Sunday, April 15, 2012

3.000 Year Old Mayan Ballgame

In high school, I made a presentation about games in ancient cultures. One game that I was very interested in was a 3.000 year old ballgame played by the Maya's and the Aztecs. People have different opinions about the characteristics of the game and its meaning, but there is evidence that this game existed, because only in Mexico, 600 playing fields have been discovered by archeologs. A lot of information about the ballgame is suggestive, and that's the reason why people hold different opinions about character of the game and the meaning of the game. In this blog, I will tell something about why and how the Maya's played this ballgame. The game was played with two teams, each of 5 persons, who played with a heavy, rubber, ball. The ball was supposed to be heavy, in order to injure one another.  The goal was to throw the ball through one of two stone rings that were hanging on the walls. The players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands, and another important rule was that the ball couldn't touch the ground. The players were allowed to wear protected clothes, but the game was still very dangerous. 

Chichén Itzá ring One of the Chichén Itzá rings


The ballgame was not just a sport, but the game also had a religious meaning, the players imitated an old mythe through their play.  I think it is interesting to see how 3.000 years ago, people already played sports that are not even that different from modern sports. It also shows how important sports and games are for people. Even though the reasons to play sports and games may differ (not many sports today have a religious meaning), I think that people will always have the drive to compete and to be the best and therefore, they will always play sports and games and and that is why I think people will keep inventing new games. 

Even today, centuries later, in certain areas in Mexico people still play variants of the 3.000 year old ballgame. I found a movie on youtube that shows how the game is played (indoors) today:


What do you think of the Mayan ballgame? Isn't it fascinating that people still play this game in Mexico?









This Blog

So I have definitely seen other blogs about our "blogging" but I wanted to make my own rendition of it....
I'm just somewhat confused on why we blog, what we're supposed to blog about, and if anyone actually cares about what we write? We write just to write at this point. We want to get good grades, we want to do well in the class, and we want to do something that is essentially easy. But then whats the point? If everyone is not doing blogs to their best ability, not actually caring, and writing about stupid things...then i repeat, what's the point?
If I had actually input on how to conduct this class, I think these blogs should be more focused. I think that each week there should be some sort of prompt that enables students to follow guidelines. Normally I like when things are open ended, but I feel that this blog is too open ended that people start talking about nothing. That nothing, gets boring, and that nothing...sucks.
It's boring to read, it's boring to write...and I just think that if our ideas were more focused it would be more interesting Individuals could see how one prompt could open up various ideas. These ideas would be interesting because they would still be our own, and still be somewhat uniformed, but you'd see a little piece of our individuality in it.

Sibling Rivalry: a game in itself



For generations, siblings have been in constant competition. From the love their parents feel for them, to material goods that their parents purchase them...there has always been the aspect of the game within the relationship. Last week I overheard a conversation while sitting in a deli that got me thinking. I heard a mother speaking about her two children, and she was the one causing the need for competition. One would think a parent would want her children to feel that they are both great, and both have everything going for them...yet, this mother put her children up against each other. She described that Sarah, her oldest, was smart, studious, and funny. She was valedictorian of her high school class and was essentially brilliant. I thought to myself..."wow, thats great...talking up her daughter." However, what surprised me next, was that she spoke of her youngest, Rachel, as dumb, yet beautiful. "Rachel is not the brightest...but all the boys love her."

Now...I started thinking. What if her children knew she was saying this? The competition I'm sure they already feel was just confirmed by their own mother. What if Rachel wanted to do well in school, tried extremely hard, but just didn't have the confidence because her parents deemed her as "dumb"? And what if Sarah didn't want to be look at as the "funny" sister?

In my own family, my sister and I definitely have some sort of rivalry going on. I went/ go to a better college, but I always view my sister as prettier, and more fun to be around. Now...I think about if my parents say such things about us as this mother did. Would that create more competition between us? I don't know if my sister actually feels competition, and I don't really either. But when thinking about it and narrowing it down, there are always moments between siblings that feel competitive.

Do you think sibling rivalry exists?

The NHL Playoffs: The most exciting event no one seems to talk about

This year the NHL playoffs have been nothing short of spectacular. Each game has provided incredible excitement, as approximately 50 percent of the games played so far have gone into overtime. This is a truly remarkable statistic! Some of the games have been stopped numerous times due to fights, and other physical plays, while other games have had an incredible blend of skill and determination. Yet, ESPN, and sports fans everywhere have nearly failed to even mention that the playoffs are going on. Instead, we are forced to hear more about the Tim Tebow saga, and the over talked about bounty scandal in New Orleans.










The Philadelphia Flyers have been putting on an absolute show against the stanley cup champion favorites, The Pittsburgh Penguins. In the first game of the series the Penguins took an early 3-0 lead. The Flyers showed incredible determination, and ended up coming back and winning this game in overtime. The following game, the Penguins took a 2-0 lead to start the game, but once again the Flyers fought back and ended up winning. In this game, there were numerous records set, including two separate hat-tricks by Flyers players (Claude Giroux & Sean Couturier). To go along with the hat-trick Giroux set a playoff record, by recording 3 assists giving him 6 overall points. While that is remarkable, Couturier's story might even be better. Couturier is one of the youngest players in the NHL, as he just turned 20 years old. That means he is younger than most kids in this class! If you can't appreciate that, than I give up.


If scoring does not do it for you, then you should tune into the New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators or Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals series. Both of these series have been filled with physical play that has warranted numerous ejections and even suspensions. If you are interested in the fighting aspect of the NHL, click on the link below to see how the Rangers game started yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8OmSl8tNik

Overall, I am asking for sports fans to give the NHL a chance. If you were to sit down for one whole game of the playoffs, I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Unlike the NBA, the NHL players actually try their hardest out their, and are willing to put their body on the line in order to increase their teams chance of winning. So please everyone, get rid of your notion that the NHL is a regional sport. Sit down, and watch one of these games, and I promise you, you will not regret it.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

My First NBA Game!!

Last Friday, April 13th 2012, I watched my first NBA Game, it was between the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks. Being an exchange student from The Netherlands, I had never heard of the NBA and I knew nothing about basketball either. However, I live in a house with all American students, and I could not escape their conversations about the NBA. They all sounded very excited and they told us that we had to watch one NBA game before we go home. Watching a game was high on our American to do list and therefore me and my friend decided to go watch a NBA game ourselves. Some housemates offered to come with us so that they could explain the rules. I was intrigued by the massiveness of the event- there where thousands of people yelling and cheering for their team.  There were cheerleaders (Ok I know that doesn’t sound noticeable for you guys, but I am not used to cheerleaders at games), there where fire flames and in the breaks we got an amazing performance from the Harlem Globetrotters.                                                                                                            I am not going to try to give a complete game analysis (since I am far from an expert in this field;)). I really enjoyed watching the game and I learned a lot about basketball. For example, that there is a European and an American, NBA, style of play.  I also found out that basketball is for Americans what soccer is for Europeans. This made me think about the cultural meanings of sports. In lecture, we talked about the cultural meaning of the Olympic Games. Sport and games bring people together and the only way to describe that feeling of “togetherness” is by actually being part of it. I really enjoyed watching a NBA game and it definitely completed my American experience, I am glad my housemates convinced me to go.  I learned a lot about American culture by going to an NBA game. Since this was such an interesting experience for me, I wonder if there are American students with the same experiences. Have you ever been to a sports game/ event in a foreign country, and how have you experienced that?


The internationals right before the game



Friday, April 13, 2012

Is texting a game?



So lets be real, we all play the “texting game.” We like a boy/girl, text them, and the game begins. Who’s going to answer first? What are they going to say back? Was I too forward? This is a constant game that we take part in, that many don’t even realize they are participating

in. I started to think about this, this past weekend when my friend was hesitant about sending a text to a boy. When she did, the game of texting began. Although she wanted to get his attention, she tried to be subtle, hoping in the end that would spark his interest in the whole, “hard to get” way. However, we do this even without playing that specific game. Whether it be saying “Hi” with one I, two I’s, three I’s, is what essentially changes the context of the text, to the way we sign out with a “bye” or “talk to you later” that we can’t help but over analyze. Yes, maybe I’m a little crazy and analyze this a bit too much, but I know, many girls, maybe not as many boys, do the same. We play this constant match because texting has become so prevalent in our communication within the sexes. We avoid in person contact, phone calls, and instant messaging, only to let autocorrect and slang rule our lives. In the direction

we are going, do you think relationships, as a whole will become more of a game? And, will this texting game worsen our relationships?

.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Closing Time



After learning in one of my psychology classes about laws of attraction and relationships I started to see this as a game itself. The professor made a comparison between the time left before a bar closed ("closing time") and the likelihood to go home with someone. She stated that as the time decreased and the night started to wind down, people at the bar began to find people more attractive and were more willing to go home with them. When first hearing this idea I laughed because I didn't really believe that this theory was true, our professor even challenged us to see what happened next time we went out and a party or bar was ending.



The next weekend I observed as the night started to wind down and saw that people I would never expect together started to couple off! This made me laugh because just like in many games as time runs out players become desperate to get more points, this happens to college kids too. As time runs out in a night people become more desperate to go home with someone and the game begins to find someone so that this "player" does not go home alone. Maybe people blame it just on alcohol for their mistakes from the night before, but psychological studies have shown that this is not the case most times. Next time you go out think about how many times you have done this or if you haven't done this watch your friends scramble when it is last call, I promise you'll have a great laugh out of this!


Monday, April 9, 2012

Game Theory in The Hunger Games!



A couple of weeks ago I finished the first book of the The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. For those of you who don’t know The Hunger Games yet or who refuse to participate in The Hunger Games “hype”, I will first give a short summary. The Hunger Games is about sixteen year old Katniss Aberdeen, who is a “tribute” (contestant) in The Hunger Games, an annual event in which one boy and one girl from each district, between the ages 12 and 18,  are selected to compete in a battle in which only one person can survive. In this blog, I would like to share my thoughts about how game theory is related to the Hunger Games. More specific, I noticed that in the ending scene, Katniss and Peeta face a prisoner's dilemma. In the ending scene, Peeta and Katniss are the only tributes left and one must kill the other to win. However, Katniss doesn't agree with this "one winner rule" and threatens to eat poisonous berries. Since the prisoner's dilemma is such an important concept in Game Theory, I would like to discuss the prisoner dilemma, as depicted in the Hunger Games. As we have learned in lecture, in a prisoners dilemma, two players are presented with two choices: cooperate or defect (or betray). The outcomes will depend not only on whether or not player one cooperates, but whether the other player cooperates as well. In this scenario, the best outcome would be when both Katniss and Peeta would cooperate, but what if one defects and the other cooperates? The table below shows the possible outcomes for both parties (K= Katniss, P= Peeta):

In a prisoner's dilemma it all comes down to a matter of trust. What would Katniss and Peeta decide while the world is watching? Keep reading the book to find out how Katniss and Peeta solve this prisoner's dilemma... or go see the movie :)





Who Needs Lessons: Bubba Watson and his Unusual Path to Victory


For the past 20 years Bubba Watson has been looked at as the most unusual, most interesting golfer of recent memory. For his entire career, Bubba has been criticized for his unusual approach, and almost crazy style of play on the course. In case you do not know much about Bubba I will give you a little background information on his golfing style.
Bubba is known for “never hitting a straight shot,” and “his ridiculously long Tee Ball.” The first of these two might seem crazy to you, but all that means is that Bubba attempts to shape every one his shots instead of just hitting the traditional “straight ball.” Many golf experts have criticized him for this unusual style, but to Bubba’s credit he has stuck to his ways. And we should all be thankful for this, as this weekend Bubba proved to the world that there is no set formula as to how to win on the PGA tour.

Bubba pulled of one of the most remarkable shots in the history of the PGA tour, and his imagination was to thank for that. Most golfers would not even be able to picture the wedge shot that Bubba pulled off on the second hole of the playoff. But Bubba used his incredible creativity, and imagination, to envision “the shot.” He then proceeded to use his talents and incredible guts to pull off the near impossible shot. If you are reading this and thinking what the heck am I talking about, here is a link to the incredible shot that I am talking about:



Bubba is the only golfer on tour that has openly talked about the fact that he has never taken a lesson, or even seen his swing on videotape. Other professionals, bring their coaches with them to tournaments, and basically have a lesson everyday of their life. They have seen their swing so many times, that they can basically visualize each part of it without even looking at it.
I think we as golf fans should applaud Bubba for his ability to be a real person, and to truly teach himself the game. For anyone who has ever played the incredibly frustrating and difficult sport of golf, they know how hard it is to teach yourself the game. Many people give up before they ever are able to break 100. This is what makes this so remarkable. Bubba was so persistent and determined, that he figured out all of his kinks, (even though his swing is definitely not something you should practice) and was able to prosper on the PGA tour.

I want to take this time to find out what people think about this incredible accomplishment. Do you think that we as fans should idolize Bubba for never taking a lesson, and figuring out his swing on his own? Or should we applaud him for his victory, but look at this as a fluke event, that future professional golfers should not attempt?

A Review of the Masters

As always, the Masters did not fail to disappoint. Leading up to the tournament all of the discussion was about the re-emergence of Tiger Woods, and whether or not Rory Mcilroy could overcome his woes of last year and compete for his first ever Masters victory. But as many golf fans have come to realize, the only thing predictable about golf is the unpredictability.
The first three days were incredible, as the leader board was filled with an array of well-known golfers, as well as lesser known players. Going into the final round there were twenty plus golfers with a reasonable chance of catching the leader (Peter Hanson). As the fourth and final round transpired there were many incredible moments, and in the end there was a tie after 72 holes allotted to the tournament. Bubba Watson, a true "All-American," was tied with a former British Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen, and a sudden death playoff was set to begin.
Due to the nature of a sudden death playoff, everyone was on the edge of their seats as they watched these two emerging starts battle for the "Green Jacket." Then it happened. After "shanking" his drive into the woods, Bubba Watson did the unthinkable. After Oosthuizen had already played his second shot, Bubba was left with a decision. "Do I play safe and trust my wedge, or do I attempt the near impossible shot." For those of you who follow golf and Bubba, you know this was a no brainer for him. Bubba proceeded to hit a 40 plus hard hook out of the trees, through the spectators, over the camera man, and onto the green 15 feet away from the pin.
Not only was Bubba able to hook his 54 degree wedge 40 plus yards, but he was able to control the distance perfectly, which is near impossible from the pine needles. Bubba proceeded to two-putt to victory, completing one of the greatest comebacks in recent memory.
Overall, this masters was an incredible display of an array of golfers, and gave us great insight as to what the future of the PGA holds for us fans. Now I wonder...


Are people going to look at this Masters as an incredible sporting event like I saw it? Or are people going to think about it as the tournament that Tiger and Rory failed to show up for? What do you think?

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Monkey Ball...what a game...

Monkey ball is what comes to mind when I think back to growing up. Being at friends houses for sleepovers, competing each time at a somewhat stupid game. However, as I've gotten older and have become familiar with more intense, better made games...monkey ball is still my all time favorite. Something about the ability to make yourself balance, flip, roll, and perform these crazy moves was always invigorating. It was so competitive, which is kind of funny being that the goal was to roll your monkey along paths. Although looking back on it, it was dumb, it was and is the only video game I have ever been competitive with. My friends from middle school and high school who were not interested in video games at all, found this bizarre competitiveness within it. Was it the familiarization of the different monkeys? Our attachment to it? Or was it one of the only video games that didn't have a male aura around it?

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Why I'm Excited about Prince Fielder

    Ever since the Detroit Tigers Signed Prince Fielder to a 9 year 214 million dollar contract there have been a lot of skeptics saying that the contract is too big. They have valid reasons to back up this arguments the biggest one being his weight. Prince is about 6 feet tall and weights 285 pounds. Many people think he wont stay in decent enough shape to play baseball for 9 more years. Others said by signing Prince the Tigers defense gets much worse because they have to move Miguel Cabrera to third and it would be safe to say he is a sub par third baseman. However I am extremely excited about Prince Fielder playing in a Tigers uniform.
    Its easy to get excited just by looking at his career statistics. His career batting average is above 280. He usually hits well over 30 home runs a year as well as over 100 RBIs. These are incredible numbers and the best part about it is the Tigers have two guys on their team who can put up these numbers. With Cabrera and Fielder hitting back to back in the middle of the Tigers order things get very scary for opposing pitchers. I can also guess no one is happier than Cabrera who wont be intentionally walked nearly as much with Prince standing in the batters box.
    Now not only are Prince's stats amazing, but I love his enthusiasm on the field. Last year Prince's former team became famous for their Beast Mode move and Prince seemed to be the center of this excitement. For those of you that don't know what this move is here is a picture of Prince back in Milwaukee.
  
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnh-sAlZ5qemFb1Vg-VT9IkV2oJSqGIyESxLIBfoeslVrnyhDXqYd_CQHwKOT-EGpHxMUaCbIU0aNHn7sqMmD4hADIUw4-gLJhgN8cHsOxh4WNWGnGXw1s7-RfkbW9BBF6mzGrtflPbK8/s1600/BeastMode2.jpg

   Now as many of you may know baseball can be dull and it is great for fans to have someone who provides some excitement. Miguel Cabrera is also great at having fun on the field always seen messing around with other guys on the field.  I think this is great for team moral and gets all the players more excited to play. I saw this part of Prince's personality already in a Tigers uniform when he was one of the first ones on the field to celebrate with Austin Jackson after his game winning hit today.
    I can't wait to see the Success the Tigers will have with Prince Fielder on the field. I have to admit I am a bit worried about his health in the last few years of the contract, but I know we have a great player for at least the next 6 years. For the time being I don't think the move could have been better for the Tigers and I can't wait to watch these two play together this season.

http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/p/sp/ap/0c/fullj.7997a5f029a78e2672a4c4ad4e0a53ca/ap-201204051549569570070.jpg

Monday, April 2, 2012

Know the Rules to break them?...or not

For generations artists have been learning the proper ways to execute their artwork. From brush strokes, to their lack of finger smudges, artists have been taught “rules” in order to make them skilled in their profession. However as society has changed and the ability to express oneself has become more prevalent, artists struggle. There is a tug of war that now occurs between trying to be a classic aesthetically pleasing artist and being an artist that catches ons eye by being outspoken and essentially risky. This is where the game begins. Being in the school of Art and Design, I am constantly hearing “You need to know the rules to break the rules.” However doing this is more difficult than it seems. Students are trying to be risky, trying to not draw as “beautiful”, yet as a result teachers scold our attempts. One would think if they were trying to teach us and help us in the future they would want us to step out of the box, and although they say they do, they don’t. Students are put in the constant struggle of making art for the teacher, for that particular assignment or deciding to take the risk and make art that means something. It becomes a game, and a hard one. We need to trust our own judgement to do the right thing, knowing that more times than others, we are going to be shut down. However, that one in a million chance we happen to get it right, we are excessively praised. It raises the question, if we already know the rules, why can't we break them?

Saturday, March 31, 2012

March Madness: Upsets

    A few weeks ago in class we had some mini debates about NCAA basketballs March Madness. We talked about many different topics that relate to the tournament; from a basketball and cultural aspect. I found many of the debates were very interesting and everyone in class did a good job coming up with great arguments. One debate topic that really interests me is whether or not the NCAA tourney is the best way to pick a champion. Some complained that it is new easy with the current tournament set-up for a good team to get upset and that it should possibly be changed to a series set-up where a team has to win two out of three or three out of five games to advance. The opposition for this debate had a good debate about why the system is good the way it is, but I would like to make my own since it is a subject that very much interests me. 
    Some people were upset this year when there were some major upsets in the first round of the NCAA tournament; most notably 15 seed Norfolk State defeating Missouri and 15 seed Lehigh beating Duke. I for one do not understand how someone could be upset with such entertaining events. What else could someone ask for in such a great tournament. We all got to see two huge underdogs win in the national spotlight. This was probably the first time both of the teams had played on National TV all year and they got to show what they were made of. 
http://media.silive.com/sportsstories/photo/10706192-large.jpg
     The tournament gives teams like these a great opportunity to show off all their hard work from the season. It also puts the Madness in March Madness. These are the stories everyone will remember. When looking back on this years tournament a few years from now nobody will remember the 15 seeds that Ohio St and Kansas defeated in the first round. However almost all college basketball fans will remember Lehigh and Norfolk State. Much like people remember Northern Iowas sweet 16 run in 2010 as a 9 seed. Or George Masons final four run as an 11 seed in 2006. These memorable moments are what give us great stories and images like this...
http://media.northjersey.com/images/NorfolkState.jpg
    Its these images that we all love to see. This is Kyle O Quinn shortly after Norfolk State beat Missouri. Who cant love a reaction like this? Anyway fans love these stories and this is what makes the NCAA tourney special, guys playing on a stage they have only dreamed about playing on and beating Goliath. Even if there are major upsets the best team always comes through and wins the tournament in the long run. If you still think this is not the right set-up to crown a champion because of the chance of upset well I think we can both agree its still way better than the BCS....

Backpacking and Registration Fun!

Inspired by a comparison I made to a comment on another blog I have decided to go into the gaming and all of the fun that The University of Michigan creates for us when it is time to backpack and register for our courses each semester!!

Well for starters, I am an extremely organized and by-the-schedule type of person which means this process drives me insane. Course guides for each semester come out during midterms so half of me only wants to look up my potential classes for the next semester, while the other half is holding me back from creating 8 different mock schedules. THEN the most fun part comes, you get your registration date, oh the competition has not even begun at this point. You ask around your group of friends who has what date trying to see where you fall, praying that you're at least 30 minutes before the person you ask in case you want the same classes or god forbid have the same major. The silent and unspoken sizing up and comparing between friends over how many credits you came into school with and how many AP classes someone else took. Then there's always that thought why do these students register before me when clearly I've taken harder classes, even if I took less credits. Oh the competition this all creates is just vicious and all of this right smack in the middle of midterms and mid semester projects.

Finally the kiss of death for anyone with anxiety like me ... those 20 minutes before you actually register. You slowly watch those hopeful green circles turn to yellow triangles and then deadly blue squares. You start to realize that your hopes of not starting class before 1pm are gone and that you will have that early morning Wednesday class and possibly even classes on Friday MORNING.
 5 minutes left until you register and you call your parents, older sibling, or older friend on the verge of tears that now because of this you won't graduate on time or you're going to have to take extra classes during "football season" aka Fall semester.  All of this during the time period when you're supposed to be focusing on this semester and studying for finals. What a game this is, looking forward to next semester, trying to "beat out" other people for classes, while still trying to have some sense of success on your finals in the semester you're currently in. By the time you finally register you then have to email at least 5 different professors the same generic email about how you're "so excited" for this class or how "you've only heard amazing things, and this class is a MUST TAKE." You and your hopefully future professor both know that nothing you really say in this email is true but you're hoping that you taking time out of your oh so busy day (aka you finally decided to get out of bed and take your laptop out of your backpack), will increase your chances of that ever wanted "override" email.

I'm sure that I'm not alone on this thought process, but anyone who thinks this emotional roller-coaster is fun I honestly respect you!

Friday, March 30, 2012

MLB Players and College

    There is a lot of criticism towards NCAA basketball and the rule that players only have to attend one year of college before taking off for the NBA. However the situation in baseball is way worse. Of all the players and managers in the MLB in 2011 only 26 had a college degree (Turbow, Wall Street Journal). Thats right less than one player per team  in the MLB has a college degree. This could be the case for many reasons. The main reason being the MLB minor league system. Major league teams draft players out of high school and send then to their mine league affiliates to develop as a player. It is the equivalent to a player developing in college in sports like basketball and football. 
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Curtis_Granderson_running_2011.jpg/300px-Curtis_Granderson_running_2011.jpg

   This makes certain players in the MLB anomalies, much like Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow in their respective sports. One that particularly comes to mind is Curtis Granderson who plays for the New York Yankees. Now I hate the Yankees much like a lot of other baseball fans, but when Granderson used to play for the Tigers he was one of my favorite players. Curtis Granderson graduated from University of Illinois- Chicago with a double major in business administration and business marketing. When Curtis used to play fro the Tigers it did not take him long to become to the face of the franchise. He was a well spoken, young, athlete who was a great role model for young Tigers fans everywhere. He was also always promoting community service projects he was taking part in which gave kids another reason to look up to him. Another aspect that makes Granderson an anomaly is the fact that he is African American which there seems to be less and less of in the MLB, but that's a discussion for another time.
      It is becoming harder and harder to find role models like Curtis in the MLB. usually the star players have no college experience and have a tendency to make a poor decisions. There is a lot that would need to be done to fix this disappointing trend in baseball. It would have to start with more emphasis put on college baseball. As of now college baseball is not something many fans chose to watch. But, if it could be marketed as a more attractive option more young player may chose this route out of high school instead of going right into the minors. This may make a small change, however it is unlikely any change will happen. 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Trobriand Cricket

The Trobriand Islands are a set of islands of the coast of New Guinea. I saw this documentary called Trobriand Cricket, about how christian missionaries brought the game of cricket to the Trobriand islands in order to discourage the Trobrianders from warfare. However, the Trobrianders interpreted the game and made it their own. They changed the rules and remade the game to fit into their own culture. They incorporated the game into ritualized feasts and gift exchanges and incorporated dances and chants between and during the game. They also incorporated magic, which allows the spectators to participate as well, and their version of the game is extra competitive because both teams involve lots of taunting of their opponets. Instead of accepting the christian missionaries version, they made the game more disorganized and violent, and instead of discouraging warfare the Trobrianders actually incorporated it into the game. I found the analysis of the way in which the Trobrianders made the game their own in order incorporate into their culture rather than accepting the set of rules that they were taught quite interesting. They recreated the magic circle that the game came with, and made the game more competitive and the fact that they incorporated warfare makes it a sort of game within a game.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Classes As Games


After getting a new "breakdown" and reassurance of this class I started to think about my grades in other classes. I know that this class is based off of game theory and the way we are graded is in the same way that a game is played, but isn't that the way most classes are here at the University of Michigan too? Maybe it's just me but around the end of every semester I start to play this "game" with myself and my grades on what I need to get on the final to satisfy not only myself but my parents too (let's be realistic more my parents). I even have downloaded an app to my iPhone called Grades 2 (I suggest you all download it too) where you plug in your syllabus for a class and as the course goes on this app tells you your course grade and what you need on future assignments to get your (or your parents) desired grade. In the past week I have probably spent more time on this app then my most recent downloads, Drawsomething, and my usual hourly Twitter check-ins. This app to me has become a game itself and a quite tedious one at that. Yes, I have been working hard in all my classes this semester, but there is no denying that there are times I should have been studying or doing work but I chose to do other things. Yet another game within my daily life, to do work or to be with my friends. This leads me to my final though is it really just this course that's all about games, or is every course here that has something to do with gaming, or playing games?

Monday, March 26, 2012

Moneyball First Reaction

When I first read Moneyball, I found the beginning chapters to be the most interesting part of the book.  The story as a whole was fascinating, but the ending chunk of the book was least appealing to me because I am not a die hard baseball fan, and the statistical analysis and description of drafting players was more difficult for me to get through. Michael Lewis begins the book by discussing the way in which  scouts put players through tests and how the players are putting on a performance for them, which immediately got me thinking about relating the book to our class. These players are competing against each other to win the prize of being selected by a scout, and the scouts test them as if they are pawns in a game rather than real people. The fact that they players put on a performance for the scouts shows that the players are aware that they are in a game within the game of baseball, and that they think about their performance in order to cater it to what they have determined a scout wants. Furthermore, the scouts are in a competition with each other to see who can find and acquire the best player. I think generally another way this book ties in with the class is that the Oakland A’s strategy for scouting went completely outside the typical, accepted format; they stepped outside the unwritten rules of scouting and turned to using pure statistics to determine who they wanted to get on their team. They broke out of the magic circle of scouting and chose players by using a computer rather than by what they see by looking at them. One of the reasons this aspect of the book is so interesting is that Billy Beane himself was scouted, and understands the scouting process better than most, but he was scouted and turned out to be, well, a failure. He proves that scouting techniques are not solid and that what a scout sees in a high school player does not necessarily determine future progress. He is an example of how statistics are very relevant to a player’s value, because if scouts had looked at his statistics when they were scouting him they would have realized that he was likely to not succeed. I think the actual drafting process is also a type of game theory strategy because each team must factor in other team’s decisions and choices, and try to determine what other teams will do before they do it so that they have a plan for the rest of the draft.  Despite the fact that some sections of the book went completely over my head, I was surprised how into it I was since baseball is probably my least favorite sport to watch.  I was also surprised about how many small aspects of the story had me thinking back to concepts we learned in class.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Are "1 and Done's" really "Student-Athletes?"


This season the number 1 overall team going into the NCAA Tournament was the University of Kentucky. Normally, you would not think anything of this, but if you take a closer look at their roster, some pretty alarming statistics jump out at you. Kentucky's starting five consist of 3 freshman, and 2 sophomores, and their 6th man is also a freshman.

Kentucky's Four Freshman "Studs"
From a historical standpoint, a team with so many underclassman would stand no chance of competing in the NCAA tournament. The recipe for success has always been experience, over youth, but this team is different. Most college basketball experts predict that all 3 freshman starterts will forgo the rest of college and enter the NBA Draft. In turn, this means that John Calipari (Kentucky's Head Coach) recruited these "kids" with no intention of them graduating college. Therefore, the term "Student-Athlete" gets thrown out the window when referring to this extremely young and talented Wildcat team. Instead these young men are really just amateur athletes playing for a University team.
Take a step back for a second, and put yourself in the shoes of one of these players. It is a Wednesday morning, and you are sitting in Intro to Psychology (only because you are forced to go to class due to eligibility rules). While the teacher is lecturing on Developmental Psychology, you are sitting in your chair daydreaming about how in about 3 months you are going to be signing a multi million dollar contract with an NBA team.
Now go back to your normal self. Do you really think that 18 and 19 year old students who have no intention of graduating are really going to put forth a lot of effort in doing well in their classes?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Playing Indian

Last semester, I took an amcult class that focused on Native American studies. One of the main ideas that we discussed throughout the course was the concept of playing Indian. This concept was briefly brought up again when we had Phil Deloria as a guest lecturer(he guest lectured for my amcult class as well). However, this course adds to the concept of playing Indian because it made me think of the act of playing Indian in a different light. In my class last semester, we learned that colonists in America initially "played Indian" in order to adopt a native identity to separate themselves from England. They also adopted it when rebelling against England, an example of which occurred when colonists dressed up as Indians during the Boston Tea Party. Playing Indian continued up until the present times, but it's purposes changed. Americans now played Indian as a way to promote American identity, believing that using Native Americans was a key to represent America as a whole. However, one issue that playing Indian brings up is that fact that it tends to be very stereotypical, and ignores Native American people as a whole and the difference between their tribes; it lumps all Native Americans together, disrespecting their cultural differences. The people playing Indian, on the other hand, tend to believe that they are respecting Indians by using them as a core piece of American identity, and that they are not appropriating stereotypes. One key example that we discussed was using Native Americans as mascots. When it came to this discussion, I completely understood why Native Americans were upset by such use and why they were fighting against it. I was surprised, however, to identify with fans and teams in this debate. Although I do see this use as disrespectful, I identify with fans because I am from Washingon D.C., and therefore a redskins fan, one of the most demeaning sports mascots there is. However, I understand that if the mascot was changed,   the fans support for the team would change; it would feel as if fans were supporting a different team than they had been loyal to for years. On the first day when we began discussing definitions of games and play, I began to understand just how playing Indian is a type of play(not just because of the name of the concept). To play Indian, one has to assume a role that they perform to others, they must attempt to embody the character that they are playing. Before this class I did not think of playing Indian as a type of play or game, but now I understand that it is.<---Halloween costumes are another way that people "play" Indian

Monday, March 5, 2012

Bringing it Back to a Childhood Game

Over spring break one of my friends told me that they had just started playing neopets, an online "clickey" game that I had played frequently in elementary and part of middle school. In the game, you create pets, you give your pets pets (petpets), you create homes for your pets, there is a virtual world with many different places you can go, and there is a large variety of games within the game that you can play to earn points. Hearing that my friend had just started playing the game got me thinking: Why did I play the game in the first place? Why is my friend, who is my age, just starting to play it now? I went back the website and logged into one of my old accounts to explore these questions. I had over 500,000 "neopoints," and a fancy home for my pet and petpet. I realized that I enjoyed playing in an alternate fantasy universe where I, at a young age, could be wealthy in the world and create a life for my pet; I could be like an adult. I enjoyed winning in another life through games of chance and through earning. After talking to my friend about the game, I also realized that he was playing for the money, for the wealthy lifestyle, after he asked me if he could take all of my neopoints and valuable items. Another interesting point I realized after logging into my own account is the fact that the game has not really noticably changed in any form: there aren't really any new places in the virtual world, the items are worth the same, the games are worth the same etc. This fact got me thinking as to why the game has stayed successful for so long, without updating at all. This question I could not come to an answer to after playing the game for about a week, because I got extremely bored due to the lack of changes, and as someone who is older and leads a more indepedent life now, the fantasy is no longer entertaining to me. I think my friend, on the other hand, may find the game interesting because it is new to him, but he will most likely get over it quickly and be on to the next game.
<--these are the neopets I had

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Exploiting Young Talent

    I read a book recently titled Play Their Hearts Out written by George Dohrmann. I would like to give you a brief background of the book and then explain why I think it is worth reading. It is a true story about a man named Joe Keller who has a goal of finding the next LeBron James. To do this he decides to start up a youth basketball team and recruit the most talented kids he could find to fill out the roster. He get a group of kids around 10 years old and has one who he sees as a stud. The young boys name is Demetrius Walker. Keller quickly tries to exploit Walker as much as he can. He takes Walker under his wing and treats him like his own son. However, even though from the outside it may seem that Kellers intentions are good the only thing really on his mind is getting rich off Walkers talent. This brief review doesn't nearly cover all of the terrible things that Keller does to exploit Walker. It is important to understand that this is definitely not a feel good sports story. Even though its about kids and basketball reading it will make you angry and grow to hate people like Joe Keller.
      That being said I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in basketball and who has ever been a part of any sort of AAU program. It shows the true motives of some of the coaches working in these programs and all the terrible things they do. It makes you aware of things you should possibly be looking out for when you have youth kids in sports someday. It helps you understand what is wrong with these programs and how many things need to be changed. I promise you if you start it you will fly through the book. I think the book relates to this class because it focuses on more of the darker side of sports and gaming that you don't always see.
      I could discuss this book all day. Every event in the book makes me want to go tell someone how much you hate the people in it. If anyone has any questions about the book leave a comment following this post and I will answer it as soon as I can.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Senior Athletes

     Last night I was in attendance for Michigan Basketballs senior night. It was a night to honor four basketball players who have devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort towards Michigan athletics. These players included Ben Cronin, Corey Person, Stu Douglass, and Zack Novak. It was a great night for fans to recognize the great careers these players especially Douglass and Novak in particular. These two players haven been fundamental in the recent turnaround of Michigan basketball after a series of sub par years. They will be given a lot of credit from fans for the turnaround of the program because they were there long enough to be easily identified with the team's success.      However, while I was witnessing this event I could not help to think how rare it has become for two seniors to be so important to a team. Nowadays players are fleeing for the NBA as soon as they get the chance. Many of these players are called "One-and-Dones" meaning they come in play one year of college basketball and enter the NBA draft. The only reason they attend college from one year is because NBA rules make them do this before entering the draft. The idea of players leaving college as soon as possible is very unfortunate for fans because it makes something incredibly clear to fans, many players are only play for the money. Many of the one year players who are included in the One-and-Done category show they aren't too concerned with the success of the university, the fans of the team, or their teammates. They are only in it for themselves and money. Where is the love for the game? College basketball gives players the opportunity to play in March Madness which is considered by many the most exciting playoff in all of sports. Playoff brackets are filled out by fans all over the country. Most college basketball fans watch as many of the games as they can. The tournament is filled with history of great plays, moments, and teams. Players become legends in the minds of fans by hitting a clutch shot or carrying their teams on an improbable run. It is unfortunate that many players look past this great opportunity in order to join an NBA team where they may make a lot of money. Players have forgotten the great moments they wont be taking part in. The same moments that as kids they dreamed about being a part of.
     For these reasons we should applaud all those seniors who stay and get the most out of their college experience especially those who had a realistic opportunity to be a high draft pick. Important senior nights have become more and more rare. Senior athletes who are important to their teams have become hard to come by and an exception much like the other "exceptions" we discussed last week in class.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Michigan vs. Rivals

I watch every Michigan Men's basketball game and I can't help but notice that the players seem to bring more intensity to some games over others. The games they seem to have the most energy leading up to game time is when they are going to play Ohio State and Michigan State. There are many reasons why the intensity for these games is higher than against other opponents. Many of them were discussed when Stephen Garcia was our guest lecturer. In case you forgot Garcia talked about how people react to different competitors and why. For example he said that players will be more excited for a game when their opponents rankings are higher. Well this year Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State have all been ranked for almost the entire season. Ohio State has been in the top ten, Michigan State worked their way up into the top ten and Michigan has been somewhere between 11 and 22. These are all all very high rankings considering there are over 300 teams in NCAA college basketball. So each time these teams have matched up there has been a high intensity between them. Another topic he discussed was that the more two opponents are alike the more they will want to beat each other. This is especially the case for the times Michigan plays Michigan State. Not only are they close together geographically, but they constantly compete for recruits and fans throughout the state. Another thing that these teams have in common is all season they have been in competition for the BIG10 championship. To show an example of how the intensity for different games varies I included some links to pictures below. One was taken moments after the wolverines beat Purdue. The players on the court look happy that they won but they do not seem to be to intense. Another is to a picture taken right after Michigan beat Michigan State in this picture we see the players are ecstatic that they have just won.

Picture after win against Purdue: http://www.umhoops.com/2012/01/24/photo-gallery-michigan-66-purdue-64/michigan-at-purdue-30/
Picture after win against Michigan State: http://www.umhoops.com/2012/01/17/photo-gallery-michigan-60-michigan-state-59/michigan-state-at-michigan-31/
Both pictures were taken by Dustin Johnston and posted on umhoops.com

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Lack of Flow: Difficulties in Beginning my Major Quest

When we first began talking about flow, I immediately thought of the classic examples in my own life of how deliberate practice leads to flow: playing sports I've been playing since I was little, driving a car etc. However, after starting my major quest, I began to remember how difficult it is to get to a point in a new activity where you can be in a state of flow, and how frustrating it is to get there through deliberate practice. For my major quest, I am learning how to knit, and will end up in some sort of knitting competition with a fellow guild member. Knitting may seem like a task that is easy to learn, but it is surprisingly frustrating. A few days ago, I asked someone to give me my first knitting lesson on a scarf that they had already started. I immediately noticed how awkward the knitting needles felt in my hands. I had to say the steps to a stitch outloud everytime and do them very slowly. In my first half an hour of trying, I got very frustrated; I messed up almost every stitch and had to get the person teaching me to undo the tangled bundle I had created and start over. I had to watch her knit and be retaught multiple times before I could even get the hang of doing the stitches correctly. As I struggled, I watched my teacher knit, which made me even more impatient. She was studying while knitting, not even looking at her stitches, as if she did not have to think about it. Her mind seemed at ease as she enjoyed her task; she was in a complete state of flow. I, being a person who gets frustrated easily, do not particularly enjoy learning a new task that I am not immediately good at; I do not want to have to go through all the steps of deliberate practice. I could not help but wonder how long it would take me to be able to knit leisurely, without a significant amount of concentration. I guess I'll have to stick it out and find out if I can become even close to reaching a state of flow.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Counterexample to the N-effect

According to the reading about the N-effect, people actually feel less competitive when they are competing against more people. The reading quiz for this got me thinking when it asked how we could motivate students to be more competitive, which according to the reading, would be to reduce class sizes. After this reading, I started to reflect back on how competitive I felt in all of my classes, and  then compared the competitiveness and class sizes. I came to the realization that I, personally, actually experience the opposite of the N-effect. In my large lecture classes, I actually feel more competitive and am more motivated to study because I am competing and comparing myself against more people; I feel a stronger need to push myself to do well because there are more people that can outcompete me and I therefore need to get an even higher score on an exam or a paper in order to be closer to the top of the class. In my smaller seminar classes, I actually felt less competitive because the number of students that I am competing against to do well is smaller, so there is actually less motivation for me to compete because I need to do less work in order to stand out and do well; there are less people who can outcompete me. can, however, see how the N-effect can be prevalent in these classes. In large lectures students who are not incredibily smart may feel that they will just end up in the middle of the pack anyway. In smaller classes, competition can be increased because just as it is easier to stand out at the top in a smaller class, it is also easier to stand out at the bottom, and most people do not want to be seen as one of the worst students in his or her class. In my situation, however, I find that when comparing smaller and larger classes, I feel more competitive in the larger ones. I am not significantly less motivated to compete in smaller classes, but the difference is noticable.

Is Technology Ruining Movies?



                            V.S.








Over the past decade technology has improved dramatically. 3D movies have become more and more common, and numerous directors have attempted to create the "next best 3D movie." While some of the attempts have led to great success, such as Avatar, many have failed greatly. Directors have put the story line in the backseat, and spent the majority of their time and money on the visual aspect of the film. I am all for mesmerizing affects, but there comes a point when the plot needs to be in the forefront. Movies are meant to make the audience think, and create personal connections to real life events. If you take a look at a list of the greatest movies of all time you often see movies such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane, and Casablanca. All three of these movies have incredible, complex story lines and lack any advanced technology. It is not a coincidence that most movie critics consider movies with these qualities to be the best of all time. Directors need to take a long look at where they are spending their resources, and resort back to what has made movies great in the past. Stop trying to make every story into a 3D fantasy-world, and start proving us with good old-fashion realistic plots.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

What is a game?


Before starting this class in my mind games only consisted of the things that I saw as "typical" games. These consisted of Wii, Nintendo 64, iPhone Apps, etc, now I can see that games can be anything where a person is engaged in any other setting that is other than reality. I have realized that things such as art, and even working out can be seen as a game if there is some type of competition or recording. For example in class when we were given our Major Quests, from this I have learned any goal can be turned into something fun by making it into a game.