Written, edited, and reviewed by members of KAMP student radio
This Week in Sports
Written by: Catherine Hill
Published: February 24, 2022
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 6-5 last Friday during senior night at the Tucson Convention Center. Arizona State University narrowly defeated the University of Arizona after the game entered a tiebreaker during overtime.
During senior night, announcer Tom Callahan listed off the seven graduating seniors of the class of 2022. Anthony Cusanelli, Dawson Marshall, Ben Jones, Max Meyer, Alex Johanson, Anthony Ciurro and Nolan Bivolcic received recognition for their major, GPA, and plans after graduation. According to University of Arizona Coach Chad Berman, these players greatly improved team culture and each left their distinctive impact on the game.
Throughout the game, Wildcats in the audience rose from their seats and collectively shouted profanities at their rivals. Fans abruptly rose to cheer and boo as the teams scored, neck and neck. A young boy chanted “Go U of A!” from a fourth row seat.
Fans routinely hurled insults at ASU’s goalie, “Dawson likes the gas prices!” Wildcat fans seated close to the ice rink banged their fists on the glass and booed as the teams approached a tie. As the timer ran out and reset for overtime, local hockey fan Capri Fain, said “No ties in hockey.”
This Week in Culture/Arts
Written by: Ashley Arleen Avila
Published: February 24, 2022
End of Winter Olympics 2022 Celebrated with Anime Tribute
Despite the two-week-long time span of the 2022 Winter Olympics, it was difficult to make time to watch the thrilling saga that featured skiing, hockey, figure skating, and other (sometimes niche) sports. The last day of the Winter Olympics was this past Sunday, February 20th and, to be honest, it completely slipped past me. If you didn’t catch any events either, you’re probably not the only one. This year’s Winter Olympics drew their lowest ratings ever (NPR.org). It’s not too late to catch recordings or recaps of the events, though. Watching the following recap (Youtube.com) made me wish I had caught the events live, especially the figure skating competitions.
There was one winter Olympics related event that I managed to catch: the release of new Yuri On Ice official art in honor of the show’s 5th anniversary and the Winter Olympics (CBR.com). Released by MAPPA, the anime studio working on Yuri on Ice, the artwork features lots of references to the 2022 Winter Olympics, such as the rink resembling the official Beijing skating rink, the official team Japan Winter Olympics jackets, and the Yuri on Ice skater outfits being based on 2022 Winter Olympics skater outfits (for example, Yurio’s outfit being based off Andrei Mozalev’s outfit).
With the new Yuri On Ice movie, Yuri on ICE The Movie: ICE ADOLESCENCE, currently in production (after being postponed with an original release date of 2019), the release of new art has made many fans incredibly happy. Here’s to hoping a new release date gets announced soon! In the meantime, fans can keep an eye out for any new official art releases, watch the teaser trailer over and over again (Youtube.com), or listen to the opening theme History Maker by Dean Fujioka on repeat as they wait.
This Week in Politics
Written by: Zoe Montano
Published: February 24. 2022
According to a jury decision made on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, three white Georgia men were found guilty of a federal hate crime due to their involvement in Ahmaud Arbery’s murder.
The defendants found guilty were William Bryan, 52, Gregory McMichael, 66, and Travis McMichael, 36, after they chased 25-year-old African American Arbery through their neighborhood and killed him with a 12-gauge shotgun. The men are also found guilty of attempted kidnapping and found both McMicharls guilty of brandishing or discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
Arbery’s death was one of the most high-profile hate crime trials in recent years and helped incite the reignition of the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. With that said, the ability to prove that Arbery’s death was a hate crime was viewed as a victory for the Justice Department. Hate crimes are hard to prove due to the fact that not only do the defendants share racist views but their malicious actions were based upon bigotry. Luckily, prosecutors were able to present evidence of the defendant’s crude language and racist beliefs, a scene that left many jury members disheveled and emotional.
State legislators in Georgia have adjusted their citizen’s arrest laws due to social outcry concerning Arbery’s death. They have also passed a state hate crime law and passed a resolution declaring Wednesday the second anniversary of the killing “Ahmaud Arbery Day” with events planned across Georgia.
According to an interview released after the jury’s verdict, Arbery’s mother stated: “As a mother, I will never heal. They gave us a small sense of victory, but we will never get the victory because Ahmaud is dead.” Arbery’s mother has been exceptionally vocal about not only her son’s death but the deaths of many other black men due to racially motivated violence.
In a different trial in late November, a jury found the three defendants guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with one eligible for parole.
This Week in Entertainment
Written by: Rhiannon S. Cox
Published: February 24, 2022
HBO Max’s Euphoria: Realistic or Exploitative?
For the past seven weeks, HBO Max’s hit drama series Euphoria has been the focus of many internet conversations. Specifically, is creator and sole writer Sam Levinson directing a drama with realistic depictions of high school life, or is he using his platform to exploit serious issues as well as the cast portraying them? Euphoria’s graphic depictions of sex, violence, and drug use has been debated amongst viewers since the first season premiered in the summer of 2019. After the premiere of the long awaited season 2 and rapidly increasing popularity, these discussions have been reignited and are more intense than ever.
Most notably, the organization D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) publicly criticized the show’s intense depiction of teen drug addiction, claiming that Euphoria glamorizes addiction and is a negative influence to young people watching. These comments were refuted by fans and media outlets alike, who argue that the show is intended for mature audiences and that teens should not be watching anyways. Additionally, Euphoria has been praised for its raw depictions of addiction that shows the less romanticized aspects of it.
As the sole writer for the show, Sam Levinson has also been called out for the gratuitous amount of nudity and sex shown amongst characters who are meant to be in high school. While all actors involved in these scenes are over 18, many question whether these storylines, such as a high schooler working as a cam girl, are necessary and if they contribute to the over-sexualization of teenage girls. Actresses such as Sydney Sweeney, Minka Kelly, and Chloe Cherry have even had to ask Levinson to tone down the nudity for their respective characters. While Levinson agreed, some still wonder why so many of these explicit scenes were written in the first place.
Levinson’s writing also comes into question with Euphoria’s depiction of LGBT characters. Are these sensitive topics handled with care in the hands of a cisgender straight man? The only other time someone else has been credited as a writer on a show was when actress Hunter Schafer co-wrote a special episode centered around her character Jules Vaughn, a transgender teenager. Viewers have brought up harmful tropes portrayed in Euphoria, such as the hypermasculine and violent closeted character Cal Jacobs, who also fetishizes and abuses Jules. Some believe that Levinson used Cal’s backstory to excuse the character’s abhorrent actions, playing into the trope of gay men being predators.
Despite intense criticism, Euphoria has cemented itself as one of the defining teen dramas of the generation. This upcoming Sunday, the finale of season 2 will premiere on HBO Max, with fans and critics alike tuning in to see the dramatic conclusion.
For more information on the above stories look to the resources below:
Entertainment
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to reach out to news@kamp.arizona.edu