Are the Olympics Overrated?  

As the Olympics near, I felt it was a good time to blog about whether or not the Olympics overrated?  Heck no is the most appropriate answer to that.  The Olympics are a time where everyone can gather around the television and enjoy watching their country dominate.  

The Olympics happen every two years alternating between the Summer and Winter.  This means that each season occurs every four years apart from one another.  Each season host different events with the majority of the sports (28) occurring during the Summer.  These events can range anywhere from gymnastics to archery.  The Winter Olympics contains a total of seven sports which are biathlon, skating, skiing, luge, ice hockey, curling, and bobsleigh.

Over 13,000 of the best athletes participate in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.  With this many athletes only the top three are able to score points.  Third will receive the bronze medal, second receiving the silver medal and first receive the top medal which is gold.    

During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing there was over 4.7 billion people who watched it on television.  
With so many viewers what makes the Olympics so fun to watch?  There is a whole lot of reasons why you should watch the Olympics.  Some people watch the Olympics to show support to the athletes, some people want to show support to their nation, and others watch it because it's a tradition filled with history.   

Nastia Liukin Winning Gold 

Athletes spend their whole lives to become in shape and train for the Olympics.  Gymnast train 40+ hours a week just to ensure that they are the highest caliber they can be.  With all this training involved you can expect to be anything but disappointed from watching each event.  Staying with the topic of gymnast its incredible watching men and women throw their weight around whether it be on the balance beam or the mats.  Watching Nastia Liukin's all around performance for example in the 2008 Olympics was amazing.  She's a great example of someone who has put a lot of time and effort towards her talents.  In fact people of different nations receive respect from those not from their land.          



Another reason people should watch the Olympics is to show support to your country.  After all it is a competition involving all the nations around the world.  The least you can do is watch those performing for you to actually perform for you.  In America alone, 214 million people were documented to watching the Olympics in 2008.  This also
helps the athletes perform to the best of the ability because they know that the support is there.      

1948 Summer Games Relay

The last reason the Olympics is such a great event to watch is because of all the history involved with it.  The Olympic games have been occurring since the eighth century BC in Olympia, Ancient Greece.  They became a lot more popular in 1894 when an actual committee was founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin.  This committee helps provide structure to this event and regulates how everything is run.  Since then almost every two years there has been an Olympic with the exception of 1916, 1940, and 1944.  The reason the event didn't happen during those times was due to World Wars.  Each Olympic is filled with memorable experiences whether it be for your country winning gold or just an athlete with a unbelievable performance.                 

So with 2012 Summer Olympics in London approaching fast, prepare to set aside time to watch this exciting sixteen day event.  The official start day will be July 27th which is the day that the torch will be lit.  As mentioned before there will be over twenty-eight events will be occurring making it difficult to not be able to enjoy at least one sport.  So plan ahead and make a schedule of all your favorite events.  

Fast Food is Slowly Killing America

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Large Coke, Big Mac, Large Fri's found at McDonalds

The fast food industry is a phenom that is influencing a staggering amount of people to come and try out their products.  The total amount of money spent in advertising for fast food establishments is estimated at a total of $4.2 billion through television ads, billboards, etc.  Children are receiving a onslaught of fast food advertisements daily slowly being corrupted into asking their parents to purchase fast food. 


Here's a list of some of  the common fast food establishments in America. 

• Arby's
• Burger King
• Five Guys  
• Jack in the Box                                                                                                                                       
• KFC
• McDonalds
• Pizza Hut
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Wendy's

One of the logos of McDonalds

The reason fast food profitable business is because their are many benefits associated with it.  None of these benefits dealing with health of course.  In today's society time is scarce and to save time, fast food is a great way to receive a quick meal for an entire family.  Another reason fast food is such a hot commodity is because of how mobile it is.  The drive through allows people to purchase the product and take it to wherever they are going.  The last reason fast food is great is because of how inexpensive it is.  Most menus from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, etc have a section called the value or dollar menu.  


When looking at the benefits are they worth it.  Do the pros out weigh the cons?  The answer is no because of the outstanding numbers of Americans that are becoming obese.  When looking at the statistics, the number of obese children has almost tripled.  "More than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight." (donorschoose.org)  These numbers are going to keep going up in the future.  Its easy to link fast food as one of the main causes to obesity along with no exercise and other junk foods.    


What does obesity do to our society?  They hurt our healthcare system because of the medical attention required from obese people.  Another possible effect obesity is it can set a chain reaction causing those around you to become obese.  The reason this could happen is because they believe it is socially acceptable to become obese.  The last effect obesity has on our society is it allows other countries to stereotype our country.  It doesn't only affect society as it also can harm the individual.    


As in individual obesity can hurt you emotionally and physically.  It can lower ones self esteem which leads eating more food as comfort.  Another problem obesity poses is all the health problems associated with it such as diabetes, heart problems, rise in blood pressure and there are some reported incidence of cancer.  

McDonald's premium Caesar Salad

Fast food establishments have taken a step to try and get rid of the negative connotation that their food is not healthy.  They've added new menu's to their items to try and encourage their customers that there are healthy alternatives.  McDonalds for example has added snack wraps, salads, fruits, yogurt and oat meals to try an hit a different group of customers.  The problem though is these foods aren't exactly as healthy as they seem as they are still packed with calories and large amounts of sodium.  The premium caesar salad with crispy chicken contains a whopping 350 calories and 740 mg of sodium.  That's more calories then a cheeseburger, hamburger, four piece chicken nugget and McChicken.  These new items may have changed the face of what they serve but the calories are still packed in.


I'm not telling everyone to stop eating fast food in general but there are other methods you could go about this.  It is impossible for some people to stop eating fast food so there are alternative methods when visiting a fast food joint.  In moderation it doesn't have as bad of an affect on you.  To ensure that your eating fast food in moderation set goals for yourself such as only eating fast food once a week.  Move up within these goals to the point where you only need fast food once every two weeks and keep working at it.  Another way to lessen the severity of fast food is portion control.  Instead of getting a super sized fry stick with the medium or small.  The last way make sure that fast food isn't detrimental to your health is by researching the menu.  Looking for the best  choices on the menu with the lowest calories and most nutrition. 


Take a little more pride in your health and encourage others to do the same.  Cutting out or lessening fast food trips by eating at home which is a great way to start.  Take it a step at a time and try and figure out healthier methods when it comes to eating.    


By:  Dennis Wolf

Is it the End of the Big Three?

The Celtics is a great franchise with seventeen NBA titles under its belt it currently leads the NBA in championships.  Champions gained through the recruitment of players who simply love the game.  The first big three was made up of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.  This big three dominated the late 1950's and mid 1980's of the NBA.  

Kevin Garnett

In 2007-2008 a new big three was created to hopefully show dominance like the older big three.  This big three was made of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.  Paul Pierce was the original captain of the team, Kevin Garnett had been traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Ray Allen was traded from the Sonics.

This big three was able to dominate the the NBA through 2007-2012.  The first season this team was assembled they had the record of 66-16.  In the time period of 2007-2012 they had won the Celtic's franchise its the championship in 2008 and the conference title in 2010.  

June 7, 2012, game six is believe to be the last time the big three would play together on the same team in their own arena the TD Garden.  

As of June 9, 2012, the Celtics were officially knocked out of the NBA's conference finals.  They had lasted all seven games with the younger Miami Heat squad.  It was honestly a great end to such a great series.

Paul Pierce being defended by Leb-
ron James

With this lost, most people are wondering what happens now?  From watching the game seven, one can see that the aging Celtics played a great first half each game and lacked the energy to finish the second half due to fatigue.  Age was taking a toll on their bodies that they fought so hard to maintain.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are currently 36 years old each and listed as free agents.  Paul Pierce is 34 years old and has two more years on his contract.  

With all these aging team members the Celtics need to start looking for new young gun.  Keeping Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett would only hurt their chances of a better future and they understand that.  

Rebuilding will be tough but, Doc Rivers will do a good job with the upcoming draft and free agents in the market are looking great.  I look forward to the upcoming season of the Boston Celtics.       

Do People Play Sports for the Right Reasons?

Terrell Owens a professional
football player 

Athletics are everywhere from the time your born to the time you die.  Whether you choose in between sports or if you even take the chance to participate in a sport is yours and only your choice.  

Growing up into sports I've learned of good reasons to do sports and I've learned of bad reasons to do sports.  

Good reasons to do sports can be to connect with friends, become more physically fit, express emotions, etc.  The reason these are all good reasons is because you believe they are.  These reasons help make different sports what they are today.

Ray Allen playing for his most current
team the Boston Celtics

For example, in the eyes of many pro athletes today is passion.  This passion is exhibited through their dedication of the game, through their countless hours practicing, extra reps in the gym and pain endured.  If a player shows passion, they have the chance to become stars.  Michael Jordan didn't become a good basketball by watching T.V everyday after all, he took the time to perfect his shot.  One great example of a current basketball is Ray Allen.  Hes spent so many hours in the gym shooting and perfecting his three pointers he has a lot to show for it.  Hes been the NBA All Stars 3 Point Champion, broken many franchise three pointer records on every team hes been on, Ranked second all time in three points behind Reggie Miller, and the list goes on.      

With the good reasons to do a sport come bad reasons.  From my experience I've seen parents push their children into sports.  My friend was bribed into playing basketball which resulted in hatred towards the game.  Whenever we would say we were playing basketball  for fun he would claim he was busy with other tasks.  

Another bad reason to do a sport is to simply live on the hype associated with it.  For example football players are stereotyped in many ways.  One popular stereo type is football players get all the girls and are the strongest.  If someone were to join their high school team, they would want these stereotypes to follow them.  In my past however, I've grown to learn that it doesn't particularly matter which sport you play, everyone has an equal chance to get whatever girl they like.  

The reason each of these examples is negative is because it shows that you don't exhibit what I called earlier passion.  Your doing it to please or benefit yourself in a bad way.  

People need to open their eyes and do what they feel is best for them.  Not only does it affect your attitude but it affects the attitude of an entire team.  So wake up and smell the coffee and simply do you.    

By: Dennis Wolf

Is Facebook Controlling Your Life?

Symbol of the popular media
Site Facebook

Social media sites such as Facebook and Myspace are popular sites that are gaining a great deal of attention.  Facebook especially is becoming quite popular not only in the United States but on the Earth.  A recent statistics claims that "Facebook is being used by 1 in 13 people on Earth."  

Another interesting statistic is there are over 500 million Facebook accounts in 2011 with 250 million people logging on everyday.  


After a recent survey the site mashables found out that "The average U.S. user spent a whopping seven hours and 46 minutes on Facebook   in  August." 


With all of this attention that Facebook is getting is it really positive.  Do you ever monitor how much time you actually spend on Facebook?  Its startling how time can fly by when your on one of these sites.  


Seven hours and 46 minutes in one month, multiply that by twelve and that's ninety-six hours in a whole year.  
This doesn't even account for those who enjoy being on Facebook more then others.

A popular Facebook game with
approximately 63370436 users

These sites lure you in by allowing you by providing a great deal of activities.  These sites allow you to do anything from chatting to those close to you to playing online games with  strangers.  Its easy to get lost within any of these activities.


Is the time you invest with social media sites worth it?  Wouldn't you rather spend your time by doing more constructive activities that actually add value to your life?  Exercising for example can provide more benefits then going on Facebook.  Imagine spending an extra seven hours and 46 minutes working out.  


Another possibility for students is improving your grades.  Its obvious that children have more fun going on Facebook then doing homework but that extra seven hours and 46 minutes could be the difference from the grade of a C to a B or a B to a A, etc.  


Don't get me wrong I'm not completely against the idea of social media sites because I believe they provide some benefits.  They allow you to keep in contact with those difficult to reach, its a cheap alternative to calling and its easy to use.  The point I'm trying to get is to use Facebook in moderation which allows you to still reap the benefits.  


By: Dennis Wolf