Ivy League Olympic blog, conference TV networks and two great men - Aug 01, 2008 | 10:02:28
posted by: Howard Smith
- The Olympics are now just one week away, and there are signs that perhaps Beijing's air quality is improving. There has been a great deal of talk about the effort and financial resources that China has put into trying to clean up the pollution, which includes pulling half of the city's 3.3 million vehicles off the road and closing numerous factories. China is now hoping for lots of wind and rain over the next few weeks, which are the most favorable conditions to combat the pollution. Do you think everything will go smoothly in Beijing during the Olympics? As pollution becomes more of a global issue, do you think the future of sports will be impacted?
- Speaking of the Olympics, in the most recent Campus Connection, we talked with Brad Vering, an Olympic wrestler and 2000 NCAA National Champion at Nebraska. Vering is currently a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at American University, where he helped train 2007 NCAA Champion Josh Glenn. Vering was named the 2007 USOC Wrestler of the Year and will be a strong medal contender at these Games. Considering he is about to embark on arguably the most important few weeks of his life, it was fascinating to hear his mindset as he gets ready to head to Beijing. It is truly amazing how years of hard work and training can come down to a single moment in the Olympics, which is wrestling's biggest stage. Would you be able to handle that kind of pressure? Best of luck to Brad!
- Last year, the Big Ten Network was the first conference-exclusive television channel to be launched, and there have been other conferences that have toyed with the idea as well. Now the Southland Conference is following suit with its own regionally-based network. Conferences forming their own television networks, or at least partnering with existing regional networks (such as the Big East with regionally-based SNY) seem to be the trend. Do you think this is good for college athletics?
- On a local Indianapolis radio station yesterday afternoon, I heard an interview with new Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick. I was impressed with Swarbrick's candor and he seems like he is prepared to take on the pressure in South Bend. We have talked about Swarbrick's unusual career path to this position. How do you think he will fare at Notre Dame?
- Yesterday was the non-waiver trade deadline in Major League Baseball, and as you probably already know, Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ken Griffey Jr. all changed teams. This is quite remarkable considering the three probable future first-ballot Hall of Famers got traded within a 24-hour period. Coupled with the ongoing Brett Favre saga, and can you think of a day with more eventful off the field/court action in recent memory?
- A few days ago, we talked about the legacy of late Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch and how he impacted millions of people with his inspirational last lecture. OpenEducation.net also wrote about Pausch, comparing him to the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano. Both men were great individuals who left their marks on millions of people, and it is unfortunate they that both were taken too early in life. What will you take away from Pausch and Jimmy V?
