Coaching Reflection

Please reflect in 250-400 words about the psychology behind coach and your time playing basketball.

How often should athletes be drug tested and is targeting some athletes more than others a fair method of testing?  

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19559828/pittsburgh-steelers-lb-james-harrison-says-taken-three-drug-tests-3-months

Girl's Lacrosse Helmets

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/04/19/female-lacrosse-helmets/

Should helmets be required in girl's lacrosse? Should players be able to choose whether or not they wear them?

Trash Talk

Please post your 250-400 word reflection to the psychology of trash talk below.

Winning/Losing Reflection

Please post your 250-400 word reflection to the psychology of winning and losing below.

Is the NBA Lottery a good system? If not, how could it be changed to be more fair?

http://wagesofwins.com/2008/06/09/the-fairness-of-the-nba-draft-lottery/

Hooliganism Response

Sorry this is late! Please post your hooliganism response below.

Ole Miss Rebels Effect on Integrated Sports

I believe the way that Ole Miss was integrated and the way that the school took to it greatly effected the way sports were played and viewed in this country. In the movie there were clear problems with the integrating process. There were riots and even opposition from school officials like the dean who continued to reject the presidents requests of letting James Merideth enroll. These problems continued and started to effect the schools beloved sports especially football. On a personal level we see great effect of the players. Buck Randle someone who was so feared and was so high in the Ole Miss community was effected. He couldn't stop the riots even if he pleaded with "fans." Then on a bigger level the games were effected. The people of Ole Miss wanted to protest but in a different way: The Confederate Flag. The Confederate Flag was a symbol of the racist south and was tradition at a school like Ole Miss with similar school colors and fans bringing the flags into games. Another tradition that runs through Ole Miss is the song of Dixie. This was another way of protesting integration rather than rioting. Dixie has a racist connotation due to the time period when it broke out in popularity when the South seceded from the Union however it was used at games as the "fight song." This for a time effected seasons and effected sports however as time moved on and as the school began to become more integrated, black students make up 14 percent of the school and is on the rise, the traditions began to change. For starters the mascot, Colonel Reb, has changed to a black bear. Colonel Reb was a confederate colonel and the new mascot happens to show integration. A black bear to me shows the black population at the school and in Mississippi and the hat on the bear looks like something an old white man would wear in the south. The playing of Dixie as the fight song has also changed into Hotty Toddy which doesn't have such a negative and racist connotation and relation to the old south. It is very contradictory however that the school name is Ole Miss due to old traditions that were deep rooted were changed. To me its somewhat of a New Miss with new traditions and a history that should be acknowledged and changed.

Should the MLB change their rules to make the games more interesting? If so, what should be done?

Should MLB shorten their games, or eliminate other aspects in order to increase interest from younger people? Or should it stay as is? What should or shouldn't be done?

http://www.breezejmu.org/sports/should-mlb-implement-rule-changes-to-speed-up-the-game/article_42bd7c88-22f4-11e7-b672-9f4c001f128e.html

ESPN poll: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19069535/mlb-fan-survey-baseball-boring-other-burning-questions

The Ghosts of Ole Miss Response

Please post your response to The Ghosts of Ole Miss and the supplemental articles below.

Should the NHL be able to withhold their players from the Olympics?

What’re your thoughts on the NHL holding their players back from the olympics? Should it be up to the NHL or to the players to decide to go or not?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/sports/hockey/nhl-2018-olympics-players-reaction.html

NBA Teams Resting Their Players

Do you the think NBA teams should be allowed to rest their players?

http://www.sbnation.com/2017/3/22/15012220/nba-rest-players-lebron-james-gregg-popovich

Are upsets good for March Madness? Why do you think this?

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/3/18/14963622/march-madness-2017-bracket-first-round-upsets

Early Recruiting: Do you think that early recruiting should be allowed in sports? If so, to what extent should it be allowed, and if not, why shouldn't it be allowed?

http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/15509558/the-impact-early-recruiting-players-coaches

MLB's Role in the US

ESPN Article

What do you think the role is of national sports teams in terms of politics?  Should they stay quiet, like the MLB has, or do you believe that they should speak up for what they believe in?  Is what the MLB is doing right, or do they have a duty to unite people?

Different Media Reflection

Please comment with your reflection on the Different Media Superbowl Activity.

Article of the Week Seideman and Phoonie

https://420games.org/marijuana-in-sports-should-it-be-legal/


With Medical Marijuana becoming legal in more states for recreational and medical use, is it time to allow athletes to use the drug? Explain your view...

Super Bowl LI Overtime Rules

Perspective of Super Bowl LI Overtime

Super Bowl 51 was the first super bowl in NFL history that was decided by overtime. Given the current overtime format, would you agree or disagree that the receiving team has an unfair advantage due to the fact that they can win the game with a touchdown? If so explain your reasoning, if not explain how you would change the format?

NHL All Star Game

SB Nation Article

How should the NHL configure the All Star Game in order to exceed their ratings over the Pro Bowl? Is it even possible?

College Football Playoff

SI Article

Should the college football playoff be expanded?