The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 17

January 12, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 8 Sports THIS WEEK SPORTS IN HISTORY January 17, 2012 LeBron James was recognized as the youngest NBA player to achieve 20,000 points across his career. On The Bench : Selective sports over competitive dancing Throughout our lives, we are taught about the importance of getting our bodies moving. It improves memory, mood, sleep, appetite, concentration, and overall, almost all aspects of the healthcare spectrum. We are conditioned from such tender ages to learn how to include this magical activity, especially through school enrichment programs such as physical education, or simply, gym class. There are a handful of those who are born destined to be more than just a high school sports star. There are endless opportunities for full college scholarships or even being paid to do it alongside academics. There is an even smaller category of those who will go onto being at the top of their game in sports. They were born for gold medals, money and fame on global levels, most notably being the Olympic games, the NBA, the Tour de France, etc. Whilst the rewards are incredible, the things that one has to endure to get there is more often than not undesirable and that keeps the pool small and extremely competitive. Many of us know the level of dedication these athletes give to their talents -- waking up in ridiculously early hours of the day to do lengthy periods of extreme physical exertion in training and constantly tracking what goes into your body -- is enough to put any average person off. However, this restrictiveness doesn’t only apply to athletes’ lifestyles, it applies to what is considered a sport and the most prevalent example of this is dance. Dance may be a stunning culmination of expression and art, but why is it not considered a more serious form of athleticism when these performers are training just as hard as these award-winning athletes? They perform just as hard, but at half the praise and seriousness. For example, those who dance at some of the most prestigious ballet companies across the world train endless hours to keep fitness and strength, along with beauty and poise. They endure sleepless nights during rehearsals, which happens weeks, even months, before opening night. Furthermore, although competitive dancing may have its own individualized competitions and showcases, a gold medal from World Dance Championships are most definitely not held in the same light as a gold medal from the Olympic Games. Finally, athletics is taken much more seriously when it comes to college. Athletes get offered thousands of dollars in scholarships and more. Yet, this is not the case for most academic institutions offering arts programs. How does one decide the way in which one moves their body to be more impressive than others? Just as they say, “art is interpretation,” then is sports not in actual fact interpretive, too? Does this not prove that they are, in reality, more similar than the world gives credit for? Shouldn’t they be put on the same pedestal? January 13, 1994 On this day, American figure skater Tonya Harding’s bodyguard and an accomplice were charged with conspiracy to attack figure skater Nancy Kerrigan before the U.S. Women’s Championships. Tied to the conspiracy, Harding was banned from figure skating and stripped of her championship title. January 18, 1991 At the 1991 Australian Open, a tennis match between Omar Caporese and Borris Becker clocked in at five hours and eleven minutes, making it the longest match recorded at the time. January 16, 1883 The first Rugby Football Union in North America was created in Quebec, Canada and consisted of teams only from Quebec, later expanding to Eastern Ontario teams in 1894. January 12, 1997 American professional golfer Tiger Woods secured a win at the Mercedes Championship, which was the third win of his career. January 15, 1964 Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays became the highest paid player at the time after securing a $105,000 salary contract with the league. By: Daniella Rudolph Contributing Writer January 14, 1964 Tennis player Martina Navratilova became the third person to achieve one hundred tournament wins