State Cup

As a big sports fan over the course of my life I have primarily followed the three main sports in the United States of baseball, basketball, and football. And just as I have watched the sports I have also played all three. Being by far the most successful in basketball. But recently I went to an event for the first time that honestly shocked me at the vast number of players, teams, and fans. The Iowa State Cup. This huge soccer tournament for ultimate bragging rights among the youth soccer players from all over the state. To be perfectly honest I would have never ever gone to or known about the State Cup if it weren't for my girlfriend's soccer team who has had quite of bit of success over the past few years at the event, winning 3 of the past 5 years. This year's she wasn't quite as lucky sadly and ended up losing in the championship game to a team they had beaten on the first day. She is still a little bit mad about this so I hope she doesn't end up reading this. But as I went to watch the first soccer game I have been to in probably over two years, I was expecting to see some boring soccer game at a small field with a bunch of parents and yelling coaches around me. In all actuality I was shocked when I arrived. Hundreds of cars parked back to back to back cramped in a huge parking lot as well as over 30 soccer fields with games being played on each and every one. In my life I have been to some pretty big basketball tournaments all over the midwest but his soccer tournament by far takes the cake as the largest tournament. The format is set up so that it takes place over 4 weekends from start to finals and hundreds of teams from all different age ranges from all over the state come to compete. I have never found soccer particularly fun to watch but in this environment and with as close as some of the games end up being it's actually a great time. The complex is only 10 to 15 minute drive depending on where you live in Cedar Rapids and is really worth the time. If you have never been to a State Cup soccer game I really do recommend going and taking in the whole atmosphere. You won't regret it. (412)

Skizzy Mars Concert Review

In my very first blog of the school year I wrote about an up and coming rapper from New York. Skizzy Mars, who is by far my favorite musician, and on October 1st I was lucky enough to see him in concert. The concert was at the Blue Moose which is a bar in Iowa City but the concert was open to people of all ages. To be perfectly honest I did expect a much bigger crowd, but his performance itself did not disappoint. The opening performer was a rapper who was actually from Iowa City and he was mediocre. He had some nice lines but for the most part I couldn't understand a lot of what he said and he was super duper hyped for no apparent reason. Next came out the Miniature Tigers. They were kind of an Indy-Rock type band who were actually on tour with Skizzy. Before the show I had never really listened to any of the Miniature Tigers music and wasn't quite sure what to expect. When they began performing to put it best their music was not really for me. They have kind of a slow nostalgic sound that I didn't particularly enjoy. While I wasn't very fond of their music I will admit that the Miniature Tigers did steal the show when they did one particular thing that left everybody talking when we left. With about one song left in their set the lead singer of the group (who was a male) went over the keyboardist (also a male) and they began making out in front of everybody at the show. After I got over the shock of what had just happened I was finally ready for Skizzy to come on. Before the show I was a little bit apprehensive that perhaps he wouldn't sound quite as good in person as he does in his produced songs. But after the first song all that fear went away. In my opinion he was even better in person and had an amazing stage presence about him as well as personality. He performed around 15 of his best songs some of which he changed up performed different live. After his performance he was even kind enough to agree to a meet and greet with the fans. That concert just reassured my belief in what a cool and nice guy Skizzy Mars is and I will probably always be a fan no matter where life takes him. (411)

800 Million Dollar Check

As I was searching the Internet for entertainment news that seemed interesting to me I came across one that jumped out to me on the HuffingtonPost.com the article read that reportedly the lead singer of Led Zeppelin was offered a $800 million check to reunite with the band and go on a tour to which he ripped up the contract and check. My first thought when reading this was "WHAT?!? Who in their right mind would ever rip up a check for that amount of money even if they were already wealthy?" But then I really got to thinking about it and I truly don't think that this rumor is real. If there is anything that the internet has taught me it's that you can't believe everything you read. Whether it's from some fake news source or just a case of miscommunication a lot of what I come across on the internet I take like a grain of salt. But just for fun let's pretend that this article is 100 percent true and the lead singer of Led Zeppelin really did rip up a check for 800 million dollars. I suppose there could be a couple of reasons for him doing this. First off for being the lead singer of an incredibly successful and popular band like Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant must have quite a bit of money saved up. But even if money isn't an issue for the former musician there had to be another reason. I honestly have never been a fan of Led Zeppelin and couldn't tell you much about the band itself, but something I do know is that a ton of bands don't last because of fighting. Whether it's over who gets more recognition or who gets paid the most there always has to be a level of competition among band members. Even if the band did fall out over constant arguing or bickering among the guys I can't help but think you would be able to get along enough for just a month's worth of shows for a paycheck that fat. I guess it is kind of different for someone like me who could never dream about that amount of money let alone see a check for it. (374)

America's Pastime

If you were to ask someone of my grandfather's generation, "What was America's past time?" I think the answer would be quick and simple, "Baseball." From the time my 84 year old grandfather was a small boy living on his parents farm in rural Iowa he had priorities. First came taking care of the farm chores, second came school, and third came playing baseball with his brother. Whether it was just a regular season game or a big playoff game my grandfather's father always had the radio on listening to the Cardinals games rooting on his favorite team. But as time and people have shifted we have seen a change. Away from the grace and elegance of baseball, and more to the power and destruction of football. If you ask that same question today I believe a lot if not most kids would say football. But why has America's attention shifted? From the sophisticated ways of people like Mickey Mantle and Satchel Paige to the bone crushing high speed hits. I think it is a need for violence that for some reason we as people enjoy watching. But as America's new past time becomes more and more popular it also faces more and more scrutiny for the way it's players are forced to live after their careers. Research done in the past few years on the subject of concussions and lawsuits from previous NFL players has in my eyes started the end of football. Just this year I have seen on Sportscenter that two highschool football players have died from hard hits on the field. Today during a conversation with one of my teachers she brought up that she believed that within the next ten years football will no longer be a highschool sport. I think that 10 years is a bit quick but in my opinion I truly believe that within the next 20 years highschool football will no longer be a thing. You may ask well what will be America's next new past time? My answer to this is easy, basketball. Basketball combines both the grace and elegance of baseball with the some of the power that is displayed in football. It is a fast paced game that people all over the world as well as country can play and enjoy. I truly believe within the next 20 years all of the love and media attention that follows football right now will slowly transition to the game of basketball. (411)