The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 9

October 6, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 8 Sports THIS WEEK SPORTS IN HISTORY October 9: President Woodrow Wilson attends the first World Series President Wilson became the first President to attend a game of the World Series in 1915. This tradition continues to be carried out today as presidents still set aside one night of their term to watch the championship games. October 10: Women attend a soccer match in Iran In 2019, women were allowed to attend a soccer match in Tehran, Iran. The first time since the 1970s. Taking advantage of the event, roughly 3,500 women showed up for the World Cup qualifier match. October 6 : First brothers to play against each other in the World Series The Johnson Brothers squared off in the 1920 World Series, with Doc Johnson at the pitcher’s mound for the Cleveland Indians and Jimmy Johnson playing third base for the Brooklyn Robins. It would be the first time two brothers played on opposing teams. October 11: Lou Gehrig named American League MVP The Yankees’ First Baseman Lou Gehrig earned the title of American League MVP for the year 1927. He would pass away in 1941 from a then- unknown disease, which is now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. October 7: Howard Stern plays tennis against his producer Stern, as part of his variety show “Howard Stern’s U.S. Open Sores,” played a match of tennis at the Nassau Coliseum in 1989. Stern went up against his producer after an extremely wacky night that featured the National Anthem played by tongue. October 12 : Brett “The Hitman” Hart defeated Ric Flair for the WWE Heavyweight Championship Hart secured the title belt after a nasty bout with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair in 1992, just a few years before the industry would change forever due to the Attitude Era. It would be just one of the many times Hart won the title, but by far, the most memorable due to his feud with Flair. October 8: Two British boxers become the first to use gloves An early adaptation of the modern-day boxing gloves were first used in 1818 during a match in France against two British fighters, setting the standard for centuries to come. A journalist who was present described the boxers wearing rough pillows on their hands. On The Bench : Baseball is better with vlogs Despite coming from a baseball family, I often find the sport can seem boring, especially when games drag on long past three hours. The day-to-day life of a baseball player has often been not known to the public because of the lack of time between games to do anything promotional or fan based work, but that’s changed with one player, in particular. Trevor Bauer, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, has opened the eyes of many with his vlogs that showcase playing baseball in the times of COVID-19. These video blogs document his daily routines and what it is like to play professional baseball during these unconventional times. Bauer’s vlogs have not only given us an inside look at the profession in these odd times, but he has also given us an inside look at the mundane aspects of being a professional baseball player. I found that watching Bauer’s vlog on YouTube made me feel closer to the sport and even elevated my level of interest in the game itself. Since off days are minimal, it is hard for players to find the time to connect with their fans or even allow their fans to get to know them as players beyond statistics and play by plays. I personally encourage all fans and By:Ana Maria Soto Contributing Writer non-fans to take a look and find that baseball is not as boring, even when compared to basketball or football, which get way more media coverage. Seeing as basketball is a fast-paced game where things can change in the matter of seconds, it makes sports like baseball seem long and drawn out instead of enjoying the build-up to the turning point of the game. I encourage this because I am not a Cincinnati Reds fan. I am not even a fan of Trevor Bauer, but he has opened up an inside look into the world of baseball . Bauer is granting fans access to a new angle on the sport and I can only hope that more players of the greatest American pastime can begin to explore how they can connect with fans on a more personal level than just through sporadic Instagram posts. These vlogs allow for fans to know more about the lives of baseball players, from what they eat on a daily basis to struggles if something as simple as a warm-up routine goes wrong. If more players start doing this, we may just see an increase in interest for baseball.