Unprofessional Athletes Essay Example for Free

Unprofessional Athletes Essay Back in the year 1860, the Pony Express was known to be the fastest and most efficient method of sending mail. It had taken approximately ten days for a horse to travel across the country and deliver the parcels to their recipients, an astonishingly short amount of time for the people of that particular era. A little over 150 years after the inception of the Pony Express, technological advances have been made and it is safe to say that a simple message to a friend no longer takes ten days to send, nor does it travel by horse. Now, in the year 2012, a message can be sent simply with a few clicks on a keyboard or a couple clicks of a cell phone. Along with the gratification that comes along with knowing that your message was sent and received instantly, there comes a few dangers. These hazards become a greater risk for those individuals who are in the spotlight, especially professional athletes. If an athlete makes a controversial remark about any issue, he makes himself subject to mass public scrutiny; from there, the athlete may lose the respect of his fans, supporters, and even teammates based on his stance on the particular topic. An athlete may be so preoccupied by social media and how the world perceives them that he may lose focus on his main goal, which is performing well in his sport. Many professional sports leagues have rules set in place against athletes expressing their opinions of certain sports-related topics on social media, so if a player steps out of line and disobeys one of these rules he is subject to a heavy fine enforced by the league’s officials. Social media shouldn’t be used by professional athletes because of the intense microscope they are under on an everyday basis. Professional athletes have a huge following while participating in their craft, but once they enter the world of social media, especially Twitter, some athletes see this crowd start to dwindle down. Many believe that although fans may root for a player during a game, it does not necessarily translate into support off the field in their social life., In Mark Emmons’ Mercury News article entitled â€Å"Amid Giants World Series, Twitter gives fans a glimpse into athletes lives,† Harry Edwards, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of sociology, states that: The [San Francisco] 49ers want guys to interact with fans, but they want them to be smart because when you put something out there, its out there forever. It could end up in your obituary. But its important that fans can feel like they can talk to an athlete and say, Maybe it was a tough day at the office for you guys Sunday, but youll get em next week. Figure.1 Stoudemires actions on Twitter epitomize that anything that is done over social media can be publicized and scrutinized in an instant. Figure.1 Stoudemires actions on Twitter epitomize that anything that is done over social media can be publicized and scrutinized in an instant. Although he has always been on rival opposing teams, Amar’e Stoudemire had been one of my favorite NBA players to watch due to his toughness and high-flying ability. When I first joined Twitter in 2011 he was one of the first people that I knew I had to follow. Unlike some athletes before him, he was—by most people’s standards—a respected professional basketball player who did most of his trash talking between the basketball court’s lines rather than blowing up on Twitter after a game. However, during late June of this year, Stoudemire’s reputation and fan following took a major hit after he angrily messaged a fan in response to the fan’s tweet questioning Stoudemire’s performance on the court. In the direct message as shown in Figure 1.1, Stoudemire uses slanderous and even anti-gay slurs which are blocked out with black boxes. Although he apoligized after the picture went viral, the damage had already been done and his reputation had taken a permanent hit. Stoudemire had begun to lose long-time supporters, including myself, because of the reaction he had to a simple criticism he received over Twitter. Everything an athlete does, especially over social media websites, is heavily scrutinized and can land him in an uncomfortable and unwanted position in the public. All professional athletes must be aware of the fact that with all of the intense training that they put forth in hopes of perfecting their particular craft, social media outlets, especially Twitter and Facebook, can provide unnecessary distractions that may interfere with their performance. It has become such an addiction to some players that they cannot bear to go a whole game without tweeting or writing a status update about their team’s performance. A few years ago during halftime of a game against the Boston Celtics, Charlie Villanueva of the Milwaukee Bucks tweeted this, leading to then-head coach Scott Skiles banning Twitter use during games: â€Å"In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. Were playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up. (si.com â€Å"Twitter Trouble†) The pressures put on athletes by fans is not only felt here in the United States, but also on a global level. Before the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Australian swimmer Emily Seebohm was by far the favorite to win in the 100-meter backstroke, but was just edged out by American teenager Missy Franklin. When asked about her performance, Seebohm claimed to have been distracted by all of the posts from friends and fans back in her home country, causing a lack of sleep and mental preparation that goes into earning a gold medal at the Olympics. (The Telegraph) Professional athletes around the world should not be using any social media or social networking devices because of the negative impact it can have on their on-field performance and thus blocking them from reaching their maximum potential and skill level. It is a necessity for athletes to be cautious with their word choice because of the fines they may receive as a result of their comments. In an April 2012 Time magazine, then Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen blurted out that he loved and respected oppressive Cuban leader Fidel Castro for his unwillingness to be caught and brought down by those looking to end his reign as tyrant. (Time Magazine) These comments were not well received by the Miami community—made up of mostly Cuban immigrants who fled the country to escape from its unruly dictator. Guillen received a five game suspension, but the stain on his reputation was never completely removed. Since the preseason comments made regarding Castro, Guillen continued to make negative comments about his team’s performance, leading to multiple fines from the team’s owner and a loss of respect from a city as a whole. On October 23,2012, just over a year from initially being hired as the Marlins’ manager, Guillen was fired because of a combination of lack of wins on the field and an excess of controversial remarks made off the field of play. Athletes and coaches both need to watch whatever they say to the media or on a social networking site because of the ramifications that the comments may have with the team or sponsors they are currently working for. Many sports fans, myself included, agree that they enjoy witnessing and reading about how the everyday lifestyle of a professional athlete plays out through social media outlets. Despite the enjoyment that I experience from getting an inside glimpse of a professional athlete’s life, I do realize the issue that they may not be setting a prime model for the younger generation that look up to them. No, not all athletes are monsters made out to destroy a child’s innocence through their Twitter, but there are enough poor examples in the world to raise the question of whether or not these athletes should have their own social media outlets due to the issue of molding a younger generation into respectable adults that didn’t have their â€Å"hero’s† identity ripped away by one careless tweet or status update sent out. In the social media world we live in the question is not whether or not we enjoy seeing an athlete’s life play out over Twitter or any other social media outlet, but whether or not the material they post is ethical enough to keep their â€Å"professional† status. We are constantly told that our generation is going through a technological revolution. In fact, new, simpler ways of communicating with each other are being invented every day. However, there is one group that has to be more cautious of what they send out over these social outlets than the rest of us do, celebrities, and in particular athletes. Athletes are constantly being thrown under the spotlight for controversial Figure 2 Although Rashard Mendenhall is exercising his right to free speech, his remarks garnered much animosity toward him and his team. Figure 2 Although Rashard Mendenhall is exercising his right to free speech, his remarks garnered much animosity toward him and his team. remarks made on social media websites, from Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburgh Steelers criticizing people for celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden (Figure 2) to TJ Lang of the Green Bay Packers bashing replacement referees for a blown last second call that cost his team the game. These statements made by athletes can cause them to lose fans across the country and possibly the globe. Social media also provides unwanted distractions to athletes everywhere that may take their mind off of performing to their utmost capability. Also, it can become such a problem that a team may eventually cut or fire a player based off of previous controversial comments made by the athlete. Professional athletes shouldn’t have access to social media outlets, despite the amusement fans see from their day-to-day access. Works Cited Babel, Ryan. â€Å"Twitter Trouble. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0911/twitter.trouble/content.5.ht ml. Berman, Len. Trending Stories. Mashable. N.p., 4 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/social-media-athletes/. Ottesen, Didrik. London 2012 Olympics: Australian Swimmer Emily Seebohm Blames Twitter and Facebook for Failure. Editorial. The Telegraph [London] 31 July 2012: n. pag. The Telegraph. 31 July 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9440774/London-2012-Olympics- Australian-swimmer-Emily-Seebohm-blames-Twitter-and-Facebook-for-failure.html. Ortiz, Maria B. Twitter Gaffes Begat Punishment for Athletes. ESPN. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, 27 July 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/7495/voula-papachristou-inspires- twitter-fail-list.

The Era of Privatisation :: Business Management Studies

The Era of Privatisation Introduction It was under the Thatcher government that the era of privatisation started and it was â€Å"the most radical change in the 20th century British politics† (Young, 2001, p. 1). From 1984 to 1991, the telecommunications, gas, water and electricity industries which were under government control, were sold to become privately owned and controlled. The privatisation of the electricity industry occurred in 1990 but had already begun in 1987 with the creation of a programme describing the different tasks involved in privatising the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. According to Young (2001), the considerable number of privatisations can be explained by the intention of improving the efficiency and a more economic reason concerning the proceeds of the flotation. As far as the case of electricity is concerned, David Parker (1999) argues that the main reason was to promote competition and that all the producers of the four activities (generation, transmission, distribution and supply), could be divided into separate corporations responsible for each activity and open to competition. After the privatisation of the electricity industry, a regulatory office was created, the Office of Electricity Regulation - also known as Offer. The need for regulatory bodies such as Offer can be explained for example by the requirement of preventing unfair competition when several companies work in the same fields or provide customers the same service, or the need to protect the work force. Moreover, as Parker argues it can attract international attention. This essay will firstly attempt to explain the situation of the electricity industry before 1997 and the changes it was subjected to, then it will identify the regulation office responsible for this industry and the role it plays, and finally it will highlight the benefits and the drawbacks of this regulation. I- The situation of the British electricity industry A) A historic review up to 1997 Ø The early days As John Surrey (1996) explains, the Electricity industry existed for about 150 years and it has always required a form of regulation especially when the technology started progressing. The first model of regulation were acts of legislation taken for example after the First World War, in 1926, by the Conservative Government to â€Å"establish the Central Electricity Board as the owner of a national grid† (Surrey, 1996, p. XV). Some of the issues were solved, such as the voltage distribution between the different regions but others remained, like the considerable numbers of suppliers. All these considerations tend to explain the nationalisation of the industry in 1948. Ø Privatisation State control lasted forty years until 1989, however the need to promote competition in generation and in retail electricity supply, and to separate the transmission from the generation, led the Thatcher

The benefits of sward renewal

Philip Creightonl, Michael O'Donovan2 and Laurence Sha11002 Grassland Science Research Department Animal ; Grassland Research and Innovation Centre Teagasc Athenry and Moorepark2 Introduction Grassland in Ireland including rough grazing accounts for over 90% of agricultural land use. Lolium perenne (Perennial ryegrass) is by far the most widely sown grass species accounting for over 95% of forage grass seed sold each year. It produces a dense sward, highly acceptable to livestock with the ability to produce high dry atter yields, especially in spring and autumn reducing the seasonality of production.Achieving good performance from grass is dependent on having high quality perennial ryegrass/clover swards. This paper will outline the important aspects of reseeding pasture, what's happening at farm level, why and when reseeding should be completed, its benefits and costs. What is happening at farm level? A recent survey of a proportion of co-op suppliers from Kerry, Connaught Gold and Glanbia (Creighton et al. , 2011) found a number of significant findings from a eseeding perspective, these are listed below. i. v'. ‘x.Regular reseeding took place on 50% of participants farms, 25% reseed infrequently, 25% never reseed. Of those reseeding, 50% of participants reseed 2-4ha/year, 20% 8. 0 Soil K Index 2 3 4 Soil K ranges (mg/ 0-50 51-100 101-150 > 150 K application rate (kg/ha) 110 75 50 Slurry is a good option to maintain nutrient status. With the increased cost of compounds (P and K) slurry should be used in reseeding, 1000 gallons of slurry at 7% DM is equivalent to 4kg N, 3kg P and 19. 5kg K. At soil index 3, slurry (3000gals/ac) is sufficient to supply the P and K nutrients.Weed control The best time to control docks and all other weeds is after reseeding. By using a post emergence spray seedling weeds can be destroyed before they properly develop and establish root stocks. Established weeds can seriously reduce the yield potential and economic lifetime of the reseeded sward. From the survey information it is clear that only 50% of farmers are applying a post emergence spray, resulting in over 90% of surveyed farms having problems with dock infestations.To ensure that a post emergence spray can be applied reseeding should be targeted for the spring or early autumn when establishment conditions are much more suitable and the opportunity for weed control is guaranteed. The post emergence spray should be applied approximately 6 weeks after establishment Just before the first grazing takes place. With weed control it pays to be proactive, spraying when grass is at the two leaf stage works well. Grazing management of reseeded swards Care needs to be taken when grazing newly reseeded swards.The sward should be razed as soon as the new grass plants roots are strong enough to withstand grazing (root stays anchored in the ground when pulled). Early grazing is important to allow light to the base of the plant to encourage tillering. Light graz ing by animals such as calves, weanlings or sheep is preferred as ground conditions may still be somewhat fragile depending on establishment method used. Grazing new reseeds with larger animals can create high levels of tiller pulling. The first grazing of a new reseed can be completed at pre grazing yields of 600-1000kg DM/ha. Frequent grazing of the reseeds at light covers (

Life of Pi Adversity on Identity Essay

Adversity can present itself according to a vast spectrum of severity and can have drastically different effects on individuals. When faced with adversity, people either learn to adapt to what has happened and make do with the circumstances, whereas other individuals will find themselves unable to cope with adversity and ultimately breakdown and lose their ability to carry on. Yann Martel explores, in his fantasy adventure novel, Life of P’, a young boys reaction to the hardships of adversity. Piscine Patel, an adventurous tenacious young boy experiences the struggle of urviving at sea, and the calamity of coping with tragic events in his life. Yann Martel develops the idea that adversity can transform an individual’s identity and play a significant role in one’s life by shaping personal values, determining one’s inner strengths and self worth. adventure novel, Life of Pi, a young boys reaction to the hardships of adversity. Piscine Patel, an adventurous tenacious young boy experiences the struggle ot other individuals will tind themselves unable to cope witn adversity and ultimately

John Gender Role and Women Essay

John Gender Role and Women Essay John: Gender Role and Women Essay Should Women be allowed in Combat Arms Careers in the Military? Women have move along in the society. It’s worthwhile to reflect on the social and political advancements of women during the past hundred of years. Women now have the right to vote and to own property. Women let their voice be heard and women are more advances than most men. There are many things that women are capable of doing. Women should be allowed in military combat; women are just as capable as men, gender is arbitrary, and equally important in the society. Women are not as capable as a man to protect the country or their dearly close one, ideals, freedoms, and liberties. Men is genetically bigger and more muscular simply in biology have proving to genetic code, but that has nothing to do with brains. Women and men can be equally as intelligent and determined when it comes to fighting for what is established. Women are just as gifted holding a gun and firing a gun. A woman is just as capable of being athlet ic. Women can run, swim, chase, and climb, their ability not limited. However, women have the mind set when come to expertise skill. Women have the physical structure ability to overcome the circumstances that allowed in the close combat military. They should have the same freedoms to proudly serve their country. Alongside males, battlefield technical expertise and judgment making skill or a leader are more important assets for modern warfare. With being allowed to serve in a combat situation, the military says they will not lower their standards. Usually combat duty is a precursor needed for advancement in armed force. There are no need to deny females from combat experience. Will assure that few will advancement. Accepting a candidate by its performances. Don’t judge by the gender; however, women and men are equally important. Women and men are equally important; therefore, things that men allow to do women should be allowed as well. Men are not cooking or stay around in the kitchen back then. Now a lot of men are lending a helping hand in the family by cooking and washing dishes. If there is

Thermodynamics and the Cooking of a Turkey

Thermodynamics and the Cooking of a Turkey Turkeys are native to North America, called Indian fowls in some writings of the 1500s. Around 1519, ships began transporting turkeys back to Spain, thus beginning its migration to Europe. American Benjamin Franklin advocated the turkey as the national bird. The turkey became prominent in Europe in the 1800s during the holiday season, replacing the goose as the most popular Christmas bird in the latter part of the century. In 1851, Queen Victoria had a turkey in place of her standard Christmas swan. The Make-Up of a Turkey At the biochemical level, a turkey is a combination of approximately 3 parts water to one part fat and one part protein. The majority of meat comes from muscle fibers in the turkey, which are mostly proteins- notably myosin and actin. Because turkeys rarely fly but rather walk, they contain far more fat in their legs than in their breast, which results in the strong differences in texture between these sections of the bird and the difficulty in making sure that all portions of the bird are properly heated. The Science of Cooking a Turkey As you cook the turkey, muscle fibers contract until they begin to break up at around 180 F. Bonds within the molecules begin to break down, causing proteins to unravel, and the dense muscle meat to become more tender. Collagen in the bird (one of three protein fibers that attaches muscles to the bone) breaks down into softer gelatin molecules as it unwinds. The dryness of a turkey is a result of muscle proteins coagulating within the meat, which can result if it is cooked too long. Temperature Differentials Part of the problem, as described above, is that the different nature of the light and dark meat in a turkey result in different rates to reach the coagulation of the muscle proteins. If you cook it too long, the breast meat has coagulated; if you dont cook the bird long enough, the dark meat is still tough and chewy. Harold McGee, a food science writer, indicates aiming for 155 to 160 F in the breast (which concurs with the overall temperature indicated by Roger Highfield), but you want 180 degrees or above in the leg (a distinction Highfield does not address). Heating Differentials Since you ultimately want the breast and legs to be different temperatures, the question is how to successfully accomplish this. McGree presents one option, by using ice packs to keep the breast of the bird about 20 degrees lower than the legs while thawing, so that the legs get a heat start on the cooking process when theyre put in the oven. Alton Brown, of Food Networks Good Eats, once presented another way to establish different heating rates, using aluminum foil to reflect heat away from the breast, thus resulting in the legs heating faster than the breast. His current roast turkey recipe on the Food Network website does not include this step, but if you watch the related videos, it shows the steps involved in using the aluminum foil. Cooking Thermodynamics Based on thermodynamics, it is possible to make some estimations of cooking time for a turkey. Considering the following estimations, it becomes fairly straightforward: Assume the oven maintains a constant temperature throughout.Assume the thermal diffusivity is independent of temperature and time.Assume the turkey is so plump that it can be estimated as a sphere. You can then apply the principles of Carlaw Jaegers 1947 Conduction of Heat in Solids to come up with an estimate for the cooking time. The radius of the hypothetical spherical turkey falls out, resulting in a formula based solely on mass. Traditional Cooking Times Small bird - twenty minutes per pound 20 minutesLarge bird - fifteen minutes per pound 15 minutes It would appear that these traditional cooking times work well in conjunction with the thermodynamic calculations provided, which give the time as being proportional to the mass to the power of two-thirds. Panofsky Turkey Constant Pief Panofsky, former SLAC Director, derived an equation to attempt to more precisely determine the cooking time of a turkey. His problem is that he disliked the traditional suggestion of 30 minutes per pound, because the time a turkey should be cooked is not a linear equation. He used t to represent the cooking time in hours and W as the weight of the stuffed turkey, in pounds, and determined the following equation for the amount of time the turkey should be cooked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the report, the constant value 1.5 was determined empirically. Heres the equation: t W (2/3)/1.5 Particle Accelerators Create Shrink Wrap The plastic shrink wrap that turkeys (specifically Butterball turkeys) come in may also have an amazing connection to particle physics. According to Symmetry magazine, some of these forms of shrink wrap are actually created by a particle accelerator. Particle accelerators use electron beams to knock hydrogen atoms off of the polymer chains within the polyethylene plastic, making it chemically active in just the right way so that when heat is applied it shrinks around the turkey. Theres a bit more detail provided in the Symmetry article on the subject. Sources and Further Reading Thermodynamics OverviewThe Physics of Christmas by Roger HighfieldSymmetry Breaking blog - The Panofsky turkey constantPhysics Talks Turkey This ThanksgivingSymmetry magazine - Accelerator applications: shrink wrapFood Network - Good Eats Roasted Turkey recipeCocktail Party Physics blog - A Taste of Science for Turkey DaySymmetry Breaking blog - Physicists talk turkey

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem among many young people Essay

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem among many young people - Essay Example Statistics show that almost 64% of the high school students say that they have been drunk at least once. Among youth between the ages 12 to 17, 77% (Spear, pp. 71-81) say that they have had at least one serious problem related to drinking in the past year. The teenagers who engage in this problem suffer in various aspects of their life. Teenagers having drinking problems suffer in their education. They tend to skip school and their classes and their performance level starts going down as the problem increases. This is because their attention span towards anything goes down and hence their performance decreases. Another problem that arises is that of drunk driving and the number of accidents and deaths caused by it. Statistics show that underage drinking and alcohol use is more likely to kill youngsters compared to illegal drugs. Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of deaths of youth between the ages of 15 and 20. The rate of these accidents is much more for teenager s between ages of 16 to 20 rather than 20 years and above (Spear, pp. 71-81). Another problem is that of suicide. After depression and stress, alcohol abuse is the third factor causing young people to commit suicide for children between 14 and 25. Sexual assaults and rapes are also becoming increasingly common as an effect of alcohol abuse.