Power of the Lyrics

There are many songs that speak about political, religious, or social issues that are confronting the public. These songs may have a direct impact on the legislature, however, I would argue that the more powerful piece of this issue is not the direct influence on law and politicians but an influence on the people who listen to their music, to perhaps join forces with their ideals, and strive to get them changed. What do you think? Do you know of any songs that have influenced you this way?

POWER of ROME

I guess since I just wrote my Western Heritage paper, I'm going to stick with the theme of Power, but continue onward with it in an educational sense. The power of the Roman Empire was extremely overwhelming and therefore Rome was without a doubt one of the most influential governing bodies in the history of the world. It is interesting, however, that we can form such parelels between Rome and the United States. Poor economy, lost faith, overwhelming debt, high taxes, social classes, poverty, etc. Do you see a possible collapse, of a once great Nation of ours, to simply fall into a heap of history, similar to the Romans? After all we haven't been around for nearly as long as they were. What do you think?

Power Away From Sports

Today's post speaks about power as well, however I thought this time I would take a conversation from my philosophy class and spin it into a blog session over power. The argument dealt with Descartes and his discussion about the existence of a physical world. He claimed in his early Meditation writings that the only thing we can prove exists is our mind, rather than our body. He claims that we can't prove the existence of our bodies and other things that only exist physically, but can prove the existence of our mind based on the idea of processing thoughts. This all has to do with the idea of an existence of one all-powerful being, or God. Is it possible that the God, or all-powerful being that you believe in, could be so powerful that he convinces us these realities exist? Or would that be going against the notion of a perfect being to corrupt our thoughts?

Money over Joy

Money money money. That's what makes the world go round, right? Well you could definitely make this argument in modern day sports. Take for example the current free agent situation of Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee is being pursued by many different teams, all in which are looking to make a deal with the lefty pitcher. The problem is, how much money can we afford to offer this guy? While having to pay other players, staff, and bills for usage of the the field, etc. How can you afford to pay these salaries to high demand athletes. Can this relate to power once again? Do the athletes virtually have all power in their control over teams, based on the price they are requesting to be payed?

Too Legit to Quit?

My next thoughts were about the current quarterback situation in Minnesota. This of course was a job that was up for grabs until Brett Favre decided he didn't want to retire. Once again I take this discussion back to the idea of the power that athletes have over the organization. Brett Favre made it an extremely difficult off-season for both the Vikings and Tavaris Jackson, the back-up quarterback. He wasn't too sure whether or not he wanted to, or would be able to come back and play this season, as he had done in seasons before. The problem is that, now, the Vikings are struggling and Favre got hurt once again. Tavaris Jackson came into the game however and performed extremely well. The question then becomes what to do with Favre? Should he be benched for the next game, even if he is healthy? Or should the Vikings allow him to keep his consecutive games started streak alive? This is the ongoing debate if indeed he is healthy to play next week, however I'd argue that he powerful influence on the staff in Minnesota, may be too great to bench him. Should his past make a difference? or should the Vikings do what is best for the future of the team?

Power vs. Fame

This post is in relation to the post that Paul had about role models. I believe that role models that are celebrities hold more power perhaps over the people who look up to them than a regular, every day role model would. I say this because you can take a convicted felon in professional sports, and as long as they return to the field and succeed, people will cherish them. This is not the case, I would argue, for everyday, average people, who once convicted on a felony, find it very difficult to do much of anything. This is the type of person who could go from having everything, to having nothing, and generally speaking that's not the type of person people look up to.
So the question is, do celebrities hold more power over the public? Do they receive special treatment? Are they the only ones who deserve a second chance?

More Power in Sports?

Power has become more and more obvious in the sports world. Aside from contract negotiations such as Derek Jeter, things like trade requests can exemplify power as well. This power is shown by guys such as Randy Moss, former New England Patriot, and Minnesota Viking and now wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans. Randy Moss expressed his disliking towards playing in New England, and expressed how he felt like an outcast of sorts who was disliked by members of the organization and coaching staff. He made these remarks in a post-game interview. Within the week, he had been released by the Patriots. A similar scenario happened with the Vikings when after a game, moss stated that he missed the players on the Patriots, as well as head coach Bill Belichick, and later found himself a member of the Tennessee Titans. The question remains, do athletes have too much power? They are constantly expressing their disliking with their current situation or contract, and often succeed to get a change. Should they be allowed to badmouth their teams? Should they be able to request trades or demand more money? Or should they just play the game and shut their mouths?

Power in Sports Back at Work

Today's blog serves the purpose of pointing out the power that is shown by athletes in professional sports. The best example of player's power in the sports industry perhaps is being shown by prominent Yankee, and face of the franchise, Derek Jeter. The issue at hand is contract negotiations. The Yankees are offering Derek Jeter a contract of about 3 years $45 million, which would be $15 million a year. Derek Jeter, an aging shortstop, is requesting a long-term deal that would assure him about 4-5 years at about $23 million per year. This has become an issue because Derek Jeter, being a long-time captain, as well as face of the franchise for over 10 years, has threatened to test the free agent waters in search for more money, if a deal can't be agreed upon. This shows the power of the players in the modern era, where they virtually have total control over their organization by threatening to leave and play elsewhere if they are not being payed how they would like to be payed.