The Antlerette
Volume 97
September 2022 Issue 3
Tua Tagovailoa Incident and what it means for the NFL
Greg Santos, Design Editor
TuaTagovailoa,thestartingquarterbackfortheMiamiDolphins,isnostrangerto sportsfansaroundAmerica.Tagovailoa,whowasdrafted5thoverallinthe2020 NFLDraft,playedatthetopuniversityinthenationforfootball,Alabama.AtUA, Tagovailoawonthe2018CollegeFootballNationalChampionshipandwasthe offensive MVP of that historic game. He also had the highest passer rating in collegefootballhistory,ashethrew87touchdowns,only11interceptions,and averagedanimpressive10.9yardsperattemptinhisshortenedcollegecareerdue toahipinjuryinhisjunioryearseason.
TagovailoawasexpectedtohaveabreakoutsophomoreyearinMiami,asTyreek HillfromtheChiefswasacquiredinablockbustertradeintheoffseason,which senthimtotheDolphinstoformoneofthetopreceiverduosinfootballinHilland JaydenWaddle.Comingintothe3rdgameofweek3,Tuaalreadyexceeded1000 passingyards,8TDs,andaQBratingof77.8(2ndbestintheNFL).Itwassafetosay thathewaslivinguptoanyexpectationthrownathimbeforetheseasonstarted.
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With2minutesand19secondsremaininginthe2ndquarteragainsttheBillsin Week 3, Tagovailoa caught a snap and completed an 8 yard pass to Jaylen Waddleforafirstdown.Ontheplay,BillslinebackerMattMilanowaspenalized forroughingthepasser,ashepushedTuaonhisbackwellafterthepasswas thrown.Tagovailoalandeddirectlyonhisbackandhisnecksnappedbackinan awkwardfashion,makinghisheadcreateimpactdirectlyontheturf.Hegotup quickly and seemed fine… until he attempted to jog back to the huddle. He stumbledandcontinuedtosloppilyfalldown,almostasifheweredizzyor intoxicated.TheDolphinstrainingstaffimmediatelytookTuabacktothetunnel to get checked on. When Tua left the game, the Miami Dolphins quickly announcedonTwitterat1:24PMthataninjuryupdatestated,“TuaTagovailoa has a head injury and is questionable to return.” Tua Tagovailoa ended up returningtothegameandfinishingit,beatingtheundefeatedBuffaloBills21-19. Afterthegameat3:45PM,theMiamiDolphinscoachconfirmedthat“Tua Tagovailoa was wobbly because of the back injury he suffered earlier in the game.”So,allofasudden,thetweetfromacouplehoursbeforewasmadeupand theinjurywasonlyabackissue.Themediahadalltheiropinionsonthemoveto clearTuatogobackinthegame,andsomebelievethetrainersmadeupafake injuryordidn’tfullygothroughconcussionprotocol.Despitethecontroversyof themedia,theDolphins’doctorsandcoachesdidnotstopTuaTagovailoafrom startingintheweek4matchupagainsttheCincinnatiBengals.Also,thisnext game was only 4 days after the game against the Bills, as this game was scheduledonaThursdayinsteadofaFriday.So,Tuadidn’thavenearlyenough timetoproperlyrecoverfromhisinjury.
The score was 6-7, Bengals on top. 2nd and 7 in the second quarter with 5 minutesand48secondsremaining.TuaTangovailoagetssackedatthe48-yard linebyBengalsDefensiveTackle,JoshTupou.LikethepreviousSunday,hefalls directlybackwardandontohisback/headarea.Heimmediatelylostcontrolof thefootball,ashewaslyingonhissidewithhishandsupandfingersupinaway thatwasfrozenandcouldnotmove,almostasifhewasparalyzed.
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Thistime,hehadtogetonastretcherandwastransportedtotheUniversityof CincinnatiMedicalCenter.
Theofficialstatusofhisinjurywasaconcussion,andmanybelievethatitwas alreadyaconcussiononSundayandthathere-aggravateditoncehisheadmade impactwiththeCincinnatiturf.
AlthoughTuawasabletotravelhomesafelywithhisfamilyandisdoingwell, theNFLneedstodosomeinvestigatingwithintheDolphinsorganizationand medical staff to see what went wrong and if they really did implement the correctconcussionprotocol.RegardingtheTuaTagovailoasituation,theNFL and NFLPA have agreed to amend the league’s concussion protocol so that playersthatexhibit“grossmotorinstability”cannotreturntoagameregardless ofotherfactors.Itisagoodsignthattheassociationisquicklymakingchanges wheretheyneedtobemade,butitisunfortunatethatittookaniceyoungman’s careerandlifetobejeopardizedforthemtorealizeit.
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Homecoming Proposals: Dos and Don'ts
Sophie Trapp, Staff
Do you want to get asked to Homecoming? Or are you planning on asking someone?Herearesomedosanddon’tstomakeyourhomecomingproposalscute butnotcringy.FellowstudentsatElkGroveHighSchoolsaidthattheseweresome oftheirdosanddon'ts.Itwasreallyhalfandhalfonwhetherpeoplewantedit publicorprivate.Butpeoplewanttoseetheeffortinthebigaskeitherway.
Homecomingisaveryspecialtimeoftheyearforsomebutmaybenotforothers. Itisfuntogowiththatspecialsomeoneorjustafriendandgetdressedupfora party. It's also a celebration for our homecoming game, win or lose. But the homecoming proposal can make or break the weekend. Some homecoming proposalsaresupercuteandmakeyouwishyouweren’tsingle.Whileotherscan beawkwardandmakeyoudieofsecondhandembarrassment.Animportanttipis toasktherightperson.SoIwouldfigureoutwhetherornottheyareinterested firstornot.Imeandon'tstraightupaskandruinthesurprise,butyoucanaska friend.It’ssuperawkwardwhentheysaynoandthewholeschoolislookingat you;youmightendupwithavideothatyouwillhaveforalongtimeandyoucan lookbackattheawkwardmomentforever.Ifitgoeswellthough,youcouldlookat thatsupercutemomentforever.It'salluptoyou.
Nowlet'shearsomeopinionsofourfellowclassmates:Itwassosplitdownthe centerwhenitcametowhere.Somepeoplewantedittobeatschoolinfrontof fellowclassmates,whileotherswouldratherhaveitatamoreprivateplace.Itwas unanimousthateveryonesaidnooneshouldaskthroughtext.It'snotthatspecial
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anddoesn'trequiremucheffort.Imeanyoudon'thavetohaveahugeaskor anything but just ask in person. It’s always better having conversations in personratherthanthroughthephone.Itdoesn'thavetobeanythingbig,butit isnicewhenitshowsthatsomeonecaresandthinksaboutyou.Intheendit’s justimportanttohavefunandgowiththepeoplethatwillmakeyouhappy.
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Literature in Contemporary Media Culture
Nefertary Cabrera, Staff
Howoriginalisthemedianowadays?Andwhatroledoesliteratureplayinour everyday lives? The film 10 Things I Hate About You was a modern take on Shakespeare’sTheTamingoftheShrew.AuthorslikeJaneAustenhavecomposed classicsthatarestillrelevanttoday.HernovelEmmahasinfluencedthemakingof the1995filmClueless.BridgetJones’sDiary,anostalgic2000’sfilm,wasinspired by Austen’s renowned novel, Pride and Prejudice. In other instances, the inspirationbehindtheentertainmentismoreconcealed.
TheAmericanteendramatelevisionseries,GossipGirl,hasreferencestoF.Scott Fitzgerald’s1925novelTheGreatGatsby.ThenovelfollowsNickCarraway,ashe movestotheWestEggnexttotheinfamousJayGatsbyandinfrontofhiscousin DaisyandherhusbandTomBuchanan.Gatsbyhadpreviouslybeeninexile,who had recently started throwing glamorous, over-the-top parties filled with champagneandflappers.AlthoughGatsbyhimselfdoesn’tattendtheevents,he sendsNickapersonalinvitation.AtthepartyNickissurprisedthatnooneknows whoGatsbyis,andashewalksaroundhehearsoverthetoptalesaboutGatsby.As Nick is about to give up, he stumbles into Gatsby. Gatsby tries to initiate a conversationwithNickbytellinghimtheywerebothinthe3rdinfantrydivision duringthewar.Whenhegetshome,NicknoticesGatsbyobservinghim.AsNick and Gatsby get closer, Nick finds out about Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy. ThroughNick,DaisyandGatsbystartanillicitaffair.Tomfindsoutandreveals thetruthaboutGatsby’spast,exposinghimasaswindlerwhosefortunescome fromsellingbootlegalcohol.Inafitofanger,DaisyandGatsbyleaveinGatsby’s
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carandDaisyaccidentlykillsTom’smistress,Myrtle.TomtellsGeorge,Myrtle’s husband, that Gatsby killed her. George assumes Gatsby is Myrtle’s lover. GeorgeshootsGatsbyinhispoolandcommitssucideshortlyafterwards.Nick encounters Tom. Tom admits he was the one who told George that Gatsby ownedthevehiclethatkilledMyrtle.Tomcomestotheconclusionthathehates NewYorkanddecidesthatGatsby,Daisy,Tom,andhewereallMidwesterners unsuitedtoEasternlife.
The2007showGossipGirlfollowsDanHumphrey,anoutsiderfromBrooklyn whoisfascinatedwiththeUpperWestSideelite.EspeciallySerenavander Woodsen,whohasjust returned to New York City after her self-imposed exile from the Knightly School, a boarding school in Cornwall, Connecticut. Serena and Blair live through a lens for everyone in New York to view them, especially the anonymous gossip website “Gossip Girl”. Dan attends St. Judes, an all boys private school in Manhattan exactly next to Constance Billard, an all girls school, which Serena and Blair attend. Serena and Dan begin a relationship whichintroduceshimtoaworldofglamor,aworldinwhich“Parentsactlike teenagers,andteenagersactlikeparents…”LateronintheseriesDanwritesa book,anexposeonNewYork’seliteincludinghisfriends.Thisforeshadowsthe show’sfinalerevealingthatheis“GossipGirl”andhewastheonerevealing theirdeepestsecretinthepastyears.
BothGossipGirlandTheGreatGatsbyplaywiththeconceptsofmoneyand wealthgaps.Thepiecesshowtheins-and-outsofwealthandwhatitcandoto people.NickandDanstartasoutsiderswhoareconsumedbytheiraffluent friends. In the end, they take themselves out of the narrative and watch as everythingaroundthemfallsapart.
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High School’s Facade on Television
Benjamin Carrillo, Editor in Chief
HighschoolisoneofthefewthingsthateverypersonintheUSexperiences,and because of this universal experience, the representation of high school on televisionispivotal.Anythingdoneincorrectlywillbescrutinizedmorethan somesortofalienmovieor90sslasherwouldbe.Theneedforrealistichigh schoolrepresentationisabundant,butdespitethisabundancethere’sstillahuge disconnectforwhathighschooltrulyis.
Thefirstfewshowsthattakeplacepredominantlyinahighschooldifferfrom persontoperson.Formepersonally,thefirstthreepiecesofmediaIthinkofare Glee,Euphoria,andHighSchoolMusical,theMusical,theSeries.Thesethree shows couldn’t be more different conceptually, dealing with their different dramas respectively. However, what all these shows have in common is the attempttokeeptheissuesthatthestudentsfacerelativelygrounded.Gleeand HighSchoolMusical,theMusical,TheSeries,hichIwillnowcallHSMTMTSfor simplicity,dealwithmoreeverydayissues,suchasbullyingandrelationship turmoil.
Inacomplete180,HBOMax’sbreakoutsuccessEuphoriadealswithveryserious issues,everyepisodehasexplicitandgenerallydisturbingcontent,rangingfrom abusiverelationshipstodrugabuse.Thesethreeshowstendtoshowtheseissues withfullhonesty,however,beingclearwiththeproblemsthattheydealwith. Euphoriaisdisturbingandraw,butbecauseofthisdisturbingsetting,someof thesetpiecesandpropstendtobetooadultforthehighschoolsetting.Theage oftheactorsinthisshowaremuchhigherthantheaveragehighschoolertoo, whichisappropriateconsideringthecontentmaterial.
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ThelattertwoshowsofGleeandHSMTMTSalsohaveridiculousplotlines,but theirridiculousnessinsetpiecescomesfromaplaceofbeingmusicals,asthey starttoneglectrealismforaestheticism.Thetendencytoneglectrealityforthe aestheticsisconsistentinallthreeshows–allthreeofthemtendtonothave backpacksonthecharacter,wearoutfitsthatareeitherwaytoooldorwaytoo young for the characters, or have dialogue that doesn’t quite sound like somethingastudentwouldactuallysay.Thecharactersinallthreeofthese showsarenothinglikerealhighschoolers.
Thecharactersintheshowputonafacade,afacadethatfooledayoungme beforeIenteredhighschool.Assomeonewhohasjustfinishedaquarterof senior year at the time of writing this article, it's abundantly clear that the realitiesofhighschoolcannottrulybeexperienceduntilyouyourselfenterhigh school.
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What Makes Autumn, Fall?
Ariana Velazquez, Staff
Fallisacommonlylikedseasonoftheyear,foreveryone.Fallisverybeautiful, buttherearemanythingsthatmakethemonthsofSeptember,October,and Novembersoenjoyableforpeople.Thespecificaromas,vibes,andthewayfall makesyoufeelgivefallitsmeaningapartfromitbeingaseason.Ibelievesome thingsaremeantforfall.Onlyfallcangiveyouthefeelingsthatthosethingscan makeyoufeel.
An unspoken rule, which is very well known, is the rule about pumpkins. Pumpkinsaremeantforfall.Pumpkinscentedcandles,pumpkinspicelattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkins in general. All of these pumpkin based items are typicallyfoundinfallandgivefallitsfulleffect.Goingouttoapumpkinpatchto findtheperfectpumpkintocarveanddecoratetogivethepumpkinitsown personality is such a common, yet enjoyable fall activity. The suspense of waitingallofAugusttogettoSeptembersostoresandrestaurantscouldstartto include fall menus and items which always include pumpkins, smelling pumpkinseverywhereyougo,andbakingpumpkinpiesareveryimportantfor fall.Withoutpumpkins,fallwouldlosethefun.
Halloween.Halloweenisaveryimportantholidayforthosewhocelebrateit.Itis adaywhereeveryonecandressuptogetoutoftheircomfortzones,andhave fun, during fall. Fall is referred to as the spooky season to the people who celebrateHalloweenbecauseoftheexcitement,fear,and“spookyfeel”itbrings. The dressing up in costumes, the enjoyable amount of fear you feel when watchinghorrormoviesonHalloween,theexcitementyoufeelwhenseeinghow creativepeoplehavegotteneachyearwiththeircostumes,completetheholiday andseason.
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“Fallcolors”.The“fallcolors”showimportancetotheseasonduetothemeaning ofthename,fall.Thenamefallcomesfromthewayleavesfallofftheirtrees everyautumn.Beforetheseleavesfall,theychangeintoshadesofbrown,red, yellow,andorange.Thesecolorsaretheonlycolorsyousee,apartfromgreen grass,whenyoustepoutsideandfeelthewarmthofthebreeze.Theweather feelsthewaythesecolorsdo,thesamesubtlebutattentiongrabbingfeelthe colorsgive,theweathergives.
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The Exclusion of Aroace People from Queer Spaces (Part 1)
Cameron Cain, staff
Somelesserknownsexualitiesinthequeercommunityarearomanticismand asexuality.Aromanticismorbeingaromanticiswhensomeoneexperienceslittle tonoromanticattraction,whileasexualityiswhensomeoneexperienceslittleto nosexualattraction.Aromanticisoftenshortenedtoaroandasexualisoften shortened to ace, the combination of the two identies being aroace and the spectrumbeingknownasaspec.Peoplestillclaimthataromanticandasexual people have no place in the queer community, despite their history. This is becauseoftheirlackofromanticismorsexuality,eventhoughbeingqueerisn’t definedbyyourrelationships.
Whenpeoplelookbackonqueerhistory,thereislittletonomentionofpeople whoarearomanticorasexual.Thisleadspeopletobelievethatbeingaspecis somenewthingthatwasrecentlymadeup,whenitwasn’t.Aspecpeoplehave existedforalongtime.AnarticlebyLGBTIQA+Greensstateshowin1869a pamphletprotestingPrussianSodomyLawsreferredto“peoplewhoeschewall sexualcontactwithother…hecalledthesepeople‘monosexual’”andin1896a scientificmanualdefendingtherightsofgaypeople“mentionedpeoplewithout sexualdesireandusedthetermanesthesiasexual.”Howevertheseexamples onlyincludeasexuality,examplesofaromanticisminhistoryevenharderto find.
People also tend to believe that people on the aroace spectrum aren’t queer enoughwhenthatisnotthecase.Aspecpeoplehavefoughtforrecognitionfor years,especiallyrecentlyasabetterunderstandingofqueerindividualsbeginto rise.Withoutgoingtoodeepintothehorrorsaspecpeoplecanface,manypeople believetheycan“fix”aspecs,forcingthemintocertainsituationsinordertodo so.Duetothismanypeopleonthearoacespectrumstayintheclosetandeven
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date in order to pass as straight. Due to society’s intense emphasis on relationships, it's impossible for anyone to go throughout their life without datingwithoutitbringingupanyquestionsfromtheirpeers.
Oneaphobicmicroaggressionisdisplayingandfeelingsympathyattheideaof peoplenotwantingromanticorsexualrelationships.Thispitytowardsanyone whodoesn’twantarelationshiptiesintotheideathataromanticandasexuals arebrokenandthathappinessisdirectlytiedtohavingapartner.Itisalsotied totheideathataspecpeopleareloveless,whichisn’ttrueforeveryone.Some aspecpeoplearegenuinelyloveless,butalotothersexperienceotherformsof attractionsuchasplatonic,aesthetic,familiar,andsensualattraction.Some aromanticpeopleexperienceromanticattractionbutdon’twantarelationship, someexperiencenoromanticattractionbutwantarelationship.Andthesame goesforasexualswithsexualattraction.Bothasexualityandaromanticismisa spectrumandnoteveryoneexperiencesbeingarospecoracespecthesameway.
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The Queen Draped In Purple
Spruce Rants-Bigam, Staff
ToanOutsider,itiseasytoassumethataHighestlifeisfilledwithglamourand thefinestofthingsfromslavestofabricstothefoodtheyeat.Andthey’dbe correct,butthemostwellguardedsecretamongsttheHighestoftheFyeEmpire iswhatittakestogetthere,andwhatittrulymeanstobeamemberofthe Highest.
CouncilMeeting1,342 AevumEmpire
When Queen Ernesh took the throne, it caused uproar throughout the Fye Empire.Therehadnotbeenachangeinruleinoverthreemillennia,andit broughtthenewruleunderquestion.However,iftheotherHighCouncilors wishedtoplacesomeoneoftheirchoiceintheSeatofJinkso,thentheywould havetorevealhowpowertransferredbetweenthemembersoftheHighest,and thatwasnotariskanyofthemwaswillingtotake.Thus,whenayounggirlby thenameofErneshwalkedintotheCouncilmeetingthreedayslater,shewas metwithlowgrumblesandonlytheslightestofquestioningatherlegitimacy. ShewascladintheclothesofaLowestchild,andmuchtothedisgustofthe othercouncilors,placedherbare,grassstainedfeetonthetableasshetilted backherSeatprecariously.Slowly,theSeatshiftedfromtheelegantgraceofthe previousCouncilorintoanimageoftwistedironandjaggededges.Withasharklikesmile,shegazedaroundthetable,slowlycommittingeachfacetomemory. Theothermembersbeganshiftingunderherpredatorygaze,andjustasthe Jua’maiCouncilorwasabouttoscoldherforherimpotence,shejoltedforward,
feetleavingthetableandchairslammingintothefloorwithaBANGinonefluid movement.Sheleanedforward,lacingherfingerstogetherunderherchin.
“So,”shepurred,“shallwebeginthenegotiations?”
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