FEATURES
TorontoStudentsPackAPunch
uoft-born entertainment group to host first legal canadian student fight night
In a dimly lit gym located in the heart of downtown Toronto, students across the city train vigorously, hoping to knock out their peers in two months' time This is the beginning of VPS Entertainment’s highly anticipated Student Fight Night; the first legal, sanctioned student boxing tournament in Canada. At 161 Boxing Gym, students train for free with full access to the gym even outside of designated training hours January through March, all to take on an opponent and more than likely a friend in the ring on March 20th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Students will be matched to an opponent based on skill, height, and weight class, all with no formal boxing t
To get the inside scoop on VPS Student Fight Night, we attended a training session Students are led by energetic coaches under a mural of Mike Tyson for good measure. We managed to sneak some interviews during water breaks We asked Bruno Sullivan, a student at UofT, what made him decide to sign up for Student Fight
V m
s a Victoria College pool club, VPS Entertainment broke off from official university affiliation in 2023, and has since grown tremendously, even expanding to Montreal, Edinburgh, and London Throwing weekly pool nights at the Copper Boot, formerly the Smith Social House, hosting at club venues likeApt 200, and holding fundraisers, VPS Entertainment hopes to fill a well-known void in Toronto’s student life and
pub culture, and has been successful in doing so since its humble start four years ago Furthermore, VPS Entertainment is associated with Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response, for Survivors, or, as they’re better known on campus, the PEARS Project VPS Entertainment works with PEARS to keep students safe and make them feel comfortable at VPS events, where boozing, dancing, and late nights might be intimidating to some
Night, as it is a requirement that participants involved have no prior professional training Bruno stated that he’s wanted to get into boxing for some time and that VPS Fight Night offers fighters something to work towards; the fight. The free training and gym access was also a big incentive for Bruno, as it was for all the fighters we spoke with. We asked Bruno if he was planning on taking advantage of the free, full access to the gym, and he informed us that he already had We asked Clare Mooney, another student at UofT, why she decided to sign up for the fight, to which she responded that she had done a boxing lesson once before; “[I thought,] ‘if I could do this for free, I’d do it all the time ’ And now I can do it for free, so I’m doing it all the time ”
While some concerns have been raised about the ethics of the sport of boxing and pitting students against each other, by our observations students are in great spirits They are doing physical activity, something students are often too burnt out and swamped to prioritize, and they are working towards a common goal which will be celebrated by approximately 2,000 of their close friends and peers on March 20th For more information, updates, and content about VPS Entertainment and Student Fight Night, visit @vicpoolsociety and @readthemike, and pick up issue 7 of The Mike on February 16th Thank you to Theo Sokol, Yegor Lyutikov, and the VPS team for collaborating with The Mike to produce this article and more content to come
Rosie McDonald Editor-in-Chief
AR AVENGERS ENDGAME: MARVEL’S GENERATIONAL FLOP
A flop almost as shocking as Black Widow’s
Krystyna McMullan Contributor
The 2019 film Avengers Endgame had people all over the world on the edge of their seats However, was it really that great? The answer is, honestly, no The film has so many holes, from writing to character arcs. Starting with the beloved Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, in all his glory.
For eight years, Steve Rogers' character arc relied on the fact that he was a man out of time Through each film, he grew deeper into his new life, accepting that he is, in fact, a man out of time He fosters a relationship with the Avengers, taking the lead in his new team, even growing a relationship with Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier In the same film, Rogers fosters a relationship with Sam Wilson, or The Falcon, simultaneously creating a new life he is comfortable with and adapting to it. As well, at the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it is seen at the beginning that Rogers has a list of various films, music, and more that he missed out on due to being stuck in the ice for seventy years, demonstrating how Steve has come to terms with the time that he has lost Thus, putting himself into this new society and accepting his fate that he may be a man in a new era, but that does not necessarily mean he is a man out of time
Secondly, Steve’s character arc revolves around his childhood best friend James Buchanan Barnes Their literal saying to each other is “I’m with you till the end of the line” Steve shows how important Bucky is to him by spending the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier attempting to remind Bucky of who he is. In the same film, Steve even turns on the government for his best friend, abandoning the Avengers and the whole life he created, of his own accord. All for this character arc to be thrown out in Avengers Endgame, just to dance with a woman he barely knew during the war seventy years ago?! That is not my
Captain America
Avengers Endgame felt rushed; they were too busy portraying Tony Stark in his final moments that they threw away the entirety of almost a decade’s worth of character development for Steve Rogers The second mistake it made was killing fan-favourite Natasha Romanoff Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow, was the first female superhero in the MCU She was a role model for young girls all around the world, showing that anyone can be a superhero and run with the big dogs. Natasha’s character was limited to the male gaze for the majority of her portrayal in the cinematic universe, yet still managed to be one of the most interesting characters in the franchise, only to not get three movies? Disgraceful
The treatment of Black Widow’s death was .
disrespectful The MCU did her dirty by killing her once her character was finally getting credit, and I will never forgive them When they did give her an independent movie, they introduced new characters instead of solely focusing on her At the end of the day, while Endgame is incredibly glamorized when analyzed as a whole, it was not that good of a film Six years later, I am still mad
Photo Credit: Disney
Photo Credit: Disney
Photo Credit: Disney
Photo Credit: Disney
LIFESTYLE
TheHousingAffordabilityCrisis
financial investments negatively affect the housing market — Here’s How. Aiden
Fung Photo Editor
The Housing affordability crisis seems more serious than ever
If you’re a University of Toronto student looking for a studio within proximity of the St George campus, rent averages out to $1,574 roughly a $300 increase from seven years prior These increased costs in rental rates are often attributed to an increase in demand by international student populations, or even immigrants entering the country With rising rental rates, how are we supposed to be able to afford housing, let alone tuition and other daily necessities?
In reality, the concept of affordable housing was never out of reach. There once was a time when the Canadian government viewed basic housing as necessary public infrastructure
Throughout the mid 60s until the 80s, the federal government had invested in many programs to “fund non-profit and cooperative” housing, which ensured long-term affordable rates This period was characterized by the government’s attempts to create successful community and social housing for the lower and middle classes
In 1993, the federal government froze funding for social housing to cut costs and save on the federal budget. Before the 1993 funding freeze, Toronto’s social housing supply had an annual average of 3,900 units, and consisted of 12% of Toronto’s total housing supply. If this program had continued since 1993, we would currently see 129,000 social housing units available, which would successfully supply the current waitlist of 105,000 households, with over 20,000 units to spare
While it is easy to point the blame at immigration levels, this ignores the increasing financialization of our city Toronto's housing is no longer being built to house people; it is being built as a speculative financial asset for investors. One of the clearest examples of this is the popularity of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), which allow investors to pool capital to purchase rental apartment complexes as a means of income-producing assets In 1993, total assets in Canadian REITs were valued at $80 million, which had grown to over $75 billion in 2017 The growth in REITs has contributed to the commodification of housing by turning an individual’s right to shelter into a form of profit generation The focus on maximizing shareholder value can often influence rising rental rates and reduce affordability in housing markets When housing becomes a tool for wealth generation, rather than a social right, the gap between what a student earns and what a landlord demands will only continue to widen
Insecurity, not Affordability
Within the housing crisis, we need to stop talking about affordability, a term that frames an innate human right to economic concerns, and instead talk about housing insecurity Insecurity leaves over 105,000 households on a waitlist for shelter and security Insecurity demolishes over 1,229 rental units to modernize and financialize newer luxury condos.
A mindset of change towards housing must happen: housing is a basic human need, not a luxury. Treating housing as vital infrastructures, a concept unknown to a contemporary capitalist-driven city that has commodified into profit, results in a thriving, stable city where people of all incomes can afford to live, not just a select few
Photo Credit: Aiden Fung
ArsonistLightsMultipleFiresonSt.GeorgeCampus
Is increased CAMPUS security the answer? NEWS
Between 2:40 p m and 4:45 p m on Wednesday, January 14th, a man entered several buildings on the St George campus, including Old Vic and Sorbara Hall at St Michael’s College He lit several small fires and then left At 4:35 pm, 17 firetrucks were dispatched to Old Vic, and firefighters were seen breaking the windows and sawing through bars to access the basement where the fire was lit
A fire was also lit and property destroyed in Sorbara Hall at St Michael’s College Sorbara Hall resident Maxwell Goddard was in class when the fire wasset, butwas nonetheless shaken to know that the incident had taken place in his residence building “They set a poster on fire and I believe a shower curtain,” he reported
On Thursday, January 15, TPS released images and a description of the suspect, Yuriy Khraplyvyy For these incidents,the man is wanted for three counts of arson causing damage to property and two other counts of mischief
Claire Wilson Contributor
For some, this means increased surveillance In an interview with City News, one student said, “if we have security that's like actively in every building or around campus, they would notice when someone's walking around lighting fires in the middle of buildings, you know?”
After several incidents of voyeurism at New College in 2023, students began to raise concerns online about the lack of TCard access at most U of T buildings In a February 2025 article from The Varsity, Olga Fedossenko discusses student perceptions of safety measures on campus, writing, “Katerina Vovk a fourth-year engineering science student from UTSG wrote in an email to The Varsity that she feels ‘much safer in buildings where there are [TCard] scanners ’ Despite her safety concerns, Vovk wrote that having to take out her TCard every time she enters a building would be ‘inconvenient ’ She continued that she felt ‘that the scanners would create too much annoyance ’”
In light ofthis incident and the recent shooting at the Scarborough campus, more students are talking about campus safety Do we really need more of it, and what might that look like?
Corporate Censorship and Its
ThreattoJournalisticIntegrity
CBS, a major American commercial television and radio network, recently faced backlash amid the last-minute shelving of a high-stakes political story on its prime-time television series, 60 Minutes
The segment, dubbed ‘Inside CECOT’, detailed the story of Venezuelan prisoners who were deported to the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Terrorism Confinement Centre - CECOT), a maximum security prison in El Salvador, by the Trump Administration The segment was scheduled to air on December 21, 2025
CECOT has recently been under the watch of human rights groups and the topic of discussion in the public eye However, information surrounding the prison is difficult to obtain, as prisoners within CECOT are denied communication with relatives and lawyers Furthermore, human rights groups are not allowed in the establishment, allowing only journalists and social media influencers“under extreme circumstances”
60-Minutes addressed that ICE data itself reflected that the majority of Venezuelan prisoners sent to CECOT had no criminal history Human Rights Watch said last month that “many of these abuses constitute torture under international human rights law” Yet, Trump continued to praise the prison publicly, saying that he was "very impressed" with the confinement centre
While pulled from the U S broadcast, the segment became mistakenly available through a leak on Global Canada in December CBS News had fed a version of the segment to Global TV, which posted Inside CECOTon its website before the sudden cut Although the episode has since been removed, some driven viewers were able to watch it and share clips on social media
The story was announced in advance and advertised as ready through PR promotion Bari Weiss, CBS’s Editor-In-Chief, cited that the shelving was due to a ‘need to advance’ the story, and ‘the administration’s argument’ as it was not presented adequately to address why 252 Venezuelans were sent to CECOT This means that the main issue was the lack of a response from the Trump administration
Many students feel that there aren’t enough safety concerns to warrant the installation of TCard scanners in every building, especially considering that one of the perpetrators in the 2024 voyeurism incident was himself a U of T student and would not have been deterred by TCard scanners
A commenter on the Varsity article writes, “we do not need a securitized, gatekept campus because a few people ‘feel’ unsafe with this, often not related to any actual events that made them feel unsafe I would oppose this on a philosophical level, but that doesn’t even consider the potential costs/use of resources which could so obviously be better spent ”
According to a campus safety alert on January 15th, patrols were increased after the fires U of T does not currently plan to add any new TCard scanners
Coincidentally, this decision was made in the wake of criticism ofParamount Media from U S President Donald Trump The journalist who produced Inside Cecot, Sharyn Alfonsi, did not agree with the decision to shelf the segment, which was cleared by CBS lawyers
She accused Weiss of corporate censorship and attempting to appease the Trump administration Trump, in early December, publicly shamed "60 Minutes" for interviewing Marjorie Taylor Greene It is speculated that this may have caused Weiss to take extra precautions when reporting on political stories
Eventually, Inside CECOT was updated and aired accordingly on CBS on Sunday, January 18th, 2028 The updated version of the segment included “President Donald Trump saying the prison operators don't play games" and the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that the prisoners were sent as "heinous monsters, rapists, murderers, sexual assaulters, predators who have no right to be in this country"
As Weiss’s decision circulated online, controversy sparked Speculations arose surrounding the reasons behind the last-minute decision, with news outlets and social media posts alike mentioning that the story was killed at a ‘sensitive time’, and the cut could have acted as an opportunity to get on good terms amid editing disputes and legal settlements with the Trump administration
Considering that the segment covered sensitive topics of torture, sexual and physical abuse tied to the government Social media users expressed both confusion and frustration with CBS, with some ‘thanking Canada’ and expressing discontent with corporate censorship interfering with public trust and journalistic integrity
Some social media users took it upon themselves to share the segment across platforms, seeing it as an important ‘yet-to-be-censored’ testimony CBS tried to put this to a halt through digital copyright takedown orders; however, this did not work in their favour as it only fueled further accusations of censorship
In the midst ofa tense relationship between media outlets and the Trump administration, journalistic integrity and news reporting is becoming increasingly influenced by corporate and government interests This crisis is furthered, yet mitigated, through social media platforms – or ‘citizen journalists’ – which some may argue to be the most unbiased and uncensored forms of news
Emily Neto Editor
Photo Credit: Aiden Fung
CarneyHitsHardatDavos
Taking the sign out of the window
George Thordarson Contributor
On January 20th, 2026, the Presidency of Donald Trump officially reached its quarter mark It has been a busier-than-usual year for news coming out of our southern neighbour From major domestic actions such as the ramping up of deportations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (frequently initialized as ICE), to the warm embrace of Trump rhetoric and style on all American institutions (including a notorious wall of Presidential plaques at the white house), it is hard to predict what the remaining 75% of the Trump term will bring: We are now living in an era of unpredictabilityfromthegovernmentof theworld’slargesteconomy
But especially for Canadians watching this escapade,it seems that foreign policy has been the largest subject of this new Trump administration In an effort toincrease his own legacy, President Trump’s expansionist rhetoric has touched Cuba, Panama, Venezuela, Greenland, and our own country with persistent references to this idea of a 51st State Given his love for tariffs, sudden action, and threats of annexation, it is hard to find Canadians who still trust the United States as a partner the way manyof usdid13monthsago
Speaking to a crowd ofequally concernedEuropean allies last Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney marked the1stanniversary of the Trump premiership by addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland Before he entered elected politics last year, the Prime Minister had addressed the forum on several occasions, and it is thus fitting that he chose this home court crowd to make one of the most important addresses by a Canadian Prime Ministerindecades
Carney repeatedly referenced a metaphor created by Czech revolutionary Vaclav Havel, drawing a synthesis between the state of the rules-based international order and the state of communism in Eastern Europe in the 1970s and 1980s This is the idea of the performative expression: a system staying legitimate because everyday men and women pretend to believe in it. When one shopkeeper takes his “Workers of the world, unite!”signout of his window, the system forms a crack that risks growing if another bold grocerfollowssuit
Part of the PM’s speechwas an acknowledgement that the idea that, since 1945, countries have been playing by the rulesof the postwar international organizations was never actually true Rather, countries like Canada have been putting the sign in the window: great powers like the United States may carve out violations and exceptions for themselves, but nonetheless, the hegemony that America created was economically advantageous for Canadians Carney was saying what elected leaders rarely say: we simply cannot rely on great powers to playbytheruleswithanyoneanymore.
Carney argued that great powers do not need to rely on others to build a strong economy Strong internal markets and worldwide leveragemeanthatcountrieslikeChinaandtheUnitedStatesarenot themostlikelytosufferfromdegradinginternationalinstitutionsand partnerships Instead, this international turning inwards puts middle powers at serious risk How does a country like Canada weather this new chapter where American reliance is no longeran option? The PrimeMinistersoughttoexplainhisplan
First,there’s the need to build a stronger domestic economy Carney emphasized his economic record during his brief tenure since leading the Liberals to a comeback last April. Measures to catapult investment seem to be the PM’s goal, and a focus on building a stronger economy is tied to sovereignty (especially formiddle powers) A country that is less subject to theeconomicpressuresofothersisinherentlymoresovereign
Second is the need to build partnerships in the name of “value-based realism”(atermcoinedbyFinnishPresidentAlexanderStubbandrepeated by Carney in the address) Carney argued that the future of international partnershipsisonewherelike-mindedcountriesworkonamorecase-by-case basis The central international bodies will lose even more influence (they are victims of the death of the rules-based international order), and instead, middle powers canseekto cooperate when prudent Although Mr Carney will no doubt continue negotiations with the Americans (and he also flew from China to Davos before this speech), he said in his speech that any negotiation between a middle power and a great power sees a middle power negotiating from a position of weakness There’s a spirit of looking for the thirdway:findmutualviewsandbandtogether
Internationalresponse to the speech was positive in coverage However, Trump administration officials and President Trump himself have condemned the Prime Minister’s address References to a 51st State have sprungupagainthisweek,rangingfromaTrumppostshowingCanadaand GreenlandcoveredbytheAmericanflagtoTreasurySecretaryScottBessent flaming Albertan separatism It’s yet to be seen whether MAGA’s unhappiness at the address will impact long-term Carney-Trump relations, but Canada was also disinvited from the Trump plan for a multination boardofpeace.
PierrePoilievre’sConservativeshavebeguntoslowlyunifyintheirresponse to Carney’s Davos speech following an address by their own leader on Thursday Their tone is one of praise in the overall direction, while critiquingalackofactiononmajorprojectsbytheLiberalgovernment The goalistoconnectthesovereigntyargumenttoeconomiccontrol:ifastrong economy is essential for our independence, then should we not take faster actiontotakecontrolofourresources?
Frankly, the Tories’ attack might break more ground if the government remains slow to start work on major projects Of course, any action taken will never be enough for an opposition party, but their attacks might lose powerif a pipeline project is approved in 2026 For now, Carney can appreciate his place in the sun:a well-writtenand intellectual monologue that charts the path forward for Western countries in the face of an unreliable United States But if this speechkicks off another irrational Trumpianresponse,thePrimeMinister’svictorylapmaybecutshort
OPINIONS
RageAgainstTheICEMachine
The inextricable link between racism and anti-Immigration
Storm Husbands Copy Editor
January in North America brings biting polar vortexes, centimetres of snow, and slippery sidewalks, but the ice on the streets is clearly not our only worry. On January 24th, federal agents from the U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti is the second civilian to die at the hands of border patrol agents, following fellow Minnesotan Renee Good, who was shot and killed in her car at the beginning of this month It might be tempting to dismiss these devastating occurrences as just another American political issue, but this immigration crackdown is not unique to our Southern neighbours Despite being seen globally as extremely welcoming towards immigrants, Canada has also steadily begun closing avenues for immigration, with caps for international students on the rise Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reports that study permits will decrease by 7% from 2025-2026, a 16% fall from the previous year, 2024 The question must be asked why is this mass panic suddenly so ubiquitous in our news and media?
It will surprise no one to read that Canada and the U S are built upon centuries of oppression directed initially, and most especially, towards indigenous communities Indigenous groups like the Anishinaabe, Navajo, Cree, and Sioux have had their cultures erased and populations depleted under the guise of false treaties and trades The ‘Doctrine of Discovery’, as described by Arthur Manuel in award-winning bestseller Unsettling Canada, is a pervasive concept in North America outlined by declarations that granted colonial European powers the right of conquest over non-Christian lands due to their inherent superiority, a concept later echoed in the Manifest Destiny ideology of the United States Some might argue that time washes away these wounds, but that notion would be ridiculous as Canada still continues to neglect the rights of native nations, sometimes even outright refuting them That was the case with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which was passed in 2007 with a vote of 177 to 4. Take a wild guess as to which countries voted against the international and undeniable rights of Indigenous people’ to self-determination and cultural preservation
From first contact to present day, the law has repeatedly failed Indigenous people In fact, the Canadian Constitution only recognized their rights in 1982 Yes, you read that right, the invention of the email predates constitutional native rights in Canada The conflation of legality and morality drives a lot of the anti-immigration argument, but the law can be horribly unethical For example, the 2014 Tsilhqot’in ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada explicitly states that governments, be that federal or provincial, can legally override native title if they can justify doing so In what world could it be morally right to negate someone’s right to land they have occupied for centuries? Moreover, misinterpretations of the law can further anti-immigration ideology. Americans notoriously praise documentation, expressing that the correct path is to legally come into the country with papers, but it is their very own sacred laws that declare that asylum seekers must physically step foot into the U S before applying for protection. Objectively, our faith in the legal system must be questioned Unjust law is no law at all
Apart from the legality, misinformation easily spreads with a topic as polarizing as immigration, creating myths disguised and promoted as truths, even by government officials. Many often attribute their dislike of immigration due to the classic “they’re-stealing-our-jobs” narrative This harmful rhetoric is spewed by the likes of Mark Carney, who aims to cut temporary migrant workers from 7% to 5%, and Pierre Poilievre, who wishes to axe the program altogether However, the opposite often proves true with immigration expanding and diversifying economies Another common argument is that immigrants place pressure on social services In a study conducted by Viewpoints Research (2025), 64% of Canadians respondents believed that immigration causes pressure on systems like healthcare and housing, but research has proved the opposite In a study conducted by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants in the U S paid up to 100 billion USD in taxes in 2022, a large portion of which is allocated for services like medical care, which they, being undocumented, cannot even access
Furthermore, these myths even target immigrants themselves The Latinos for Trump coalition expanded in the 2024 US Presidential Election, which saw a surprising 46% of Latinos voting in his favour — record-breaking for a Republican candidate! Despite what one might think, studies have shown that being an immigrant oneself is not enough to make a person pro-immigration Kaesar and Tani (2023) found that immigrants’ views on immigration may be influenced by their own socio-economic status or elitism, negative myths on crime and terrorism, and perhaps most importantly, the cultural similarity between origin countries
Every argument, be it national, legal, or socio-economic, eventually falls through It quickly becomes apparent that the only thing that makes the narrative surrounding immigrants negative is their race. The intrinsic system of racism that these countries are built on labels the white man an expatriate and the Latino man an alien No one bats an eye at the British migrant, but everyone loves to complain about the Indian one The distinction has never been the documented versus the undocumented but rather the white versus the racialized
In 1984, Ge controls the wing govern us falsehood These mecha become a co of the brown to determine stability and who deserve the boat sen determines w protected by idea of justi victimized b that enforce determines w lives and wh dies, and we cannot allow it to do so a longer
Photo Credit: Adam Gray
OPINIONS
“TryBeinganInfluencerforaDay”
Not all burnout is created equal
Tara Karanovic Opinions Editor
Picture it: You come home after a brutal 9-5 shift Your feet are absolutely killing you You reek of sweat, nicotine, and whatever stale odour lingered on the TTC car on your transit home After a long shower (one you spend half zoning out, half doing the math on how you’ll make rent this month), you go on your phone for some muchneeded brain-numbing content You open it to $100,000+ influencer shopping sprees, massive PR hauls from brands you’ve been saving to buy from for weeks, and restock videos of pantries fuller than your fridge has ever been Yet, influencers are framed as the ones who have truly earned it through hustle, sacrifice, and nonstop work. Their comfort is justified as a reward for how hard they supposedly grind. In that logic, a life built on self-promotion and sponsorships is treated as just as exhausting, if not more so, than labour that most people cannot afford to quit
In a now-famously deleted video rant, TikTok beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira received heavy scrutiny after laying out her selfproclaimed “insane” work schedule, which played out remarkably similar to that of an average 9-5, working-class job Nogueira stated, “Every single day I get up at 6 am I spend about 5 to 6 hours filming video content and I spend a few hours editing that video content Then I have to work on my other social media profiles then I’m in meetings from 12 to 5 I literally just finished work, and it’s 5:19 [pm] Try being an influencer for a day Try it, because the people who say it’s easy are so far out of their minds”
What made the video specifically infuriating was not the working hours she listed out, which are, to put it bluntly, very average, but her assumption that a standard working day is uniquely unbearable when performed by someone whose line of work is already highly flexible and publicly rewarded When an influencer with high financial security describes a 9-5 schedule as baffling, it simply exposes how disconnected the extremely wealthy are from the realities they profit from mimicking
This genre of complaint video has become somewhat of a normalcy in the influencer world, marketed as vulnerability and “being real” with followers, where influencers promise to show the truth behind their lucrative careers, including the stress and burnout that accompany them, essentially monetizing and branding ordinary everyday hardship
Jarringly, these complaints are basically being fed directly to their bosses In a very real sense, audiences function as employers with their engagement sustaining influencer paychecks Yet, influencer job dissatisfaction does not inherently threaten their job security, and at times, it even enhances it, as controversy creates notoriety, which in turn generates clicks and views Whereas if a middle management employee told their boss to “try doing my job for a day”, they would most likely be ignored or fired In the real world, job dissatisfaction is treated as unprofessional, and complaints are instead read as a lack of cooperation
It’s not the manual labour, or lack of per se, that makes people angry, as plenty of people work sitting desk jobs and still come home completely drained It is the fact that for most workers, exhaustion is a feeling that you are expected to quietly swallow. Complaining too loudly puts you at risk of being labelled as difficult or easily replaceable For influencers, the opposite is true Even when their labour is real, their ability to suffer is unfortunately just another form of capital
This is precisely what makes Nogueira’s comments feel so obscene It’s not that these are two equally difficult jobs being compared, but that two very different kinds of “hard” are being treated as equivalent Therefore, what triggers such aggravated reactions to her video, and many others like it, is the concept of unequal consequences The issue, then, does not reside in the debate of whether certain types of labour are “hard”; it is simply a question of who is allowed to vocalize it without consequence
Photo Credit: Spongebob Squarepants
Ashley Thorpe Contributor
TheMostInsufferableTeaminBaseball
Sporting the pinstripes is not the blessing New Yorkers think it is.
For seasons, decades, and centuries, the universe has been fuelled and motivated by one thing and one thing only: hating the New York Yankees As a Blue Jays fan, I was born into hating them since it is never acceptable to enjoy a division rival The Bronx Bombers are even despised by fans who support teams outside of the American League East, and even outside of the American League as a whole The hate is most certainly not unjustified; you do not earn the nickname “Evil Empire” by being a likeable team The Yankees are snobby, egotistical, overly confident, and incredibly easy to hate
Yankees fans are quick to remind everyone of their 27 World Series championships, as if that is the end-all be-all for every baseball argument or debate What they conveniently leave out is that most of those rings are prehistoric, coming before colour television, free agency, and at a time when anyone who was not white was not allowed to play professional baseball Bragging about titles from nearly a century ago does not make the Yankees dominant, but rather evidence of a loud, repetitive, and painfully annoying, fan base.
The Yankees seem to attract the most insufferable, egotistical players who do not have the talent to back up their big mouths When Jazz Chisholm Jr. was scorned by fans at Kauffman Stadium during the 2022 American League Division Series, he responded to the media by saying, “I ain’t ever seen anybody boo a bum ”
Marner's Homecoming
From Hometown Star To Public Enemy
Lucas Carpignano Sports Editor
On June 26th, 2015, an 18-year-old Mitch Marner was anxiously waiting inside BB&T Center, in Sunrise, Florida, as the NHL Entry Draft was under way Marner was expected to get selected early on in the first round With the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting 4th overall, many people speculated that they would take a defender, such as Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov. With their pick, the Leafs decided to go with the hometown boy, Mitch Marner
Marner would go on to make his debut for the Leafs on October 12th, 2016 against the Ottawa Senators Also making their Leafs debut was Auston Matthews, who went on to score four goals in the 5-4 loss Marner would score his first NHL goal on October 15th, 2016, in a 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins After 9 seasons, 657 games, and 741 points, Marner decided it was time to move on from the Leafs, but it hasn’t been a smooth transition, at least for the fans
If you ask most players, playing for the Leafs isn't easy. The media and fans love to rip on the players, not out of hate, but rather out of passion Fans have been waiting for a Stanley Cup win since their last, in 1967, so you can imagine how frustrating it has been
For Marner in particular, he started to gain the reputation of being a playoff ghost for the Leafs when it mattered the most In games 5, 6, and 7 of playoffs series he had 11 points in 26 games This was simply not good enough for a superstar forward. It seemed like after every playoff disappointment, fans took to social media to bash Marner According to NHL insider, Ellitotte Friedman, Marner would read all the hateful things posted about him, even though he was advised not to by his teammates and team staff members
Honestly, me neither, until Chisholm Jr was booed Keep in mind, Kansas City Royals fans did this after Chisholm Jr claimed the Royals “just got lucky” following a 4–2 win over the Yankees in Game Two of the series It is utterly insane that he has the ego of a superstar without any of the skill Let’s not forget that the Miami Marlins dumped him in New York after Chisholm Jr racked up 26 injured list stints within the first four years of his career The guy has the durability of wet cardboard
Yankees fans cling to the delusion that every star dreams of wearing pinstripes, but reality says otherwise They failed to re-sign Juan Soto, who enjoyed the city enough to move across town to Queens and sign with the New York Mets, yet had no interest in staying in the Bronx For a franchise that sees itself as the centre of the baseball universe, it sure does get rejected a lot
In 2017, ABC News ran a poll asking Major League Baseball fans which team they disliked the most. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents chose the New York Yankees, earning them the highest percentage out of any franchise. That kind of universal hatred does not happen by accident. Although teams rise and fall, and players come and go, hating the Yankees will always unite baseball fans across the globe
A few years before his contract ended with the Leafs, there was internal discussion on trading him away Nothing came to fruition though, as team president Brenden Shanahan would not let this happen
Last season, his final year on his contract, the Leafs felt that Marner had already made up his mind and he was not going to re-sign with the team Before the season started, the Leafs held preliminary talks with the Vegas Golden Knights for a potential trade, as this was Marner’s preferred destination Unfortunately, nothing came to be as the Leafs felt like Vegas couldn’t give a fair offer During the season an attempt was made to trade Marner to the Carolina Hurricanes, but with a nomove clause in his contract, Marner was able to shut down the trade In a last ditch effort six hours before the trade deadline, the Leafs tried to organize a three-way trade with Vegas and Carolina that would have sent Marner to Vegas, but once again a deal couldn't be finalized.
The Leafs were eliminated in the playoffs at home in an embarrassing fashion against the Florida Panthers, and Marner’s last shift in a Maple Leafs uniform was met with loud boos, only a preview of what was to come In July the Leafs traded Marner in a sign-and-trade to Vegas in exchange for forward Nicolas Roy, and the Marner era was officially over for the Leafs
On January 23rd, 2026, Marner played in his first game in Toronto on the visiting team While some fans cheered for him during his video tribute, the arena was quite loud with the sounds of boos every time he touched the puck While Vegas defeated Toronto 6-3, Marner failed to record a point
While some may argue Marner was run out of Toronto because of the fans, at the end of the day, Marner made his own decision Not many players have the privilege of playing for their hometown team like Marner had and he could have retired as one of the greatest Leafs of all time. Instead, his return to Toronto serves as a reminder that legacy is shaped as much by loyalty as it is by skill, and for many fans, Marner will forever be remembered not for what he was, but for how he left
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro
S
TheInfuriatingNatureofLeafsNation
Navigating toxic fandom culture and fighting a legacy
Lizzie Federico Arts Editor
When it comes to talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs it seems almost impossible to avoid hearing the phrase “But they haven’t won a cup since 1967 ” If you’re not an avid fan however, it might shock you that most of the time it’s Leaf fans themselves saying it And while I’m all for self awareness, the line between accountability and hatred is awfully blurry for the vast majority of self proclaimed ‘die hard’ Leaf fans From obliterating every move the team makes, to undervaluing and overcriticizing crucial players daily, one can only wonder; does Leafs Nation even like the Leafs?
To simply answer, it's contentious And oh is it infuriating! Whether through comments online, YouTube videos, or even live during broadcasts- everyone seems to only focus on the negatives when looking at the Leafs performances year after year And as someone who considers a decent chunk of their life devoted to the Leafs, it drives me crazy Of course their shortcomings and difficulties, particularly this season, have tested every Leaf fan’s patience, but for the vast majority of us nearly every positive scene is overshadowed by some preconceived expectation that disappointment is imminent Is this a little warranted with the path the team has gone historically? Sure, but that isn’t what I feel like makes a fan Being a fan is supporting your team just as much when they’re winning a cup or sitting dead last in the standings, because as much as you want them to succeed that’s your team and you’re rooting for them no matter what This consistent loyalty is something a lot of Leaf fans can’t seem to wrap their head around, even if they think they are
One of the largest ways Leaf fans tend to discuss everything wrong with the team is their hatred of seemingly every player, most critically our top guys, and no one is as ridiculed as William Nylander Maybe it's because of his 95 million dollar contract, or maybe it’s simply ignorance, but despite being one of the team's most reliable players throughout his career, Nylander is forever a hot topic amongst leaf fans It must be acknowledged that William Nylander has seemingly led the team in points the entire season, currently sitting at 48 points in 37 games, also leading in assists, powerplay points, game winning goals, and overtime goals, the last of which he is the only player on the team with multiple this season. Career wise he has also cemented himself amongst Leaf greats, 8th all time in points, 9th in goals, and the franchise leader in overtime goals with 16, a record he set this season. However, to many Leaf fans, none of this matters, a perspective that is seemingly nonsensical, but regardless of his many achievements and unwavering loyalty, signing an 8 year long contract 10 years after being first drafted by the team in 2014, many Leaf aligned people absolutely hate him I wish I could tell you why
Instagram user @daverothwellphotography on a post about Nylander returning from an injury commented: “From what I understand Team Sweden had to sign a contract with Willy Styles almost identical to his Leafs contract which states ‘no shot blocking, no body checking and absolutely no defensive play will be performed’ So should be the same old Willy Bystander we have enjoyed for years ” On another occasion, Instagram user @dandy chiggins93 explained; “I've never liked Nylander, there are so many instances he should have been traded for someone who wants to work and grind out there This guy has talent but chooses to float around, no fucks given at all, scared to get hit and is more worried about his modeling career and YouTube channel than playing hockey He only plays when Willy feels like playing, which is like 3 times a year. Never going to win with a guy like that on the team.” With sentiments like these, it seems some Leaf fans want the team to struggle, completely denying any aspect, or any figure to achieve any success, both of these comments coming at the beginning of January when the Leafs were on one of their strongest runs of the season.
However, not all Leaf fans should be grouped under these nonsensical ramblings, Instagram user @pahulmultani came to the defence of the team, calling out this strange, self deprecating mentality the fans have, saying; “absolute clown fanbase , ran marner out of town Give nylander and matthews nothing but hate Fanbase has 0 hockey IQ, just loud and obnoxious” This sentiment is the one I believe is most crucial, we aren’t all like this Sometimes it seems like the reputation of Leaf fans is inescapable Outsiders only associate Leafs Nation as full of misery and nonstop complaining, something that trickles down and impacts widescale perspectives of the organization, and players, as a whole
Generally speaking, many of these toxic, hateful fans aren't fans at all Regardless of their self-proscription of being fully devoted to the Leafs, many of them couldn’t care less about anything to do with the 2025 Maple Leafs, instead grasping on to the idea of the impenetrable, original six beast, that hasn’t existed in decades As someone who loves the current team, I truly believe they have a potential to achieve greatness, but it won't be the concept of a legacy organization that I wasn’t even alive to see, it will be a new, unique team who definitely have the skill to make it, figuring out what makes them great, and I wouldn’t have it any other way
All and all, to really be “die hard” or “bleed blue” you actually have to like any of the current Toronto Maple Leafs, not just the concept of an organization that hasn’t existed in 58 years
PhotoCredit:Sportsnet
PhotoCredit:DailyFaceoff
PhotoCredit:TorontoMapleLeafs
Crossword: “Give ‘em the ol’ one, two!”
"Give'emtheol'one,two!"
Across
1.Nickname for a 1976 fight scene choreographer
5 "To get to the other side!" is a classic
8 'Time's neither stands still nor reverses. It merely marches forward.'
9 Only Olympic martial art Canada has never placed in
10 It's ok to punch them
13 Hometown of #1 across' most iconic role
14.Wife of Mr. Punch
15.You can't see him!
Down
2.How many medals Canada won in martial arts at the 2024 Paris Olympics
3 Director Ang of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
4.A leftie in boxing
6.Miyagi's rival Dojo
7 WWE's Mami
11 Zip, Zap,
12."I think somebody the punch..."
16.Iconic line for Saitama
Comic Strip Credit: Carrie Ji
ByBridgetBowles
