1) As long as she follows the rules, and regulations set in the MMA, the MMA should not treat her any differently.
2)They do have an advantage, but if they have undergone surgery and hormone treatment, the advantage isn't as extreme as people believe, especially if they are small.
3)I think that they should be told before the fight, and it would probably scare me because the stereotype that men are significantly more powerful than women.
4)I think that as long as they follow the rules of the MMA, and tell opponents beforehand, things should continue on as normal.

Matt Whittington

5/1/14

Sports R + W

            The definition of a sport is often a subject of controversy. This is especially true for cheerleading, where “real” sports players say that it is not a real sport. Cheerleaders obviously defend their activity saying that it is, but this is a heated debate.

            To find out if say, cheerleading is indeed a sport we should know what a “sport” is. Google defines a sport as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Going by this definition the cheerleading performed at other sporting events is not a sport, as they do not compete against anyone. However competitive cheerleading is absolutely a sport, as they compete against other teams.

This shows that as long as it is a physical activity, and also involves competition, it is indeed a sport.

NBA Playoff Picture

The 2014 NBA playoffs are almost upon us, and it is time for everyone to make their predictions. The Miami Heat, led by LeBron James are the obvious favorite for the NBA's bandwagon fans, but their chances may not be quite as good as in previous years. Dwayne Wade's health may be the deciding factor in their bout, as they will desperately need him to advance to the NBA finals. It also does not help that they fell 93-114 to the Washington Wizards, causing them to relinquish the number 1 seed in the east to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are my favorite for the east because of the disintegrating health of the Miami Heat. The west is more competitive this year with the Clippers on the rise. Also the Spurs have clinched the number one seed in the west, with Oklahoma City coming in second. I see the Thunder coming out of the west to challenge the Pacers in the 2014 NBA Finals. With a good Finals ending in 7 games, I believe that the Thunder led by Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook will beat the Pacer to become the 2014 NBA champions.

Harding's Not So Hard Punishment

Everyone knows the background to the this story. Tonya Harding was notorious among the skating world after her then-husband, and bodyguard hired Shane Stant to break the right leg of Harding's opponent, Nancy Kerrigan. She claimed to have no part of the deals, or conspiracy, but that is a blatant fallacy. Harding clearly had some part in the vicious attack because no one else had any real incentive to taking out Kerrigan, and the copious amounts of evidence, and simple common sense. The sick attack on Kerrigan forced her to withdraw from the competition, allowing Harding to secure the gold medal at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The worst part of the entire ordeal, is the lack thereof a justifiable punishment forced onto Tonya Harding. Everyone involved in the attack had to serve some form of time in prison, except Harding of course. She got off extremely lightly after agreeing to plead guilty to conspiring to hinder the persecution of attackers. All she had to do was some community service, and pay a fine. She still got to skate in the Olympics too, during a time when she should be in prison for conspiring assault on an innocent woman. It's simple really, Tonya Harding saw Nancy Kerrigan as a threat so she took care of the threat, and got away with it.

Jerry Sandusky is serving a 30 to 60 year sentence for being convicted of sexually abusing 10 different boys. His wife, Dottie, still believes that he is an innocent man despite the number of alleged victims who have come forth. She keeps believing that these victims were manipulated into coming forth by lawyers that promised them financial gain. Even if this were the case, Sandusky has finally been brought to justice. Either his wife knew something, and lied, or she was completely oblivious to her husbands 'extra-curricular' activities. 26 alleged victims have come forth, and while he probably did not abuse everyone single one of them, he is by no means an innocent man and his wife seems to simply be in denial. Even if showering with boys was 'just a part of his generation', raping them was not, and it is good to see that he will not be able to do it again for the rest of his life.

32 year old Patriots Defensive Tackle Vince Wilfork is coming off a torn Achilles suffered earlier in the season. Wilfork is projected to make $7.5 million next season, and the Patriots have approached him about altering his contract. Doing so would help lessen the burden of an $11.6 million salary cap hit. If agreements cannot be made, do you believe that the Patriots would consider cutting him?

Ben Skotny Interview

           Ben Skotny is a student in his junior year at Norton High School. Ben plays sports, and is also an avid sports fan. Ben played Basketball and he is now on the Cross Country, Winter Track, and the Spring Track teams for Norton High School. When asked what the most memorable sports moment that he has been a part of, Ben responded, "winning the TVL championship in Winter Track".

           Apart from playing sports, Ben is also a huge sports fan. When asked what his favorite moment from a sporting event that he had watched was, he stated, "when David Ortiz hit a Grand Slam in the 2013 playoffs". Ben has stated that his favorite sport to watch live, or on television is basketball. His favorite team to watch is the Duke basketball team. Ben enjoys both playing, and watching sports as a fan.