BEACON SPORTS
"Baby you can drive my car," but you're no athlete
By Chris LaFuria
sports editor
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In 2006, NASCAR is projected to bring in $3.5
billion of revenue. Millions of fans flock to race
tracks all over the country throughout the year to
support their favorite drivers. From Jeff Gordon to
Tony Stewart, many drivers have gained celebrity
status in the United States and beyond. The com
mon misconception is, however, that these drivers
have received the status of an athlete. Driving your
car 250 miles per hour does not classify as a sport.
There are many varieties of mindless human
activities that have mistakenly been considered
sports. Even though experts offer their profession
al opinion on why an activity should be considered
a "sport," their definition for their justification is
rather flawed.
When claiming an activity as a sport, you must
scrutinize the level of actual athleticism that is
involved with the particular activity. The criteria
for receiving the term "sport" should not be as
"Granted, NASCAR
draws the largest
crowds and is highly
entertaining, but it
should not possess
the 'sport' label."
a long list of activities that have received the term
"sport" and should not have.
The first activity, which is arguably the least ath-
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relaxed as
American community
has made them out to
be. Sports are activ
ities that require a
genuine physical
exertion. A profes
sional sport should
not be something that
the average American
can do well.
Furthermore, there is
NASCAR draws in large crowds to every race. The Daytona 500 is one of the most viewed sporting
events on television. However, all of the drivers inside these cars lack the physical element of an athlete
letic of this entire list, is NASCAR racing. This "sport" label.
"sport" does take a lot of training to become supe- I was flipping through the channels the other day
rior, but so does calligraphy. In auto racing, the when I stumbled on another such activity. As I
drivers do not follow the standard for being consid- watched the professional fishing tournament in
ered "athletic." No clear physical exertion is need- utter comatose boredom, I heard one of the corn
ed to be at the top of the game. Not much condi- mentators say, "This sport takes a lot of concentra
tioning is needed to become in-shape for a race. tion and skill." When I regained my breath after
Granted, NASCAR draws the largest crowds and is laughing hysterically for exactly 58 seconds, I did
highly entertaining, but it should not possess the the same assessment of fishing that I did of
This Week's Sports Schedule
March 18-19, Women's Water Polo Behrend Tournament
March 18, Men's Tennis Pitt-Greensburg
March 18, Baseball @ Bethany (DH)
March 18, Softball @ Bethany (DH)
March 19, Men's Tennis Penn State Altoona
March 19, Baseball @ Bethany (S) w/JV
March 22, Basebal,
March 22, Softball
March 22, Women's Water Polo
Methods for managing March Madness
Selection Sunday is over. The brackets are set. Office workers everywhere are blowing off work to search for that little
something that will give them the edge in their office poll. People will conveniently get sick this Thursday and Friday; the
smart ones put in for their vacation time. Don't try to fight it; it's a beautiful thing. If you're here reading this you know
why it's called March Madness, and you probably have caught the bug. We're here to give you what you need, whether
it's to gain an advantage in your bracket, or if you're just trying to quell that thirst until the games start, we've got your
back.
Will Allan Ray Play?
Ray, a first team all Big-East selection and Villanova's second-leading scorer and rebounder, nearly had his eye gouged out
during Friday night's loss to Pittsburgh. He has been cleared to participate in non-contact basketball drills, but it is
unknown if he will be available for the opening round. I'd wait to see video of him in the gym before writing the team in
for the Final Four.
LSU stated that the freshman forward was only sidelined as a precaution and that he is healthy and ready to play.
Can Pops Mensah-Bonsu recover from knee surgery?
George Washington's storybook season could possibly be over. Without their center who they lost for the first time since
December. Mensah-Bonsu has been out for their last four games while recovering from a surgery in order to fix a menis
cus tear. If you're picking the Colonials to make a big run, be careful; the big man may not be back.
Are they telling the truth about Robert Vaden's ankle?
Vaden left late in the Big Ten Semi-finals in a wheelchair after injuring his ankle. Coach Davis said the injury was not
serious, but things didn't look favorable for the forward. If Vaden isn't ready for their opener, Davis will be on his way
out of Indiana sooner than he'd like.
Can the Bruins hold up?
If any team is at a disadvantage entering the tournament, it has to be UCLA. Every member of the rotation has missed
games or practices with different ailments. Fragile senior Cedric Bozeman, who has suffered many injuries throughout his
collegiate career, missed eight games due to a shoulder injury. Josh Shipp is out for the season due to a hip surgery, and
point guard Jordan Farmar has had ankle troubles all season. After winning the Pac-10 title, UCLA is hoping to carry their
success into the tournament, but can this squad survive the rigorous schedule?
Will The Big East Own The Tournament?
With a record breaking eight seeds entering the tournament and a couple of number ones, it sure looks that way. The last
time they took the tournament field by storm was back in 1985, when they put three teams in the Final Four with Villanova
winning the title.
Can Rashad Anderson, Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong and Denham Brown win their second national title?
Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard and Allen Edwards were the last players to do so, winning titles in 1996 and 1998. For
Connecticut to get these four men their second titles they will have to keep their focus, something they have had trouble
with this season. Rudy Gay is their offensive leader, 15.3 ppg, but can only dominate in spurts. Marcus Williams does an
excellent job at point guard, 10.7 ppg, 8.6 apg, and exploits defenses beautifully. If they can keep their heads in the game
they are headed to Indianapolis.
Early on, the answer would have been no, but because of the level of inexperience, you almost have to erase the first half
of their season. To have a chance to repeat, they will have to rely on Tyler Hansborough to put up 20 points and ten
rebounds every night. Rayshaun Terry played excellently in February, averaging 17.3 points, and if he can carry that over
to March, their title hopes are definately legit.
Will Izzo Surprise everybody again?
Does anyone get more out of his team in March than Michigan State's Tom Izzo? He has gotten to four of the last seven
Final Fours and has a staggering 23-7 tournament record. Unfortunately, they are not very deep. Outside of Paul Davis,
Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown's combined 54.8 points per game, they get very little production. Fatigue is also a very
big factor; four of their starters average at least 31 minutes, and PG Drew Neitzel looks to be wearing down. They will
also be without PF Matt Trannon.
Duke's J.J. Redick and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison have been holding the nation's attention all season. Their scoring race
has been brilliant. Unfortunately, they may not get to face off in a dual that would most likely be reminiscent of the 1979
Final Four, which featured Indiana State's Larry Bird and Michigan State's Magic Johnson. For this to happen, Duke's
offense is going to have ride Redick to Indiana, and let's not forget that the Zag's haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 2001.
Can McNamara keep carrying Syracuse?
Before the Big East tournament, it looked like Syracuse was headed for the "other" tournament. Then, McNamara had an
insane performance that vaulted them from a bubble team to a number five seed. Gerry looks to be on a mission, and after
their last few games, he is demanding to be taken seriously. If his groin holds up he could lead them on a big run.
Grove City (S) w/JV 1 p.m
@ Westminster (DH) 3 p.m.
@ Gannon 7:30 p.m
By Nicholas Underhill
staff writer
nru I (XWqsu edu
How is Tyrus Thomas' ankle?
Can UNC do it again?
Will Duke and the Zag's meet in the Final Four?
The Behrend Beacon I 10
Friday, March 17, 2006
NASCAR. In order to be a fisherman, some skill is
necessary to be able to find fish and lure them into
your boat (but then again, companies have manu
factured Fish Finders that do the work for you).
However, this is an activity that your overweight
Uncle Remus can do easily, so it is not a sport.
Fishing is not physically demanding in the least and
requires very little physical prowess.
Immediately apologizing to out neighbors in the
Great White North, I would like to take the chance
to revoke the title of "sport" from one of the most
popular activities to Canadians. Relax hockey fans;
Canada's national sport is indeed a sport in all
aspects. The sport to which I am referring is curl
ing. Using brushes to slide polished granite stones
down the length of a sheet of ice ranks up there
with watering a garden as a sport. Even though it
is an Olympic sport, the basic premise of being a
curling player is not athletic at all. Maybe you
could get a job as a Zamboni driver and watch an
actual sport up in Canada.
Running. Jumping. Diving. Sprinting. Physical
Exertion. These are all criteria for something to be
considered a "sport." If you can compete in an
activity by sitting down or standing still for more
than ten minutes, the activity is not a sport. Driving
an automobile and searching for fish should not be
considered sports because of their lack of physical
demand. Even though there are competition and
professional leagues for these activities, they are
not sports.
Voice your opinions about what
activities should or should not be
considered sports. Email Chris
Lewitt at cslsoos@psu.edu and
have your opinion heard.
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