What qualifies as a sport, in your opinion? Would you say that a sport must include in its gameplay the requirement to work as a team, score points, and break a sweat while doing so? I would say all of the above are important elements of what we know as a sport, but where I lose touch with reality is when people talk about professional racing as a sport. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR as it’s known by fans, is the organization responsible for the proliferation of auto racing as a sport. While I understand that professionals like Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. possess incredible reaction time and this quality is prevalent in many other traditional sports, nowhere in auto racing is peak physicality required. I posit that you could be relatively overweight and still get paid millions of dollars for driving a car around a circle.
Disagree with me? Well, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
A Hero Among Men
Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel universe and one of the most influential pop culture icons in history, passed away on Monday. Lee’s cause of death has not yet been released, according to CNN reports. Lee began his career in 1939 and after years of studying the ins and outs of the comic industry while still in its infancy, he teamed up with Jack Kirby to create Marvel comics.
Lee created heroes that inspired hope in each and every person who read a comic, watched a Marvel movie, or dreamt of one day having superpowers. His characters advocated for truth and justice believed in science, and understood the power of keeping the world safe from evil. Wherever we end up when we die, I know that Stan Lee is up there with the greats, swapping war stories and reading comic books.
Rest in peace, Mr. Lee. Thank you for making the world super.
A Neighborhood Forever Disturbed
Over 200 rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Monday, continuing decades of conflict in the region. According to NBC reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated by launching airstrikes on the Gaza Strip after the rockets sent from Gaza destroyed an Israeli bus, leaving a 19-year-old man in critical condition. Israel’s national emergency service said ten other Israelis are currently being treated for injuries as a result of the rockets from Gaza.
Over the course of the last decade, Israel has fought three separate wars in Gaza, with the last taking place in 2014. Peace efforts in the region have come into light over the years, but none have made it past the drawing-board phase, as all relevant parties cannot find agreeable terms for peace.
It’s A Bold Move, Cotton. Let’s See If It Pays Off…
Investors and consumers involved the automotive industry are curious as to how Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen (VLKAF), will follow through with his most recent promise that the German automaker will produce 50 million electric cars at a lower cost to consumers, compared to Tesla (TSLA) offerings.
“Now we’re coming into an age where electric cars will play a major role. We will be very big in electric cars worldwide because we are very strong in China. We have huge economies of scale, and we will bring those cars here to the US.”
–Herbert Diess
