 2226 16th Ave N). Online, I recommend ShopRadioCast. com or InterPunk.com (for punk music mostly). Places like Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic often sell new, specially-curated vinyl records. However, it’s always best to support local, independent stores if possible (most of them will order what you’re looking for if they don’t have it in stock).
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF
Vinyl Records Always store your records in a cool, dry place, in a vertical position—this helps to prevent warping and the collection of dust. Use plastic sleeves for extra protection.
When handling your records, always hold them by the edges or the center label—try not to touch the grooved part. Clean your records regularly—Amazon has plenty of options for brushes and cleaning solution.
Never play your records on a damaged turntable—it will damage the record as well.
The Records: No two vinyl records are the same—they come in all sorts of colors, weights, shapes, sizes, and speeds. Some albums are pressed in many different ways and give the buyer options between colors and weight. If you’re looking for durability and better song quality, 180 Gram vinyl is what you want, although it can be a bit pricier. Be careful not to leave your records in the car on a hot day—they will warp and affect sound quality. Finding out if your favorite albums have been pressed to vinyl is as easy as searching for it on Google. And you can always find out-of-print or rare records on eBay or on the message boards at VinylCollective.com.
THE MINARET | PAGE 13
Four RetroInspired Trends By Justine Parks
1920s
1950s
The social changes and restrictions of the roaring twenties gave birth to a new type of woman, the flapper. One key piece to a flappers wardrobe is the flapper dress, that often was covered in beading or fringe. It’s hard to forget the iconic ‘20s bob; a ton of celebrities today are choosing the short bob over long locks such as Beyoncé and Emma Watson. To incorporate the ‘20s style in your wardrobe today, try pairing a drop-waist dress and accessorize with a beaded purse and t-strap heels for a night out. For more inspiration on ‘20s fashion, look to Coco Chanel whose androgynous style made her a timeless fashion icon.
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Inspired by boyish dandies and studious bookworms, these 1950s fashion trends spotted on the runway this year are sure to make you the envy of the schoolyard. Pair high waisted pants with a gingham style shirt for a look that’s youthfully chic. Accessorize it with red lipstick, red pumps and a boxy purse. Try combining more feminine pieces with masculine pieces. Think tweed jackets with lace skirts, shimmery dresses with boxy briefcase-inspired purses and mary-jane heels with nubby knee-high socks.
[
This season, being fashion forward is about reinterpreting iconic looks from decades past. From drop waist dresses made popular in the ‘20s to the high-waist bottoms made popular in the ‘50s, here are four ways to inject a little bit of retro style into your modern wardrobe.
1970s
Social movements during the 1970s had a huge impact on fashion trends. Military wear was a popular choice to rebel or even support the war against Vietnam. Military jackets and boots were often everyday pieces for both men and women. Today you can find combat boots and leather jackets that have a vintage touch to them. Army green has become a popular trend with jackets too. Try wearing skinny jeans with a band shirt and an olive jacket to give the look a military feel. To top it off, add black combat boots, a fringe crossbody bag and aviators to have a completed ‘70s outfit.
]
1990s
Popular for their angsty lyrics and distortion-ridden melodies, grunge musicians of the ‘90s like Nirvana and Garbage also left their mark on the fashion industry. Plaid, distressed blue jeans, combat boots and lots of leather emanated from the grunge era. Girly twists were added with lace negligee and floral prints (Courtney Love, anyone?). To modernize this musical look, pair some cuffed, distressed jeans with a plaid button up but tucked in for a cleaner, crisper feel. Add a messy high bun, some red lipstick and black leather booties for a modern take on ‘90s grunge.
BOOKS
KICKIN’ IT OLD SCHOOL
By Jessica Keesee and Natalie Hicks
>>>Many artists of today pull their inspiration from previous decades. Whether it’s Lana Del Rey’s sultry late 1950s persona or Robin Thicke’s sexy ‘70s vibe, many of the current Top 40 songs bring back retro sounds but in a whole new light.
1950s
1960s
She claims that she sounds like the gangster version of Nancy Sinatra. If you listen to her tunes, you will quickly realize that she not only embodies Sinatra’s mod music style, but she is able to somehow add her own poetry into the mix.
If you listen to The Beatles, then you will easily be able to recognize their upbeat and trippy lyrics. Tame Impala shares a similar psychedelic sound, much like their musical counterparts such as Grizzly Bear. You can’t go wrong with a litttle chill ‘60s-style music.
Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die
PAGE 16 | THEMINARETONLINE.COM
Tame Impala’s Lonerism
1970s
Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories Known for their digitilism and futuristic vibes, Daft Punk is easily the most iconic EDM duo to date. So when the pair’s highly anticipated fourth studio album was released with more seventies influences, fans and critics were taken by surprise. Daft Punk reinterprets ‘70s grooves with techno-filled riffs and robotic vocals on tracks like “Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself to Dance,” creating a sound all their own.
Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines Deemed as the song of the summer, after Daft Punk’s endlessly catchy “Get Lucky,” “Blurred Lines” also borrows from the disco-era with its funky beats. The song has been heavily compared to Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.” Regardless, the tune is awfully catchy, offering a retro vibe for modern times.
1980s Phoenix’s Bankrupt!
The French band’s fifth studio album takes a quick turn from 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, heavy with retro influences. Bankrupt!, far more experimental than Phoenix’s previous work, boasts ‘80s-like sounds, similar to that of David Bowie, while still sounding like music of the future. Standout tracks include “The Real Thing” and latest single, “Trying to Be Cool.”
1990s Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP
The pop sensation has shocked the world with her antics and style, but charmed with her pop dance anthems and sweet ballads. She’s finally back after a long break, this time with a sound more reminiscent of ‘90s house music. “Applause,” the first single off the upcoming album, is all the buzz of the music industry.
Smoke Story By Avery Twible
Not all that long ago much of the population smoked cigarettes. It wasn’t possible to get fresh air even in hospitals, restaurants, offices and on airplanes. Although much of the public was unaware of the health risks brought on by smoking cigarettes, some people spoke out against it. According to Google Patent Records, this led to a patent filed in 1963 by Herbert Gilbert for an alternative choice to tobacco cigarettes: the smokeless non-tobacco cigarette, a possible solution to the toxins in cigarettes. Now, electronic cigarettes are the most practical alternative to cigarettes, especially for people who are trying to stop smoking. The advertisements are everywhere: bus stops, T.V. and magazines. Those persistent salespeople at mall kiosks are always trying to sell them, too. No ordinary “cancer stick,” the electronic cigarette (better known as the “e-cig”) is a personal vaporizing electronic nicotine delivery system. It is a handheld, battery powered device that provides the user with a dose of nicotine in a flavored liquid and possibly other chemicals, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An e-cigarette is often shaped like a normal cigarette or cigar, but instead is made of metal or plastic. Some even have a tip that illuminates when the user inhales to provide the full effect of smoking, delivering satisfaction in the oral fixation and physical addiction aspects of the act. They can appear as a variety of objects that one would never expect someone to smoke, according to Discovery News, such as a USB or a pen. They also come in attractive colors like bright pink or blue. This drives some objection from critics,
Are E-Cigarettes a Safer Alternative?
who say this may be what attracts kids most and can lead to addiction to nicotine at a young age. WebMD names a few major skeptics of the device such as the Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association, Norman Edelman, MD, and Rita Chappelle, an FDA spokesperson. They may be called critics but only because neither of them can trust this device before extensive testing is done. The device has a button near the mouthpiece that if you push while inhaling will deliver a dose of nicotine containing water vapor and a tangy taste. Blu cigarettes, one of the leading distributors for electronic cigarettes, offers a variety of flavors for consumers to choose from: regular tobacco, menthol, coffee, cherry, vanilla, pineapple and more. It is a new way of delivering nicotine into your system: a piece of machinery that resembles a cigarette but contains no tobacco. There is no lingering odor with e-cigarettes, nor are there many regulations or limitations pertaining to their use since lawmakers are not able to catch up with the booming fad. Court decisions have ruled that electronic cigarettes “cannot qualify as drug delivery products,” said Jeff Ventura of the FDA. Discovery News reported that because of this, “the agency cannot ban [electronic cigarettes] or require more arduous testing.” This was shortly after the series of court rulings in 2010 that decreed the FDA could not ban the importation of electronic cigarettes from China, according to The Boston Globe. "There is no pollution of the environment with this product,” said Craig Youngblood, president of the InLife e-cigarette company. "The
E-cigarettes, a substitute for tobacco cigarettes, use a heating system that creates a vapor, appearing like smoke. This smokeless alternative offers users a nicotine fix without all the health risks of traditional cigarettes.
vapor is not the same as smoke. And for every odor-free e-cigarette cartridge people throw in the trash, smokers throw 20 smelly cigarette butts out their car windows.” Even if we disregard the physical benefits of electronic cigarettes, acknowledging that they are better for the environment is important as well. The most alluring factor to the e-cig for cigarette users is probably the hope that they will help smokers kick the habit. The act of bringing a cylindrical shaped tube to your mouth, knowing it will deliver physical relief to your nicotine addiction probably sounds pretty satisfying to a smoker. E-cigarettes deliver a controlled amount of nicotine to the user in each cartridge, so people addicted to the substance can start at a select dosage and continuously decrease their intake. However, the device wasn’t necessarily made to curb addiction. Blu’s site states, “Blu has not been approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation device. For this reason, it should not be used to help you quit smoking.” This sounds versed, as if Blu is contractually obligated to say this so people unable to quit after using e-cigs can’t turn around and blame the company. However, they’re free to attempt to use the device to quit at their own risk. Carmen Branca, a 2013 graduate of the State University of New York biology program on the path to medical school, has had close family members successfully quit using tobacco because of electronic cigarettes. She fully believes in the switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes. “They help people get off smoking that have been smoking for decades like some of my family members who were more than ‘a pack a day’ smokers for a long time,” Branca said. “Just from switching to e-cigs, they have significantly decreased their chances of heart disease, lung cancer, and a shorter lifespan. There are all different variations and strengths so people quitting can limit the amount of nicotine they’re taking in and slowly wean themselves off the drug.” Many people believe making the switch from tobacco cigarettes to vaporizer cigarettes is one foot in the right direction down the road to quitting. However, Derrick Jackson of The Boston Globe disagrees. He said e-cigarettes are “just another way to keep people addicted to the smoking industry, period.” This makes sense because the basic purpose for using e-cigarettes is to ingest nicotine in a “cool” method that sends the drug rocketing straight to your brain. Some cartridges claim to be nicotine free, just going through the motions without getting the actual fix, but there have not been enough studies to know if these claims can be trusted. For all we know, big e-cigarette distributors like Blu could be putting nicotine in “nicotine free” cartridges or putting higher levels
in than they advertise just to get users more addicted to nicotine. I’m not trying to birth any conspiracy theories, but it is in the best interest of e-cigarette producers to keep their clientele crawling back for more, and until regulations are put on importation and distribution, they can be making up their own rules as they go along. Branca has personally seen success stories from the switch to e-cigs but is not naïve to the downsides. “The attractiveness of this cool, new fad is the draw that kids have to it,” he said. And this is the fear many who oppose the device share as well. The bright colors and pretty lights are enticing to young people who can only hope the “nicotine free” label is not lying. For the most part, any past or present smokers who I know say they initially started smoking cigarettes for stress relief. It’s an action someone can do that they have complete control over. However, it has been proven that smoking is bad for one’s health, but apparently so are e-cigarettes. “Electronic cigarettes, seen by many as a healthy alternative to tobacco smoking, do cause damage to the lungs,” Medical News Today reported. Scientists from the University of Athens in Greece conducted research concluding that inhalation of electronic cigarettes immediately increased airway resistance of users, meaning it would be more difficult to breathe. This experiment showed immediate results of e-cigarette inhalation, but almost no research has been done testing long term effects of electronic cigarette usage. If temporary increased airway restriction is the only downside of electronic cigarettes, then they are, in my opinion, the go-to choice for smoking anything, period. It never crossed my mind that something remotely related to a cigarette would be harmless or even good for someone, but I must say it is much better for smokers as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes. The combustion present in traditional cigarettes, the culprit of smoke production, is the real danger when it comes to tobacco cigarettes, according to WebMD. Tobacco cigarettes contain cancer-causing agents that affect the smoker as well as bystanders. With tobacco cigarettes also comes 4,000 toxins including 43 carcinogens, according to Craig Youngblood, president of the InLife e-cigarette company. Electronic cigarettes are not perfect for users on a road to a healthy life, but if said users are just searching for a healthier alternative to a stress relieving activity, electronic cigarettes can be the answer. Addiction is a bitter foe that nearly always wins the war within the mind and body of a smoker. If nicotine users must use at all, electronic cigarettes are less harmful to the user and the environment.
America’s Rape Culture By Annabella Palopoli The United States is a rape culture. Our society, as it has since its beginning, sustains and normalizes rape and sexual violence against women, forcing them to remain subordinate. One might assume that women have reached equality when looking at the many legal changes that have occurred since this country’s birth: women have gained the right to vote, many birth control and abortion rights, better wages and working conditions and much more. Even with all this change, we are still seeing the same stereotyping, prejudices and violence against women. The general attitude towards women hasn’t changed nearly as much as our legal rights have. The specific problem that encompasses all of this is the rape culture in our country. As I should point out, I understand that there are similar attitudes towards women all around the world, not just in the U.S. But, for the purpose of this article and from personal experience, I will be focusing on this issue relating to the U.S. A rape culture can be defined as an environment “in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture,” according to the Women’s Center of Marshall University. There are many examples of how our country fits this criteria, including its incredibly high number of rapes. The number of rapes reported in the U.S. is appalling. We are ranked fifth in the world for the highest number of reported rapes per capita, according to democraticunderground.com. In 2009, there were 28.6 reported rape cases per 100,000 people. Keep in mind, this number only reflects reported rapes, and rape is the most underreported violent crime in the country, with only 16% of rapes ever being reported (rapetraumaservices.org). Following this statistic, approximately 178.8 per 100,000 people are rape victims. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 91% of rape victims are women and 99% of rapists are men. With the incredibly high number of rapes and the fact that most rape victims are women, the rape culture in America clearly oppresses women, who must live in fear of being raped and/or live with the trauma from being raped, while most men do not. This is how rape functions as a powerful means to keep the entire female population subordinate to the entire male population, even though not every man is a rapist and not every female has been or will be raped. Therearecertainthingsthatcausethisrapeculturewherehundreds of thousands of women are raped each year and discrimination is commonplace. The three that I will focus on are victim blaming, THE MINARET | PAGE 21
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misogynistic language and jokes and the objectification of women or potential rapist might think it’s less serious than it really is. Rape jokes in the media. provide justification for their actions. The more misogynistic language is Victim blaming is a serious problem that has been around for used, the view that women are subordinate will become more deeply thousands of years. Rape victims are often blamed for their attack. ingrained. Victims are told they are “asking for it” due to their clothing, Thelanguagethatisusedalsoreflectshowsocietyfeelsaboutwomen. flirtation, level of sobriety or prior sexual history. This leads to For example, think about names that are used to describe a sexually women becoming afraid or embarrassed to speak up about being active woman: slut, whore, skank, tramp, ho, broad, hussy, prostitute, sexually assaulted, and it helps rapists (and society as a whole) justify sleaze, the list goes on. Most notably, all of them are negative. Now, think the action of rape or make excuses. Victims might be scared to about the names used for a sexually active male: player, stud, ladies’ say anything about their attack because they are afraid of being man, pimp. These names aren’t nearly as negative; most are even used blamed, or they might even blame themselves. lightheartedly. This reflects the bias that has been in our culture for a long I run a blog, and on numerous occasions I have received messages time. It is bad for a woman to be sexually active but admirable for a male from rape victims who are afraid to tell people what happened because to be, all leading back to the fact that women are seen as subordinate. they feel that it might be partly their fault. For example, last month, a This also plays a part in victim blaming, as many victims of sexual assault teenage girl anonymously asked me whether or not she was to blame are called sluts and whores for “lying” about being assaulted. for being raped because she was drunk at the time of the assault. Of The objectification of women has grown and become more course, the answer is no, but because of this country’s attitude towards acceptable since the beginning of what we know as “modern victims, she thought it might have been her fault. Victims wouldn’t media” (television, advertisements, music, etc.). Every single time I regularly blame themselves nor feel scared of being blamed if it weren’t flip through a magazine, turn on the TV or walk through a shopping for our society’s constant victim blaming in rape cases. center, I see media that objectifies women: magazines are heavily I have experienced victim blaming myself and by my own friend. A stocked with perfume, beer and cigarette advertisements featuring few weeks after being raped for the second time in my life, I was lying half-naked girls; TV channels feature actresses wearing significantly on my bed and feeling hopeless. My roommate was trying to comfort less clothing than their male counterparts; and malls are plastered me and give me advice, and she said, “Well, with huge posters of women in sexy lingerie Bella... Maybe you don’t realize the message We’ve come so far in (which are usually not advertising the actual you’re sending to guys, and that’s why it keeps lingerie). happening.” My own roommate, my friend, human rights, but let’s The media’s objectification of women has was defending these rapists’ behavior because become so common that it doesn’t seem to bother she knows I can be a flirt. She wasn’t trying to be not stay stuck in the or phase most people, unless it’s a man that’s malicious, but society had so deeply ingrained being objectified. No one seems to be protesting this idea into her head that she thought it could sexualization of women in advertisements, past when it comes to the be partially my fault that someone raped me. but there is an entire campaign focused on There are rape shield laws in place that one ad by Kraft depicting a nearly naked man how we treat women having a picnic, according to usatoday.com. One can soften the blow of victim blaming in legal situations. Rape shield laws are in place so a Million Moms, a branch of the American Family victim’s sexual history cannot be taken into account during trial. However, Association, is rebuking a magazine ad for Kraft’s Zesty Italian salad there are holes in rape shield laws: the complainant’s sexual history with dressing, claiming that it’s “disgusting” and “has gone too far.” the defendant can be admitted, and some cases slip past the laws Apparently, sexualizing and objectifying women in the media is (National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women). alright, as it’s left untested, but as soon as there is a man involved, Victim blaming is very real, very prevalent and very hurtful. It is one it’s gone too far. Objectifying women has become normalized, so of the main factors in our society that feeds rape culture. The main thing no one questions it. Both men and women start to see women that people need to understand is that there is no gradient of fault. It is as objects, because it is constantly fed to us, and this can be not “sort of your fault” if you were flirting, drunk or anything else that supported by the fact that the objectification of a woman is left might affect the situation. It is either 100% consensual or 100% the unquestioned while the objectification of a man causes an uproar. attacker’s fault. The second someone says “no” and the other continues, Because women are advertised as sex objects instead of people, it is assault, no matter what was happening beforehand. it becomes “easier,” in a sense, for rapists to justify attacking them Another perpetuation of rape culture is misogynistic language and for women to blame themselves. and jokes, which I hear examples of on a daily basis. Listen in on some The rape culture in America will only end once the prejudices teenage boys playing a video game and there’s a good chance you’ll and stereotypes end. The only way to stop this is through education. hear something like, “I totally just raped you!” which is supposed to be We live in a society that teaches “don’t get raped” instead of “don’t the equivalent of “I defeated/destroyed you.” I also hear jokes about rape,” and this goes hand in hand with the ideas that women are at women constantly, even directed at myself. Numerous times guys have fault, subordinate and objectified. Sex education classes in schools told me to “get back in the kitchen where I belong,” and when I get should be way more informative than they are now, and it is a parent’s offended, they defend themselves with, “Calm down, I was just joking.” responsibility to reprimand behavior that put women in a subordinate Not to mention the douchebags walking around in “Cool Story Babe, position, as it starts from a young age. I hope that in the near future we Now Go Make Me a Sandwich” T-shirts. Most familiarly, many popular can start to make those changes. songs feature misogynistic lyrics. This type of language is commonplace, Think before you speak, and don’t be afraid to speak up when and when it is used constantly, the ideas are ingrained into people’s you hear or see something that you feel is harmful to women. We’ve heads. When rape and misogyny are joked about, it makes light of a come so far with human rights, but let’s not stay stuck in the past very serious situation. The more you make light of rape, the more a rapist when it comes to how we treat women. THE MINARET | PAGE 23
Reviving Retro Technology Every day we are introduced to a new piece of technology that brings some sort of convenience to our lives. Want to know where to go out to eat tonight? Check the reviews on Yelp. Missed your exit on the highway and are too directionally impaired to figure it out on your own? Turn on the GPS on your smartphone and follow the magic arrow. Trying to meet someone attractive in your area within five minutes? Log on to Tinder and hope you don’t get rejected virtually. The list goes on and on of how our society continues to progress and strive to find ways to make everyday tasks quicker and easier. So why are we seeing older items such as record players and typewriters being brought back? You can’t walk into an Urban Outfitters without passing a display table filled with record players. Even many young writers are beginning to choose typewriters instead of Word to type up a document. I’m all for a bit of nostalgia and soaking in the good ol’ days, but there has to be a fine line between drunkenly playing Nintendo 64 in your common room and crumpling up fully typed papers out of your typewriter since you can’t press “delete.” While there are some throwback items I’m happy are having a comeback such as Polaroid cameras, Super Smash Brothers and retro beach cruisers, there are definitely a few that I believe have been forgotten about or updated for a reason.
Analog Photography
Something I’m starting to see more and more of are young collegiates breaking out a disposable or Polaroid camera. While I appreciate Polaroid cameras for their easy functionality and their capability of printing a picture from the camera within a matter of seconds, I find the overall process of disposable cameras to be too long and mundane. Analog photography uses a progressively changing recording medium such as developing film and thus is slower than modern digital cameras. And yet, I see albums posted to Facebook with titles such as “No Filter” or “Disposables!” in which the guilty culprits go through all the trouble of buying a camera for $14, getting prints developed for $16, then painstakingly scanning each and every one onto their desktop. All of which could have been done with a digital camera or smartphone in a matter of minutes. A good digital camera does have a bigger ticket price than an analog camera, that’s for sure. But by the time you factor in the costs of buying a new analog camera and developing an album every month for a year, a digital camera or smartphone app definitely is far more affordable.
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PHOTO CREDITS FOUND ON PAGE 30
By Vanessa Righeimer
Okay, I’ll admit it. Every time I’ve gone to a flea market I’ve slowed down to gaze at those beautiful boxes of antiquity. And yes, I have bought a couple of Sufjan Stevens albums from a record shop in Chicago. However, once I actually played the brand new albums in my parent’s record player, I immediately noticed the poor quality of sound. Furthermore, you frequently have to rearrange the needle when the record starts to skip. Though many record players serve as stylish decor to add to a room, they usually create more of a hassle than they’re worth. Many purists believe that vinyl have better quality than CDs and MP3s due to it being analog and not digital, but a lot of sound engineers refute this claim. In 2012 NPR did an interview on the radio with two sound experts called, “Why Vinyl Sounds Better Than CD, Or Not.” Sean Olive, director of acoustic research at Harman International, explained that when he was testing audio loudspeakers at the National Research Council in Canada back in 1985, the company decided to stop using vinyl to test the speakers and used CDs instead. He said, “What we found was that vinyl was a limiting factor in our ability to do accurate and reliable listening tests on loudspeakers, and we had to find a more reliable and more accurate medium.” Today’s engineers continually come up with ways to make the sound of your music player cleaner and crisper to create the best listening experience. I find it to be almost an insult to all of the accomplishments of our generation to use record players. It’s like scoring floor seats to the NBA Finals and turning it down to sit up in the nosebleeds next to the garbage can that reeks of stale beer and greasy nachos.
Typewriters
Record Players
I feel like a public service announcement should be made warning young, hipster writers that even though you may feel like you’re Ernest Hemingway while you type away on your early 1900s typewriter, your work will not turn out with the same quality as Hemingway’s. While the rattling of your keytop and crank of the carriage release lever may sound rather melodic to you, your roommate across the room probably wants to throw that thing out the window. For those who don’t view the typewriter in just a romantic way, they use functionality to defend why they prefer them. In a BBC article, typewriter collector Anthony Casillo said, “People still use typewriters because they still work. They offer a distraction-free alternative to the modern day methods for producing a document. They challenge the user to be more efficient and see their errors on paper.” I can see his point here, as I am constantly taking a Facebook break after I finish a paragraph of a paper for school. However, there are still advantages for having Internet access while writing a paper or story. Everyday, millions of journals, scholarly articles and books are being uploaded to the Internet for public use. We literally have the world at our fingertips, which is an extreme convenience to us when trying to support our paper with facts or have an insight to other ideas. In the case of straight storytelling, online research is usually not necessary and the Internet can definitely cause a distraction. However, if you’re truly committed to focusing on the task at hand, there are apps available online that can literally lock you out of the Internet. Freedom offers a downloadable app available for both Mac and PC users for $10 in which you can set a limit on the amount of time you would like to disable your Internet or certain social media sites. THE MINARET | PAGE 25
Pitching for a
Legend By Griffin Guinta
WALTER GIBBONS ONCE KNEW JACKIE ROBINSON AND NOW SHARES STORIES FROM HIS PAST “Good morning Miss Brenda!” Walter Gibbons exclaimed jovially to the woman standing at the reception desk in the entrance of the cafeteria. Beaming with every step, Gibbons strode toward the food counter and picked out a hot dog with a side of fries, quite fitting for a man who’s spent most of his life in the game of baseball. As he prepared to sit down, Gibbons is greeted by some of his fellow companions in the maintenance department, bantering with them about the Rays game the previous night. It’s just another day at the University of Tampa for the retired professional baseball player. After a long career in both baseball and the army, Gibbons is simply just enjoying life. These days, he works as a housekeeper at the school to keep himself busy. “I probably wouldn’t last if I didn’t get up and do this every day,” Gibbons said. Though he lives a modest lifestyle today, Gibbons has quite an incredible past. Unless you asked him about it though, you probably wouldn’t know that. An unassuming and humble man, Gibbons doesn’t like to brag about his storied history and wants to be treated just like any other person. “I’m not better than anyone else,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat here.” You don’t have to travel far to find where Walter Gibbons’ story begins. Born in Ybor City in 1928, he began playing baseball, football and several other sports as a child. Gibbons eventually committed to baseball, joining the Negro Leagues as early as 17 years old. Although baseball, he said, “was not a ‘fun’ game at the time. Baseball was serious. You could make a lot of money doing it; it was a man’s game.” Not long into his career he earned the nickname “Dirk” for his avid dirt-eating habits as a baby (he decided to replace the “t” in dirt with PAGE 26 | THEMINARETONLINE.COM
a “k” because it sounded better). As he grew older, “Dirk” made his living as a pitcher for the Indianapolis Clowns and spent most of the decade playing in the Negro League. In 1949, however, the Negro League was disbanded due to players leaving for other outlets. Many of the most skilled and popular players were leaving for bigger opportunities and eventually the league crumbled. “They kept playing but it wasn’t like it was before,” said Gibbons. Perhaps the most exciting moment of his career was the day he pitched against Jackie Robinson, the man best known for breaking the color barrier in professional sports. On a momentous day in 1950, Robinson brought his travelling team of All-Stars to Tampa’s Plant Field to play an exhibition match. Pitching that day? Walter “Dirk” Gibbons, of course. “Was he anything like they portray him in the movies?” I blurted out with excitement as we began talking about Jackie. “Oh no, no. They got as close as they could get, though,” he chuckled. Unfortunately, Robinson didn’t have much freedom to let his personality shine. For the most part he was forced to be obedient and polite when he first entered the big leagues. Gibbons suggested that a big reason he was the first African American chosen to go to the majors was his patience and ability to deal with harsh criticism and brutality. “Not many guys could have done what he did,” Gibbons said with a shake of his head. Robinson and Gibbons managed to strike up an unlikely friendship on that very same day the All Stars came in to town. In fact, Robinson
was so impressed by Gibbons’ pitching that he invited the young “Dirk” to join his traveling bunch. Much to his dismay, the onset of the Korean War prevented Gibbons from ever going. A few short days after being invited to join Jackie’s crew, Gibbons was drafted. It was certainly a different world back then. Racism still reared its ugly head throughout the “Land of the Free.” That much was evident when Gibbons tried to show his new friend Jackie Robinson the mighty minarets of Plant Hall. “Jack wanted to know what the minarets were all about. I promised that after the game I’d take him over and show him around,” said Gibbons. Right as they started making their way up the steps, they were stopped by a police officer. “I’d like to take Mr. Robinson up to see the minarets, if that’s alright,” a young Gibbons said politely to the deputy. Followed by a brief pause, the police officer shook his head and instructed them to leave. Robinson turned to Walter and simply said: “Let’s just turn around. We don’t want no trouble.” Moments like that remind us of the immense character of Jackie Robinson. In the heat of adversity, Robinson still acted with class and dignity. “I hate to keep telling that story,” Gibbons said. “Because I love this University and they know it. But unfortunately it did happen.” Sadly, being escorted to leave a building was benign in comparison to some of the things Robinson had to endure throughout his life. Racial slurs, violence and intentional throws at his head during at-bats were just a few of the horrific sufferings inflicted upon him by other people. He once even endured a gash on his leg as a result of opponents being extra physical with him. Jackie remained a warrior, gritting his teeth through the pain and vowing to never give up. Gibbons marvels at his courage to this day. Days for African Americans playing sports in the United States would eventually get brighter. At one point, Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ GM that initially signed no. 42, told Robinson, “If they hit you, you go out and hit them back.” Today, baseball is a very different game. Though the vile grip of segregation has long been lifted from major league baseball, problems still loom. Integrity is once again in question in baseball as steroids, performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), and other mechanisms to cheat are used by a handful of players. Superstar Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez was recently booked by the MLB and could serve a lifelong ban from the game, leaving fans chanting “A-Fraud” instead
of “A-Rod.” One thing that hasn’t changed in baseball is the aspect of money. Even back in Gibbons’ day athletes were paid exceptionally well compared to the average worker. Gibbons believes that a grand sum of money handed to teenager is a vile combination. To keep himself in check, Gibbons simply sent most of his earnings back home to his mother. “What happened is owners [have] messed up baseball by paying so much. Kids get into the wrong things and one thing leads to another. I remember my first wage was $200 a month, which was a lot back then. I used to send most of it home to my mother!” he said with a laugh. The United States was not the only outlet for those seeking to make a living in baseball. In his post Negro League days, Gibbons made a career in the ManDak league, a hybrid-baseball league comprised of teams in Manitoba, Canada and North Dakota. In fact, his team The Greys enjoyed quite a bit of success during his tenure there. Playing up in Canada certainly had its benefits (if you could survive the blisteringly cold weather), but African-American men seeking solace still couldn’t escape the reach of racial undertones. “You were free to do whatever you want but prejudice still lingered against black American men,” Gibbons said. Racism has come a long way today since then. Sixty-three years ago, Jackie Robinson was barred from entering Plant Hall for being black. Sixty-three years later, his friend Walter Gibbons is the life of the party on campus. Race does not define you, your heart does. Jackie Robinson proved that. Walter Gibbons most definitely proved that. Next time you visit a Rays game (or any professional game for that matter) and you see number “42” hanging in the rafters, remember just how significant that is. In the words of Walter Gibbons, “Don’t wait till a catastrophe happens to come together. Come together now!” “Is there anything you wish you could change?” I said as my final question to Gibbons. He paused for a moment and shook his head. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he mustered, “How come they have a plaque on Plant Field for the hitter (Jackie Robinson) but not the pitcher? I should get some credit, I played there too!” he exclaimed with another laugh. Though Gibbons was joking, he is right. Jackie Robinson led the change, but there were countless African-American baseball players who paved the way for baseball equality. One of those men resides right here in Tampa, and he’s a mighty guy. His name is Walter Gibbons.
OPINION
The Birth of Tampa Baseball By Griffin Guinta
Nine men take the field on a warm spring day, sweating through the thick of their wool uniforms with every step they take. Armed with leather gloves and cloth caps they brace themselves to face off against a powerful St. Louis Browns team. The date is March 26, 1914, and after a dull offseason the excitement of baseball has finally returned for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs, however, are not playing in their usual residence of Wrigley Field. They stand instead on the grounds of Plant Field to play the first Major League Spring Training game ever played in the city of Tampa. Undaunted by the tenacious Browns and blistering heat, the Cubs swiftly win by a score of 3-2 to cement their first win in the sunshine state. Despite the Tampa area only having a professional baseball team of their own (the Tampa Bay Rays) since 1998, baseball has been alive in Tampa for decades. In fact, some of baseball’s oldest roots can be traced back to our very own University of Tampa. Plant Field, better known as Pepin-Rood Stadium today, has had some rather famous tenants in its hay day. Notable ball clubs like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers have each utilized Tampa as a home base for their Spring Training games at some point in their storied histories. Surprisingly, on the very same grounds where lacrosse, soccer and even intramural sport matches are held today, walked some of America’s most iconic athletes. Faces like Johnny Evers, Jim Thorpe and “Buffalo” Bill Cody have all stood upon the lush grass of Plant field. Perhaps the most famous of them all, however, was the Bambino himself, George Herman “Babe” Ruth. Adjacent to the John H. Sykes College of Business stands a green plaque with the enscription “Babe’s Longest Homer.” Read it and you’ll find out that the Babe once hit a homerun that traveled a whopping 587 feet at Plant Field. Not only was it the longest of Babe’s career, it stands as one of baseball’s longest homers ever. Though Ruth and his famous teammates didn’t arrive until the early part of the 20th century, the intrigue of baseball in Florida had slowly begun picking up steam as early as the 1880s. After Civil War tensions subsided, the country was more than
ready for a game that would ease any leftover angst and increase unification. As the lucrative cigar industry began booming in Tampa, so did its Hispanic population. Immigrants from Cuba and other Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean were drawn to the job opportunities opened by the cigar factories and quickly began flooding into the area to start a new life. The new immigrants in turn brought their fervency for baseball with them and exponentially increased the excitement of baseball throughout the west coast of Florida. Though baseball was already extant in Tampa before the arrival of the Cubans, any semblance of infrastructure was lacking. Through ethnic clubs and organization, the new residents of Ybor City created intersocial baseball leagues that would play on the regular. According to Liz McCoy, curator for the Ybor City Museum Society, “Cigar Leagues were some of the earliest to ever exist in Tampa.” From then on out, semi-professional teams began to spring up all throughout the Tampa Bay region. “It really took off with Minor League teams. In 1919, the Tampa Smokers [players from the Cuban/Italian intersocial leagues] began the first season of play. Once the Smokers were there, it wasn’t long before other minor league teams followed suit. Over the course of 100 years, Tampa had a bevy of organized teams and eventually landed the big league teams we see today,” said McCoy.
The Yankees Arrive By 1996, the New York Yankees had relocated their Spring Training facility from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to Tampa off Dale Mabry Highway. The stadium, then called Legends Field, was state of the art and took the place of an old correctional facility. The founding of the stadium in ’96 was only the beginning of a powerful partnership between the city of Tampa and the mighty Yankees of New York. The Yankees, arguably Major League Baseball’s most infamous
team, have had a massive influence on the city to this day. Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was among the greatest benefactors the city has ever seen; his contributions range from a high school to numerous charitable donations and gifts to the area. Steinbrenner, a magnate in the shipping industry, was intrigued by Tampa and found it advantageous to plant his team in a bigger city (most spring training hubs are often found in small coastal cities such as Dunedin or Bradenton). When Spring Training rolls around every March, Tampa dwellers don’t have to look very far to see the Yankee influence all around them. New York captain Derek Jeter can often be found casually enjoying a cup of Starbucks Coffee on West Kennedy Boulevard, General Manager Brian Cashman is frequently spotted at local cafés and eateries and Alex Rodriguez is nowhere to be found (as usual). The Yankees Class-A minor league affiliate, appropriately titled the “Tampa Yankees,” inhabit Steinbrenner Field for most of the year while the Bronx Bombers head back to play the regular season in New York. Tampa Yankees games have become a staple in many Tampa area citizens’ lives over the past decade and a half. Aside from the obvious economic impact that is garnered, the Tampa Yankees provide an alternative for those that don’t wish to make the drive to St. Petersburg for daily Tampa Bay Rays games. Tampa, a hotbed for many Northerners, is packed to the brim with Yankees merchandise and memorabilia. You can’t walk through the International Mall without noticing the Yankee caps, replica jerseys and autographed posters that line the multitude of shops at the plaza. Whenever the Yankees come to town to square off against the young Rays, it’s certainly no surprise to see Tropicana Field overpopulated with fans in pinstripe shirts.
A Team of Their Own For years, the Tampa Bay area had desperately been longing for a professional team to call their own. In 1988, their dreams were dashed when the Chicago White Sox informed the league that they would not be moving to Tampa after all. Undeterred by the news,
an investing group lead by Vince Naimoli stayed persistent and ultimately acquired one of MLB’s 1995 expansion teams and moved them to St. Petersburg. Three years later The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were up and running. Though the Rays were terrible in the years following their inception, they have flourished over time to become one of baseball’s biggest gems. Driven by smart ownership and strategic coaching, the Rays have proven that a baseball club can be effectively run on a budget and still be successful. In 2008, the Rays made it as far as the World Series (the first appearance in their history) before falling to the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies. Despite recent success in the past five years, the largest problem plaguing Tampa Bay’s only professional baseball team is a lack of attendance. Much to many people’s dismay, the Rays continue to play in nearby St. Petersburg in a stadium that pales in comparison to some of the other ballparks in the league. Blame the attendance issue on facilities, the long commute from Tampa to St. Petersburg or any other ancillary issue, but don’t attribute it to a lack of fervency among Tampanians. As of right now, Tampa is one of the largest producers per capita of baseball players in the majors and is packed to the brim with local leagues. In fact, the University of Tampa Spartan baseball team that just captured their sixth championship had five players drafted into the MLB. “The people in this area still love baseball,” said Liz McCoy. “We’ve had so many reputable players come from this area, especially West Tampa. Guys like Lou Pinella, Luis Gonzalez, Tino Martinez and Al Lopez all made their starts here. Go to a Tampa Jesuit game on a Friday night or check out some of the local softball and baseball leagues and you’ll see that the game is very much alive here in Tampa.” Tampa, once a small fishing village of about 700 people, has formed an unbreakable bond with America’s oldest pastime over the years. For Tampa, baseball is much more than just a game––it’s a reflection of a unique culture that has come to flourish in the area. Walk down the streets of West Tampa and you won’t be hard pressed to hear the sound of “play ball” echoing through the air.
CRE D IT S COVER
RETRO TRENDS | PAGES 14-15
EDITORIAL | Page 4
SMOKE STORY | PAGES 18-20
Photo by Jessica Keesee Photo by Donny Murray
HISTORIC HOTEL | PAGES 6-7 Photos by Donny Murray
UT THROUGH TIME | PAGE 8-9
Aerial pictures courtesy of UT Public Information and Publications office Bre Pettis/Flickr.com Maryland Govpics/Flickr.com Majorvols/FLickr.com Commonwealth secretariat/Flickr.com
WHAT’S HOT | PAGE 10
Flip phone case, pager iPhone 5 case and NATIVE UNION Clear Pop Phone Handset available at Urbanoutfitters.com Nostalgia Electrics Retro Series Microwave available at bjs.com Carrie and Godzilla movie posters-IMDB.com Evolution of Get Lucky-PV/NOVA/Youtube.com
WAX FEVER | PAGE 11
Fabio Sola Penna/Flickr.com
WAX FEVER | PAGES 12-13 Photos by Jessica Keesee
PAGE 30 | THEMINARETONLINE.COM
Photos by Jessica Keesee Photos by Jessica Keesee
RAPE CULTURE | PAGES 21-22
Photos by Jessica Keesee & Donny Murray
RETRO TECHNOLOGY | PAGES 24-25 Daveelmore/Flickr.com TimHamilton/Flickr.com Scottwitt/Flickr.com FabioPenna/Flickr.com
PITCHING FOR A LEGEND | PAGES 26-27 Photos by Jessica Keesee
TAMPA BASEBALL | PAGES 28-29
Baseball photos courtesy of Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, the USF’s Robertson and Fresh Collection of Photographs and Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System.
SPECIAL THANKS
Rick Ross, Sybil O’Neal, Joshua Napier, Tiffany Garcia and Tim Harding
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