Question of the Week

Liam, Topeka, KS
Subj: March Madness
In your opinion, what was the greatest NCAA basketball team of all time?

Great question, Liam. I’d personally have to select the 1971-1972 UCLA Bruins. The team was loaded from top to bottom with lightning fast guard Henry Bibby, sweet-shooting forward Jamaal Wilkes, dependable banger Swen Nater and Naismith award winner Bill Walton, the prototypical college pivot. In addition to posting a perfect 30-0 record during the regular season, the Bruins also breezed through the NCAA Tournament en route to capturing their eighth national title. As if that weren’t impressive enough, the team also led the country in point differential by regularly walloping their opponents by a margin of 30.3 points per game.

Mad About Mascots

Have you ever wondered who puts the real lunacy into March Madness? It’s the mascots of course. From Buckeyes to Badgers and from Tar Heels to Tigers, this year’s NCAA tournament will be overrun with oddly proportioned critters cheering their respective teams on to victory. Learn more about the hidden lives of NCAA mascots by clicking here.

Question of the Week

Steve, Jamestown, RI
Subj: Food for thought
Is it true that the sports teams at Scottsdale Community College are known as the Fighting Artichokes?

That’s correct, Steve. The student body selected the unorthodox moniker back in 1972 as a way of protesting the administration’s decision to invest heavily in athletics at the expense of traditional academic programs. Naturally, the college declared the election null and void, but the students rallied around their decision and Artie the lovable green artichoke has been the big vegetable on campus ever since. Surprisingly, Artie isn’t the only tasty morsel who has become a mascot. Folks at Delta State University have been cheering on the Fighting Okra for more than a decade and the North Carolina School of the Arts has been home to the Fighting Pickles since the early 1970’s.

In The Spotlight

Professional athletes bounce back from injuries all the time, but it isn’t often that a player returns to form after suffering through a crippling bout of depression. That’s precisely what Reds first baseman Joey Votto did in 2010 when he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, two years after the sudden loss of his father sent him into a downward spiral filled with hospital visits and near-death experiences. “I was... dealing with the anxieties of grief, sadness, fear, and every emotion you can imagine one goes through,” he admits. “I had a difficult time, [but] I'm here now, and I'm doing better. That's all that matters.” Votto’s remarkable resurgence has since become a source of inspiration for those suffering with anxiety and depression. Learn more about his journey by clicking here.