Detroit Lions Update

   Week 4 of the 2014 NFL season is concluding, and for the first time that I can remember, the Detroit Lions are first in their division this late into the season! Yes, I know that it's only week 4, but for the first time since the 1990's, fans of Detroit, including myself, believe that this could be a very special year for the team.
   I guess the main reason why I'm so excited is because we've only made the playoffs once in the past 15 years. Along with that, if you look at it from a historical standpoint, the Detroit Lions might be the worst professional sports franchise in America. The last championship that we've won was back in the 50's, which means that Detroit has never won a Super Bowl, let alone a conference championship. That is the main reason why I'm so excited about this year.
   The Detroit Lions have started the year 3-1, which, to us, is a near perfect start. Our offense, lead by Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, and Golden Tate, are moving the ball very well. However, I think that the main reason why we are winning is because of our defense. A few weeks ago, the Lions played the Green Bay Packers, a team that has arguably the best quarterback in the league, Aaron Rodgers. Their receivers also were considered top notch, so most people were thinking that Detroit didn't stand a chance. Our defense, however, proved all the doubters wrong, as they shout down Green Bay's offense in a 16-7 victory.
   With the Lions gaining momentum, they had to travel out to New York to play the Jets, who are known for their tough defense. Knowing that they would have to be efficient on offense, the Lions put together some good drives down the field, as well as capitalizing on some big pass plays to numerous receivers to keep the Jets defense guessing all game long. The Detroit defense also stepped up, stopping New York's offense at key moments in the game. In the end, the Lions had pulled off a major road win, improving to 3-1 on the year. Hopefully, they can keep this up, as we make a run at the playoffs.    Go Lions!!

Basketball

   

Throughout my life, I've played many sports. Some I've liked, others, not so much. However, I know for a fact that my favorite sport is basketball. Basketball quickly became my favorite sport because it required teamwork, as well as countless hours of practice, which was fine with me if I knew that it would make me a better player. Another reason why I like basketball is because it forces you to stay in shape. For the entire game, you have to be running full court, which, over time, will help your stamina and insurance. You also need to be a good teammate by passing the ball, playing good defense, and by hustling on every play.

 I started playing when I was just eight years old for a recreational team. The organization that I played for every Saturday morning was called the Church of God Organization, which consists of kids, aged between 8 and 14, that helped kids develop skills such as dribbling, shooting, defense, and teamwork. Once I began, I never looked back. When I finished playing in the Church of God Organization, I began to play for my school’s team. I started this when I was in fifth grade, and the differences were much greater than the similarities. First of all, the opposing teams were much better as terms of a talent standpoint. The kids were faster, could shoot better, and were extremely competitive. It was then that I realized that in order to compete at the level I wanted to, I had to become more dedicated toward how I approached the game.

I became serious about basketball when I entered sixth grade. I had learned from the past year just how much time and effort I had to put in if I wanted to be even close to the level of talent that these other kids were at. I started playing a lot more with my dad and my brothers in our driveway almost every single night. I also tried extremely hard at practice on my dribbling ability, as well as shooting the ball every chance I had. Along with all of this, I learned one very important accolade that I believe every good player must have, which is a certain level of heart and the will to get succeed. With all of this in mind, I started to play with those kids again. I immediately noticed a difference, as I became more and more accustomed to how everyone else on the team, as well as the league, was.

After that, I continued to play basketball for my school’s junior high team. When that ended, my basketball career, as far as a competitive league, was over. Even though I didn’t play in high school, I continue to play in as many pickup games as I can, because basketball is my favorite sport, and probably will be for quite some time.

Michigan Football

I can't explain to you what it truly means to be a Michigan fan. For me, it was something that I was born with. I don't know exactly how I got glued to the team, but I have loved them as long as I can remember.
Let me start by saying that if you're a Michigan fan, you're a Michigan fan for life, it's not one of those things where you see a team start to win and you decide to jump on their bandwagon, even though you could care less about what their school stands for. With Michigan, if you truly understand their tradition, it's hard, or better yet impossible, to find a team that's better.
Yes, I know that the past five or six years haven't met the team's expectations, but I look at it as a slump. Every team has them. For instance, before Alabama became a so called " pro team", they were mediocre at best. Florida State, the defending champions, had a stretch of at least five losses a year. What I'm trying to say is that I don't look at the past five years, but rather the past 50 or even 100 years.
Michigan is the winning program in history. They have won 42 Big Ten Championships, and 11 National Titles as well. They have three Heisman trophy winners, and all of them clinched it in their performances against Ohio State. We have the biggest football stadium in America, and have, in my opinion, the best fight song in the world. Not to mention the fact that we also have the most recognizable helmet in football. And, for one final thought, we still have the series lead over Ohio State by more than 10 games!!
These are the reasons why I love Michigan, and nothing will ever change that.

Go Blue!!

Why I Chose Sports

        Ever since I was a young, I've seemed to find a liking in many different things, all of which represent something about me, and who I am. For most of my life, I've had the opportunity to find a personal love for the outdoors, spending time with my family, traveling across the country to historic places, as well as enjoying holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. It's hard for me to decide which one of these means the most to me, but when it comes to what I love the most, it seems almost impossible for me to debate that sports is head and shoulders above the rest.
      There are many reasons why I feel in love with sports, which makes it very challenging to explain just how I became interested in it to begin with. I feel that I should start by telling you just how it all began, so that I can make it easier to understand. It all started when I was four years old, and my dad took me to one of his recreational softball games. I don't know what it was, maybe the fresh smell of the grass that was just cut, or even the view of the hot dogs and popcorn just sitting on the concession stand counter, just waiting to be eaten? Never less, just the images that I took in from that day I will never forget. The way the crowd reacted, the way the players, one of them my dad, played with determination to win, just made me feel like I wanted to do something like this one day.
     When I was six years old, I finally had the chance to do what I've seen my dad do for almost two years. I finally could play an organized game of baseball for my town's public little league program! Nerves is an understatement compared to what I was feeling that day. It was the first time I had actually played a real game of any kind. I mean, yes, I did have those days where I would through a football around with my dad in the backyard, but this was real. To me at the time, this was the real deal. I can remember my dad repeating to me, "Just relax, you'll do fine", he would always say. I'm happy I took his advice, because when I started playing, all of my nerves seemed to disappear with every passing moment. After the game, it felt like I had the time of my life. Little did I know, however, just how much sports would become part of my life, and how it would impact me forever.
    Realizing the amount of fun that I had playing baseball, I then turned my attention to other sports. Another sport that I played was soccer, which I did for probably four or five years. I couldn't play in junior high or high school because my school didn't have a soccer program, so I decided to stop playing altogether. The other sport, however, is one that I intend to participate in for as long as I can. The sport I'm talking about is basketball.
   I started playing organized basketball when I was eight years old, in a recreational league just ten minutes from where I live. I played in that league for five years, then decided to quit because I had another opportunity ahead of me, which was playing junior high basketball for my school. I played during my eighth grade year, and enjoyed every minute of it. When I started high school, it became apparent that I would have to make the cut in order to play in high school. I worked extremely hard, but I guess not hard enough, as I didn't make a single high school team. Now at Delta, I intend on going back to recreational basketball, which will allow me to play for as long as I want to.
   With all the years of playing, as well as following my favorite teams on television, I decided that sports would be the best choice for me to talk and share with you about. I will continue to describe many different situations that got me into following sports, as well as how I feel about a specific subject about the sport I'm discussing. To sum it all up, this is the main reason why I chose sports.