"My solution"

In my hypothesis post I added  a link to a paper I wrote detailing the problem with the medical coverage sports entertainers receive, or rather the lack thereof. The only way to rectify this issue is for the companies like WWE which are billion dollar organizations to put together a reasonable medical plan. However, to force companies to do this the workforce in this case independently contracted wrestlers may have to reconsider unionization, striking, and filing a lawsuit similar to that NFL players with their concussion suit. As long as the revenue stream continues to flow towards the top brass of professional wrestling entertainment ownership no one in charge will feel the need to change how business is run. The only way to change business procedure in this instance is to make conglomerates feel pain in their pockets. However, if a benevolent third party organization perhaps for profit or charity could fill the void for these athletes and provide them a desperately needed service than the responsibility could be taken out of the hands of the WWE.

An Ethical Analysis of Safety Practices in WWE

An Ethical Analysis of Safety Practices in WWE 

                        By Angelo Cottman  

             Project #1 Management Challenge 

        Class: Organizational Management 3025 

                  Professor: Thomas Walker 

                          October 15, 2015

Introduction:

     Blood sport, the mere mention of this phrase calls forth to the mind vivid images of clashing warriors inside the coliseum and various arenas from bygone eras. Throughout history, countless cultures worldwide have pitted man against man in the dance combat. In the pursuit of higher social status, wealth, glory, freedom, completing rites of passage, as well as to entertain the viewing masses, people have commonly fought to the death. It is commonly understood for a warrior, there was no more noble a death than to die in battle. Humanity left the barbarism of death matches behind, replacing it with the supposedly safer more evolved corporate run platform of contact sports. Today, society wisely dictates that the life of the athlete is protected over the trivial outcome of whatever contact sport he or she is playing. It is both the legal and ethical obligation of sports corporations to educate the athletes they employ about the risk of the activity and to the best of their abilities, preserve the overall health of said athletes.

     As a Sports Management Major, I have taken an interest at how prominently voiced the debates on player safety have become through the recent United States media. It's near impossible to not hear about concussion controversy in the NFL or controversy involving damaging steroids in pro baseball and boxing. Each of these issues and various more are indeed valid in their intent to question what level of culpability a sports organization bears to for their player’s safety and health. Over the years, listening to player unions attend courts on the behalf of current and retired competitors, I began to wonder about the fates of athletes in sports without union representation to argue the perspective of the workforce, such as boxing or UFC. Which ultimately leads me to question is anyone advocating the need for safety protocols in the pseudo-sport acrobatic venue that is World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

     It is a purely unethical practice to employ a person without explaining to them known safety hazards of the job (De George, 2014). This distasteful and illegal practice is what the National Football League has been accused of in a collection of joint class lawsuits. Claims were filed against the league by players whom say the sports organization withheld vital medical information concerning the long-term affects of head injures from players who at which point continued to play for the company. As of April 22, 2015, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania approved a settlement between the NFL and NFL Properties, retired NFL players, their representatives and family members. The NFL has not admitted any guilt in disregarding the affects of serious head injuries to players; specifically concussion injuries that occur when the brain continues to rattle around in the skull cavity after the body endures blunt force trauma or stops abruptly. Testimony from NFL employees in this case say not only were players not informed by sanctioned league doctors about the long-term affects of chronic multiple concussions, which commonly occur during the average NFL players career, many players were encouraged to knowingly play through concussions or fake results on concussion detection test, thus avoiding missed games due to not being medically cleared. Regardless of the “he said she said” surrounding this case, if the NFL is truly guilty of these accusations, it is a cruel act they’ve committed against their workforce, yet it becomes apparent the WWE is responsible for worse actions.

                        

Challenges faced by Organization:

     It’s abundantly clear that WWE is a company in the business of sports entertainment, a market where the goal is to use colorful acrobatic athletes in unorthodox amusing combat situations. The television and live events that WWE produces are as theatrical as they are scripted. Despite the staged aspect, the stunts performed by the well-trained professionals take tremendous physical risk. Particular attention should be paid to the parallels between WWE and legitimate pro sports companies, given that most physicians who have treated WWE wrestlers or as they are often referred to “Superstars”, compare the damage sustained by Superstars to that of NFL athletes (Cox, 2014). Only WWE workers don’t adorn the helmet or padding to dull the impacts of their bodies against the padded wooden ring, metal objects (barricades, stairs, and ladders), other bodies, and concrete. 

     Former face of WWE, current UFC fighter, and ex-WWE Superstar Phillip Brooks, better known by his ring name CM Punk, is reported in a 2014 journal article by “The Washington Post” saying the WWE concussion protocol amounts to “bull [expletive]”. Punk went on to say, “WWE doesn’t do anything to protect the wrestlers, they do things to protect themselves. … They don’t let everybody know that they’re doing all these fantastic things for concussions for ‘the boys. They do it so it looks good on them in the public.” Punk’s use of the term boys refers to his fellow professional wrestlers. Moreover, the article concludes with Punk commending the power of the NFL Players Union to force the leagues hand about instilling legitimate concussion protocol, an outcome he didn’t see happening in WWE. Well there is a concussion policy, however, when compared to the extensive six page document the NFL released about their concussion testing/mandatory recuperation policy, the mere two PowerPoint slides produced by WWE entitled “ImPact Concussion Management Program,” is made to look as incomplete, illegitimate, and laughable as CM Punk would have us believe. The manuscript doesn’t even list the symptoms of a concussion. 

     As previously mentioned, WWE performers do not have a union representation and are employed as independent contractors. Therefore, the wrestlers lack a powerbase to respond when legal rights of workers are violated. Such was the case when CM Punk admitted in an interview with Colt Cabana on the “Art of Wrestling” that he’d been pressured to keep wrestling after receiving a concussion in 2014 and again immediately following his elbow surgery. “I got a concussion in the Royal Rumble. It’s pretty godd*** obvious. I knew I had a concussion. Everyone knew I had a concussion. And they were like we want you to take this test and I said your test is bull***. I took the test while texting you [Colt Cabana] and listening to my headphones and I “passed” with flying colors. But then they were like we want you to go to the ring and run the ropes. And I was like but I just passed your test and they were like yeah, but we still think you have a concussion. I was like so your test is worthless.” Within the two hour interview, Punk describes multiple occasions when he was cleared to wrestle following injury by WWE doctors without even being examined by them. An incident following Punk’s elbow surgery involved him without a medical examination, being cleared to wrestle over the phone by WWE doctor, James Andrews, who was out of state at the time (Paglino, 2015) As egregious as these business practices are by the WWE, they are lucky it only resulted in CM Punk retiring from the company due to health related reasons in 2014. The consequences of unethical medical practice have often been much higher.

                  Management’s Response to Challenges:

     The two biggest changes to WWE medical protocol came on the heels of tragedy. Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero, two names most every WWE fan correlate with great triumph and great despair. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero died of heart failure due to underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart. He was a former WWE champion. The body of Chris Benoit was found on June 25, 2007 after he had sedated and killed both his wife and son Daniel. Benoit was a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The Eddie Guerrero case was simple. Doctors concluded that Eddie’s intense workout regiment he performed to stay in shape for the WWE circuit, combined with his past substance abuse of painkillers and human steroids caused his heart to give out. Substance abuse is a prominent problem in most professional sports, yet even more so in WWE because the amount of muscle mass and endurance level required for wrestlers to perform weekly at the highest stage demands the use of stimulants and painkillers. Almost immediately following Mr. Guerrero’s passing, WWE announced a new drug testing policy to detect the use of particular steroids (Cantor 2005).  As for Chris Benoit, it is known the plethora of concussions he suffered during his career caused critical brain cell damage that in other cases have led to dementia. The Benoit story is often mucked up by public misconception with people assuming, like Eddie Guerrero, that Benoit was on steroids leading to killing his family uncontrollable rage. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, as no anabolic steroids were detected in Benoit’s body. Leaving brain damage as the most likely cause for his peculiar actions, a theory with which WWE avidly disagrees. Though ironically, in the aftermath of the murder-suicide scandal, WWE initiated its current ImPact Concussion Test Program (WWE, 2015). It would be remiss not to mention that in addition to Chris Benoit‘s public life in private he was a loving father and husband adored by his friends who to this day find his final acts uncharacteristic. 

                     Analysis of Management Response:

     The aforementioned settlement between the NFL and their players resulted in major benefits made readily available to Class Members in the case. The NFL must now offer baseline medical exams for retired NFL players and extensive education curriculum about football safety (NFL Settlement, 2015). Also, the NFL may award funds to parties diagnosed with ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia and certain cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can only be diagnosed after death. As shrewd corporations, often WWE and the NFL avoid taking responsibility for the concussions, substance abuse, or injury their productions help to cause. Players forced the league’s hand by taking legal action, so perhaps the same must be done to the WWE for them to have legitimate policy reform (Zygna, 2015). Clearly, improvements have been made in the WWE safety protocol, yet it has all been retroactive in response to death. Initiative must be taken by the WWE to confront issues before they occur or all progress is hollow. For instance, WWE may want to begin by adjusting its Impact Testing since the only behavior it mentions are chair strikes to the head, which are now explicitly prohibited during shows. However, it should be noted that wrestlers in WWE are commonly required to get kicked in head, slammed through tables, leap from ladders/cages of greater than 20 feet, and endure impacts to the head from metal barricades or ring stairs.

              My Ideal Resolution to WWE’s Challenges:

     As a devotee to the sport of wrestling, I have watched more than my fair share of events. I understand the violent atmosphere in which extreme stunts are performed is the main draw of WWE’s genre of shows.  It can be difficult to tow the line between safety and extreme, so I would respond to the ethics problems WWE faces, first by acknowledging the medical issues caused by intensive wrestling, then by establishing a form long-term medical coverage for retired wrestlers.  WWE has taken little, if any accountability for the health of its staff, either current or retired. By acknowledging the problem, the WWE should educate the world about the risk of wrestling. This way there can be a more open dialogue about wrestler injury and WWE can hire a higher quality of professional medical personnel. I understand that medical coverage for current wrestlers may be good, but long-term injuries warrant long-term medical coverage. Obviously, this would be expensive, but when you take into account the amount of funds WWE has dedicated to causes like breast cancer, the armed forces, and St. Jude’s it seems reasonable to think that they could set aside some money to aid the workers that help build the legacy of WWE. Overlooking the fact that wrestlers are independent contractors, once their careers have closed someone should help these performers who’ve given up their lives to compete.

                                  Closing:

     In 2015, modern day gladiators perform their craft in professional fighting rings competing not to the final breath, but to the final bell. The final straw for ex wrestler CM Punk reportedly came when WWE Dr. Chris Amann misdiagnosed a deadly MRSA staph infection as a “fatty deposit” on the wrestler’s back in 2014 (Paglino, 2014). After succumbing to illness, Punk broke ties with WWE to begin healing, his contract was terminated the morning of his wedding day (Cox, 2014). Many onlookers, including Punk himself felt this was a personal message regarding how he left the business. Regardless of personal disputes between management and employees, there is always the ethical obligation of a company to best protect the health of its workforce. Professionally, the WWE has failed this challenge and must make great strides in the future to have access to the next crop of talented upcoming wrestlers who have the option of working for other wrestling entertainment corporations, like Global Force Wrestling, TNA, Lucha Underground, and Ring of Honor Wrestling. Moreover, if WWE hopes to retain the support of diehard wrestling fans like myself they must do justice to the dedicated men and women who make the sport possible. 

                                                  WORK CITED 

Biography.com Editors. "Chris Benoit Biography Athlete, Murderer, Television Personality." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/chris-benoit-21203169>.

Cantor, Brian. "Eddie Guerrero's Cause Of Death Officially Revealed - Wrestlezone." WRESTLE ZONE. CraveOnline Media, 07 Dec. 2005. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/228361-eddie-guerreros-cause-of-death-officially-revealed>.

Cox, John Woodrow. "CM Punk Slams WWE’s Health and Wellness Policy, Says He Was Fired on His Wedding Day." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2014/11/28/cm-punk-slams-wwes-health-and-wellness-policy-says-he-was-fired-on-his-wedding-day/>.

De George, Richard T. "A History of Business Ethics." A History of Business Ethics. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/business/conference/presentations/business-ethics-history.html>.

"NFL Concussion Settlement." NFL Concussion Settlement. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <https://www.nflconcussionsettlement.com/>.

"NFL's Head, Neck, and Spine Committee's Protocols Regarding Diagnosis and Management of Concussion." Nflplayers.com. NFL. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://images.nflplayers.com/mediaResources/lyris/pdfs/NFL_Diagnosis_Mgmt_Concussion.pdf>.

Paglino, Nick. "WWE Issues Statement Following CM Punk Blasting Company Doctors - Wrestlezone." WRESTLE ZONE. CraveOnline Media, 27 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/530395-wwe-issues-statement-following-cm-punk-blasting-company-doctors>.

"WWE & ImPACT Concussion Management Program." Http://corporate.wwe.com/. WWE. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://corporate.wwe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/WWEImPACTConcussionProgram24.pdf>.

Zynga, Andy. "A Social Brain Is a Smarter Brain." Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing, 06 May 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <https://hbr.org/2014/05/a-social-brain-is-a-smarter-brain/>.

"Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1"

Foreword: I will be including the interviews that accompany this blog post at a later time.

Being a fan of sports and the sports entertainment industry the health and futures of athletes are things that occupy my attention. In recent years with the recent media attention being paid to how the NFL handles concussion, the integrity of the National Football League has been brought into question. Surprisingly, there are even more oversights in the industry of sports entertainment where athletes no longer contracted by programs receive no medical benefits.

Hypothesis: Wrestling companies in the United States refuse to provide athletes with proper medical care during and after there violent careers. 

• The who: Wrestling companies like WWE

• The what: Refuse to provide athletes with proper medical care

• The why: There is an issue because the average career of any stunt athlete is riddled with injuries so it may be difficult to afford medical coverage for both current and retired wrestlers.

This issue not only affects athletes but their families who are often left with enormous medical bills to care for their loved ones. Also, many times the family must cope with the fact said athlete is suffering from severe physical or mental impairment by the conclusion of their career. The web address at the bottom of my page will link to a blog post of a paper I wrote last year. In the paper I outline some of the safety practices of WWE the premier company in American sports entertainment (which is different from the professional/collegiate sports industry). The only solution to the problems faced by current and retired wrestlers is for their employer/former employer to prioritize the health of their workers. 


http://2016principlesofentrepreneurship.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-ethical-analysis-of-safety-practices.html

Looking for Opportunity

Opportunity #1:  The first economic opportunity I have identified is within the NCAA, a part of the American sports industry that generates more than 12 billion dollars annually (money generated is not equivalent to revenue). However, with the NCAA being such a success it is a wonder why the heart of its workforce, collegiate athletes aren't fiscally compensated for their efforts. The article listed below by Taylor Branch, discusses the economic trend of forced amateurism on collegiate athletes. The article touches on how this process along with the mandatory contract signing by  collegiate athletes awarding all of their identity rights to the NCAA is fundamentally unconstitutional.  Obviously, this trend needs to change not just because the prototypical customer being players deserve to reap the profits they generate, but so every fan of college sports like myself doesn't have to bear witness to the hypocrisy of the NCAA. I became aware of the opportunity to pay the players years ago when I first learned about the profit margin projected each year within particular college sports. Although, I am very aware it won't be easy to pay college athletes because not every athletic program makes money, in fact many programs across the country are hemorrhaging funds. So we would have to answer the question do athletes in non-revenue generating  collegiate sports like track and gymnastics deserve to be paid? Moreover, once the door is opened to the idea of player compensation it becomes hard to regulate how each player will be paid. For instance, will all players in a sport be paid at a flat rate or will negotiations take place between schools and players creating a reward system based on their individual present and future contributions to the athletic program. Lastly, allowing college students to receive payment will invite agents to come in to manage their value adding yet another dimension to the already murky business of college sports.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/308643/


Opportunity #2: For my first regulatory opportunity I have identified a peculiar legal statute in the state of New Jersey. I first became aware of this law through my aunt who told me a story about an old lawsuit her company was involved in back in 2015. Apparently in the state of New Jersey if a trespasser enters onto private property and is accidentally injured it is possible in some cases for the injured party to sue the owners of said property. The URL listed below links to a document from the the New Jersey Judiciary website. In the the document on page three you will find the definitions and general duties owed to both adult and infant trespassers. The document is long and contains much legal terminology, but it goes on to describe certain circumstances where property owners can be held liable for injuries incurred by trespassers. Personally, I don't think individuals who trespass thus breaking the law themselves should necessarily be able to sue landowners to possibly make a profit from the incident. Getting rid of this law all together is not the answer, but modifying it would serve to protect property owners and alleviate some of the burden on the New Jersey legal system.

https://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/civil/charges/5.20F.docx


Opportunity #3: My second economic opportunity has to do with increasing the number of extreme sports venues in the state of Florida. I came across this opportunity about two years ago when me and my friend were entertaining the idea of starting a paintball business on his property in south Florida. These types of business are a low cost investments usually only requiring a few thousand dollars to start. Also, Florida excluding water logged areas has the perfect landscape for sports like paintball with plenty of flatland. There is a lack of extreme sports providers in Florida so there isn't much competition to new enterprise. Young adults between the ages of 15- 35 would be the target demographic so they would be the ones to benefit most from taking advantage of this opportunity.


Opportunity #4:  My second regulatory opportunity involves changing all racially insensitive team names in major professional sports leagues. I became aware of this opportunity several years ago when national media attention was once again brought to issue of minority groups pointing out the offensive nature of certain professional team names. Specifically, there are numerous team names in pro sports that can be considered insulting to the Native American demographic. Clearly it could cost any professional sports organizations a great deal of money to engage in a re-branding effort. However, the benefits of becoming a morally aligned organization concerned with its effect of public should outweigh any financial loses.


I hold each one of the beliefs to be evident because I can be objective when reviewing these issues. I am not concerned with the fiscal situation of the NCAA nor the cost of re-branding pro sports teams since I do not work for them. I merely care about fairness when it comes to how enterprises operate. I think if athletes work than they should be paid; if a team name is has a racially charged word attached to it (Redskins) than change it out of a sense of decency to your fellow man. If  a law is not functional and can end up rewarding people for violating a law than said law should be changed. I an not unique for holding these opinions it is merely that many others like me lack the ability to expeditiously change these situations.  

"Forming An Opportunity Belief"

Greetings Readers,

For those who do not know I am originally from Baltimore Maryland.  I do currently live in central Florida, but during certain points of the year usually in the summer I travel to my hometown. During the week I conducted these interviews I was in Baltimore and so the opportunity that is discussed in these recordings reflects my surrounding. After the housing bubble burst in 2008 and the market crashed most people within the United States were hit hard economically, with some being left homeless. Baltimore was no exception and the number of abandoned houses as well as homes in a state of disrepair has skyrocketed since this period. My interview focus on how this phenomenon affects Baltimore citizens in the community and what they think can be done to rectify the issue.

My Interviews are on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/acottman1/interview-1

https://soundcloud.com/acottman1/interview-2

https://soundcloud.com/acottman1/interview-3-part-1

https://soundcloud.com/acottman1/interview-3-part-2

Conclusion; After conducting my interview the opportunity for neighborhoods in Baltimore to be rebuild and reinvested still exists in spades. I think organizations need to adapt their business strategies to lessen their affect on communities. Instead of simply buying up homes for profit corporate entrepreneurs have to be mindful and serve the community they hope to profit from.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Greetings Readers,

I just want to point out that because I live in Kissimmee the newspaper information I researched came surrounding area.

Opportunity #1: Citizens must prevent accidents with the SunRail.

Article Title: "Latest SunRail crash is 5th since train started in May"

Link to Article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/traffic/os-sunrail-wrecks-misses-20150113-story.html

Article and Problem Description:  This 2015 article reports on an incident in which the Florida SunRail which stretches from Volusia County into southern Orange County collided with a minivan. The minivan was attempting to speed past the tracks before the SunRail passed  so they wouldn't have to wait in traffic. At the time this was the 5th accident on the railway and there had been 19 recorded near accidents the year before. So perhaps the problem lies with the impatient citizens of central Florida whose impulsivity is endangering the lives of others and destroying city property. It is also possible the city needs to develop a quicker barricade system to guard the tracks before the train arrives.


Opportunity #2: An upcoming announcement could end a school squabble.

Article Title: "Lake school district, service workers dispute to be decided Monday"

Link to Article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/lake/os-lk-seiu-final-hearing-20160519-story.html

Article and Problem Description: This article from May 20th, 2016 predicts a possible end to the dispute between service workers and the Orlando school district. The Service Employees International Union and the school district have been debating over how to define seniority while bidding for summer jobs. The people with the problem in this instance are the employees of the school district seeking summer employment particularly bus drivers and children monitors.


Opportunity #3: There is a two man initiative to stop drunk driving.

Article Title: "Dad who lost daughter, UCF officer team up to stop drunk drivers"

Link to Article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-father-ucf-student-police-dui-20160520-story.html

Article and Problem Description: In this article from May 20th, 2016 Orlando resident Bill DeMott recounts the story of how his daughter, a 20 year old UCF student was killed by a drunk driver. This devastating incident functioned as a catalyst allowing for a personal bond to develop between DeMott and police officer Frank Imparato. Together they are taking a stance to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking. So Frank and Bill have a problem with breaking the law and endangering others.

Opportunity #4: The police are finding lost children

Article Title: "Kissimmee police find disabled 13-year-old who wandered away from school"

Link to Article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-marlon-chappell-missing-school-20160505-story.html

Article and Problem Description: This short article from May 5th, 2016 explains that Marlon Leonardo Chappell Jr. a mentally disabled child wandered away from his education center in Kissimmee and was located several hours later by police. The child was unharmed, but the incident frightened his grandmother who was going to pick him up from the center that day. Schools and families have a problem keeping an constant supervision on children with special needs.

Opportunity #5: The amount fentanyl prescribed needs to be reassessed or society needs more opioid substitutes.

Article Title: "Orange, Osceola top in state for fentanyl, heroin deaths"

Link to Article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/addiction-recovery/os-addiction-recovery-drug-deaths-orlando-20160504-story.html

Article and Problem Description: When this article was written on  May 4th, 2016 there had been 50 fentanyl related deaths within Orange and Osceola counties which were more than any other county in Florida. Fentanyl is a prescription drug that simulates some of the same symptoms heroin has on the body. Therefore, illegal fentanyl abuse is a huge problem for the Florida police department as an organization. While the over medication of individuals taking prescription drugs is huge issue for pharmacy corporations.

 

My Entrepreneurship Story

                                                                          

Greetings Readers,

Entrepreneurship is commonly defined as the development, organization, and management of a business venture. One of the notable instances where I've been exposed to entrepreneurship comes courtesy of my friend's parents. They are the founders and current owner of Native Green Cay Nursery in Boynton Beach Florida. Michael and Sylvia Jameson are wholesalers of native Florida trees and shrubs grown on their personal farmland. At their business, the Jameson's are responsible for managing anywhere between 6,000-8,000 plants at any given time. The nursery's clientele is typically made up of landscapers from south and central Florida.  Being close friends with the family for 10 years, I've gotten a behind the scene look at how their operation is run, as well as contributed as a part time employee to the business. Working on a farm, in addition to simply being around an agricultural profession, helped me to become more in sync with nature and focus my mindset on a healthier lifestyle.

As for addressing my presence in this class, I enrolled because the credits count toward my Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management. A rather mundane explanation, but I do hope to reap more from this class than merely a good grade. Entrepreneurs are associated with being the worlds innovators. Therefore,  I am expecting that some of the skills taught in this course specifically those that assist one in how to swiftly adapt can help me thrive in the ever changing sports world.

Bug List

Entertainment websites and applets like Pandora or YouTube are no longer commercial free commodities. 5 Why’s: ·         Companies see that free sites, like YouTube or Pandora, have high customer traffic, so they want to place advertisements there. ·         Advertisements are needed by sites to make money. ·         Money is needed to pay for tech support managers. ·         These media have become so popular they need constant maintenance. ·         YouTube and Pandora have become so popular because they are free media. The life of cell phones based on battery, data capabilities, and durability are designed to last only 2-3 years. 5 Why’s: ·         Cell phone manufactures need people to buy new phones each year. ·         Cell phone companies need to make money. ·         If phones lasted longer people would keep their current phone and not buy a new one. ·         Most people only need one working phone. ·         People only need one phone because they take that one phone everywhere with them. It is standard that you must age 25 or older to rent a car or you will incur extra protection fees. 5 Why’s: ·         Rental companies want more experienced drivers to use their vehicles. ·         Older drivers are less likely to engage in excessive drinking and reckless behavior ·         Therefore, experienced drivers are less likely to get into accidents and they can pay for damages should an accident occur. ·         Younger drivers don't have income to replace damaged vehicles. ·         Drivers with a steady income can be sued should the rental agency find it appropriate. Tedious TSA checkpoints exist at every airline. 5 Why’s: ·         Airlines need to make sure everyone has ticket before getting near the gate. ·         Airlines need to make sure no dangerous materials are allowed on the plane. ·         Airlines need to make sure passenger devices won't interfere with plane mechanics. ·         These security measures function as legal protection for airlines and foster a safe environment. ·         If customers don’t feel safe they won't fly and airlines will lose money. People still use their cell phones while driving even though it is illegal in many places. 5 Why’s: ·         Everyday time constraints combined with people still needing to talk on the phone encourages law breaking. ·         Many people don't have Bluetooth in their car but still need to use phone ·         Often people think using speaker phone is safer than holding the phone to their ear, so it encourages them to break the law. ·         Many driver’s find talking a quicker alternative to texting. ·         Most people think they won't be caught on their phone by law enforcement. Shipping trucks drive dangerously on highways. 5 Why’s: ·         Typically truck drivers on long journeys are dangerous from lack of sleep. ·         Deadlines for delivery trucks aren't reasonable. ·         Truckers need money and want to collect delivery bonuses from employers. ·         Employers want inventory as quick as possible to sell for profit. ·         Customers have an instant gratification mentality so demand quick delivery from companies. More libraries are disappearing (closing down). 5 Why’s: ·         More books are being turned into digital media. ·         People prefer digital e-books because they’re easier to access as opposed to physically going to a library or bookstore. ·         E-books are easy to access because they’re cheaper to produce and spread digitally ·         The cost efficiency of e-books has a less drastic effect on environment. ·         You no longer have to kill trees to make paper for books. Florida suburbs, particularly South Florida have a subpar bus system when compared to other states. 5 Why’s: ·         Most stores close by 10pm so south Florida residents typically return to their houses early. ·         Most people in South Florida have personal cars to get to and from their houses. ·         The majority of people have cars because it’s an area where older citizens settle. ·         Older citizens who own cars choose to live in South Florida since it’s a higher income area. ·         South Florida is a higher income area due to the number of wealthy people that retire there. On average Nike's cost around $100 to buy, but far less to make. 5 Why’s: ·         Wholesalers buy on average each pair of shoes from Nike for $50 and the retail markup has 100% price increase so stores can guarantee profit. ·         Each pair of shoes sold to wholesalers cost 50 dollars because Nike must pay a Selling General and Administrative expense amounting to $15 per pair in addition to the 4% tax on each pair of shoes usually amounting to $2.00. ·         These fees cost what they do because the materials, insurance, and labor needed to make one set of Nikes cost $28.50. ·         Including these previous factors Nike shoe company has to make at least a 9% profit off each pair of shoes produced which amounts to $4.50. ·         This profit is paid to employees and stockholders while a portion of it is reinvested into the company. The majority of video game console systems are no longer backwards compatible (play previous generation games). 5 Why’s: ·         Making consoles play modern games and older games would cost companies too much money. ·         Companies use resale of previous console content on newer current system platforms as downloadable content to sell customers essentially the same game twice. ·         Also, making consoles backwards compatible would make systems bigger and harder to transport.  ·         Consoles would become bigger because technology from old systems would need to be added to modern tech in order to read old data. ·         This added weight and bulk would discourage some consumers. There is high rate of restaurant closure.   5 Why’s: ·         It’s hard to keep consistent stream of customers. ·         Customers are creatures of habit looking for a consistent product which is hard for some restaurants to produce. ·         There is a high employee turnover rate in the restaurant industry meaning staff changes constantly at some restaurants making quality food hard to duplicate. ·         It is hard to find dedicated employees to work at one restaurant consistently due to long shifting schedules that exploit workers. ·         Workers in restaurant deal with lower wages so they have to work longer shifts and eventually want out of the job all together. Marijuana is not legal but decriminalized in many areas throughout the country. 5 Why’s: ·         Keeping the substance in a gray area between legal and illegal may deter individuals from using it without putting as much stress on the prison system. ·         Officers won't be forced to arrest individuals caught with the certain amounts substance, but the average citizen still won’t use it for fear of incurring legal consequence. ·         People are unfamiliar with the term decriminalization so they’ll stay away from a substance all together. ·         Individuals don't often take time to research the constantly changing laws of every county or nuances of terms, like decriminalization. ·         Most people don't have time to do this research.  Florida has a lackluster system for water runoff. 5 Why’s: ·         There isn’t enough access to ground drainage. ·         You cannot dig deep in the ground in certain areas to create ground drainage. ·         The water table depth in Florida is 1 to 1.5 meters meaning there are very few places you can dig deep under the surface without hitting ground water. ·         Florida is a very moist state composed of wetland and swamp. ·         As a peninsula, Florida is surrounded by water and is also the nations flattest state being directly at sea level in many spots. Airfare to Florida is always amongst the most expensive in the country. 5 Why’s: ·         Airlines seek to profit off the inexhaustible amount of people flying to Florida. ·         Florida is one of largest tourist destinations in the world. ·         Tourism is big in Florida because it has some of the best theme parks and beaches that are easily accessed all year round. ·         It’s warm all year round so people can visit. ·         Obviously, Florida is warm from being so close to the equator. There are so many potholes in my hometown of Baltimore Maryland. 5 Why’s: ·         Streets in Baltimore are old because it’s an old American city where the streets have suffered a lot of wear and tear beyond cars. ·         Asphalt suffers a lot of damage from salting. ·         Salt is put down to stop excess water from turning into ice. ·         We get the excess water because during the winter snow melts in the day time and will refreeze after temperatures drop back down at night. ·         Ice can also cause damage to roadways and endanger lives. All officers aren't required to use dash cameras and body cameras. 5 Why’s: ·         The government doesn't want law enforcement equipped with cameras. ·         Many states don't have money to buy all the video equipment. ·         In this dangerous line of work of its likely many cameras would be damaged and need to be replaced. ·         Not everyone is trained to use high tech camera equipment or would want to learn how to do so. ·         People don't like being under constant surveillance. There is a large amount of hatred and vitriol you find online. 5 Why’s: ·         People find online to be the perfect place to express strong emotional opinion. ·         The worldwide web an open forum where anyone can have a voice. ·         Online there is little to no consequences for having an unpopular opinion. ·         There is a lack of consequences online because people can operate under the guise of anonymity. ·         There are few people who would go to the lengths of tracking down the person behind an online identity. Aerosol cans cannot be recycled which seems wasteful. 5 Why’s: ·         Aerosol cans are considered hazardous household materials; thus they cannot be recycled. ·         Aerosol cans are considered hazardous because the way aerosols are pressurized at 2-8 times normal atmospheric pressure. ·         Canisters that have not been completely depressurized are still flammable. ·         Chemicals are used to pressurize aerosol cans making the metal non-reusable. ·         Chemical pressurization is cheaper and more than alternative means. Fresh food markets are more expensive than less healthy alternatives. 5 Why’s: ·         It cost more for markets to get fresh ingredients. ·         Fresh food markets pay more to transport their food. ·         Transportation and storage for fresh ingredients cost more because they do not have preservatives. ·         Given these fresh foods have such a limited shelf life, markets often have to get them locally. ·         Increased pricing shrinks the potential customer pool so the customers that do buy from fresh markets have to pay more in order to make up the difference. Personally I am not a fan blogs. 5 Why’s: ·         I spend a tremendous amount online already so caring for a blog at times appears tedious. ·         It may be tedious since I’m not always comfortable publishing my thoughts online. ·         The internet is a place where it is easy to misconstrue someone’s opinion. ·         Although I tend to be very clear and very direct in many of my messages there is always room for misinterpretation. ·         I’m one to welcome criticism, though I usually like all my critics to be informed and with the internet that is not always the case. Reflection Crafting this list wasn’t that difficult for me because I can be pretty vocal about what bothers me. However, thinking of annoyances that had at least five stages between the initial problem and the root cause was slightly difficult. I find most problems can be simplified as being caused by two or three stages of issues that typically lead back to money or basic human needs as the root of their existence. Overall, this was an interesting critical thinking exercise.