by Logan Butts | Jun 27, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
In one wild week, the group stage came to a chaotic end and the knockout rounds have been set. We’ve seen former champs (Spain, Italy, England) go down and Cinderella teams (Costa Rica, Algeria, Greece) make a run to the round of sixteen. Let’s take a look at the events that transpired and what to expect in the coming week. Best goal(s): Leo Messi, all of them The best player in the world has lived up to his monstrous expectations so far with four goals, including three in the past week. All of the goals have been impressive, but with skill and timing factored in, his goal against Iran stands above the rest. Most heartbreaking elimination: Ivory Coast With a spot in the knockout round all but secured, “Les Elephants” were robbed of their first round of sixteen birth thanks to the most controversial penalty kick given out in the Cup so far. Greece made the kick and lived to play another day, while the best team in Africa was left to ponder what happened. The “Oh no, not again” award: Luis Suarez Most soccer fans, myself included, wanted to believe that Suarez had gotten past his early career antics. He was dominating games for Liverpool in the Premier League and for his national team, Uruguay. But then the Mr. Hyde side of Suarez flared up again. Now Italy is unfairly watching at home, and Uruguay is missing its best player. The “Too little too late” award: Spain With two games and some national embarrassment behind them, the Spanish national team finally decided to play like themselves in their...
by Logan Butts | Jun 20, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
With the first week of the 2014 World Cup in the books, it is time for a quick recap of the biggest storylines, the best games, the breakout stars and, of course, John Brooks’ goal. After what was one of the most entertaining first weeks in World Cup history, there is no shortage of topics to be discussed. Best moment, United States: John Brooks Of all the players in the 2014 World Cup, John Brooks may have been the least likely to score at all, much less score a game winner. But in the United States’ first game against their nemesis Ghana (the team that knocked them out of the last two World Cups) Brooks came through will a game-winning header off of a corner kick in the final minute of the game. Clint Dempsey’s opening goal was more technically impressive, but Brooks’ will be the one everyone remembers. Best moment, rest of the world: The Brazilian national anthem There were countless memorable moments in this first week, from Switzerland’s last second goal against Ecuador to Pablo Armero and Colombia dancing their way into our hearts, but I have to go with the singing of the Brazilian national anthem before the opening game. The emotion on the faces of the Brazilian players combined with the sheer joy of the Brazilian fans made for a special moment. Biggest upset: The demise of Spain After one of the most dominant runs in international soccer history, which included the 2010 World Cup title and two European championships, the reign of “La Roja” has finally come to an abrupt, painful ending. The players...
by Janice Ng | Mar 29, 2013 | News Slider
The horrific rape and murder of a young woman last December in New Delhi sparked conversations and protests in favor of the rights of women globally. Lipscomb’s international students are in unique positions to examine women’s rights in the United States versus the rights in their homelands. Samha Siddiqui, a junior from Pakistan, said there is little similarity between what she experiences here as opposed to the experiences of women in her homeland. “In comparison to the U.S. where almost all women have protected rights, in Pakistan, especially in rural areas, even if they do have rights (and) even if the government does grant them, they are not protected,” she said. However, Siddiqui pointed out that Pakistan already had its first female prime minister. Benazir Bhutto took office in 1988 and was re-elected in 1993. Bhutto later was assassinated in 2007 after returning from years of exile to once again seek the nation’s top office. “Women do have rights that protect their opportunities for getting jobs in all kinds of fields, be it educational institutes, or banking or maybe the political offices,” Siddiqui said. Pipe Del Basto, a freshman from Colombia, provided a historical background on the escalation of feminism there. “A movement called feminism has been rising since before World War I, with women asking for the right to vote, the right to participate in politics, to get involved in public life,” Del Basto said. “When World War I came around, feminism took place, and, well, first of all, you have to understand what feminism is. Feminism is where they wanted the equality between genders. They didn’t want...
