NOV. 13 — NOV. 18, 2014
SPORTS ISSUE
Sports Issue
November 13, 2014
ASK THE EDITORS
How do you sport?
I lift and spin every week. If I don’t work out for a while I actually begin to feel sick, and it’s a nice stress reliever. I’m also a huge Green Bay Packers fan and spent the weekend in Green Bay to see the Packers absolutely murder the Chicago Bears, 55-14.
I sport on the couch and watch the Cleveland Browns, which is exhausting enough to qualify for weekly exercise. But this week, I’m taking it easy as the Browns hold on to their No. 1 position in the AFC North. (Yeah, I’m going to hang on to that claim as tight and as long as I can.)
SPORTS EDITOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ellen Hadley @ellenhadley
At the tender age of seven, I jumped into my first olympic-sized pool at Miami University and joined my first USA league swim team before I realized I would spend the next 13 years of my life dedicated to the sport. My favorite team I swam with was UC’s varsity team my first two years of college. However, nowadays, you can find me staying clear of pools by running down Ludlow or lugging 20 lbs of camera gear to and from my apartment. PHOTO EDITOR
Madison Schmidt @madiesch
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Elizabeth DePompei @edepompei
Growing up with two older brothers, being unathletic wasn’t an option, and I loved it. I dabbled in all sports, but soccer was my favorite — a sport to which I dedicated 14 years. Since watching other people play soccer is not nearly as satisfying as playing, I play on an intramural team here at UC, which can get pretty heated. I think this year we might even get matching T-shirts. To say I’m excited is an understatement. NEWS EDITOR
Katie Coburn @_katiecoburn
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November 13, 2014
UC marching band tradition charges forward
Sports Issue
OPINION: Sports in the movies, or sports for people who hate sports ZACK HATFIELD | ARTS EDITOR
MADISON SCHMIDT | PHOTO EDITOR
The UC marching band plays before a game against the University of Florida on Oct. 24 at Paul Brown Stadium. Members come from a wide range of UC majors. RUSSELL HAUSFELD | STAFF REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati’s marching band was forever changed with the start of a now 60-year-old tradition—the CHARGE!, where members of the UC marching band rush down the stadium steps. Until 1954, the marching band would trek into the stadium during football games, march around the track, and play some pregame music. The band director at the time, Robert Hornyak, had a plan to recreate the image of the marching band with one simple change. “One night at practice, Hornyak told us, ‘We are going to change our entrance. We’re running down the steps,’ ” said Allen Brodt, a UC alum and baritone horn player in UC’s 1954 marching band. This idea was met with a resounding “What?!” from the 65 members of the marching band, according to Brodt. But the astounded band members practiced going down the stairs a few times before the football game and then made history with the first ever charge later that night. Brodt describes Hornyak as a “real dynamic individual” who was able to kickstart the expansion of the band family from a meager 65 members to more than 100. He credits Hornyak’s first charge with putting the band on people’s radars and getting new recruits interested in being part a fun and energetic group of people. The band has continued to grow and
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is now able to send approximately 225 students down the bleachers at each home game. The entire band participates except for the drumline because it would be too easy for the weight of their instruments to cause them to topple down the stairs, but they play an important role in creating the illusion that their band mates are actually running down. “They make a lot of racket, but they really do not run down the stairs,” said Dr. Terren Frenz, current band director. With renovations taking place at Nippert Stadium this year, Bearcat home games have taken place at Paul Brown Stadium. This change in venue threatened to end the charge. “In a professional field, there is no access to the field,” Frenz said. “We had played at a couple of games at [Paul Brown Stadium] in the past and we knew there was no way to get to the field from the steps. So, we asked them if there was any way we could still do [the charge].” The original answer was no. This was upsetting because, as Frenz put it, “It’s not a tradition if you just stop it for a year.”There would be a whole group of students who never got to participate. Eventually, the staff at Paul Brown Stadium came through for the band and set up four platforms and sets of stairs in the corners of the stadium so that the charge could continue.
About 25 students can run down each set of stairs, so only about half of the band participates in the charge per game. The band even had Brodt lead the way down the steps at the first game at Paul Brown Stadium. “At the time when we first did it in 1954, we did not realize this would be such a tradition... Since I was a part of the first [charge] it means a great deal to me,” Brodt said. The effect is not quite the same at Paul Brown, but it keeps the tradition alive while the band waits to come home to Nippert Stadium. “Paul Brown Stadium is not as intimate; the stadium is like twice the size of ours,” Frenz said. “What’s cool about [Nippert] is that it’s big enough to get the job done. We fill this stadium up. Everybody feels like they’re part of the action and it’s a whole different feeling.” The biggest concern now is whether or not the charge Will still be possible when the Bearcat Band comes home to the newly remodeled Nippert Stadium. The answer: Absolutely. When games resume at Nippert Stadium next September, the marching band will put these interim charges behind them and once again stampede down the bleachers. “When we move back here, that’s never been a question about having it here in our stadium,” Frenz said. “It’s definitely going to continue.”
Why is it that I hate sports, but enjoy sports films? That I’ll refuse to watch Sunday football but I’ll watch “Friday Night Lights” (2004) any day of the week? It’s often the case that sports provides a captivating metaphor for the human condition, and how much we stretch ourselves to the absolute limit to get within perfection’s proximity. Sports movies explore a countless variety of subjects, including ones like racial tension—“The Jackie Robinson Story” (1950)—and obsession—“Searching for Bobby Fischer” (1993). And yes, chess is a sport. The 80s might be the golden age of sports films. “Chariots of Fire” (1981) is the poignant true story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics. Eric and Harold, both runners, are devout followers of their religions—Christianity and Judaism, respectively. Harold faces anti-semitism and Eric’s relationship with God and his sister is strained when he misses church to run. As he spends more time running, his sport becomes a vessel to God, a holy activity. This movie fascinates me because it isn’t about the Olympics or the endurances of running, it’s about an endurance of faith. From 1949’s “The Set-Up” to 2010’s “The Fighter,” boxing has a long history of being dramatized on film. It’s the most used sport for film, and has become a notable analogy for class disadvantage and defiance in the arena of social stratum and gender. The best of its kind is cinematic heavyweight “Raging Bull” (1980), which focuses on Jack LaMotta (Robert DeNiro in his prime) and his relentlessness inside and outside the ring. “Raging Bull” investigates something many sports films do in their subtext, which is masculinity and the crises that surrounds it. Although boxing is an important part of the film, there aren’t many fight scenes, and the most dramatic, violent moments are in the domestic scenes, where LaMotta deals with his marital discord. The grittiness and self-destruction of the film’s antihero, as well as its inside look at boxing’s harrowing competitiveness delivered a sucker punch to mainstream audiences, and made director Martin Scorcese a main contender in New Hollywood cinema. Because athletic teams play a large role in national identities around the world, sports films often take on a political demeanor. Take “Invictus” (2005) for instance, a political-sports hybrid directed SEE MOVIES PG 8
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Sports Issue
November 13, 2014
Concussion testing, awareness show hope for future In sport plagued by head injuries, football shows change, innovations to prevent, treat concussions DAVID WYSONG | STAFF REPORTER
Getting a concussion may not be a common fear among most college students, but for some student athletes — especially those who play football — that fear is real. Julie Shott is a sports medicine doctor at the University of Cincinnati who researches sports-related concussions. According to Shott, American football is second in concussion injury rates per 1,000 athletic exposures, second only to women’s ice hockey. A concussion is defined as “a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions,” according to mayoclinic.org. “Effects are usually temporary but can include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination.” A vigorous blow to the head, which often happens in sports, commonly causes concussions. There have been many cases in football over the years where top-of-the-line players end their careers early due to concussions and the lingering effects. So far during the 2014 season, two starting quarterbacks in college football have decided to hang up their pads because of head injuries. Texas quarterback David Ash is one; the other is American Athletic Conference athlete Casey Cochran from University of Connecticut. Cochran started at quarterback toward the end of last season but decided to call it quits in early September after a series of concussions. Casey Cochrans’s father Jack Cochran spoke to the Hartford Courant about his son’s history with concussions. “He’s had his fair share of concussions and the effect it has on you physically and mentally, it just gets to be too much,” Cochran told the Courant. Not only can concussions affect a player’s football career, but they can also affect their entire life. Vismai Cholkeri, a sports medicine doctor that specializes in concussions, has seen first hand how concussions can ruin a person’s life. “I have seen a student who, after his first concussion, could not return back to school,” Cholkeri said. “He was a straight-A student, star soccer player. He had everything going for him. He sustained a concussion playing soccer and his life was forever changed. He could not return to sports and he could not return to school. He became isolated socially. He became more depressed. He got further behind in school and it became a vicious cycle.” Workers in the medical field have been aware of the danger of concussions for many years but many believe that more people on the outside are aware now because of the evolution of social media. Another factor that has increased awareness is the lawsuit from former professional athletes against the NFL. Former players claim that the league knew about the dangers of concussions for a long time but did not warn the players or do anything to prevent them. The players believe that this ultimately caused their brains to deteriorate and caused some to develop Lou Gehrig’s disease and other neurological problems. The lawsuit reached a settlement over the summer when the NFL agreed to pay $675 million for compensatory claims plus more for other testing, research and the players’ lawyers, according to nfl.com. More than 4,500 former players filed the suit, including former Dallas Cowboys
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FILE ART
Concussions in college and professional football prove to be a prominent issue. Measures have been taken to not only treat existing concussions, but also prevent further injuries from happening.
running back Tony Dorsett and former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who both have dementia. With concussion awareness at an all-time high, technological developments in football to help reduce concussions have advanced. “There is research into new helmet technology using sensors inside helmets to alert players and coaches to possible concussions, and also if there is a single impact or if the player is getting multiple impacts that are slowly adding up,” Shott said, adding that the technology has not yet been shown to reduce numbers of concussions. Blake Reid, the UC director of athletic equipment, elaborated more on helmets and how they personalize them to the players. “We custom fit the helmets for them,” Reid said. “We want to make sure that all the technology that is being put into the helmet is actually getting the opportunity to work. By having an improper fit helmet, you can cause all kinds of stuff to happen.” There have also been rule changes in professional football to help reduce concussions. Players are not allowed to lead with their heads when hitting each other and cannot hit the helmet of another player with their own helmet. Both of these actions result in a 15-yard penalty. “It makes sense to enforce those rules even if you are reducing a small amount of concussions. The less concussions we have, the better,” Shott said. Regardless of the research and improvements, there will always be concussions in football, Shott added.
“Concussions involve a sheering force of the brain inside the skull and the only way to protect against that is to not have any contact and also avoid hard falls,” Shott said. Cholkeri agreed. “Concussions will always be there. The technological advances are not going to reduce concussions but help us identify and treat better,” Cholkeri said. So if concussions will most likely be in the game forever, how can players be treated for concussions once they already have them? Shott said that it could take some time. “Their brain needs to rest. They even require reduced academic load and more sleep,” Shott said. “Cognitive symptoms need to be completely resolved prior to return back to athletic activity. Return to play progression is a slow process and needs to be restarted at the beginning if the patient’s symptoms return.” However, not all athletes and coaches adhere to Shott’s advice. During a game in September, University of Michigan head coach Brady Hoke sent quarterback Shane Morris back on the field after Morris was put on the sidelines following a hard hit. Many called for Hoke’s firing but Hoke claimed he did not know that Morris suffered a concussion and that should have been the job of the medical team to test Morris relay the information. Concussions are a growing problem in football, but with advanced research and awareness — and listening to the doctors — the NFL and college athletic programs may be able to get better at protecting their players’ heads.
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November 13, 2014
Sports Issue
UC women’s rugby club prepares for post-season play The University of Cincinnati women’s rugby club prepares for nationals with confidence after a season filled with success. The club was founded in spring of 2012 and became recognized as a club in the fall of that year. The team consists of 25 tight-knit women who have worked hard to prove themselves not only at UC, but also in the Division II rugby world. Recruitment Chair Emma Wilhelmus, a first-year architectural engineering student, said that the closeness of the team is one of her favorite parts of the sport. “It’s a great way to meet people,” Wilhelmus said. “Rugby players are unique, and a stranger can become a friend in the matter of minutes because it’s a tough sport that brings people together. I also love that because it’s so tough, your team becomes your family.” Head coach Nick Geary, who has decades of personal rugby experience, said he makes it a point to bring the women together. His philosophy is “to maximize the potential of every athlete, increasing their skill level and the team’s success while maintaining a fun, safe and close-knit team environment.”
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If rugby is known for one thing internationally, it’s the aggressiveness of the contact sport. Many people in the sports world consider rugby one of the most challenging and exhausting sports out there, including ESPN, who marks rugby as the 13th hardest sport among 60 sports analyzed based on endurance. “My favorite thing about rugby is how intense and aggressive it is, especially because the intensity isn’t brought down for girls. The rules are exactly the same for men and women’s leagues; you don’t see that a lot in sports,” said Jorey Bischof, flanker and hooker on the team. Bischof is a freshman at UC, double majoring in neuropsychology and women, gender and sexuality studies. Captain and Club Management Chair Katy Yoder agrees with Bischof. “It never stops,”Yoder said. “You go whistle to whistle; and you go as hard as you can in between those whistles. The sport is brutal and it scares off most young women. Which is upsetting to me because young women need to know what they can handle and how much they can actually do. The sport is literally for all shapes and sizes and the only thing that the people on the team care about is your self as a whole. No one puts you down; they will lift you up no matter what.” Yoder has faced many personal challenges this year, mostly regarding her health. After consulting with an orthopedic surgeon, Yoder said that her biggest challenge
THIS WEEK IN ATHLETICS
Bearcats finish 4-0 in conference play, head to nationals this weekend after seeing bye week
this season was her diagnosis with two muscular conditions and coming out and trying her hardest during games, knowing when to get off the field to let someone else come in. As a team, the women have worked all season to figure out what works for them and to overcome challenges together. Whether they have been brushing up on their skills after each match or improving the defensive line, the team members have each put their heart and soul into making this their best season yet. With an outstanding record of only one loss thus far in the season, UC’s women’s rugby team proves to be one to fear. The team currently ranks number two in the conference, just behind Notre Dame College, who claims UC’s only loss. Aside from Notre Dame College, the women still consider Eastern Kentucky University and Wittenberg University rivals. “Over the three years, our match against Eastern Kentucky University has always been close,” Wilhelmus said. This year, Wittenberg University decided to go from Division II to Division III, in order to remain at the top of their conference, eliminating its rivalry against UC. For the 25 women, the road to nationals has not been an easy one. Playing against multiple teams that are well known and skilled has proved to be an obvious challenge, but there are several struggles they have faced off the field as well. SEE RUGBY PG 8
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Sports Issue
November 13, 2014
Word on the Street: Students discuss scheduling exercise PHOTOS BY MADISON SCHMIDT | PHOTO EDITOR
“I’m on the varsity men’s soccer team. We’re not allowed to have class before noon. I usually have two to three classes a day,” said Christian Hay, a first-year marketing student. “I think it’s a little harder for me because I have three, three-hour classes. The workload is not too bad, but it’s just getting yourself to go to class every time and to study outside of class.”
I’m just intimidated because I’ve never actually used the rec center so I don’t know what to do,” said Leah Wald, a first-year interior design major in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. “A lot of people in DAAP just have a lot of schoolwork, but if you make time for it I’m sure you can work out, too.”
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“Everyone says ‘Oh, you’re at the Rec Center all the time; you should be working out.’ But when you’re here all the time, you don’t want to be here more than you already are,” said Tyler Ditto, a fourthyear information systems student. “With classes, homework and stuff, it doesn’t allow me to get here as much as I want to be. But I wish I could. I just don’t have the availability I wish I had. Being at college is a full-time job. It would be tough to be working out on top of that. You can pick two out of three. You can work, you can go to school, or you can workout. You can’t do everything. Pick things you really want to do good out and that will help you excel, and then later on, pick up a few more things.”
“I am involved in UC water polo because it’s a good way to stay fit, stay active and meet new people,” said Adam Herrmann, a second-year nursing student. “As a nurse I see a lot of people that don’t have healthy lifestyles and it definitely affects you later in life, and you need to stay active and meet new people that way you can branch out your knowledge and become a better person. I think people use the Rec a lot. It’s often overpacked, and that’s why I hardly come here anymore, but I go to the medical campus now to work out.”
“I only have class two hours so it’s easy [to schedule time working out],” said Sangeebha Subha, a first-year graduate student in computer engineering. “I’m mostly sitting in the lab like the whole time, so I think it relieves us when we work out. It just relieves my stress that’s all. The Rec Center is one of the best Rec Centers among all universities.”
“I definitely think it’s important to stay fit. I think that a lot of people get caught up in staying in their rooms and not getting out. It’s always important to stay fit,” said Laura Moore, a first-year medical imaging student. “[Winter] might affect me. I don’t want to walk all the way here in the cold but sometimes you kind of have to.” newsrecord.org/for_the_record
November 13, 2014
Sports Issue
HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
Three University of Cincinnati football players and one staff member have been arrested this semester. From left to right: junior quarterback Jarred Evans, former director of player welfare and development Antrione Archer, freshman cornerback Alex Thomas and former sophomore linebacker Marcus Tappan.
OPINION: Bearcats try to move forward after arrests UC football season compromised due to athletes’ run-ins with law; policies change DAVID WYSONG | STAFF REPORTER
There is one hurdle the University of Cincinnati football team can’t seem to jump over this season, and it has nothing to do with its disappointing 5-3 record — it’s the law. Multiple UC Bearcat football players — and even a member of the UC football staff — have broken various laws this season. An encounter on Oct. 6 saw sophomore linebacker Marcus Tappan charged with disorderly conduct, underage drinking and possession of a fake ID after he was caught attempting to break into a house on Ohio Avenue. Well-known junior backup quarterback Jarred Evans was arrested on Oct. 19 and
charged with misdemeanor assault. Evans is currently suspended indefinitely from the football team and any team-related activities. Evans saw playing time before the incident, making appearances against the University of Toledo, the Ohio State University, the University of Miami (Florida) and Southern Methodist University. Freshman cornerback Alex Thomas was arrested on Sept. 14 after fleeing from police officers who responded to gunshots being fired at a party on Lyons Street in Clifton. Junior cornerback Leviticus Payne and sophomore linebacker Ey’shawn McClain were also on the scene and found with outstanding warrants. Senior star runningback Hosey Williams was cited. Williams has a career 795 rush yards for the team. There was also an
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arrest of a Bearcat staff member on June 14 when Antrione Archer, the UC football director of player welfare and development, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse. Archer was subsequently fired on Sept. 30. Bearcat head football coach Tommy Tuberville spoke out about his team’s issues with the law. “This kind of behavior is not acceptable and not indicative of the UC football program,”Tuberville said during his weekly luncheon. “Moving forward, we will continue to educate our players on making good decisions and being great representatives of the University.” UC has a mentor program to help educate its student-athletes to make good choices. With the amount of incidents rapidly increasing, there is an agreement that something must be done. “Sometimes you have to put your foot down and say, listen, no more,” Tuberville said. “These players represent this football team, this university and this city and I’m not going to have it. I’ve had problems at other schools and everybody has problems, but when you have a sequence of problems, it kind of gets underneath your skin.” Tuberville said he takes responsibility for his team’s actions. “No more second chances, bottom line,” Tuberville said. “I owe it to the city, this university and this football team to put good kids on the field that are going to do what we ask them to do … It’s our job to educate these kids on and off the field, how to handle themselves. We’ve got 18 and 19-year-olds here that have 15-yearold brains and maturity. When you have that, they make stupid decisions. I’ve had enough of it, and I’m sure that everybody else has too.”
Tuberville was right in saying that everyone else has had enough, too. Students around campus have grown tired of players thinking they are above the law. “These incidents are very immature of the players,” said Drew Jennings, a first-year psychology student. “I think when you have the opportunity to play football you should take advantage of it when you have the talent that they do. I was taught growing up that being able to play sports is a privilege, it is not something that you are forced to do. I would love to have a scholarship to play a sport that I love and to be able to go to school at a price cheaper than everyone else. And, it is easy for me to say, but if I had a scholarship I would do whatever it took to keep it.” The football program plans to improve and add more to its mentoring program to help prevent these incidents from happening. Mitchell Mooney, a first-year chemical engineer student, said community service is one way for player to help the community while staying out of trouble. “I think that the football program should make the players be more involved with work in the community,” Mooney said. “That work in the community will show them that people, mainly kids, in the Cincinnati area look up to them and their bad decisions can place a negative effect on the kids in the community.” The Bearcats were projected to have only two losses at this point in the season, but as of right now, they have three. Incidents with players getting arrested and being forced to leave the team can give a negative feeling in the locker room and ultimately affect the outcome of games. If the football program can solve the issue of players getting into trouble with the law, maybe they can bring home more wins.
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Sports Issue
November 13, 2014
FROM RUGBY PG 5
As a newer club on campus, the team has not had years of financial support like other teams at UC. The team works to find sponsors and donations in order to buy new supplies such as warm-ups, equipment and first-aid bags as well as the funds to make it to tournament play. Yoder said that the lack of finances is her biggest concern heading to nationals. Through the struggles, though, the women are a support group for one another, both on and off of the field. “We are not all that clique-y and we genuinely care for our team mates,”Yoder said. “Many people move and some of the team gets together to help. Several people on the team have similar or the same majors and they get together and help each other in those classes.” Wilhelmus said that she is confident in the team’s ability to thrive at nationals. “To be honest, I don’t have any concerns heading into nationals. I am excited our team has the opportunity to go because we never have had one,” Wilhelmus said. “We worked very hard this season and recruited a lot of new players that have brought a lot to the team. We were the underdogs and we rose to the challenge of playing in a Division II conference.” The women head to nationals this weekend, which will consist of multiple games against the top 16 teams.
FROM MOVIES PG 3
by Clint Eastwood (who also directed the Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby” the year before, another drama that revolves around the boxing ring). The film, set in post-Apartheid South Africa, follows revolutionary Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) as he tries to inspire a rugby team to unite the nation. Sports dramas are at their best when they veer from the all-too-common trajectory of Hollywood sports tale. The formula — an underdog (or a team of them) works hard and dreams ambitiously to achieve victory — is one that monopolizes a lot of these films, and makes for a predictable end. An exception is “Historias de fútbol” (1997), a powerful film composed of three vignettes about Chilean soccer players. Since soccer is woven into Chilé’s national identity, the characters flaws are deeper, their stakes higher than they would be in America, for the entire country is engaged in the ritual of the sport. Then there’s baseball movies. With eye roll-inducing films like “Angels in the Outfield” (1994) and “Bill Durham” (1988), they’ve been engrained into the mythos of the American dream, a patriotic allegory about both hard work and small-town miracles. Interestingly, baseball dramas are constantly revising history to make it fit the collective nostalgia of Americana. The recent movie “42” (2013) ended with a home run Jackie Robinson never made. Similarly, the film adaption of “The Natural” (1984) ended with a home run that never happened in Bernard Malamud’s classic novel. Predictable endings are prevalent in baseball films from “A League of Their Own” (1992) — although applaudable for representing women in baseball—to “Trouble with the Curve” (2012). Why must baseball films invite cliché? If baseball movies quit with the timeworn culmination of athletic phenomenon and opted to focus more on realistic outcomes — e.g. “Moneyball” (2011) — they would be more relatable and credible. Time functions different in a sports film, which makes it vastly more interesting to watch than actual sports. Dramatizing sports allows time to be fluid, and being able to control the game is vital in establishing conflict and suspense. Sports films are obsessive about submerging us in history, making the past the present, which is why most sports dramas are biopics. You just don’t get this on Sundays on the couch, waiting for an inning to end. Although you can read about athletes’ lives in magazine interviews or on their Wikipedia bios, there isn’t much coherent backstory to elevate a sense of identity among the team. But it would be pointless to pit actual sports against real sports onscreen — one proves an engrossing and incredibly thematic framework to examine humanity, while the other simply provides monotonous footage of people passing balls back and forth. This is why I’ll be watching the game — but only on the silver screen.
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