Can we please stop using the term “Warrior” when referring to football players?

I had the honor of working for the United States Army for seven years. I know true warriors; I watched men and women leave their families for 12-18 months at a time, to go to far off lands to fight and protect. 

And, I have been with families as they buried their warriors.

How many time have we hear coaches, players and analysts talk about football players’ “warrior mentality?” Sure, they're tough guys on the field, but they are also pampered and fawned over off the field. These athletes live in the lap of luxury, while our real warriors – our military – live in small on-base houses with sometimes barely enough money to adequately care for their families. I know soldiers who have deployed three, four, five times, whose families are on WIC because their salaries aren’t enough to sufficiently feed their family. Yet, the football players are the heroes.

Simply, one cannot compare the "warrior mentality" of a football player to a soldier because there is no comparison.

Our soldiers willingly put their lives on the line to protect our ideals and our freedom. Football players put their bodies on the line for a game. Both are mentally and physically grueling; but one does it for honor and duty; the other does it for fun and money.

Basic pay for a soldier averages somewhere around $40,000 a year. Basic pay for an Army private is just under $18,000, while a general (of which there are very few) makes into the low six figures. In the NFL, league minimum for a rookie is $405,000 a year, while the minimum for a player with 10 years’ experience is right around $1 million. That is the minimum – the average salary of an NFL quarterback is $3.4 million, the average for a wide receiver and linebacker is $1.8 million, and kickers and punters average $1.6 million – KICKERS AND PUNTERS!

Now, go up to a soldier, who has been away from his family for five of the last ten years, and seen his buddies killed and maimed, that the millionaire is a warrior. 

I know soldiers’ wives who gave birth to their children alone, and had to go through those first sleepless months by themselves; fathers and mothers who had to leave their babies, and come home to children who don’t even remember them; I have seen the pain on the faces of families whose warriors are never coming home.

I have watched planes full of soldiers take off to Iraq and Afghanistan, knowing that not everyone on that flight will come home. I have watched the families of deployed soldiers struggle to make it through everyday life while the most important person in their lives is living in a dangerous place, where people want them dead. I have also been lucky enough to witness the joy of families reunited, of fathers seeing their baby – who could be nine months old – for the first time.

These men and women are warriors. They put their duty and their country before all else. They put their lives in danger so that we don't have to. They are willing to die to protect our freedom. 

Football players are talented, physically-gifted freaks who are paid incredibly well because they are part of a product that produces billions of dollars in revenue each year. But they are not warriors.

Guest blog: The Argument for the 'Bandwagon Fan'

This week we have a special guest blog. My good friend Susan wants to weigh in on her opinion about the so-called "Bandwagon fan." She makes some good, really solid points. Let's not throw around the phrase "Bandwagon fan" so freely in the future, mmmm kay?

The Argument for the 'Bandwagon Fan'

Last night was the first time I witnessed the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. In 2004, I was backpacking around France and in 2007, I watched the entire series only to get really sick on the last night and fall asleep due to an overdose of cold meds.

Finally 2013 was the year I got to witness the magic firsthand. When that last out was made, I was excited and proud, not just for the players, but for the entire city of Boston. After posting a photo of a me and a few of my friends in our Red Sox hats, the “bandwagon fan” comments started. Not just on my page, but in general; the Facebook newsfeed was littered with comments from both Boston fans and non-Boston fans alike, hating on the so-called  “bandwagon fans.”

 

A bandwagon fan by definition is anyone who claims they are a "fan" of a particular sports team, even though they had no prior support for/interest in the team until that team started winning.  By this definition, I don’t qualify.  I grew up 20 miles outside Boston and was raised as a Red Sox fan; my dad did field maintenance at Fenway Park when I was a kid; I went to my first game when I was in sixth grade; I’ve celebrated birthday’s in those stands, and some of my favorite college memories involve the Red Sox.

 

I will admit, like many of you, I don’t watch every game, in fact I rarely tune in for a regular season game. I love going to the ball park, but don’t find regular season play to be all that exciting on TV. Playoff baseball is different. There’s passion behind it that doesn’t shine through in quite the same way on warm day in July that it does on a cool night in October. The players are different and the fans are different – because it’s finally so close we can taste it, and we want to be part of the magic. 

 

I often wonder how full Fenway Park would be if you were only allowed to come in if you had watched every game that season? For most of us, a trip to Fenway is a once-, maybe twice-a-year treat. On any given night, the park is made up of people that the hardcore fans would consider “bandwagon fans,” but really we’re just regular folks who feel connected to a team and want to support them when we can, and however we can – even if that only means catching a handful of games a year.

 

We need to remember so-called "bandwagon fans" contribute to revenue - they buy hats, tickets, and beers at the stadium. That revenue helps the team continue to scout top players and invest in and develop young talent. The bandwagon or fair-weather fans play a role in the success of the Red Sox, or any team for that matter, whether the hardcore fans like it or not.
 

On April 15, 2013, the Red Sox played their annual Boston Marathon day game. No one could have predicted the horror that would happen that day, but what could be predicted was how the Red Sox reacted.  They carried the Boston Strong message and spirit with them throughout the season, honoring those who lost their lives or were injured at the marathon finish line, and giving strength to a city that already was one of the strongest in the world.

 

Last night when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, they weren’t "Red Sox Strong;" they were Boston Strong, and whether you watched every game all season, or if you only tuned in for the last 10 minutes of the game, if you’re from Boston, you’re a fan - and no one should be able to take that away from you.

Susan, right, and two other Red Sox supporters living in Washington D.C.,
the night the Red Sox won the 2013 World Series.

Yet another town, another school, forever changed

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook. These seemingly wonderful places to live and go to school are now names associated with horrendous acts of violence – so much so that we no longer think of them as towns or schools, but as crime scenes. The memories of what happened there can never be washed away.

All of these school tragedies upset me, just as they upset most people in our nation. But they were always far away; I knew in my head that it could happen anywhere, but I never truly believed it would happen just anywhere – I never thought it would happen in my “where.”

Until it did.

On October 22, a 14-year-old student brutally murdered his 24-year-old teacher at Danvers High School. My town. My high school.

I didn’t know Colleen Ritzer, but I wept for her; for the pain she went through and the confusion she must have felt. I wept for her family, and I wept for the children of the town where I had a picturesque childhood, who are forever changed.  

This horrific event is confusing and unimaginable. This is something that happens on a TV crime drama, not at your own high school. The crime occurred in the second floor bathroom, where I was hundreds of times – that was the “good” bathroom, the one that wasn’t full of smoke or too hot or too cold. She was discarded in the woods right behind the school, onto the trail I ran a hundred times. It isn't just close to home – it is home. When horror occurs in your own backyard, it shakes you to your core; it affects you and changes you.

The people of Danvers are hurt, confused, shocked and angry. We’re hurt because when we grew up Danvers was a town where you didn’t even lock your doors; we had very little fear for our safety, especially when we were at school. We’re confused, shocked and angry because, well, this isn’t supposed to happen here.

Photo from the Candle Light Vigil held for Colleen Ritzer at Danvers High School, Oct. 23. Hundreds showed up to honor and remember the slain math teacher.

But I think that’s the scariest part of all of this; in Columbine, Blacksburg and Newtown before us, no one thought something so awful would ever happen in their town. Then it does, and you're forever scarred.

Just as those places were, our town and everyone in it is forever changed. There is a wound that will eventually scab over and heal, but it will leave behind a scar that never completely goes away. We’ll always be “the town where the teacher was murdered.”

Colleen Ritzer was known for her infectious smile, her friendly nature and her love of math. She was the epitome of what a young teacher should be -  excited to teach. On her Twitter feed, she wrote math jokes, encouraging messages and inspirational quotes. She described herself as a "Math teacher often too excited about the topics I'm teaching."

An inspirational quote posted by Ritzer on her Twitter feed

A beloved teacher, gone in such a gruesome way, before she really had a chance to live. 

Every time I drive by my high school, my first thought won’t be the great memories I amassed there of my lifelong friends and the teachers who affected my life in the way I’m sure Ms. Ritzer affected lives, but what happened Oct. 22, 2013. Danvers High School is no longer where I had track meets, soccer games or band practice – it will forever be where THIS happened. In the aftermath of such a horrendous crime, we’re left to pick up the pieces and try to go on.

It seems like they caught the assailant, and he’ll be locked away. But the damage caused by what he did … well, that will never go away.

No one will ever look at Danvers High School the same. One life was taken; another thrown away when a teenager gave into his barbaric impulses. The innocence of thousands of students around the community was shattered. Those of us who aren’t students anymore are left with a little more fear than we had a few days ago. I, for one, feel a little less safe in every day life than I did before this happened; before I learned what people are capable of.

But I know my town; Danvers is full of good, hard-working people and it will overcome this tragedy. The community will grieve together and band together to heal. We are forever changed, forever scarred, but we will heal – but we won't forget. We will be strong to honor Colleen Ritzer.

Danvers High School students returned to school Friday, Oct. 25 - three days after the murder of a math teacher on school grounds. They were greeted by a quote posted by that teacher, Colleen Ritzer, on her Twitter feed. "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind."

http://danvers.wickedlocal.com/article/20131108/NEWS/311089613/0/SEARCH

"Redskins" isn't historical - it's distasteful

During last night's Redskins-Cowboys Sunday Night Football broadcast, Bob Costas did a commentary regarding the name of the Washington Redskins. Here is a link to the transcript : http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/10/13/bob-costas-on-redskins-name-its-an-insult-a-slur/

The debate over whether or not teams should change their Native American mascots has been going on for years. Many schools and franchises have opted to make the switch, including the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (a much better fit than the Redmen) and St. John's University Red Storm (prior to 1994 they were also the Redmen), while others, including the Redskins and Cleveland Indians, remain steadfast in their approval of their names. Some teams, including the Florida State Seminoles, have chosen to keep their name because the Seminole tribe has given their approval. However, the difference between calling a team "Seminole" or "Sioux" or "Blackhawks" is vastly different than "Redskins" or even "Indians." The former are accurate names of a people; the latter are inaccurate terms once used to describe a race by an uninformed majority and therefore should not be used as the names of sports teams.

Owner Dan Snyder sent out an email last week to Washington fans, telling them why he believes his team should keep the name "Redskins." In it, he writes: "The name was never a label. It was, and continues to be, a badge of honor." In the email, Snyder is trying to gain support for one of the major arguments against changing the Redskins moniker which is, "most Native Americans aren't offended by it." To that I say phooey. I am not all about the "PC movement," but I don't agree with using derogatory terms as names of sports teams just because it's been that way for so many years. If a team was called the "Washington Crackers," even though I might not be personally offended as a white person, I would still not agree with the name, because it is a derogatory term about a specific race.



Native American Steve Morales, of Dallas, holds up a sign that reads "Redskin does not honor Native People", as he joins others in protest outside of an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, October 13, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)


The term "redskin" was never a term of affection, and therefore using it as a team name is no longer OK. Just because the team has had its name since 1933 doesn't mean they should get to keep it. Today, using the term "redskin" in any way other than referring to the Washington football team is seen as taboo and derogatory. For that fact alone, the name "Redskins" must change. 


Photo from  Verlin Deer In Water, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma shows his t-shirt during an interview in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, calling for the Washington Redskins NFL football team to change its name, prior to the start of the Oneida Indian Nation's Change the Mascot symposium. During an interview, President Barack Obama suggested that the owner of the Washington Redskins football team consider changing its name because, the president said, the current name offends "a sizable group of people." (Carolyn Kaster)

I am 30, and growing up we called Native Americans "Indians." However, the times have changed and "Indian" now refers to the people who are actually from India. Calling Native Americans "Indians" is not only offensive, it is completely inaccurate. Many people of an older generation can't get used to this change, but just because they don't want to change or don't agree with it doesn't mean the change isn't right. I liken it to referring to any Asian person as "Chinese," any Hispanic person as "Mexican," or any Eastern European as "Russian" – you may not mean to offend, but you are affronting those you are calling the wrong nationality.

Calling a Native American an "Indian" or a "redskin" is no longer "OK" in our society, and to still use those terms as the moniker for a sports team is distasteful and just plain wrong.



Boston Strong

I am from Boston. It’s where I grew up, where my family and most of my friends live. It is where my heart is, where my soul is, and it made me who I am. No matter how long I am away, Boston will always be “home.” I am, and have always been, proud to hail from Beantown.

Bostonians don’t have the reputation for being particularly modest. We are tough, mostly blue collar people, who work hard and play harder. We are a proud people – lest anyone ever go into a Boston bar and say something as sinful as “Go Yankees.” We support our sports teams and our politicians with unabashed loyalty, and we are proud of our heritage.

Being from Boston is like a fraternity; no matter where you go, you undoubtedly find someone else from Boston, and are instant buddies. You may have never met, but you share a past. 

Saying that Monday’s events shook me is a gross understatement. Seeing the terror at the Boston Marathon, happening in my hometown, shook me to my core. I’ve been right where the bombs went off, hundreds of times. I knew people who were right there when it happened. Luckily, no one I knew was gravely injured, but in a town like Boston, the loss of Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lingzi Lu, who was in Boston studying at my alma mater, hurts us all on a personal level.

When I was a student at Boston University, we referred to Marathon Monday as “the happiest day of the year.” Every Patriot’s Day the town of Boston shuts down to all except sports; the Red Sox play a day game, the marathon takes place in the streets from Hopkinton, up Heartbreak Hill, and down to Boylston St., and the Bruins play a game that night. It’s our Mardi Gras, our New Years Eve. It’s a day everyone in Boston looks forward to each year; it’s a day that we celebrate being from Boston.

What happened Monday does not change that. The Marathon will forever have the scar of the lives lost and the bodies maimed, but we will not let it take away our spirit. We are Boston and we are proud – forever.
 

With tears in our eyes, we will sing the National Anthem louder than ever before; we will honor an 8-year-old by hanging his hockey jersey over the statue of Bobby Orr; we will never forget those lost, and we will not let those who did this get away with it.

Because if I know one thing for sure about Bostonians, it's that we are tough and we will overcome. Like everyone from Boston, I believe in my town – we always have, and we always will. Boston is a tough and resilient town, and so are its people. We are Boston, and we are strong.