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INTERNATIONAL: Borders opening

by Camden Osborne, McKenzie Roberts–

Photo by Pexels.com

Traveling internationally has been made possible again for tourists all over the world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was a halt in traveling and many borders shut down to prevent the spread. Many countries are now making it possible for tourists to visit different countries by following certain guidelines.

In this edition of the International podcast, Camden Osborne and McKenzie Roberts discuss what this means for countries opening up their doors again. They also take a closer look at different requirements to be eligible to travel inside of borders. They also touch on Israel, Australia and United States borders being opened and how that will impact the economy.

SPORTS: “March Madness” branding to include women

by Camden Osborne and Kalley Sullivan–

After social media exposed the disparities between the men’s and women’s post-season college basketball tournaments, the NCAA responded to these gender inequities recently announcing that the “March Madness” logo, terminology, and branding historically used for the men’s tournament will now be used for the women’s tournament as well.

In this edition of The News Feed’s Sports Podcast, we take a look at this step In this edition of The News Feed’s Sports Podcast, we take a look at this step towards a more gender-equal playing field in the world of sports and what this could mean for the future of female athletes. We will discuss the effectiveness of this NCAA decision in regard to the public’s perception of women’s basketball and, more broadly, sports, as well as what further changes this could ignite moving forward.

LIFE/STYLE: Netflix’s “Squid Games” impact

by Rory Ailor, Jonas Buckberg–

Netflix released “Squid Games” and it grossed over 111 million viewers in it’s first 2 weeks. This makes the premiere the largest in Netflix’s history, and it is only growing. The show highlights many aspects of society, including the wealth gap and class system, as well as testing how far the human will go for money. The Korean-based thriller was made with many up-and-coming actors, as it was a breakthrough season for many of the main characters.

On this podcast, Rory and Jonas discuss how ‘Squid Games’ is affecting society’s way of thinking about money and greed, as there have been many people playing these games in real life for money, just without a lot of the violence being re-created. They also discuss how the show is causing concerns for many parents, as it is displayed as the show is based on children’s games, but it has a lot of violence and gore.

SPORTS: Deshaun Watson allegations

by Rory Ailor and McKenzie Roberts–

On this edition of the Sports podcast for The News Feed, Rory Ailor and McKenzie Roberts discuss the aftermath of allegations made toward Deshaun Watson. Watson is a 26-year-old Houston Texans football player, who has been accused of being a sexual assailant for many women. According to The Clemson Insider Watson has lost a lot of his sponsorships due to these accusations, not to mention the support lost by fans. Watson’s Nike sponsorship became suspended, Reliant Energy removed him as a brand ambassador, and Beats by Dr. Dre terminated his contract.

The sport that brought him much success has been put to a halt. According to Larry Brown Sports, he is still a member of the Houston Texans team but has not played for the past few games. Throughout this podcast Rory Ailor and Mckenzie Roberts discuss what Deshaun Watson’s future might entail.

The News Feed · DeshaunWatsonAllegations_ Sportspodcast

SCI/TECH: What’s next for civilian space travel?

by Kamryn Buza and Kalley Sullivan

Astronauts of Inspiration4 flying aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft land in the Atlantic Ocean. COURTESY OF SPACEX/INSPIRATION4

Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its first civilian flight on the Inspiration 4. A big question that remains is what does this mean for the future of tourist travel in space and what are the implications of it for Earth.

The Inspiration 4 mission cost just under $200 million dollars with 5 more SpaceX tourist flights already planned for the upcoming months and years. Other companies such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are also working on plans to take civilians to space.

John Harris from The Guardian leaves us with the question, is space now a playground for the rich?

INTERNATIONAL: Immigration issues, solutions

by Katie Leeper, Abass Al Zanjne–

Immigration has been a hot topic of debate among politicians for years but in the midst of the pandemic & change of presidency, the historic surge of immigrants storming our borders from not only Mexico – but also from the Middle East & Africa – has caused many issues. In this podcast, we will discuss issues ranging from healthcare to the economy to border security.

Many countries do not want their citizens to leave & the United States doesn’t want individuals to enter illegally so international actors are having to work together to find a solution. In this podcast, we will discuss possible solutions – specifically building a wall along the Southern Border.

SPORTS: NCAA athlete compensation crisis

Photo on Pexels.com.

by Jett Hooker, Maddison Dempsey —

The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) officials have been considering proposals that would make it possible for top collegiate athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness. However, the money that some athletes would receive as compensation would come from the revenue that is meant to fund a variety of different sports, including women’s teams.

As a result, the NCAA has received criticism for considering the compensation proposals, especially after the 2021 March Madness Tournament in which the men’s basketball teams received better facilities and rewards than the women’s basketball teams due to the differences in revenue that the teams bring in. Many coaches, players and even athletic directors are concerned that the state of play for women’s sports teams will only grow worse by compensating athletes that bring in the most money, since it will be taking away the little bit of revenue that women’s teams have to work with. Additionally, if the proposals are passed, it will be hard for schools to adhere to the Title IX gender equality rules that are currently in place, which could ultimately cause further problems for women collegiate athletes.

ARTS/CULTURE: Rebounding Art Market

By Evan Hughes and Patrick Cunningham

*NOTE: Header image is not the painting discussed in the podcast due to copyright laws.*

On this edition of the Arts and Culture podcast for The News Feed, Even Hughes and Patrick Cunningham discuss an article from the New York Times about a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat that recently sold at auction for $41.9 million. The piece titled “Warrior” from 1982 depicts African American men’s struggles in a white-dominated world.

This edition of the podcast also discusses how the sale of the piece hopefully is a sign that the art market is rebounding after a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, as written about in an article from ArtNews.com. Stretching beyond the art market, Evan and Patrick discuss how this is also hopefully a sign for a revival of art museums and work for artists, as the end of COVID is hopefully in sight.

SCI/TECH: LG discontinues smartphone business

The Korean company, LG, announced recently that they are officially quitting the smartphone business after 12 years. This decision came after years of struggling in the competition against popular brands such as Apple and Samsung. The company has also suffered billions of dollars in losses from its smartphones globally.

Even though they were claimed to be the third-largest smartphone maker in 2013, LG suffered tremendous losses with their products that were too gimmicky and not functional enough to compete with bigger brands. Despite this, they tried to make smartphones with new innovations and features such as a curved smartphone screen and a rollable tablet phone that was supposed to be released this year.

LIFE/STYLE: Spring is in the air, and it brought friends

Photo by **Ramaz Bluashvili** from **Pexels**

by Brandon Alimanestiano, Mason Gorelick–

Spring is finally back on the East coast and more importantly in Blacksburg, where residents are taking their lives back outside–masks on. Virginia Tech Students are taking back the Drillfield with the usual spring activities — showing up in the latest pandemic-inspired fashion trends. However, while students rejoice in the warmth, a looming annoyance is set to emerge.

On this Life/Style podcast episode, Brandon and Mason discuss some of the latest trends in mask fashion, and how creative they can become when using them as a style aid. Then, the two co-hosts take a turn and talk about the downside to the warmth: flying insects getting everywhere, and the impending doom of 17-year cicadas coming soon.