Fathers, like mothers, are crucial in child development. A child’s parents have their own roles and responsibilities in teaching their children different views and perspectives. For example, a mother may teach her kid to be kind and respectful while the father shows them to be responsible and professional. Child Crisis Arizona, an organization built upon helping children and families, detailed the five important roles of a father: 

1. Increases Intelligent and Discipline

Studies show that children who have an active father in their life, especially in early childhood, tend to score higher on tests and misbehave less. Children tend to copy the actions of their parents and a dad who stays focused on his work, while also being focused on himself and family, will show his children how to balance the different aspects in their lives. 

2. Boost Confidence

Fathers who show their kids that they are loved and valued build a strong emotional tolerance in them. Children with fathers such as this tend to have higher confidence and self esteem, an increased resistance to stress and depression, an increased tolerance to fear, and are more likely to stand up to themselves. 

3. Role Model

Both a father and a mother are meant to be role models for their children. Fathers who stay active in their kids’ lives show them to be more sociable, behaved, and disciplined. This leads to children growing up to be more focused on their work having larger social circles, and overall achieving success. 

4. Provides Prospective

Children are curious by nature, often asking their parents for answers. Having two active parents to present two different views helps children have a broad range of understanding meaning 

5. Showing Love

Fathers help children receive much needed love and attention. They also help provide for the needs of children, allowing them to have a healthy childhood. 

Recently there has been a surge of children growing up without fathers which is leading to a new generation of fatherless families. This could have a serious effect on newer generations though only time can tell.

Parental support is important in everything, especially sports. Sports take dedication, and a parent's support will make it easier for a student athlete to dedicate themselves to a sport. If a student athlete were to fail, they would need someone they trust to support them through it.

It is important for parents to support their children through their athletic career, but it is equally important for them to balance their children's academic careers. Parents need to monitor grades occasionally and contact coaches to make sure athletes stay straight. A good highschool athletic career means nothing if you can not take it to college. 

If a parent wants to truly support their child in their athletic pursuit, then they should learn to accept it. A parent should never discourage their child from pursuing something healthy and important like sports. They should meet the basic needs for their child to play, and support them through games and practice. 

One more important job of a parent is helping their child through burnouts. Burnouts can be from work or academics, but especially common from sports. Common signs may be less effort shown and a lack of willingness to work towards goals. To help someone through a burnout, they need to be encouraged to not only rest but also continue working towards their goal. It is a confusing paradox, but it is the only way through a burnout. 

Sports are competitive, and one of the best things to come from a competitive field is the sense of accomplishments. It is necessary to celebrate achievements with people, but also equally necessary to encourage them to keep working hard. It is more than common to see people stop working on themselves because they have either accomplished their original goal or believe they’ve reached their peak. Without work you become weak, and eventually you will be surpassed by those around you. Celebrate and encourage, that is how you help someone reach their dream.

There are some concerns regarding the idea that sports are too focused on winning. However, winning is what defines sports. 

Sports are competitive, that’s what makes them sports. The goal is to outperform the opponent, to win the competition. If the focus is shifted away from winning, then there would be nothing left of sports. 

Teams want to win, for a variety of reasons. Professional athletes get a huge payday bonus if they win, and they are also awarded with pride. Everyone loves the feeling of winning something, that is why athletes push themselves to win. Not to be mentioned, student athletes are also awarded by universities for their performance. 

Sports are too focused on winning, it is what makes them enjoyable. If winning would be removed from sports, then it would not just kill an industry, but a lifestyle as well.

There has been a long-time debate about women’s and men’s sports. One side claims that the sports industry is harder on women than men, while the other says there is no difference. However, if one basic fact is looked at, then the answer is clear.

Both women and men put in their own equal work for their sports. They practice to shoot beyond standards and play their games to the best they can. So, how do women have it harder than men? The answer is simple: Fans

It is not common to hear someone talk about watching women’s sports. In fact, it is less common to hear someone talk about going to a women’s sports game. The sad truth is that women’s sports are not as popular as men’s. A study from Purdue University found that in the total airtime of sports events, women’s sports only take up 5% of coverage. The study also states that the Women’s World Cup accounts for 1.5% of the already low airtime. FIFA’s statistics show that there was a 3 billion viewer difference between the Men’s World Cup to the Women’s World Cup. 

Now, how does lack of support affect the players? There is less profit in the industry With fewer viewers, brands are less likely to make deals with teams and players while advertisers pay less to be shown. Reports from CBS Sports and Fortune show that in the previous World Cup, the men’s team made $5.7 million more than the Women’s team despite underperforming. 

Overall, sports fans are less likely to tune into Women’s events. This leads to women athletes being less well-known and underpaid. The only solution to the issue is for viewers to show more interest in women’s sports while pushing networks to cover more games.  

 

I wish I was joking when I said that the uncanny-looking beaver was my special place. The past 2 years of its opening have led to several great memories in the Texan-styled Walmart. If you have ever been to the store late at night, you know what I am talking about. 

Something always has to happen whenever I come to this place with friends. One of my first experiences at the Beaver was falling onto a shelf while trying to impress some friends (I have a reputation for that). Another time, I ended up throwing up on one of the bathroom stalls' floors. Even for a change, I watched one of my friends trip on a rug and slam face-first into a sliding glass door. 

Now, Bucees is easily more fun on the late-night runs. Yes, those stories only get more interesting. Going into the shop past midnight and seeing a group of possible Amish people only to be followed by a group that can only be described as coming straight from the cross-country track. It would also not be a good time if some friends and I had not gone in and asked employees to see the mascot because "we have beef with him." 

I have had nothing but great and unfortunate memories from the place, and it has become so much of a joke that people buy me Bucees merchandise as gifts. This place reminds me of the good times I have with my friends

Everyone has their own influences, including me. My biggest influence, however, is rather cliche: My best friend. 

Hayden has been my best friend for over thirteen years, meaning we both grew up together. Over the years, it was pretty clear that we were completely different; I was super energetic and chaotic while he was really chill and quiet. Over the years, I have actually started to slowly pick up his easy going attitude. Yes, I used to stress a ton over anything, but after spending almost every day of my life talking to this guy, I started living by the wise words of “it is what it is.” That doesn’t mean I do not try, because Hayden has forced me to end several procrastination episodes. He’s also helped me through a lot, and has kept me focused on myself. 

 

Writing has been often described as one of the many foundations of human civilization. Laws had to be written, historical achievements had to be saved, and most importantly, people had to be entertained. 

Growing up, I always read books. Starting with The Magic Tree House series, and slowly moving to scholarly appraised novels. Over time I've come to favorite fantasy and horror over other genres. 

Starting in 9th grade, I wrote my first short story for an English assignment, and that's when I fell down the rabbit hole. Taking inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe's Gothic styles, I would begin my first project: The Prince in Gray. The project would be finished by the end of my sophomore year. 

In this time, I also began writing poetry. As of now, I have written over 30 poems, all of which have been organized into collections based on themes and style. A specific collection is currently in the works of being published in The NewYorker, one of the largest literary magazines. 

In my extreme free time, I have also started ghostwriting song lyrics for a musical duo. I've taken lyrical inspiration from artists such Kid Cudi and The Weeknd, and wrote songs for the duo which have been streamed thousands of times. Writing lyrics had eventually lead me to my second passion: Music. 

I have come to understand that music is one of, if not, the most impactful thing. It sets the mood for a scene, brings the vibe to an event, and affects emotions. For the majority of my life, I have always been a listener rather than a producer.  I have spent hours late into the night creating playlists and usually listen to music whenever I can. It wouldn't be until recently that I was convinced to start producing soundtracks for various things 

Without a doubt, writing has influenced my life in several ways. It is my greatest passion and I have plans to pursue it as a career.  

If you have watched ESPN, then you have consumed sports media. All kinds of media influence several industries, and sports have in a sense, fallen reliant on the media. To think of it, ask how millions of people could watch a game while the stadium it is played in can only hold some thousands. 

The Super Bowl is the most-watched event every year, averaging millions of viewers. It is impossible for a stadium to reach its capacity, but with cameras and streaming, the impossible becomes reality. The media has helped bring fans to games they could only have dreamed of going to, and one of the best examples of this would be Super Bowl LIV. 

The COVID-19 pandemic not only shut down the country but the rest of the world. Because of this, several sports leagues reported a decline in physical appearances at games from fans. However, viewership on television networks and streaming services shot up. Super Bowl LIV had a reported 102 million viewers, according to Fox. 

Media also helps athletes make money through brand deals. You may recall seeing a well-known athlete in several advertisements, such as Lebron Jame's appearance in a Sprite Cranberry commercial back in 2018. Another noticeable thing is direct sponsorship from brands.  A well-known example is Kurth Busch and how every aspect of his appearance, from his racing car to his uniform, is spotting the Monster Energy logo. Each athlete respectfully has earned millions from brands. 

How do deals between athletes and brands affect you? These collaborations work as a common advertising technique known as "celebrity endorsement." It tricks you into thinking that a product is more desirable for the sole fact of someone you know endorses it. This has led to consumers spending more money on brands they usually would not have spent as much on.

While so far it may seem as if the media only benefits the companies and athletes involved, some athletes have used its influence to better the people. The history of athletes and activism can be traced back decades. One of the most well-known early examples is Jesse Owens and his brave decision to compete in the 1936 Berlin Games to show the world that the Aryan agenda was a lie. Owens knew there would be cameras and reporters, so he went in and showed a strong message.

Forwarding to the 1968 Mexico City Games, two American athletes made a stance while on the stand. After winning first and third in the 200-meter final, Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads and held their fist high, an act of protest against racial discrimination. 52 years later, the largest wave of athlete activism would appear. 

Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, athletes across the country began to kneel during the National Anthem, showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement against racial discrimination. This led to further awareness of the movement and a larger call for reformation as videos and pictures began spreading across news and social media. 

The media has a single handly reformed the sports industry, pushing it to boundaries no one could have seen. It has also allowed sports to be used to promote other industries such as music. However, as media constantly evolves, it can only be predicted the larger impact on sports it will have.