What MICHIGAN victory means to a GRADUATE student

Cheering your hostel (dorm) to a famous victory over your arch-rival hostels to picking up the coveted General Championship Cup at the end of the year, I am sure most of the Indian graduate students have gone through similar wave of emotions during their more eventful undergraduate years. Victory followed by bragging rights for some, while a serene satisfaction for some others, apathy for the rest who were always so focused in their work...... but they did ignite their passions and the hunger in everyone which defines the youth.

Let's stop walking down the memory lane as we are not drunk yet. Move over to Michigan. Hmm, we can't stop skimming through college football's winning-est program, or reading about the greatest rivalry of college football "THE GAME". Halls are old folklore, enter college competitions. Athleticism of the highest order, professionalism to the core, we root for our team in Big House which boasts of housing the nation's largest football stadium. The point is, its all bigger now. And, probably, too big. For graduate students, its just an avenue to celebrate, talk, procrastinate, or be passionate to relive those old days. For undergraduate students, I am sure it means more.  For people like me (and am sure many other and probably even more for some of us), gone are the days when hours of days were spent on the field, so it's easier to relive yourself and be passionate by reading about sports which you love, sports that teams to which you have some sort of allegiance is good at. It was exhilarating and absolutely heart-touching to see the sort of celebration after the victory over Ohio. It is now that I am treading a slightly controversial path and the kind of conclusion that I have been trying hard not to reach. From a Michigan undergraduate's perspective, these celebrations were once in a year, celebrating a team we hardly knew, to whose success we haven't been contributing directly, and against a team whose fans we meet only once a year. Or, is it better to still be able to support that team which has been living with you, rehearsing with you, eating with you, and competing against teams who you also know by virtue of the common space you share in departments or hometowns. 

I have this question lurking in me for quite a while, what would the Michigan undergraduates like ? What do you think ? 

beauty of soccer

I just deleted the whole post I wrote blabbering about my brush with soccer. I thought the purpose of drawing your interest to 'jogo bonita' would be lost in the first place. Yes, I can be so boring at times, but guess what soccer is never boring.

Dexterity is a must for every sports person, no doubt. But its manifestations in soccer simply amazes me. You have to be an adept at swinging your club with the right angle and power at a particular weather condition, or remain lucky, patient and equally attacking in one of those fine knocks which wins you a cricket match, but very rarely in sports you would be called a great player if you are good at anticipating your team members and create stunning passes apart from being adept at the game. I, unintentionally, might be drawing a lot of controversy on this aspect of soccer from the cricket fans, but I believe, soccer is more of a team game than cricket, requiring interaction and mind talks at a very crude level compared to cricket.

Well, the views are personal. It is simply enthralling to watch Messi dribble and snake-dance through 4 defenders to give gem of a pass , or watch Rooney going for a breathtaking dip on target above the wrong footed goal-keeper. Equally admirable is Drogba's strength and tevez's grit. While Samir Nasri's level of self-confidence oozes exuberance even in the opponent fans, Ronaldo still manages to keep his viewers locked to his feet. The likes of Terry and Vidic keep their team mates partly assured, while the never ageing Van der Saar and Casillas make their goal posts secured. Midfielders though still rule the roost for being closest to the heart with Scholes, Fabregas, Gerrad and Lampard continuing their runs while visualizing and implementing absolute gems of passes and through balls. Iniesta, Xavi have craftily carved out a niche for themselves with their brand of patient one touch football.

No wonder it is the most popular sport in the world. And, any soccer blog remains incomplete without talking about the two soccer powerhouese in South America. A country torn in economic and political crisis produces wonders like Messi, while their fast developing neighbour have the audacity to field newer faces every world cup.

Dedicated to one of the greatest and most popular sport on the face of earth !!!