Month: October 2019

My paradigm shift topic will be on how NFL athletes are retiring at younger ages than they once used to. Previously, playing until someone had to tear the jersey off your back and consecutive game “iron man” streaks were praised, but now, data shows that players are retiring earlier to either decrease the risk or injury or pursue other interests. Because of this, it is unlikely these iron man streaks will ever be broken as players are more conscious than ever of their health. These days, players are able to retire earlier due to higher salaries and players being smart with their money. More and more players are choosing to invest their earnings, ensuring they have a continued income long after they have stopped playing. Because of the higher salaries, the players have more money they are able to invest, players see their peers earning more money and demand more during contract negotiations, thus creating a positive feedback loop in which more players are earning more money and more are investing, negating the need to play football for a longer period of time. Another reason for this shift is the increasing demand for former players to serve as NFL analysts and commentators on sports networks. Brining in players to dissect their own game for the public is far more common than it used to be and because of this, players have a way to earn an income while also staying actively involved in the NFL. As with most paradigm shifts, there was some backlash to players retiring earlier as fans now get to see their favorite players taking the field for a shorter period of time. In some cases, these early retirements  are done by superstar players whose decision to do so directly makes the team worse, which makes that franchises’ fans upset. The impact of this shift is players are taking their physical and fiscal futures more seriously, as deciding to retire early is usually what is best for aging players prone to injury.

A paradigm shift I would be interested in researching is how professional athletes are starting to retire at earlier ages relative to their predecessors. A prime example being Andrew Luck, who I spent a 3rd round draft pick on in my fantasy football team, retiring at the age of 30. Athletes used to play their sport until they were forced out of it due to injury or age. Today, more and more athletes are voluntarily retiring at much younger ages. This is due to athletes making a much higher income than previously used to. Wether it be because of more lucrative contracts, the prevalence of endorsement deals due to higher expose or more and more athletes diversifying their portfolios, athletes do not have to play for long to make enough money to live off of the rest of their lives. This makes fiscal, as well as practical sense as the older they become and play, the more susceptible their bodies become to injury. Should athletes still want to be involved in their sport, there is a rise in the demand for former athletes to work as analysts and broadcasters, examples of these being Jalen Rose on ESPN or Tony Romo on NBC. I think this would be a good topic to research as I could compare retirement rates from the past to today, and give specific cases of players retiring early to pursue other interests.

Another paradigm shift I would be interested in is examining countries increasing shift from isolationism  towards globalization. This shift originated after WWII, and was put in motion with the creation of the United Nations, and was then expanded upon years later with the founding the European Union. The United Nations was founded as a result of countries’ desire for worldwide economic stability and peace. WWI, The Great Depression, and WWII had devastated populations and stunted economic growth in many parts of the world. The United Nations was meant to prevent this, as economies became more  intertwined, forcing diplomatic cooperation between countries. Conflict was also meant to be prevented, as the United Nations would serve as a collective body to solve disputes civilly and prevent cooperation. This proved to be successful, as we are currently living in the most peaceful time in human history. I think it would be interesting to specifically compare and contrast the differences and outcomes of isolationism and globalization and go more in depth what caused this shift and who were the leading parties behind it.

 

Both of these artifacts are attempting to accomplish different things and as a result, the appeal to their audiences in different ways. The WPA poster is meant to prevent drinking and driving. The poster primarily appeals to the audience through imagery. The poster presents a bottle of whiskey to represent alcohol as a whole, and the gas pump in the background represents the action of driving. The tagline “Don’t mix em” appears in bright red letters to make them really pop out on the poster. The red letters could also symbolize blood that could be spilled should drivers engage in drinking and driving. The skull is the background represents death, a potential result of mixing the two substances picture below. This poster is effective because the skull and red text serve to make the tone of the poster ominous, as if to say that this issue is meant to be taken seriously because the consequences can be deadly. The Lucky Strike ad takes a light tone, using a celebrity endorsement to make their product legitimate and high class. The text on the poster seeks to make their product seem natural and healthy relative to other brands of cigarettes. Other cigarettes are harmful to health, Lucky Strikes are toasted with no cough and no throat irritation. Cigarette sales actually increased during the “It’s toasted ” campaign, proving that this ad was effective in its purpose of selling cigarettes are convincing the consumer that they should be reaching for a Lucky.