Can anyone truly define “celebrity” today? A dictionary definition would explain it as “the state of being celebrated” or “a famous or celebrated person.” How about fame? Fame is “public estimation” or “popular acclaim.” The words fame and celebrity 50 years ago were associated with untouchable people. Movies stars, broadcasters, political figures that no one of lesser status could ever associate themselves with. Fame and celebrity today roll off the tongue like a dirty word, almost as if being associated with either is a bad thing. Whether we like to admit it or not, it’s a result of our own doing. These days, social status is everything but social status itself is losing its own worth.
It wouldn’t surprise me if you looked up those same words again and things like YouTube, MySpace, and reality television were listed. There is no trick, no recipe, and even no talent needed to call yourself famous. This decline in the worth of fame could be attributed to the internet, to the music industry, or maybe even to the human need to be entertained 24 hours of the day, seven days a week.
“Celebrity status” is no longer determined by your work ethic, your profession, or the talent you possess. It has become solely a popularity contest based on your ability to put your face anywhere in the public eye. We all see it happening, we all see people on red carpets, at Hollywood premiers and wonder how on God’s green Earth these people got here. It’s no surprise because the most ironic part about it is that we’re the people who put them there. No one will admit it, but we perpetuate the cycle. We make what we hate, and what we hate to see.
You can relate it to something we refer to as a “guilty pleasure.” You love to watch it, hear it, be entertained by it, but you’re too embarrassed to admit it. Those television shows that are too cliché to watch, the songs so manufactured and catchy you only sing in the shower; those are the kinds of things we don’t discuss. The attention given to all these forms of media is what propels these guilty pleasures into stardom.
There is always someone in Hollywood we love to hate. I don’t know that anyone can explain it, but it’s true. Usually that person earns a ridiculous sum of money from something so simple, anyone could do it. But the attention they get from us, from the public, and from the media is what causes them to be a household name. One of the biggest and most widely-known examples of this is Perez Hilton. The guy runs a celebrity gossip blog site, which in itself is the beginning of this problem. Why do we care so much who Is dating who and who went out to the club last night? We don’t know, but we care. Anyone can sit at home and blog about the “buzz” and the latest scoop, but Perez Hilton is now a superstar. He’s at premiers, he’s on the red carpet, and he’s judging beauty pageants for crying out loud. The guy’s flamboyancy and attitude beg for attention, and we give it all to him. The majority of people I have met can’t stand him, but I know they’ve all visited his page. He earns a celebrity status by doing what? Gossiping about celebrities. Now that’s ironic.
What about all the music superstars we have today? The pop queens, the R&B crooners, the latest dance crazes in the clubs started by the rappers and the manufactured beats; do any of these have real talent, something to last beyond the stages of a “trend?” Some do, and some do not. I think you all know what music I’m talking about. Artists Ke$ha and Soulja Boy. Ke$ha can’t hit a high C on a bar staff, and Soulja Boy comes up with the most moronic “dance” moves while talking his way through some beats a producer fed him. But we all love it! You can’t wait for their songs to come on the radio or hit the dance floor when the DJ turns them on. Then you turn around and wonder, how does someone like Soulja Boy make millions upon millions of dollars? What does he do? He doesn’t create music with lasting power for one thing, and the other is that the seizure-ridden dances based on sexual innuendos he creates are eaten up by the public. He makes money and blows up in the record industry with less talent than those of the people with pipes that are rejected time after time by the industry. We envy his money and fame for what he does, yet we are the ones who put him there.
Things like blogs, and YouTube, and any other medium that allows us to express ourselves has propelled the average Joe into “the next big thing.” People in home videos are used in music videos, millions of views on YouTube causes the next social uproar, and a few kids hitting the Jersey Shore for the summer cause an obsession with New York-Italian “guido” culture. They burst onto the scene, and make more money in a year than we can gross in a lifetime. We love it all; the reality television and the catchy music, while we sit back and scoff at their fame. There’s no one to blame but ourselves.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wake Up Grammys! Talent is Knocking
I grew up sitting on my living room floor watching The Grammys every year in awe. I loved watching the uber-famous stars in dresses and spiffy outfits, performances I’d remember for years to come, and hoping for the most talented of artists to be rewarded for their accomplishments. It was a night of prestige. I sat in front of the television Sunday night in awe once again, but not for said reasons.
I was more or less shocked that I was even watching The Grammys. I picked up the remote checked the channel a few times, and attempted to restrain my need to throw it at the T.V. What I was looking at was more of a mixture of The Razzies and a Betsy Johnson fashion show. Where do I even begin?
I know we’re not talking about The Oscars here. It’s not all ball gowns and stuffy penguin suits. But is there any originality other than looking like you stepped out of an institution? Lady Gaga looked like a planet. No, seriously – a glittery planet in a yellow wig. Rihanna looked like a feather cushion after a pillow fight.
“But it’s runway! But it’s couture,” but it belongs in the trash.
Imogen Heap was dressed in a see-through petticoat with a studded, well, dog collar. Ciara rocked the feathers followed by a floor length dress of black mesh. Beyonce sat in the audience in a dress made of gold and silver chain link. That’s not trendy, just tacky. It’s not like we don’t expect off-the-wall fashion from some of these celebrities but how far can you go and have it still called fashion? It is an award show. Keep it classy, ladies.
Moving on now to what makes The Grammys prestigious. Of course I’m talking about the music, or so I thought. Many performances anymore are all about scandal, shock value, and the sex factor. This is where The Grammys held my attention and lost me all together. Since when did live acts become medleys? Half of these were carried by musical pioneers that came ages before them. There is a list of Grammys acts that made no sense to me. Beyonce sang an Alanis Morrisette song? The woman doesn’t have enough angst to carry a tune like that. Who can forget Taylor Swift’s act? She sang alongside Stevie Nicks, and the woman made Swift look like the amateur that she is.
There were three of the best combinations I’ve seen in quite a while. Elton John and Lady Gaga blew the roof off of the Staples Center. This is an exception to my dislike of medleys. Two terribly gifted pianists and vocalists, both advocates of equality in sexuality rights, and yet they are of staggeringly different generations. They melded together, while remaining in their own natural state to create an unforgettable act. Put Lady Gaga in front of a piano and the amazing talent she has is showcased. A true artist, with musical and lyrical skills, and shines the most live. I’d say that’s a lost art today.
Next in that list was the stirring duet from Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige. An unlikely and seemingly incompatible pair, that is until they open their mouths. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a classic itself, and Bocelli is a musical wonder, but for Blige to hold her own against a famed opera singer shows some serious pipes and gumption. The duet was of course all for a good cause, in the interest of raising funds for Haiti, but I believe it will have a more lasting effect even after Haiti recovers.
Above all, done just as properly as it should have, was the tribute to the late, great Michael Jackson. Simple. Not smoke and mirrors, no rope tricks, no sex appeal, just pure voices in honor of one of the greatest artists there will ever be. Creatively enough, the effect of Jackson’s music was personified by the people chosen to sing in his honor. Bringing together generations, people of different genres and races underneath his music. This was more than fitting for the King of Pop.
The nominations and the awards are what baffled me the most about this year’s Grammys. I have no idea when the raw talent in the nominees was replaced with mixers, soundboards, and synthetic instruments. Today’s Grammy’s seem to honor more manufactured music than ability. Album of the Year sadly goes to Taylor Swift. The girl can write her own music and strum a guitar, but she can’t sing outside of a studio. I would like to think anyone thought highly enough of to win such a prestigious award can sing anywhere. The girl is “relatable” but I don’t think that justifies a Grammy. She now stands alongside legendary greats like U2, Frank Sinatra, Eric Clapton, and The Beatles. If that doesn’t blow your mind, I would have to assume you are musically inept.
Cheers to the 2010 Grammys having passed, and my television still being in one piece after the fact. Here’s to hoping The Grammys will wise up in the coming years and get back in touch with the roots of music and what it takes to be recognized worldwide as an outstanding artist.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Privacy Threatened for Female Sports Journos
Opportunities for women in the sports world are a dime a dozen. Proving athletic knowledge, a love for the game, and the ability to be the best in your career is a tough and daunting task for any applicant, while females have the added pressure of being a minority and looking good in the process. Recently, females have had to pay a pretty penny for a career in sports journalism, where jobs are already few and far between.
Erin Andrews, a reporter for ESPN, was secretly filmed through a peephole in a hotel, and the video posted across the internet for public viewing. Andrews pressed criminal charges on the man who videotaped her and anyone who dares to publish the material. As a highly popular, and well-known, attractive female reporter, she has quite a following which are particularly male viewers. Being a face on ESPN, most of her fan base has its roots in men.
I worked in a sports store throughout my first two years of college, and even then I was subject to male discrimination. Someone would ask, “Can you grab me a Boston hat?” followed by, “You do know what team that is, right?” I know what it feels like to be subject to male discrimination because I put myself in a world where I am a minority. Every woman is aware of that fact coming into the field, but what can you do besides proving yourself? There is constant doubt in the sports world that a female could possibly know a fraction of what males do, and even then it’s only for a job and not because they’re doing what they love. I don’t know that the stereotype could ever be overcome, and still a female is taken advantage of in a situation like Erin Andrews. These women work as hard as anyone to earn on job on a network like ESPN, and after overcoming that feat they are brought back down at the hands of a man looking to get his 15 minutes at the mercy of an unknowing and defenseless woman.
Andrews was a victim of wrongdoing and given the history of women in videos and sex tapes, it was no surprise there was speculation that she had staged the incident as a publicity stunt. From a position of having your privacy invaded and dealing with naked videos of yourself on the internet as well as fighting off accusations that you had done this intentionally, the girl can’t catch a break. As a journalist, your credibility is everything. This incident could and may have already damaged both her reputation and her credibility to those whom believe she was purposely filmed.
Pursuing a career in this field has made me question what is worth it, and what I really want to do with the ambition to be a sports journalist or photographer. For many people in the field, traveling is necessary and hotel rooms become your home. As a female, it makes me feel unsafe to know that it’s as easy as finding my potential hotel room and a peephole with a video camera to tarnish my career. If it’s that simple to find me, what else could happen? There are some crazed people out there and if you can find me, who else knows what you may want to and have the ability to do. Being as you are already accessible, the general public has the ability to know exactly where you are and when you are going to be there. You work in sports. Games are designated for months ahead, at a specific time and place. Hit up ESPN.com and you can figure out a schedule of Erin Andrew’s travels. Become a beat writer, and you’ll be in whatever city the team takes you. It’s a scary thought to be subject to an industry that broadcasts where you’ll be the majority of the time. As a female, and with these kind of occurrances , it makes the industry that much tougher and frightening.
I have a determination to one day be a member of the sports media, and I know what to expect coming in. I can work as hard as any male in the business and compete along with the best because I have enough drive. But when someone can so easily videotape you and bring down everything you have worked for, there is nothing you can do. The scandal with Andrews may have only been one time, but how many times does this have the potential to occur? For me, it’s not even a matter of fighting off discrimination as a female, but feeling safe in my career. Is that really too much to ask?
Erin Andrews, a reporter for ESPN, was secretly filmed through a peephole in a hotel, and the video posted across the internet for public viewing. Andrews pressed criminal charges on the man who videotaped her and anyone who dares to publish the material. As a highly popular, and well-known, attractive female reporter, she has quite a following which are particularly male viewers. Being a face on ESPN, most of her fan base has its roots in men.
I worked in a sports store throughout my first two years of college, and even then I was subject to male discrimination. Someone would ask, “Can you grab me a Boston hat?” followed by, “You do know what team that is, right?” I know what it feels like to be subject to male discrimination because I put myself in a world where I am a minority. Every woman is aware of that fact coming into the field, but what can you do besides proving yourself? There is constant doubt in the sports world that a female could possibly know a fraction of what males do, and even then it’s only for a job and not because they’re doing what they love. I don’t know that the stereotype could ever be overcome, and still a female is taken advantage of in a situation like Erin Andrews. These women work as hard as anyone to earn on job on a network like ESPN, and after overcoming that feat they are brought back down at the hands of a man looking to get his 15 minutes at the mercy of an unknowing and defenseless woman.
Andrews was a victim of wrongdoing and given the history of women in videos and sex tapes, it was no surprise there was speculation that she had staged the incident as a publicity stunt. From a position of having your privacy invaded and dealing with naked videos of yourself on the internet as well as fighting off accusations that you had done this intentionally, the girl can’t catch a break. As a journalist, your credibility is everything. This incident could and may have already damaged both her reputation and her credibility to those whom believe she was purposely filmed.
Pursuing a career in this field has made me question what is worth it, and what I really want to do with the ambition to be a sports journalist or photographer. For many people in the field, traveling is necessary and hotel rooms become your home. As a female, it makes me feel unsafe to know that it’s as easy as finding my potential hotel room and a peephole with a video camera to tarnish my career. If it’s that simple to find me, what else could happen? There are some crazed people out there and if you can find me, who else knows what you may want to and have the ability to do. Being as you are already accessible, the general public has the ability to know exactly where you are and when you are going to be there. You work in sports. Games are designated for months ahead, at a specific time and place. Hit up ESPN.com and you can figure out a schedule of Erin Andrew’s travels. Become a beat writer, and you’ll be in whatever city the team takes you. It’s a scary thought to be subject to an industry that broadcasts where you’ll be the majority of the time. As a female, and with these kind of occurrances , it makes the industry that much tougher and frightening.
I have a determination to one day be a member of the sports media, and I know what to expect coming in. I can work as hard as any male in the business and compete along with the best because I have enough drive. But when someone can so easily videotape you and bring down everything you have worked for, there is nothing you can do. The scandal with Andrews may have only been one time, but how many times does this have the potential to occur? For me, it’s not even a matter of fighting off discrimination as a female, but feeling safe in my career. Is that really too much to ask?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Draw of the Lens
"If both feet are on the ground, it's not a shot," and during my fall quarter at UC, I took my first photojournalism class. Those words were never spoken in that classroom. Nothing spectacular, just an introduction to the photographers by whom I am already inspired and learning the basics of the camera. No shooting, no editing. I was able to come away with so much from that class after reading the text, especially in the area of what it takes to truly be a photojournalist. It put a spin on everything I had ever known, and it actually made me question what in the world I wanted to do with photography, and why I was interested in the first place.
I had been shooting long before this class, and I'm still shooting now in anticipation of my first techniques class. Moreso than sitting at a desk, listening to a professor ramble, I have recently found more inspiration ever, in the form of the internship given to me by GoBearcats.com. I was approached by the university's sports communications office, and the rest is history. I cannot say how much I love what I'm doing now. If I have ever been sure that sports photography was something that I wanted to make a career, that time is now. Currently, I shoot men's and women's basketball, and in late winter/early spring, I am very, very excited to start shooting Bearcats baseball. The opportunity itself is amazing and is helping me accomplish the feat of three internships before I graduate, but the experience is what I find most satisfying.
I scroll through my pictures since the day I bought my DSLR until today and I cannot believe how much my photography has changed and improved. Gradually throughout the baseball season I can see myself developing and the eye growing stronger for what will make an incredible composition. But looking from September to now, I have taken the biggest leap. The things I have to owe it to are the fact that I can sit, game after game, on the sides of the court practicing and learning what will work and what will not. I have fairly beginner lenses, which I believe has helped make me stronger. When you don't have all the equipment in the world you have to learn to make it work with what you have and I've done exactly that. Dim lighting and sports action with a slow shutter speed and not a very wide aperture has caused me to look for what will make the shot and catch that exactly. Timing and sight. That's what makes the shot for me. But the biggest impact of all, has been from the few times I have worked with Brett Hansbauer. Brett has experience all across the board, and is also UC's contract photographer. Some of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten have been given to me by him.
"If both feet are on the ground, it's not a shot," spoken by Brett.
That has got to be one of the simplest, yet wisest things I have ever heard. I took it to heart and I can't believe how much it has helped. Looking back at some of things I took during the Reds season make me wonder, "What the hell is that!?" Everything I have learned has only reaffirmed my love for photography and makes me so excited for baseball to roll around...
I had been shooting long before this class, and I'm still shooting now in anticipation of my first techniques class. Moreso than sitting at a desk, listening to a professor ramble, I have recently found more inspiration ever, in the form of the internship given to me by GoBearcats.com. I was approached by the university's sports communications office, and the rest is history. I cannot say how much I love what I'm doing now. If I have ever been sure that sports photography was something that I wanted to make a career, that time is now. Currently, I shoot men's and women's basketball, and in late winter/early spring, I am very, very excited to start shooting Bearcats baseball. The opportunity itself is amazing and is helping me accomplish the feat of three internships before I graduate, but the experience is what I find most satisfying.
I scroll through my pictures since the day I bought my DSLR until today and I cannot believe how much my photography has changed and improved. Gradually throughout the baseball season I can see myself developing and the eye growing stronger for what will make an incredible composition. But looking from September to now, I have taken the biggest leap. The things I have to owe it to are the fact that I can sit, game after game, on the sides of the court practicing and learning what will work and what will not. I have fairly beginner lenses, which I believe has helped make me stronger. When you don't have all the equipment in the world you have to learn to make it work with what you have and I've done exactly that. Dim lighting and sports action with a slow shutter speed and not a very wide aperture has caused me to look for what will make the shot and catch that exactly. Timing and sight. That's what makes the shot for me. But the biggest impact of all, has been from the few times I have worked with Brett Hansbauer. Brett has experience all across the board, and is also UC's contract photographer. Some of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten have been given to me by him.
"If both feet are on the ground, it's not a shot," spoken by Brett.
That has got to be one of the simplest, yet wisest things I have ever heard. I took it to heart and I can't believe how much it has helped. Looking back at some of things I took during the Reds season make me wonder, "What the hell is that!?" Everything I have learned has only reaffirmed my love for photography and makes me so excited for baseball to roll around...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Brace Yourself, Bearcats
At this point, I feel like Brian Kelly has all but picked out a piece of real estate in South Bend. He may have for all we know. But what I do know, is that I'm getting ready to face the fact that he may never be back on the Nippert sidelines, and leading the Bearcats out of the tunnel at the Sugar Bowl. Donning some Notre Dame navy in a possibility of 72 hours, the Bearcats could have a new Fearless Leader.
Ultimately, do I want Brian Kelly to stay in Cincinnati? Absolutely. He has been a major key to the university accomplishing things it's never done before. He has helped us find our way to two BCS Championship games, two back-to-back Big East titles, and filled Nippert Stadium to the brim in many consecutive games. Not to mention, an undefeated 2009. He is a great coach. It's obvious. He will always be seen as a great coach, but in Cincinnati he'll soon be the great "coach that was." Enjoy the memories we had.
Now, I'm not pushing him out the door, but I'm saying all indicators point to the greener grass at Notre Dame. The main factor I think will play into this decision? Money. Notre Dame is any football coach's dream job. Notre Dame is all about the legacy, years and years of excellence. Notre Dame is the pinnacle of NCAA football. And sure enough, they will most likely shell out any amount of money to bring in wins. Their key to bringing in wins is landing BK. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to go. He goes down in the books as a head coach at Notre Dame. Who wouldn't want that on their resume? At the same time, Notre Dame is also not the school to boost your career if you're a college head coach. Notre Dame expects perfection. If Brian Kelly gives them anything less than that, he'll be a has-been coach in a matter of five years. His genius, his talent, in my opinion cannot be appreciated at a school where winning is all that matters. He will not be appreciated. The continuation of their legacy is what is important, and he is their stepping stone to reach that point. He is only a means by which to achieve their goal.
Since I am pro-BK in Cincinnati, I can honestly find so many more reasons for him to stay. He has made this program more than just a stepping stone. If he leaves, then that statement is completely retracted. We have risen above to stand with the best of the best, we're playing the defending National Champions for crying out loud! When did you ever imagine you would look up on a screen and see a C-Paw versus a Florida Gator. I'll tell you - NEVER. It's overwhelming to see but it's a constant reminder of how good this team that Brian Kelly has led truly is. We are able to compete with the teams built on legacy. We were built on faith. Faith from fans in our team, in our program and in our coach. Kelly is a god here. He is cherished and honored. What he has done has influenced people to donate money to a new practice complex for goodness sake. Which brings me to this - who says we can't be a BCS school? We've made it to a BCS bowl game two years in a row. A Big East school. Who says we can't be the new kid on the block who is going to stick around for years to come? Any college football fan cannot tell me that they want to see OSU, Oklahoma, and Florida in the bowl games year, after year, after year. It's like the Yankees for me. Repetitiveness causes less competition and less excitement in any sport. Why couldn't we become the new in-demand team? A legacy starts somewhere. It could be starting right here, right now in Cincinnati.
How long Coach Kelly could keep a job in South Bend? With the history of past coaches, it might not be long. Kelly could have a lifetime job here. He could have a statue on this campus. He is loved and appreciated here. Hello - someone took the time to write "Please Stay BK" in the snow on the football field. Could there be a more desperate plea? I want him to be here. I want him to see this team through the Sugar Bowl, and through many more years of successful Big East Championships. I want UC to become a dominant force in NCAA football. A respected and highly honorable team. After Kelly's possible departure, it will be hard for me, I'll admit it. I'm not bandwagon. I've been a UC fan and destined to be a Bearcat since before I can remember, and I've been attending games since the age of 13 or 14, watching losing team after losing team in the Conference USA days and the early Big East days. I'll always be a Bearcat, but this will be a very bitter moment for me just as the departure of Huggins was. I'll get through it. Will I forget it? No. If Brian Kelly wants to go, by all means go. I'm done with rumors, I'm done with speculation, get it over with, UC needs to get a new coach, and continue doing what we do best these days - winning. I believe these boys are going to succeed and show you exactly what you could be leaving, BK.
Ultimately, do I want Brian Kelly to stay in Cincinnati? Absolutely. He has been a major key to the university accomplishing things it's never done before. He has helped us find our way to two BCS Championship games, two back-to-back Big East titles, and filled Nippert Stadium to the brim in many consecutive games. Not to mention, an undefeated 2009. He is a great coach. It's obvious. He will always be seen as a great coach, but in Cincinnati he'll soon be the great "coach that was." Enjoy the memories we had.
Now, I'm not pushing him out the door, but I'm saying all indicators point to the greener grass at Notre Dame. The main factor I think will play into this decision? Money. Notre Dame is any football coach's dream job. Notre Dame is all about the legacy, years and years of excellence. Notre Dame is the pinnacle of NCAA football. And sure enough, they will most likely shell out any amount of money to bring in wins. Their key to bringing in wins is landing BK. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to go. He goes down in the books as a head coach at Notre Dame. Who wouldn't want that on their resume? At the same time, Notre Dame is also not the school to boost your career if you're a college head coach. Notre Dame expects perfection. If Brian Kelly gives them anything less than that, he'll be a has-been coach in a matter of five years. His genius, his talent, in my opinion cannot be appreciated at a school where winning is all that matters. He will not be appreciated. The continuation of their legacy is what is important, and he is their stepping stone to reach that point. He is only a means by which to achieve their goal.
Since I am pro-BK in Cincinnati, I can honestly find so many more reasons for him to stay. He has made this program more than just a stepping stone. If he leaves, then that statement is completely retracted. We have risen above to stand with the best of the best, we're playing the defending National Champions for crying out loud! When did you ever imagine you would look up on a screen and see a C-Paw versus a Florida Gator. I'll tell you - NEVER. It's overwhelming to see but it's a constant reminder of how good this team that Brian Kelly has led truly is. We are able to compete with the teams built on legacy. We were built on faith. Faith from fans in our team, in our program and in our coach. Kelly is a god here. He is cherished and honored. What he has done has influenced people to donate money to a new practice complex for goodness sake. Which brings me to this - who says we can't be a BCS school? We've made it to a BCS bowl game two years in a row. A Big East school. Who says we can't be the new kid on the block who is going to stick around for years to come? Any college football fan cannot tell me that they want to see OSU, Oklahoma, and Florida in the bowl games year, after year, after year. It's like the Yankees for me. Repetitiveness causes less competition and less excitement in any sport. Why couldn't we become the new in-demand team? A legacy starts somewhere. It could be starting right here, right now in Cincinnati.
How long Coach Kelly could keep a job in South Bend? With the history of past coaches, it might not be long. Kelly could have a lifetime job here. He could have a statue on this campus. He is loved and appreciated here. Hello - someone took the time to write "Please Stay BK" in the snow on the football field. Could there be a more desperate plea? I want him to be here. I want him to see this team through the Sugar Bowl, and through many more years of successful Big East Championships. I want UC to become a dominant force in NCAA football. A respected and highly honorable team. After Kelly's possible departure, it will be hard for me, I'll admit it. I'm not bandwagon. I've been a UC fan and destined to be a Bearcat since before I can remember, and I've been attending games since the age of 13 or 14, watching losing team after losing team in the Conference USA days and the early Big East days. I'll always be a Bearcat, but this will be a very bitter moment for me just as the departure of Huggins was. I'll get through it. Will I forget it? No. If Brian Kelly wants to go, by all means go. I'm done with rumors, I'm done with speculation, get it over with, UC needs to get a new coach, and continue doing what we do best these days - winning. I believe these boys are going to succeed and show you exactly what you could be leaving, BK.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sights and Sounds in the Life of a Soxsider
Da Bears, da Bulls, Giordano’s pizza, and Navy Pier. All essential staples to the identity of the great American city that is Chicago. But to gain a real sense and experience of the people and culture of Chicago, you have to witness a Major League baseball game. If you’re one of those fans that says, “You’re from this city. You should root for each team to succeed for it’s your hometown,” try stating that to a true Chicago baseball fanatic. Wrigleyville and the Southside are two very different worlds. Get a passport before you cross the border.
I chose to start this endeavor by being a part of the South Sider Nation. My first trip to U.S. Cellular Field came in the summer of 2008, a long-awaited trip to see Josh Hamilton and the Rangers. This was not only my first American League ballpark, but also my first outside of Cincinnati. The stadium appeals to the eye from the outside, and the structure reminds me quite a bit of Great American, although it seats a few thousand more. As for the name, I still heard whispers of “New Comiskey Park” rather than anything U.S. Cellular.I arrived far too early for the gates to be open, so I wandered around the Southside to catch some of its ambiance. A few blocks south of the park is a Chicago sports store called “The Grandstand.” Walking in there with opposing team apparel on isn’t a great conversation starter, but it was interesting to see what the employees of this family-owned business had to say. The biggest piece of conversation that can be discussed in Chicago White Sox history always comes back to Shoeless Joe Jackson. This specific man, and for whatever reason I can’t recall his name, praises Shoeless Joe. He is Chicago’s Pete Rose. When we notified him that we were Cincinnati natives, the comparison of Rose and Joe was inevitable. The people of Chicago believe that Pete Rose should never be in the Hall of Fame as long as Shoeless Joe is not admitted either. He reigns as baseball royalty in the Southside.
I have since this visit been to U.S. Cellular again, this time in miserably cold weather, to once again see the Rangers. The stadium itself holds much charm both as a welcoming venue for any fan, and as a sanctuary for “Soxsiders.” Across the street is a parking lot where Comiskey once stood, and a plaque remains where home plate was placed. Just outside the main entrance is the White Sox Champions Brick Plaza with a tribute memorial to the 2005 World Series. Inside the park there are various murals, and on the outfield plaza stand sculptures of ChiSox greats such as Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox, and Luis Aparicio. Part of the old-world baseball charm can be experienced as they play, “Let’s go, Go-Go White Sox,” a fight song that originated in the late 1950s. You can’t help but either sing along, or be amazed at the masses of people that love this song.
White Sox fans are diehard, and in my opinion some of the most underrated fans in Major League baseball. As compared to the number of people that show up in the Queen City in forty degree weather, I was amazed. The pride in their team as they cheer on every single one of their players is astounding. Memories of the 2005 World Series hold strong, everyone still wearing jackets and hats that bear the word “champs” just as the banner in center field does. As far as hospitality measures, the self-proclaimed Soxsiders are far more welcoming than their northern counterparts. We’ll leave that be until I write about my trip to Wrigleyville.
U.S. Cellular Field may be a newer venue, but it is still home to a legion of fans loyal to, and the legacy of the Chicago White Stockings. It is definitely worth a stop on anyone’s ballpark tour.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Start of It All, Riverfront
It’s such a shame and I honestly wish that I could remember more about the times that I spent at Riverfront Stadium. I always had admired it as a crucial part of my city’s skyline, a beautiful piece of architecture. I have vague memories back when an aerial shot of Ft. Washington Way was a tangled, webbed mess of tar, and Riverfront was home to not one, but two of Cincinnati’s teams. At this age, baseball was just another sign of summer, another thing that just happened with the changing of the seasons.
I was the kind of kid who wanted to go to the games because of an obsession with ballpark food, and of course being smitten the players. I could understand what was happening around me, but it wasn’t that I had an interest in following and appreciating the game the way I do now.
A specific game I can remember going to was before the construction of Great American Ballpark started. This was during the era in which price ranges for seats at the park were designated by their color, and we had garden seats. Seeing as they were tables in centerfield, closest to the designated spot for GABP, they were the first to go. I had all the food I could eat, and I remember getting the biggest thrills from the announcer, with his elongated and over-pronounced style of introducing Barry Larkin and Aaron Boone. I think it was then that I fell in love with baseball. Not yet the game, as that would take many more years, but the ambiance, the feeling it gave me to have a group of people all coming together for one single purpose.
In 1996 I got my first taste of sponsorship in baseball in my hometown, when Riverfront Stadium was renamed Cinergy Field. That’s also when I started to realize I had become pretty nostalgic at the age of eight. I could never bring myself to call it Cinergy, and I still can’t. Something about the corporations being involved in every aspect of the game anymore kills a bit of the old-world charm, don’t you think?
As a fifth grader, I had the privilege of taking a field trip downtown, and being given a tour of the stadium. I saw the Reds clubhouse, I sat in the dugout and the announcer’s booth, I saw marks on the stadium where the flood lines in 1997 reached, and finally I got to roam around the field wherever I wanted. Ran, cartwheeled, typical of an 11-year-old girl. The field was set up for the Bengals’ season, as this was before the creation of Paul Brown Stadium, and I stood in one end zone and stared to the top row of seats. I felt tiny, and enormous all at the same time. I thought to myself, “Is this what they feel like?” It was the biggest adrenaline rush. It was one of those days that you’ll always remember what you were wearing, how everything smelled.
In the final moments of a Riverfront stadium that still stood, I think I had realized something about this pastime had caught hold of me. I woke up early on December 29, 2002 to see the institution that held my first and only memories of baseball crumble to the ground. I wanted so badly to be there, but it may have been good that I wasn’t. I still have the recording of the implosion, and even to this day, it brings a tear to my eye just the same as it did that morning. I was 14. Riverfront fell at a ripe young age of 35, still a mystery to this day why they felt the need to build a new stadium. Maybe I should research it.
As much as I love Great American Ballpark, and as much as it has become my summer home and I know the park inside and out, I do miss Riverfront Stadium. I loved the way it looked coming around the bend on I-75 through Kentucky, and I thought the stadium’s construction was just stunning. It is ingrained in my head, and in many of other Cincinnatians. Memories of World Series passed, and a Super Bowl-worthy NFL team still exists, and can’t be forgotten with the falling of bricks.
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