MCLA Beacon Online
The Newspaper of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Africa: It’s Your Turn
King James’reign
By Chris Fries
Sports Writer
The first world cup hosted by an African nation is right around the corner, and it is long overdue. The continent, which has produced world-class talent and world-class teams for the last twenty years, finally has a chance to host the biggest event in the game. Scratch that, the biggest event of all sports.
From Roger Milla to George Weah to Didier Drogba, African soccer stars have proved they belong in the world’s best leagues. An African player has finished in the top three in voting for FIFA’s world player of the year award three times since 1995, and numerous others have been nominated. Most recently, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o finished third in 2005.The national teams of Africa have found great success in recent years.
In 1996, Nigeria won the Gold Medal at the Olympic games. In 2002, Senegal shocked the world by defeating the defending world champions, France, and sending them packing in the first round of the world cup. In 2006, Ghana emerged from a group many considered to be the “group of death.” This year, Ivory Coast is in a similar situation to the Black Stars of 2006.
The Ivoirians are in a group that is even more popularly considered the “group of death,” but it would no surprise if this African side advanced. The Ivoirians are led by the Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Solomon Kalou, and brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure.
Though the Elephants have only recently stomped their dominance on African soccer, some experts have referred to this group as a golden generation.But, it is South Africa who will take center stage in this year’s world cup. Many concerns have been raised over the security of the tournament and whether or not the hosts will be competitive.
No matter how the Bafana Bafana perform, the South African fans will be passionately tooting their vuvuzellas and screaming for their compatriots. The 2010 world cup will be a global celebration, as it always is. And world will watch as the African continent finally gets its dues.
What’s with all this “King James” talk? Maybe of Ohio but nowhere else. His talent and poise are unmatched by almost every player in the league. Kobe is the best pure shooter in the league by far, and Dirk Nowitski follows close in his footsteps.
If you recall, the last player to win back-to-back MVP honors dates back to 2004 when Steve Nash was on a tear. Where was his t-shirt sales? Marketing ploy for sure, NBA.com is now selling LeBron James t-shirts after his recent success in Cleveland. Atleast he’s not seeig the money, but the fact still remains — why?In any instance, he’s joined an elite group: Wilt Chamberlin, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. You can’t possibly put LeBron in the same category as these men.
Jabaar alone has captured the coveted MVP title the most times in all of NBA history with six titles. Will it be a three-peat? Highly doubtful.This year’s winner should have been Durant. How can you not agree with that? He single handedly took his team to the playoffs on his shoulders and gave Kobe and the Lakers a brief scare.
His daily game stats were off the chart, and I’m willing to bet he’ll have at least a few more well-noted players on his squad next season. Does anyone else feel like he was robbed by the artificial spotlight surrounding “The King”?Apparently the qualifications for MVP have changed over the years. After the conclusion of the season, I was on the Durant train fro sure. We all know that LeBron is a great player, but is he REALLY a team player?
LeBron’s selfishness has hindered him as a player overall. Even with the supporting cast around him now, it still seems like most of the Cavs just hope that LeBron will win it for them. Jordan made his time a success as a selfish basketball player as well but he knew he could rely on his teammates.
I just don’t see the even trust in Cleveland in general.And as far as the playoffs go, we’ve been in for a treat. The finals are just a few weeks away. My picks: Lakers vs. Celtics. I foresee a seven game set with the Lakers coming out on top. The only way the Celtics will win is if Rondo keeps up the dirty work.
I’d like to thanks Mr. Shannon for putting up with my forceful writing and Paul, Jen and Glen for all thier designated efforts in making the Beacon an outright success. In the words of Chuck Barris, “This is me saying bye.”
