The Tufts Daily - Friday, February 5, 2021

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VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 3

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T HE T UFTS DAILY tuftsdaily.com

Friday, February 5, 2021

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Students profit off of GameStop short squeeze, share opinions

by Alex Viveros News Editor

Several Tufts students reported profiting off of investments made in multiple short squeeze stocks last week, including GameStop and AMC, during what was an especially unusual week on Wall Street.

One month ago, GameStop’s stock was at a modest price of $17.25 a share. Last week, however, the stock price skyrocketed to an all-time high of $483 on Jan. 28, before plunging back to under $100 earlier this week.

The lead-up to this monumental surge in share prices began several weeks ago, when the popular subreddit r/ WallStreetBets — a forum consisting of a community of largely retail investors that exchange in both financial chatter and their fair share of memes — found out that a handful of large hedge funds were in the process of shorting the stocks of several struggling retail companies, including GameStop and AMC. see GAMESTOP, page 2

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The Wall Street sign is pictured in front of the New York Stock Exchange.

FEATURES

Kognito prepares Tufts community to support peers in distress

by Juanita Asapokhai

Assistant Features Editor

In March 2020, Tufts Health and Wellness sent an email inviting students to participate in Kognito: a 30-40-minute online mental health education program that teaches students, staff and faculty how to engage a student who approaches them with mental health-related distress. In the program, the user interacts with a simulated student, and has the opportunity to observe the impact of different responses on the student’s body language, verbal communication and the overall progress of the conversations.

Nearly a year later, a mental health task force composed of students and members of departments within Health and Wellness — including Counseling and Mental Health Services — is revitalizing the program at Tufts.

It comes at a time when increased isolation, loss of employment and loved ones and illness-related anxiety pose major threats to the mental well-being of the Tufts community.

Michelle Bowdler, executive director of Health and Wellness, used a phrase that has become a catch-all term to describe the

events of the past twelve months: “How many times can we say this is ‘an unprecedented time?'”

But while Kognito is especially well-suited to the current socially distanced conditions of the world, the implementation of the program at Tufts has been on the docket since early 2020, and is the culmination of a recent movement towards improving mental health services on campus that began almost four years ago.

“It was a combination of [interest] from faculty, staff, and students who over time had said to us that they were interested in developing more skills in terms of if somebody was struggling … [they wanted] to feel like they knew who and how to refer [them to],” Bowdler said. “We had done some work particularly with faculty on how to help a student in distress, but they were still looking for a little bit more practical information on top of what the counseling center already does with training.”

The opportunity to offer this information came in 2017, when a private donor approached Health and Wellness with funds to be allocated toward mental health projects. For the first three years these funds support-

ed mindfulness and meditation programs, aimed at stress and anxiety reduction. In the last year, the donor expressed interest in a project that would destigmatize mental health and make people more comfortable if their peers approached them with concerns.

The mental health task force proposed Kognito to the donor, singling it out as one of few evidence-based mental health training programs that was, at the time, listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices — a federal database of mental health and substance abuse treatment programs backed by scientific research. The registry has since been suspended by federal health officials.

In addition to higher education programming, Kognito offers mental health education and training for educators working with preschoolers through twelfth graders, healthcare workers and government or nonprofit organization employees. The program also features specific training modules for mental health-related issues like bullying, management of chronic disease and substance abuse. According to see KOGNITO , page 4

Still no date on Somerville schools’ return to inperson learning

by Alexander Thompson Assistant News Editor

More than 10 months after schools closed due to the pandemic, Somerville’s public school students still do not know when they will set foot in their classrooms again.

In a town hall on Jan. 26, Somerville Public Schools and city of Somerville officials discussed plans for the eventual return to in-person learning but declined to give set start dates for any of the phases.

City officials cited major hurdles to in-person learning, one of which is that they are aiming to install upgraded air filters, as well as a number of other modifications to increase air circulation, in school buildings, but they are not done yet.

Rich Raiche, the city’s director of infrastructure and asset management, showed attendees projections that renovations at Somerville High School will be completed between this week and the middle of March. The work at a number of the city’s elementary and middle schools will be finished

SPORTS / back

ARTS / page 5

OPINION / 8

Chiefs or Bucs? See our predictions for the Super Bowl inside

Tufts students self-publish books, discuss journeys

Viewpoints: Awaiting COVID-19 vaccines at Tufts

sometime between mid-February and the end of March, with others potentially not being finished until the end of August.

Somerville Public Schools will not reopen before the completion of the filtration projects, and because the city does not have set dates for when that will occur, it cannot offer parents and students a fixed return schedule.

“We acknowledge that it can be frustrating for the families because we’re not standing here and saying this is the date your student is going to this building,” Raiche said. “While we beg everyone’s forgiveness for that level of complexity … it’s the best and fastest way to get students back into the buildings with the least disruptions to the families.”

In November, the city announced a tentative in-person reopening plan that would have begun in December and under which most younger students would have been in hybrid instruction by now. However, delays in the filtration upgrades scuttled those plans. see SCHOOLS, page 3 NEWS

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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OPINION

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, February 5, 2021

THE TUFTS DAILY Megan Szostak Editor in Chief

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Major hedge funds lost money as small investors made small fortunes

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The GameStop logo is pictured.

GAMESTOP

continued from page 1 A short happens when an investor — in this case, the hedge funds — bets against a stock, predicting that it will go down.

The investor does this by buying shares in a company and then selling them, all while agreeing to buy the shares back at some point in the future. If the stock price then falls, which they assume it will, the investor can buy the shares back for a fraction of their original price and pocket the profits.

However, if the stock price in a shorted company increases significantly, the investor would be forced to buy back their shares at a higher price, thus losing money.

As more and more investors rush to buy back their shares in order to cover their losses, the price of the stock shoots up even further. This is known as a short squeeze, and it is what allowed for GameStop’s stock price to rise to unforeseen levels.

By this logic, an investor would need a fair level of confidence that the price of a shorted stock would go down in order to justify taking on such a risk. In the past several years, GameStop — a once-popular video game retailer — has struggled to compete with the likes of Amazon, an effect that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Christopher McHugh, an adjunct lecturer in the economics department, several hedge funds predicted that retail companies such as GameStop would eventually fail. “[The stock] should go to zero … and then the hedge funds all crowd in to short them,” McHugh said. “And they should be right.

By all kinds of logic, the stock shouldn’t go way up.”

But in mid-January, the situation began to change unpredictably for the hedge funds that had shorted several stocks.

Sean Kumar, vice president of the Tufts Trading Fund, first heard about the potential for a GameStop short squeeze from the r/WallStreetBets subreddit on Jan. 19.

“At the time, I was browsing the subreddit … and I recall seeing a lot of … information about the potential for a GameStop short squeeze,” Kumar, a senior, said. “Nothing on that board is investment advice, so I took it upon myself to do some more research about if I could lend any credence to these claims.”

After making his initial assessment, Kumar decided to place his investment in GameStop around the time that it hit $58 a share on Jan. 22. At the same time, countless other small investors across the country were also deciding to purchase shares in GameStop.

The sudden push from small investors to buy shares in GameStop was not necessarily tied to immediate changes within the video game company. Rather, there was a general consensus between members of r/WallStreetBets and across the internet that by inflating the stock price of these often-nostalgic retail companies, they were ‘standing up’ to the hedge funds that had shorted the stocks.

Kian Golshan was one of those small investors. A senior studying international relations and entrepreneurship, Golshan also heard of the potential short squeezes from r/WallStreetBets and made a profit off of his stake in GameStop and AMC.

“I took a few days of time to make sure I really understood what was happening with the short squeeze, and that’s what prompted me to then be comfortable enough to purchase shares,” Golshan said. “Nothing crazy. It’s pretty outside my risk profile, and if anything, it just felt cool to be a part of this moment in time.”

What ensued was an unpredictable volatility in the market that quickly became a national story. From Jan. 22 to Jan. 26, the stock rose from about $64 a share to $146 a share. Then, on Jan. 27, share prices soared to $380 before reaching their alltime high on Jan. 28.

As the stock prices went up, several small investors made small fortunes. Alternatively, the hedge funds that had bet against the shorted stocks reportedly lost billions. One major fund, Melvin Capital, lost more than 50% in January as a result.

Kumar shared that he had made a return of over 500% on his initial investment from the rise. He also said that he imagines that the losses on Wall Street may lead to changes in the behavior of hedge funds.

“I think that there’s going to need to be a reevaluation of how hedge funds manage their risk and how they can avoid similar steps like this in the future,” Kumar said.

On Jan. 28, Robinhood, a popular brokerage app among small investors, temporarily blocked users from purchasing new shares in certain stocks, including GameStop. The demand for GameStop stock purchases had become so significant that Robinhood shut down the buying of the stock on their app, cit-

ing volatility in the market. The controversial move drew outrage from a swath of the public.

Among the outraged were politicians from both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes and Sen. Ted Cruz.

McHugh also said he believes that Robinhood and other brokerage firms should refrain from restricting users on their desired purchases.

“They shouldn’t have restricted,” McHugh said. “I think to regulate it just hurts those who want to come in and give it a try.”

Kumar said he believes that Robinhood decided to halt the purchase of new shares in certain stocks because of a liquidity problem. His claims are backed by several reporters, although Robinhood has denied that there was a liquidity problem.

Shaikat Islam, a computer science major who invested in the highly volatile cryptocurrency DogeCoin last week, advised that new investors remain cautious when considering high-risk stocks.

“It’s a good way to make money, but it’s also a better way to lose it,” Islam, a senior, said.

Kumar shared similar remarks, adding that he believes that Americans, Tufts students included, should place increased value in understanding financial systems.

“A lot of people have an impression that getting into the market to make money can be that money is made overnight … but the best way to build your wealth, and to build financial stability is to invest for the long term,” he said. “I believe that most Americans should work hard on making financial literacy a priority.”

News

Friday, February 5, 2021 | News | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Medford, Somerville Public Schools in phased return to school SCHOOLS

continued from page 1 Negotiations with the Somerville Educators Union, which represents the district’s teachers, are also putting a brake on reopening.

Though he told the attendees that all other unions representing Somerville Public Schools staff have reached agreements with the city, Andre Green, the Ward 4 School Committee chair, gave few details on the substance of the negotiations with the teachers.

“I think it is fair to say that it is our strong desire not to force teachers back, and a lot of what the negotiations are about is ‘what are the things we can do to reassure educators about the

safety of our reopening plans?’”

Green said.

The teachers union has continuously demanded the implementation of thresholds determining when to trigger remote learning before an in-person return. The district has repeatedly, and again at the Jan. 26 meeting, refused to comply.

Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone has followed a much more cautious approach to reopening schools than Gov. Charlie Baker and many surrounding communities.

In the Tuesday town hall, he and Superintendent Mary Skipper (LA’89, AG’96), thanked parents for their patience, but defended the city’s approach.

“There is absolutely no question that this has taken much longer than any of us wanted it to take,” Curtatone said. “But really given the unpredictability and still evolving nature of the virus, we are confident that this is still the right approach for our community.”

A hasty reopening could be worse than no reopening at all if it caused an outbreak and sent students back online, the mayor argued.

Pressure has grown in recent months to return students to the classroom. Parents have been raising concerns about the social and emotional toll of online learning for children in town halls since August. In the fall,

a group of in-person advocates formed Somerville Parents for an Equitable and Safe Opening, a group that has over 380 members on Facebook.

Neighboring Medford Public Schools began a phased return to hybrid, in-person learning last September.

When the phased reopening eventually begins in Somerville, high-needs students, such as students with learning disabilities and English language learners, will come back to classrooms first and will be in-person every day except Wednesday, Skipper said.

Students experiencing homelessness will also be considered.

A few weeks after that phase, preschoolers and kindergarteners

would follow, with half attending on Monday and Tuesday and the other half attending on Thursday and Friday. On days when students are not physically in school, they will still engage in synchronous and asynchronous learning.

With exceptions, most high school students will not be back in school until at least April or May, Skipper said. She added that some students may not return to school at all this academic year.

Chad Mazza, assistant superintendent, noted that virtual learning will remain an option.

“Students whose families choose to remain remote … you will continue to be taught by a subgroup of [Somerville Public Schools] teachers,” Mazza said.

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The West Somerville Neighborhood School is pictured on Jan. 1.

COVID-19 AT TUFTS

4 Friday, February 5, 2021

Features

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CMHS, students work with faculty on understanding mental health concerns

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services is pictured on Aug. 28, 2020.

KOGNITO

continued from page 1 Bowdler, one of the most valuable aspects of the program is its roleplay feature.

“I [found that feature] was particularly important for people who may not feel like they’re equipped. Students are going to professors with [mental health] concerns, so to show that [certain] kinds of responses can shut someone down and that some other [responses] might be more helpful — I found that as important as anything else,” Bowdler said.

Kognito is intended to supplement existing mental health education and programming at Tufts, all of which were converted to virtual formats this school year. For students, Counseling and Mental Health Services conducts an orientation program for first-years and facilitates mental health training for resident assistants prior to the start of a school year. For faculty, Counseling and Mental Health Servicesand other Health and Wellness Center professionals administer “gatekeeper training,” a 60-90-minute program that has taken place across departments for several years. “[Gatekeeper training] is really a term for helping people understand what services are available at [Counseling and Mental Health Services], when something qualifies as a mental health emergency, and how to give an appropriate referral that is most likely to help someone get the help that they need,” Bowdler said. The training is intended to make professors effective liaisons between Counseling and Mental Health Servicesand the student body.

Still, the mental health professionals advocating for Kognito describe it as an addendum, and not a replacement for any existing programming. Newly appointed Mental Health Promotion Specialist Erica Schonman, whose work on campus will include

outreach and the creation and implementation of mental health education programs, starting with Kognito, emphasized this point.

“I think this is a tool that they can add into their toolbox to help their peers,” Schonman said. “This alone will not solve all of the mental health problems on campus, but it is one tool that can help.”

Bowdler echoed these sentiments.

“I feel like we do have a campus that cares a lot about the student experience,” Bowdler said. “I have really been heartened by the concern that both faculty and students have come to us with, and parents saying, we would like to know that issues of mental health are being addressed from all angles … So [Kognito] is just an additional tool at a really important time that we hope people will at least take a look at. And if it helps them have some additional tools for themselves and others, great.”

Another one of Kognito’s positive qualities is a facet of its digital nature.

“It’s self-paced, so students who may not have time to do it all at once can start, log out, log back in, et cetera,” Schonman said.

Bowdler added that another perk of the program is that users can return and review the techniques they learned at their convenience.

Perhaps the most interesting element of Kognito is the feedback feature. At the end of a module, Kognito asks for feedback about the relevance and efficacy of certain responses and scenarios, and over time modifies the program to meet the needs and address the concerns of users.

“My understanding is that [Kognito] is a program that has continued to evolve to incorporate that kind of feedback. The program that you see today is not the same program that it was a year ago, or two years ago, or so on,” Schonman said.“So I

do highly recommend that folks share their feedback because it’s an evolving program.”

Though many members of the mental health task force that brought Kognito at Tufts into fruition are employees under the Health and Wellness umbrella, the role of students and student groups like Active Minds at Tufts was key in the implementation of Kognito.

“Last year there was a big faculty meeting where Active Minds presented on some recommendations that they were hoping faculty could implement related to mental health,” Bowdler said.

“The faculty heard students present some data about what students who have mental health issues worry about [and] what they want professors to know.”

Active Minds’ recommendations were met with overwhelmingly positive reception from faculty members.

“They practically gave them a standing ovation,” Bowdler said. “Some of them raised their hands and said … ‘I think all of us want to feel like we’re wellequipped and want to do right by our students, and so we don’t feel defensive, we actually feel like this is something we care deeply about, we care deeply about our students, and we welcome the training, and we welcome feedback.’ It was a really wonderful meeting.”

The ideas behind Kognito fit perfectly within the goals of Active Minds, a student group dedicated to reducing stigma surrounding mental illness and promoting positive self-care strategies through various educational programs, according to co-President Sarah Beatty.

Outside of giving presentations at faculty meetings, Active Minds works to share resources and coordinate mental health education and self-care programming for the student body.

According to Beatty, Active Minds plans to be an advocate for the program this semester.

“We’ve taken it upon ourselves to all go through the program and really understand it so we can figure out ways to promote it, and promote it in an accurate manner,” Beatty said. “[We can identity] some of the gaps we can fill for further education on how to help people and help our friends who might be struggling.”

Though mental health struggles are common on college campuses, it goes without saying that the experiences and mental health concerns of students are unique and differ between individuals. Although Tufts has not purchased all of the training modules, Kognito does offer programs specifically about mental health-related discussions for LGBTQ+ students, which includes educational information about sexual orientation and gender identity. Another module focuses on trauma-informed policing with tribal youth.

Despite growing scientific literature about the impact of race-related stress or trauma on the mental health of people of color, Kognito does not include a module for race-related psychological distress scenarios.

Schonman said that while Kognito does not explicitly provide guidance for helping students or peers with race-related trauma, many of the skills they learn in the general training can be applied to such situations.

“Skills like non-judgmental listening, recognizing signs of distress, and encouraging help-seeking could be useful for students dealing with many kinds of mental health stressors, including race-related psychological distress,” Schonman said.

Schonman emphasized that students, faculty and staff should use their discretion when attempting to help their students in this way. “Even though the skills might be transferable, before speaking with someone experiencing race-related trauma – or any other type of distress – you may need to think critically about how to tailor or tweak these skills to fit the situation.”

At this point in time, Kognito training is optional, though it is “strongly recommended,” Bowdler said. Part of Schonman’s role as Mental Health Promotion Specialist is promoting the program. Though participation was low when Kognito was first introduced, the task force is hopeful that those numbers will uptick in the future.

“We really did chalk up the initial lack of interest to the fact that we sent out this email right before people quickly had to leave campus, and we felt like people had too much on their minds over the summer to be sending out [another] Kognito message,” Bowdler said. “So we [planned]

a reminder, and we’ve recently [sent] it out, to say, ‘You know what, we actually want more people to be looking at this.’”

The most recent email communication about the program was sent to students last month on Jan. 8.

While Bowdler explained that the program is not mandatory, to avoid burdening students during an already difficult school year, Beatty asserts that it ought to be.

“I think it should be required.

I absolutely do,” Beatty said. “I think that, department to department it differs, but there is still an issue with a lot of students feeling unheard by professors, and feeling like professors might not quite understand positive ways to communicate with students who feel the need to disclose what they’re going through.”

Beatty also commended the program for its ability to condense several important techniques into a relatively short amount of training time.

“I think empathy is a skill that is really important to practice.

Even if you’re a psychology professor that has a ton of experience with this, it’s sometimes nice to go back to basics and be like, ‘Yeah, of course,’” Beatty said.

“Humans are unpredictable, and every situation is different. But as a baseline, it is great, and we’re so impressed.”

In terms of long-term goals, Schonman expressed an interest in seeing significant participation growth on all three campuses.

“I would love to see the numbers of folks — staff, faculty, students — who are choosing to participate in Kognito increase,” Schonman said. “And with that, I think having more open conversations about mental health, or about helping students in distress [will follow]. That may be a hard thing to quantify, but I think it’s something that you can feel on a campus. You can tell from the conversations folks are having … how that’s impacting the campus climate.”

Kognito’s implementation is a part of an ongoing trend toward approaching mental health at Tufts from a “public health perspective,” Bowdler explained.

“We’re public health people — it’s not just about treatment, it’s about education and prevention, and community,” Bowdler said. “This is not just about teaching everyone how to refer to the counseling center, but to think about issues like self-soothing, self-compassion, and [to remind ourselves] — as Active Minds says — ‘you are enough, you are enough,’ and really trying to destigmatize mental health and mental illness as something that people would be reluctant to talk about or feel ashamed, when they shouldn’t be.”

You can access Kognito through the Counseling and Mental Health Services website.

ARTS & POP CULTURE

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Friday, February 5, 2021

Tufts student author series, Part 1

by Devina Bhalla Arts Editor

People don’t often think of young adults as authors.

However, two Tufts students the Daily had the chance to interview shatter that misconception. Senior Claire Fraise and sophomore Mark Lannigan both self-published books before even arriving at Tufts.

Lannigan published a book of short stories toward the end of his senior year of high school entitled “Stunningly Mortal” (2019). It includes three alternative history short stories.

However, he didn’t begin the writing process thinking he was going to write a book. At the beginning of high school, Lannigan decided to take up writing short stories and ended up with many. Though he began writing just for fun, it was the prompting of friends and a teacher that made Lannigan consider publishing. “It was actually one of my teachers in high school who told me, ‘hey, you know, you should publish this’ … I don’t think I would have if it wasn’t for people telling me that that was a tangible option,” he said.

The biggest obstacle for him in self-publishing was not knowing how to go about the process at first. He reached out to different companies, did some research and eventually found “The Book Patch,” which he felt was the best match for his book.

They helped him format the book, and Lannigan had a friend design the cover.

Fraise, on the other hand, published her first book through Amazon and used CreateSpace for its layout, cover and print-on-demand services. The company has since merged with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing print service. However, the inception of her book occurred many years earlier.

She always knew that she wanted to write. When Fraise was in middle school, she sat down with the first chapter of “The Hunger Games” (2008) and basically rewrote it, paraphrasing each sentence to help her

internalize the flow and narrative organization.

From there, she took what she learned from her experience reading and studying books she loved and applied it to writing a story of her own. Two years later, Fraise began writing a young adult dystopian novel titled “Imperfect” (2015) and published it when she was 15.

“I knew that I wanted to write a book when I was 11, and when I was 13 [I] knew I wanted to write that book,” Fraise commented.

This experience made her fall in love with writing, publishing and sharing stories. “The reason that I am so compelled to write is that … I have that level of love for my own stories and the worlds I make in my head … [and it] allows me to examine things I haven’t necessarily experienced … [as well as] understand people better,” she said.

Both authors talked about how finding time between classes and homework is important in order to continue writing. For Lannigan, writing is a way to de-stress, even when he has a lot of work to do. “If I have a lot of academic work, then I’ll take some time out of my day and write … as a de-stress tactic.”

In addition to setting aside time every night to write, Fraise uses outlining to help her writing process. Her extensive and detailed outlining with color-coded Excel documents helps her ideas flow when it comes time to write. “I just try to keep it as organized as possible so when it actually comes to the part where I sit down to write I don’t have to do a lot of thinking.”

Beyond the obstacle of time management, an even bigger challenge is trying to figure out how to get something published.

“From my experience,” Lannigan advised, “I would say don’t be intimidated by the process of self-publishing. It’s not as bad as it looks. And when it does look daunting, whether you’re publishing or self-publishing, just reach out to the company and they’ll hopefully help you through.”

Both Fraise and Lannigan also talked about their future writing

COURTESY AMAZON

The cover of Claire Fraise’s book ‘Imperfect’ (2015) is pictured. plans and books yet to be published. Lannigan is working on a second edition of “Stunningly Mortal,” while writing another separate but complementing book of short stories.

Fraise has two books coming out this year. Her para-

normal thriller, “They Stay,” will be published in July 2021 and her coming-of-age novel entitled “The Girl Under the Covered Bridge” will be published fall 2021.

For any aspiring writers, Fraise’s advice is: “If you want

to write and publish a book, I think you need to dedicate yourself to it … you have to show up for yourself and show up for your story.”

Note: Elizabeth Sander ’21 contributed to the reporting of this piece.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | ARTS & POP CULTURE | Friday, February 5, 2021

tuftsdaily.com

‘It’s okay to cry’: Remembering Sophie

by Chris Panella and Yas Salon Arts Editors

Sophie Xeon, better known as Sophie, died in Athens, Greece on Jan. 30 following an accidental fall. Hailed as “one of the most intriguing new presences in experimental pop,” the Grammynominated producer was a true visionary.

The impact of Sophie’s work cannot be understated. At only 34 years old, the artist had worked with some of the largest acts in the industry, including Nicki Minaj, Vince Staples and Madonna. Moreover, many acclaimed up-and-coming artists in pop likely wouldn’t have their careers if not for Sophie’s work.

For example, Charli XCX’s 2016 rebrand from a bubblegum pop princess to the reigning queen of experimental pop wouldn’t have been possible without Sophie’s production work on “Vroom Vroom EP” (2016). Additionally, Laura Les of musical duo 100 Gecs cited Sophie as an inspiration for her work, saying “It’s impossible to overstate the influence [Sophie] had on me and countless others.”

Beyond influencing individual artists, Sophie and collaborator A. G. Cook ushered in an entirely new era of pop: hyperpop. The genre that Sophie helped spawn is an over-the-top mix of EDM and conventional pop marked by cluttered sounds, heavy synths and comically-excessive autotune. Sophie’s early work helped set the foundation for hyperpop, notably with the artist’s compilation album, “Product” (2015). For this project, the artist released eight songs between 2013 and 2015, each with a computer-generated image of a slide serving as the cover art. The songs blur the line between noise and music, between artificial and real.

Listeners can make out sounds that appear to be samples — pots and pans banging, liquid pouring and even pigs squealing. What makes it so audacious is the fact that Sophie never used samples when creating this album; all sounds used on the album were created completely by Sophie.

The artificiality of both Sophie’s production methods and the resulting sound formed the basis of this genre.

In 2018, Sophie followed “Product” with the critically-revered studio debut “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides.”

As a whole, the album builds upon and exceeds its predecessor. The album garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The

COURTESY IMDB

A promotional poster for Sophie’s song “It’s Okay to Cry” is pictured. release of the album’s lead single, “It’s Okay to Cry,” marked Sophie’s public debut; previously, Sophie had remained anonymous, using other’s vocals on tracks. In October 2017, Sophie dropped a music video in which the artist posed from the neck up in front of a green screen depicting images of the sky.

Sophie’s identity — more specifically, gender identity — had long been speculated. In this music video, Sophie was made known on the producer’s own terms. Later confirmed in an interview with Paper magazine, this video alluded to the fact that Sophie was a transgender woman. Other tracks in “Oil of Every Pearls Un-Sides” thematically allude to self-presentation and identity; “Faceshopping,” a track that oscillates between harsh industrial beats and bub-

bly vocals, has been described by fans as “unapologetically trans.” On “Immaterial,” the vocalist sings “Immaterial girls, immaterial boys/I can be anything I want,” which has also been celebrated as an expression of “trans euphoria.”

Sophie’s lyricism and production skill shine in tracks like “Immaterial,” where the lyrics declare “I could be anything I want…/I can’t be held down.”

Sophie’s revelrous lyrics feel especially heavy following the producer’s death. The producer had an almost other-worldly quality that felt more imaginative and bold than the world was capable of holding.

Sophie made an immeasurable impact on both music and the queer community. While the death of the producer marks a devastating loss, there is some

solace in the fact that Sophie’s presence will exist for a long time. So much of current pop has been fundamentally shaped and inspired by the futuristic, bold sound that Sophiehelped spawn so that the artist’s impact will be felt for years to come.

The following fifteen songs do not even scratch the surface of Sophie’s brilliant work and production, but they offer even the most ardent fan a well-rounded exploration of the artist’s impact.

“Lemonade” (2015): this bubbly track was just as striking in 2014 as it is today. SOPHIE’s production fizzles and whistles in our ears, unlike anything we’ve ever heard.

“Is It Cold in the Water?”

(2018): an entrancing track that flashes like strobe lights, almost hypnotically swelling around its angelic vocals.

“Whole New World (Sophie and Doss Remix)” (2019): what’s reminiscent of xylophone bars quickly becomes a sweat-soaked, head-banging, heart-pounding rave.

“Unsil” (2021): Sophie’s most recent release is a rambunctious track with an incredible tempo and energy. It sounds like a master at work, with nothing to prove except that anything touched turns to gold.

“Vyzee” (2015): this earlier work gurgles and twists, encouraging us to “shake it up and make it fizz” (but only if that’s what we want to do).

“Vroom Vroom” (2016): the Charli XCX song is perhaps one of the most important in recent history — it’s not an exaggeration to say that SOPHIE’s delicious production changed what pop could sound like.

“It’s Okay to Cry” (2018): perhaps the artist’s most important work and music video. It’s referred to as Sophie’s “first proper public appearance,” and its intimacy and focus are unmatched.

“Bipp” (2015): the slick and oily “Bipp” features earworm lyrics, opening Sophie’s “Product” with feverish excitement.

“Ponyboy” (2018): not much can be written about this track in a college newspaper, but it whips our backs and puts us on a leash.

“Girls Night Out” (2018): another Charli XCX banger that zips and shines like a club-ready anthem. “No boys, no boys.”

“Immaterial” (2018): pure euphoria. This vibrant staple from “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides” bounces with energy. Ears are filled with uplifting lyrics, feet are jumping on the dancefloor, and smiles are wide all night.

“Infatuation (Lichtbogen Dreamin’ Remix)” (2019): a more house-inspired remix.

Sophie slowly builds the track’s ecstatic and rhythmic production.

“Hard” (2015): squeaky and squelchy, with bright spots and rumbling darkness. “Hard” is a cacophony of almost palpable sounds.

“Whole New World/Pretend World” (2018): the final track from Sophie’s debut studio album slams and shakes, its altered vocals and sirens practically surrounding us.

“Lipgloss (featuring Cupcakke)” (2017): the zany Charli XCX and Cupcakke duet shows just how versatile Sophie was. The artist’s ability to produce was genre-defying.

Friday, February 5, 2021 | Fun & Games | THE TUFTS DAILY

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LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Ethan: “[InDesign] should not have a self-destruct button.”

Fun & Games

SUDOKU

LINDA C. BLACK ASTROLOGY

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Together, advance by leaps and bounds.

Share ideas and information with friends and colleagues. Community connection weaves a sturdy web. Reaffirm collaborative commitments.

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Difficulty Level: InDesign working properly

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8 Friday, February 5, 2021

Opinion

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VIEWPOINTS

Tufts’ COVID-19 vaccination plan provides reason for optimism, continued caution

NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Medford/Somerville campus COVID-19 testing site is pictured on Sept. 20, 2020.

by Samantha Wilner Contributing Writer

As COVID-19 vaccine distribution unfolds, many see a glimmer of hope in what once looked like endless darkness. Family gatherings, community events and face-to-face interactions are beginning to seem possible once again. However, with this possibility comes a host of questions about access to the vaccine. Who should be the first to get vaccinated? Who counts as eligible or high risk? Will those with privilege have easier access to the vaccine? As the answers to these questions solidify here at Tufts, community members anxiously await the arrival of the vac-

cine. Even as many unknowns persist during these early stages, Tufts has been thoughtful and transparent about its vaccination plans and should continue this trend as the rollout proceeds.

Michael Jordan, university infection control health director, sent an email to the Tufts community on Feb. 1 indicating that the university is doing everything it can to get its students vaccinated. In keeping with Massachusetts state guidelines, Jordan wrote that the majority of the Tufts community will fall into the third phase of vaccine distribution, which includes higher education workers and the general public. This phase is likely to begin in April.

Despite this promising news, the university made it abundantly clear that it does not currently have any vaccines in its possession. As of now, eligible individuals will have to “seek vaccination through public distribution sites in [their own] communities and through [their] own healthcare providers.”

However, once the university has a supply of vaccines, it will have the ability to promptly vaccinate the Tufts community. Jordan announced that Tufts was cleared by the state to “administer the vaccine through the Massachusetts COVID19 Vaccine Program (MCVP).”

This clearance enables Tufts to administer the vaccine direct-

ly rather than relying on third parties, which may expedite the vaccination process for the Tufts community.

Other universities have not received this go-ahead. For example, Vanderbilt University does not qualify as an eligible vaccine distribution site because it is not a health care organization. Vanderbilt and other institutions’ potential ineligibility underscores the logistical challenges involved in administering the vaccine to student populations.

While Tufts has handled the COVID-19 pandemic with caution and care, we must acknowledge the privileges that have allowed it to do so. Here at Tufts, we have been incredibly lucky. While it may feel like a drag to walk to Talbot Avenue and swab our noses every other day, it is a privilege to get tested for COVID-19 so frequently and free of charge. Especially for those without insurance, getting tested for the virus can be as expensive as $127 per test, a sum that most cannot afford on a regular basis. The university’s financial ability to test its students, professors and staff members with such regularity emphasizes the privilege that arises from its status as an elite private university.

With this privilege in mind, even after receiving the vaccine, those at Tufts must be mindful of surrounding communities. The university has been clear that even once students are vaccinated, we will not be returning to normal life. Consider the residents of Medford and Somerville.

They are exposed to Tufts stu-

dents every day on the street, at the grocery store and anywhere else students go. As students have returned to campus, positivity rates at Tufts have reached 0.30%, putting our neighbors at risk. This is especially important to consider should disparities arise between the rates at which students and surrounding residents get vaccinated. While the creation of a vaccine is exciting, we must continue to be conscientious and mindful of those around us.

Furthermore, as Phase 3 approaches and plans begin to fall in place, we should advocate for Tufts to center equity in its distribution approach and to prioritize dining and facilities workers, who comprise incredibly important members of this community. They risk exposure to the virus every day to ensure that the Tufts community can learn in sanitized classrooms with full stomachs. As soon as Tufts can obtain the vaccine, these individuals should be among the first to receive it.

Tufts has been commendable in upholding public health guidelines and keeping students informed, and it seems as though it will continue to do so as the vaccine rollout progresses. While we should praise the university’s efforts, we should also remain cognizant of the privileges it provides us and remember our continued obligation to do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Samantha Wilner is a junior studying Spanish and education. Samantha can be reached at samantha.wilner@tufts.edu.

OP-ED

Medford must act now to protect its residents from eviction

KIT COLLINS

I have always loved living in Medford. As a Tufts undergrad I lived in the dorms and then off-campus housing, and as a post-college resident, I have lived in the same South Medford apartment since 2017. But right now, I am ashamed that Medford is failing to step up on behalf of its most vulnerable residents.

Along with many of my neighbors across the city, I call upon the mayor’s office to issue a local eviction moratorium — immediately.

While it is a tragedy that anyone should be expelled from their home at any time, there has never been a more urgent moment than right now to ensure that all members of our community can remain safely housed.

With the CDC eviction moratorium set to expire on March 31, we find ourselves in the middle of a New England winter, and

with the pandemic raging on, still dangerous and widespread.

At least 29 households in Medford had new eviction cases filed against them after the Massachusetts statewide eviction expired in October. When the CDC moratorium expires, those cases — plus any additional eviction proceedings initiated before the moratorium — are free to resume. The moratorium won’t resolve the threat of eviction for a household in Medford, merely push back the date when it can be acted upon again. And that still leaves, at the very least, 29 of our neighbors and their household members being made to experience the trauma, uncertainty, expense and legal rigmarole of avoiding being cast out of their homes — in the midst of a harrowing and unrelenting pandemic.

A local eviction moratorium could stop this from happening and remove the threat of eviction

from many of our neighbors. And we need not reinvent the wheel: Somerville and Cambridge established emergency eviction moratorium orders in March and April of last year, respectively, and Malden established a local moratorium on eviction enforcement right before Christmas. There is no cause for saying that a similar action is somehow out of reach for Medford, when so many other cities have already used their executive power to ensure their residents can remain in their homes.

It is a terrible thing for anyone to experience housing insecurity at any time, for any reason. But allowing evictions to continue in the midst of a pandemic is a particularly egregious failure. Failing to prevent evictions runs counter to the public health measures that the city of Medford and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts expect (and depend on) people to follow.

How are people to adhere to the

stay-at-home advisory if they are evicted from their homes? How are they to avoid mingling with people from outside their households, or to quarantine if they have been exposed to the virus, if they have no recourse but to “couchsurf” or to stay in crowded shelters? Studies have demonstrated that housing instability and evictions increase COVID-19 transmission rates and deaths, and that these horrible consequences tend to disproportionately affect communities of color.

According to our city government’s very own declaration, we are still in a state of emergency; it is past time to start acting like it.

Medford must follow the lead of our neighboring cities and take bold action to ensure that none of our neighbors endure the tragedy of eviction, or the threat of it, as we all continue to weather the damage of COVID-19.

If we do not seize this most urgent opportunity to demon-

strate how much we value our neighbors and how deeply we care for their safety, then when will we? The time is now.

Together with Our Revolution Medford and residents across the city, I call upon Mayor Lungo-Koehn to act swiftly to keep people in their homes. And I call upon my fellow community members, current Tufts students included, to join in urging Medford to implement a local eviction moratorium before even one more household is threatened with eviction. Call and email City Hall today!

— Kit Collins (LA’15), Peace & Justice Studies Resident of Medford Kit Collins (she/her) is a freelance illustrator and muralist and lives in South Medford. She graduated from Tufts University in 2015 with a B.A. in Peace & Justice Studies. Kit can be reached at kit.b.collins@gmail.com.

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Friday, February 5, 2021 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Brady’s Bucs set to take on Mahomes’ Chiefs SUPER BOWL

continued from back all cylinders lately, and Brady will easily pick apart the Chiefs’ wet paper towel of a defense. At the end of the night, Tom Brady will have seven Super Bowls to his name. The ageless wonder will once again be on top of the sports world.

Sophia Antezana Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score: 28–25 I am predicting a close game, with the Bucs beating the Chiefs by a small margin. The Bucs are equipped with arguably one of the top defenses in the league.

On the offensive side, the Bucs are led by Brady, who is their leader and semi-coach. I think he will ultimately lead the Bucs to a win. The Bucs’ star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will need to play well, but look for the less well-known Scotty Miller, who caught a huge touchdown against the Packers in the NFC championship, to be the X factor. If the Tampa skill position players perform well the Bucs will be able to beat the Chiefs at their own game. Not to mention, the Bucs have a home field advantage, though it is not the conventional home field advantage due to the less-than-capacity crowd as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The familiarity of the stadium and overall atmosphere is one more benefit for the Bucs.

Ethan Grubelich Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 27–17 Make no mistake: The track record of Patrick Mahomes

and the Kansas City Chiefs over the last three seasons is about as impeccable as it gets.

I think we’ve all learned at this point that no lead against the Chiefs is big enough, and the Buccaneers should certainly expect Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense to capitalize on the turnovers that Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers offense couldn’t. The strong Buccaneers pass rush that tormented Green Bay will be quite the challenge for a hobbled Chiefs offensive line, but it’s difficult to imagine them delivering a lethal blow to the historic production of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce that we’ve witnessed all season and even in Tampa in Week 12. I now see in Patrick Mahomes the dominance I once saw in Tom Brady, and I fully expect Mahomes to seize this historic opportunity to keep the GOAT conversation alive for another generation.

Eric Spencer Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 31–24 The Buccaneers have relied on turnovers and poor coaching from the Packers to make it to the Super Bowl. Kansas City’s offense will prove too much to handle and Brady will play well but throw a couple picks on deep shots. The Chiefs will repeat.

Isaac Karp Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 24–17 One question has surrounded the Chiefs all season: Can they flip the switch and realize their potential when it matters most?

The football-watching world found out the answer during the AFC championship game, where the Chiefs crushed the Bills by maximizing their offensive potency. Tyreek Hill outran everyone else on the field, Travis Kelce seemed unguardable and Patrick Mahomes spun the ball almost to perfection. Moreover, the defense, which struggled in the first half of the season, frustrated Josh Allen and captured an interception. While the Buccaneers defensive line will cause Mahomes to make quick decisions, he’s an expert in beating the rush and dissecting the secondary. In fact, last year’s Super Bowl MVP has a higher passer rating against five or more rushers than against four or fewer. Meanwhile, the ‘Tom-pa Bay’ Bucs may have gelled at the right moment, but their offense lacks consistency and their defensive backfield has vulnerabilities that the Chiefs’ passing game is built to exploit. This may come down to a shootout, but when it comes to the head coaches I trust “Big Red” more than B.A. Ananda Kao Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 31–28 Don’t get me wrong — I will always be a Patriots fan and a big fan of Tom Brady. Yet, the “TB12 Method” and some luck in playoff situations can only get him so far, especially when he’s not wearing a Patriots uniform.

There comes a time when the next generation simply catches up and Patrick Mahomes has done that. The power three, as I see it, of Mahomes, Tyreek

Hill and Travis Kelce is hard for anyone to beat, even the once unstoppable Brady-Gronkowski duo. You would be lying if you said you were not in awe of how fast he is every time Hill runs past an entire defensive unit or if your biggest regret this fantasy season was not drafting Kelce when you had the chance. As my home team is — for once — not competing in this year’s Super Bowl, I predict that it will be a high scoring, back-and-forth game, with the Chiefs ultimately claiming back-to-back titles. No — I did not just pick this score because those are the random squares I have or because that’s how many points the Chiefs scored last year; let’s just say it’s a gut feeling.

Henry Gorelik Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 34–24 As if the stakes weren’t high enough already, I love the implication of this Super Bowl as a potential “passing of the torch” game. The game has been billed as Brady, the undisputed GOAT, against Mahomes, the ascending GOAT. In addition to the quarterback play, this game will be decided by whether or not Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unpredictable game plan will rattle Brady, if the Bucs’ lethal pass rush is going to take advantage of a banged-up Chiefs offensive line, how Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense will defend the Chiefs’ innovative run-pass options and if the opportunistic Chiefs defense can make some big plays late. While I’m scared

to bet against Brady, he has looked vulnerable against the Saints and the Packers. Brady is the GOAT and will be at his best on Sunday, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough to beat Mahomes and Co. I’m choosing the present over the past; let Mahomes’ chase for GOAT status begin.

Sruthi Kocherlakota Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score: 35–28 As an Eagles fan who roots strongly against Tom Brady, it pains me to say that I think the Buccaneers will bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year on their home field. For starters, the Bucs defense will be able to contain Mahomes and apply pressure unlike other teams the Chiefs have faced in the playoffs.

With linemen Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz out for the game, they will have an easier time doing this. Although the Chiefs have seven pro-bowlers this season, and clearly have an impressive record heading into the Super Bowl, the Bucs are not to be underestimated in terms of talent. Tom Brady will ultimately lead his team to the Super Bowl win — he is not quite ready to pass the torch to Mahomes.

The Daily’s Sports section is deadlocked, with eight writers taking the Chiefs and eight writers taking the Buccaneers. This Sunday we encourage the Tufts student body to sit back on their couches, dig into some chicken wings or seven layer dip and enjoy one of the great American traditions. Are you ready for some football?

10 Friday, February 5, 2021

Sports

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The Daily’s Sports section predicts Super Bowl LV: It’s a toss-up

by Tufts Daily Sports Staff On Sunday the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will meet the NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. Members of The Daily’s Sports section got out their crystal balls to predict this game of games.

Alex Sharp Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Final Score: 28–23 The best poker player in the world can’t do anything when their opponent flops the nut flush. Tom Brady may be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football, but he’s also the luckiest. He’s won Super Bowls because of the tuck rule, the leg of Adam Vinatieri and Pete Carroll’s mind-numbing decision to throw from the 1-yard line with one of the best power runners of the 21st century in the backfield. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback with the best weapons in the NFL, but you just can’t bet against Tom Brady. Because the football gods love Tom Brady more than Gronk loves to party.

Jake Freudberg Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Final Score: 37–28 Tom Brady will win this Super Bowl.

It makes sense.

B r a d y ’s career has been one of the best sports stories ever written, and the story just wouldn’t make sense if he left the Patriots to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl and then lost. It’s going to be a shoot out.

Both teams have been putting up big numbers in the playoffs, and Brady and Mahomes both have plenty of targets to choose from.

It could come down to turnovers — and the Bucs defense wins that battle. Tampa Bay was third in the league with 101 points off of turnovers in the regular season and has scored 41 points off of turnovers this postseason.

Even if Brady throws three picks like he did against the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago, the Bucs still have a decent chance.

Emma Joyce Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Final Score: 24–21 Although it is hard to pick against the stacked Kansas City offense, I think Tampa Bay will win this one. Tom Brady has been under so much pressure this season with fans questioning his age and whether he can still win with a new team, and

I think he wants this ring more than any of his previous ones.

The Chiefs are also missing both of their starting offensive tackles, so the Buccaneers’ pass rush should have more opportunities to get to Patrick Mahomes. This takes more pressure off of Tampa Bay’s young secondary, who will have their work cut out for them with Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs receivers. If the Buccaneers can shut down Tyreek Hill, they will win the Super Bowl and be the first team to ever do so at home.

Aiden Herrod Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 27–20 There is one factor I’m looking at that can decide this game. This is Brady’s first season in Bruce Arians’ system, and the first time he’s played under someone not named Bill Belichick. Obviously that has not been much of a problem, given the results

we’ve seen so far.

But this factor has led to some troubling cracks in the facade. The Arians system asks the quarterback to sling the ball deep and take more risks than Brady is accustomed to. This can be hugely productive, but can also lead to some costly turnovers.

His three NFC championship interceptions kept the Packers in the game a lot longer than the Buccaneers would have liked. To keep up with Patrick Mahomes, Brady will need to take more risks. This will certainly lead to some dazzling plays, but the Chiefs can punish teams that don’t play at or near perfection.

And with such a close matchup promised, one extra pick could be all the difference needed.

Jeremy Goldstein Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Final Score: 38–24 Hot streaks, to put it bluntly, are a gambler’s pyrite. The

Buccaneers have rolled through the playoffs on an unsustainable string of some of the most positive turnover luck in recent memory — dueling against Sir Patrick Mahomes is not a recipe for continuing such a trend. While the Buccaneers’ young secondary of second and third round picks (Sean Murphy-Bunting, Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean, etc.) has certainly risen to the occasion this season, the Kansas City machine

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is a three-year juggernaut. While there are concerns about KC missing both of their starting tackles, this game will turn into a battle of splash plays, and one of these teams is far more equipped for that type of contest.

Jack Adgate Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score: 31–24 Tom Brady is too good in big games, and the Bucs have been on a tear thus far in the postseason. Their run defense and secondary have been lights

out, shutting down two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

They’ll get to Mahomes early, and give Kansas City’s lethal receiving core little time to get separation from coverage. The run game will be non-existent for the Chiefs. On offense, Brady will belocked in, finding Chris Godwin regularly. The pass game will be supported by Leonard Fournette, who has found the end zone in each of the Buccaneers three playoff games. Brady is simply too good down the stretch, even for the future of the league in Mahomes.

Matt Chen Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score: 34–24 Simply put, Tom Brady is the best quarterback to play the game of football. A Brady-Mahomes rematch after their 2019 AFC championship showdown is something most football fans want to see. The Tampa offense is just too much to handle and Brady will win his seventh Super Bowl. Expect Ronald Jones and Chris Godwin to get a lot of touches early on. Don’t expect the Chiefs to give in. I fully expect Mahomes to work his magic with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to keep Kansas City in this game until the end.

Alex Viveros Winner: Kansas City Chiefs Score: 42–35 Here’s the thing — I haven’t seriously watched football in more than a year. I’ve never seen Tom Brady play in a non-Patriots jersey. I saw a TikTok the other day with Gronk celebrating with Brady, and my first thought was, “Wait, I thought he retired?”

I couldn’t tell you who the Buccaneers’ wide receivers are, and I sure can’t tell you how good the Tampa Bay Defense is (after all, defense is a better predictor of rings than offense is — see Super Bowl XLIX). There’s one thing I do know: Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time. That’s not an opinion, that’s a fundamental fact. This year, Brady proved that while genius-level New England coaching will solidify you as a starter, a quarterback’s game sense, experience and drive is the make-or-break combination in big games. However, hype can only get you so far. I haven’t seen Patrick Mahomes play this year, but from what I’ve seen from him (when he trashed my 49ers in LIV), he has the makings to potentially surpass Brady as the great-

est t o e v e r play the position.

My gut tells me that this will be the start of his dynasty, in a historic, high-scoring game that will go down as one of the best in the modern era.

Matt Goguen Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Score: 35–31 Look, I understand that the Chiefs are a literal super team and it’s almost impossible to cover all of their offensive weapons. However, this is Tom Brady we are talking about. He’s already defeated Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers this postseason and will not finish with a disappointing loss on the Buccaneers’ home field. The game will come down to one single turnover; the Bucs defense must attack Mahomes and apply pressure to him. If their defensive line is able to flush him out of the pocket and force a big turnover, I like the Bucs’ chances.

Their offense has been firing on see SUPER BOWL, page 9