Joey Logano’s Refreshing Attitude

Joey Logano, the youngest driver to ever win a nationwide series race at the age of 18, has had a rough past few weeks. It started on March 24^th with his and Denny Hamlin’s last-lap crash that killed his chances of winning and injured a former teammate of his. Two weeks later at Texas Motor Speedway, The rear-parts of his car were confiscated by NASCAR as well as parts from his teammate’s car, and they were each penalized 25 points each, leaving them with a suspended crew chief, car chief and lead engineer. The next Sunday at Kansas, fell victim to Kyle Busch’s spin out that destroyed his car.

Kid can’t catch a break.

If that was my experience, I would be ready to throw in the towel, because I’m human. However, Logano expresses that he plans to keep everything in perspective and still feels like he is where he needs to be, especially after comparing what he does on the track with the jobs of military men. It’s refreshing to see a professional who can keep in mind such a humble perspective, regardless of one’s high-profile career.

Joey Logano will continue to be a favored racer of mine, simply because he has one of the best attitudes in the sport at such a young age.

Guan Tianlang Establishes Himself as the Youngest to Play in the Masters

14-year old professional golfer Guan Tianlang is making big moves. As the youngest golfer to play at the Masters, Tianlang also displays maturity beyond his years, and possibly beyond the years of professionals older than he.

Tianlang is the spearhead of a new crop of “young guns” and incredibly talented golfers that are beginning to come out of the woodwork. He has been given praise by Tiger Woods, who sealed his status in the PGA world at a young age.  Seeing these young talents going up against some of the biggest names in the sport will, if it hasn’t already, create buzz that transcends the boundaries of golf fans and round up a new younger crowd.

I love that talent in professional golf has shown to be nondiscriminatory towards age and can give younger players with as much talent as the seasoned professionals a chance to establish some real competition. With a young phenomenon such as Guan Tianlang taking the sport by storm, the PGA may also have opportunities to expand its reach and attract more fans who are interested in the younger golfers.

WNBA Pushes for a Higher Profile with Griner

 

As the number one draft pick for the Women’s National Basketball Association, Brittney Griner’s fate is sealed as a professional athlete post-college. But what has become interesting is that Griner is not only a talented basketball player in women’s college basketball, but she has also received praise from professional basketball players in the NBA as well as owners. The WNBA is using her “marketability” to enhance the league’s profile and increase ticket sales.

Though I consider myself a basketball fan, I would be lying if I said that I have ever watched a WNBA game, much less made it all the way through an entire women’s college game. However, it would be interesting to see an increase in media exposure and for the WNBA to rise in the ranks within sports television. But I also don’t have faith in a higher profile for the WNBA based off of one, or a few, talented player—it is one of the least watched sports, mediocre marketing, and the players would almost be better off pursuing a career for more money than to play professionally.

I think it’s a great effort for the WNBA to increase their market by honing in on the high profiles of incoming players such as Brittney Griner—but I still don’t expect to see the WNBA at night on the Top 10 anytime soon.