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Why Do You Follow Sports?

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Why Do You Follow Sports?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Recently, the acting editor in chief of Deadspin, a popular sports website, was fired for his refusal to “stick to sports” in deciding what his staff covered. Following his dismissal, almost the entire staff resigned in protest.

What do you think? Should sports journalists stick exclusively to sports — box scores, highlights, stories of heroic achievement? Or should they also cover “outside the lines” issues like concussions, domestic violence, racism and politics? Is it possible to separate the rest of the world from sports?

Why do you read and watch sports news and commentary — whether it’s in Sports Illustrated or Bleacher Report, or in TV shows like “SportsCenter” or “Fox NFL Sunday”? Do you care only about the entertainment value of the games? Do you see sports news as an escape from other kinds of news? Or are you also interested in the broader societal issues that affect athletes, leagues and fans?

In an Opinion essay, “I Was Fired From Deadspin for Refusing to ‘Stick to Sports’,” Barry Petchesky writes:

Two weeks ago, I was fired as acting editor in chief of Deadspin, where I’d worked since 2009. The entire staff resigned, following me out the door after we had refused a new company mandate to “stick to sports.” Jim Spanfeller, installed as chief executive of G/O Media by the private equity firm that bought the company seven months ago, called me into his office, pointed to some offending stories on our home page and had me escorted from the building. This is the first time that I’m speaking up about my firing, and my stance remains the same as in the countless meetings with management where I explained and insisted that sports don’t end when the players head back to the locker room.

We refused to “stick to sports,” because we know that sports is everything, and everything is sports: It’s the N.B.A. kowtowing to its Chinese business interests; it’s pro sports leagues attempting to become shadow justice systems for publicity reasons; it’s the opioid epidemic roiling N.F.L. locker rooms at least as hard as anywhere in Appalachia, even as the league refuses to relax its marijuana policy; it’s racist fan chants chasing black players off the pitch in Italian soccer matches; it’s Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap at the White House. (These last two stories occurred in the past week and so were not covered on Deadspin; the “stick to sports” diktat forced the outlet to ignore the biggest sports stories in the world.)

Reporting sports with integrity requires knowing that there’s no way to wall off the games from the world outside. To anyone who knows anything about sports or cares about the world outside the arena, the notion that sports should or even can be covered merely by box scores and transaction wires is absurd.

From the moment Deadspin was founded in 2005, the website took for granted that what happened off the field was at least as important as the goings-on between the lines, and that there was no way to unravel the two. Deadspin’s approach was a reaction to the predominant strain of sportswriting at the time, which treated athletes as either Greek demigods unconcerned with the dealings of the world or spoiled millionaires playing children’s games.

The essay concludes:

Deadspin was the voice of the long-suffering fan, finding the humor and the heartbreak in everything in the world of sports. It was the fan wondering why he was paying $200 to go to a football game to watch a team whose owner would rather pocket profit than pay to improve the roster. It was also the fan troubled by the culture and the politics of sports, the fan who couldn’t help noticing that the larger issues of the real world spilled onto the field. Sticking to sports, pretending that sports can take place in a vacuum, would have been profoundly dishonest.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Should sports reporting “stick to sports”? Should coverage focus more on scores and highlights? Or are broader societal issues an integral part of sports too? Why or why not?

  • Do you agree with Mr. Petchesky that “sports is everything, and everything is sports”? Which aspects of his argument that sports doesn’t “take place in a vacuum” resonate most?

  • Where do you get your sports news and why? Do you have a favorite sports reporter or sports news venue? On the whole, would you say that you prefer a “stick to sports” approach or the kind of broader sports coverage that Deadspin offered?

  • What kinds of sports stories are you interested in most? Is there a recent story that stands out? If yes, tell us why.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?”

This article is the first in a series called “Good Question” in which Randall Munroe, a former NASA roboticist turned web cartoonist, tries to explain — through text and illustrations — the scientific mysteries that keep readers awake at night.

In this lesson, students learn what the moon feels like and why. Then they explore the science questions that are on their minds.

The article you are about to read poses the question: If I touched the moon, what would it feel like?

What predictions can you make about what the moon feels like? What evidence do you have that could support those predictions?

Now, scroll through the illustrations in the article. What more do you learn from them about what the moon feels like? Use the information from the visuals to strengthen the predictions you made.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What might the vacuum of space feel like, according to the author? What evidence does he use to support this idea?

2. How do the temperatures on the day and night sides of the moon compare with those on Earth? What factors influence those temperatures?

3. Why might you be able to touch the lunar surface with your bare hand without getting uncomfortably warm, but touching a lunar rock might make you yank your hand back in pain?

4. In your own words, write a brief response to the headline’s question: If you touched the moon, what would it feel like?

5. Return to your predictions from the warm-up. How many were correct? What questions do you still have about what the moon might feel like if you touched it?

What science mysteries do you wonder about?

“If you touched the moon, what would it feel like?” is just one of the many scientific queries from the public that Mr. Munroe has tried to answer. In his web comic XKCD, he takes on many more. Here are few examples:

Brainstorm a question you would like Mr. Munroe to answer and submit it to the “Good Question” column using the form below:

If you have more time, do some research to see if you can find the answer to your question. Then illustrate an explanation, or part of one, as Mr. Munroe does.

How your attitude defines your life!

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How your attitude defines your life!

There is nothing more exhilarating than being around people who exude the energy of endless possibilities. These kinds of people are needed in our lives if we wish to see what is attainable. When we surround our environment with people who believe in the harshness of life we are drained of energy and vitality. Therefore, the choice is really up to us – do we want to reach the stars or do we want to stay on the ground constantly looking up secretly wishing that we were among the dazzling jewels that grace the heavens. A strong, positive and resilient attitude will help elevate you to unimaginable heights.

In life attitude is everything. Check the people around you and observe their attitude barometer – negative or positive – and if the results are negative then you may need to look at your own attitude and make certain adjustments. Usually people mirror our own unconscious feelings and attitudes about life that we perhaps are not acknowledging head on. Remember, your attitude determines your altitude. That’s why its so important to be choosy about who we do spend our time with. I believe that we do become what we think about, and who we surround ourselves with every day strongly influences what we think about or become. A positive attitude is not about displaying a phony smile, a happy face and a perky disposition. It is simply a way of responding to life in a manner that allows us to accept the duality, the contradictions, the contrasts of our experiences. A positive attitude enables you to make a difference in the world around you because when you are able to see things in a positive light, you help to influence and shape other people’s attitude as well.

What is attitude anyway? It is the mental state or position you take regarding your life and affairs. This means its not what you think but how you think it. Your attitude forms every event in your life, whether you realize it or not. Out of your attitude comes your enjoyment of life and gratitude for all your blessings. Out of your attitude also comes your disappointment and anger at how things have turned out. Out of attitude also comes the feeling that no accomplishment will be ever be good enough or that you are not good enough. Everyday, your attitude is challenged by other people and by external factors. How will you react? Will you allow adversity to stop you from moving forward? Will you allow a negative person to ruin your day, make you lose your cool, or force you to give up on your dreams? When such temptations come knocking on your door, stand at the door of your mind and declare powerfully and silently, “No one is home”. In other words, cease to engage.

Author : Felipe H Gomez
Degree : Masters
Major : Marketing
Country : United States
Language : English

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How to use my general knowledge to help others?

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These words by Matt Perman apply as much to non-physical resources (like your theological and apologetic knowledge) as they do to any other kind of resource:
It makes no sense for us to live in a society of abundance while half the world lives in great need, and not be diligent and creative and eager to figure out ways to use our abundance to help meet those needs.
When we look around and see our comfort, privilege, and affluence, we shouldn’t fall into the trap of asking “how can I get more of this?” As Kingdom-minded Christians, our first thought should be: “how can I use this technology/money/time to serve—especially those in greatest need?”
I was reading John 13 this morning and thinking about how central being a servant is to Christianity. This utterly amazes me every time I read it:
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end…. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Knowing that all things were His, and that He had come from God and was going back to God—that is, knowing His infinitely high position above all those around Him—Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. Let that sink in for a moment. The text actually intimately connects these two facts about Jesus—His high position (and its corresponding abundance) and His humble act of service. His service is, in fact, the way in which He loved them.
From the incarnation to the cross, this was Jesus’ life; He humbled Himself to serve others. He defined love for us as service. To love is to serve. To be great is to be a servant. It’s good to seek to increase your knowledge, but consider Matt Perman’s words: How can you use the abundance you already have to serve those who are in need of it?

Announcing the Essential Skills Playbook

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Announcing the Essential Skills Playbook

By Leah Belsky, SVP of Enterprise, Coursera

Today we launched the Essential Skills Playbook, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring this to business and governments around the world committed to investing in skill development. 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, and with it comes a new era of digital transformation (DX)—an era defined by the technology we use every day to live, work, and play—and it shows no signs of slowing down. Nearly every industry across the globe is now challenged by a rapidly changing business landscape that requires interdisciplinary proficiency in business, tech, and data science skills. 

The urgency for bridging the skills gap and transitioning toward a proactive operating workforce may not be news to you, though, as spending on the enablement of DX is forecast to approach $2 trillion by 2023. Yet, PwC’s Talent Trends 2019 CEO report revealed that 79% of CEOs worry about the availability of critical skills. Moreover, a survey by Gartner found that workers also feel unprepared: 70% of employee respondents said they didn’t have mastery of the skills needed to do their jobs. 

After it’s all said and done, one key question remains: where and how can you discern the critical skills your workers need to succeed in an age of digital transformation? Enter: The Essential Skills Playbook. 

The Essential Skills Playbook

With insights from over 40 million learners across 2,000 companies, governments, and non-profit organizations, the Essential Skills Playbook helps organizations identify priority skills in the areas of business, tech, and data science for any organization, as well as for five key industries: finance, telecommunications, technology, professional services, and manufacturing. 

In the Playbook, you will learn critical skills to invest in by business function and skill domain, complete with data-driven skill maps for business and industry. You’ll learn driving forces behind workforce trends and why certain competencies are crucial.

Some of our key findings:

  • Finance: Several skills are essential to finance, cropping up in multiple functions—SQL, Python language, big data, and business analytics, to name a few.
  • Telecom: Proficiency in internet privacy, security, development of customer value propositions, and financial literacy are leading skills in the world of telecom.
  • Tech: Analytics skills are essential—from business analytics to statistical analysis. Analytics made the top skills list in nearly every function, from engineering and finance to sales, marketing, and product
  • Professional services: Data-related skills including data-based decision making, blockchain, and machine learning are must-haves in professional services.
  • Manufacturing: Predictive analytics, data visualization, and forecasting rank high on the list of data skills, with quality control and lean manufacturing landing top spots in business skills.

[Download the full Playbook]

Of course, it’s not enough to simply identify the critical skills you need to stay competitive.  We’re here to partner with your organization each step of the way in identifying, strategizing and delivering transformative learning programs. With over 200 leading universities and companies as partners, our learning platform includes the top experts in academia and industry. You and your team can take a specialization in Data Science with John Hopkins University, learn about Digital Marketing with IBM, or dive into AI for Everyone with Andrew Ng.

I hope you enjoy the Essential Skills Playbook, and if you like it, do get in touch with us to learn how we can help your organization successfully ride the wave of digital transformation.

About the Author:

Leah Belsky is the Senior Vice President of Enterprise at Coursera, where she runs the company’s business solution team.  She has served on President Obama’s Technology Policy Committee and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She also sits on the Boards of Engine Advocacy and Public Knowledge, leading technology and startup policy organizations that promote freedom of expression, innovation, and access to knowledge. Leah is a graduate of Yale Law School and received her undergraduate degree from Brown University. She loves building, identifying, and scaling amazing teams and products and has served as a GM and leader of teams in sales/BD/revenue, operations, new product development, GTM, engineering, professional services, and international. Leah is based in Mountain View, California.

Leah Belsky is the Vice President of Enterprise at Coursera and runs the company’s business solutions team globally. She is based in Mountain View, California.

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FutureLearn Signs Up Ten Million Learners

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FutureLearn Signs Up Ten Million Learners

FutureLearn now has 10 million learners

In December 2012, eleven British universities joined with the Open University to launch a British-based MOOC provider: FutureLearn. The first courses, from 23 founding universities, appeared in October 2013.

My first FutureLearn course was Start Writing Fiction in late 2014, when FutureLearn had fewer than 700,000 learners. The one million learners milestone was reached in February 2015. By mid-2016, the number had grown to four million. Last week, FutureLearn announced it now has ten million learners and more than 175 institutional partners from all around the world. More than seven of every ten learners live outside the UK, which in the 2017-2018 academic year had 2.3 million students enrolled in higher education. This means that FutureLearn’s MOOC enrollments are four times the number of higher education students in the UK.

Although most FutureLearn offerings are single courses with an optional paid certificate available, some courses are grouped into programs and degrees.

I have taken 30 FutureLearn courses and earned two certificates since 2014. Recently, I joined FutureLearn Unlimited, and plan to earn several more certificates in the next 12 months. 1257 courses are listed on Class Central, although not all are currently available.

Social Aspects and Comments

It’s easy to post comments on FutureLearn course pages. Instead of separate discussion boards, comments can be added to almost every step of each course. Some steps encourage learners to discuss particular aspects of the course material.

More than 35 million comments have been posted, which is an average of 3.5 comments per user. Since I try to make the most of the limited social aspects of online learning, I write plenty of comments, including responding to those of my classmates. I’m way beyond that 3.5 average. I am also one of the 60% female members of FutureLearn.

Here is a brief history of the growth of FutureLearn, as documented through Class Central articles:

 

Word + Quiz: sartorial

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Word + Quiz: sartorial

1. of or relating to clothing

2. of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring

3. of or relating to the sartorius muscle

_________

The word sartorial has appeared in 119 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 17 in “Was the Gap Ever Cool? A Look at 50 Years in Denim and Khaki” by Jonah Engel Bromwich:

By 1986, The New York Times was already calling the transformation driven by Mr. Drexler “one of the most remarkable turnarounds in retailing history.” Five years later, The Times reported that the Gap’s clothes were the second most popular in the United States behind Levi Strauss.

… With business success came cultural ubiquity. And with that ubiquity came widespread contempt.

In a recent interview, Thomas Frank, the author of “The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism,” confessed that it had been some time since he had thought about the Gap and “the mysterious union it once achieved with my generation’s sartorial taste.”

_________

Lesson of the Day: ‘They Achieved the American Dream. Will the Supreme Court Let Them Keep It?’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘They Achieved the American Dream. Will the Supreme Court Let Them Keep It?’

6. What did you learn from the article? Which quotation or image stands out for you as particularly affecting or meaningful? Explain why.

7. Return to the warm-up activity: Does the article affect or change how you view the issue of immigration, in general, or DACA and Dreamers in particular?

Choose one or both of these activities to do after finishing the article.

Activity No. 1: In your opinion, should DACA protections for Dreamers like Jorge and Evelyn be ended or preserved?

Read the eight quotations about DACA included in this PDF and sort them into three piles. If you’re doing this activity in class, we encourage you to work with a partner and take turns reading the quotations aloud.

Pile 1: Quotations I/we primarily agree or sympathize with.

Pile 2: Quotations I/we primarily disagree or do not sympathize with.

Pile 3: (If working with a partner) Quotations we cannot agree on.

Then, choose one quotation from Pile 2 that you disagree with and write a thoughtful response capturing why you disagree. In your response, be sure to explain what you think about the DACA program and what you hope the Supreme Court or Congress will do.

Activity No. 2: How do you hope the Supreme Court will decide this case?

In “Supreme Court Appears Ready to Let Trump End DACA Program,” Adam Liptak writes about the Nov. 12 hearings:

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday appeared ready to side with the Trump administration in its efforts to shut down a program protecting about 700,000 young immigrants known as “Dreamers.”

The court’s liberal justices probed the administration’s justifications for ending the program, expressing skepticism about its rationales for doing so. But other justices indicated that they would not second-guess the administration’s reasoning and, in any event, considered its explanations sufficient.

Still, there was agreement among the justices that the young people who signed up for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, were sympathetic and that they and their families, schools and employers had relied on it in good faith.

The article continues:

In the past, Mr. Trump has praised the program’s goals and suggested he wanted to preserve it. “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military?” he asked in a 2017 Twitter post.

But as the court took up its future on Tuesday, Mr. Trump struck a different tone. “Many of the people in DACA, no longer very young, are far from ‘angels,’” he wrote on Twitter. “Some are very tough, hardened criminals.”

In fact, the program has strict requirements. To be eligible for DACA status, applicants had to show that they had committed no serious crimes, had arrived in the United States before they turned 16 and were no older than 30, had lived in the United States for at least the previous five years, and were a high school graduate or a veteran.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the DACA recipients were justified in relying on Mr. Trump’s earlier statements, which she paraphrased. “They were safe under him,” she said, “and he would find a way to keep them here.”

The roots of the decision to shut down the program figured in the argument, as the justices parsed two sets of rationales from successive heads of the Department of Homeland Security.

After contentious debates among his aides, Mr. Trump announced in September 2017 that he would wind down the program. He gave only a single reason for doing so, saying that creating or maintaining the program was beyond the legal power of any president.

“I do not favor punishing children,” Mr. Trump said in his formal announcement of the termination. But, he added, “the program is unlawful and unconstitutional and cannot be successfully defended in court.”

What do you think? What do you predict the Supreme Court will decide in this case? What do you hope the Supreme Court will decide?

Weekly News Quiz for Students: Elections, Vaping, Gaming Regulations

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Weekly News Quiz for Students: Elections, Vaping, Gaming Regulations

Above is an image related to one of the news stories we followed over the past week. Do you know what it shows? At the bottom of this quiz, you’ll find the answer.

Have you been paying attention to the news recently? See how many of these 10 questions you can get right.

‘No.’

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‘No.’

Do you find it hard to say “no” to friends, family and even strangers? When someone asks you to do something you can’t or don’t want to do, can you easily turn them down? Or do you often find yourself saying “yes” or “maybe” out of politeness?

Tell us about a time when you said “no” to someone or something — or a time when you wish you had. How did it go? What, if anything, would you do differently next time?

What advice do you have for others on how to decline something without hurting any feelings?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find more tips.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

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