Darren Wilson a Caucasian police officer, 28, fatally shot unarmed Michael Brown seven to eight times causing his death. Social media played a massive role in Brown’s case and spreading awareness to those not in Ferguson.
Brown and Johnson then fled in different directions, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown, eventually firing several more times. Brown’s innocence along with past police killings struck the nation. The night of Browns death Ferguson started a riot. The people of Ferguson began to vandalize and loot businesses. As protestors began to get antsy and want answers about why Mike Brown was killed, officer’s reaction worsened. Officers were using full force to stop protestors.
Officers started using tear gas to prevent the news from sharing the information of the events taking place.
The people of Ferguson used social media as their weapon. Post after post was uploaded to social networks. Michael Brown’s case started a trend amongst communities and colleges. Across the states, people were protesting with their hands up to symbolize “Don’t Shoot,” as Brown did moments before being killed. As news outlets began to post statements and reports of Ferguson, people were still not satisfied. News wasn’t as reliable as social networks were.
People used social media to help spread awareness and also voice their opinions on the topic. The furor over Brown’s death online has shown the strength of social media activism in raising awareness of issues that may fly under the mainstream media’s radar.
As social media served as a major role of notifying the public of Ferguson it also changed social media’s impact on society. On November 24th 2014 when the world was informed of Wilson, Brown’s killer not being convicted 3.5 million tweets were tweeted discussing this decision.Social media is now being used to help facilitate and organize protest. In addition to providing information about the protests, social media might affect people’s motivation to participate in the protest.
It’s not every day that aspiring student musicians are given the opportunity to open shows for mainstream hip hop artists such as 2-Chains but UAlbany’s very own Prosper Muna has defied those odds.
A 23-year-old student, athlete and musician is on his way to the top. At the University at Albany, Muna has been committed to being involved with campus activities since his first year. Muna’s freshman year, he became one of the few athletes to tryout for the Universities Division 1 team and make it. He later joined Phenomenal Voices, a student organization that recognizes all talents in the arts. These two gateways allowed him to express his talent and network on the campus.
Being a walk on to the football team, Muna didn’t receive much recognition in which he thought he deserved for his talents, starting out as a player on the scout/red-shirt team for his first couple of weeks. He originally started as a wide receiver but then due to eligibility he was unable to play with the team.
That summer, he continued to practice with the football team so that he could stay in shape. “I wanted to prove to them, that I could play even though I didn’t have a scholarship,” Muna said.
Returning to the team, Muna was placed on the defense team, where he initially began to struggle being that he regularly played on the offensive side.
“I had to adjust quick, my sophomore year was a learning process. I didn’t really understand the scheme and the system. I would play slow because I didn’t know what I was doing,” Muna said.
Though he faced some troubles, his athletic abilities kept him going and by junior year he had finally grasped the concept. He was finally allowed to play but with conditions; Muna was placed on the special teams; kick offs, kick off returns, punt, punt returns but that opportunity allowed him to show off his abilities. He was later offered a scholarship by Coach Bob Ford, in which he happily accepted.
“Prosper is very athletic. He can play multiple positions. He has good hands, good speed, and he is aggressive. He’s talented,” said teammate Kevin Chillas.
The summer prior to his senior year, Muna put in a lot of hard work. He wanted the coach to notice his talent and abilities, so that he would get more playing time and not just to contribute on the special teams. While studying abroad in Italy, Muna continued his efforts in making sure he was practicing and working out.
“Even when I was in Italy, I lifted three to four days a week. Plus I ran all around the city and than I came back and continued to work out with my teammates at training camp,” Muna said.
Growing up, Muna always strived to be hard-working kid. Living in the Albany area with two older brothers it was often hard for Muna to stay on the right track.
His mother worked two jobs to try to maintain a stable living for Muna and his older brother Yves, but that wasn’t the easiest thing. The house they lived in was next to a railroad track, so it was considerably noisy. The foundation inevitably began to give way causing the house to often slide and shake from the passing trains.
Barely making enough money, Muna and his family were evicted from their home. This took a toll on Yves, as he became more involved in the streets then his books.
Yves was eventually kicked out of high school. Without the presence of a father figure, who had passed away when Muna was only the age of four months and their mother consistently working two jobs; the boys were left to raise themselves. However, with the money his mother did make, Muna and his brothers were able to find a place to live.
Muna and his brother would hang out in the streets all day and night. They would be outside rather than doing homework or something constructive. “I was young and naïve, I seen my brother do things and I wanted to do it too,” Muna said.
“Prosper was adventurous, creative and optimistic. He was always down to do something fun and daring,” Yves said.
With the lack of help financially, Muna and his family were evicted again. Yves was sent to jail and Prosper was on his way to sixth grade.
Prosper originally started off as a basketball player and then expanded his interest in sports during middle school. He started playing football as a running back.
“I was terrible at it, too slow, too tall, it didn’t work. I started which was good, but I was still bad,” Muna said.
Going to Albany High School really changed things for Muna.
“It was crazy, a lot of urban city kids, gang violence, it was a jungle,” Muna said.
Freshman year, Muna struggled in school because he couldn’t make it to his early classes due to laziness. His sophomore year, Albany high got even worse. There were riots all the time during the schooldays in which made school life very uncomfortable for Muna. Muna had high hopes of going to a Division 1 college and making it to the NFL and with help and determination Muna was able to transfer to Albany Academy.
Albany Academy was a drastic change from Albany High. There was a high population of children of Caucasian decent that came from a high economic status household. The school also had high economic standards and in turn became the school that aided Muna’s journey to becoming college ready.
“They helped me with sports, I became captain of the football team. It was really warm and welcoming,” Muna said.
During Muna’s senior year, he began to find himself musically. He joined the school choir. One of his friends in high school later forced him to perform in the school’s musical.
“The musical really helped me with performing and I started to have inspiration for my music,” Muna said.
Muna’s big break musically happened when he met a man named, Lucas Hass. In his English class, students had to present their talent to the class. Muna performed a rap and Hass immediately recognized his talent. Hass was an engineer assistant at a studio downtown and suggested the two recorded something.
“He only writes about what he knows about, and a lot of hip-hop music of this day, content is not relatable to most people. Prosper, would write about the troubles he was going through and his struggles he was juggling. His lyrical content really stuck out and how fast he did it. He’s incredible lyrically and writing and harmony,” Hass said.
In high school, Muna, use to record tracks and sell CDs for $5 in school. “It motivated me to keep going, the kids seen potential in me,” Muna said.
Prosper tries to go the studio as often as he can now. There are sometimes when he goes four times a month and others when he goes every other month.
“When I was recording with Lucas, I didn’t have to pay. We did it for the love. A lot of songs came from his house. We would do a lot of work in the summer. We recorded a few days a week, now of days, it’s a few times a month,” Muna said.
Muna’s wrote his first song “Ball-D” in the fifth grade. His mom made him get a terrible hair cut and he decided to make a rap about it. Since then, rapping just stuck with him.
Muna gets a lot of his inspiration for songs from everyday life. He raps about what he sees and what he has experienced growing up. His music varies in style, genre and tone.
“As I got older, I stayed in school and went to college and kept an open mind. I gained a different perspective from other people. Something always sparked inspiration. I’ll be in class and just start rapping. I’ll stop everything and just pick up on music,” Muna said.
Musically, Muna has had great opportunities. Muna started out performing during Phenomenal Voices shows. Throughout the years he has also performed on Lark Street, making a name for himself within the Albany community.
One of his greatest accomplishments was opening up for 2 Chains at UAlbany’s 2013 Parkfest musical concert.
“It was…wow, it was epic. I really appreciated the opportunity. It was cool perform to the student body that I attended. A lot of people knew who I was and those that didn’t had a visual image. It really put my name out there more,” Muna said.
2Chains was only one of many artists that Muna was able to open up for. He has opened up for Mac Miller, Lupe Fiasco, and Snoop Dog. These experiences has helped shaped him to becoming a better performer and musician.
“I really got to talk to him. His manager Q gave me a lot of advice. He’s the reason I made my first video because he said I needed visual art. He gave me direction, which really helped me progress,” Muna said about Mac Miller.
Muna’s music not only appeals to the student body, but also to the older crowd.
“He’s awesome, I think his music is different. His music sounds like the generation in college, trying to do positive things. Positive groove, I listen to all his songs every day from my itunes. My family likes him. I went to his concert, first time seeing him perform. I was really proud of him,” Yves said.
Being a student, musician and athlete sometimes takes a toll on Muna’s life. There are nights when he doesn’t get home from the studio until 3am because mixing and recording took an extra two or three hours longer.
“The recording process usually takes an hour and a half depending on who I’m with. An R&B singer usually takes a little longer to warm up. The recording part takes 30 minutes because I know what I’m doing. One take or a few takes. The mixing process after takes the longest,” Muna said.
There are days that he’s exhausted because he’s had workouts at 6am and then class at 8am. He doesn’t always have time to finish his schoolwork in a timely manner. Though, he is not struggling academically, life can definitely prove to be challenging for him.
“I basically accepted that it’s going to be times where it’s hard but these are two things that I love. What ever you love, it doesn’t matter how many hours you have to put into. It definitely influenced who I am today. Especially with music, I took it as it is. I found a balance,” Muna said.
His senior year of football, Muna really didn’t as much playing time as he liked. Being in a new division, CAA, UAlbany’s team struggled on the field.
“Halfway through the season they played me more. If they played me more with my senior leadership, I would have been able to make a difference. They had a lot of young players playing over me. If they added the seniors in, we would have been more experienced and handled situations better,” Muna said.
Muna wasn’t the only, who thought he should have played.
“Anything after high school is a business. As far as college the recruit process, Prosper wasn’t of the high recruits coming in. They give the kids who has scholarships playing time first because why would they not play someone that they spent money on. Prosper got his time, when he was in the game he made the best of his opportunities but I did wish he played more, “ Chillas said.
Muna had dreams of being in the NFL. He wanted to go the University at Michigan because he always thought he was good enough to play division 1a football. As time progressed, his dreams differed.
“As a walk-on, the dream started to get further and further. I didn’t start and I was playing. It discouraged me. Senior year, I thought I would play more because I was working harder,” Muna said.
The lack of playing time heavily affected Muna. There were times when he didn’t care about football and would engage in smoking, drinking, flirting with girls, playing video games and hanging out rather then practicing. It wasn’t until he started getting withdrawals from playing with his teammates, that Muna started to get back on track with football.
Thanks to his scholarship, Muna was later able to help his mom out. He sent her three to four hundred dollars every refund check he received. His mom currently lives in NYC with his younger siblings trying to provide a better life for them.
Muna plans on moving to the city, after graduation to pursue his musical career.
“I’m so on board with that. I strongly recommend that he should be down here. I’ve called him multiple times, because I work in a studio so I have free time over night to produce. For him to be down here with me I mean the things we could be doing would just be incredible. The opportunities down here not to lessen Albany but it’s not really a music scene especially for what he wants to do NYC is a better environment,” Hass said.
Prosper will continue to follow his dreams, in hopes of being the next big thing.
ESPN has become a gateway for retired athletes to still be a part of the game.
What started as a way for fans to catch up on the latest highlights and news of their favorite sports teams is now almost a reality TV channel for sports. Founders Bill and Scott Rasmussen created this channel in 1979, with one 24-hour sports channel, now there are several.
Sunday NFL Countdown hosted by Chris Berman is a three-hour program that just focuses on football. Some fans may feel like even though Berman is a well-known and respected sports commentator, three hours of him is a bit too much. His show is all over the place. It covers multiple facets of the past games, upcoming games, coaches’ lives, and random nonsense.
His panel of retired athletes does lighten up the show, but sometimes it appears as if they just want to hear themselves talk.
The show is helpful and covers all bases of football, players, coaches but it almost makes you think, could I do without this information?
This program shouldn’t be three hours long. It should focus only on upcoming games of the day and past games of the week. Other things like a coaches new sports car, isn’t really that important to the game.
SportsCenter, which usually appears after games, is very entertaining and helpful. It is clean cut and gets straight to the point. It tackles all angles of sports that were played in the week and only focuses on the highlights.
Shows like that are entertaining for fans. It allows them to relive the excitement of the game. Since it only focuses on highlights, the hour goes by quicker than the NFL Countdown.
With NFL Countdown being three hours, it affords the time to spend on interviews and other random things. However, some of the things they focus on seem more like TMZ rather than sports news. They show how a coach just went on a new diet, or gossip about past problems. Most people watch sports to get away from gossip, not engage in it.
ESPN now has several sister networks like ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Classics and many more. Are these channels are way to spread more stories about news or about sports? They cover all sports and angles but they also cover news and entertainment, sometimes a break from something can be helpful.
Some old athletes are interesting to hear speak from a critical point of view but is it ever a time to say no to them? Fans that follow sports know the ins and outs of the game and the history behind their favorite players. Is it really necessary for a retired athlete to repeat facts that you already know? Even when receiving new information, why can’t athletes let sports commentators do their job and the athletes actually retire from the game?
ESPN has changed in the recent years. Some may look at it as more entertaining and interactive; others may view it as a waste of time and a gossip channel. It’s okay to get off topic sometimes, but all the time gets repetitive and tiring to the audience.
Not all shows on ESPN have retired athletes as a host or part on the panel; does having an athlete on board give the show credibility? Sometimes it does, fans may argue, they know the game better because they actually played it.
ESPN should only focus on one thing, which are sports. Highlights, new trades, injured players, are what the fans care about.
People may argue that ESPN has lost its spunk and they are just adding shows so retired athletes can stay paid. However, ESPN still has its way of keeping the fans informed.
Would sports be the same without ESPN, probably not?
Watched: Sports Center 12am-1am with Jay Harris & John Anderson
When dealing with sports that you have a high interest in, it is often difficult to separate your opinion from the facts. The darker sides of sports as a fan breaks your heart. As a journalist, it gives you a story.
“Play Their Hearts Out,” a book by George Dohrmann shines light on the dark side of youth basketball. One thing that really stuck out in the book, is when a boy told his mom that he was being sexually assaulted by his coach and the mom made him stay on the team because the coach pays for her rent. As an athlete your coach is supposed to be a mentor, trainer and teacher. However, when coaches take their power and use it to their advantage to create pleasure or wealth, that’s when coaching becomes problematic.
When I was younger, I had a coach who sexually assaulted some of the boys on my team. He was fired. However, as a player, I felt hurt for the boys because the Coach thought it was okay to try to take advantage of them. More importantly, as a female, I felt like that could have been me in that situation. It’s scary to think the one person who you thought was trying to help you prosper secretly has his or her own mission.
As a fan, I hate to see the negativity in sports because it almost hurts you to know that there is evil in everything. The love people gather for sports is truly amazing. Fans dedicate time, energy and money in to one team. The devotion to a sport for fans is almost synonymous with the devotion an athlete has for playing it. Losing a player in a game is just as bad as losing the championship game.
Watching PBS’ “League of Denial,” it was sad to see how many athletes are affected and severely harmed from brain damage and head trauma. Even though the NFL can be held highly responsible, I do not blame it . Players know what kind of situations they are putting themselves in when they step on the field.
The darker side of sports alters an athlete’s mindset. In Dohrmann’s book, as the reader watches the protagonist Demetrius Walker’s life fall apart. Something I noticed about the greed of coaches, wanting fame and money, is that they never truly win. They may have some fame behind an athlete’s success story, but it is not up to them to decide what the athlete should do for them or to be the hero behind the player.
Being a journalist, a great story always comes from behind doors. The greed, injuries, and fame that form the darker side of sports are also what attract the audience. The reader doesn’t care that Mike Norton scored 35 points in his last game. They care that his coach gave Norton three steroid pills the day before.
Sometimes, as a journalist, it’s hard to reveal a good story about the sport you love, but at the end of the day business is business.
"I wish he could feel this, because this is just amazing," said Manager Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates. @Pirates #MLB #wildcard — Nina Simone (@HeyPareese) October 2, 2013 "We're going to have to bring our A game,"Martin replied to his question about playing the St. Louis Cardinals. @Pirates #MLB #wildcard — Nina Simone (@HeyPareese) […]
For years, there has been controversy about who’s a better athlete LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
Everyone knows that James is half man and half amazing, hence the name “King James,” but there is some fans that believe that the Black Mamba is the better athlete.
Straight out of high school, James was always someone to make notice of.
At the age of 28, both players had tremendous statistics but of course James was better.
At 28, James, currently has 21,081 points in his career. Aside from that, he has won the MVP three times and won two consecutive NBA championships. James also has 36 triple-doubles in his regular season.
Byrant, at 28, accomplished a total of 19,296 points and 14 triple-doubles. He had three NBA championships, but no MVP’s. Though this is a lot, it is still not better then James.
Off the court, Bryant came in third on Forbes’ list of jersey sales in 2011-2013, and James came in fourth.
Furthermore, James sneakers contract with Nike earns him at least $30 million in this year alone. No one in the NBA is currently making that much money off of sneakers. Kevin Durant is the runner up.
James is the new face of NBA’s 2k14 videogame, the first time in his career after having two incredible seasons. In this game James is nearly undefeatable, with a rank of 99.
In 2010, Bryant was the cover of NBA’s 2k10 but he was not ranked as high.
When it comes to playing against each other, the competition has been close. However, LeBron is 12-5 between the Cavs and Heat against Lakers teams with Kobe playing, including two runs of five in a row. Kobe averages 26.7 points, while LeBron averages 27.7 points, not to mention his ridiculous rebounding and passing numbers.
NBA fans and media have identified both players the next Michael Jordan. However, Jordan said that he would prefer Byrant over James as his go-to man in a game.
Jordan may have been the best player in the past, but now it is James time to shine.
James currently has nine NBA All-Star appearances, and is on his way to his third championship.
Coming straight out of high school James and Bryant have grown and become great players over the years. Bryant now holds five championship rings and James only has two. However, at 28 James is currently the only player in the league to have such statistics and he continues to flourish year by year. Bryant is still a great player, but is starting to slow down. He announced that he will no longer play in the Olympics and the Lakers have been playing bad the last couple of seasons.
Is Kobe’s age finally catching up to him? Looks like it, Kobe has been sitting out of the season due to a knee injury. In the past, Bryant has been able to play with an injury but his body may have taken its last beaten. James, currently working on his third championship has yet to fail my expectations.
Looks like the new field isn’t bringing any good luck for the Great Danes.
The UAlbany (1-7) women’s soccer team lost it’s home opener on Friday, 3-0 against the Columbia Lions (3-2).
Columbia’s defensive player Chelsea Ryan was the teams’ only scorer, achieving her first hat trick of her career. A penalty kick in the fifth minute of the game gave her the opportunity to score the first goal, giving Columbia the early lead.
“We knew that the service was good, and the players made good runs. We knew that we coached them to expect the ball to be in those spots. To Chelsea’s credit, she took those chances very well and obviously they were really good for us,” Columbia coach Kevin McCarthy said.
UAlbany’s defense in the first period was very weak, they didn’t trap players, giving Columbia the chance to move the ball around. The Lions were able to have better possessions, which lead to their first two goals.
As a new team of coaches and players, the Great Danes have been struggling to win.
“I think having a young team for us, there are going to be a lot of positives and negatives with that. But mostly for us, we think of it as a positive because we’re getting younger players experience now in their freshman, sophomore years, so that way, in two to three years, they are going to be the players with a ton of experience,” coach Caitlin Colfer said.
Great Danes back Alexa Schneider had four shots but couldn’t score, thanks to Lions’ goalkeeper Grace Redmon. Redmon had seven saves.
“I always communicate with my defense to stay connected, and before the game, we knew that Albany had a defender; Schneider who has a really strong kick and restarts. And any time she was in our half, just to always be prepared for a really long hard shot,” Redmon said.
The Lions haven’t played UAlbany since 2004. Since then, the Lions have been trying to maintain their position in the Ivy League conference, coming in fifth place in their 2011 season. McCarthy has coached the team for 17 years. After a tough defeat in Florida, the Lions needed this win to regain momentum.
In the 51st minute mark of the second period, a corner kick by Maya Marder set up Ryan’s header, allowing her to score the third and final goal. Albany’s offense wasn’t able to respond as the game clock ran out.
The season now continues for UAlbany on the road Sunday, when it faces Rhode Island.
Rip! There goes a new pair of jeans, ripped on the fence of the new field.
As time approached at the University at Albany’s football game kickoff, students began to climb the fence of the gates in order to get inside and avoid the long ticket lines.
The stadium filled with students, staff, alumni, friends and family. The fresh smell of popcorn and hotdogs filled the air. Students flooded the grass, as ticket holders packed the bleachers out.
Bright purple danger zone t-shirts and posters were everywhere. “This is crazy, it doesn’t look like Albany,” student Kenny Green said.
The bright lights at the each end of the stadium shined down on the turf, bringing the game to life.
“The lighting of the field makes it look like there is nothing behind it. It’s like we’re playing in the middle of nowhere and the only thing happening, is the game, “ student Sully Guzman said.
The fresh new turf was finally touched, not by the players but by a parachuter. The crowd screamed and cheered as he landed. The excitement had already begun in the stadium.
It was a slow start for the Great Danes, after the first kickoff. By 11:19 in the second quarter, the Danes were down 3-0 to the Rhode Island Rams.
Pass after pass was incomplete between the quarterback Will Fiacchi and his wide receivers Cole King and Kevin Chillis. However, the dancers and cheerleaders continued to keep the crowd motivated.
The night grew colder as the game went on. Cheers turned into shivers, and the game looked like it was slipping away from the Danes.
“He who hesitates, gets caught,” said a crowd member, as the crowd watched Fiacchi get tackled after faking a pass to wide receiver Jake Meek.
With eight seconds left before the half, the Fiacchi successfully threw a long pass just short of the end-zone, exciting the crowd. However, the Danes were unable to score, ending the second quarter down 6-0.
As the players went to the locker room, the band took the field. The band performed, as concession stands lines became long, and bathrooms became packed.
Students began to mingle amongst each other and the bleachers began to clear out. The Great Danes were losing and the wind was picking up.
The halftime show consisted of two students throwing a football and then running to the other end of the field. Their smiles glowed as they ran from one end to other. After, student assocation brought out the money machine; one contestant was able to go inside for 30 seconds and had to try to collect as much money as they could.
In the meantime, the Great Dane mascot was making its rounds throughout the crowd, showing his school spirit. The cameraman gave kids in the bleachers some camera time, as they danced and cheered for the Danes.
The stadium was alive.
What started as a project in 2003 has amazed and exceed all expectations. The Bob Ford field is named after the University at Albany’s only football Coach. Ford is retiring after this season; making it his 44th season at the university.
The field cost $18 million. The Whiting-Turner Contractor Co built it. It will be used for both the football and soccer team. Even though the field was a large investment the revenue and outcome of the first game show that it was a great and much needed investment.
“It probably cost a lot of money to create, but it’s an amazing field,” said Terry, a student dressed in an all purple suit .
The school spirit was incredible at the game. There were little kids with Great Dane hats on. There were students with paw prints tattooed on their face and purple and gold warrior stripes. More than half of the crowd had on UAlbany gear or were wearing purple for support.
As the third quarter got under way, the Great Danes were starting to show better offense. With 5:47 left in the third quarter, tailback Omar Obsborne scored the first touchdown. The crowd stood and cheered as they regained hope for their Danes.
The Danes had finally gained their momentum, and Meek scored another touchdown. This touchdown had tied the game at 13-13 at the end of the third.
Even though the crowd was decreasing, the Danes were making a comeback after a slow start to their home opener.
At 10:45pm the game finally ended. The Danes were unable to keep control of the game and lost to the Rams 19-13.
The Danes now continue on their season with their record of 1-2, in hopes of beating Connecticut next weekend, back on the new field.
“I guess it takes more than a new field and a packed stadium to win a game,“ Guzman said as she left the stadium shivering in disappointment.
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Pareese: So we’re here, at the home game, with Greg from Sondixo. Are you guys sponsoring this event right now?
Greg: Yes, we’re actually the new food company for Ualbany.
P: Why are you guys our new source of food? What changed?
G: What changed, was that one of the old people that used to be here before; Chartwells, we underbid them and we are here now.
P: Okay. I hope your food is great and I can’t wait to try everything.
Pareese: So, we’re here with Pat, whose nephew is the sports coordinator of the football team. So, have you been to every game?
Pat: No, I live in New Hampshire. I come to probably four games a year.
P: What are your thoughts about the new field?
Pat: Oh, it’s amazing compared to the old field. It’s like being in college instead of high school.
P: Are you a huge football fan?
Pat: Yes.
P: Are you a fan of this team or in general?
Pat: In general.
P: What’s your favorite football team?
Pat: Well, obviously the Patriots because I’m from New England. Well, and of course, the Great Danes.
P: Thank you so much for your time.
Pareese: We’re here now with former Alumni George. How do you feel about the new stadium?
George: Oh, it’s gorgeous, it’s beautiful. We should have had this 30 years ago.
P: Did you play football when you were here?
G: No, I played soccer for four years. I also played basketball, and ran track and field.
P: Wow, very athletic.
G: That’s why I came to school.
P: Are you from the Albany area?
G: Yes, I went to Albany High, and then I went to SUNY for four years. I’ve got my double major and double minor. Then, I went to RPI and received my master’s degree in science and politics. I was one of the original students in the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP); Doctor Harry Hamilton and I.
P: Oh, that’s an awesome opportunity.
G: Yeah, I got my room, board, tuition, and spending money. I also had sports scholarships.
P: So, you said that you were good friends with Bob Ford. Does this mean you know him personally, or you’ve just heard of him throughout the years?
G: No, he was very supportive. I was involved with soccer as he was starting football. Soccer, in the United States, is always seen secondary to football. I was trying to promote soccer the same time as the football program. So, when he used to get advertising from Budweiser, I went to get it too, to make it equal. He’s a very great man. He’s a fantastic man. Matter of fact, one of the things that happened, was one of our soccer players, our goalie, Darri Orango, when Bob Ford was taking his team to the Alonzo Ball, the finals on ABC tv. He had one of our soccer players, do the field goal kicking and our goalie was practicing with them a couple of times before the finals. He kicked a 63-yard field goal to win the game, on national tv.
P: Wow, that’s awesome. What are some of your thoughts about this being his final season?
G: He’s had a great run. He is not only a coach but he has also been a leader. He leads by example and just like a lot of the great coaches I had. A sport is not just about football, he’s helping each individual; these young athletes become men. It transfers, what he teaches, to whatever they do in the future. For education, if they go to work for a company or their own business. It is very important, this discipline that he puts forth. Teamwork is very important, and it’s what you have to do in life too, wherever you are. This is what they are teaching in sports, so it’s not just in a classroom you learn but also on the sports field you learn. Also, of course, he’s has been very successful in doing that. I know that a lot of the football alumni are here and that’s a testament to him.
P: Thank you so much for your time and I hope you enjoy the rest of the game.
G: Thank you, and I will.
Pareese: I’m here with the purple man, Terry. So, what made you way dress in all purple?
Terry: Well, pretty much, all of the attention would be centered around me. I could pump people up, pretty much, like “wooooo, Albany.” Plus this is my first year here, and I really want to show that I have school spirit and this definitely helps.
P: Are you a fan of football?
T: I am a fan of all sports, but football is one of my favorite sports. I played sports in high school too.
P: Really, cool. So what sports did you play?
T: I was on track, all the time. I was the captain at my school.
P: You weren’t here for the field last year, but what are your thoughts about the field this year?
T: This field is freaking awesome. It probably cost a lot of money to make it. It’s really nice; it’s kind of like the field I had back in Long Beach. I’m from Long Island; they sort of have a field like this but not a big booth like that, that’s freaking awesome.
P: Are you going to dress like this every home game?
T: Yeah, every home game I can go to. I am going to do it for the basketball games too, and probably even soccer.
P Well, thank you for this interview and keep up the school spirit.
Senior football athlete Cole King from Syracuse, ranked second on his team with 35 receptions and 573 receiving yards this pass season.
Starting off as a red shirt his freshman year, he later received rookie of the week in 2011 for the Northeast Conference and came in second for rookie of the year. Since then, King has contributed to his team, helping lead them to numerous victories.
King’s father Emanuel King Jr. was a linebacker for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals and the Oakland Raiders. Continuing in his fathers footsteps King hopes to one day be able to play for the Atlanta Falcons.
King’s love for both the sport and his teammates have him excited and anxious for this season of new beginnings.
Q: First game of the season you guys lost to Duquesne by two touchdowns. Do you think this has anything to do with you guys being in a new division ?
A:It has nothing to do with being in a new division. They’re are from our old division and we used to beat them all the time. Wagner, Duquesne, Bryant every year in year out. Us moving up to a new division just shows how we dominated that league.
Q:Are you guys ready to play on your new field? Do you think it will be any different than playing on your old field?
A:Yeah, it’s going to be a difference. University Field was…shitty honestly, grassy, they moved up the turf. It’s a lot better and you move a lot faster on it and it’s a beautiful stadium. I can’t wait to play on it.
Q: Have you guys practiced on it before or will this game be your first time playing on it?
A:We don’t get to touch it until a few days before… but I’ve been down there on my own time. Its beautiful down there, honestly.
Q:You currently have four new captains. Do you think they will lead you to a championship for the third time in a row?
A: That will be shown as the season goes on. Honestly, I have faith in my captains believe me, or I would not have voted for them. So I feel their leadership will put us in the right direction for a championship, doesn’t matter what league we’re in.
Q: Is there any team you have an eye out for in this division?
A: I can’t wait for James Madison. They got a real nice stadium, real good players. Old Dominion, too, their quarterback last year threw 700 yards in one game. 43,000 people in the stadium, I’ve never been in anything like that.
Q: What are your thoughts about this being your Couch’s last season?
A: Man oh man. I called it during the summer saying he was going to retire after this year. But even after predicting it, it still hurts. There aren’t too many Bob Fords….there aren’t any Bob Fords but Bob Ford. Yeah, I’ll miss him, honestly.
Q: So you have a good relationship with your coach?
A: Definitely, I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a good guy.
Q: Do you have any worries about the new coach? Do you think they’ll be just as good?
A: More than likely we have an assistant head coach right now, he’s the offensive coordinator right now. Robert McCarthy, Coach Mack. I know he can’t wait to get back there, I got faith in him. He’s been calling plays for the last five years.
Q: How do you feel when the ball is up in the air and you finally catch it and score the touch down?
A: It’s one of the best feelings, honestly. Catching the touchdown you just get a rush of adrenaline. Nothing beats it, that’s why I’m trying to have so much this year.
Q: Do you remember the first touchdown you ever scored as an athlete?
A: Yeah it was in the ninth grade, sadly, because I started playing in the fourth grade. I used to play running back, then, though, when I scored my first touchdown. It was pretty cool ,though. I don’t know though I’ve never really been the one to celebrate. It has something to do with my high school Coach, he didn’t play that.
Q: What made you change from running back to wide receiver?
A: My coach, I don’t know…High school I started out as running back then quarterback and then wide receiver.
Q: So wide receiver is your favorite position?
A: Definitely. I used to play safety too, I used to play defense.. yeah I miss safety, honestly. I tried to play it in college but they got me at receiver. I’m fine with it.
Q: What you do on your spare time ?
A: Most of the time I usually hang out with my teammates. I used to draw before I came here. I used to play guitar too but now I don’t even touch that anymore. It’s no time. Most of the time I usually just hang out with my teammates and sleep. That’s all I have time for and schoolwork unfortunately.
Q: Do you miss drawing or playing the guitar?
A: Definitely.. Definitely. I used to just relax and sketch up something. Play the guitar its fun but I guess you have to have priorities now as you get older.
Q: Do you ever just want to put down the football and just draw something?
A: Definitely. I don’t have a choice, next semester I’ll be taking a class though so it will be worked into my schedule and I’ll have no other choice but to draw.
Q: You’re originally from Syracuse. What made you come to Albany instead of playing up there?
A: They didn’t recruit me whatsoever. They don’t really recruit out of Syracuse. There are only a few Syracuse natives on the team, from my knowledge, at least. I would have went to SU but I’m here now, everything happens for a reason. We might play them next year, so if I get that chance I’m going off in the dome.
Q: Would you have liked to play there or did you want to get away because you lived there mainly all your life?
A: I really never thought about getting away for college, it doesn’t bother me. I moved down South when I was in the 11th grade of high school and I didn’t like it that much and it was enough going away for me. Being in Albany, it’s not to far so I can go home every weekend if I wanted and my mom can always come see me play.
Q: Is your family your biggest fans or did they want you to play something else?
A: Definitely, my mom has been at pretty much every home game and my grandparents. My father flew from Mobile, Ala to come to my game at Duquesne last year and will be at the ODU game and two other games. My friends from high school from down South will be coming to games in Virginia. They are definitely are my number one supporters. A lot of them will be at our first home game.
Q: Is there anything you miss about being in Syracuse?
A: I miss being around my little brother because I’ve always been gone during what I feel are the most important times of your life besides college. I was here all the time, I just wish I can get that time back. So every chance I get to go back home I go and hang with him and talk with him. He just started seventh grade.
Q: Does he play football too?
A: Strictly basketball, he’s a tall slinky little kid. He doesn’t want to play football, he seen me get injured once playing in the dome and my dad told me that turned him away from football. He’s sticking to basketball. I don’t really care what he does as long as he goes hard.
Q: Do you have any other siblings?
A: I have one little brother and one older brother.
Q: What made you first become interested in football?
A: I actually started playing baseball first because you can start at an earlier age. My father played football, he played in the NFL, so of course if your father is playing football you’re going to want to do it too, so that’s when I got into it. I didn’t really like my first three years because I was on that Pop Warner team but it’s worked for me.
Q: Do you want to go to the NFL as well or is this just for college?
A: I wouldn’t put all this time into it just to do it in college. If you’re going to put your heart into something, you have to go all out. That’s what I’m going all out for, if it doesn’t work, I have a fall back plan so I’ll be fine. A lot of people seem to think I can make it. Two of our players from this year might sign, so anything can happen it’s about hard work.
Q: If you were able to choose the NFL team you could play for who would it be?
A: I like Atlanta because they have a wide receiver that actually went to Alabama, which is my favorite college team. My father went there so yeah, they have a good receiver, good quarterback, spread offense like what I need and it’s nice in Atlanta. They play in the dome; you don’t have to worry about weather. Actually, a player from Syracuse is on that team now.
Q: Do you feel like that could have been you?
A: Yeah, but I’m just waiting on my time. You have to have faith in the process.
Q: Have you played any other sports ?
A: I played baseball all throughout high school and track. The track coach from UB wanted me to quit baseball so I can run outdoor so he could recruit me. Baseball, I was actually thinking about playing in Albany. My high school coach thought I was good enough; I definitely would have done that, but it takes up too much time. Plus, baseball is during the springtime which takes away from football and what is more important.
Q: So you were never interested in basketball?
A: I played basketball in middle school and the first two years in high school but then I broke my arm in 10th grade so I didn’t play much that season. I didn’t really like the head coach at high school. Coach Zironi, I didn’t really like him. I’m cool with him now, but not before, so I chose not to give my services to him. I could have played, honestly, I would have started, but I started running track.
Q: So no track either?
A: Hell no. I don’t like running that much. I did high jump and triple jump so I hardly every went to practice. I’d just show up at the meets and just work on it there. I was pretty good, though, but I wasn’t going to get a scholarship for it.
Q: What is one thing you love about playing football?
A: Meeting people from totally different, all walks of life and its not about a race thing it’s not about whether you are white, black, Spanish. It’s about if you can play and through that you make good friends. My home boy from DC. I wouldn’t have met him if I didn’t play football, all of him and his foolishness. The bond you make, man, you have 100 brothers on your side at any moment. Purple family.
fallintocreativity 