Views /asmagazine/ en Embracing all the joy in Mudville /asmagazine/2025/04/03/embracing-all-joy-mudville <span>Embracing all the joy in Mudville</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-04-03T11:16:36-06:00" title="Thursday, April 3, 2025 - 11:16">Thu, 04/03/2025 - 11:16</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-04/Rockies%20Opening%20Day.jpg?h=4dbbd914&amp;itok=Ue6_XGZ9" width="1200" height="800" alt="Coors Field on the Rockies' Opening Day"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/913" hreflang="en">Critical Sports Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/484" hreflang="en">Ethnic Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Jared Bahir Browsh</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span lang="EN">Even though Major League Baseball faces an uncertain future entering its 150th season, Opening Day still holds a special place in the culture and fans鈥� hearts</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">As Rockies fans make their way to </span><a href="https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/mlb/rockies/2025/03/27/mlb-opening-day-2025-rays-colorado-rockies-roster-how-watch-home-opener/82665545007/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Denver for the team's 33rd home opener</span></a><span lang="EN"> Friday, we are reminded of the excitement and hope that accompanies every team starting the season and looking toward the World Series. </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/baseball-history/opening-day#:~:text=Opening%20Day%20may%20be%20the,like%20a%20no%2Dhit%20game.&amp;text=Share%20this%20image%3A,faster%20beating%20of%20the%20heart.%22" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Why does opening day</span></a><span lang="EN"> mean so much to so many?</span></p><p><span lang="EN">For many, spring and summer are marked by the cracking of bats and the camaraderie of the tailgate as fan hope is renewed and the losses of seasons past are replaced by visions of the World Series. </span><a href="https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/baseball-shake-up-the-game-or-risk-a-slow-death/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Even as baseball faces a less-than-certain future</span></a><span lang="EN">, with viewership down and ticket prices way, way up, Opening Day remains deeply rooted in our collective memories. Why?</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/jared_browsh_1.jpg?itok=aL4xTN06" width="1500" height="2187" alt="Jared Bahir Browsh"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">This tradition has been nearly 150 years in the making, with the first National League Opening Day occurring on </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/baseball-history/opening-day-the-baseball-holiday#:~:text=Spring%20fever%2C%20that%20is.,was%20on%20April%2022%2C%201876." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">April 22, 1876, in Philadelphia</span></a><span lang="EN">, with the Athletics defeating the Boston Red Caps. Since that first opener, the tradition and pageantry has only grown, with cities recognizing the day with parades and fans awakening from their winter hibernation to celebrate what has become an </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/baseball-history/opening-day-the-baseball-holiday" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">unofficial holiday in many cities</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">One city where this tradition is strongly rooted is&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/reds/history/timeline" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Cincinnati</span></a><span lang="EN">, home of the first recognized all-professional team in baseball, the Red Stockings. Manager John Joyce, who organized the original team in 1866, updated the Cincinnati franchise in 1875, and the team then joined the newly established National League (NL) in 1876.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Though beer has become a baseball tradition, in </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/11/mlb-beer-prohibition-clark-griffith/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1880 the Cincinnati Reds were kicked out of the NL</span></a><span lang="EN"> for selling beer and playing on Sundays. Previous to that, William Hulbert, who had overseen the organization of the league after the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA) disbanded, took several of the financially successful teams from the NA and established the NL with a number of strict rules, including a ban on </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/hulbert-william" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">alcohol sales and a ban on Sunday games</span></a><span lang="EN">, to address the negative reputation of baseball at the time鈥攚hich included drinking, gambling and debauchery. The Cincinnati franchise ignored these rules, partly as an effort to attract German immigrants to the game, and was expelled, leading the team to go bankrupt and fold.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In spite of these challenges, professional baseball continued in Cincinnati, with Opening Day growing in prominence. The Reds have played almost every opening day at home since 1876, a tradition most likely rooted in their position as one of the southernmost charter members in the NL. The newly re-established Cincinnati Reds played in the American Association before joining the NL again in 1890 with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (now Dodgers), expanding the NL to eight teams. Reds鈥� business manager</span><a href="https://www.findlaymarketparade.com/opening-day-history" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> Frank Bancroft began to intensely marke</span></a><span lang="EN">t Opening Day after he joined the team in 1892, establishing a tradition for not only the Queen City, but baseball as a whole, which just so happened to be the same year the NL allowed beer sales and games on Sunday.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Snow on Opening Day</strong></span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Baseball%20Opening%20Day%20illustration.jpg?itok=rNBdbopA" width="1500" height="1034" alt="illustration of baseball Opening Day at "> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">An illustration of Opening Day <span>at New York's Polo Grounds on April 29, 1886. (Illustration: Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The Opening Day tradition continued to grow after the turn of the 20th century, although weather, and sometimes even the fans, did not always cooperate. After the New York Giants went down 3-0 in their Opening Day game against the Philadelphia Phillies at the historic Polo Grounds in 1907, Giants fans threw snowballs on the field鈥攊ncluding one that hit the home plate umpire, leading him to </span><a href="https://www.history.com/articles/baseball-opening-day-fun-facts" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">call the game in favor of the Phillies</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Attention on Opening Day increased when baseball fan </span><a href="https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2023/03/28/ceremonial-first-pitches/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">President William Howard Taft</span></a><span lang="EN"> threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Senators in their home opener in 1910. Twelve presidents have thrown out the ceremonial first pitch of the season, and many franchises have invited team legends and celebrities to welcome in the new season.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 1920, the tradition of the </span><a href="https://www.findlaymarketparade.com/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Findlay Market Parade</span></a><span lang="EN"> began in Cincinnati to celebrate Opening Day after the team won the 1919 World Series in spite of rumors that the Chicago White Sox had fixed the series鈥攔umors that were later confirmed. Other teams built their own Opening Day traditions over time, like the </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-anheuser-busch-clydesdales-history" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale</span></a><span lang="EN"> circling the field in St. Louis.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Opening Day continued despite two world wars and the Great Depression, with a number of milestones being established by the unofficial holiday. In the Brooklyn Dodgers鈥� Opening Day game on April 15, 1947, </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/robinson-signs-first-big-league-contract" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball</span></a><span lang="EN">, scoring the winning run against the Boston Braves. In 1974, while playing for the same Braves鈥攚ho had relocated from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966鈥�</span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/aaron-ties-ruth-on-opening-day-1974" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth鈥檚 home run record at 714</span></a><span lang="EN">. The following season, Frank Robinson debuted as the </span><a href="/asmagazine/2025/01/30/breaking-color-barrier-baseball-leadership" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">first African American manager in baseball history.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">Major League Baseball has maintained the tradition of Opening Day, </span><a href="https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/4819/MLB-Opening-Day-Logos/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">even creating a unique logo in 2001</span></a><span lang="EN">, in spite of changes in the schedule. ESPN began broadcasting 鈥渙pening games鈥� the night before the official Opening Day in 1994, further establishing the noteworthy aspects of the day. </span><a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2020/04/04/padres-history-april-4-rockies-steal-the-show-in-mexico/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">On Opening Day in 1999</span></a><span lang="EN">, the first regular-season game </span><a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2020/04/04/padres-history-april-4-rockies-steal-the-show-in-mexico/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">outside of the United States was played in Monterrey, Mexico</span></a><span lang="EN">, with the Rockies beating the San Diego Padres 8-2.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Rockies%20Opening%20Day.jpg?itok=yHY3eHPU" width="1500" height="1123" alt="Coors Field on the Rockies' Opening Day"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">The Colorado Rockies will play their 2025 home opener Friday at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo: Visit Denver)</p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The first regular season to open outside of North America occurred the next year in Tokyo; however, the games between </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/baseball-games-played-outside-the-us-c272441130" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs were scheduled the week before the official Opening Da</span></a><span lang="EN">y, establishing the precedent that these early season international opening games would not be considered Opening Day games. </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44346498/mlb-celebrates-success-cubs-dodgers-tokyo-series" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">The 2025 Tokyo Series</span></a><span lang="EN"> took place between the Dodgers and Cubs on March 18 and 19, following several exhibition games in Japan鈥攎ore than a week before the officially recognized Opening Day.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Opening Day traditionally took place on a Monday through the 2011 season, when MLB split the </span><a href="https://frontofficesports.com/why-mlb-opening-day-overlaps-with-sweet-16-and-likely-will-again/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Opening Days of its 30 teams across two days to the last Thursday and Friday of March</span></a><span lang="EN"> to avoid the World Series extending into November, as it had the previous two seasons. After returning to a Monday start in 2013, the league made the change to start the season on a Thursday permanent in 2018, with all 30 teams scheduled to play on Thursday, March 29.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">As Major League Baseball begins its 150th season, many questions remain regarding the future of the sport. </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44096180/mlb-2025-spring-training-oakland-athletics-tampa-bay-rays-minor-league-ballparks-sacramento" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Two teams are playing in minor league stadiums</span></a><span lang="EN"> due to the pending relocation of the Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays, and MLB and ESPN will end their media rights deal following the 2025 season, after the network tried to reduce its </span><a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/rob-manfred-media-package-opt-out.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">rights payments from $550 million to $200 million</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">MLB continues to try to make games more attractive to younger fans by speeding up pace of play and by highlighting top stars like the L.A. Dodgers鈥� Shohei Ohtani and the Mets鈥� Juan Soto. In spite of this transitional period for the sport, however, one thing remains constant: the hope and excitement that Opening Day inspires.</span></p><p><a href="/ethnicstudies/people/core-faculty/jared-bahir-browsh" rel="nofollow"><em>Jared Bahir Browsh</em></a><em>&nbsp;is an assistant teaching professor of&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow"><em>critical sports studies</em></a><em>&nbsp;in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Ethnic Studies</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about critical sports studies?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/50245/donations/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Even though Major League Baseball faces an uncertain future entering its 150th season, Opening Day still holds a special place in the culture and fans鈥� hearts.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Coors%20Field%20cropped.jpg?itok=QrUcnQIi" width="1500" height="524" alt="Colorado Rockies logo painted on grass of Coors Field in Denver"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 03 Apr 2025 17:16:36 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6096 at /asmagazine How March went mad 鈥� for basketball /asmagazine/2025/03/19/how-march-went-mad-basketball <span>How March went mad 鈥� for basketball</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-03-19T11:12:17-06:00" title="Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - 11:12">Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:12</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-03/2024%20Clemson%20NCAA%20win%20trimmed.jpg?h=2ecc6746&amp;itok=XwUv1-7O" width="1200" height="800" alt="Elated Clemson players celebrate win over Arizona players"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/913" hreflang="en">Critical Sports Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/484" hreflang="en">Ethnic Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Jared Bahir Browsh</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span lang="EN">The big business of the annual college basketball tournament, continuing with the second day of First Four games today, has been more than a century in the making</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">Every year, as the seasons shift from winter to spring, college basketball fans throughout the country prepare to watch 136 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball teams battle for their respective national championships.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Although the tournament starts with the 鈥�</span><a href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/bracketiq/2025-01-23/first-four-ncaa-tournament-ultimate-guide" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">First Four鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> games for the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tournaments, respectively, the first two rounds that are played during the first weekend of the tournament have become an unofficial holiday marked by billions of dollars in decreased productivity as fans watch the first 48 games played in each tournament鈥攄uring which teams vie to extend their seasons another week into the 鈥淪weet 16.鈥�</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In the modern media age, this has become a tradition in our sports calendar, but it took several developments over the last half century for March to truly become mad.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/jared_browsh_1.jpg?itok=aL4xTN06" width="1500" height="2187" alt="Jared Bahir Browsh"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">Basketball鈥檚 roots grew out of the college game, with James Naismith inventing the game in December 1891 to keep young men at the YMCA International Training School, which is now Springfield College, fit and occupied in the winter months. The game was soon introduced to women at Smith College, and by 1893 colleges and universities began forming teams鈥攆irst playing against local amateur clubs before intercollegiate games began in 1894.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">During this time, teams played under different rules, with some games featuring as many as nine players per side. By the turn of the 20th century, five-on-five became standard for men鈥檚 games, whereas women played six-on-six through most of the 1960s, with the last high school six-on-six tournament occurring in 1995 in Oklahoma.</span></p><p><a href="https://www.ncaa.org/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)</span></a><span lang="EN"> was formed in 1906 as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) before taking its current name in 1910. The NCAA was formed in response to the prevalence of injuries in college football; President Theodore Roosevelt called for two conferences comprising top college football programs to address the injuries and deaths occurring in the game. The establishment of the NCAA led to a decades-long power struggle with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for control of intercollegiate sports.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">As the NCAA wrested control over football from the AAU, basketball continued to be loosely organized under the AAU, which organized the first tournament in 1898. Although the tournament did not happen annually until after World War I, the AAU did organize several tournaments for the 1904 Olympics, during which basketball debuted as a demonstration sport. There was an amateur tournament, a separate college tournament and several tournaments for high school and elementary school players.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>A battle for control</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The battle for control between the AAU and NCAA continued through the early 1900s, although the latter鈥檚 commitment to basketball was questionable through the 1930s. However, the NCAA did begin organizing rules committees and established its first championship, in track and field, for the 1921 season.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The first annual college basketball tournaments were organized in successive years with the NAIA tournament, organized by Naismith, starting in 1937, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1938 and the NCAA tournament in 1939. Coincidentally, the term 鈥淢arch Madness鈥� was coined by </span><a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/hv-porter/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Henry V. Porter</span></a><span lang="EN">, a noted coach and inventor of basketball equipment, in reference to the Illinois high school basketball tournament the same year as the first NCAA tournament. Sports commentator Brent Musburger first used the term in reference to the men鈥檚 tournament in 1982.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The NIT, which took place at Madison Square Garden, was seen as the premiere tournament through the 1940s due to the national media presence in New York City. Temple University defeated the University of Colorado in the first NIT championship, with the Buffaloes returning to the championship and winning in 1940 over Duquesne University. Because the NIT occurred before the NCAA tournament, Colorado and Duquesne competed in both.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/2024%20Clemson%20NCAA%20win%20trimmed.jpg?itok=VxzRQ6QX" width="1500" height="1016" alt="Elated Clemson players celebrate win over Arizona players"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Clemson players celebrate a win over Arizona in the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. (Photo: TigerNet.com)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The early 1950s featured two developments that further isolated each tournament, both involving the City College of New York (CCNY). CCNY became the first team to win both tournaments in the same year, with the championships of both tournaments occurring in Madison Square Garden in 1950. This double win led the NCAA to ban teams from competing in both tournaments in the same year.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Soon after, that CCNY team was implicated in a wide-ranging point shaving scandal, which involved bribery and match fixing. The school鈥檚 presence in New York provided bettors easier access to bookies and bookies greater access to players.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The NCAA held its finals in New York all but one year between 1943 and 1950, but after the scandal the championship never returned to Madison Square Garden, even as the NIT continued to call New York City home.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>A growing NCAA</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The next big developments occurred in the late 1960s and 1970s as the NCAA further established its control over the basketball postseason. In 1968, UCLA and Houston played in the 鈥淕ame of the Century鈥� in front of more than 52,000 fans in the Houston Astrodome. This game was a follow-up to the previous year鈥檚 semifinal matchup between the two teams, which pitted star players Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who was recovering from an eye injury, and Elvin Hayes. The game was nationally televised and accelerated college basketball鈥檚 transition from a regional to a national sport.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 1970, Marquette declined an invitation to the NCAA tournament after it was placed in the Midwest Region, where games were played in Fort Worth, Texas, rather than the Mideast Region, where games were played in Dayton, Ohio鈥攕ignificantly closer to Marquette鈥檚 campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1971, the NCAA declared that any team that is offered a bid to the NCAA tournament could not accept a bid to any other postseason tournament.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 1975, after several top-ranked teams missed out on bids due to not winning their conferences, the tournament expanded from 25 teams to 32 teams to accommodate at-large bids from conferences, establishing a selection process and the anxiety of the 鈥渂ubble.鈥�</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/Game%20of%20the%20Century.jpg?itok=VWmPFIFr" width="1500" height="1142" alt="Lew Alcindor grabs a rebound as Elvin Hayes leaps behind him in black and white photo"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>UCLA player Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), right, snags a rebound as Houston鈥檚 Elvin Hayes (44) makes a leaping rebound attempt in what was called the 鈥淕ame of the Century.鈥� (Photo: Associated Press)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">Four years later, in 1979, the tournament expanded to 40 teams but conferences were still limited to two total teams in the tournament. The 1979 tournament championship pitted Magic Johnson鈥檚 Michigan State team and Larry Bird鈥檚 Indiana State team and is still the most-viewed championship in tournament history.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The tournament continued to grow in 1980, adding eight teams and removing the conference limits. At the time, the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Pac-10 and Southeastern Conference (SEC) were college basketball鈥檚 power conferences, with teams in the Northeast and New England playing in the amorphous Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), which operated four regional tournaments between 1975 and 1981.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Providence coach Dave Gavitt saw an opportunity to organize a new conference with teams connected to major media markets, leveraging the growth of television through cable and syndication to form the original Big East. As the Big East began play in the fall of 1979, a small Connecticut network鈥攖he fledgling ESPN鈥攂egan broadcasting nationally; soon the conference and ESPN became partners in each other's growth. As ESPN sought programming, it also began airing the early rounds of the tournament, which previously aired only locally as national broadcasters refused to pre-empt their regular programming for the early-round games.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The Big East increased college basketball鈥檚 media visibility on cable television, particularly during the week in prime time, and aided in recruiting as it became one of the top conferences in college basketball. When the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, three of the Final Four teams were from the Big East, with the eighth-seeded Villanova University defeating defending champion Georgetown University in the championship game.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Expanding tournaments</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The first NCAA-sponsored women鈥檚 tournament occurred in 1982, with 32 teams facing off. Previously, the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW) had established the first tournament in 1969, when women鈥檚 games were still under six-player rules. The last CIAW tournament featured five-on-five rules before the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) took control of the tournament in 1971. Title IX, passed in 1972, accelerated the growth of women鈥檚 college sports well before the NCAA finally recognized the profitability of women鈥檚 basketball鈥�10 years after the educational amendment was passed.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/Kamilla%20Cardoso.jpg?itok=3lzfNen-" width="1500" height="2068" alt="Kamilla Cardoso shooting a basketball"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Kamilla Cardoso was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2024 after helping lead South Carolina to an 87-75 victory over Iowa, clinching the championship title. (Photo: Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons)</p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">Throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, the men鈥檚 tournament remained fairly static even as the NCAA continued to evolve. After the 1984 Supreme Court decision NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, which found that the NCAA鈥檚 television plans violated antitrust laws, the NCAA was no longer able to limit how often football teams could appear on television, ultimately allowing conferences to sign their own media contracts with broadcasters and leading to a massive conference realignment that continues today. This, in turn, led to the NCAA basketball tournament becoming the most valuable media property overseen by the association.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The women鈥檚 tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, and the last men鈥檚 Final Four to take place in a basketball venue was played in 1996; subsequent events have taken place in domed football stadiums. The tournament expanded to 65 teams in 2001 to accommodate the Mountain West Conference receiving an automatic bid reintroducing play-in games to the tournament.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>A century of madness</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">As the tournament approached the new millennium, fans were offered new ways to watch it. In 1999, DirecTV offered a premium package allowing fans to watch all the games through the satellite service, a feature previously only available in sports bars. The same year, CBS broadcast the Final Four in high definition for the first time.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 2003, work productivity took another hit as CBS partnered with Yahoo! to stream tournament games for the first time through the latter鈥檚 </span><a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/yahoo-unveils-platinum-paid-service/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">platinum service</span></a><span lang="EN">. CBS launched its own March Madness OnDemand Service the following year, giving fans access to games outside of the CBS broadcast for $9.95.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Seven years later, in 2010, the NCAA announced it was exploring expanding the tournament, </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5047800" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">even announcing it wanted to expand to 96 teams</span></a><span lang="EN">. At the same time, the NCAA began negotiations with several media networks on a new media deal. The association settled on expanding to 68 teams, establishing the 鈥淔irst Four鈥� games in which the four lowest-ranked teams that earned automatic bids and the four lowest at-large teams facing off in play-in games. This accompanied a new combined television deal in which CBS and Turner Sports agreed to broadcast all games on CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 2021, after Texas Christian University center Sedona Prince, who at the time was playing for the University of Oregon, posted pictures on social media highlighting the disparity between the fitness facilities for the women鈥檚 tournament compared to the men鈥檚, the NCAA conducted a gender equality review. This led to the women鈥檚 tournament expanding to 68 teams and the March Madness branding being extended to the women鈥檚 tournament. Many still feel the women鈥檚 tournament is undervalued, especially after the 2024 Women鈥檚 Championship earned higher ratings than its male counterpart.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">So, every March hope springs eternal for 136 teams, but for dedicated fans, the madness has been more than a century in the making.</span></p><p><a href="/ethnicstudies/people/core-faculty/jared-bahir-browsh" rel="nofollow"><em>Jared Bahir Browsh</em></a><em>&nbsp;is an assistant teaching professor of&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow"><em>critical sports studies</em></a><em>&nbsp;in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Ethnic Studies</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about critical sports studies?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/50245/donations/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The big business of the annual college basketball tournament, continuing with the second day of First Four games today, has been more than a century in the making.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/March%20Madness%20basketball.jpg?itok=RB2_femr" width="1500" height="700" alt="two basketballs on silver basketball rack"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:12:17 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6088 at /asmagazine Communities working together for better air /asmagazine/2025/03/06/communities-working-together-better-air <span>Communities working together for better air</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-03-06T12:32:50-07:00" title="Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 12:32">Thu, 03/06/2025 - 12:32</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-03/Suncor%20Denver.jpg?h=4362216e&amp;itok=ZVXbLyuY" width="1200" height="800" alt="view of the Suncor refinery in Denver, Colorado"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/352" hreflang="en">Integrative Physiology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Jenni Shearston</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating five air toxics</em></p><hr><p>The Globeville, Elyria-Swansea and Commerce City communities in metro Denver are choked by air pollution from nearby highways, an oil refinery and a <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/vb-l70-superfund-site" rel="nofollow">Superfund site</a>.</p><p>While these neighborhoods have <a href="https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/80216-polluted-zip-code-timeline" rel="nofollow">long suffered from air pollution</a>, they鈥檙e not the only ones in <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/boulder-colorado-news" rel="nofollow">Colorado</a>.</p><p>Now, Colorado is taking a major step to protect people from air pollutants that cause cancer or other major health problems, called 鈥渁ir toxics.鈥� For the first time, the state is developing its own <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1244" rel="nofollow">state-level air toxic health standards</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/Jenni%20Shearston.jpg?itok=SiSkMfab" width="1500" height="2250" alt="headshot of Jenni Shearston"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">CU 麻豆影院 researcher Jenni Shearston studies chemical exposure and health,<span> measuring and evaluating the impact of air pollution on people鈥檚 well-being.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>In January 2025 <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3716/5-CCR-1001-34_eff-031725.pdf?1740073556" rel="nofollow">Colorado identified five air toxics</a> as 鈥減riority鈥� chemicals: benzene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hexavalent chromium compounds and hydrogen sulfide.</p><p>The state is in the process of setting health-based standards that will limit the amount of each chemical allowed in the air. Importantly, the standards will be designed to protect people exposed to the chemicals long term, such as those living near emission sources. Exposure to even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-023-03650-w" rel="nofollow">low amounts of some chemicals</a>, such as benzene, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.blre.2020.100736" rel="nofollow">may lead to cancer</a>.</p><p>As a researcher studying <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&amp;user=eHtRF7EAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works" rel="nofollow">chemical exposure and health</a>, I measure and evaluate the impact of air pollution on people鈥檚 well-being.</p><p>Colorado鈥檚 new regulations will draw on expert knowledge and community input to protect people鈥檚 health.</p><h2>Communities know what needs regulation</h2><p>In your own community, is there a highway that runs near your house or a factory with a bad odor? Maybe a gas station right around the corner? You likely already know many of the places that release air pollution near you.</p><p>When state or local regulators work with community members to find out what air pollution sources communities are worried about, the partnership can lead to a system that better <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/D7QX-Q3FQ-BJUG-EVHL" rel="nofollow">serves the public and reduces injustice</a>.</p><p>For example, partnerships between community advocates, scientists and regulators in heavily polluted and marginalized <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/D7QX-Q3FQ-BJUG-EVHL" rel="nofollow">neighborhoods in New York and Boston</a> have had big benefits. These partnerships resulted in both better scientific knowledge about how air pollution is connected to asthma and the placement of air monitors in neighborhoods impacted the most.</p><p>In Colorado, the process to choose the five priority air toxics included consulting with multiple stakeholders. A technical working group provided input on which five chemicals should be prioritized from the larger list of <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/toxic-air-contaminant-list" rel="nofollow">477 toxic air contaminants</a>.</p><p>The working group includes academics, members of nongovernmental organizations such as the <a href="https://www.edf.org/" rel="nofollow">Environmental Defense Fund</a> 鈥� local government and regulated industries, such as the <a href="https://www.api.org/" rel="nofollow">American Petroleum Institute</a>.</p><p>There were also opportunities for community participation during public meetings.</p><p>At public hearings, community groups like GreenLatinos argued that <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3717/Greenlatinos__Presentation_Direct.pdf?1740073871" rel="nofollow">formaldehyde, instead of acrolein, should be one of the prioritized</a> air toxics because it can <a href="http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php" rel="nofollow">cause cancer</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/air%20monitoring%20graphic.jpg?itok=ahmiefmq" width="1500" height="1590" alt="graph showing air monitoring in Colorado"> </div> </div></div><p>Additionally, formaldehyde is emitted in some Colorado communities that are predominantly people of color, according to <a href="https://earthjustice.org/press/2024/suncor-energy-sued-over-repeated-clean-air-act-violations-in-colorado" rel="nofollow">advocates for those communities</a>. These communities are already disproportionately impacted by <a href="https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/asthma-and-blackafrican-americans#6" rel="nofollow">high rates of respiratory disease</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/health-equity/african-american.html#" rel="nofollow">cancer</a>.</p><p>Other members of the <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/3718/011725_rcvd_Logan_Harper.pdf?1740073957" rel="nofollow">community also weighed in.</a></p><p>鈥淥ne of my patients is a 16-year-old boy who tried to get a summer job working outside, but had to quit because air pollution made his asthma so bad that he could barely breathe,鈥� wrote Logan Harper, a Denver-area family physician and advocate for <a href="https://www.healthyairandwatercolorado.com/" rel="nofollow">Healthy Air and Water Colorado</a>.</p><h2>How is air quality protected?</h2><p>At the national level, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview" rel="nofollow">Clean Air Act</a> requires that six common air pollutants, such as ozone and carbon monoxide, are kept below specific levels. The act also regulates <a href="https://www.epa.gov/haps/what-are-hazardous-air-pollutants" rel="nofollow">188 hazardous air pollutants</a>.</p><p>Individual states are free to develop their own regulations, and several, including <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/ab-1807-toxics-air-contaminant-identification-and-control" rel="nofollow">California</a> and <a href="https://www.pca.state.mn.us/get-engaged/air-toxics-regulations" rel="nofollow">Minnesota</a>, already have. States can set standards that are more health-protective than those in place nationally.</p><p>Four of the five chemicals prioritized by Colorado are regulated federally. The fifth chemical, hydrogen sulfide, is not included on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 <a href="https://www.epa.gov/haps/initial-list-hazardous-air-pollutants-modifications" rel="nofollow">hazardous air pollutant list</a>, but Colorado has decided to regulate it as an air toxic.</p><p>State-level regulation is important because states can focus on air toxics specific to their state to make sure that the communities most exposed to air pollution are protected. One way to do this is to place air pollution monitors in the communities experiencing the worst air pollution.</p><p>For example, Colorado is placing <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/air-toxics/trends#COATTS" rel="nofollow">six new air quality monitors</a> in locations around the state to measure concentrations of the five priority air toxics. It will also use an existing monitor in Grand Junction to measure air toxics. Two of the new monitors, located in Commerce City and La Salle, began operating in January 2024. The remainder <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/public-protections-from-TACs/monitoring" rel="nofollow">will start monitoring the air</a> by July 2025.</p><p>When Colorado chose the sites, it prioritized communities that are overly impacted by social and environmental hazards. To do this, officials used indexes like the <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/enviroscreen" rel="nofollow">Colorado EnviroScreen</a>, which combines information about pollution, health and economic factors to identify communities that <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/ej/learn" rel="nofollow">are overly burdened by hazards</a>.</p><p>The Commerce City monitor is located in Adams City, a neighborhood that has some of the worst pollution in the state. The site has <a href="https://www.cohealthmaps.dphe.state.co.us/COEnviroscreen_2/#data_s=id%3Awidget_304_output_config_1%3A0%2Cid%3AdataSource_1-1930c792877-layer-66%3A2358" rel="nofollow">air toxics emissions</a> that are worse than 95% of communities in Colorado.</p><h2>Air toxics and health</h2><p>The five air toxics that Colorado selected all have negative impacts on health. Four are known to cause cancer.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><blockquote><p class="lead"><span>When state or local regulators work with community members to find out what air pollution sources communities are worried about, the partnership can lead to a system that better serves the public and reduces injustice.</span></p></blockquote></div></div><p>Benzene, perhaps the most well known because of its ability to <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxProfiles/ToxProfiles.aspx?id=40&amp;tid=14" rel="nofollow">cause blood cancer</a>, is one. But it also has a number of other health impacts, including dampening the ability of the immune system and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2014.02.012" rel="nofollow">impacting the reproductive system</a> by decreasing sperm count. Benzene <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp3-c5.pdf" rel="nofollow">is in combustion-powered vehicle exhaust</a> and is emitted during oil and gas production and refinement.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15376516.2017.1414343" rel="nofollow">Ethylene oxide can cause cancer</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13216" rel="nofollow">irritates the nervous and respiratory systems</a>. Symptoms of long-term exposure can include headaches, sore throat, shortness of breath and others. Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize medical equipment, and as of 2024, it was used by four <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/dehs/teeo/ethylene-oxide#" rel="nofollow">facilities in Colorado</a>.</p><p>Formaldehyde is also <a href="http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol88/index.php" rel="nofollow">a cancer-causing agent</a>, and exposure is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110080" rel="nofollow">asthma in children</a>. This air toxic is used in the <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp111-c4.pdf" rel="nofollow">manufacture of a number of products</a> like household cleaners and building materials. It is also emitted by oil and gas sources, <a href="https://doi-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/10.1039/C4EM00081A" rel="nofollow">including during fracking</a>.</p><p>Hexavalent chromium compounds can cause <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105045" rel="nofollow">several types of cancer</a>, as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105048" rel="nofollow">skin and lung diseases</a> such as asthma and rhinitis. A major source of hexavalent chromium is coal-fired power plants, of which Colorado <a href="https://cdle.colorado.gov/offices/the-office-of-just-transition/coal-in-colorado" rel="nofollow">currently has six</a> in operation, though these plants are <a href="https://cdle.colorado.gov/offices/the-office-of-just-transition/coal-in-colorado" rel="nofollow">scheduled to close</a> in the next five years. Other sources of hexavalent chromium include <a href="https://doi-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00958972.2011.583646" rel="nofollow">chemical and other manufacturing</a>.</p><p>Finally, long-term exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause low blood pressure, headaches and a range of other symptoms, and has been <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/MMG/MMGDetails.aspx?mmgid=385&amp;toxid=67" rel="nofollow">associated with neurological impacts</a> such as psychological disorders. Some sources of hydrogen sulfide include <a href="https://doi-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10408444.2023.2229925" rel="nofollow">oil refineries and wastewater treatment plants</a>.</p><hr><p><a href="/iphy/node/118" rel="nofollow">Jenni Shearston</a> is an assistant professor in the <a href="/iphy/" rel="nofollow">Department of Integrative Physiology</a>.</p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/colorado-is-tackling-air-pollution-in-vulnerable-neighborhoods-by-regulating-5-air-toxics-248520" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Colorado is tackling air pollution in vulnerable neighborhoods by regulating five air toxics.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-03/Suncor%20Denver%20cropped.jpg?itok=TGPELWXO" width="1500" height="540" alt="view of Suncor refinery in Denver, Colorado"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 06 Mar 2025 19:32:50 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6081 at /asmagazine Nationalism and diplomacy are inherent to international sporting events /asmagazine/2025/02/21/nationalism-and-diplomacy-are-inherent-international-sporting-events <span>Nationalism and diplomacy are inherent to international sporting events</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-21T10:48:23-07:00" title="Friday, February 21, 2025 - 10:48">Fri, 02/21/2025 - 10:48</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/ICC%20fans%20holding%20sign.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&amp;itok=COB1MHwi" width="1200" height="800" alt="Cricket fans holding a pro-Pakistan sign at a match in New Zealand"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/913" hreflang="en">Critical Sports Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/484" hreflang="en">Ethnic Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Jared Bahir Browsh</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span lang="EN">The International Cricket Council Champions Tournament, beginning this week, highlights how national rivalries and geopolitical tensions can meet on playing fields</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">Courses in the Critical Sports Studies program in the Department of Ethnic Studies often start with the</span><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-great-sport-myth-GSM_fig1_276442193" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> Great Sports Myth</span></a><span lang="EN">, a term coined by Jay Coakley, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The myth is that sports are inherently good, and most experiences in sports are positive and do not need to be studied critically.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In combating this myth, we examine sporting nationalism with the playing field serving as a symbolic battleground between nations. As Pakistan prepares to co-host the </span><a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/champions-trophy-2025" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Tournament</span></a><span lang="EN"> beginning this week, the nation's nationalistic rivalry with India comes to the forefront and reminds us that the competition on the field is often reflective of political tensions off of it.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/jared_browsh_1.jpg?itok=aL4xTN06" width="1500" height="2187" alt="Jared Bahir Browsh"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">India and Pakistan鈥檚 political tensions date back to the British partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, although ethnic and religious tensions predate the end of Britain鈥檚 colonization of the region. </span><a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/members/associate/board-of-control-for-cricket-in-india" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">India has been a member&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">of the ICC since 1926, with </span><a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/members/associate/pakistan-cricket-board" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Pakistan joining the ICC soon after independence in 1952</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Sporting relations between the nations have faced a number of stoppages, while other countries have canceled test matches because of threats and actual violence against cricket teams, </span><a href="https://www.business-standard.com/cricket/news/india-vs-pakistan-a-cricket-rivalry-shaped-by-politics-wars-and-diplomacy-124111200677_1.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">particularly in Pakistan</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The New Zealand cricket team canceled their remaining 2002 matches in Pakistan after a </span><a href="https://www.opindia.com/2021/09/pakistan-how-new-zealand-cricket-team-survived-a-bomb-attack-in-2002/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">suicide bomb outside of their Karachi hotel</span></a><span lang="EN">, while other countries like Australia refused to tour due to similar concerns. </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/50726039#:~:text=On%203%20March%202009%2C%20the,escorting%20match%20officials%20were%20killed." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">In 2009, the Sri Lankan cricket team鈥檚 bus was fired on</span></a><span lang="EN"> in Lahore during their test tour, which was scheduled after India pulled out of </span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna28298820" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Pakistan following the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks</span></a><span lang="EN">. As a result, Pakistan lost the opportunity to </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/apr/18/pakistan-world-cup-2011-security-fears" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">co-host the 2011 ICC World Cup</span></a><span lang="EN">; the 2025 ICC Champions Tournament is the first international cricket tournament to be hosted by Pakistan since the 1996 ICC World Cup. </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/articles/c4gp5xqye20o#:~:text=Champions%20Trophy%202025%20%E2%80%93%20dates%2C%20schedule,a%20terrorist%20attack%20in%202009." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">India's refusal to play in Pakistan led to UAE</span></a><span lang="EN"> being named as a co-host for India鈥檚 matches in the tournament, exemplifying continued tensions between the nations.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Yet diplomacy has been fostered through sport as well, including the peace initiatives of former</span><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/it-will-be-easier-to-win-elections-there-atal-bihari-vajpayee-joked-after-reviving-cricket-ties-with-pakistan-in-2004-5310492/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee</span></a><span lang="EN">, which led to the first matches between the nations in Pakistan in 15 years in 1999 and the Friendship Cups in Canada in the 1990s and 2000s.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Colonization and sporting tensions</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Colonization has been at the core of sporting tensions between dozens of nations, including Britain and members of the Commonwealth like Ireland and Australia. Ireland in particular has used international sporting events as a forum for protest against Britain鈥攎ost famously at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece. After being denied the gold medal in what many felt was a biased ruling by a judge from the United States, which followed the decision to force Irish athletes to compete on behalf of the United Kingdom, track and field athlete Peter O鈥機onnor scaled a flag pole and unfurled</span><a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/erin-go-bragh-a-short-history-of-irish-olympic-protest-1.4318739" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> an Erin Go Bragh flag</span></a><span lang="EN">, a symbol of the movement for Irish home rule.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The Olympics also have long been a nexus for sporting nationalism. One of the most distinct examples of this was at the </span><a href="https://library.olympics.com/network/doc/SYRACUSE/2954518/the-1936-berlin-olympics-race-power-and-sportswashing-jules-boykoff?_lg=en-GB" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1936 Summer Games in Berlin</span></a><span lang="EN">. In spite of rising concerns over antisemitism under Hitler, the United States, led by </span><a href="https://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/olympics/?content=favor_participation&amp;lang=en#:~:text=Avery%20Brundage%2C%20president%20of%20the,become%20involved%20in%20%22the%20present" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">USOC President Avery Brundage</span></a><span lang="EN">, and others agreed not to boycott the games in exchange for Nazi Germany suspending antisemitic messaging and the full enactment of the Nuremberg Laws until after the games.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/1936%20Olympics%20torch%20relay.jpg?itok=mmdS3eSe" width="1500" height="1057" alt="1936 Summer Olympics torch relay in Germany"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span lang="EN">Adolf Hitler saw the 1936 Summer Olympic Games as a forum to display Aryan supremacy through victory and spectacle, which included introducing the torch relay. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)&nbsp;</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">Hitler saw the games as a forum to display Aryan supremacy through victory and spectacle. Television was introduced at the games along with the torch relay and the </span><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/boys36-openingceremony/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">opening ceremony as an ostentatious show</span></a><span lang="EN">. The entire games were a primary example of 鈥渟portwashing,鈥� which uses sport to improve public opinion of a nation or group.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Much like the India-Pakistan rivalry, a number of other geopolitical tensions have played out on various sporting fields and courts around the world. George Orwell published </span><a href="https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/the-sporting-spirit/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淭he Sporting Spirit鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> in December 1945, a few months after the end of World War II, warning of the use of sport to encourage hyper-nationalism. Orwell was particularly critical of the Stalin regime鈥檚 use of sport to exhibit the Soviet Union and communism鈥檚 鈥渟uperiority鈥� over capitalism after the soccer team FC Dynamo Moscow toured Britain.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 1952, the Soviet Union participated in its first Summer Olympic Games, setting off decades of displays of Cold War sporting nationalism on both sides of the Iron Curtain, but particularly exemplified by the competition between the U</span><a href="https://direct.mit.edu/jcws/article-abstract/25/4/127/118951/The-Olympics-and-the-Cold-War-A-Historiography?redirectedFrom=fulltext" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">SSR and the United States</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The Olympics became the largest stage for nationalistic competition. Every four years, the Cold War rivalries played out on the global stage of the Summer and Winter Olympics. Some of the most famous moments in Olympic history include the controversial end of the </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/09/sports/olympics/usa-soviet-union-olympics-basketball.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1972 Olympic basketball</span></a><span lang="EN"> final, during which the Soviet Union beat the U.S. team by one point under questionable rule interpretations, and the </span><a href="https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/831562-the-1980-u-s-olympic-team" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1980 Miracle on Ice</span></a><span lang="EN"> in the semifinal of the ice hockey tournament, when amateur U.S. players defeated the Soviet Union.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Both events exemplified the rivalry between these superpowers. The 1972 Olympics also included the </span><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/12/13/nx-s1-5126526/munich-1972-massacre-olympics-september-5" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">tragic terrorist attack by Black September</span></a><span lang="EN"> militants, leading to the murder of 11 Israeli athletes鈥攁n example of how ethnic-nationalism, sport and violence can intersect.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Boycott and protest</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Boycotting sporting events and protest actions during competition have also been responses to various forms of nationalism and political tensions. The pending boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow by the United States intensified the attention on the competition between the USSR and the United States in Lake Placid during the Winter Games that year.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Recently, hockey reemerged as a forum for nationalism as the United States and Canada faced off twice in the </span><a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/02/21/politics-intersect-with-4-nations-face-off-around-finale/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">National Hockey League (NHL)-run 4 Nations Face-Off</span></a><span lang="EN">. The tournament was limited to NHL players, so the teams were not technically the national teams of the countries included in the tournament. It did feature four of the five countries with the largest representation in the NHL (Russia was excluded due to the invasion of Ukraine), with the league leveraging nationalistic feelings between Finland and Sweden and United States and Canada. The heightened tension between the North American teams was due, in part, to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the annexation our northern neighbors. This may serve as a preview of the heightened nationalism around the 2026 Olympic men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 ice hockey tournaments, especially if Russian athletes are permitted to compete.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/1968%20Olympics%20raised%20fists.jpg?itok=vmkagnXC" width="1500" height="1229" alt="Olympic sprinters raising fists in protest at 1968 Summer Olympics medal ceremony"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith (first place) and John Carlos (third place) raised their fists to protest U.S. segregation and racism during the medical ceremony for the 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Summer Olympics; Australian sprinter Peter Norman (second place) wore a badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights. (Photo: Angelo Cozzi/Mondadori Publishers)</p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries in turn boycotted the </span><a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-announce-boycott-of-1984-olympics" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles</span></a><span lang="EN">. The </span><a href="https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/qfp/104481.htm#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20the%20United%20States,countries%20sent%20athletes%20to%20compete." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">1980 boycott was triggered by the Soviet Union鈥檚</span></a><span lang="EN"> invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">White nationalism and racial discrimination have also been a frequent motivator for protest and boycotts. </span><a href="https://globalsportmatters.com/1968-mexico-city-olympics/2018/10/08/olympic-project-for-human-rights-lit-fire-for-1968-protests/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">The Olympic Project for Human Rights</span></a><span lang="EN"> promoted a boycott of the 1968 games in Mexico City, with several athletes鈥攊ncluding </span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-social-critic-on-substack/#:~:text=He&amp;apos;d%20meet%20the%20moment,made%20his%20by%20staying%20home.&amp;text=He%20chose%20not%20to%20play,of%20America%2C%22%20he%20said." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Kareem Abdul Jabbar</span></a><span lang="EN">鈥攄eciding not to go based on continuing discrimination of Blacks in the United States, lack of African American representation on the coaching staffs of Olympic teams, Muhammad Ali鈥檚 loss of his heavyweight championship due to his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War and apartheid policies in South Africa and Rhodesia.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Track and field athletes </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231011-in-history-how-tommie-smith-and-john-carloss-protest-at-the-1968-mexico-city-olympics-shook-the-world" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Tommie Smith and John Carlos</span></a><span lang="EN"> did decide to compete but famously raised their fists in protest after winning gold and bronze respectively in the 200 meters.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Apartheid policies also led to the South African Olympic Committee being </span><a href="https://www.olympics.com/en/news/why-south-africa-barred-from-the-olympics-apartheid" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">expelled from the IOC in 1970</span></a><span lang="EN">. Prior to South Africa鈥檚 expulsion, several other organizations had banned the nation from hosting events as far back as 1934 due to their policies forbidding non-white participants to compete. After the New Zealand rugby team toured South Africa in 1976, 29 mostly African nations boycotted the Montreal Games that same year after the IOC refused to ban New Zealand.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">This put pressure on Commonwealth countries to adopt the </span><a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/news/archive-gleneagles-agreement-sport" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Gleneagles Agreement&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">to expand the sporting boycott of South Africa. Taiwan also boycotted the 1976 games the day before the Opening Ceremony after the Canadian government鈥檚 refusal to </span><a href="https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/diplomatic-controversies" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">recognize their nation as the Republic of China.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">Sports like cricket and football are important cultural experiences in countries like Pakistan and India, but their presence is evidence of those countries鈥� colonial past and of </span><a href="https://newhistories.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/volumes/2010-11/volume-2/issue-4-sport-and-leisure/not-quite-cricket-crickets-relationship-with-british-colonialism" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">nationalism emanating from the British Empire</span></a><span lang="EN">. Most British colonies around the world adopted the sport soon after occupation, serving as historical examples of cultural imperialism.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Since international competition started in the 19th century, sports like cricket and events like the World Cup can simultaneously bring people together and promote community while also inflaming nationalistic tensions. For over 70 years, </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/india/india-pakistan-cricket-world-cup-intl-hnk-dst-spt/index.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">the intense cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">has done both.</span></p><p><a href="/ethnicstudies/people/core-faculty/jared-bahir-browsh" rel="nofollow"><em>Jared Bahir Browsh</em></a><em>&nbsp;is an assistant teaching professor of&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow"><em>critical sports studies</em></a><em>&nbsp;in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Ethnic Studies</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about critical sports studies?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/50245/donations/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The International Cricket Council Champions Tournament, beginning this week, highlights how national rivalries and geopolitical tensions can meet on playing fields.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/National%20Bank%20Stadium%20in%20Karachi.jpg?itok=_KOx9VtD" width="1500" height="880" alt="National Bank Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>National Bank Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan (Photo: Baseer Piracha/Wikimedia Commons)</div> Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:48:23 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6074 at /asmagazine It hits Earth like a bolt of lightning /asmagazine/2025/02/10/it-hits-earth-bolt-lightning <span>It hits Earth like a bolt of lightning</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-10T15:48:36-07:00" title="Monday, February 10, 2025 - 15:48">Mon, 02/10/2025 - 15:48</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/lightning.jpg?h=67eabc4d&amp;itok=njSi2Q5H" width="1200" height="800" alt="lightning striking ocean horizon at dusk"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Lauren Blum</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>Lightning strikes link weather on Earth and weather in&nbsp;space</em></p><hr><p>There are trillions of charged particles<span>鈥�</span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/proton-subatomic-particle" rel="nofollow">protons</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/electron" rel="nofollow">electrons</a>, the basic building blocks of matter<span>鈥�</span>whizzing around above your head at any given time. These high-energy particles, which can travel at close to the speed of light, typically remain thousands of kilometers away from Earth, trapped there by the shape of Earth鈥檚 magnetic field.</p><p>Occasionally, though, an event happens that can jostle them out of place, sending electrons <a href="https://communities.springernature.com/posts/super-fast-energetic-electron-rain-from-earth-s-radiation-belts" rel="nofollow">raining down into Earth鈥檚 atmosphere</a>. These high-energy particles in space make up what are known as the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/studying-the-van-allen-belts-60-years-after-americas-first-spacecraft/" rel="nofollow">Van Allen radiation belts</a>, and their discovery was one of the first of the space age. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53036-4" rel="nofollow">A new study</a> from my research team has found that electromagnetic waves generated by lightning can trigger these electron showers.</p><p><strong>A brief history lesson</strong></p><p>At the start of the space race in the 1950s, professor <a href="https://physics.uiowa.edu/about/james-van-allen" rel="nofollow">James Van Allen</a> and his research team at the University of Iowa were tasked with building an experiment to fly on the United States鈥� very first satellite, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/history/explorer-1-overview/" rel="nofollow">Explorer 1</a>. They designed sensors to study <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cosmic-ray" rel="nofollow">cosmic radiation</a>, which is caused by high-energy particles originating from the Sun, the Milky Way galaxy, or beyond.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/Lauren%20Blum.jpg?itok=3UBkBdFy" width="1500" height="1727" alt="headshot of Lauren Blum"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">CU 麻豆影院 scientist Lauren Blum <span>and her research team has found that electromagnetic waves generated by lightning can trigger electron showers in Earth's atmosphere.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>After Explorer 1 launched, though, they noticed that their instrument was detecting significantly <a href="https://doi.org/10.2514/8.7396" rel="nofollow">higher levels of radiation</a> than expected. Rather than measuring a distant source of radiation beyond our solar system, they appeared to be measuring a local and extremely intense source.</p><p>This measurement led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3791" rel="nofollow">the discovery of</a> the Van Allen radiation belts, two doughnut-shaped regions of high-energy electrons and ions encircling the planet.</p><p>Scientists believe that the inner radiation belt, peaking about 621 miles (1000 kilometers) from Earth, is composed of electrons and high-energy protons and is relatively stable over time.</p><p><span>The outer radiation belt, about three times farther away, is made up of high-energy electrons. This belt </span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL016513" rel="nofollow">can be highly dynamic</a><span>. Its location, density and energy content may vary significantly by the hour in response to solar activity.</span></p><p>The discovery of these high-radiation regions is not only an interesting story about the early days of the space race; it also serves as a reminder that many scientific discoveries have come about by happy accident.</p><p>It is a lesson for experimental scientists, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iHdW2pkAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" rel="nofollow">myself included</a>, to keep an open mind when analyzing and evaluating data. If the data doesn鈥檛 match our theories or expectations, those theories may need to be revisited.</p><p><strong>Our curious observations</strong></p><p>While I teach the history of the space race in a space policy course at the University of Colorado, 麻豆影院, I rarely connect it to my own experience as a scientist researching Earth鈥檚 radiation belts. Or, at least, I didn鈥檛 until recently.</p><p>In a study led by Max Feinland, an undergraduate student in my research group, we stumbled upon some of our own <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53036-4" rel="nofollow">unexpected observations</a> of Earth鈥檚 radiation belts. Our findings have made us rethink our understanding of Earth鈥檚 inner radiation belt and the processes affecting it.</p><p>Originally, we set out to look for very rapid<span>鈥�</span>sub-second<span>鈥�</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0273-1177(95)00969-8" rel="nofollow">bursts of high-energy electrons</a> entering the atmosphere from the outer radiation belt, where they are typically observed.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/lightning%20strike.jpg?itok=FuXpIuOh" width="1500" height="1000" alt="lightning bolt hitting a city"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Lightning can generate electromagnetic waves known as lightning-generated whistlers, which can travel through the atmosphere and out into space. (Photo: iStock)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JA003018" rel="nofollow">Many scientists believe</a> that a type of electromagnetic wave known as 鈥渃horus鈥� can knock these electrons out of position and send them toward the atmosphere. They鈥檙e called chorus waves due to their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/nasa/chorus-radio-waves-within-earths-atmosphere" rel="nofollow">distinct chirping sound</a> when listened to on a radio receiver.</p><p>Feinland developed an algorithm to search for these events in decades of measurements from the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2012SW000804" rel="nofollow">SAMPEX satellite</a>. When he showed me a plot with the location of all the events he鈥檇 detected, we noticed a number of them were not where we expected. Some events mapped to the inner radiation belt rather than the outer belt.</p><p>This finding was curious for two reasons. For one, chorus waves aren鈥檛 prevalent in this region, so something else had to be shaking these electrons loose.</p><p>The other surprise was finding electrons this energetic in the inner radiation belt at all. Measurements from <a href="https://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/" rel="nofollow">NASA鈥檚 Van Allen Probes mission</a> prompted renewed interest in the inner radiation belt. Observations from the Van Allen Probes suggested that high-energy electrons are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062874" rel="nofollow">often not present</a> in this inner radiation belt, at least not during the first few years of that mission, from 2012 to 2014.</p><p>Our observations now showed that, in fact, there are times that the inner belt contains high-energy electrons. How often this is true and under what conditions remain open questions to explore. These high-energy particles <a href="https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/the-spacecraft-killing-anomaly-over-the-south-atlantic/" rel="nofollow">can damage spacecraft</a> and harm humans in space, so researchers need to know when and where in space they are present to better design spacecraft.</p><p><strong>Determining the culprit</strong></p><p>One of the ways to disturb electrons in the inner radiation belt and kick them into Earth鈥檚 atmosphere actually begins in the atmosphere itself.</p><p>Lightning, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-lightning-and-how-to-stay-safe-when-youre-caught-in-a-storm-a-meteorologist-explains-231997" rel="nofollow">large electromagnetic discharges</a> that light up the sky during thunderstorms, can actually generate electromagnetic waves known as <a href="https://vlfstanford.ku.edu.tr/research_topic_inlin/introduction-whistler-waves-magnetosphere/" rel="nofollow">lightning-generated whistlers</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/lightning%20bolt.jpg?itok=XsLU7u1u" width="1500" height="1000" alt="multi-forked lightning bolt"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>CU 麻豆影院 researcher Lauren Blum and her colleagues discovered that a combination of weather on Earth and weather in space produces unique electron signatures. (Photo: Pixabay)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>These waves can then travel through the atmosphere out into space, where they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/312740a0" rel="nofollow">interact with electrons</a> in the inner radiation belt<span>鈥�</span>much as chorus waves interact with electrons in the outer radiation belt.</p><p>To test whether lightning was behind our inner radiation belt detections, we looked back at the electron bursts and compared them with <a href="https://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/home/lightning/index/data_nldn" rel="nofollow">thunderstorm data</a>. Some lightning activity seemed correlated with our electron events, but much of it was not.</p><p>Specifically, only lightning that occurred right after so-called geomagnetic storms resulted in the bursts of electrons we detected.</p><p><a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/geomagnetic-storms" rel="nofollow">Geomagnetic storms</a> are disturbances in the near-Earth space environment often caused by large eruptions on the Sun鈥檚 surface. This solar activity, if directed toward Earth, can produce what researchers term <a href="https://theconversation.com/solar-storms-can-destroy-satellites-with-ease-a-space-weather-expert-explains-the-science-177510" rel="nofollow">space weather</a>. Space weather can result in stunning auroras, but it can also disrupt satellite and power grid operations.</p><p>We discovered that a combination of weather on Earth and weather in space produces the unique electron signatures we observed in our study. The solar activity disturbs Earth鈥檚 radiation belts and populates the inner belt with very high-energy electrons, then the lightning interacts with these electrons and creates the rapid bursts that we observed.</p><p>These results provide a nice reminder of the interconnected nature of Earth and space. They were also a welcome reminder to me of the often nonlinear process of scientific discovery.</p><hr><p><a href="/aps/lauren-blum" rel="nofollow"><span>Lauren Blum</span></a><span> is an assistant professor in the </span><a href="/aps/" rel="nofollow"><span>Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences</span></a><span>.</span></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/lightning-strikes-link-weather-on-earth-and-weather-in-space-243772" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Lightning strikes link weather on Earth and weather in space.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/lightning%20striking.jpg?itok=UemXujQb" width="1500" height="532" alt="multiple lightning bolts striking land during night"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:48:36 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6069 at /asmagazine Breaking the color barrier in baseball leadership /asmagazine/2025/01/30/breaking-color-barrier-baseball-leadership <span>Breaking the color barrier in baseball leadership</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-01-30T12:01:20-07:00" title="Thursday, January 30, 2025 - 12:01">Thu, 01/30/2025 - 12:01</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-01/Frank%20Robinson%20Nationals.jpg?h=bf16e58d&amp;itok=0FNuQPP-" width="1200" height="800" alt="Frank Robinson on field at Nationals Park"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1097" hreflang="en">Black History</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/913" hreflang="en">Critical Sports Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/484" hreflang="en">Ethnic Studies</a> </div> <span>Jared Bahir Browsh</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span lang="EN">Fifty years after Frank Robinson became the first Black manager in Major League Baseball, the league is struggling with a significant decline in Black players and leaders</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">As Black History Month begins Feb. 1 and Major League Baseball celebrates the </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/orioles/fans/frank-robinson" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">50th anniversary of Frank Robinson&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">making his debut as the first Black manager, the sport is at a point of introspection with the lowest number of African Americans players in </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2023/04/14/mlb-percentage-black-players-baseball-jackie-robinson-day/11657961002/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Major League Baseball since the 1950s.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">The milestone is both a reminder of how far baseball came since segregation and how delicate inclusion efforts are in baseball and other institutions in the United States.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/jared_browsh_1.jpg?itok=aL4xTN06" width="1500" height="2187" alt="Jared Bahir Browsh"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">As the United States emerged from World War II, </span><a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/plessy-v-ferguson" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Plessy v. Ferguson</span></a><span lang="EN"> and </span><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/freedom-riders-jim-crow-laws/#:~:text=The%20laws%20affected%20almost%20every,of%20the%20enforced%20racial%20order." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Jim Crow laws</span></a><span lang="EN"> continued to keep the country largely segregated. The war, however, was also a turning point for African Americans, who demonstrated that their service was of equal value to others who fought in the war.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">One such soldier was Jackie Robinson, the first athlete to letter in </span><a href="https://100.ucla.edu/timeline/barriers-broken" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">four sports at UCLA</span></a><span lang="EN">. His teammates </span><a href="https://nflpa.com/posts/meet-the-four-men-who-broke-the-nfl-s-color-line" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Kenny Washington and Woody Strode</span></a><span lang="EN"> broke the color barrier in the NFL in 1946, while </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/phillies/community/educational-programs/uya-negro-league/road-to-baseball-integration" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">he did the same in baseball the following year</span></a><span lang="EN">鈥攕even years before </span><a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Brown v. Board of Education</span></a><span lang="EN"> determined that 鈥渟eparate but equal鈥� thresholds for segregation were unconstitutional. Jackie Robinson鈥檚 last season as a player was 1956, the same season a young Frank Robinson debuted with the Cincinnati Reds.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 1972, the Reds played the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. By that point, Frank Robinson had been traded twice and spent the season playing for Jackie Robinson鈥檚 former team, the Dodgers.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">During Game 2 of the series in Cincinnati, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3702849/2022/10/21/jackie-robinson-world-series-1972/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Jackie Robinson was honored 25 years after breaking the color barrier in baseball</span></a><span lang="EN">. During his speech accepting the honor, </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/breaking-baseball-barriers-from-one-robinson-to-another#:~:text=It%20was%20only%20a%20few,a%20Major%20League%20Baseball%20team." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">he appealed to MLB leaders to hire the first Black manager</span></a><span lang="EN">, an opportunity he never got despite his expressed desire to manage a team. Jackie Robinson died nine days after his speech鈥擮ct. 24, 1972鈥攏ever seeing Frank Robinson hired as the first Black player-manager two years later.</span></p><p><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/robinson-breaks-ground-for-big-league-managers" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Robinson was traded to Cleveland</span></a><span lang="EN"> during the 1974 season after openly campaigning for the manager position with the Dodgers. Cleveland was the first American League team to sign a </span><a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&amp;dat=19741003&amp;id=EdtGAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=P_gMAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=1209,526759" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Black player in 1947, Larry Roby</span></a><span lang="EN">, and broke ground again 28 years later by hiring Robinson. He was the first player to win MVP in both the National and American League, but had a rocky tenure with the team, often being pushed to play when he wanted to focus on managing and </span><a href="https://baseballhall.org/discover/frank-robinson-made-history-as-manager" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">butting heads with the star player, Gaylord Perry</span></a><span lang="EN">. He did lead the team to its first winning record in eight years in 1976, the last season he played, before being fired during the following season.</span></p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-left ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title"><a href="/recreation/home/inclusive-sports-summit" rel="nofollow"><strong>Inclusive Sports Summit</strong></a></div><div class="ucb-box-content"><h2 class="text-align-center"><a href="/recreation/home/inclusive-sports-summit" rel="nofollow">Inclusive Sports Summit</a></h2><p class="text-align-center lead"><em><strong>We change the game: Embracing the value of inclusive sports and recreation</strong></em></p><p><strong>When: </strong>9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> <span>Dal Ward Athletic Center and Main Student Recreation Center</span></p><p><strong>During this summit participants will</strong></p><ul><li>Identify challenges, opportunities and best practices for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion work as practitioners and supporters.</li><li>Learn tangible takeaways to build bridges and build unity across similarities and differences.</li><li>Build skills and practice techniques for addressing inequities to help increase student retention, engagement and success.</li><li>Connect with departments and programs across campus that are available to support students, staff and faculty.</li></ul><p><strong>The Inclusive Sports Summit is free and open to faculty, staff, students and community members.</strong></p><p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-regular" href="https://cuboulder.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bww1zS6kKkdvQAm" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents">Register for the Inclusive Sports Summit</span></a></p></div></div></div><p><span lang="EN">Robinson went on to manage the San Francisco Giants and his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, winning manager of the year in 1989. He was fired from the Orioles during the 1991 season鈥攖he year Major League Baseball had the highest percentage of African American players in the league, 18% of all players. The following season, </span><a href="https://www.milb.com/news/cito-gaston" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Cito Gaston became the first African American manager</span></a><span lang="EN"> to win a World Series.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Robinson continued to work in the league office after his time with the Orioles, returning to the dugout after being tapped by </span><a href="https://andscape.com/features/how-frank-robinsons-baseball-contributions-went-from-underrated-to-historic/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">MLB to manage the Montreal Expos</span></a><span lang="EN">, which the league owned at the time. The team moved to Washington D.C. in 2005 and his final season as manager was the first season for the newly founded Washington Nationals.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Declining youth participation</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The dearth of opportunities for African Americans to coach and assume leadership positions in sports is not new; however, baseball has seen the most precipitous drop in participation, </span><a href="https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2024/12/26/african-americans-in-mlb-continued-to-decline-in-2024/#:~:text=Opening%20Day%20in%202024%20saw,point%20from%207.2%25%20in%202022." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">down to 6% during the 2024 season</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Contributing to this drop is the lack of African Americans in leadership positions, with only two African American managers, </span><a href="https://ouresquina.com/2024/reggie-jackson-baseball-still-behind/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Ron Washington (Angels) and Dave Roberts (Dodgers)</span></a><span lang="EN">, and one </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/astros/team/front-office/dana-brown" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">general manager, Dana Brown (Astros</span></a><span lang="EN">). In spite of these paltry numbers, three of the last five World Series winners have been </span><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/dodgers-rumors-dave-roberts-ranked-as-second-best-manager-in-mlb-cn2002" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">led by African American managers.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">The numbers are even worse in college baseball, with </span><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/06/27/nx-s1-5015698/why-the-dearth-of-black-college-baseball-coaches-is-a-problem" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">only 5% of players and 3% of managers in Division I identifying as African American in 2024</span></a><span lang="EN">; of these 26 managers, 17 were from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The lack of visible leadership affects scouting, mentorship and even participation when players cannot see a career in the sport they love if they do not make it to the major leagues.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The low numbers of African American athletes in the college pipeline to the major leagues is only one of the reasons for the continued decline of African Americans in professional baseball. Like many sports, the privatization of youth sports is forcing many lower- and even middle-income families to reconsider their </span><a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2024/04/14/why-does-major-league-baseball-have-so-few-black-players/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">children鈥檚 participation in baseball</span></a><span lang="EN">. Local governments and schools have slashed recreation and athletic budgets, leading to more expensive sports like baseball to be cut, which in turn leads to a higher reliance on private leagues.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Frank%20Robinson%20dugout.jpg?itok=KBjBzyP_" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Frank Robinson in Cleveland Indians dugout in 1975"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>In 1975, Frank Robinson became Major League Baseball's first Black manager, assuming the role with the Cleveland Indians. (Photo: Jeff Robbins/Associated Press)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">Many families ultimately balk at the cost of playing baseball, steering their children into more accessible sports as&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/05/19/catholic-youth-sports-little-league-club-baseball-243016" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">youth and high school baseball is increasingly privatized</span></a><span lang="EN">. The relatively low number of Division I&nbsp;</span><a href="https://gmtm.com/articles/how-many-scholarships-each-collegiate-sport-offers" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">baseball scholarships (11.7 maximum per team) and programs (300) compared to basketball (</span></a><span lang="EN">13 maximum scholarships across </span><a href="https://gmtm.com/articles/how-many-scholarships-each-collegiate-sport-offers" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">352 schools) and especially football with 133 teams at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, 128 teams at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level and with 85 maximum scholarships per team in FBS and 63 per team maximum in FCS.&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">This also leads some families to encourage their children to focus on other sports to earn a college scholarship.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Even if amateur baseball players get drafted and signed, minor league salaries are so low that the same issues can arise that exist in youth baseball: players who cannot afford to remain in the sport. Minimum salaries are between just under </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisdeubert/2024/03/13/minor-league-baseball-players-say-no-thanks-to-minimum-wage-laws/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">$20,000 and $40,000 depending on the level, which is a significant increase from 2022</span></a><span lang="EN">, when minor league players unionized and negotiated a raise from a minimum salary between $4,800 and $17,500.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Salary expectations have led many scouts to focus on international players, particularly from Latin America, where teams will make verbal agreements with children as </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/06/16/mlb-international-free-agents-deals-underage-prospects/5334172002/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">young as 12</span></a><span lang="EN"> in spite of the fact that teams </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26711751/13-years-old-mlb-deal-why-some-ready-change" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">technically cannot sign players until they are 16</span></a><span lang="EN">. MLB turns a blind eye to these agreements that often push children as young as 10 from countries like the Dominican Republic to leave school to pursue baseball. These players may be given performance-enhancing drugs to make them look more mature and artificially improve their athleticism. These players are ripe for exploitation, including lower salaries since they are beholden to Major League clubs with which they make these 鈥渉andshake鈥� deals鈥攚hile their families take out&nbsp; loans based on future earnings, </span><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/fcre.12682?saml_referrer" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">which may never appear</span></a><span lang="EN">.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Hope for long-term results</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">Economics and leadership are not the only factors in the decline of African Americans in professional baseball. The sport has declined as 鈥淎merica鈥檚 pastime鈥� for decades, and for many is considered less 鈥渃ool鈥� than sports due to its slower pace鈥攁s well as kids鈥� alternative activities in the summer months鈥攍eading to a drop in viewership, </span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/27/sport/baseball-world-series-viewership-problem-spt-intl/index.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">especially among young viewers</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">African Americans have also been historically discouraged from playing certain positions, particularly the on-field leadership positions of catcher and pitcher, the latter of which is the most visible position in the sport. </span><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289712663_Occupational_Segregation_on_the_Playing_Field_The_Case_of_Major_League_Baseball" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">This position 鈥渟tacking鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> has historically impacted all sports, including basketball (</span><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16138171.2015.11730364" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">point guard)</span></a><span lang="EN"> and football </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/20/black-quarterbacks-history-stereotypes" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">(quarterback)</span></a><span lang="EN"> due to discriminatory and false assumptions that African American players were not intelligent enough to play those positions. Basketball and football have seen dramatic shifts at these positions while baseball still sees limitations for </span><a href="https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2024/12/26/african-americans-in-mlb-continued-to-decline-in-2024/#:~:text=Opening%20Day%20in%202024%20saw,point%20from%207.2%25%20in%202022." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">African Americans at certain positions.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">As with viewership, some of the issues pushing African Americans from baseball are emblematic of the decline in baseball鈥檚 overall popularity. However, there are some glimmers of hope for the future of African Americans in the sport. The House v. NCAA settlement will allow schools to increase the number of student athlete scholarships up to the roster limit, which is 34 in Division I鈥�</span><a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-college-baseball-scholarship-expansion-hurts-mid-major-programs-chances-at-college-world-series-success/#:~:text=For%20most%20schools%2C%20the%20jump,an%20equivalent%20sport%20for%20women." rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">nearly triple the current limit.</span></a></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Frank%20Robinson%20in%20stadium.jpg?itok=Hk3oVnIU" width="1500" height="1003" alt="Frank Robinson at Orioles Stadium"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Frank Robinson had a distinguished career as a player before becoming a manager. (Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images)</p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The opportunity to earn compensation directly from schools may also support continued involvement in the sport. Much like </span><a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/news/unequal-nil-funding-in-baseball-highlights-college-sports-concerns-noah9" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">name, image and likeness opportunities</span></a><span lang="EN">, however, revenue sharing will disproportionately go to the top-earning sports: </span><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/as-college-athletics-prepares-for-revenue-sharing-fallout-leaders-wonder-is-a-breakaway-from-the-ncaa-next/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">reports from school point to about 75% of revenue sharing going to football and 15% going to basketball with other sports sharing the rest</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Outside of the college ranks, MLB has been actively involved in a number of initiatives to try to increase participation among young players, including </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/rbi" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)</span></a><span lang="EN"> that was started in 1989 and is now sponsored by Nike. Players like Jimmy Rollins and recent Hall of Fame inductee C.C. Sabathia are both alumni of the program, but results have been less impactful in recent years with fewer alumni from the United States advancing to professional baseball. </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/dream-series" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">MLB also runs the Dream Series in Arizona</span></a><span lang="EN">, a training academy focused on African American pitchers and catchers, in conjunction with USA Baseball during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/youth-baseball-softball/andre-dawson-classic" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">The Andre Dawson Classic</span></a><span lang="EN">, named for the Hall of Fame player, is a round-robin tournament for HBCU baseball programs that runs every year at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Florida.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">There is hope these efforts will yield long-term results and reverse the decline of African American players in baseball. The sport still needs to address its </span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/07/sport/mlb-opening-day-baseball-popularity-spt-intl/index.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">diminishing cachet among young sports fans</span></a><span lang="EN"> in the United States and the lack of African American mentors and leaders in the sport, but some of the structures are there to encourage a renaissance of great Black baseball figures 50 years after Frank Robinson broke the managerial glass ceiling.</span></p><p><a href="/ethnicstudies/people/core-faculty/jared-bahir-browsh" rel="nofollow"><em>Jared Bahir Browsh</em></a><em>&nbsp;is an assistant teaching professor of&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow"><em>critical sports studies</em></a><em>&nbsp;in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Ethnic Studies</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about critical sports studies?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/50245/donations/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Fifty years after Frank Robinson became the first Black manager in Major League Baseball, the league is struggling with a significant decline in Black players and leaders.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Frank%20Robinson%20Nationals%20cropped.jpg?itok=_kUNwnRW" width="1500" height="522" alt="Frank Robinson on field at Nationals Park"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Frank Robinson at Nationals Park. (Photo: Nick Wass/Associated Press)</div> Thu, 30 Jan 2025 19:01:20 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6063 at /asmagazine Who lives in a pineapple and announces football games? /asmagazine/2025/01/10/who-lives-pineapple-and-announces-football-games <span>Who lives in a pineapple and announces football games?</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-01-10T08:30:05-07:00" title="Friday, January 10, 2025 - 08:30">Fri, 01/10/2025 - 08:30</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-01/SpongeBob%20and%20Patrick%20screen%20grab.jpg?h=3a689c57&amp;itok=8L5KDVTV" width="1200" height="800" alt="SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star wearing football announcer headphones"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/913" hreflang="en">Critical Sports Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1240" hreflang="en">Division of Social Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/484" hreflang="en">Ethnic Studies</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1235" hreflang="en">popular culture</a> </div> <span>Jared Bahir Browsh</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p><em><span lang="EN">The success of simulcasts means that fans can expect to see more creative takes on traditional sports, including SpongeBob SquarePants calling Saturday鈥檚 NFL Wild Card game</span></em></p><hr><p><span lang="EN">As the final seconds of Super Bowl LVIII ticked off, according to social media, the biggest star was not MVP Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce or even Taylor Swift; it was a sea sponge and his starfish best friend. </span><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/how-nickelodeon-brought-spongebob-to-super-bowl-1234967974/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">The Nickelodeon alternate broadcast of the Super Bow</span></a><span lang="EN">l starring SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star as commentators was a huge hit, with on-field graphics and animations featuring Nickelodeon stars and, of course, slime.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">This was not the first time a media conglomerate aired or streamed a simulcast as a companion to its main broadcast to attract more fans. ESPN鈥檚 first basic simulcast was in 1987 after the network gained partial rights to the NFL鈥攖he first cable network to air the NFL鈥攁greeing to simulcast the game on </span><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/03/16/nfl-finally-opens-the-door-to-cable/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">local networks of the competing teams</span></a><span lang="EN">. When ESPN2 launched in October 1993, it offered a second ESPN network to sports fans and within a year ran its first alternative broadcast, bringing in-car views to </span><a href="https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2022/05/visual-history-dating-back-decades-traces-espns-leadership-in-alternative-productions-megacasts/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">IndyCar fans as a companion to the main broadcast on ESPN</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/jared_browsh_1.jpg?itok=aL4xTN06" width="1500" height="2187" alt="Jared Bahir Browsh"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p> </span> <p class="small-text"><span>Jared Bahir Browsh is the&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow">Critical Sports Studies</a><span>&nbsp;program director in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</span><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow">Department of Ethnic Studies</a><span>.</span></p></div></div><p><span lang="EN">In 2006, the network created </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2347040" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淓SPN Full Circle,鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> later renamed the Megacast, leveraging the popular basketball rivalry between Duke University and the University of North Carolina to offer local broadcasts and alternative camera views for the game. The previous year, ESPN had launched its college-focused ESPNU and ESPN360, its broadband broadcast service, and used these newer platforms along with its </span><a href="https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2022/05/visual-history-dating-back-decades-traces-espns-leadership-in-alternative-productions-megacasts/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">existing networks to offer eight different ways to watch the game</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">ESPN offered statistics and other data on its high-definition networks, which were still separate from the standard-definition networks, and even offered polling through ESPN mobile before social media exploded.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">These simulcasts and 鈥淢egacasts鈥� aimed to give dedicated fans a more in-depth look at the game or event that was being broadcast. At the same time, leagues and sports broadcasters were looking for different ways to attract young and casual fans who enjoyed sports but were not the obsessive fans at which these Megacasts were targeted.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Courting younger fans</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">For a long time, leagues took young fans for granted, </span><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/10/24/141649929/how-we-become-sports-fans-the-tyranny-of-fathers" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">relying on parental, peer and geographic influence to produce new fans.</span></a><span lang="EN"> In today's expanding media environment, young and casual fans have infinite options for entertainment, so leagues and their broadcasting partners have had to strategize new ways to attract new audiences.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">One of these efforts debuted in 1973: Peter Puck, an anthropomorphic hockey puck created by NBC executive Donald Carswell and animated by Hanna Barbera. NBC had just obtained the rights to the NHL, which was struggling to grow its audience in the United States. Carswell thought Peter would be a great way to teach U.S. audiences the rules of professional hockey through three-minute shorts between periods. Although NBC stopped airing the NHL in 1975,</span><a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/peter-puck-returns-on-his-50th-anniversary-to-promote-safe-fun-hockey#google_vignette" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> Peter鈥檚 legacy lives on more than 50 years later.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">The 1980s brought a sea change for sports as cable and improved marketing began to create the enormous sports media environment we experience today. As networks competed for viewers, sports became a reliable form of entertainment to attract audiences who had more choices than ever. As football continued to dominate the sports landscape, buffered by the 1984 Supreme Court decision to allow college football broadcasting to </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-ago-the-supreme-court-broke-the-ncaas-lock-on-tv-revenue-reshaping-college-sports-to-this-day-222672" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">expand beyond the control of the NCAA</span></a><span lang="EN">, other leagues strategized to draw fans to television, stadiums and arenas.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Throughout the 1970s, teams had built larger stadiums and debuted mascots like the </span><a href="https://www.mlb.com/phillies/fans/phillie-phanatic" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Phillie Phanatic</span></a><span lang="EN"> to entertain fans. The following decade, as the NBA struggled to find a broadcaster to air its championship games live, David Stern鈥攚ho took over the league as commissioner in 1984鈥�</span><a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2020/01/06/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Stern-Disney.aspx" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淒isneyfied鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> the NBA experience, making attending games more family friendly with more timeout and halftime entertainment.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">It just so happened that same year that the most marketable athlete of all time came into the league. Michael Jordan was not only a boon for adult basketball fans, but also kids who wanted to </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AGiq9j_Ak" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淏e like Mike.鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> In 1992, Jordan co-starred with Bugs Bunny in the Nike advertising campaign </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QeG-noRMPs" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淗are Jordan.鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> He retired the next year to play baseball before returning to the NBA in March 1995. The following summer, Bugs and Jordan reunited to film </span><a href="https://ew.com/article/2016/11/15/space-jam-20th-anniversary-joe-pytka/" rel="nofollow"><em><span lang="EN">Space Jam</span></em><span lang="EN">,&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">which grossed more than a quarter of a billion dollars after it premiered early into the NBA season in November 1996.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/SpongeBob%20broadcast.jpg?itok=2e2zFyF_" width="1500" height="843" alt="Noah Eagle, Nate Burleson, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star announcing Super Bowl LVIII"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Announcers Noah Eagle and Nate Burleson with SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star announcing Super Bowl LVIII. (Screenshot: <span>Nickelodeon/YouTube)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">As a part of this effort to draw new fans, leagues also produced shows aimed at younger fans like </span><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2016/06/29/baseball-bunch-oral-history-johnny-bench" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淭he Baseball Bunch,鈥�&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">which debuted in 1980 and featured MLB players and managers teaching baseball fundamentals. Ten years later, 鈥�</span><a href="https://www.nba.com/watch/video/hall-of-fame-class-of-2024-curt-gowdy-media-award-nba-inside-stuff-ahmad-rashad-speech" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">NBA Inside Stuff鈥�&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">premiered on NBC鈥檚 Saturday morning schedule, joining a growing sports media industry aimed at kids that included publications like </span><em><span lang="EN">Sports Illustrated for Kids</span></em><span lang="EN"> and video games like the Madden, FIFA and NBA 2k series, among the most popular video game series of all time.</span></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>Primetime slimetime</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">The consolidation of the U.S. media system throughout the 1980s and 1990s led to massive media conglomerates. Unsurprisingly, NBC held the network broadcast rights for the NBA when 鈥淣BA Inside Stuff鈥� aired. As broadcast and cable networks came under the same corporate umbrella as film and animation studios, new opportunities for cross promotion emerged. Disney bought ESPN and opened the </span><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/wide-world-of-sports/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex</span></a><span lang="EN">, named after the anthology series that aired under one of their other subsidiaries, ABC, from 1961 until 1997&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;. Disney also founded an NHL team, </span><a href="https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-disneyland-resort-to-host-anaheim-ducks-day-at-disneyland-california-adventure-park" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim</span></a><span lang="EN">, in 1993鈥攏amed after the popular 1992 kids hockey movie鈥攁nd in 1996 debuted 鈥�</span><a href="https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2015/03/the-mighty-ducks-animated-series.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> on ABC, which featured anthropomorphic hockey playing superhero ducks.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">The success of </span><em><span lang="EN">Space Jam</span></em><span lang="EN"> and the continued media conglomeration strengthened the relationship between animation and sports. NASCAR rights holder FOX debuted </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236915/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淣ASCAR Racers,鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> an animated action series featuring NASCAR branding, a day before the 1999 race season finale. Cartoon Network aired the marathon </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDztggvDOs8" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淣BA All-Star Slam鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> in 2003, featuring interstitial interviews with NBA players in the lead-up to the All-Star Game, which aired the evening of the game on TNT (both networks were owned by Warner subsidiary Turner).</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 2016,</span><a href="https://screenrant.com/teen-titans-go-show-lebron-james-episode/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">&nbsp;LeBron James</span></a><span lang="EN"> appeared on the Cartoon Network series </span><a href="https://www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/show/teen-titans-go" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淭een Titans Go!鈥�&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">the same night as a TNT basketball doubleheader and a few days before the All-Star Game. Later, the </span><a href="https://press.wbd.com/ca/media-release/cartoon-network-9/teen-titans-go-3/teen-titans-go-takes-court-cartoon-network-special-edition-nba-all-star-slam-dunk" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Teen Titans offered commentary</span></a><span lang="EN"> of the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in the lead-up to the NBA&nbsp;All-Star Game airing on TNT.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">Although these series and specials expanded the visibility of league branding and special events, the engagement with actual games was limited. When Viacom and CBS merged again in 2019, after splitting 14 years earlier, they began strengthening the relationship between former Viacom network </span><a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nfls-nickelodeon-play-is-a-messy-savvy-strategy-with-one-key-goal-in-mind-202533619.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Nickelodeon and broadcast network CBS</span></a><span lang="EN">. They began featuring Nickelodeon content on CBS All-Access, now Paramount+, and in 2021 Nickelodeon aired an</span><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nickelodeon-renews-partnership-with-nfl-for-2021-season-will-broadcast-2022-wild-card-round-again/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> NFL simulcast of the Wild Card playoff game</span></a><span lang="EN"> between the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints featuring Nickelodeon live-action and animated stars joining the real-time NFL broadcast with alternate announcers Nate Burleson and Noah Eagle. Current Denver Broncos coach </span><a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/sean-payton-slimed-by-nickelodeon-following-saints-wild-card-win" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Sean Payton, then the coach of the Saints, volunteered to be slimed</span></a><span lang="EN">, similar to the traditional Gatorade shower.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Sean%20Payton%20slimed.jpg?itok=cgeqkkjv" width="1500" height="893" alt="Sean Payton sitting on floor and doused in green slime."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span lang="EN">Current Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, then the coach of the New Orleans Saints, gets "slimed" after a 2020 Wild Card win against the Chicago Bears. (Screenshot: Nickelodeon/YouTube)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><span lang="EN">The following season, </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15409276/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淣FL Slimetime鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> premiered on Nickelodeon, a highlight show hosted by Burleson that strengthened the relationship between the NFL and Nickelodeon. This relationship exploded during last years鈥� Super Bowl as the Nickelodeon simulcast on the cable network and Paramount+ was credited for a growth in game viewership, especially among younger and casual fans who appreciated the</span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-super-bowl-nickelodeon-8ceff4f753d8e3e58e5f818aa0ac1a79" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN"> irreverent approach to the game.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN"><strong>A pineapple under the arena</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN">As media conglomerates continue to leverage sports rights to attract audiences and increase subscriptions to their streaming services, they have also leaned into the popularity鈥攁nd meme-making possibilities鈥攐f these simulcasts. Several months after the Nickelodeon simulcast of the Wild Card Playoff, Disney leveraged its Marvel Cinematic Universe to produce a simulcast, </span><a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-makes-deal-genius-sport-133904295.html" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淢arvel Arena of Heroes,鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> on ESPN2 and its streaming service, which was similar to the Wild Card game on Nickelodeon and featured special graphics and superhero-themed content related to the real-time NBA games between the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans. </span><a href="https://www.geniussports.com/newsroom/espn-amplifying-its-data-driven-storytelling-and-broadcasts-through-new-agreement-with-genius-sports/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">ESPN and Genius Sports,</span></a><span lang="EN"> the company behind augmented games like the Arena of Heroes simulcast, extended their contract in the summer of 2024.</span></p><p><span lang="EN">In 2023, Disney aired its own fully animated simulcasts with the </span><a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-big-city-greens-classic-adds-new-dimension-to-rangers-capitals-gam-342182936" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淏ig City Greens Classic鈥�&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">NHL broadcast in March and the </span><a href="https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/an-animated-behind-the-scenes-look-at-espns-toy-story-funday-football/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淪unday Funday鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> Toy Story-themed NFL game in September. Both regular-season games included a rendering of the real-time broadcasts featuring stars from its animated franchises. Disney followed this up in December 2024 with another </span><a href="https://www.nfl.com/schedules/simpsons-funday-football" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淪unday Funday鈥�&nbsp;</span></a><span lang="EN">featuring 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� and the Christmas Day </span><a href="https://www.nba.com/news/spurs-knicks-dunk-the-halls-animated-christmas-game-disney" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">鈥淒unk the Halls鈥�</span></a><span lang="EN"> animated simulcast featuring classic characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. In between these two games, NBC鈥檚 Peacock service offered an alternate stream of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans featuring graphics from the </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/nbc-peacock-madden-chiefs-texans-c3d9a9eed0ed707b601f9798f1deeaf7" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">popular video game series Madden.</span></a></p><p><span lang="EN">As SpongeBob and Patrick prepare to announce the Nickelodeon simulcast of the 2025 NFL Wild Card game between the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers Saturday, fans should be prepared for more of these simulcasts as networks and streaming services try to market these games to young and casual fans, boosted by social media memes like &nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2022/12/26/23526373/patrick-star-nickelodeon-russell-wilson-interception-denver-broncos" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Patrick roasting the starting quarterback</span></a><span lang="EN"> and </span><a href="https://www.wvxu.org/media/2024-12-10/simpsons-won-monday-night-football-bengals-cowboys-tvkiese" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN">Lisa Simpsons scoring a touchdown against Homer</span></a><span lang="EN">.</span></p><p><a href="/ethnicstudies/people/core-faculty/jared-bahir-browsh" rel="nofollow"><em>Jared Bahir Browsh</em></a><em>&nbsp;is an assistant teaching professor of&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/undergraduate-programs-and-resources/critical-sport-studies" rel="nofollow"><em>critical sports studies</em></a><em>&nbsp;in the CU 麻豆影院&nbsp;</em><a href="/ethnicstudies/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Ethnic Studies</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about critical sports studies?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/50245/donations/" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The success of simulcasts means that fans can expect to see more creative takes on traditional sports, including SpongeBob SquarePants calling Saturday鈥檚 NFL Wild Card game.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/SpongeBob%20simulcast%20cropped.jpg?itok=3LbyuAeY" width="1500" height="522" alt="Noah Eagle, Nate Burleson, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star in football announcer booth"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 15:30:05 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6049 at /asmagazine 3 years later, Marshall Fire impacts still being learned /asmagazine/2025/01/02/3-years-later-marshall-fire-impacts-still-being-learned <span>3 years later, Marshall Fire impacts still being learned</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-01-02T14:23:38-07:00" title="Thursday, January 2, 2025 - 14:23">Thu, 01/02/2025 - 14:23</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-01/Marshall_Fire2.jpg?h=71976bb4&amp;itok=YM3GsPkA" width="1200" height="800" alt="Louisville, Colorado, neighborhood burned by Marshall Fire"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/240" hreflang="en">Geography</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1132" hreflang="en">Human Geography</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/945" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Colleen E. Reid</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>Wildfire smoke鈥檚 health risks can linger in homes that escape burning</em><span>鈥�</span><em>as Colorado鈥檚 Marshall Fire survivors discovered</em></p><hr><p>On Dec. 30, 2021, a <a href="https://research.noaa.gov/looking-back-at-colorados-marshall-fire/" rel="nofollow">wind-driven wildfire</a> raced through two communities just outside 麻豆影院, Colorado. In the span of about eight hours, <a href="https://wildfiretoday.com/2022/01/07/marshall-fire-updated-damage-assessment-1084-residences-destroyed/" rel="nofollow">more than 1,000 homes</a> and businesses burned.</p><p>The fire left entire blocks in ash, but among them, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2022/01/04/marshall-fire-map-destroyed-damaged-homes-businesses/" rel="nofollow">pockets of houses survived</a>, seemingly untouched. The owners of these homes may have felt relief at first. But fire damage can be deceiving, as many soon discovered.</p><p>When wildfires like the Marshall Fire reach the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fastest-population-growth-in-the-wests-wildland-urban-interface-is-in-areas-most-vulnerable-to-wildfires-173410" rel="nofollow">wildland-urban interface</a>, they are burning both vegetation and human-made materials. Vehicles and buildings burn, along with all of the things inside them<span>鈥�</span>electronics, paint, plastics, furniture.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Colleen%20E.%20Reid.jpg?itok=tBD1ZXQc" width="1500" height="2100" alt="headshot of Colleen E. Reid"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Colleen E. Reid, a CU 麻豆影院 associate professor of geography, and her research colleagues <span>created a </span><a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-mitigate-post-fire-smoke-impacts-your-home" rel="nofollow">checklist for people to use after urban wildfires</a><span> in the future to help them protect their health and reduce their risks when they return to smoke-damaged homes.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>Research shows that when human-made materials like these burn, <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26460/the-chemistry-of-fires-at-the-wildland-urban-interface" rel="nofollow">the chemicals released are different</a> from what is emitted when just vegetation burns. The smoke and ash can blow under doors and around windows in nearby homes, bringing in chemicals that stick to walls and other indoor surfaces and continue off-gassing for weeks to months, particularly in warmer temperatures.</p><p>In a <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsestair.4c00258" rel="nofollow">new study released three years after the Marshall Fire</a>, my colleagues and I looked at the health effects people experienced when they returned to still-standing homes. We also created a <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-mitigate-post-fire-smoke-impacts-your-home" rel="nofollow">checklist for people to use after urban wildfires</a> in the future to help them protect their health and reduce their risks when they return to smoke-damaged homes.</p><p><strong>Tests in homes found elevated metals and VOCs</strong></p><p>In the days after the Marshall Fire, residents quickly reached out to nearby scientists who study wildfire smoke and health risks at the 麻豆影院 and area labs. People wanted to know what was in the ash and <a href="https://theconversation.com/homes-that-survived-the-marshall-fire-1-year-ago-harbored-another-disaster-inside-heres-what-weve-learned-about-this-insidious-urban-wildfire-risk-196926" rel="nofollow">causing the lingering smells inside their homes</a>.</p><p>In homes we were able to test, my colleagues found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-023-01376-3" rel="nofollow">elevated levels of metals and PAHs 鈥� polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 鈥� in the ash</a>. We also found elevated VOCs 鈥� volatile organic compounds 鈥� in airborne samples. Some VOCs, such as <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/dioxins" rel="nofollow">dioxins</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/chemical-emergencies/chemical-fact-sheets/benzene.html" rel="nofollow">benzene</a>, <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/tsp/substances/ToxSubstance.aspx?toxid=39" rel="nofollow">formaldehyde</a> and <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/tsp/substances/ToxSubstance.aspx?toxid=25" rel="nofollow">PAHs</a>, can be toxic to humans. Benzene is a <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/substances/ToxSubstance.aspx?toxid=14" rel="nofollow">known carcinogen</a>.</p><p>People wanted to know whether the chemicals that got into their homes that day could harm their health.</p><p>At the time, we could find no information about physical health implications for people who have returned to smoke-damaged homes after a wildfire. To look for patterns, we <a href="https://www.marshallresilience.com/survey" rel="nofollow">surveyed residents</a> affected by the fire six months, one year and two years afterward.</p><p><strong>Symptoms six months after the fire</strong></p><p>Even six months after the fire, we found that <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsestair.4c00258" rel="nofollow">many people were reporting symptoms</a> that aligned with health risks related to smoke and ash from fires.</p><p>More than half (55%) of the people who responded to our survey reported that they were experiencing at least one symptom six months after the blaze that they attributed to the Marshall Fire. The most common symptoms reported were itchy or watery eyes (33%), headache (30%), dry cough (27%), sneezing (26%) and sore throat (23%).</p><p>All of these symptoms, as well as having a strange taste in one鈥檚 mouth, were associated with people reporting that their home smelled differently when they returned to it one week after the fire.</p><p>Many survey respondents said that the smells decreased over time. Most attributed the improvement in smell to the passage of time, cleaning surfaces and air ducts, replacing furnace filters, and removing carpet, textiles and furniture from the home. Despite this, many still had symptoms.</p><p>We found that living near a large number of burned structures was associated with these health symptoms. For every 10 additional destroyed buildings within 820 feet (250 meters) of a person鈥檚 home, there was a 21% increase in headaches and a 26% increase in having a strange taste in their mouth.</p><p>These symptoms align with what could be expected from exposure to the chemicals that we found in the ash and measured in the air inside the few <a href="https://theconversation.com/homes-that-survived-the-marshall-fire-1-year-ago-harbored-another-disaster-inside-heres-what-weve-learned-about-this-insidious-urban-wildfire-risk-196926" rel="nofollow">smoke-damaged homes that we were able to study</a> in depth.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Marshall%20Fire%20overview.jpg?itok=0koDXMc6" width="1500" height="1000" alt="burned neighborhood in Louisville, Colorado, after Marshall Fire"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>The Marshall Fire swept through several neighborhoods in Louisville and Superior, Colorado. In the homes that were left standing, residents dealt with lingering smoke and ash in their homes. (Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><strong>Lingering symptoms and questions</strong></p><p>There are a still a lot of unanswered questions about the health risks from smoke- and ash-damaged homes.</p><p>For example, we don鈥檛 yet know what long-term health implications might look like for people living with lingering gases from wildfire smoke and ash in a home.</p><p>We found a significant <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsestair.4c00258" rel="nofollow">decline in the number of people</a> reporting symptoms one year after the fire. However, 33% percent of the people whose homes were affected still reported at least one symptom that they attributed to the fire. 麻豆影院 the same percentage also reported at least one symptom two years after the fire.</p><p>We also could not measure the level of VOCs or metals that each person was exposed to. But we do think that reports of a change in the smell of a person鈥檚 home one week after the fire demonstrates the likely presence of VOCs in the home. That has health implications for people whose homes are exposed to smoke or ash from a wildfire.</p><p><strong>Tips to protect yourself after future wildfires</strong></p><p>Wildfires are <a href="https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10442427" rel="nofollow">increasingly burning homes and other structures</a> as <a href="https://theconversation.com/human-exposure-to-wildfires-has-more-than-doubled-in-two-decades-who-is-at-risk-might-surprise-you-207903" rel="nofollow">more people move into</a> the wildland-urban interface, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213815120" rel="nofollow">temperatures rise</a> and fire seasons lengthen.</p><p>It can be confusing to know what to do if your home is one that survives a wildfire nearby. To help, my colleagues and I put together a <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/news/how-mitigate-post-fire-smoke-impacts-your-home" rel="nofollow">website of steps to take</a> if your home is ever infiltrated by smoke or ash from a wildfire.</p><p>Here are a few of those steps:</p><ul><li>When you鈥檙e ready to clean your home, start by protecting yourself. Wear at least an N95 (or KN95) mask and gloves, goggles and clothing that covers your skin.</li><li>Vacuum floors, drapes and furniture. But avoid harsh chemical cleaners because they can react with the chemicals in the ash.</li><li>Clean your HVAC filter and ducts to avoid spreading ash further. Portable air cleaners with carbon filters can help remove VOCs.</li></ul><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh8263" rel="nofollow">A recent scientific study</a> documents how <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-leaves-harmful-gases-in-floors-and-walls-air-purifiers-arent-enough-new-study-shows-but-you-can-clean-it-up-214060" rel="nofollow">cleaning all surfaces</a> within a home can reduce reservoirs of VOCs and lower indoor air concentrations of VOCs.</p><p>Given that we don鈥檛 know much yet about the health harms of smoke- and ash-damaged homes, it is important to take care in how you clean so you can do the most to protect your health.</p><hr><p><a href="/lab/damrauergroup/arindam-sau" rel="nofollow"><em><span>Colleen E. Reid</span></em></a><em> is an associate professor in the </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>麻豆影院</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em><a href="/chemistry/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Geography</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smokes-health-risks-can-linger-in-homes-that-escape-burning-as-colorados-marshall-fire-survivors-discovered-245939" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Wildfire smoke鈥檚 health risks can linger in homes that escape burning鈥攁s Colorado鈥檚 Marshall Fire survivors discovered.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/Marshall%20Fire%20cropped.jpg?itok=qYAkfbdg" width="1500" height="593" alt="Louisville, Colorado, neighborhood burned by Marshall Fire"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Top image: Bmurphy380/Wikipedia Commons</div> Thu, 02 Jan 2025 21:23:38 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6044 at /asmagazine Breaking bonds in 'forever chemicals' /asmagazine/2024/12/20/breaking-bonds-forever-chemicals <span>Breaking bonds in 'forever chemicals'</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-20T10:23:20-07:00" title="Friday, December 20, 2024 - 10:23">Fri, 12/20/2024 - 10:23</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/PFAS%20foam.jpg?h=af5dbc32&amp;itok=CpTndmdU" width="1200" height="800" alt="white PFAS foam on beach"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/837" hreflang="en">Chemistry</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <span>Arindam Sau</span> <span>,&nbsp;</span> <span>Mihai Popescu and Xin Liu</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>We developed a way to use light to dismantle PFAS 鈥榝orever chemicals鈥欌€�<span>long-lasting</span> environmental pollutants</em></p><hr><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-destroy-a-forever-chemical-scientists-are-discovering-ways-to-eliminate-pfas-but-this-growing-global-health-problem-isnt-going-away-soon-188965" rel="nofollow">Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS</a>, have earned the nickname of <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-pfas-the-forever-chemicals-showing-up-in-drinking-water-an-environmental-health-scientist-explains-185015" rel="nofollow">forever chemicals</a> from their extraordinary ability to stick around in the environment long after they鈥檝e been used.</p><p>These synthetic compounds, commonly used in consumer products and industrial applications for their water- and grease-resistant properties, are now found practically everywhere <a href="https://www.pfasfree.org.uk/about-pfas" rel="nofollow">in the environment</a>.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-12/Arindam%20Sau.jpg?itok=nOx39At5" width="1500" height="1546" alt="headshot of Arindam Sau"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Arindam Sau, a Ph.D. candidate in the CU 麻豆影院 Department of Chemistry, along with Colorado State University research colleagues Mihai Popescu and Xin Liu, <span>developed a chemical system that uses light to break down bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms.</span></p> </span> </div></div><p>While many chemicals will degrade <a href="https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1543-measuring-biodegradability" rel="nofollow">relatively quickly</a> after they鈥檙e disposed of, PFAS <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.03.009" rel="nofollow">can stick around</a> for up to 1,000 years. This durability is great for their use in firefighting foams, nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing and even food packaging.</p><p><span>However, their resilience means that they persist in soil, water and even living organisms. They can accumulate over time and </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/pfas-how-research-is-uncovering-damaging-effects-of-forever-chemicals-216772" rel="nofollow">affect the health</a><span> of both ecosystems and humans.</span></p><p>Some initial research has shown potential links between PFAS exposure and various <a href="https://theconversation.com/pfas-forever-chemicals-why-epa-set-federal-drinking-water-limits-for-these-health-harming-contaminants-227621" rel="nofollow">health issues</a> 鈥� including cancers, immune system suppression and hormone disruption. These concerns have led scientists to search for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceja.2022.100421" rel="nofollow">effective ways to break down</a> these stubborn chemicals.</p><p>We鈥檙e a team of researchers who developed a chemical system that uses light to break down bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms. These strong chemical bonds help PFAS resist degradation. We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08327-7" rel="nofollow">published this work in Nature</a> in November 2024, and we hope this technique could help address the widespread contamination these substances cause.</p><p><strong>Why PFAS compounds are so hard to break down</strong></p><p>PFAS compounds have carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest in chemistry. These bonds make PFAS incredibly stable. They resist the degradation processes that usually break down industrial chemicals 鈥� <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/hydrolysis" rel="nofollow">including hydrolysis</a>, <a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Analytical_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Analytical_Chemistry)/Electrochemistry/Redox_Chemistry/Definitions_of_Oxidation_and_Reduction" rel="nofollow">oxidation</a> and microbial breakdown.</p><p>Conventional water treatment methods <a href="https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/Forever-chemicals-technologies-aim-destroy/97/i12" rel="nofollow">can remove PFAS from water</a>, but these processes merely concentrate the contaminants instead of destroying them. The resulting PFAS-laden materials are typically sent to landfills. Once disposed of, they can still leach back into the environment.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.602040" rel="nofollow">The current methods</a> for breaking carbon-fluorine bonds depend on use of metals and very <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/technical_brief_pfas_incineration_ioaa_approved_final_july_2019.pdf" rel="nofollow">high temperatures</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.soci.org/news/general-news/platinum-breaks-strongest-carbon-bond" rel="nofollow">platinum metal</a> can be used for this purpose. This dependence makes these methods expensive, energy-intensive and challenging to use on a large scale.</p><p><strong>How our new photocatalytic system works</strong></p><p>The new method our team has developed uses a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoredox_catalysis" rel="nofollow">purely organic photocatalyst</a>. A photocatalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction using light, without being consumed in the process. Our system harnesses energy from cheap blue LEDs to drive a set of chemical reactions.</p><p>After absorbing light, the photocatalyst <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SC07101K" rel="nofollow">transfers electrons</a> to the molecules containing fluorine, which breaks down the sturdy carbon-fluorine bonds.</p><p>By directly targeting and dismantling the molecular structure of PFAS, photocatalytic systems like ours hold the potential for complete mineralization. Complete mineralization is a process that transforms these harmful chemicals into harmless end products, like hydrocarbons and fluoride ions, which degrade easily in the environment. The degraded products can then be safely reabsorbed by plants.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-12/PFAS%20graph.jpg?itok=WcWKn3Jn" width="1500" height="1500" alt="graph of items that contain PFAS"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>A wide variety of products can contain PFAS. (Graphic: City of Riverside, California)</span></p> </span> </div></div><p><strong>Potential applications and benefits</strong></p><p>One of the most promising aspects of this new photocatalytic system is its simplicity. The setup is essentially a small vial illuminated by two LEDs, with two small fans added to keep it cool during the process. It operates under mild conditions and does not use any metals, which are <a href="https://ehs.stanford.edu/reference/information-alkali-metals" rel="nofollow">often hazardous</a> to handle and can sometimes be explosive.</p><p>The system鈥檚 reliance on light 鈥� a readily available and renewable energy source 鈥� could make it economically viable and sustainable. As we refine it, we hope that it could one day operate with minimal energy input, outside of the energy powering the light.</p><p>This platform can also transform other organic molecules that contain carbon-fluorine bonds into valuable chemicals. For instance, thousands of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/fluoroarene" rel="nofollow">fluoroarenes</a> are commonly available as industrial chemicals and laboratory reagents. These can be transformed into building blocks for making a variety of other materials, including medicines and everyday products.</p><p><strong>Challenges and future directions</strong></p><p>While this new system shows potential, challenges remain. Currently, we can degrade PFAS only on a small scale. While our experimental setup is effective, it will require substantial scaling up to tackle the PFAS problem on a larger level. Additionally, large molecules with hundreds of carbon-fluorine bonds, like Teflon, do not dissolve into the solvent we use for these reactions, even at high temperatures.</p><p>As a result, the system currently can鈥檛 break down these materials, and we need to conduct more research.</p><p>We also want to improve the long-term stability of these catalysts. Right now, these organic photocatalysts degrade over time, especially when they鈥檙e under constant LED illumination. So, designing catalysts that retain their efficiency over the long term will be essential for practical, large-scale use. Developing methods to regenerate or recycle these catalysts without losing performance will also be key for scaling up this technology.</p><p>With our colleagues at the <a href="http://suprcat.com/" rel="nofollow">Center for Sustainable Photoredox Catalysis</a>, we plan to keep working on light-driven catalysis, aiming to discover more light-driven reactions that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MprZ46MuPaQ" rel="nofollow">solve practical problems</a>. SuPRCat is a <a href="https://www.nsf.org/" rel="nofollow">National Science Foundation</a>-funded nonprofit Center for Chemical Innovation. The teams there are working to develop reactions for more sustainable chemical manufacturing.</p><p>The end goal is to create a system that can remove PFAS contaminants from drinking water at purification plants, but that鈥檚 still a long way off. We鈥檇 also like to one day use this technology to clean up PFAS-contaminated soils, making them safe for farming and restoring their role in the environment.</p><hr><p><a href="/lab/damrauergroup/arindam-sau" rel="nofollow"><em><span>Arindam Sau</span></em></a><em> is a Ph.D. candidate in the </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-colorado-boulder-733" rel="nofollow"><em>麻豆影院</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em><a href="/chemistry/" rel="nofollow"><em>Department of Chemistry</em></a><em>; </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mihai-popescu-2254585" rel="nofollow"><em><span>Mihai Popescu</span></em></a><em> is a postdoctoral associate in chemistry at Colorado State University; </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/xin-liu-2254601" rel="nofollow"><em><span>Xin Liu</span></em></a><em> is a postdoctoral scholar in chemistry at Colorado State University.</em></p><p><em>This article is republished from&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>&nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-developed-a-way-to-use-light-to-dismantle-pfas-forever-chemicals-long-lasting-environmental-pollutants-244263" rel="nofollow"><em>original article</em></a><em>.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>We developed a way to use light to dismantle PFAS 鈥榝orever chemicals鈥� 鈥� long-lasting environmental pollutants.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-12/PFAS%20foam.jpg?itok=r0uPZMdI" width="1500" height="1125" alt="white PFAS foam on beach"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Top image: PFAS foam washed up on beach (Photo: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy)</div> Fri, 20 Dec 2024 17:23:20 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6041 at /asmagazine Sand verbena uses grains of sand to deter herbivores /asmagazine/2024/12/19/sand-verbena-uses-grains-sand-deter-herbivores <span>Sand verbena uses grains of sand to deter herbivores</span> <span><span>Rachel Sauer</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-19T12:41:09-07:00" title="Thursday, December 19, 2024 - 12:41">Thu, 12/19/2024 - 12:41</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/sand%20verbena%20Abronia%20fragrans%202.jpg?h=41f55a5b&amp;itok=d2GQUcxn" width="1200" height="800" alt="Sand verbena plant with white flowers"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/889"> Views </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1242" hreflang="en">Division of Natural Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/256" hreflang="en">Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1150" hreflang="en">views</a> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/jeff-mitton-0">Jeff Mitton</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em><span>Apparently, herbivores are not fond of chewing sandpaper</span></em></p><hr><p><span>Sand verbena, </span><em><span>Abronia fragrans</span></em><span>, has a moth pollination syndrome, or a suite of floral characters modified by natural selection driven by moth pollination. Its flowers are open all night but closed all day, and long corolla tubes prevent bees from taking nectar but are ideal for moths with long tongues.</span></p><p><span>Moths follow plumes of floral fragrance from sand verbena until they are within sight of the bright, conspicuous white globes of 25 to 80 flowers, where they sip a nectar reward.</span></p><p><span>Although sand verbena has a large geographic range, it is limited to sandy habitats in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. While sand verbena is described as having white flowers that open only at night, populations in northern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma have a range of flower colors from light pink through fuchsia, and they also differ from most populations in the times that flowers open and close.</span></p><p><span>The plants with pink or fuchsia flowers remain open until late morning, and they reopen in early evening, allowing considerable visitation by bees and butterflies. Measurements of pollination success in the pink and fuchsia populations showed that diurnal or daytime pollination contributed 18% of the pollination success, in contrast to nothing at all in the remainder of the geographic range of the species.</span></p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="align-center image_style-large_image_style"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-12/Dwarf%20lupine%20Lupinus%20pusillus%20crop%202%20DN%20CL.jpg?itok=JG_kbyBk" width="1500" height="1499" alt="Dwarf lupine plant with purple blooms"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Dwarf lupine with patches and particles of sand on its flowers, leaves and stem. (Photo: Jeff Mitton)&nbsp;</span></p> </span> </div> </div></div><p><span>These data are consistent with the hypothesis that diurnal pollinators were a selective force producing and maintaining novel flower color and diurnal presentation of open flowers in the mornings and late afternoons. The long corolla tubes frustrate bee efforts to collect pollen or nectar but hold nectar available to virtually all butterflies.</span></p><p><span>Butterflies are visiting diurnally鈥攖he most common among them is the skipper </span><em><span>Lerodea eufala</span></em><span>, the Eufala skipper. These data and other observations suggest the hypothesis that the Eufala skipper applied selective pressure to change flower color from white to pink or fuchsia and to modify the times that flowers open and close.</span></p><p><span>How could a butterfly apply selection pressure? This terminology unintentionally suggests that the butterflies had a plan and the organization to apply it. But that was not the case. If some flowers did not close exactly at sunrise and if a small butterfly pollinated them, enhancing their seed set, the genes that influenced tardy closing of flowers would become more common in the next generation.</span></p><p><span>The butterfly did nothing more than sip nectar from a large globe of flowers, nor did the sand verbena do anything to achieve an intended goal. The metric of natural selection is the relative number of offspring produced by competing genotypes of sand verbena. Genes that had been rare produce more seeds, making those genes more common.</span></p><p><span>Sand verbena is in the genus </span><em><span>Abronia</span></em><span>, which has about 20 species, all in North and Central America. All thrive in sandy environments, and it is known that 14 of the 20 species have psammophory, a defense to herbivory that is more commonly called sand armor. The armor is assembled when wind-blown sandy grit adheres to sticky exudates on stems and leaves.</span></p><p><span>I first encountered psammophory when photographing dwarf lupine in the Maze in Canyonlands National Park, and since then I thought it was a rare defense. But a scientific article whose title begins with "Chewing sandpaper" lists more than 200 psammophorous species in 88 genera in 34 families.</span></p><p><span>Sand armor is not a rare defense; it is geographically widespread and has evolved many times. Experimental studies show that sand armor reduces herbivory鈥攔emove it from stems and leaves, and the plant suffers more herbivory than when the armor was intact. Add more sand, and the plant suffers less herbivory.</span></p><p><span>While sand verbena has a large geographic range, some species of </span><em><span>Abronia</span></em><span> have tiny geographic distributions. One example is Yellowstone sand verbena, </span><em><span>A. ammophila</span></em><span>, which is adapted to and endemic (found nowhere else) to the lake shores in Yellowstone National Park.</span></p><p><span>An obligate relationship was found recently when a new species of moth, </span><em><span>Copablepharon fuscum</span></em><span>, was discovered in 1995 on the shores of the Salish Sea between Georgia Straight and Puget Sound. The sand-verbena moth was found on just a few beaches and spits on Vancouver Island and Whidbey Island, and it only occupies sites with windblown sand and large and dense populations of </span><em><span>A. latifolia</span></em><span>, yellow sand verbena, which is found along Pacific Shores from Baja to British Columbia.</span></p><p><span>The sand-verbena moth uses yellow sand verbena as its host plant, meaning that it is the site of oviposition and the sole food consumed by the caterpillars. The caterpillars have specialized mouth parts allowing them to manipulate around grains of sand.</span></p><p><span>I know I will never see a sand verbena nor a dwarf lupine without the phrase "chewing sandpaper" popping into my thoughts.</span></p><hr><p><em>Did you enjoy this article?&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cu.tfaforms.net/73" rel="nofollow"><em>Subscribe to our newsletter.</em></a><em>&nbsp;Passionate about ecology and evolutionary biology?&nbsp;</em><a href="/ebio/donate" rel="nofollow"><em>Show your support.</em></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Apparently, herbivores are not fond of chewing sandpaper.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-12/sand%20verbena%20cropped.jpg?itok=c4WNvvEN" width="1500" height="662" alt="White sand verbena in bloom"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Top image: Sand verbena usually presents white blooms but response to a pollinator can turn a population pink or fuchsia. (Photo: Jeff Mitton)</div> Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:41:09 +0000 Rachel Sauer 6038 at /asmagazine