Kicksburg PA (Ben Landau's Blog)

Script Outline:

1. Introduction: Fade in and out with articles about hazing
   1. Capture short 5-8 second clips from youtube of news reporters, reporting on hazing incidents (from multiple colleges) 
      1. Since 1838 there have been over 200 hazing-related deaths, with 40 of those occurring between 2000 and 2017 (according to Franklin College Journalism professor Hank Nuwer)
   2. Beta Theta Pi
2. Overviews of laws regarding hazing and their effectiveness
   1. Law made following the death of Timothy Piazza 
      1. Act 80 of 2018
3. Definitions of hazing-related terms (hazing, aggravated hazing, etc.)
4. Interviews:
   1. Those who don’t believe that hazing is “that big of a deal” 
   2. Anti-hazing
   3. Why?
   4. (for those who plan on rushing) Does hearing of hazing stories scare you or worry you about rushing? 
5. How has hazing affected the reputation of Greek Life (or college in general) 
   1. It’s not all of them, but the reputation of some affects others
   2. Sororities too!
   3. Sports teams/clubs
6. What will this mean going forward

In this blog I’ve examined a variety of shoes. From the most innovative Air Jordan models to the most cutting edge running shoes in the world, I’ve talked about some pretty elite sneakers. However, I feel as though it would be a disservice to exclude the most popular sneaker of all time. In my first post, I said that the Jordan 1 was the beginning. Now it’s time to talk about the true beginning of the sneaker revolution: the Chuck Taylor.

The Converse All Star was first introduced in 1917 as a basketball shoe. It was a rather simple shoe, consisting of only a rubber sole and canvas upper. The original All Star came exclusively in brown, with an all-black option arriving in the 1920s. The All Star got its name thanks to basketball player Chuck Taylor. Taylor played for the Akron Firestones when he began wearing the All Star. He liked the shoe so much that he became a part of the Converse sales team, putting on clinics and camps for children showcasing the All Star. His efforts in promoting the All Star were rewarded when Converse added his name to the All Star patch in 1932. From then on, the All Star was known as the Chuck Taylor. During World War II, Taylor served as a captain in the Air Force, so soldiers wore the All Star during training exercises.

In 1949, the classic black and white Chuck Taylor hightop was released for the public. It became synonymous with basketball, as the NBA had just recently formed into the league that we know today. Whether somebody was a pro or a highschool kid, if they were playing basketball they had Chucks on their feet. The shoe would later shift towards a lifestyle sneaker with the rise of the counterculture movement of the 60s and 70s. It was highly popular with rock stars and performers, making the shoe a fashion statement more than a performance sneaker. From then on, the Chuck Taylor became synonymous with individuality and artistic creativity.

Although Converse is now owned by Nike, the Chuck Taylor remains just as popular as it was in its inception. More than 800,000,000 pairs of Chuck Taylors have been sold throughout history, easily making it the most sold shoe of all time. If you walk around on the street, I can guarantee that you’ll see at least one pair of Chuck Taylors on someone’s feet.

 

Every shoe that I have examined in these blog posts have been standouts within the industry. They have all been beloved, timeless silhouettes that will undoubtedly go down in history for their popularity and cultural influence. Today I want to talk about one of the most bittersweet stories in the sneaker world, one of both unimaginable success and crushing failure. For this week’s blog post, I will be recounting the story of the Adidas NMD.

The NMD  first came to be because of Adidas Vice President of Global Design Nic Galaway, who spearheaded the project in an effort to create the next classic Adidas model. Drawing off of inspiration such as the Rising Star and Micropacer, the Adidas NMD was released in New York City in December of 2015 (Fox). The abbreviation NMD stands for nomad, an ode to the shoe’s ability to go anywhere freely (Fox). The NMD blended the technology of the ultraboost with the comfort and reliability of Adidas’ classics such as the Superstar and Stan Smith. It was the perfect athleisure shoe, with a primeknit- upper and boost outsole. It was easy to wear, stylish, and extremely comfortable. Adidas had found its new ultraboost.

Every colorway of the NMD sold out upon release, quickly making it one of the more in-demand shoes on the market. It’s appeals to everyday wear and comfort further stoked the shoe’s popularity. They had become so popular that Adidas released a high-top version of the shoe called the City Sock, which was also relatively popular on release. The hype kept growing for the NMD, as new colorways continually hit the market. Following their success with the ultraboost, Adidas collaborated with streetwear brands and artists for increasingly more limited releases. Colorways such as the red apple and pitch black still sell for thousands of dollars on the resale market today. From Bape and Overkill to Pharell and Chanel, Adidas amassed an army of ludicrously expensive, wildly sought-after NMD colorways, cementing the NMD as one of the most popular shoes of 2017. It appeared as if the NMD was infallible, or so Adidas thought.

By mid-2017, Adidas had fully bought into the hype surrounding the NMD, releasing new colorways every single day. This over-saturation of the market led to a decrease in sales, but Adidas was unconcerned. They soon released the NMD XR1 and NMD R2, new models meant to reignite the shoe’s popularity, but this just further added to the decrease in popularity. In the following months, NMDs would progressively sit longer and longer in retailers, eventually being relegated to heavy discounts in an effort to increase sales. Seemingly overnight, the NMD had lost its spark, and the general public had turned its back on the model. New colorways are still released today, but the NMD will likely never reach the level of popularity it enjoyed in 2016 and 2017.

Sources:

Fox, T S. “The Evolution of the Adidas NMD.” Sneakerfreaker.com, Sneakerfreaker, 8 Oct. 2018, www.sneakerfreaker.com/articles/the-evolution-of-the-adidas-nmd/.

My Ted talk of choice is “Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?” by David Epstein. Epstein discusses the progression made in athletic advancement through the lens of technological innovation, genetic improvement, and the overall change in the mindsets of athletes. This is easily one of the most entertaining and informative Ted talks that I have ever watched, primarily due to Epstein’s ability as a speaker and presenter. Today I want I to break down exactly why Mr. Epstein’s Ted talk works so well, examining what techniques he implemented in order to produce such a masterful presentation.

First and foremost, the best feature of Mr. Epstein’s presentation is his visual aid. His powerpoint served to enhance every example that was given, specifically when looking at the advancement of sports technology. Being able to visualize distance and time improvements along with the speech really ingrains the information into the audience’s head. Not only that, but it serves to amplify the enjoyability and entertainment factor of the presentation, with colorful and interesting images displayed across the slides. Being able to see the exact scatter-plot of athlete height and weight charted across sports adds to the credibility of his findings. Overall, Mr. Epstein’s visual aid shines as the most important and polished portion of the Ted talk, as it highlights the data given in the presentation along with providing necessary visual aids to further increase enjoyability and comprehension.

Another crucial factor in the success of Mr. Epstein’s Ted talk is his actual speaking ability. He speaks smoothly and confidently, with a noticeable passion for the subject material in his voice. He takes the audience along a journey of sorts, switching seamlessly from point to point within the presentation. While still holding a professional air to the talk, Mr. Epstein finds a way to present his information relatively casually, throwing in jokes and other small quips throughout the talk. This fully immerses the audience in the presentation, allowing them to take in all of the information that Mr. Epstein presents.

These two specific aspects of David Epstein’s Ted talk elevate the entire presentation, making it an easy to watch, informative, and entertaining Ted talk that I constantly revisit. I hope to apply these techniques to my own Ted talk, focusing specifically on a quality visual aid to help bolster my research.

Video Link: 

The sneaker industry is one with a very rigid hierarchy. At the top of the mountain sits Nike, the undisputed king of the sneaker world. For decades, Nike has held the mantle of the most popular and largest sneaker retailer in the world, with its subsidiary Jordan Brand ranking second. Adidas has historically battled with Nike for market supremacy, always eventually falling to second under Nike’s dominance. However, in 2015, Adidas released a product that was so revolutionary, it altered the entire landscape of the sneaker world. Today, I want to talk about the Adidas ultraboost.

Boost technology was first created by Adidas in 2013. By combining thousands of thermoplastic polyurethane particles together into a foam-like material, Adidas had created a material that was both immensely comfortable and offered incredible energy return for athletes. It debuted on the Energy boost in 2013, and was immediately heralded by the running community for its comfort and performance. It would acquire mass-market appeal with the release of the ultraboost in 2015. At the time, only one Adidas factory had the capability to make boost, lowering production levels and making the first few releases of the shoe highly limited. Hype progressively grew with each sold out release, making the ultraboost one of the most sought after shoes on the market. If the shoe wasn’t already popular enough, Kanye West began wearing the triple white colorway at concert shows, exponentially increasing demand for the sneaker. The ultraboost was the perfect blend of style and performance, matching a sleek design with high-level performance. They featured a malleable primeknit upper and a durable rubber outsole. They were dubbed “the greatest running shoe ever” by Adidas, and public opinion supported this, as the ultraboost received rave reviews from athletes and non-athletes alike.

The ultraboost single-handedly revived Adidas, which had previously been struggling with diminishing sales. The success of the ultraboost catapulted Adidas into the spotlight, making it the most talked about sneaker brand in the industry. For the first time ever, Adidas had the upper hand on Nike. Exclusive collaborations with the likes of Pharell and Bape further bolstered hype around the ultraboost. In 2017, Adidas overtook Jordan Brand to become the second most popular sneaker brand in America by sales.

Four years later, the ultraboost is still just as popular as the day that it released. Now on its fifth iteration, the ultraboost has only improved upon its performance, offering “the greatest running shoe ever” to its consumers.

Citations:

Thorpe, Lucy. “The Story of Adidas Ultra Boost & How It Revolutionized Sneakers.” Highsnobiety, Highsnobiety, 1 Dec. 2018, www.highsnobiety.com/p/the-story-of-adidas-ultra-boost/.

Person. “What Is Boost?” Adidas US, Adidas, 3 July 2019, www.adidas.com/us/blog/373504-what-is-boost.

 

 

 

For my Unit two projects, I want to examine the world of reality television. In my essay, I plan to analyze the paradigm shift in perception of reality tv stars. Back in the inception of the reality tv genre, contestants/participants were simply seen as reality tv contestants. They were people looking to get  fifteen minutes of fame and then recede back into normal life. However, in the mid-2000s, reality stars began to become real celebrities. People such as Paris Hilton and the Kardashian family have parlayed reality tv careers into legitimate Hollywood stardom. The general public’s view of reality stars has morphed into that of true celebrity, equating them with top-level actors and musicians. I want to research some of the first reality television shows and their participants in relation to public opinion, and how this has slowly morphed over time into the perception that we have of today’s reality tv shows and stars.

My TED Talk will focus on the portrayal of love in television, culminating in an examination of quite possibly the most egregious depiction of love on tv: Love Island. By researching tv shows from the past in comparison to Love Island, I will be able to describe the shift in representation of love on tv. A few standout choices would be shows such as I Love Lucy, The Office, and Roseanne.

Humanity at its core is selfish. We are rarely asked to think outside of ourselves for the benefit of others, often resorting to self-preservation tactics in order to ensure our own success. It is for this reason that the notion of sacrifice is so interesting. Giving up what is most important to us is regarded as a noble task, lauded by society and religion alike. This reverence for selflessness is displayed no better than in Nike’s ad campaign with Colin Kaepernick and the soldier’s cross. Both of these civic artifacts carry with them immense rhetorical value pertaining to sacrifice, as both actively seek to inspire us to make sacrifices for the betterment of society. Through their use of ethos and pathos, along with strong appeals to kairos and commonplaces, both civic artifacts serve to encourage citizens to stand for something that truly matters, regardless of the cost.