Do you think it is far-fetched to design applications in United States classrooms, using mathematics and sports? Science, physics and chemistry can also be blended with sports for an interdisciplinary learning experience for students at all levels.
My article on "The Nitty-Gritty of the NFL Football" and an article in the Official Pro Football Hall of Fame Yearbook (2007) discuss the characteristics and "Evolution of the Football." On pages 100-104 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame magazine, you learn that the football is not a pigskin. You see images of the early football in 1894, the Duke Football, and the White Football in 1956.
Once more, you read:
"On January 1, 2006, New England Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie converted the NFL's first successful dropkick since 1941. He converted an extra point in the fourth quarter of the season-ending game against the Miami Dolphins.
"Prior to Flutie's kick, the league's last successful dropkick was on December 21, 1941--two weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor--when Ray "Scooter" McLean drop-kicked an extra point as the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants, 37-9, in the NFL championship game."
Why is the above quote so important? Here is the answer:
"Changes to the football made the art of drop-kicking significantly more difficult due to the more erratic bounce (physics) of a tapered ball.
"The upward bounce of the older, rounder version of the ball was much more predictable (physics and mathematics)."
The NFL archives enlighten the 2009 fans, telling us that in 1899 the Official Football Rules Book contained a definition to include the descriptive shape.
The 1899 Rules Book says that "the football used shall be of leather, enclosing an inflated rubber bladder. The ball shall have the shape of a prolate spheroid."
Prolate spheroid? You mean to say that the football officials knew the mathematics term, prolate spheroid! Yes, and it could mean that the students in 1899 may have known and loved mathematics more than the students in 2009.
Well, it's clear to me that there is so much knowledge embedded in the world of sports that we must be like "gold diggers." We should, perhaps, chisel through the surface and get to the deeper things that need to be revealed in the world of sports.
Why? We need to motivate our students to the highest level of excellence, again, so as to maintain our position and rank in an international setting.
In January 2009 at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, in Washington, D.C., there were several sessions, conducted by mathematicians, disseminating information on sports and mathematics. One session was led by Howard Penn of the United States Naval Academy.
The topic I prepared for presentation in the 2009 Washington, D. C. meeting was titled, "New Ways of Assessing NFL Players." The inspiration came from the observation that many NFL players who made outstanding contributions to the sport, have been misrepresented by statistics which lacked the dimensionality to describe their intensity and integrity as sportsmen.
Data was collected from public databases. Mathematical modeling was used to compare players, and interesting results were evident. I tagged a term "sport's prodigy" because some guys were able to set records in a much shorter time frame than others.
The argument could go like this: Just as we marvel over the 13 year-old B/R writers who publish such powerful and outstanding work at such a young age, there are NFL players who performed on the playing field, doing marvelous feats, yet their career was not long.
Bleacher Report encourages us to give credit where credit is due. As a sports writing site, we, then, must give credit to the players when credit is due.
It's the 21st century. We need not rant and rave about who is the better player. We must, I believe, use more sophisticated analysis and assessment strategies to measure and identify impact in the games, and in the entire sports industry.
Not only have I and other B/R sportswriters been perceived as underrated, there are many sportsmen of my generation who have been both underrated, and I might add, berated.
They have been berated by faulty reasoning, and incomplete analysis with gaps in understanding.
In some cases, too little emphasis has been placed on athletic performance, and too much on personal challenges which are intimately connected with, in my opinion, the culture of the sports and entertainment industry.
There have been growth and "forgiveness" in the media recorded images of the lives of some great sportsmen. For example, Kobe Bryant and Majic Johnson have been able to move forward in their lives, although human error put pimples on their careers in the past.
So how do we use these ideas in the classroom?
We teach cognitive, affective and psycho-motor skills. The content for the cognitive lessons can be draw from sports databases.
The biographical sketches of the stars who achieved, stumbled in some social or legal way, and then are in recovery and redemptive stages, can be used to educate in the affective domain.
Finally, the archival records demonstrating superior athletic skills, feats of endurance, courage and compassion, can be used to teach in the psycho-motor domain.
In early October 2009, another conference, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education will convene in Washington, D. C. I will be there representing the National Association of Mathematicians, and my good experiences of learning more about sports through my interactions with the Bleacher Report (B/R) will be shared with some of my colleagues.
Many of the articles on B/R are loaded with wisdom, knowledge and analysis in each of the cognitive, affective and psycho-motor domains. The concepts in these domains are taught in curriculum and instruction.
Once we eradicate the "warts" on our complexion, we will display a beautiful image of the creative uses of the Bleacher Report.
B/R is an excellent outlet to demonstrate that sports can entertain, educate and even elevate academic achievement in America, if we collaborate and put our best foot forward.
One of the amenities of our mission is to share the concept:
Sports can help entertain, educate, and elevate academic achievement in America, and in the international community.
Finally, one good way to get started on this mission is to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame website or contact Mr. Jerry Csaki, the education director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio.
When can you get started? My answer: In a few days the 2009 Enshrinement Ceremonies will begin. Not only should you be there for that historical event, but also spend a little time visiting the education division of the Hall of Fame.
Daily Trust (Abuja)
Camelot in Arthurian legend was the seat of King Arthur's court. It was a term used for John Kennedy when he won the American Presidency in 1961 which was seen then as the renewal of America and the promise of all possibilities and great things to come.
I am investing Barack Obama with the same legend. For what he has wrought in American politics, he is a black Camelot with all its glittering magical enchantments. Obama is Arthur who having conquered all opposition drew Excalibur, the sword from the stone in which it is buried for centuries and thereafter mounted his stallion and galloped off to make a date with History. And what a history!
Barack Obama as president -elect has given expressions to many time-worn notions. His achievement is nothing if not an exquisite dramatization of the idea of "from the log cabin to the White House". White House, symbolizing power and privilege that can be attained if worked hard for. In Barack's case it holds a greater resonance because it is the first time an African American would be achieving such a feat and boy, it did not come easily. Surely, on inauguration day the ghosts of Rev. Martin Luther King along with other Black dignitaries now gone, would be standing a little away from the gathering, they will wear a smile on their faces and chuckle to themselves that thank God we have got there at last. They can now say a final good bye.
Barack personifies America as the melting pot, a mélange of all nationalities gathered in one place, a fact noticeable always from the ever surging multi-racial crowd that gather to listen to him speak. Anyone who can do this, who can appeal to and win the allegiance of people from multi-racial backgrounds and ride on the wave they provide to power must have an innate quality special only to him. He has given expression to the quest of this motley crowd of peoples to forge a nation out of the cleavages of race, privilege and the bigotry and brutalities they spurned in the days of yore. His victory signals the defeat of the stubborn attempt to maintain and sustain them.
President elect Barack Obama as a citizen of America and the world holds so much goodwill and prospect, we are waiting with bated breath for them to bear fruits.
Sen. Obama becoming the next president of the United States of America is sure to bring the world together and increase our commonalities and share values for the sake of mankind.
No song reminds me better than the "we are the world song" of the 80's as I reflect on what Obama's candidacy portend for humanity beginning from home.
Take the time to listen once more to this oldies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcrwu6WGoMs
God bless USA
God bless Obama & Biden
Palin found not guilty by her personal Personnel Board!!!
Will wonders never cease!
(posted with tongue firmly in cheek)
I have a feeling that there is a group of Republicans who are going to vote for Obama, but publicly support McCain. These will be the people who hold positions of esteem or import in their "conservative" communities, and for whom non-support of McCain might damage their reputations and/or alienate their friends and associates.
I volunteer at the Public Library in Arcadia, California -- a wealthy, primarily Republican, community. I always wear an Obama T-shirt, and I have had quite a few people whisper to me that they like my shirt. They say it as if it's "our little secret." It's their way of letting me know that they're going to vote Obama.
I hope this is much bigger than my small experience...and I have a feeling that it is!
Blacksburg Transit will provide Election Day transportation service to voting locations within the Town of Blacksburg. Service will operate from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 4, 2008 to the following voting locations:
For detailed information regarding your district and voting location please visit the Montgomery County Registrar’s Office at www.montva.com or call (540) 382-5741. For up to date detailed information regarding Election Day Service visit the Blacksburg Transit Website at www.btransit.org or call (540) 961-1185 for service questions.
Election Day Schedule and Service Stops (PDF)
Just moments ago I discovered this news about voter supression going on in my own backyard at Virginia Tech.
http://crooksandliars.com/2008/09/09/virginia-county-issues-chilling-voter-registration-report/
I didn't go to Tech and I'm not even a football fan but as someone who has lived in Christiansburg all my life I'm offended and ashamed that such tactics could be taking place in my hometown. Or at least next door in Blacksburg. To any Tech student's out there, do not let them do this! Know your rights and cast your vote! This election needs you!
I just heard Orrin Hatch tell Andrea Mitchell that he wouldn't mind seeing someone who gets "emotional" in the White House. This was just one of many lame comments he made in support of his friend, John McCain.
Heaven help us all!
The last thing I want is an angry, short-tempered warmonger in charge of "The Button". Give me the cool, steady hand of Barack Obama over the manic behavior of John McCain any day.
At a glance one may be tempted into believing that as a result of Sen. McCain’s war experience and coupled with his military background he will be better position to deal with the issue of national security better than Sen. Obama, nevertheless the reality completely suggest a different scenario that may be shocking to many Americans.
Those who argue that the Arizona Senator is better equipped to deal with the issue of terrorism are quick to point at his veteran record and tough talk on the subject matter. However, while acknowledging his vast experience, it suffice to note that in the prevailing conditions in which the country’s economic status is at an anemic and abysmal level and coupled with the inimical conditions of its citizenry, the United States of America need the administration that has as its leader a candidate that is calm, cool, calculated and capable of reversing the trend for the best.
Sen. McCain’s display of temperament and tough talk is not in any way different from those of the incumbent and the results are there for Americans to see and elucidate the realistic conclusion that it has failed the country and hurt its idealism. Unfortunately for those who may think that McCain is best for the national security, his erratic and unstable disposition is a burden that needed to be substantially explained before one can trust his actions, let alone judgment.
I am deeply concerned at the conduct of the McCain Campaign at their rallies this week. As I previously posted I knew there was a mudslide coming our way. But I don't think anything could have prepared me for the McCain Camps shameless pandering not only to fear but also hate.
This is not just bad politics, it's dangerous. To so carelessly and recklessly stoke the dying embers of old hate and fan the flames up just in the hope of getting a couple of extra votes not only speaks to the desperation of Republicans but to the erratic and careless behavior of the campaign that is representing them and of the candidate himself.
If McCain and his stooges keep this up, I worry that someone is going to get hurt.
I welcome any responses and thoughts on what has been happening as well as suggestions for talking with other voters and ways to break through all of this fear peddling.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Just hours before the start of the second presidential debate, a new national survey suggests that Sen. Barack Obama is making gains among Americans as a compassionate candidate.
That could be important in the debate in Nashville, which is a town hall-style meeting with the candidates fielding questions from undecided voters in the audience.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/compassion.poll/index.html?iref=werecommend
We know what's coming. It is an all too familiar scenario to most Americans. We've not only seen it time and again in this election but also in 2000 and 2004. Where not only mud is slung throughout the race but the homestretch is a knee-deep slog of utter nastiness that is enough to turn almost any rational human being away from the whole process. Ugly negative campaigning is in many ways the very lifeblood of several generations of political disillusionment from which Barack Obama has inspired many Americans to come out of in the hope of something better.
The ugliest part of the whole business is that someone who is trying NOT to run a negative campaign is forced to be in the position of defending themselves not on the issues that actually matter, but against tabloid tripe and blatant untruths. As an Obama supporter I think he has, if it is truly possible to do so, fought above the fray. Showing you can fight without becoming that which you fight against.
The McCain Campaign has done nothing over the course of this election if not show with crystal clarity the willingness to sell out any scrap of real integrity in order to get another vote even if that means appealing to the lowest common denominator and peoples most base fears. Or picking a running made that is so obviously unqualified to be Vice-President just in the hopes that a female version of George W. Bush would steal the afterglow of the Democratic Convention and will be ultimately enough to fool America a third time.
Many of us, myself included thought that any election year that had Obama and McCain in the center of it would almost HAVE to be different on all levels. From Obama, I feel like it has been. From McCain ..well, that "maverick" reputation has become more laughable by the minute as his recklessness and desperation have been laid bare for all to see.
I fully expect what is going to come in the next four weeks will be the kind of thing that makes Karl Rove feel warm and fuzzy at night. I think the campaign itself and we as supporters can't allow the progress made by Obama's campaign to be compromised with a single sound-bite or ugly mudstrewn news cycle.
The smears are coming not single spies, but in battallions. Fight The Smears. Fight em' fast and fight em' hard!
http://www.fightthesmears.com/
I'm putting this up to share with other Obama supporters who watched the debate on Thursday. In my opinion I think Joe did very well and brought his A-game to it. Like Obama he didn't allow himself to be baited and when he did attack it was on his terms in order to underline the inaccurate, circular ramblings of his camera mugging opponent.
Case in point, this is a segment from Countdown with Keith Olbermann and however you may feel about him I think this segment serves to illustrates something that would be useful for the campaign to underline. Especially since Republicans feel so good about their newfound "star".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1oCTw5u0vE
To end, I'll simply say this. America likes folksy. Fair enough. But what has 8 years of folksy really done for us?
Of the two presidential candidates, there seems to be greater confidence in Obama's ability to work for immigration reform. In 2005, McCain co-authored a major immigration bill with Sen. Ted Kennedy, but essentially it went down in a blaze of populist revolt fueled in part by right-wing talk radio. Since then, McCain has said he would no longer vote for that bill, struggling to placate the GOP base while also trying to appeal to Latino voters. Rick Garko, a McCain spokesman, insists that the issue comes down to "McCain's ability to reach across party lines, something Obama has no record of doing."
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/30/latino_nevada/index1.html
These are words of reality not the kind of fantasy that the McCain campaign has sorted to portray to the American people. The fact of the matter still remain the same, we are all immigrant here in the USA, with the exception of the native Americans.
Ultimately we are even all immigrant in this world, since one day in each one of our life we shall depart this world and head to heaven or hell depending on the way we live our lives.
The conventions are now over and it is high time Americans tell the syndicated media to focus on issues rather than allow the McCain’s campaign to run away from their responsibility to the people.
Without an iota of doubt we have seen that McCain either by commission or omission is now claiming to be a change candidate, nevertheless we know that no matter what a pig is a pig with or without lipstick! McCain cannot claim to have an agenda that will be able to pragmatically transition and transform the socio-economic squalor that the people of America are facing.
We are now in that phase of the current dispensation where every hand must be on deck to help make the difference of reclaiming the country from the hands of those elements that have unequivocally led to the detrimental and inimical conditions in the country. McCain is part of our pain and his antecedents have not shown otherwise. This is our time, the people’s time and even though McCain may not realize it, the fact is that by embracing the dogma of change and hopefully hopes in America; he is directly and indirectly telling the American people that he endorses Obama for president, period!
Journalism is a sacred profession just in line with others like Medicine and Law. These trios with the other disciplines share the common goal of enhancing and propagating humanity, authenticity and interventions that will orchestrate the essentiality of truth, justice, peace and mankind without favoritism and dogmatism.
Unfortunately the current political dispensation has once more given the American people the reasons not to believe in the media or even trust their judgment anymore. This very crucial organ of information dissemination has reduced itself to the Republican Party tool swiping the people’s hope and dream rather than help them see the light.
In light of the obvious inclination of almost all the major media network inability to caution the McCain’s campaign about its distortions of facts and perpetuation of acrimony, denigration and nonchalant campaigning clearly undermine the journalistic ethics of practice that many of us had come to admired.
Americans this is not the time to become personal, not at all on the contrary the fierce urgency of our time if to aggressively and relentlessly support the candidate of change and hope in the country, as opposed to that of McCain who supports in its entirety the maintenance of the status quo.
The Obama- Biden ticket is a formidable one based on authenticity of purpose, commitment to bring about change and hope to millions of Americans in the fashion that Obama did perform as a community organizer helping the poorest of the poor in a country that is blessed with abundant humane and natural resources and also have the pragmatic ability, capacity and capability to repair the country’s battered image overseas.
Unlike in the year 2004, I am convinced Americans will go for pragmatism rather than sensationalism especially in context of the fact that they have been deceived for the past eight years and still those who maintain the status quo want a replica of the same event and scenario. However not again and not in our life time shall we allow the forces of the status quo to overtake that of goodwill, objectivity and prosperity.
