Sunday's lights-out body count shows NFL needs to change

This article discusses the controversy over headshots in the NFL and their effect on concussions. The NFL has started dealing out significantly stricter penalties to players who hit defenseless players in the head. Many current and former players have been adamantly contesting the new punishments. They argue that, “you don’t aim. You just react.” They believe that it is unfair for them to be penalized for most of these hits, but this articles supports the strong penalties. I think that these penalties are extremely unfair. Defensive players are doing anything they can to prevent the offense from advancing the ball and are very rarely attempting to injure the defenseless players. Many of the hits that were penalized in the week that this article focuses on were cheap and deserved to be penalized, but many of the hits were not. These players can’t change the way they’ve played since they were little kids and incidental head contact is simply a part of the game.

McDonald's must pay Brazilian manager $17.5K for weight gain

This article talks about an employee of McDonald’s won a lawsuit against his employer for $17,500. He sued McDonald’s because in his time working there he gained 65 pounds. He said that he felt forced to sample the food each day to ensure that it was good quality. He also used free employee lunches in his lawsuit. I think that it is ridiculous that he was able to win the lawsuit. Although he may have felt forced to test the food, he was not directly forced to test the food. The free employee lunches should not have played any role in his lawsuit because it was his decision to eat the free lunches. He could have simply brought himself a much healthier lunch, and McDonald’s has healthier options on its menu. His decision to sample the food was a sacrifice he chose to make to help him do his job better. It was not a necessity of his job, and therefore McDonald’s should not be held responsible.

Near-record 236 bodies found at Mexico-Ariz. border in year

This article discusses the large increases in the number of deaths of immigrants trying to cross the border to the USA in recent years. The article blames the increase on border patrol improving its techniques for preventing immigrants from crossing. Because the border patrol has become more effective, immigrants have to take much more difficult routes to the US. I think that it is not right for this many immigrants to be dying, but I also do not think that they should be crossing the border illegally. However, I do not blame the immigrants for this problem. I think that it needs to become easier for them to cross the border, at least on daily work visas. They deserve the right to find work here in the US.

Journal 8: Coca-Cola Can Vs. Pepsi Can

The red coca-cola can has been a common sight for many people for years. Many people are easily able to associate this red can with the taste of the soda. The image of the can is so pressed into my mind, that simply picturing the can reminds me of the feel of a cold, aluminum can in my hand. The cursive, white Coca-Cola logo has been a staple of the company since its beginnings bottling soda, and is very well imbedded in the minds of most Americans. The word classic appears in a very plain font, which serves to underline the traditional nature of Coca-Cola, while the white, wavy line under the logo helps to remind people of the smooth nature of the soda.

The blue Pepsi can has stood opposite to the Coca-Cola can for years. Although the Coca-Cola can has used a long history to make the logo appealing, the Pepsi can uses the color blue to appeal to many people because the color blue often reminds people of water. The Pepsi logo has undergone many more changes through its history, but the current red white and blue circle next to the word Pepsi has become very easily associated with the taste of Pepsi. The circle serves as the key symbol that people associate with Pepsi. The curved nature of the white line in the middle of the circle helps to associate with the smooth taste of the drink.

Evaluation

I will be evaluating the BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, system of selection for NCAA football. The system merits evaluation because it has been the center of center of controversy, especially in recent years, with non-BCS teams, such as Boise State, gaining national prominence. The system has had numerous problems since in began in the early 1900’s.

I will evaluate the BCS based on its fairness, ability to insight competition, popularity with the coaches and players, fan popularity, and ability earn profits for the NCAA and teams.

The fairness of the system is probably the most talked about issue when it comes to the BCS. The system is supposed to be a way of including all of the teams in the NCAA in the fight for a national champion while giving teams who have been eliminated from championship contention something to play for. In theory the system would be fair because it includes all of the teams in the NCAA, but in practice, it is not quite so fair. Teams’ positions in the standings are greatly impacted by their strength of schedule, or the quality of the teams they play. Because of this fact, teams who come from weaker leagues, such as Boise State, are hurt because they do not have the opportunity to play tough teams every week. They can finish the season without a loss and not get an opportunity to play in the national championship because their strength of schedule is not good enough.

The BCS system does a good job of breeding competition throughout the season, but does not bring about the end season excitement of the NCAA basketball tournament. In the current system every game matters because a single loss can oust a team from title contention. However, the system fails to bring about the competition at the end of the season because teams’ fates are determined by their past performance and people’s opinions instead of the performance at the end of the season.

Although some people in the NCAA oppose the BCS system, the majority of players and coaches actually like the system. The argument that these groups often cite is that in the current system numerous teams end this season with a bowl win, while a playoff system would end with just one winner. The most common opposition to the system within the NCAA is from teams that end up not getting a birth in a bowl game that they feel the deserve. In Boise State’s case, they finished the season without a loss numerous times, but they missed a spot in the national championship game to a team with one loss.

The BCS system is largely unpopular with fans. Most fans want to see a playoff system because it would create a lot more excitement at the end of season and allow for more upsets. One of the most popular sporting events is the NCAA basketball tournament, which many people believe shows the merit of a tournament system.

The BCS system is very effective in earning profits, but not for all of the teams. The vast majority of the profits go to the major conferences. Other smaller, non-BCS conferences lose a lot of profit to the major conferences. This occurrence makes the disparity between the conferences even greater because it allows teams in the major conferences to spend much more money on facilities and recruiting.