Archive for sports
Best Advert of the Year
Created by Madonna’s husband, Guy Ritchie, for Nike. Really unique: this was shot using a microscopic camera on a players head: what you see is what the player sees during a match. (I’m going to guess they used Theo Walcott or Robin van Persie as the player.) If your not attuned to soccer at all here’s a short primer to help you understand: Most players start off playing in lower leagues (there are several in a country like England, and teams get promoted and relegated each year based on performance) and get recognized by scouts. Arsene Wenger, who boasts an unequalled eye for talent, watches this player and signs him for his team, the world famous Arsenal FC…the player’s learning curve is profiled against teams like Manchester United and Barcelona…and culminates horatio alger style when he gets called up to play for his home country (im assuming), the netherlands – next to klaas jan huntelaar and against Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. enjoy:
how inglorious the end
John Arne Riise’s late own goal in the 95th minute (the last minute of stoppage time!!) doomed European giants Liverpool to a 1-1 draw withLondon rivals Chelsea just a few hours ago. To be fair, a lucky bounce coupled with an uncharacteristic comedy of errors helped Dutch winger Dirk Kuyt’s opening goal bounce under Petr Cech, but then again, Kuyt’s immense work rate facilitated the play in the first place.
The match at Anfield proved a cagey one, as the British commentators on ESPN2 would say — that is, not exactly the most exhilarating. Tomorrow’s affair at the Camp Nou between hosts Barcelona and the sublime Manchester United will hopefully be more entertaining. United enter the match led by their supremely confident talisman, the scintillating Portugese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, while their Catalan opponents are in disarray, as clubhouse factions between the Brazilians and others at the club have escalated in recent weeks, climaxing with revelations from the team’s economic adviser (and really famous Columbia university professor) Xavier Sala-i-Martin. (Please click that link – his webpage is incredibly funny for such a venerable economist, replete with outrageous pictures of him and beavis and butthead, among other things) The economist reported that the club has been labeling players such as the (previously) irreplaceable Ronaldinho as injured in order to keep the out of the squad –when they are actually not. Ronaldinhois set to put pen to paper with AC Milan at the season’s close.
Tomorrow: Manchester United v Barcelona. 2.30 ET. ESPN2. Prediction: Man Utd 2-1.
Ah Finally: Here’s video of the tremendous own goal. Wow. Hopefully this video will still be working in a few hours, UEFA and the Premier league are notorious for taking down soccer videos due to copyright claims.
what we’re reading
College admissions The New York Times organized a discussion between readers and college counselors. It’s an interesting conversation – questions ranging from foreign languages, the importance of early action, how geography factors into admission decisions, when its best to drop an AP class – all this, and how 10 applications is not “unusual.”
Grading disparities Throughout the region, there are some wide disparities between grading systems: you need a 94 in Fairfax County to get an A on your report card. Jay Mathews writes in The Washington Post, “Standards for grading in the two counties, including bonus point calculations, are so out of sync that it appears possible for a Fairfax student to earn a 3.5 grade-point average for the same work that gets a Montgomery student a 4.6 GPA”
Freddy Adu The Washington Post profiled Freddy Adu over the winter break. Jason La Canfora writes, “Adu proved a quick study in one of the world’s premier leagues, earning playing time from the outset and becoming an important substitute for Benfica by chipping in goals and assists… After Adu’s third game-winning goal for the club the papers were filled with headlines like ‘The American Hero’ and ‘Freddy Saves Us Again.’” Freddy’s been helping on the international relations front too – a Communist Party member of parliament sent an e-mail to the Assistant Ambassador to the U.S., which read: “I love America.”
what we’re reading
The Wall Street Journal | How to Get Into Harvard
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at where students at “eight highly selective colleges” went to high school.
Phillips Academy in Andover sent 19 of its students to Harvard this year – a college that accepted only 9% of its 23,000 applicants last year. It’s a numbers game for sure - one with dollar signs in front of them.
The New York Times | Putting on Weight For Football Glory
The New York Times reports on the rise of the 300-pound high school football player – once a rarity and now, with the rise in childhood obesity, dangerously common. A more “businesslike and pressure-filled” approach to high school football only compounds the competitive necessity of gaining weight even though only 6 percent of high school seniors go on to play in college. The health risks are more or less beyond dispute; what’s most contentious are the calls for a national weight limit for players.
Shaj Mathew
kahutzler
