What I am Thankful For

By Andrew Stephens

Probably my most favorite sports memory is watching my father running outside of my house and dancing around my backyard like a 12 year old who just won the Little League World Series. This happened right after Adam Vinatieri shocked the St. Louis Rams with a 48-yard field goal. The Pats upset the world and won the 2001 Super Bowl. The favor was returned after David Tyree put bubble gum on his helmet six years later. Back to the point, though. I am thankful for the upsets in the sports world. I love the 1980 U.S. hockey team; yes, I hate the New York Jets, but I love the swagger that Joe Namath had when he called his shot. I love how Rulon Gardner defeated a Russian god for a gold medal and, yes, I love how that Boise State Statue of Liberty play shook up college football forever.  I enjoy rooting for teams that have a chip on their shoulder, who the media doubts.  I seriously think the Patriots thrive more when they are not favored going into the game.  I would love to see a 16 seed beat a one seed in the NCAA tournament. That may only happen in an inception sequel, though. At the end of the day, upsets remind the sports world and people living life in general, that when the action goes down, all the hype, predictions, talk and bets are off, and sometimes David shoots Goliath right in between in the eyes.

By Chris Burbank

This week's assignment from my editor should have been easy, but it left me scratching my head. How, as a lifelong fan of sports in general, was I suppose to single out a specific thing that made me thankful? But, then it occurred to me that it was a truly simple answer. Just like my Pepe use to tell me as a boy, "Toujours le render facile (Always make it easy)". I guess the best way to sum up what I'm thankful for is just sports in general. Sports is a truly universal language. It has the ability to bring people together, regardless of their origin, background, and religious beliefs or economic status. Although we may come from different backgrounds, a common weave that brings us all together is sports.

By Eric Brill

The thing that I am thankful about with sports is that it can bring a family together (and pending on who likes what team within a family, tear it apart). I can relate to this because my grandfather not only taught me the game of football, but also coached me when I was younger. Most of my family members are New York Giant fans, and whenever I am home, there are always family members cheering (or yelling) at the television while a Giants game is on. I think that sports is something that is really underrated as to bringing a family together; most people cheer for a specific team, and for the most part, they like a team through another family member being a fan of a specific team. As far as something specific within sports that I am thankful for the most is the sportsmanship that players show on the field. These players will pick up players on opposing teams, and this is the correct thing to do. Young children look up to these players. They learn how to treat someone with respect despite the fact that they truly want to beat the hell out of them. Players like Ladainian Tomlinson, Zdeno Chara and Tim Tebow are all people that haven't had issues off of the field, but have also produced on the field thus far in their career. These are the type of athletes that I am thankful for because of the sportsmanship that they show. 

By Jacob Gagnon

In the world of sports, I am thankful (as I'm sure a lot of other people are) for the 2011-2012 NFL Season. It was only a few months ago that the threat of a cancelled NFL Season seemed disturbingly possible. All throughout the summer months, the shadow of a permanent lockout loomed over professional sports. Luckily, the labor dispute was resolved and the season started without the cancellation of any regular season games.

Both Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League showcased exciting championship matchups this year. The Boston Bruins defeated Vancouver in seven games for the Stanley Cup victory, while the St. Louis Cardinals won in seven against the Texas Rangers for the World Series title.

I am thankful, as a fan of the Patriots, for Rob Gronkowski. The titan at tight end has crashed onto the New England football scene as powerful as a tornado, recording 18 touchdowns this season so far. While his wild (but playful) antics off the field may land him in hot water from time to time with Coach Bill Belichick, his impressive presence on the field should cool those waters.  Any player that is able to match quarterback Tom Brady's intensity is someone to be feared. For the remainder of the NFL season, New England will continue to be Gronk's World.