Sports

By: Natalia Contreras
All over the world women always fight for equality against males. One of these fights involve inequality against womens' vs. mens' soc  cer. During the Women’s World Cup, the champions earned far less than the champions for the men's World Cup. It was also forced to be played on t  urf, a surface much more hazardous than natural grass. Finally, women soccer players are payed much less for their profession than the male players. Overall, women's soccer pay and play are almost always inferior to men.During the summers of 2014 and 2015, Brazil and Canada held one of the most important soccer events all over the globe: The Men’s and Women’s World Cups. Despite the U.S. Na  tional Women’s team taking home their 3rd World Cup win, they still earned less than 1/15 of the prize money that the Men’s World Cup champions received. The German champs of the 2014 Men’s World Cup received $35 million in prize money, whereas the women's team received $2 million. “They work just as hard as the men’s teams, and they deserve the same amount of money,” says Grayce Riccio, 5th grader with 4 years of soccer experience. What is even more shocking is that the 16 men's teams that were eliminated in the first round of the competition received 8 million dollars. The United States National Men's team received 9 million dollars for finishing 11th in the tournament. The women's teams have actually gotten a boost involving prize money in recent years. Teams that won the tournament in 2007 and 2011 only received 1 million for their victory. Prior to 2007, no money was rewarded at all from FIFA for being crowned champions. Not only is the prize money unequal and unfair, the Women's World Cup was forced to play on artificial turf, which is far more hazardous than the natural grass that the men's teams play on for most of all the major competitions. Artificial turf is a culprit for increasing injuries on the sports fields, including more sprained ankles, concussions, and turf burns. Overheating is also a health problem many players experience, since the little rubber pebbles found in turf tend to heat up in hot temperatures (especially since temperatures increase during the summer) making the artificial turf fields significantly hotter than the natural grass fields. Finally, altering the speed and quality of play is a main effect of playing on these types of fields. “I think that’s a bad idea because turf has a higher risk of getting injuries and its harder to play on turf than grass because the ball moves faster. It’s also not as natural to play on turf than to play on grass,” says Violet Allgood, soccer player. With all this being said, it's no surprise how gender discrimination is being applied when forcing the Women's World Cup to be played on artificial turf. Lastly, women's’ salaries are significantly less than their male counterparts. Part of this reason is because women's and men's teams are paid differently, with the women receiving a base salary ($72,000), and a bonus for each win ($1,350), while the men receive a per-game bonus ($5,000), along with receiving another bonus for each win ($3,166), according to the New York Times. Soccer player Michael Bradley of Toronto F.C. earns $6 million just for his club, but the maximum salary in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is $126,000, far less than a male player who plays in the Major League Soccer league, essentially the male version of the NWSL. The United States international soccer teams also face injustices, despite the women's team providing far better performance than the men. Both international teams must also play 20 international friendlies, where countries face each other with no intended reward. Even if the women's team wins all 20 games and receives a $99,000 salary (including the bonus), the men's team will still earn about twice what the women's earn if they lose 10 games, but only in bonuses. “It seems really unfair and discouraging to women's soccer players, along with young girls,” says Kathryn Matoka, 5th grader. As a conclusion, it is clear that many areas of women’s soccer, including pay, playing surfaces, and differences in prize money they receive in tournaments, is far less and inferior to the men of the game. It is a major injustice, but the women will keep fighting for the equality they deserve.

2016 SUMMER OLYMPICS = = ===Kathryn Matoka ===

Every four years, the Summer Olympics takes place. And every four years, it continues to stun. From swimming to archery to badminton, the Olympics have them all. In 2012, over 10,000 athletes and 205 countries participated in the Summer Olympics. The outcome is expected to be even greater this year. This year they will be held in Rio De Janeiro, from the 5th to the 21st of August. The Olympics first started on April 6, 1896; and will hopefully continue for many more years.

 The Olympics are all about honoring athletes, specifically their effort, determination, team, country, and skill. The Olympics include around 200 countries, and include athletes from most of the continents. The Olympic rings stand for just that, all the areas of the world that participate in the Olympics, (the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe.) The Olympics include: aquatic sports, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoe, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling. The Olympics honor sports and athletes from most continents, and feature different cultures.

 Although the Olympics feature several thousands of athletes, and America alone is bringing over 500 athletes, certain athletes stand out from the bunch. For instance Michael Phelps, USA, has swum in the 2004, 2008, 2012 Summer Olympics; acquired 22 Olympic medals, 18 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze; and is considered one of the most successful Olympians of all time. Talk about a stellar athlete. Usain Bolt, on the Jamaican team, is also considered one of the greats. He was the track and field star of both the 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics, with 6 gold medals.

 The athletes are certainly the stars of the Olympics, but let’s not forget about the sports. Popular sports this year include trampoline, football (soccer), and handball. Natalia Contreras is most excited to watch handball, “It is a new sport to me and it looks interesting and fun to play and watch.” Some kids also would like an opportunity to go to the Olympics. I asked Sonia Gutierrez if she had a chance to go to the Olympics what sport she would like to play. She replied, “I would want to do pole vault, because it looks fun and exciting.” Overall, there are definitely fan favorites in athletes and sports.

 Let’s not forget about the equally important Paralympics though. The Paralympics are for athletes with disabilities. The Paralympics feature much of the same sports, some completely different, and many adapted popular sports. The Paralympic athletes are equally if not more impressive. In fact, Oscar Pistorius is sometimes considered the fastest man of all time. He is the first athlete to compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic games. Trischa Zorn is the most successful Paralympian of all time. Throughout seven games, she won a staggering 55 swimming medals. Including 41 golds, nine silvers, and 5 bronze. She held multiple world records, two of which still stand, eight years after she last competed.

 In the last Summer Olympics, USA had the most total medals; 104: 46 gold, 29 silver, 29 bronze. They were trailed by China; 88, 38 gold, 24 silver, 23 bronze; and Russia; 82, 24 gold, 26 silver, 32 bronze. All of the athletes in the 2012 olympics were outstanding, hard-working, and all-around impressive. All who contributed to the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics should be proud, and all the athletes will continue to astound and be astounded.

 The Olympics don’t just produce admirable athletes, they also inspire equally important organizations, such as the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics provide year-round athletic training to adults and children with disabilities. Another organization inspired by the Olympics are the Transplant Games. The Transplant Games are for those who have undergone life-saving transplant surgeries. They signify the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation. The Olympics are more than just a sports competition, they are a role-model, an eye-opener, and an inspiration. Official Website Link: [|__http://www.olympic.org/rio-2016-summer-olympics__]

The Super Bowl By Mary R Olszowska

Touchdown New England! Touchdown Seattle! It was 5:45 when the was starting to get interesting and everyone was waiting for halftime Katy Perry was amazing! At the end of the game the Patriots won at 28-24