Blog Post #10: Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Linston and Sports Writing Strategies

                    In the informative article "It was lightning and thunder" by Will Grimsley of the Sun Chronicle, it displays the controversy between Sonny Linston and Muhammad Ali's Heavyweight Championship Title boxing match. The reporters address concerned fans with direct quotes and primary information to provide them with evidence from both sides of he argument but with a bias slightly favoring one fighter. Grimsley begins with rhetorical questions about who is at fault for the existing controversy regarding the fairness of the Ali-Linston fight and whether or not Linston heard the count. In addition, Grimsley uses the logical, ethical, and emotional appeal to expose the reader to different aspects of the fight. He displays the fact that officials and time keepers are trained professionals and know how to run a match, especially a championship. The ethical appeal is that Linston was favored over Ali so it would have created a much bigger deal and publicity if Ali won. The emotional appeal is that both fighters work very hard and deserve to win, but Ali was strategically smarter and had a clean, solid punch. Grimsley also includes direct quotes from the fighters to observe their point of view. All of the strategies Grimsley uses allows readers to be informed of all different sides of the argument. Although Grimsley was slightly biased towards Linston by providing more quotes and background information in his favor, Grimsely avoided the use of personal pronouns to keep his article mostly objective.

                 In the article "Pedroia power not enough for Sox" published by the Sun Chronicle, the article addresses the Red Sox vs. Twins game on Wednesday, May 27th with the Sox being defeated 6-4. The article highlights Dustin Pedroia's stellar performance of two home runs, but also explains that the Twin's matching momentum caused Pedroia's hits to not be enough. Quotes from the athletes and coaches are used to display their view of the game. Statistics from previous games along with the game on Wednesday night are correctly annotated to provide background information on the subject. The article displays detailed information about the game itself and events leading up to it allowing readers to have a solid understanding of the significance of the Red Sox vs. Twins series.

Deflate-Gate: Blog Post #9

                    The Deflate Gate scandal has been an occurring issue since January, after the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots were accused of deflating the footballs in order to increase their chances of winning. Deflated footballs allow for easier catching, throwing, and less of a chance of fumbling. The NFL strongly believes that Tom Brady and the Patriots informed their ball boys to deflate the balls to give them a better chance at the Super Bowl. Tom Brady was punished with a four game suspension. The Patriots franchise suffered from a one million dollar fine and lost two draft picks for 2016-2017 season. The Deflate Gate scandal has caused a large amount of controversy among football fans all around.

                    As given, Tom Brady was charged with a four game suspension for a probable involvement with tampering of the footballs. In the Wells Report, Brady is accused of lying to the press because he claimed he was not involved in the scandal. In my opinion, Brady is not guilty of being involved in deflating the footballs. The greatest quarter back in the NFL would not do anything to jeopardize his career. Tom Brady also led his team to being the Super Bowl champions with 100% fully inflated balls, because they were checked over and over due to the accusation against the Patriots. In addition, the cold and rainy weather during the AFC Championship game could have caused the air in the balls to reduce. The Patriots have never before been investigated with deflating their balls. They have always been a highly respected team, and Tom Brady a highly respected quarterback. The NFL is not willing to consider all of the facts that prove Tom Brady is innocent.

                  Tom Brady's punishment is not even remotely justifiable. For one, Brady is completely innocent. Granted he did refuse to give investigators his cell phone, but there is also no reason for him to be forced to. Although it makes him look more guilty, his cell phone is his privacy and he has the choice of whether or not to hand it over. Just because he chose not to does not automatically make him any more guilty. Tom Brady's legacy does not consist of any bad records, he has always been humble and smart, considering he is the best quarterback in the NFL. Even if anyone is convinced this type of guy would be "probably" involved in this scandal, Tom is not the only one who should be punished to this degree. The ball boys are at fault if the deflation even occurred, but the public is choosing to punish the man who led his team to a Super Bowl win that all other fans are jealous of. A four game suspension for an innocent player is uncalled for.

                  A solution for this problem would be to revoke Brady's four game suspension. If Brady's suspension was terminated, the entire case would slowly go away. Football fans, especially Patriots, are mostly concerned about this part of the punishment. Since Brady appealed it, the case could eventually go to court. There is so much controversy among the NFL officials and the Patriots that the case has the potential to become so messy and heated that it has to go in front of a judge. To prevent the NFL from getting so much unneeded and negative press, they should revoke Brady's suspension. He is innocent anyway, and it would reduce the amount of conflict around the Deflate Gate by a mile.