At the conclusion of the 2019 World Series, a story that had been speculated on for years broke detailing how the Houston Astros had been illegally stealing signs using an outfield camera and cheating in Major League Baseball games; most notably in 2017 when they won the World Series. Since the scandal was brought to the public’s attention, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager AJ Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season, the team was fined $5 million and forfeited their first and second round picks in the coming two years. However, Astros players were given immunity in exchange for information. At the conclusion of the investigation, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred’s findings along with the absence of punishment has sparked outrage among fans and MLB players on various teams.
In recent years there has been an increase of transgender athletes in competitive sports. The increase of transgender wins raises questions about whether or not it is fair for transgender athletes to compete with cisgender athletes. Currently, there are around 150 to 200 transgender athletes competing in NCAA sports.
In this episode we will explore the different points of view regarding transgender athletes in sporting competitions. The NCAA requires that transgender women must kept their testosterone levels below 10 nmol/L for a full year. However, data shows that transgender women still retain psychical advantages over cis women. Many people feel this advantage is unfair. However, many people believe banning the already marginalized group of transgender athletes is also unfair.
When Buzz Williams arrived at Virginia Tech, the men’s basketball team was ranked dead last in the ACC. However, by the time he left, the program was a formidable adversary in the conference, reaching its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 1967. After the disappointing departure of Williams, the Virginia Tech fan base has mixed emotions about the newly hired head coach, Mike Young. Having taken Wofford to the NCAA Tournament five of the past ten years, Young plans to bring his winning strategy to Cassell Coliseum. With over thirty years of coaching experience under his belt, he is confident in his ability to pick up where the program left off.
During his inaugural press conference, the Radford native said that returning to his home turf was a “dream come true.” Nonetheless, it appears most students are still divided about his homecoming, with some excited for a new era in Virginia Tech basketball and others anxious about such a turn of events.
The United States Women’s Soccer team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation because of the inequality of pay between them and their male counterparts on the U.S. Men’s team.
The women’s team (WNT) has a larger following, greater viewership and has won more titles than the men’s, yet still, their salaries are just a fraction of the men’s. Women on the team make just 38 percent of what men make. The maximum salary female players make is just $72,000, not including bonuses, according to ESPN.
A complaint was filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2016 regarding the need for equal pay in soccer. The complaint cited that the women’s team generated almost $20 million more in revenue than the men’s team. Despite this, male soccer players make nearly double per game, plus over $6,000 more per each bonus.
The Women’s National Team is using the hashtag #EqualPayforEqualPlay in support of their campaign.
Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 8 – Merryman Athletic Center: All of the Virginia Tech football offices can be found in the Merryman Athletic Center, where visitors are welcomed by the school’s logo at the main entrance. Photo: Ben Anderson
by Ben Anderson–
On Feb. 6, high school seniors across the nation signed their letters of intent, pledging their allegiance to the universities where they will be spending the next chapter of their lives.
Virginia Tech will welcome 20 freshmen next year from the 2019 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, the Hokies’ 2019 recruiting class ranks 26th nationally and third in the ACC with an average player rating of .8739.
Maybe the most impressive position group coming in for the Hokies is haul of offensive linemen. Losing three starters on the line, this position group needed to refill depth and talent. Offensive line coach, Vance Vice, got to work this offseason and will welcome four freshmen and one transfer to the offensive line room next fall.
According to ESPN, offensive guard, Doug Nestor, who flipped his commitment from Ohio State last Wednesday, is ranked the 72nd best recruit in the class of 2019. Nestor, along side Coastal Carolina transfer, Brock Hoffman, could see playing time for the Hokies as early has next fall.
After the transfer of multiple offensive weapons this offseason, Jaden Payoute and Keshawn King will be competing for playing time as soon as they step on campus. Rivals.com has Payoute listed in the top 40 wide receivers in the nation and King as the 23rd best running back.
247Sports quoted head coach Justin Fuente on last season saying, “We were awfully short-handed out there. Awfully short-handed. We can’t be that short-handed again next year.” With these new recruits committed to Virginia Tech, Fuente will look to add depth and stability to his roster.
Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 8 – Football Recruiting Employee: Zaire Turner works as a recruiting assistant for the Virginia Tech Football Program. Photo: Ben AndersonBlacksburg, Va., Feb. 8 –Student Recruiting Assistant: Hannah Richards volunteers as a student recruiting assistant for the Virginia Tech Football Program. Photo: Ben Anderson
Following the loss to Old Dominion University on Sept. 22, Virginia Tech football has faced many struggles. During the matchup, starting quarterback Josh Jackson broke his left fibula and had to be carted off the field in the fourth quarter. He will be sitting out the rest of the season following an intensive repair surgery.
Post-game internal controversy in the locker room led to the dismissal of Defensive End Trevon Hill. Hill led the team in sacks and was one of the star players on the defense. His dismissal will impact Bud Foster’s defense in future matchups as the Hokies fight for a chance at the playoffs.
Ryan Willis, a transfer from Kansas, is now Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback but the team seems to be unfamiliar with the new dynamic. After the loss to ODU, the Hokies regained their confidence and beat Duke in Durham on Sept. 29. Unfortunately, the winning streak didn’t last as the team lost against Notre Dame last Saturday at home. There is an obvious lack of consistency and chemistry when it comes to the young team.
The Hokies are traveling to Chapel Hill this weekend to take on the UNC Tarheels. Will the team win and regain momentum or disappoint once again?
ATLANTA, Ga., Sept. 24 – Tiger is back – Eldrick Tiger Woods fought his way to his first victory since 2013. A 5-year gap that included multiple back surgeries. Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
by Zack Perhach–
Here is my prediction for Tiger Woods’ next season: there will be a time, maybe within the first week or so, where Tiger will hit a 5-iron. The ball will jump high into the air, the crowd will begin yelling. Eldrick Tiger Woods, eyes still locked on the ball, will begin marching. Walking with confidence toward the hole, following his shot. He’ll pull the club down to his waist, all the while still marching forward.
In that moment, it will all feel real for Tiger Woods fans. Their one true question will be answered: is Tiger back? For those fans, it will feel like he’s back. Each and every one of them will believe again in that moment.
But the reality is, Tiger isn’t back. At least not the same Tiger, but that might be a good thing.
The Tiger Woods of old was a new breed of golfer. He was athletic, hit the ball far, and he drove his game down his opponents’ throats. He thrived in scenarios with somebody chasing him.
That was the Tiger who held the World Golf Rankings #1spot; a spot he held for 683 weeks. That is not a typo. Tiger was the world’s best golfer for almost 13 years until he wasn’t.
Today’s Tiger returned to golf ranked 1,199th in the world. He worked hard, and through the grind made his way to the 13th spot in just one season. He even recorded his first win since 2013.
The Tiger that won the 2018 Tour Championship was not the same Tiger who won all those other tournaments in years past. When he sunk the final putt to win, he didn’t pump his fist, he didn’t throw his ball in the air, he didn’t do any of that. Instead, he paused, took a deep breath, and hid his face as he tried to hold back tears.
Eldrick Tiger Woods’ game is changing. He’s older, slower, and less flexible. Despite that, he still owes the sport more. His last exit wasn’t the one a king deserves. Old Tiger is not back, but the new Tiger is here, playing the game for the game’s sake.
BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 10 – Department of Intercollegiate Athletics – Desiree Reed-Francois spent three years with the Hokies before accepting the AD job at UNLV. Photo: Zack Perhach
by Zack Perhach–
The Virginia Tech Athletics Department lost one of their key members this past year, as Desiree Reed-Francois stepped into the role of Athletic Director at University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Reed-Francois worked as Deputy Athletic Director under Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock. She was hired by Babcock twice; once at Cincinnati and again and Virginia Tech. One of Reed-Francois most critical accomplishments was the hiring of Virginia Tech Head Football Coach Justin Fuente while maintaining Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster on staff.
Despite this success story, the landscape for women in collegiate athletics, especially at the level of athletic director, is bleak. Just five women are currently in the role of AD at a Power 5 (ACC, SEC, Pac 12, Big 12, B10) conference. That is five out of 65.
Andra Scaliti, a Virginia Tech student-athlete and member of Collegiate Women in Business, says that the problems women face in the workplace are similar in most corporate environments.
“Women in the world of sports specifically can experience overwhelming setbacks from long-held stigmas,” says Scaliti.
Patti Phillips, the CEO of Women Leaders in College Sports, says that athletic departments looking to hire need to look at the numbers according to Pew Research. Women Leaders in College Sports is an organization whose main purpose is to draw attention to this disparity and help promote women into positions of influence in the world of collegiate sports.
“Intercollegiate athletics has traditionally been a boys’ club, and not reflective of the population as a whole, or even the population on college campuses,” says Phillips, “There is still sexism, racism, and homophobia in this male-dominated industry. That is not always because the person at the top is mean-spirited…there’s an intrinsic bias in business to preserve the status quo.”
In the world of collegiate athletics, the status quo, according to Harvard Business Review, often leaves out women. Despite just five of 65 AD jobs in the Power 5 being filled by women, that figure represents progress. Just a few years ago, that number was lower and a few years before that it was zero. Stories like Reed-Francois prove that while the progress is slow, collegiate athletics are moving in the right direction.
By Jacob Thompson, Ashley Vollrath, Rebecca Choate —
Photo on Foter.com
In November 2015, Justin Fuente was named head coach of the Virginia Tech football team.
“I am looking forward to a bright future for our football program under the direction of Coach Fuente,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, “He has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, integrity and the values that Hokies espouse.”
Previously the head coach for the University of Memphis, Fuente is regarded as one of the rising stars in college coaching.
Regardless, Fuente had big shoes to fill, as former head coach Frank Beamer was coaching with his alma mater since 1987. Beamer’s 280 wins and 23 straight bowls were something to marvel at.
How do the last two years of Beamer Ball compare to Fuente’s first two seasons with the Hokies? In this week’s sports podcast, we analyze how the football team has changed and how student life has evolved as a result.
Fairlawn, Va., March 14 – Motor Mile Speedway – The inside wall on the front stretch is emblazoned with the logo of Shelor Motor Mile, whose owner is a part owner of the track. Photo: Ryan Dye
by Ryan Dye–
Motor Mile Speedway in Fairlawn, Va. knew something had to change. With attendance down – a trend that currently plagues more than just the small-town short track racing scene – ownership decided to try something new.
The track announced in November their plans to cut their ties with NASCAR, choosing not to renew their NASCAR sanction for the 2018 season. A NASCAR sanction means the track was on the schedule for a NASCAR sanctioned event. Without renewing the sanction, the track will no longer have weekly points-paying oval races.
“Track ownership made the decision,” said Public Relations Manager JW Martin. “A lot went into it…and it was ultimately decided that the racing aspect of our program was unsustainable moving forward.”
In its place, the track released a seven-event schedule running from April through September consisting of special one-off events. Of those events, the annual monster truck show – which according to Martin sold nearly 7,500 tickets alone last year – will make its return along with two demolition derbies.
While the cost of the sanction itself played a role, the speedway also didn’t want to raise their prices to the fans of the track.
“In a way, the tracks and the race teams, they cannibalize one another (for sponsorship money) or you pass that along to your race fans,” Martin said. “You begin to up-charge them for concessions and tickets, and we did not do that.”
In 2017, the track announced that they would discontinue bracket racing at the drag strip situated just behind the backstretch in favor of more emphasis on the Friday Night Fury drag racing that allows amateurs to race their street vehicles.
A controversial decision at first, Martin noted that attendance actually increased last season, which led to the track choosing to bring back standard bracket racing for the 2018 season.
While Martin doesn’t know if that success will be replaced on the oval track, it was still something ownership had to try.
“The track ownership, their position on it is every year is a new year. They are always revisiting the business model and I think anything is possible for 2019.”
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