Scrutiny of Black Athletes: Fact or Fiction?

Hafeez Barakat

July 25, 200

Since African Americans were integrated into the sports universe they have always received heat. The question remains, do Black Athletes receive more punishment and criticism then they’re white counterparts. For instance, some people believe that it’s due to racial standings that may still be afloat in the league, such as the comments of Donovan Mcnabb last year. Secondly, people that don’t hate Michael Vick, say that his sentencing from both Federal Court and the NFL were harsh and unjust and in fact if he were a Caucasian the story would be significantly different. I believe, that the athletes don’t receive more heat, in fact I personally believe that they are better athletes then everyone else and dominate their sports.

Many of today’s athletes are coming out of their shells about their feelings about scrutiny. Ever since we were allowed to play in leagues the scrutiny and racism has been there. The players are now coming out left and right pleading that they are receiving more criticism then the white players. They feel when they are in tough spots in and both out of the sports realm that the hammer is brought down quick and unjustly, but when it comes to the white players, it’s not so quick nor is it so harsh.

In 2007, Philadelphia Eagles starting Quarterback Donovan Mcnabb, made claims about the scrutiny of black athletes or QB’s for that matter in the sports world and in the NFL. He said that the black quarterbacks, get more harsh treatment then for example, white QB’s Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning. He said the media and fans come harder on his race and it’s just puzzling. His comments brought a wide buzz around the sports world, most of which were people saying that his comments were not true and that the black quarterbacks did not receive lots of criticism. People believed that not only did the African American QB’s and players receive the same amount of criticism in the same situations but that Mcnabb was crying like a woman and that if his team had started the season 2-0 the story would be different and Mcnabb would be getting praised.

More controversy brewed throughout the NFL season as African American QB, Michael Vick was indicted for torturing dogs and hosting illegal dog fighting rings. The hammer was too brought down on Vick from a federal standpoint as well as inside the NFL as he was suspended from the league and cut from the Atlanta Falcons team. Vick was sentenced by Federal Court to 22-24 month in prison. The media portrayed Vick as a crazed maniac and a very cruel person, especially to animals. Some people came out immediately saying that they hated him and that his sentence should be indeed longer. Others claimed that Vick’s sentencing was harsh and biased. They claimed that we was being put away for killing dogs and others were put off for killing humans, as if a dog’s life was more significant. In other stories, Vick supporters, such as Donavan Mcnabb stated that if he had been black, the punishment would have been lighter.

Overall, I feel and know that there is still racism in the sports leagues but, I don’t feel that the black athletes receive more heat than the white players. I think the heat for the QB position is self explanatory because you are in control of the offense on the field and the face of the franchise which will build skeptics by itself. I think Donovan Mcnabb was overreacting as was anyone else who felt the same way. His and my feelings could be easily counter-argued but I still believe that if his record had been a winning record, and if the Eagles made the playoff, Mcnabb’s performance would have been praise worthy. In regards to Michael Vick, I would say I feel his sentencing from federal stands was unjust but I don’t think it had anything to do with race. Even though he murdered dogs and held the do fights illegally, I think he shouldn’t be doing time and if that, not that much. Again I don’t think the players are criticized by color, it basically comes down to skill and awards.

.Curfew.Curfew.Curfew!

Curfew: the hottest topic in a parent’s and teen’s relationship. Curfew an order after a specific time certain activities (as being outside on the streets) are prohibited. Curfew can range from many different times in different cities and states. Many people have different views of curfew, and times when children should be off of the streets. I intend to illustrate a teen’s view on curfew, parents view on curfew, and the media’s view on curfew. Curfew is an issue teenagers struggle with on the daily basis of their lives with their parents, especially in the summer time.

Curfew! Curfew! Curfew! is all you hear adults say. In a teenager’s point of view, curfew should be a different time in the summer than during school year. I feel as though there are a lot of activities, functions, and a lot of sleep over’s (spending time with close friends). It’s a lot of basketball games that are held at night at the neighborhood parks, hanging out at 40th St and Penn landing. There are concerts, huge cookouts, parties, photo shoots, and much more to attend. However, their friends we would like to spend time with, hang out at there house, go to the movies, take walks, sit on the steps, and plenty more to do. Parents just have to trust us and believe that were going to do the right thing. I say as long as were doing the right thing in the household and at school there should be no problem.

Parents Point of View! Parents always think were going to do something that’s unacceptable or over the top. While doing a random survey, mostly all the parents said the same thing. Most parents said that curfew is an good thing because teenagers are not ready to make all decisions themselves and that they don’t need to be on the street at all times of night without parental control. The parents also gave me the different times for different ages of curfew. Ages thirteen should report in the house at 10:00pm, ages fourteen through sixteen should report in the house at 11:00pm, and ages seventeen and eighteen should report in the house between 12:00 and 1:00am. However, parents also think that the curfew can curve maybe an hour later in the summer time because they don’t have to wake up the next day and go to school but for the most part it should stay the same as during the school year. Clearly, I explained the parent’s points of view on curfew, which means they should curve their opinions a little about curfew and maybe try to accommodate the teen’s needs.

All in all, I illustrated the teenager’s point of view, parent’s point of view, and the media points of view. Curfew does have its pros and cons just like other items, places, and people. Curfew is an issue teens struggle with today still with their parents or guardian.

Gas Prices on the Rise

Gas prices in this country are ridiculous. Gas is so high that some families can't afford it, bottom line, it's killing people's financial state. It's not a problem for me at this time because I don't drive, but it is a problem for my parents. It's probably none of my business, but I know it's hurting them. The way people are dealing with this issue isn't good either, because people aren't doing anything about it. They're just going to suck the gas dry until it's all gone, and then what? As a resolution, well, to be honest, the problem is that there is no resolution, but I do believe we can cut down on gas consumption.


People have a tendency to consume gas pretty loosly. That's one of the reasons you see a lot of people driving smaller cars compared to colossal SUV's. Now if peoplewere to drive smaller cars that are more earth-friendly, for instance, a Honda Fit or Toyota Prius, gas in this state would most likely be used more sparingly. On the other hand, compared to an Escalade or a Hummer, they consume a great handful of gas.


Right now, gas is a major factor in people's budget, and I predict a lot of people will be walking soon or taking Septa. Septa will make a whole lot of money this summer. I recently read an article that said that Septa have so many new passengers they are going to announce a "major shift" in all transit services. This will include more frequent regional rail service and, most likely, expanded bus routes. This article can be found on http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06292008-1556139.html. This has all the informatin if you'd like to read more. Most people will be forced to take Septa anyway, although Septa can't always be relied on either.

To conclude my arguement, gas prices are rising, and it doesn't look like its going to stop anytime soon. With the gas prices predicted to be about seven dollars at the end of the summer, something needs to be done. I just hope i touced someone out there and that my voice was heard.

M not only for mature

In the world of gaming, rating companies like ESRB (Entertainment Rating Software Board) put ratings on games by the amount of violence, sexual content, blood and gore, etc. Depending on how much of these elements are within the game, the game will receive one of six ratings from ESRB. The ratings are eC for early childhood, E for everyone,E10 for everyone 10 and up, T for teen, M for mature and Ao for adults only. I feel that ESRB does a great job at rating the video games, but there are things that ESRB did that other people under the age of seventeen and I disagree with.

In November of 2005, ESRB put a ban on M rated games to minors under the age of 17 without parental consent. This ban angered a lot of teenage gamers including me. By statistics M rated games have most of the top fun factor ratings. I personally enjoy playing M rated games because of their realism and action. I mainly like shooters like Halo 3, Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. Halo 3 is a first person shooter. This game received an M rating for the blood, use of guns and language. Gears of War is a third person shooter. This game received an M rating for the blood and gore extreme language and gun violence. Unreal Tournament’s game play is a combination of Halo 3’s and Gears of War’s game play so it received an M rating for all of the above.

The question I have is why ban M rated games from minors under the age of 17? Some people say it is because younger adults and children learn from these games and try to reenact what they saw on the game in real life. I say if that’s the case then it is the parent’s faults for not monitoring what their children play on their console. The same things apply with teenagers also. If parents do not want their teens to buy a game, they should be in control of their children, not the store. Parents need to take responsibility for their children, not leave it to everyone else.

Another thing with the ban I disagree with is the age range. Minors under 17 cannot play M rated videogames. That is practically saying that teens under 17 are banned from playing more than a third of games in the world. I feel if the ban cannot be removed, it could at least be changed. For example, ban M rated games to minors under 13 instead of minors under seventeen. Children may learn from games, but teens who have been taught right from wrong should know right from wrong. Therefore they will not pick up bad ideas from the game.

I feel that this ban is unnecessary. There shouldn’t be inhibitions on what people buy. The parent’s should make the decisions. ESRB should stick to giving ratings and allow consumers to buy what they want.

suicide

it goes unnoticed...millions of teens are forced with this horrifying decision of taking their own lives... faced with the fact that they are alone in this world trying to figure out if they ant to live the sad lonely life they go through every day.

suicide is not something that once every two years... it happens everyday. every 18 minutes a teenager kills him/or herself because, they are either stressed and/or feels unwanted and alone.

people think that the crazy things that teens do is a cry out for help but more of a hint that they want to be left alone or at least talk to someone to be there who can understand their pain.

.Curfew

Curfew: the hottest topic between parents and teens relationship. Curfew an order after a specific time certain activities (as being outside on the streets) are prohibited. Curfew can range from many different times in different cities and states. Many people have different views of curfew and the time children should be off of the streets. I intend to illustrate teens view on curfew, parents view on curfew, and the media’s view on curfew. Curfew is an issue teenagers struggle with on the daily basis of their lives with their parents, especially in the summer time.

Curfew! Curfew! Curfew is all you hear adults say. In a teenager’s point of view like me, curfew should be a different time in the summer than during school year. I feel as though it’s a lot of activities, functions, and a lot of sleep over’s (spending time with close friends). It’s a lot of basketball games that are held at night at the neighborhood parks, hanging out at 40th St and Penn landing. There are concerts being held, huge cookouts, parties, photo shoots, and much more. However, their also friends we would like to spend time with, hang out at there house, go to the movies, take walks, sit on the steps, and plenty more to do. Parents just have to trust us and believe that were going to do the right thing. I say as long as were doing the right thing in the household and at school there should be no problem.

Parents Point of View! Parents always think were going to do something that’s unacceptable or over the top I going to take place. While doing a random survey mostly all the parents said the same thing. Most parents said that curfew is an good thing because teenagers are not ready to make all decisions themselves and that they don’t need to be on the street all times of night without parental control. The parents also gave me the different times for different ages of curfew. Ages thirteen should report in the house at 10:00pm, ages fourteen through sixteen should report in the house at 11:00pm, and ages seventeen and eighteen should report in the house between 12:00 and 1:00am. However, parents also think that the curfew can curve maybe an hour later in the summer time because they don’t have to wake up the next day and go to school but for the most part it should stay the same as during the school year. Clearly, I explained the parent’s points of view on curfew.

Philadelphia! Philadelphia! The law is really strict on teens and there enforcing children under the age of fifteen to be in the bed by 11 o’clock pm. Thus, children under the age of eighteen have to be in the house by 11 o’clock in the Philadelphia, Pa area. They say children shouldn’t be outside without Parental Control. Children should have morals and guidelines because they can’t make certain decisions on their own because they’re not fully developed.

All in all, I illustrated the teenager’s point of view, parent’s point of view, and the media points of view. Curfew does have its pros and cons just like other items, places, and people. Curfew is an issue teens struggle with today still with their parents or guardian.

Jeremy Hagins 7/08/08
How Advertising Persuades Drug Use

Today there are problems with drug-use amongst teens in school, the streets, and even in their own home. In this essay I will talk about how people are persuaded or influenced into using drugs. Some of ways people are exposed to drugs are through television commercials, magazines, newspapers, the internet and billboards.
Years ago cigarette advertisers used television commercials to persuade you to buy their product. Now through mass media, advertisers persuade people to purchase of drugs and cigarettes. Over the counter medications found at your local pharmacy, supermarket and your local corner store and all of this is possible because messages found on television ads and billboards. For instance, Tylenol helps get rid of pain as well as Advil, Bayer and other aspirins. When I watch the television, every five to ten minutes a commercial comes on about cold or pain medicine persuading people to purchase their products. They are sending subliminal messages in which cause people to rush out and purchase the item; television makes an item seem much better than it really is and some of them really do work. People can get hooked on illegal drugs as over the counter drugs.
Some of the magazines such as Vibe, Slam, and Ebony, just to name a few is also used to persuade or influence the use of drugs. In some magazines, every other page has an advertisement for liquor and cigarettes once again trying to persuade the purchasing of drugs.
In music videos kids see people smoking and they presume that as the definition of cool. This is a way people are persuaded into using drugs while there are many other ways to. There used to be commercials telling you to purchase drugs such as cigarettes but know you barely see them today. Instead of commercials telling you buy drugs there are commercials and ads telling you to pause and think about what you are about to do to your body. Even today rappers try to persuade you to stop drug use. This type of persuasion works due to the fact that rappers are famous and powerful to kids and most people look up to them as their role models.
Through the use of commercial advertisement, people believe drugs will help them think better, be part of the cool crew, become more active, or just enhance their life. Others figure that one try won't hurt but the fact is that once you start it’s hard to stop and soon you have a one- way ticket to be six feet under. On the other hand people want to fit in and they think drugs make you look "cool" among friends. Many teens use drugs to gain attention from their parents or because they are depressed or think drugs will help them escape their problems. But the truth is that drugs don't solve problems but simply hide feelings and problems. When a drug wears off, the feelings and problems remain or become worse
In this essay I showed you how commercial advertisement influenced people into purchasing drugs and alcohol due to mass media. I also talked about the different types of drugs that are broadcast and how people are fooled into buying them.