Why Is My Generation Ashamed of Crying?

Rounding third and heading for home with my college career, I've found myself caught in a pickle of late. Thankfully, I managed to not fail any of my classes so I can rest easy knowing I won't be getting tagged out and stopped from graduating per se. At the same time, though, the host of emotions running the gamut have made these last ninety feet more draining than I originally expected. 

Acknowledging the inevitably of all the "lasts" I'd encounter seemed helpful in theory back in the fall, but in actuality, it provided little to no emotional armor when the time came. Perhaps even more difficult are the "firsts" and realizing the quest to cross those last few items off the bucket list is the cruelest reminder the journey really should be cherished more than the destination. 

The one constant I've noticed through these experiences (both the highs and lows) is tears. In some instances, lots and lots of tears. 

However, there has been far too often an accompaniment to the crying I've witnessed. There's more variety to this arrangement, but it can take the form of a winding apology. An awkward explanation. A desperate justification. A wild rationalization. There's always a little embarrassment baked in, too. I've desperately racked my brain trying to understand this cause and effect relationship, but I keep circling back to the beginning of my search and a simple question: Why are people so ashamed of crying? 

I believe crying, especially in front of someone else, can be boiled down to two motives. First, the individual you are watching cry is so overwhelmed with such positive or negative emotions the floodgates simply broke open. Secondly, the individual you are watching cry has enough trust and faith in their relationship with you to open up with raw and genuine emotions. In some instances, it's probably even a combination of the two.

Seriously, look at every time you've ever cried in front of someone. At the core of whatever contributed to the crying, do you not arrive back at one of those two reasons?

Now, assuming you agree with that hypothesis to some extent, why did the second stage ever develop? At this point, I don't think there's any argument to be made it doesn't exist. Whether in the form of a viral tweet or an off the cuff remark, I see a discomfort or anxiety being around a crier expressed all the time.

So once again, where did this come from? Do we feel a need to say sorry for putting those around us through these encounters because enough people label them awkward? Did those two rationales for crying lose their legitimacy? Are we no longer empathetic with those struggling with feelings and situations we personally battle all the time?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure the culprit for this trend. I'd imagine social media plays a role. Somehow, it has become commonplace for only our happiest moments or angriest rants to be at the center of a vast majority of our online content. Hell, when posts on its site venture over to more depressing material, Facebook now lets us react with an appropriate emoji and scroll along to the next part of our day without any second thoughts.

Regardless of the factors, including whatever may be most to blame, I hope it changes. I can't ever imagine the world being a place where excess empathy is a bad thing. Right now, the only place where crying is enjoyed is memes. Plus, for a generation in love with creating and wanderlust and serendipity and telling our stories and television quotes about appreciating life, isn't it just a bit hypocritical to avoid stomaching, or perhaps more depressingly accurate loathing, the things in life that make us lose our emotional composure?

Cry when you reach what you thought was going to be an impossible goal with an incredible group of people without feeling the need to apologize to anyone. Cry when your basketball team makes you believe in fairy tales again for a brief moment in time. Cry when you finish that last drink courtesy of your favorite bartender at your favorite bar and tell the freshman laughing at you he'll be there someday sooner than he can imagine. Cry when you leave a place that became home for four years without embarrassment.

Cry so crying can be normalized again.

J. Nave

Becoming A Basketball School In Ten Days

Whether it's a result of my affinity for The Lion King's opening number, an appreciation for Rust Cohle's theory of time, or simply always trying to see the romanticized patterns in life, I'm an avid believer in the circular pattern life seems to constantly create. My mind went here on Sunday night after I raced from the Salty Nut Cafe to the heart of campus following South Carolina's historic victory and second half slaying of the Duke Blue Devils.

Nearly three and a half years ago, I made a similar, yet slightly longer, pilgrimage from Five Points to Colonial Life Arena to watch my first Gamecock sporting event with my family. I knew absolutely nothing about South Carolina basketball, but we needed something to do on a Friday night. I can't remember which cupcake program the team played on that night, but I can remember three significant takeaways. 

1. High school basketball games I had previously attended possessed far more energy in their tiny gymnasiums than what I felt in this cavernous arena. 

2. Frank Martin, whose demeanor and roars I recalled from his roaming of the sidelines at Kansas State, apparently took a new job over the offseason? His screams echoed off the abundance of empty seats in the upper deck of the arena in such a ferocious manner I felt like I was sitting in the middle of the huddle during timeouts. 

3. Having it be socially acceptable to yell "Cocks!" should be this university's major selling point. 

To think in that brief time frame that program is now 40 minutes away from playing in the Final Four is unfathomable. It defies logic and reason. This antithesis of a blueblood program, overshadowed by a football team in a football conference, is on the verge of pulling off the most unprecedented athletic achievement I've ever directly supported. Factor in the sloppy play exhibited during the final few weeks of the regular season, Sindarius Thornwell and Company's run becomes even more puzzling.

In the last couple days, I'm not sure how to define the emotions and energy across campus. As Friday's game against Baylor progressed, it would be hard to argue against the claim this is a basketball school now. A surgically executed defensive gameplan stymied the Bears it became evident by halftime the Gamecocks were going to be deemed elite. There was no nervous energy in the crowded bar. This was the only result that made sense. As I got showered by champagne when the clock hit zero (alongside my parents nevertheless), I couldn't help but think about how to best articulate this transformation. 

Scouring the Internet for memes, quotes, and the like, an unlikely source provided what I feel is the most concise and correct way to describe what I've witnessed in the past week. That source? The Fault in Our Stars. Instead of falling asleep or falling in love slowly, and then all at once, though, I watched a whole campus and its surrounding city become a basketball community in the same manner. 

The past few years in Columbia have seen its shares of moments and people plant the seeds to start this affair. An upset over Kentucky where I stormed the court for the first time during my freshman year. Michael Carrera's exuberance of both enthusiasm and hustle willing his teammates to the brink of the Big Dance last year. Frank Martin's constant presence on campus where his dedication to an initially difficult sales pitch has netted him an abundance of clients today. But really, all those hours would have meant nothing without this past week. Three games, two hours in basketball time, and one stretch of purely dominant play have ramped up the passion to a dangerous level. 

Before the end of the day, we'll know if this relationship will take a vacation out west. A tough game against a familiar opponent in the World's Most Famous Arena and the Mecca of Basketball stands before this bunch of Cardiac Cocks. Even if they fall short, this run made on house money will always be looked upon as one of best memories from my four years. Will they pull it off? I'm trying to temper my cockiness and expectations. But this team hasn't let up, lost faith, or cared about the critics for one second. 

That's why March is a month of madness. And that's why this team has put an entire nation on notice. 

J. Nave

Send Basketball to The Upside Down

The Atlanta Falcons blew a 25 point lead in the Super Bowl last week, but the one thing I'll always remember about February 5th, 2017 is how the Internet lost its collective mind after a 30 second teaser aired for Stranger Things' second season. Having passed on the show in the fall, I gave the series eight hours of my life this past week. I wish I could get my time back. I don't get the hype whatsoever.  You have one of the creepiest love triangles of all time from a group of secondary characters, an alternate dimension so sticky it looks like the "demogorgon" constantly ejaculates on everything in its sight during non-hunting hours, a climactic moment where anybody with epilepsy would have felt like they were being tortured, and a whole town forgetting about the fact there is still a giant tear in the space time continuum in their town, and most importantly, not everybody survived their vacation to the Upside Down. The only redeeming quality of the show was the inclusion of many early 1980s one hit wonders. That's why I plan on raising a little hell with this post.

I also spent some time playing pickup basketball and watching basketball last week. Perhaps influenced by the theoretical physics embedded deep within my subconscious after thinking about acrobats and fleas, I realized basketball is likely a much better game in an alternate dimension. As long as its less sticky.

I'm 5'7", slightly overweight, and extremely unathletic. However, I have the ability to be in an advantageous position in basketball where should I position myself outside a certain point from the basket and make a shot I will be awarded one more point than a shot that is made from inside that designated distance. Thanks to my physically unimposing figure, often times I am left unguarded alone in the corner where I mange to shoot a respectfully mediocre percentage. This turns me into a threat. This is great for me, but this advantage exists in no other sport and it's about time basketball gets with the picture. Distance, while often correlated with difficulty in plenty of other sports, is rarely associated with an increase in value.

Cristiano Ronaldo can slot home a free kick from 25 yards or leap over a center back on a near post run off a corner to score goals. Each feat only counts as a single goal. An empty netter in hockey from Sergei Bobrovsky that was inches away from icing isn't worth an extra point than a bardown snipe courtesy of Cam Atkinson from the left circle (I used examples from the official NHL team of the Athletic Acumen because the league doesn't brand itself well enough to provide a better example. Sad!). Stephen Gostkowski kicking a 50 yard field goal is half as valuable on the scoreboard as a goal line fade pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski. A Bubba Watson 375 yard drive is one stroke on the scorecard as is a ten foot sidewinder putt drained by Jordan Spieth. In fact, you could make the argument in all those cases the closer to pay dirt example is more challenging, physically imposing, and/or expressive of the difference between the quality of play in professionals and amateurs.

I realize it sounds like I'm joining the cast of old timers who argue Steph Curry, the Houston Rockets, and AAU teams across the country are putting basketball on a fast track to the nadir of its history with three pointers galore, but personally, I'm arguing for equality. I want to be treated with the same sort of aspiration crushing reality in basketball that I'm currently offered in every other sport yielded by my lack of athleticism. I believe this is done not by eliminating the three point line. That's regression. We're looking for revolution. That's why I propose basketball consider any shot outside of the arc be worth two points. Any shot inside would then be worth three points in this great, new world.

Preposterous, insanity, or ridiculous are definitely some adjectives that would show up on the Family Feud answers to that idea if it was asked to a bunch of fans. But stay with me for a minute, and don't forget about the previous arguments made in regards to the relationship between distance and difficulty.

Layups or dunks, especially at the highest levels of basketball, are rarely easy. They often are the product of an impressive crossover, a blur of a first step, or require massive contact absorption when pulled off in a one on one situation. Other times a well timed backdoor cut and perfect pass lead to an easy look. Far more difficult than an uncontested three pointer, even a three ball with a hand in the shooter's face, analysts rave about the mid-range jumper, too. That's a shot only in the arsenals of the game's elites.

Other instances of layups, whether a result of a turnover leading to a fastbreak opportunity, a defensive lapse, or a lack of effort on the defensive boards, should also be punished as they are in other sports. Think of a blown coverage in the secondary, a terribly thrown interception leading to a pick six, a poorly timed line change allowing an easy breakaway, or a hanging curveball left belt high. The opposition is awarded in a far bigger way in all these other sports compared to basketball where the other team is essentially conceding a point by taking a layup over a transition three pointer.

I'll concede this is a half baked idea in its current form. Debates would rage about changing the number of free throws awarded on a shooting foul. Adding an extra one would only further draw out college games to unbearable lengths. There would likely be far more fouls catalyzing a discussion about increasing the requisite number of fouls for disqualification. Some teams may attempt to sign only the tallest people in the game. Half court buzzer beaters to force overtime or win games would happen in fewer scenarios. Are these sacrifices worth it? That's a question for a meeting of the minds I can't yet assemble. But if the revolution gains some momentum, who knows what we could be capable of achieving.

I imagine my version of basketball consisting of vicious, posterizing dunks on a nightly basis. I imagine it inspiring the next generation of All Stars to master eighteen foot fadeaways and opposite handed reverse layups. I imagine James Naismith himself will rise from the dead to see his new and improved product in the flesh. It may seem like lunacy to alter the rules of a heralded, global sport, but I believe this drastic change is exactly what's needed to rid basketball of its free handouts to my unathletic brethren.

They couldn't save Barb, but we can save basketball. Join the movement.

J. Nave

Fourth Annual Super Bowl Prediction (By Previewing Absolutely Nothing Related to Football)

I can't remember how I came up with this idea back in 2014, but this post is easily my favorite to write every year. I'm only 1-2 using the method, but last year I was influenced by my temporary and misguided decision to become a Panthers fan. Even so, I'm not sure a thorough examination of Bill Belichick's ability to take away his opposition's best weapon or Atlanta's play action passing game would help me do much better. I like to think at this point you are all reading this for entertainment or a distraction rather than advice on how to gamble.

I'll be honest, though. My enthusiasm for the Super Bowl 51 preview was severely tampered when Green Bay's secondary depleted me the right to analyze how much of an impact Jordan Rodgers' success on The Bachelorette had in fueling the firestorm within his vilified, vengeance seeking brother. Fortunately, there's still plenty to dig into with the thriving culture of Atlanta matched up against the patriotic grit of the greater Boston area.

Like always, a best of seven series. May the best place win.

Chick Fil A vs. Dunkin Donuts

We have to begin with this titanic battle of fast food giants. One invented the chicken sandwich. The other so perfectly captures the spirit of its home Saturday Night Live wrote a sketch about the love affair between Boston and its preferred quick service breakfast provider.

There's also a big issue with each, though. Chick Fil A is closed on Sunday's, and although justification for this is perfectly valid, there's a preponderance of evidence behind the fact Sunday's are when you're most likely to crave waffle fries and Polynesian sauce. Meanwhile, Dunkin Donuts is a poor man's Tim Horton's. The United States can lose to Canada in hockey, sure. But fast food? That's about as un-American as you can get.

Eat Mor Chikin on Monday through Saturday. Avoid Dunkin 24/7/365.

Atlanta- 1          New England- 0

Atlanta vs. The Departed

Outside of La La Land and Westworld, I'm not sure if there's been a pop culture phenomenon embraced the past few months with more fervor than Atlanta. The television show has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Donald Glover, a creativity savant, serves at the helm of the show, so quality will likely only continue to build in future seasons. I wanted to watch a couple episodes to more accurately weigh in, but I'm currently on another pop culture binge for a post in the coming weeks (Stay tuned...).

Meanwhile, Boston has been the setting for so many classics in the past decade that I had severe difficulty selecting the most worthy contender. After some deliberation The Departed became the only choice. Mark Wahlberg, who I imagine bathes in chowdah, ramps up his hometown pride to a dangerous level. Matt Damon, also originally from Beantown, plays the most prototypical Boston movie genre character ever written. Leonardo DiCaprio spends the whole movie convincing people he's nawt a cawp. I'm Shipping Up to Boston is included in the trailer for God's sake!

The last sentence alone is enough to warrant a victory, but at this point in history, this isn't a contest.

Atlanta- 1          New England- 1

Bad and Boujee vs. Sweet Caroline

Although born in Brooklyn, Neil Diamond has become one of Boston's adopted son. The Red Sox use Sweet Caroline as an unofficial anthem to a level that would probably be annoying if it wasn't such a catchy song. Have you ever wondered who the song is about?. Back in 2011, Diamond stated his inspiration for the song was a picture of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK. It may be hard to belt out how the times are so good, so good, however, when you realize Caroline was 11 years old at the time. A few years later, Diamond recanted his story and said the song was actually about his wife. Her name, Marsha, simply didn't flow nearly as well. Is this far more acceptable for warm to be touching warm? I vote no. Plus, Go Cubs Go is the catchier baseball song anyways.

You know what has no confusion in regards to its meeting? Rain drop, drop top, watch Matt Ryan hit Julio Jones on the post over the damn top. Migos, a truly authentic, Atlanta rap syndicate, created the dab. Their latest hit has been piped up all the way to the top of the charts, and when combined with new stadiums for the Braves and Falcons, their latest album, Culture, gives Georgia's capital a holy trinity unlike any other in the world.

Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset put the ATL back in the lead.

Atlanta- 2          New England- 1

Lady Gaga's Music Catalog

There are about a Million Reasons why the Patriots take this in a blowout. Tom Brady and Rodger Goodell's relationship is the definition of Bad Romance. Bill Belichick has the best Poker Face in the NFL. Gronk is unfortunately forced to Just Dance after this Super Bowl victory since he's sidelined with an injury. Chris Hogan is on the Edge of Glory should he deliver another huge game. The Paparazzi in the sports media loves the Patriots' success and scandals. The NFL masterfully crafted a Perfect Illusion from the Deflategate saga to distract the public from player safety issues. Oh, and Roger Goodell can only be reached via Telephone by New England's brass since he's too big of a coward to show his face in Foxboro.

She may be performing at halftime, but this battle is not going to make it six rounds. It's a knockout.

Atlanta- 2          New England- 2

The Colonies vs. The Confederate States of America
In keeping with the beliefs of vaunted historian Ron Swanson, the world would have only continued making mistakes without the actions of the New England football team's namesakes in the earliest years of our country. They fought. And they won.

Meanwhile, General Sherman's March to the Sea during the Civil War began after he forced an evacuation of Atlanta and subsequently eradicated the city.

One if by land, two if by sea, and a third point gives New England a lead.

Atlanta- 2          New England- 3

The 45th President of the United States' Twitter Account

On second thought, I'm not sure if anybody benefits from this...

Atlanta- 2          New England- 3

Better Story?

Oh wait, I almost forgot. This entire season has been a revenge tour headlined by the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Much respect for the Falcons' impressive success on offense this season, but there's no way the world is getting deprived of this beautiful, awkward moment.

Atlanta- 2          New England- 4


NEW ENGLAND: 35          ATLANTA: 24

J. Nave

Has Alabama Turned SEC Football Into Westworld?

I was going to write a preview of the College Football Playoff but I realized that was fruitless.

Alabama should overwhelm Washington. Ohio State and Clemson will be a classic matchup of strength on strength. Alabama will be a heavy favorite against either team in the championship. Voila. Those three sentences you'll hear verbatim and repeatedly on ESPN in the network's pregame coverage.

Instead, I need to take some time and focus on a more dystopian theory requiring a deep dive down the rabbit hole. It's a ludicrous premise on its surface. It's a potential reality we need to acknowledge for the sake of a conference that adamantly, yet somewhat creepily, claims collegiate sports just mean more to its institutions before it's too late for its most holy spectacle. Alabama football has been called the Death Star by many writers. I don't think that metaphor goes far enough, though. The Death Star was so poorly designed it got blown up. Multiple times. What do I believe Nick Saban has accomplished at Alabama?

I adamantly believe Nick Saban is the mastermind of a plan where he has built the SEC into his own entity in the model of the titular amusement park at the helm of HBO's new hit series, Westworld.

For those unfamiliar with the show, here's a synopsis. Thanks to technological advancements, an escape from the real world has been created in the form of an amusement park called Westworld. The park is inhabited by hosts, artificial intelligence beings with tremendous human-like behavior who all play a role in a larger picture. Wealthy, powerful humans are able to come into Westworld to live out their wildest fantasies in this replica of the wild west. Here's the thing, though. The hosts have no ability to fight back. The elite humans always win and get what they want. The park's creator is an old man who strives to make these stories increasingly compelling with a relentless pursuit of perfection, and the hosts are reprogrammed or thrown aside like scraps should they malfunction and go off script. For the sake of spoilers, I won't go into some of the deeper and darker themes of the show, but this should be enough to make my case.

In this analogy, Alabama's highly touted recruits and football players are the humans. Nick Saban plays the role of Dr. Robert Ford, creator of the park and mass manipulator of each and every host. The hosts in this case? The individuals who make up the thirteen other programs in the SEC.

Look at the current state of the SEC. Besides Alabama, this season was disastrous for the conference. No team besides the Crimson Tide will finish with double digit wins. The quarterbacks in the conference are wildly inconsistent and incompetent. Successful coaches have been replaced with Saban disciples struggling to replicate the results of their predecessors. Is Alabama's head coach really responsible for all this? Look at this list of events in the conference this year and decide for yourself:

-Georgia fires head coach Mark Richt. His almost annually double digit win totals obviously weren't enough. LSU fires head coach Les Miles. His almost annually double digit wins totals obviously weren't enough. Angered at the programs' desires to better challenge him, the replacements have results that inspire no confidence in an effort to inflict losing on the "humans"...

-Florida and LSU have athletes on defense to threaten the Crimson Tide's offense. However, the programs have Purdue transfers at the game's most important position. I wonder who is preventing the schools from recruiting competent players in the most crucial role on the field. Seems like a new and damning flaw in the code of these once championship caliber programs...

-Tennessee, thanks to miraculous comebacks in the second half, seems poised to usurp Florida, led by former Saban assistant Jim McIlwain, as SEC East champions. Knowing he needs a team to rush for zero yards in the SEC Championship game to finish a story declaring this iteration of the Tide as the sport's best ever, former Saban player Alvin Kamara convinces Jalen Hurd to leave the program sending the team into turmoil down the stretch guaranteeing a Gator appearance. Even Nick Saban needs a servant as loyal as Bernard Lowe...

-Johnny Manziel was responsible for one of the most exciting victories against the Crimson Tide in recent memory. Now, his life is falling apart. Is it really all self-inflicted or did Saban seek revenge and alter his attributes to make the former Heisman trophy winner go off the deep end...

-Texas A&M surprisingly showed up at #4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Aggies, though, fall apart losing to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and LSU in November. Why? The core component of the Aggies' story is finishing with this record...

-Auburn looks lifeless for much of the season. Not wanting to destroy the collective conscience of a crucial group of hosts, he lets the Tigers turn it around with a vaunted ground game as the season goes on. But when it's time for the Iron Bowl, it's a huge break the team's star running back is injured...

-In September, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly scores 42 points on the Crimson Tide in a hard fought defeat. Last year, he led the Rebels to a victory in Tuscaloosa. Why did his season end with a knee injury. I assume we'll never know for certain...

-Arkansas racks up 30 points against the best defense in college football history(?). Infuriated by the disrespect shown, Arkansas struggles with inconsistency the rest of the season and blows massive halftime leads in the final two games of the season. A star player gets caught shoplifting at the namesake store for the Razorbacks' bowl game adding further insult to reputation. A coincidence? I think not...

-Mississippi State, high on pride for the success of Dak Prescott, seems poised to get a boost in recruiting. After a 6-7 season, though, the likelihood of that seems far fetched now. Unable to control the NFL, Saban takes the proper measure in his world to keep a possible threat as a constant loser...

-Poor Vanderbilt finally seems to be figuring out how to form a respectable football team. However, a big time job in the Big Ten opens up. Instead of staying around Nashville, James Franklin heads to Penn State where he wins the conference this year. Awfully convenient such a sharp football mind left the team for greener pastures...

Spooky, right? I could go on with more evidence, but I'd like you to encourage you to do some of your own.

Alabama's rise to a juggernaut has coincided with a return to mediocrity- or worse- by other teams in the conference during Saban's tenure. The former is directly the results of his efforts. The evidence for the latter is piling up to a level it makes me believe he's simultaneously architecting the respective demises of football programs across the Southeastern United States.

Nick Saban has created a conference full of violent delights for his team. There's no indication at all violent ends await the Crimson Tide any time soon.

J. Nave

Please March With Them, Columbus

During my lifetime, besides the messianic performances of LeBron James, there's always been a mixture of ineptitude and heartbreak associated with the expectations and results of the Buckeye State's professional sports teams.

Times may be finally changing. The Cavaliers, thanks to a trio of masterpieces by The King, vanquished the Warriors in June to bring a title to Cleveland. The Indians rode Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller within striking distance of a World Series victory against the best team in baseball. The Bengals had been stringing together winning seasons until injuries decimated their chances this fall. The Browns and Reds are--- eagerly preparing for the ever promising possibilities of next year?

The oft forgotten crown jewel of under delivering on the faintest sign of promise, however, is currently turning the tide, too. With only two playoff wins to their name in fifteen seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets have historically encountered two problems. First, rosters comprised of a fatal mix of disinterested and untalented players continually result in disappointing records and no semblance of culture. Secondly, they have long failed to register on the radar of Central Ohioans conditioned to only respond to scarlet and gray.

It's one thing to simply construct a competitive team. After many unsuccessful tries, though, this front office seems to have done it. In goal, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is finally healthy and riding a boost in confidence from the summer to high ranks in nearly every statistical category. The blue line, usually the team's most glaring weakness, is anchored by savvy youngsters in Zach Werenski and Seth Jones who are playing with an ebullient confidence allowing all three pairings to excel. Up front, the group's stalwart captain (Nick Foligno), breakout stars (Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg), Stanley Cup winner (Brandon Saad), grizzled veterans (Brandon Dubinsky and Scott Hartnell), and grit extraordinaire (Matt Calvert) are embodying a fast and physical style of play flummoxing the rest of the NHL en route to 12 straight wins. Some notable stats to illustrate the performance thus far:

Record: 23-5-4 (1st)
Power Play Conversion: 27% (1st)
Goals Differential: +45 (1st)
Goals Allowed: 64 (2nd)

Barring a rash of injuries, this flurry of dominance should only slightly falter. Any bunch that racks up 50 points before Christmas is a bonafide contender. Most fun to watch is the fact every player suits up each night with energy and passion for the franchise. The locker room is full of guys who weren't around to be the butt of hockey jokes, and that youthful ignorance should be treasured. During the tenures of past stars, this wasn't the case and the toxicity destroyed the team. As long as this refreshing attitude pervades through the rest of the season, I will be thrilled and maintain an optimistic outlook through any droughts or struggles a tough second half schedule might or might not bring. Now, as for the second and far more difficult challenge...

To understand the nuanced difficulty of battling the Goliath that is The Ohio State University's football team for coverage and caring, look no further than the franchise's marketing campaigns over its existence. Some early iterations (Gotta See It Live and Jackets Time) begged fans to come check out the sport, the arena, and the team. Others (All Out, All Season and Ignite the Night) encouraged fans to keep coming back and step up in game participation. The most clever branding covered the first two bases and paid homage to the team's Civil War namesake (Join the Battle and Carry the Flag). The team acknowledged the fact its hometown was so fixated on one sports team year round it realized it essentially had to plead for fans to give them a chance. The only problem is when you're not winning you create an extremely limited appeal. Even this season, the Jackets rank 27th in the league in attendance.

The current version, March With Us, isn't anything revolutionary. The formula was replicated once again when this branding was revealed in August 2015. Yet for the first time, the previously implicit invitation for the fans to take up arms alongside the team is now bluntly stated. This seems like a minor wrinkle at first glance, but when you look at what the Jackets aimed for when the phrase launched, a larger goal reveals itself:

"THE VERY DEFINITION OF “MARCH” IS: TO ADVANCE IN STEP IN AN ORGANIZED BODY, TO WALK IN A STATELY, DELIBERATE MANNER, TO GO FORWARD, TO ADVANCE. “MARCH WITH US” IS JUST THAT. A CALL TO ARMS FOR A TEAM, ITS FANS, ITS CITY AND STATE TO MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER - HEARTS AND MINDS IN STEP, EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE, MARCHING TOWARDS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. WHETHER THOSE GOALS ARE ACHIEVED BY LITERALLY PUTTING PUCKS IN THE NET WHILE IN PURSUIT OF LORD STANLEY’S CUP, JOINING FORCES TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF OUR YOUTH, OR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR RESIDENTS, WE WILL GO FORWARD AS ONE. BOTH ON AND OFF THE ICE, FIGHTING AND MARCHING TOGETHER."

A promise of a better tomorrow than the current today? Familiar for the sports fans in this state. An expressed desire to win a championship? The ultimate endgame in any sport. A plan to become ingrained in all aspects of the community and paint union blue across Ohio State's city? Objectively lofty and unprecedented. 

Deliberate efforts seem to slowly and surely be doing just that, though. It's being fostered through more and more partnerships with companies headquartered in the 614 to increase visibility and a social media presence unmatched and likely envied by many other franchises across sports. The team sets up their own outdoor ice rink annually in an effort to lure fans downtown. Affordable ticket deals for the thousands of students who flock to the campuses around Columbus exist for every home game. Further investment and growth in the Arena District has turned pre and post game festivities into their own destination. 

Once this legwork gets people in the arena, it's no wonder they willingly take up arms alongside the 5th Line. Hockey games are simply fun to go to, and any and all downtime during television and intermission breaks is full of energetic and often hilarious entertainment. Anybody who is familiar with the song We Like Pizza knows exactly what I'm talking about. Chatter about the experience in Nationwide Arena is always positive, even more so in the midst of such a historic run in a "we can't act like we've been here, we've never been here before" position for the team. 

While all these factors are great and meaningful, it's ultimately true winning cures all ails. This winning streak is why coverage of Ohio State's quest for a second national title in three years has virtually taken a backseat in the local media. It's why the last two home games have been sellouts. It's why posts and photos of my friends at game are pridefully showing up in abundance online. It's why an increasing number of households are tuning into each game on television. But this run will end soon enough. 

Please don't let that dampen your enthusiasm for Columbus' lone major professional sports team. Please don't let that prevent you from asking the bartender to turn on a regular season game in February. Please don't let that motivate you to unsubscribe from score alerts, unfollow the team on Twitter, or sell tickets to a game you get as a Christmas present.

Please March With Them, Columbus. The Blue Jackets finally deserve it. 

J. Nave 

Is Senior Year of College Fun?

Unintentionally and regrettably it's been almost two months since I last posted anything on this blog.

That fact may just be the perfect metaphor for the title of this post, though. 

Since the middle of October, I've been engulfed by a quarter life crisis of sorts brought on by job applications, phone interviews, and "business trips" all in the idea of setting in motion the next chapter of my life. I'm gracious for all these opportunities afforded to me by my school, and it's been an honor being able to join the elite fraternity of businessmen and businesswomen who confidently purchase and consume an overpriced alcoholic beverage (or two) in airports before noon.

But this quest has come with the opportunity cost of losing valuable and precious time as a college student. Maybe the loss was just a Thursday night's plans. It could have been an intramural playoff game where your lack of presence on the court actually spurred a winning performance from your team the next week. It almost always consisted of missing a finance lecture which should have- but not always necessarily did- required missing out on another day's adventure in an attempt to understand interest rates. I understand the necessity of this cycle in the circle of life, but it's hard to not let this FOMO additionally morph into:

1) Agonizing about every moment you said no to an opportunity during the previous three years 

2) Pleading for a chance to go back to the laissez fair attitude you should have employed more as an underclassman. 

Again, this isn't to say doing these interviews has been a waste of my time. One offered me the chance to reconnect with a friend from high school. Another the ability to explore the live music scene on Broadway in Nashville. I'll get to see the redwoods in the Pacific Northwest for the first time here next week. I eagerly await to hear back about my application to be the Offensive Coordinator for a Big Ten football program. Simply getting an invitation to do an interview validates every ounce of work put in over my college career as worthwhile. However, when juxtaposed with the college search of only a few years prior, it's hard to feel quite as romantic about the whole ordeal. 

Why? That feeling you hear all about of just knowing you found your home when you step on campus gets a little harder to identify when monotonous columns of fluorescent lights and identical rows of cubicles are independent variables from site to site. Hearing about your 401K and health insurance benefits pales in comparison to discovering the partnerships for study abroad trips different universities have across the globe. Having to reassure your friends you've made over your time in college their own quests will have a happy ending if they are off to a slower start is much more difficult this time around when they start expressing fears of being lapped by their peers. The one constant is every person you come into contact with on your "visits" will tell you how much they love it there which ends up being of little to no assistance at the end of the day. You get bogged down. You fall into a rut. 

Getting back to the titular question, the case I've laid about against senior year being fun indicates the answer is an overwhelming no, right? There have definitely been some moments where I would wholeheartedly be in agreement. Yet in the grand scheme of things, I think that answer is a total cop out. 

In this odd, transitional semester, I've tried to register and appreciate all the small things that make the college experience what it is more intentionally. That's why I thought a blog post about this was long overdue and an ideal manifestation of this thought process. Football games, the opportunity to meet astounding new people every day, cheap pizzas and beer pitchers, free t-shirts, and a whole host of other benefits aren't being take for granted or forgotten, because only when their days are numbered, will you begin to realize how much you'll miss them when they're gone. I've tried to remind myself to not dread a walk across campus, even in the rain, because it will be much easier evading puddles than car payments come next year. I've tried to get involved with things I failed to take advantage of earlier and diversify my time to reinvest in the people and things that have given me the most. Having a mindset to diligently replace every moan, gripe, and complaint with conversation, fun, and spontaneity has made this year a blast so far.

Senior year has taken on its own distinct identity, and perhaps that's why for brief lapses it's foreign nature bred some xenophobia and dread. But what year of college (or life in general) doesn't take on a life of its own? Don't let the bulls of the real world run you over because they are inevitably breathing down your neck- whether you pay attention to them or not. Run with them and enjoy the journey more than stressing about the destination. It's a lot more fun that way.

Plus, it's probably the only way to deal with the crippling nostalgia...

J. Nave