Tag: Editor’s Corner
Editor’s Corner: Crashing Through Gender Barriers
by The Cowl Editor on October 10, 2019
Professional Sports
By Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-Editor
Olympic gold medalist and former Providence College Women’s Hockey Team member Cammi Granato ’93 has been hired by the National Hockey League expansion team based in Seattle as the first female pro scout.
Team general manager Ron Francis said, “I know she’s a female pro scout for us, but her resume is why she got the job—not because she’s female.”
However, there is a lot of importance in the fact that Granato is a female.
As one of the handful of women working in the NHL, Granato’s new position signifies that the NHL is beginning to catch up to current times and solve the gender inequality that has had a daunting hold over professional sports for many years. The only difference between the NHL and other leagues is that the MLB, NBA, and NFL have already made attempts to close the gap between the male-to-female workers ratio.
As of 2018, the MLB has over 100 women working in baseball operations (front office and on-field jobs) and the NBA and NFL have hired woman to take on full-time coaching roles. And while it must be noted that no women has been hired as a full-time general manager or head coach, at least there has been acknowledgement from these three leagues that women are capable of working within both the game and with the athletes.
MLB chief diversity officer Renee Tirado said on the issue, “There’s no sugar-coating this. There’s a lot to do.”
The acknowledgement towards the lack of female presence in professional sports has been lost amongst the NHL it seems, considering that, of the four major pro leagues, they are the only league who has been reluctant to hire women. Of the 31 NHL teams, there is not a single female coach, assistant coach, general manager, or assistant general manager. Even within hockey operations there is a sparse amount of women working.
With that being said, Granato’s hiring might be an indication that the NHL is finally beginning to realize that they are very far behind not only the MLB, NFL, and NBA, but also society as a whole. In a league where many coaches, GMs, and AGMs are former professional players themselves, Granato’s hiring is opening doors to a vast amount of people—male and female alike—to find jobs in the NHL. Especially for women, Granato’s hiring is proof that outsiders of the NHL can know the game and do beneficial work within it.
On her new position, the first female Hockey Hall of Fame and United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductee said, “I know the game and I’m confident in that. I’ve been around the game since I could walk. It’s really cool to be able to do it as a job and I’m looking forward to contributing my opinion.”
Granato’s words and Francis’s comments on her extensive resume being the reason that she got the job demonstrates a solution to what has been the main argument for not hiring women to work for the NHL: that they do not know the game.
Gender issues aside, until recently it has been extremely difficult for non-NHL experienced players to break into the league. Even AHL coaches struggle to get a promotion. This is all changing. As of 2018, 14 of the 62 head coaches have never played in the NHL; the same goes for 13 of the 62 general managers.
Sports writer Lauren Kelly writes, “If there is a time for women to break into this area of the industry, it is now.”
Because, as with any sport, one does not need to play the game to know the game.
Editor’s Corner: International Basketball
by The Cowl Editor on September 26, 2019
Professional Sports
By Cam Smith ’21
Sports Assistant Editor
The United States, long the dominant force in basketball, saw its empire come crashing down earlier this month when its delegation of players placed seventh at the 2019 Basketball World Cup. The loss was a source of embarrassment nationwide, as millions ridiculed the U.S. players for failing to live up to the lofty standards set by the teams that had preceded them.
Team USA was not without excuses, as nearly all of its premiere stars were absent for the tournament, including studs like Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and James Harden. They cited the tournament’s proximity to the start of National Basketball Association training camp and their subsequent desire to pursue an NBA championship as the reasons for their no-shows.
Nevertheless, Team USA entered the World Cup with high expectations. The team was still ranked number one in the world and was headed by two all-stars in Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton. So too did the roster boast an abundance of young talent in players like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Myles Turner, and Jaylen Brown.
As promising as the team may have seemed, something never quite clicked chemistry-wise, and the squad struggled to remain undefeated in the group stages. Their entrance into the quarterfinals was immediately met with defeat, as the French National Team controlled all facets of the match en route to an 89-79 victory. The disappointment was immeasurable, and the uproar back in the states was thunderous.
Yet, perhaps this result is not so much a commentary on the failures of USA basketball, but a reflection of the newfound success of basketball internationally. In the 1991–92 NBA season, the league featured just 26 players born outside of the United States. In comparison, the 2018–19 NBA season saw a whopping 118 foreign-born players participate, which was nearly a quarter of the league’s player population.
These international players were not only playing in the league but dominating in it as well. Four of the five major NBA 2018 – 2019 awards went to international players, including the MVP award, received by the Greece-born Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Defensive Player of the Year award went to the Frenchman Rudy Gobert, the very same player that stonewalled the U.S. in their quarterfinal loss.
The NBA is partially responsible for this international influx of talent, as the league’s global outreach programs have brought basketball to locations never before frequented by the sport. This expansion has afforded young kids in various countries exposure to a sport once considered strictly American.
So before one mourns the apparent sudden death of U.S. basketball, they must come to terms with the fact that Team USA is not falling behind—the world is simply catching up.
California Passes Fair Pay for Play Act: What’s Next for NCAA?
by The Cowl Editor on September 19, 2019
Friar Sports
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Staff
The debate about whether college athletes should be compensated has recently reached a new peak that could shift the sports landscape in the near future. The state assembly and senate of California just passed SB 206, also known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, which would allow college athletes within the state to sign endorsement deals and be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness. If signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, it will be the first bill of its kind to allow college athletes to receive some form of compensation and would go into effect in 2023.
If the bill is passed, it will send shock waves through the entire country, affecting colleges, the NCAA, and even state governments. Schools in California will have a significant advantage when it comes to recruiting high school athletes who may be deciding between schools across several states. The NCAA has already sent a letter to Gov. Newsom, asking him to veto the bill, stating it would “remove the essential element of fairness and equal treatment that forms the bedrock of college sports.”
The NCAA also threatened to prohibit California schools from competing for championships due to the unfair advantage in recruiting.
Passage of this bill would put pressure on the NCAA to reconsider their rules against compensating college athletes. If the organization stands firm in its stance, even their threats will not stop the wave the bill would start.
Lawmakers in South Carolina are now planning on proposing a similar bill that would pay a $5,000-a-year stipend to collegiate athletes in profitable sports like football and basketball. If the NCAA wants to keep consistency across the country, then action needs to be taken before even more states pass laws to ensure their schools do not find themselves at a disadvantage.
States such as the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, where football brings in millions of dollars and is integral to the school’s culture, are likely to start taking action if the top athletes start choosing schools such as the University of Southern California and University of California-Los Angeles at a higher rate over their own state schools.
While a basketball-centered school such as Providence College may not be affected right away, once states that have big-time college basketball programs begin to incorporate similar laws, Rhode Island’s hand may be forced to take action to prevent PC from falling behind in recruiting.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019
Friar Sports
Year in Review of Sports
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
As the year comes to a close (though not for all spring sport athletes), I wanted to look back on the year for Providence College sports. This year, the sports section of The Cowl covered big moments and special people that deserved recognition from the Friar community. As a section, we made it a point to cover all sports across campus, get the inside scoop from athletes and coaches, and recognize students who competed away from campus.
In the fall, we covered the Providence College Men’s Soccer Team celebrating their 50th season as they made it to the Big East semifinals. Abbey Wheeler ’20 won NCAA Cross Country Division I National Athlete of the Week twice during the cross-country season, it seemed every week she was among the top racers as she won three races during in the fall and came in fourth during the Big East race.
Even though the PC Men’s Basketball Team did not perform to everyone’s expectations, the team still had a fairly successful season and the winter sports season remained the peak for PC athletics. The freshman class proved that the team will stay competitive for years to come. The PC Women’s Basketball Team had their most successful season in recent memory, posting a 19-16 overall record as well as earning their first Big East tournament win since 2001 and earning a spot in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. Jovana Nogic ’19 broke the College record for three-pointers and Mary Baskerville ’22 had a stellar rookie season as she went on to win Big East Freshman of the Year.
The Women’s Ice Hockey Team brought in Matthew Kelly as their new head coach and found immediate success. The team had an outstanding season that saw them ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. Men’s ice hockey also had a historic season. After losing several stars from last season, the team retooled, filled the missing holes, and made their sixth straight national tournament. In the first round the Friars came back from a 3-0 to Minnesota State University by scoring six unanswered goals. They would ride that momentum all the way to their fifth Frozen Four appearance in College history. While the team fell short of making the finals, this was one of Nate Leaman’s finest seasons as a coach.
The PC Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams continued to have success during the indoor season. Millie Paladino ’19RS was named 2019 Northeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year after she won the Big East title in the 3,000-meter race and came in third at the NCAA championship for the mile run.
This spring, the PC Women’s Softball Team is currently in a breakout season as they are 28-20 after a disappointing season last year. Outfielder Emma Lee ’19 set the school record for most career hits with 215. Former Friar Emily Sisson ’14 finished sixth in the London Marathon with a time of 2:23.08, which was sixth fastest for an American woman in history.
Outside of reporting on the games, The Cowl managed to get exclusive interviews with several athletes and coaches such as Track and Field Coach Ray Treacy, Paladino, Wheeler, and Vincent Desharnais ’19. Next year, we hope to give students, teachers, and alumni an even more in-depth look into what is happening for the Friars.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019
Professional Sports
Gronk Gone in a Flash, but Not the Patriots
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
We all knew it was going to happen eventually; there was no way anyone could expect Rob Gronkowski to play into his 40s like his quarterback. With the number of injuries he was enduring, continuing to play is not worth it. As sad as it is to see Gronkowski’s Hall of Fame career end so quickly, appreciate the fact that he was able to go out a champion while he was still relatively successful on the field.
While I am sure many fans would have loved to see Gronk play for another year, the risk of injury and becoming ineffective on the field would only result in many calling for his retirement. He has not played in more than 14 games in the past three seasons, and that probably would not have changed had he kept playing.
It is amazing how quickly he was able to solidify his spot in the conversation as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. While he will not have big career numbers that stack against others who played much longer than he did, the fact that Gronk only played in nine seasons (seven of which he played more than 10 games) speaks to how much he dominated defenders on the field.
However, Gronk’s Hall of Fame career began and ended while Tom Brady continues to add to his own legacy.
While it may seem Brady and the Patriots’ next challenge going forward is to figure out how to make up for the Gronk-sized hole in the offense, believe it or not, it may not be a challenge at all.
The Patriots have seen their fair share of great receivers come and go during the Brady era, and Bill Belichick and Brady have shown that the offense can adjust. Did the dynasty go away when Randy Moss and Wes Welker left? Nope. In fact, New England was able to make and win three Super Bowls after they both left the team.
The Patriots still have several great receiving options on the roster with Julian Edelman returning for a full season, a great pass-catcher in running back James White, and a promising runner in Sony Michel.
New England also owns three picks in the first two rounds of the NFL draft this season. Do not be surprised if you see Belichick pick up a tight end in the second round. Gronkowski himself was a second-round pick after getting overlooked due to injuries in college. Expect the Pats to look at University of Alabama’s Irv Smith and Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger as two tight ends who should be available when it comes time for the team to pick.
While it may be the end of one crazy, exciting, and amazing Hall of Fame career, Gronkowski will always be a key piece that helped keep the dynasty alive during this decade that elevated the Patriots’ offense to new levels post-Moss and Welker.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on February 14, 2019
Professional Sports
What People Can Learn From Patrice Bergeron’s Career
By Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-Editor
Over the past week, the entire hockey community has been celebrating Patrice Bergeron as he reached yet another milestone in his career—playing in 1,000 games. Former players, coaches, family members, and fans have expressed their gratitude for all that Bergeron has done on and off the ice in a series of interviews and videos shared by the Boston Bruins organization. Upon reflection, these videos have brought to mind not what Bergeron has given of himself, but what people, athletes and non-athletes alike, can take and learn from him over the course of his 16 year career.
1. In the face of adversity, never give up.
In October 2007, Bergeron’s career almost ended when he suffered a grade-three concussion after a hit from behind during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers—there is no grade-four. His injury was so severe that in the months following the hit, the question was not “will he be able to recover and return to the game?” but “will his life in general ever be the same?” There was serious doubt that he would ever be able to play hockey again. Yet, Bergeron put all those doubts to rest when just over a year later he was back and scoring goals. Three more serious (but not as major) concussions later, Bergeron proved time and time again that when people think his career is finished they need to think again.
2. “We” not “Me” because selfishness gets you nowhere.
According to Boston Bruins announcer Jack Edwards, the media joke surrounding Bergeron is to see what it takes for them to get him to once refer to himself in the first person. It never happens. Bergeron’s main focus has always been, and always will be, his teammates and their contributions. It is a true sign of his leadership perhaps, or just his character in general, but Bergeron’s unselfish attitude is one that is known throughout the league and it is the one thing that players commented most about him. And to Bergeron, even when asked about his latest accomplishment of being the fifth Boston Bruins player to make it to 1,000+ games, he stated, “My best memories are always what we’ve accomplished as a team, and the friends I have made. It’s honestly that’s what I’m most proud of.”
3. Have courage to persevere in any situation.
Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks ended with the Blackhawks as the victors, but Bergeron a legend. Against medical advisement, Bergeron played alongside his teammates with a plethora of injuries: torn rib cartilage, broken rib, separated shoulder, and a punctured lung. On his more recent injury that would take Bergeron out of the game for a month, teammate Brad Marchand commented how he would not succumb to his injury until the final buzzer went off, “Essentially, his whole body was broken, the whole upper half. And he still comes back to play. It’s incredible.” His toughness has become a staple on his résumé as a player and proves time and time again why he is considered the best of the best.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on January 24, 2019
Friar Sports
With a little luck (and help) the Friars can still go dancing
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
It has been a tale of two seasons for the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team. After a successful nonconference schedule in which the team got its 10 wins that they usually strive for and only had one bad loss to University of Massachusetts-Amherst (again), the team has struggled to put together a complete game against their Big East opponents. While many Friar fans are nervous that the team will miss their first NCAA Tournament in six years based on their start in the conference, there is still plenty of time for the team to turn their fortune around. With 12 games left, the Friars can still reach the 10 conference wins needed to put themselves in a position to be called on Selection Sunday. Here is what needs to happen:
1. A.J. Reeves ’22 returns to form quickly.
The offense just has not looked the same ever since Reeves went down with a foot injury in early December. While Alpha Diallo ’20 may be the team’s most versatile player on the offensive end, Reeves has simply been the best shooter on a team that has struggled to find success behind the arc. He leads the team in shooting from three with 45.3 percent and has made the second most threes on the team despite missing nine games. Until the star freshman makes his return, it will be hard to win a shootout versus teams like Marquette University.
2. Get one win between Marquette and Villanova University.
Even if the Friars reach 10 wins in the conference, the selection committee always will look at what teams you beat. Right now the team is missing that key signature win that will put them above other teams. While wins over Power-Five Conference teams like the University of South Carolina and the University of Texas are solid, neither team is a top team in their respective conference. Last season, the Friars got two big wins over ranked teams in Villanova and Xavier University. With a much tougher nonconference schedule this year than last, one win over the top of the Big East will go a long way for the Friars.
3. A team or two needs to falter down the stretch.
The yearly theme in the Big East is that every game will be a dogfight and there will be no easy wins to come by. That theme never has been truer than this season. After Marquette and Villanova, no team currently has a winning conference record. So while the Friars may only be less than two games behind third place, they need to jump above several teams to get back into the top half of the league. Having more than three teams finish at 10-8 might mean that one of those teams will be left out. Friars are going to need to sweep usual contenders such at Butler University and Xavier and hope those teams fall below .500 at the end of the season.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on November 1, 2018
Professional Sports
A Look at the Red Sox’ Success Without Big Papi
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
After Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz retired following the conclusion of the 2016 season, there was a lot of uncertainty as to who would fill his role as Boston’s power hitter, go-to guy in the postseason, and leader. With such a big hole to fill, there was plenty of reason to wonder how long it would take the team to return to the World Series. After all, in Ortiz’s last season, he had one of his best performances of his career and the team still fell to eventual American League champions, the Cleveland Indians, in the first round of the playoffs.
But who knew it would only take two years? Especially with how the 2017 season unfolded.
While the Red Sox still managed to win the American League East, the team lacked a true power hitter without Ortiz. Outfielder Mookie Betts finished second in the MVP voting in 2016, but suffered a down year in 2017. Veterans Dustin Pedroia and David Price were supposed to take over as the clubhouse leaders, but neither could stay on the field due to injuries.
In the postseason, the team bowed out after four games in the first round to the Houston Astros, losing the series three games to one. Outside of a 10-3 win in Game Three, the Sox struggled to score at any consistent rate. The team was lacking the voice that Ortiz brought in the dugout as well as his big bat in the lineup. It was clear general manager Dave Dombrowski had to make changes for the team to return to contention in 2018.
Newcomer J.D. Martinez proved to be the power-hitter Boston needed as he hit 43 homers during the season, and Betts played like he had back in 2016 to lead the offense in the regular season.
In past World Series runs, it was stars such as Ortiz and Manny Ramirez who would heat up come October; this year it was Jackie Bradley Jr. and under-the-radar, mid-season acquisition Steve Pearce who would prove to come up in key moments for the Sox. Bradley Jr. would lead the team with nine runs batted in to lead the team over the Astros and head to the World Series.
Pitcher Chris Sale became the rallying voice the Sox needed in Game Four of the World Series when the team was down 4-0. A moment reminiscent of 2013 when Ortiz voiced his displeasure with the team’s hitting in the World Series, Sale fired up his teammates and sure enough, the Sox were able to come back and win 9-6.
Somehow Pearce became one of the unlikeliest of heroes in Red Sox history after winning World Series MVP. The 35-year-old journeyman came up big for Boston in the final two games of the series. In Game Four, he had a home run and four RBI’s and in Game Five he hit two home runs to seal the series for the Red Sox.
The 2018 Red Sox will likely go down as one of (if not the) greatest teams in franchise history, and while the stars filled Ortiz’s shoes during the regular season, it was the role-players who came up big on the field during the postseason.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on October 4, 2018
Friar Sports
New Basketball Facility Will Pay Off
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
This past weekend marked a historic moment for Providence College Athletics with the official dedication of PC’s new basketball training facility, the Ruane Friar Development Center. This $30 million facility broke ground last school year and was completed in time for the team to begin using it this fall. The facility includes two full-sized basketball courts, a float tank, a studio for interviews, and (believe it or not) a barbershop.
While some students do not see why the College would build such a large, expensive building that is used regularly by a small group of students, a new practice facility has been a long-time coming after the College undertook many other upgrades around campus.
When current men’s basketball head coach, Ed Cooley, was hired back in 2011, Athletic Director Bob Driscoll told Cooley that the school had multiple projects before creating a new practice facility. Since then, the College has seen the creation of Anderson Stadium, the relocation and upgrade of Glay Field, and renovations of Schneider Arena and the Taylor Natatorium. PC has also seen the construction of the Arthur F. and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies and, more recently, the science complex.
For both men’s and women’s basketball, a new practice facility was a necessity to remain competitive in the Big East. Former head coach Tim Welsh found that he lost many recruits to schools with facilities specific for basketball.
Now that the Big East is comprised of schools focused on basketball, many of the schools upgraded their facilities. According to Cooley, PC was the last school in the Big East to get a basketball-specific facility. Being the smallest school in the Big East, the Friars need every advantage they can get.
To attract the best recruits in the northeast, having a facility that compares to those at Syracuse University and the University of Connecticut is crucial. This season Cooley was able to keep Providence native David Duke ’22 from leaving the state and also kept Massachusetts native A.J. Reeves ’22 close to home.
Cooley has kept the Friars relevant with five-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. With the news of a new practice facility, he has brought in possibly his best recruiting class, which is just another step for the Friars to reach the level of rivals like Villanova University, who compete for a national championship year after year.
While a championship is far from guaranteed right now, a new practice facility and a top recruiting class shows progress in the ever-changing landscape of college basketball where recruiting has become more competitive than ever. While everyone at PC hopes for quick improvement this season in the team’s success, Driscoll and Cooley have built a program with the potential to stay competitive for years to come.
End Games in Overtime, Not Shootouts
by The Cowl Editor on March 1, 2018
Professional Sports
No Need to End Big Games in a Shootout
by Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-editor
On the anniversary of the 1980 Olympics’ “Miracle on Ice,” the United States Women’s Hockey Team made history of their own by winning their first Gold Medal in 20 years. The team achieved victory in a dramatic shootout on Feb. 22, beating rival Canada 3-2. And while the women’s team played phenomenally in all of their games in PyeongChang, their win brings up the much debated argument on shootouts.
There is no denying that shootouts, especially in hockey, can be extremely entertaining to watch. However, despite the entertainment factor, shootouts should not be a determining factor on which team gets to win the game, especially in a game as big as a gold medal game.
During regular season games shootouts are not much of a problem because not much is at stake. Yet, for a gold medal game to be decided by what is essentially a coin flip, that is just not okay. In the National Hockey League, all playoff games are played out until there is a game-winning goal scored, no matter how many over-time periods it takes. That should not be any different for the Olympics.
That is not to take away from the Americans’ win, because it was a remarkable feat all around that was very exciting to watch. However, choosing to end the game with a shootout because it was getting to be too long was not fair to either team. They should have been allowed the opportunity to play until t
he very end because up until that point, those athletes had given everything to come that far in the games, and to let it end like that was not fair to them.
Three sports currently use shootouts as a final determination for who wins the game: soccer, ice hockey, and field hockey. The biggest problem with shootouts is that they do not fairly represent the 60+ minutes played by both teams. There is no denying that teams are giving everything they have in games that go over the standard 60 minutes of hockey and still be tied. Team effort and perseverance drives the entire game and for that game to be decided in a shootout diminishes those aspects of it.
Shootouts come down to a single player and a goalie and there can only be two outcomes: either the puck goes into the net or it is saved. There is really no play involved and it is nothing more than a trivial way to end a game, especially in games of high importance. It denies players the opportunity to contribute to their team win, because ultimately, it is a single player that gets to be the hero of the game.
In conclusion, shootouts should not be used to determine an outcome of a game that so heavily involves team effort. Shootouts ultimately rest on the luck of a single player and in the case of high stakes games such as the Olympics, it does not provide a satisfying ending worthy enough of the two teams fighting for the win.