“Ironically, it was at Penn State where I discovered how much academics, not just football, mattered to me.”
-John Urschel I am excited to write about this book because it covers math and football. Before we go on to who John Urschel is, let us think about how in the world math and football relate to each other. In football, we use math. We use numbers, distance, time, statistics, and the metric system. Even on the football field there are numbers that represent the yards. That is math! Though some people like sports but hate the subject, everything requires math. John Urscehel is a mathematician, a PhD candidate at MIT who graduated from Penn State, and a former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. This book is a memoir where John Urschel explains about his life and passions. He also explains how math and football are related. In my words, I think he put this book in his own perspective. I think the theme of this story that it teaches and motivates its readers to be successful. John Urschel has a an intriguing life background that makes the book interesting. The way he connected math and football together was a masterpiece! I would highly recommend to everyone who reads this blog to read and check out this book. Even if you don’t know anything about football. Urschel does a great job of explaining. “Ironically, it was at Penn State where I discovered how much academics, not just football, mattered to me.”-John Urschel
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I have to be honest, I did not plan to watch the Women’s World Cup. After what the United States did to Thailand, I had to watch it. If you didn’t know, the U.S beat Thailand 13-0. It was shocking for everyone. Including me! The U.S Women had a dominant season in the World Cup. They won the World Cup, making the U.S. Women’s team the best in the world. The World Cup was hosted in France. The Netherlands Women’s soccer team was competing against the U.S in the finals. So, enough with me talking, and let’s get to the highlights! The match U.S Women looked very hungry. They were ready! They wanted the trophy so bad they put up a fight for it. I am reffering to their offense and the way they run plays. The United States did a great job attacking the ball. Also, the women are quite fast. Every play I saw from the United States was well organized. For one of the U.S. plays, they kept passing the ball across to the other side of the field and they did a great job keeping the ball alive - not getting deflected by Netherlands. 39’ The U.S. shot the ball inside of the goalie box. Netherlands’ goalkeeper did an amazing job saving it. 60’ Netherlands’ defense got pretty rough inside the goalie box. One of the defenders kicked U.S women’s star player, Alex Morgan. The ref gave the Netherlands a penalty. U.S star player, Megan Rapione scored the penalty. After the 60’ Alex Morgan scores a goal for The U.S. There was bad communication from Netherlands’ defense. This concludes the finals. The United States Women’s National Soccer Team are the champions of the world. This was their 4th time winning the World Cup. We won’t find out for another 4 years if the US Women’s team can defend their title. Brazil had such an amazing season playing without Neymar. Neymar couldn’t play for the Copa America because he is currently facing criminal charges. The point I am trying to make is that the team did a great job keeping Brazil strong and holding its reputation together. This Copa America match was very special for Brazil. The entire event was hosted in Brazil, so the team could use this chance to bring the cup home and celebrate with their fans. The Match Brazil played against Peru in the final match for the Copa America League. The winning team would be the champion of South America. The game was fun and exciting to see. Let’s roll to the highlights. When the game started, Brazil fouled Peru. Peru got to shoot a free kick. However, they missed. 14’ Beautiful play from Brazil! A midfielder sent the ball across to an open forward. Peru’s defense came back quickly and they were ready to settle Brazil’s offense. The forward G. Jesus, was doing tricks with the ball and sent it across to another forward who was able to finish it with a goal! 23’ One of Brazil’s star players, P. Continuo, aka the magician, missed his shot next to the goal. It was really close but Peru’s defense did a great job being in On the 2nd of June 2019, the UEFA Champions League final was played. The teams were Liverpool and Tottenham. Both teams play for the Premier League in the United Kingdom. However, they were playing to see which team is the best soccer team in Europe.
UEFA Champions League What is the Champions League? The Champions League is the league that hosts the best teams in Europe. The teams compete against each other to take the trophy and become the best soccer team in Europe. How Does it Work? There are two games for each match, except in the finals. For each game, there is an aggregate score. So, it is okay if a team loses its first game of the match. There will be another game and the losing team can have another chance to come back, depending on how much the winning team scored. Aggregate Scoring There is one more thing about the aggregate score. If an away team scores, the away goals will count for that team. For example, Tottenham faced Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League 2019. In the first leg of the game, Manchester City faced Tottenham. Manchester City was the away team. They lost 1-0. In the second leg of the quarterfinals, Tottenham was the away team. Manchester City won 4-3. Since Tottenham won the last game, scored 3 goals, lost the game by 1, the away goals saved them, and they moved on to the next round. Liverpool Liverpool won 5 Champions League titles. They have been to the Champions League finals 7 times, losing only 2 times. This will be Liverpool’s 8th time playing in the Champions League finals. Liverpool beat Porto in the quarter finals and Barcelona in the semi-finals, advancing them to play in the finals in Madrid, Spain. Tottenham Tottenham never won a title. Not even in the Premier League. So, playing in the finals was a huge opportunity for them. This was a new experience for Tottenham. Tottenham beat Manchester City in the quarterfinals and Ajax in the semi-finals advancing them to play in the finals with Liverpool. The Controversy of the Game Liverpool won the Champions League finals 2-0 in Madrid, Spain. In the first 2 minutes of the game, there was a penalty on Tottenham. The ball hit a Tottenham defender under the armpit area near the chest. Fans are claiming that it shouldn’t have been a penalty. The referee called it a penalty and Liverpool’s forward Mohamed Sallah scored. There was a play when the Tottenham forward lost the ball and tried to get it back, but a Liverpool defender tripped him as he was going after the ball. Before the first half of the game ended, a fan jumped out of the crowd and ran across the field wearing a bodysuit. Liverpool Wins In the last 10 minutes of the game, Liverpool scored again. That is pretty much how the game went. Tottenham did a good job passing the ball and kept going forward but, they couldn’t find a way to get passed the Liverpool defense. “Always believe in your ability and your goals. This is the only way you will be able to reach them.” -Mohamed Salah Until next season. Can Liverpool defend its title? Can Barcelona make it to the finals? Can Ajax go further? Will it be Juventus? Stay tuned. After the performance, the Warriors showed on game 1, they know something had to be changed. Kevin Durrant didn’t play on game two and he will not be able to play in Game 3. Klay Thompson landed awkwardly causing him to miss out the 4th quarter in Game 2. It is questionable if he can play in Game 3 of the series. Warriors vs Raptors Game 2 1st Quarter The Raptors were leading the 1st quarter of the game 27-26. This is good for the Warriors. They were doing a great job of keeping the game close. 2nd Quarter The Raptors found a solution to scoring more points on the Warriors defense. It worked, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Warriors defense. The Warriors were pushing really hard on their defense. They made sure that the Raptors would not score. The Warriors were down only by 5 points in the first half of the game. Toronto was still leading 32-29 3rd Quarter Like in every story, there is always a rising action and a climax. That is what the 3rd quarter was about. The climax! The Warriors were taking the lead of the score. What happened to the Raptors? They made too many mistakes when they were playing in the offense. Also, they had lots of opportunities to shoot the ball. Instead of shooting the ball, they passed it or keep getting the ball deflected by the Warriors defense. As I was watching the game, I could see shots that the Raptors offense could have taken, the commentators, and the Raptors coach, Nick Nurse, could see it as well. The problem was, the players did not realize the shots that they could’ve taken. When they re-watch the game, they will realize it. For the Warriors, strong defense mattered to them. Their defense was the reason why they were leading in the third quarter. Klay Thompson, Warriors shooting guard, landed on his leg really hard. Thompson kept on playing but the landing affected his hamstring. As he kept playing, the hamstring got worse and Thompson got to the point where he couldn’t play anymore 4th Quarter The Warriors won the 2nd game of the finals 109-104. So, this proves that the Warriors can win a game in Toronto without Kevin Durant and the home court advantage won't really affect the Warriors team. Speaking of home court advantage, the Raptors is in a bad spot. The series is tied 1-1. Another problem is that the Raptors have to play in San Fransico, California in the Bay Area where the Warriors play. This is a problem because Golden State do a terrific job play at their own location many times. If the Raptors lose, then the Warriors would take the lead of the series. The Raptors would have to find a solution to their mistakes, deal with the home court advantage, and try their best to not lose game 3 if they want to win the championship. The Warriors would have still keep fighting without Kevin Durant, play hard on their defense, and not risk any injuries. The Warriors can afford to lose another star player. Game 3 of the Series Game 3 will be on the 5th of June, 2019. This time it will be in Oracle Arena. Let us see if the Raptors can find a solution to their mistakes and play in the Bay Area. Let us also see if Klay Thompson will be able to play in Game 3 of the finals. Until next time! . Yesterday marked the first game of the NBA finals. The teams are the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. Toronto had a successful season this year. Especially after winning the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Ever since they traded DeMar DeRozan, for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors found their missing piece. The Golden State Warriors got DeMarcus Cousins over the summer. Ever since they got him, it made it harder for other NBA teams to beat the Warriors. Both teams made it to the NBA finals. They are now competing against each other in order to take home the trophy. Problem (Before the Finals) Golden State is currently having a problem. One of their star players Kevin Durrant is injured. Why is this a problem? The reason is that when the Warriors faced the Raptors last time, the Raptors won during the time Kevin Durrant was on the court. It has not been confirmed if he can play during the finals. It has been confirmed that he won’t be able to play in the first game of the finals. Another problem for the Warriors is the home court advantage. The last 3 NBA finals, the Warriors started at home. This time, they are away. The Raptors will start home for the first two games. Why is this a problem? The reason is that not only the fans can cause a distraction, but a famous R&B singer, Drake. More Problems for Golden State As mentioned, the R&B singer Drake can cause a problem for Golden State. Drake sits on the courtside, jumping, dancing, causing the players to lose their focus. Drake also has a conspiracy of a curse. Fans claim that it is his fault when the team he opposes loses. There are examples of Drake’s curse:
Problems for Toronto The Raptors star player, Kawhi Leonard, is the main focus for the Warriors defense. Leonard drops 20 points on average per game. This, however, would be harder for him and other players because this is the finals. It would be more tempting and nerve-racking. Game 1 of the Finals The Warriors faced the Raptors in Game 1 of the series. Golden State lost 118-109. Right now, the Raptors are leading the series 1-0 out of 7 games. What happened in Game 1? The Warriors point guard, Steph Curry, had trouble in the 1st quarter. Raptors defense did a good job for not letting the Warriors score. Speaking of defense, a center named Marc Gasol, did an amazing job guarding Steph Curry. Not only that, but scoring on Steph Curry, using his body and strength to score the basket. Kawhi Leonard also did a good job. He ran his team. He had trouble scoring but he used his mind. Instead of struggling to score, he passed the ball to his teammates giving them an opportunity to score. That is exactly what a shooting guard player named Danny Green did. Almost every shot he took he made the basket. The Finals Score 1st Quarter 25-21 Raptors leading 2nd Quarter 59-49 Raptors leading 3rd Quarter 88-81 Raptors leading 4th Quarter 118-109 Raptors win In the first quarter, the Warriors were losing by 4 points. The second quarter, the Warriors were losing by 10 points. You could already tell that their performance was getting worse. In the third quarter, Golden State was performed slightly better. When the game ended, the Warriors lost by 8 points. So, during the game, from the score range, the Warriors were losing between 8 or 7 points during the whole game. After the Game As Golden State was walking off the court, The Rapper, Drake, was clowning around. He called the Warriors power forward, Draymond Green, “Trash.” You see how Drake can become a problem in sports? That was just the beginning. Drake showed up in a Dell Curry jersey. Dell Curry is the father of Steph Curry. This might have something to do with his curse. Lastly, for some reason, he found a way to get Steph Curry’s hair lint. Drake is selling Curry’s hair lint for nearly $100,000 on eBay. Drake’s username for his eBay account is @draymoundshouldntwear23. That is a wrap for Game 1 of the Series. Game 2 will be in Toronto on the 2nd of June 2019. The game will start at 9 PM EST. |
AuthorMy name is Michael Duarte. I am 15 years old. I am a student. I am a soccer player. I enjoy sports. I love to play and watch different kinds of sports. I am also getting in the habit of reading. CategoriesArchives
June 2021
About this Page
This is a page where I review sports games and books that I read. Hope you enjoy! |