This article was originally published to The Collegian.
• The Stanley Cup has been decided with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating my beloved Tampa Bay Lightning and the Golden State Warriors dethroning “The King” and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals. Now the doldrums of summer are in full swing with only the Wimbledon and bar-b-ques to get us through the summer until the College Football season kicks off in less than 75 days. You will probably notice that I didn’t mention baseball or golf events for good reason. Zzzzzzz.
• Speaking of baseball, the Vanderbilt Commodores and Virginia Cavaliers will face each other in the NCAA College World Series in a best of 3 beginning June 22. Vanderbilt will be looking to repeat as national champions, while Virginia will be looking for a little revenge after facing defeat in 2014 to the Commodores. My pick is the Cavaliers.
• One way to help us all through the summer is the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is well underway and USA Soccer, which has already defeated both Australia and Nigeria while tying Sweden, has come out on top of the dreaded “Group of Death.” The USA will now face Colombia and hopefully China before moving on to the next stage in the FIFA bracket. Is this the year Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo and the rest of Team USA bring home the ultimate victory? I believe that we will win. I believe that we will win. I believe that we will win.
• College Football Preseason Magazines are finding their way to store shelves and I have already heard Phil Steele on the local airwaves discussing his prognostications for the upcoming season. You college football fans, particularly GSU Panther’s, can expect some reviews of what the experts have to say about the Panthers and the College Football in general. You can also expect to see a preview of my own of the upcoming football season.
• Finally, I want to take a moment to reflect upon the tragedy that occurred at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC where 9 human beings were senselessly murdered because one human being who carried out the act over an intense hatred he harbored for absolutely no reason at all. Dylann Roof confessed to Charleston authorities that he wanted to “start a race war.” He wanted to perpetuate a message of hatred and attempt to divide this country. I remember after 9/11, another senseless tragedy spurn from hatred and meant to test our freedom, Americans came together like I have never seen before in my 44 years of life and “Old Glory” was flying in front of nearly every house and on nearly every car. Collectively, we sent a message of our own back to those terrorists that freedom and democracy will always endure. Once again America must come together and show that we will continue to endure and not allow acts of terrorism to tear us apart. We cannot let Roof and those like him win. We cannot give him what he wants. We have to show him and anyone like him that their beliefs are the extreme minority because that is the truth. We can and always will rise above such ignorance.
Woody Bass III 