Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

We'll All Be Better Off If We Ask Better Questions In 2017, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

I find myself at the end of 2016 thinking about how differently we all make sense out of our shared experiences this year. “Common wisdom” seems to have it that 2016 was generally worse than other years – some of our favorite people died and the wheels fell off of whatever we thought they were on.

Basketball's Birthday, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Invented in the United States by a Canadian in the late 19th century, basketball may be the most American of all sports. Within less than a half century it became the most popular participatory sport in North America. Yesterday was the 125th Birthday of what is often called, “The City Game.”

Help Those Who Are Trying To Overcome A Loss During Holidays, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

I lost my cousin to a tragic suicide death 23 years ago and my heart has never forgotten the pain that I felt following this loss.

Homeschooled Students Bring Own Set Of Skills To University Campuses, Ali P. Gordon

UCF Forum

Key questions always loom large for parents of homeschooled, college-bound students, such as: “What happens when my child actually gets to the university level? Will they be able to keep up?”

‘Tis The Season For Bowling, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Every year at this time the college football world is blessed with a deluge of bowl games, and every year it is certain that there could not be any place in the United States that would seek to host a new bowl. Every year, of course, that certainty is smashed by the addition of yet more bowl games.

Sexual Abuse In British Youth Football, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It has been almost three weeks now since the first stories of child abuse in British football were published in The Guardian. The first revelation involved one player coming forward to describe how he was abused by his youth football coach at the Crewe Alexandra football club.

Pearl Harbor-75th Anniversary, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

This piece on Pearl Harbor and Baseball was the fifteenth of this series of essays on Sport and Society. It dates from December of 1991 the 50th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and was written as a radio commentary for WUCF-FM an NPR affiliate in Orlando. It aired on December 6, 1991. This is the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

Do We Need To Use (And Discard) So Many Plastic Bags Each Year?, Meg K. Scharf

UCF Forum

Much of the time I hate plastic bags.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Four years ago Ben Fountain’s disturbing novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, was published to critical acclaim and an eventual National Book Award nomination. It was one of the first pieces of fiction coming out of the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In July of 2013 I wrote that Fountain’s novel was an important work addressing the issue of the relationship between American sports fans and American soldiers who are commonly acclaimed as American heroes.

Let's Find A Way To Make The Dialogue Work, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

There is a breaking point for many people around the neighborhood and around the country, as has been seen this month.

Flight Emergency Advice Works Just As Well Back On The Ground, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

Save yourself first!

This one sentence is a valuable piece of advice I wish I had received and fully embraced so much earlier in life. In fact, it is still a notion that I struggle with because it is one that sounds selfish in nature. However, now more than at any other point in my life, I realize that in order to be selfless and to be able to assist others, you must first truly work on thinking of your own self first.

World Series Hangover, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Are you feeling a sense of loss? Has a slight sadness settled into your baseball psyche? Are these feelings part of a strange undertone in your celebration of the Cubs World Series victory? If you suffer from any of these symptoms, let me welcome you to the new world of the Chicago Cubs. The curse has ended. Long live the Lovable Losers!

Are You Ready For Some Football – I Mean An Election?, Gerrod Lambrecht

UCF Forum

Tuesday, Nov. 8, is Game Day! The election is just days away and the news is all abuzz this morning about “rigged” elections, sexual-assault allegations, FBI investigations, unpaid taxes and more emails.

Preparation Is The Key To Facing Whatever May Come Your Way, Michael Preston

UCF Forum

Professional football coach George Allen was famously quoted as saying: “Winning is the science of being totally prepared.”

Try Leaving Your Comfort Zone — You Might Learn Something About Yourself, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

I’m in Cape Town, South Africa, as I write this. I’ve been heading to South Africa about once a year or so for a while now, and before that I spent a fair bit of time in east Africa – Kenya, mostly, but also Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. In September, I was in Nigeria for the first time.

The Cubs Quest, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The first step has been taken, but then it has been taken previously. Are we moving inexorably towards Armageddon? We will know in less than four weeks, and what we will know is not the results of the presidential election. We will know if the Cubs are about to end their long running March of Futility. Cubs fans around the world will remain focused on their team, rather than that other long March towards Armageddon.

Even In A Crowd, Protest Is A Personal Journey, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

In the wake of some recent protests taking place all across the country, I am reminded of the very personal and public consequences that result from various reactions. By definition, protest means "a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something."

Fernandez And Palmer, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

There is crying in baseball and in Miami this past week there was a flood of tears. The shocking news that Jose Fernandez had been killed in a boating accident produced disbelief and sadness. For his family, for teammates, for Marlin fans, and for baseball fans across the country, it was a jolting piece of news that greeted them on Sunday morning. The following day came the announcement of the death of Arnold Palmer, the man who is credited with making golf a favorite sport for ordinary fans in the new television age. The juxtaposition of the two deaths has …

Checking Out Things At The Library – Including These Myths, Meg K. Scharf

UCF Forum

It is wonderful to work at our university: It’s vibrant, it’s a beautiful place, and people on campus are fascinating.

Goodell And Drones, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

For the past few years the NFL, through the pious pronouncements from its Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has professed a heavy commitment to safety, with a particular focus on hits to the head. This of course followed years of cover-up and denial of any connection between CTE and football related head trauma, not to mention an active and aggressive campaign against anyone and any evidence to the contrary.

The Only Way I Was Going To 'Veganize' My Life Was To Immerse Myself, Amanda Osorio

UCF Forum

This summer I made the decision to do something that many Latins often hesitate to attempt: become a vegan.

Us Open Tennis, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

In London it is the Wimbledon Fortnight. What can be called simply “two weeks of damn good tennis” concluded this weekend at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the tennis season was contested. As it often does the U.S. Open produced some very high quality tennis, along with some “interesting” moments, and promising new, and not so new, faces arriving in the spotlight.

We All Should Strive To Be The Palm In The Storm, Carolyn Massiah

UCF Forum

Hurricane season is beginning to hit its peak activity. Multiple storms have been brewing in the Atlantic the past couple weeks.

The National Anthem, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It has been over a week now since Colin Kaepernick sat during the playing of the National Anthem prior to an NFL Exhibition game. He was protesting discrimination against African Americans and police brutality in the United States. These issues have been in the forefront of public discussion since the shooting of Michael Brown just over two years ago. At various points and venues since the Brown shooting athletes have protested and offered various forms of support directly and indirectly to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Kaepernick’s action joins a long list of protests, and as has often been the …

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Communication, Fall 2016, Richard Harrison

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Positive Effects Can Result From Both A Cordial Welcome – And Even Adversity, Gerrod Lambrecht

UCF Forum

This Saturday marks the beginning of a new football season as the Knights get ready to host South Carolina State. This game will also mark the beginning of the Scott Frost coaching era of UCF football. We have a new coaching staff, new uniforms, a new offense (UCFast), a new defense (UCFierce), and a more exciting game day experience.

We Must Learn To Tell Narratives That Make Us Better – Not Diminish Us, Bruce Janz

UCF Forum

Every four years we turn to our TVs and online sites to cheer on competitors vying for supremacy in an arena where the rules are often unclear and scandal is rife. We hope for an uplifting narrative that shows the best of who we can be, which gives us all something to strive for, but more often than not the narrative degenerates into stories that divide us.

Merging Is More Than A Traffic Term, Germayne Graham

UCF Forum

On my drive to work I have to merge onto three very busy roadways. I am constantly saying to myself: “Please just let me in.”

Olympic Contradictions, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

There are times when I think that the Olympics should be wiped off the sports calendar once and for all. Then when the games begin I flip into reverse and find myself watching the performances and admiring the high level of skill on display.

Building A Pathway To Engineering For Our Daughters – Brick By Brick, Ali P. Gordon

UCF Forum

As a father of young elementary and middle school-aged kids, I’m also curious to know exactly how my undergrad students came to be interested in mechanical engineering. An exchange with a UCF student might go like this: “You did a great job on the exam. Congrats! By the way, how did you get interested in mechanical engineering, anyway?” I mentally log the answers for my kids’ future benefit.