The Crusader Newspaper - Volume 74, Issue 3 - Spring 2021

The Crusader News Official Student Newspaper of St. Paul’s High School Volume 74 Issue 3

AMDG

Spring 2021

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS WIN SUPER BOWL LV

Tom Brady and The Weeknd steal the show. Ayden Hansen and Evan Hirst write.

Belarusian Politics

Mr. Beeston Retires

Tony Fiorino

James Brennan

KFConsole

US Politics

Matthew Stipanović

Nathan Poklar

Uyghur Persecution Bara Bashir

Darius Martin and Donovan Martin write.

Welcoming Mr. Capko, S.J.

Anime

Eric Fontaine

Mandalorian Yash Varma

Social Media Ilia Mehr Bakhsh

GameStop

Oscar Lavitt

NBA

Kieran Light

Raptors

Skyler Griffith

Logan Paul

Jackson Gordon and Riley Wilcosh

Faith in the West

Myles Cesario writes.

Celebrating Black Musicians Alec Compton writes. thecrusadernews.ca

Jets Roster Sawyer Ramsay

Lionel Messi

Ikem Nnadi

Crossword

Challenging “Europe’s Last Dictator” James Brennan ’21 Chief Editor

Every authoritarian regime has a breaking point: an event or circumstance that leads to its downfall. In 2020 Belarus, that event was COVID-19, but the outrage had been growing long before then. In the years following the breakup of the Soviet Union, corruption and oligarchy have plagued the new, post-Soviet states. This phenomenon is alive and well in Belarus, where one man arose to fill the power vacuum in his country. President Alexander Lukashenka has run the Republic of Belarus since 1994 and has retained power through multiple fraudulent elections, control of the military, and silencing political opponents.

As COVID was spreading rapidly throughout his country, Lukashenka was unprepared for the further toll it would take on

his public image. He promoted pseudoscientific conspiracies and downplayed the seriousness of the virus, saying that “97% of our people go through this illness without symptoms.” He called the disease “psychosis” and suggested that Belarusians protect themselves by drinking vodka and visiting the sauna.

This lack of leadership caused Belarusians to question his authority at a critical moment in his political career.

In August’s presidential election, Lukashenka faced an unlikely challenger: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. A 38-year-old former English teacher and mother of two, her political career began when her husband, presidential candidate Sergei Tsikhanousky, was thrown in prison. Tsikhanouskaya saw no choice but to take her husband’s place on the ballot. Lukashenka was immediately dismissive of her candidacy, saying, “Our Constitution is not suitable for a woman.

Our society is not ready to vote for a woman.” But in the weeks before the election, Tsikhanouskaya and her party held massive rallies and energized Belarusians

both young and old.

In response, Lukashenka sought to intimidate using beatings The election results were preand mass arrests by the OMON dictable: Lukashenka “won” special police force, but the Bewith an astounding 80.1% of the larusian people have remained vote. This was hardly the first resilient. It’s difficult to maintain time he has rigged a vote. The order when the people aren’t on results were quickly discredited your side. Since then, Tsikhaby the democratic world and nouskaya has met with many accepted by other dictatorships. European leaders to discuss the Tsikhanouskaya was forced situation in her country and to flee to Lithuania for fear of won the 2020 Sakharov Prize arrest, but the sham election for Freedom of Thought. Luonly energized people further. kashenka launched a new “All Hundreds of thousands marched Belarusian People’s Assembly,” in Minsk in the following days, but it has been widely mocked as with similar actions occurring a propaganda stunt that doesn’t daily ever since. The protestors represent most citizens. In the have ditched Belarus’s current, meantime, Belarusians keep proSoviet-inspired national flag and testing and resisting. We’ll have instead embraced the tricolour, to see how this story ends. But red-and-white flag that flew over for now, it appears this is not just Belarus from 1991-1995. a moment, but a movement.

A new age in American politics Nathan Poklar ’24 Contributor

For the first time since 2011, Democrats have control of the US House, Senate, and Presidency after nail-biting victories in both Georgia Senate races.

Reverend Raphael Warnock beat the appointed incumbent Kelly Loeffler by a margin of around 70,000 votes, while Jon Ossoff ousted incumbent David Perdue by a slimmer margin of about 33,000. Both newly elected senators will join the 48 other senators caucusing with the Democratic Party in the Senate.

With the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats will have a 51-50 majority in the Upper House.

While Democrats may not have

to worry about Congressional Republicans blocking President Biden’s policies, a much more immediate threat arose at the Capitol. The symbolic joint-session of Congress certifying the electoral votes of each state was put into lockdown after a mob of Trump supporters carried out the current president’s call for a march on the US Capitol during the electoral count certification.

Protestors raided the Senate floor, even managing to steal a podium from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. However, they were unable to breach the House floor as members of the Secret Service had barricad-

ed the entrance to it, weapons drawn. This did not prevent the intruders from pressing up to the glass, their faces no more than a few centimetres away from a pistol. Rioters in the Capitol waved MAGA and Confederate flags, with many engaging in hand-to-hand combat with both police services and government forces attempting to push them back. Congresspeople had been reportedly equipped with gas masks as police forces released large amounts of tear gas within the Capitol in an attempt to disperse protestors. The FBI has also declared that they had found and disabled multiple ex-

plosives. Since then, the Capitol has been secured, although it took the work of the FBI, Capitol Police, and the DC National Guard. Four protestors and one police officer were killed.

Suspicious packages caused the evacuation of the headquarters of both major party office buildings. Despite the day’s chaos, the counting of the electoral votes continued and declared Joe Biden the next president by the end of the night.

This event was unprecedented, as the last time the Capitol was breached was in 1814 by British troops during the War of 1812. Immediately following the storming came both the ushering in of a new administration under President Biden and an unsuccessful impeachment of President Trump, which both bring questions about the importance of national unity in a bitterly divided country.

The Uyghurs: China’s foresaken people Bara Bashir ’22 Contributor

A literal and cultural genocide is happening today, a ruthless extermination of an ethnic group with no mercy or compromise.

Right now, there are people in concentration camps being cleansed of their own cultural and religious identities in an egregious act of violation of their human rights. Uyghur and other cultural groups of Turkic origin in East Turkestan have been forsaken by the world, left to fend for themselves against the face of complete and utter destruction. Under the superficial veil that the Muslims being detained were criminals, extremists and terrorists, the Communist Party of China has committed numerous atrocities, all of which are actively denied by the party, but simultaneously are being proven time and time again by insider sources.

In a BBC interview, Zaomure Duwati, one of many victims of persecution, now living in America, accounts the abuse she saw during her time in the camps. She explained that the women were forced to take some sort of pill, one that would cause extreme and sharp pain in the stomach. These were steriliza-

ti’s daughter is forced to live with a stranger assigned by the government, one with the sole task of manipulating the poor child out of her beliefs and values.

This is only one of hundreds of cases that have been reported and there are countless more that have yet to surface. These monstrous crimes against hu-

tion pills. She described the wails of agony as her inmates were violated and scarred: they were treated like animals, like inferior creatures that cannot feel or love, and with no remorse or empathy. The government of China not only stripped these people of their own humanity, but their families as well. Duwa-

manity cannot be condoned.

And I understand, here in the west, it is hard to even imagine these circumstances; we don’t need to be concerned or distressed about our individuality, our identities, our uniqueness, in the same way as the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

Being who we are isn’t a fatal

decision for us, but it is most definitely a fatal decision for them.

The world’s silence over the plight of the Uyghur Muslims of China has, I believe, brought great shame to the nations that scatter the earth. By not standing for what is clearly just and right, the perpetrators feel no obligation to halt their heinous activities. Thus, their crimes go unpunished and unrecognized, and the victims, the Uyghur Muslims, are forced to suffer. Let us not neglect the struggles of these people or abandon them to this heinous genocide.

The Weeknd’s Halftime Show Evan Hirst ’22 Contributor

On Sunday, February 7th, the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a historic match for the Lombardy trophy. The Bucks came out on top, winning 31-9 while solidifying Tom Brady’s GOAT status with his 7 rings.

The big game itself was fairly underwhelming, to say the least. With that being said, the halftime show stood out as the real highlight of the Super Bowl.

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, who goes by his alias, The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer/songwriter who made his debut in 2010, posting his songs on YouTube.

Since then, he has racked up countless awards including 3 Grammys and 11 platinum

certifications in the US and has secured an astonishing 3 billion streams as of December 2020.

His performance opened with a video on the jumbotron introducing himself while a choir sang “Starboy” until he came out of the darkness. At first glance, the stage design was very simple and COVID-friendly for all the performers, but not too long after, the Weeknd went back beneath the stage where he adopted a selfie-like perspective— shown on the jumbotron—of him spinning in circles in a mirror maze filled with warm carnival lights. The room then flooded with other masked performers suiting the same threads as the Weeknd, creating an illusion of infinite, identical people in the mirrors. The show migrated back out to the stage where a symphony of violins and a choir reemerged for a pleasant surprise. Around halfway through, the masked dancers were now spread out across the whole field, dancing in perfect sync

to “Blinding Lights.” They held concealed lights in their hands that shined bright and were very fitting for the “Blinding Lights” performance. Overall, the performance was incredible by everyone involved, the singing, dancing, and overall mood. The Weeknd’s body language and vocal inflections were very reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s performances, from the jerky movements and the mic play, it was evident that he took inspiration from the legend. The performance seamlessly transitioned between his most popular songs,

often only singing the hooks or the most memorable parts of his hits. The Weeknd paid 7 million USD of his own money for the whole production and the entire halftime show cost 10 million USD. After his performance, his streaming numbers shot up a whopping 41% and he currently sits as the number one most streamed artist on Spotify.

The Weeknd’s performance was solid overall, and I believe it will be memorable due to its unique take on the Super Bowl performance format.

Black History Month: celebrating music from black artists Alec Compton ’22 Arts & Culture Editor There’s no better time than Black History Month to freshen up one’s knowledge of black music.

(Yes, I know it’s March, but I wrote this last month.) Here are some classics I’ve just recently heard and some of my current favourites.

Nina Simone, I Put a Spell on You Nina Simone’s 1965 release is a beautiful vocal blues record with gorgeous instrumentation underneath Nina’s powerful voice.

For the time it was recorded what is most striking is how assertive Nina’s lyrics and attitude are. She seems to know what she wants when she’s singing and

never lets the instrumentation overpower her, making herself the centerpiece of every song.

9/10

music history.

9/10

BB King, Completely Well BB King tells a track-spanning Ray Charles, Ray Charles (Halle- story of a spoiled love on Comlujah, I Love Her So) pletely Well. Each track is part of Ray Charles’s eponymous 1957 a narrative of King loving, losalbum is a smooth R&B record ing, and getting over someone. spearheaded by Charles’s stelIt’s a fantastic blues record with lar vocal performance. Charles some of the best guitar work I’ve croons passionately over stellar ever seen. Very few people delivblues instrumentals. One of this er vocals with the swagger and album’s greatest strengths is its conviction of BB King, the King bombastic nature; Charles never of the Blues. holds back in his vocals and the 9/10 record is all the better for it.

9.5/10 Prince, Purple Rain Its Prince’s Purple Rain. RevoMichael Jackson, Off the Wall lutionizing the music landscape Michael Jackson released this at the time, Purple Rain is an record at the age of 20 and it is incredibly interesting, unique, still one of the most celebratand supreme album. The instrued, sold, and danced to albums mentals are so eerie and yet still over 40 years later. The grooves manage to carry a consistent and on this release are immaculate, familiar groove. Prince’s vocals each and every track has its own are stellar, and somehow still go identity, and its one of the most toe to toe with the instrumenuniversally agreeable albums in tals, despite how dynamic they

are, they never distract from Prince’s vocals.

10/10 Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced As a guitarist, Jimi Hendrix terrifies me. His genre-defining riffs and solos are an impossible watermark on the craft, and this album is chocked full of them.

Complementing the guitar work is Hendrix’s vocals, where—despite him not being a very good singer—he still manages to hold a tune and recognizes that the guitar is the centrepiece of the record. Lyric-wise, Hendrix writes great poetry on some tracks or catchy hooks on another.

10/10 Story continues online at thecrusadernews.ca/blackmusic

Eric’s Anime Reviews experience, don’t miss it.

modern-day weapons pitted against conventional medieval Eric Sorcery Fight/Jujutsu Kaisen: fantasy creatures like elves, dragFontaine ’22 9.5/10 ons, wizards, and knights. This Jujutsu Kaisen came out in 2020 anime has some great fighting Contributor and is already beloved within the scenes; however, a criticism I Anime community. This anime’s would levy against it is that some highlights are its action-packed fights are lacklustre. For examfighting scenes where the main ple, the fights that have creatures Your Lie in April: 10/10 character Yuuji Itadori fights like the knights have no defence Watching Your Lie In April is an cursed spirits akin to demons. against the modern weapons emotional roller coaster ranging The characters in the anime which makes for a bland fight, from pure joy to absolute sorall have their own charm and and are much less consequenrow. While some may be hesitant unique personalities which only tial than larger, better-equipped to watch due to the seemingly adds to the excellent action and creatures like the dragons, melodramatic or generic story, makes it all the more interestmaking the knights’ appearances completing the series is an emo- ing. The only issue is the there underwhelming. tional experience tenfold that of are not enough episodes, which something like A Fault in Our means you’re always left on a Black Clover: 9.5/10 Stars despite the similar subject cliff-hanger and always wanting In Black Clover, you follow the matter, they are truly not commore but you have to wait for life of Asta, a boy who was born parable in terms of emotional the next episode. Excellent for without magic in a world where depth. Although there are many fans of Naruto and Black Clover, magic is everything. He devotes amazing slices of life amines out this anime is still ongoing so it’s blood, sweat, and tears to bethere, what sets this one apart a perfect time to jump into it coming the best magician and and makes it exceptional is the and experience the excitement becoming the wizard king. Asta incredible music. Even if you for each new episode. is part of the Black Bulls, a maghave no knowledge of classical ic knight squad among many music or if it’s not your style, Gate: 6.5/10 who devote their lives to help Your Lie in April will surely be Gate is an anime where two un- and protect the clover kingdom. an exception and could be a likely worlds collide: our world The Black Bulls are an excellent possible gateway to enjoying that and a medieval fantasy world. source of humour in the anime kind of music. Your Lie in April This anime is an excellent watch due to their misfit nature and is a truly incredible emotional if you have ever wanted to see lack of cohesion with society.

The problem with this anime is that in the newer episodes the story is very dry since there no big events happening nor any big fights. But, the fight scenes are spectacular, action-packed, and comedic. What else could you ask for in an anime? It’s the perfect combo.

Classroom of the Elite: 7.5/10 Classroom Of The Elite is an anime about a class of students at a high school where nearly 100% of their students go to university or find employment. In the anime, you follow the D-class, the lowest class, a collection of the school’s least academically inclined. In this anime, you will see the injustice against the lower class and a sibling rivalry between the student president and his little sister in D-class.

The thing that brings this anime to a 7.5 to me is that there is only one season since they used it to promote their manga (Japanese comics) and that means you are left on a huge cliffhanger. But there have been rumours that if there were to be a second season, it would premiere in 2022.

Logan Paul strikes again Jackson Gordon ’22 Science & Tech Editor

Riley Wilcosh ’22 Film Critic

Logan Paul, the YouTuber, actor, boxer, and Pokémon card collector has recently gained fame in both the Pokémon-card-collecting and boxing worlds. After Paul found success on YouTube by opening a 200 000 USD (254 000 CAD) box of Pokémon cards, he decided that he would dip his toes further into the Pokémon collecting community.

What he did not realize is the impact his initial opening would have on the Pokémon card market. For those who do not know, the box that Paul opened was a First Edition Base Set Booster Box. This box contains the first print run of English Pokémon Cards ever made, including the first Charizard card, which in perfect condition can be worth upwards of 220 000 USD (279 500 CAD). Despite the price of these boxes rising, Paul decided buying more would be a good investment, costing him a whopping 2 000 000 USD (2 540 000 CAD). Despite the high price of these boxes, Paul would likely profit off them as he is selling individual packs at an auction.

The average cost for a pack from his first box was 38 650 USD (49 100 CAD) including a 20% buyer’s premium. If Paul decides to sell all 216 of his packs and they reach this price he will be making 4 650 000 USD (5 900 000 CAD) in profits. Even if he

does not decide to sell all his packs, his upcoming boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. is sure to cover at least some of his insane purchase. Aside from his other crazy exploits, Paul dabbles in boxing, taking part in what is known as “money fights.” Fights that do not have a reason other than making those involved rich, no matter how damaging to the person, company, or sport they are. Since his two fights with fellow YouTuber KSI (ending in first a tie, and second a KSI victory), Logan has mostly been in the corner of his younger brother, Jake, who has enraged the combat sports world recently by beating a retired NBA player, kicking the recently defeated Conor McGregor while he is down, and challenging a

world class wrestler to a boxing match. Since then, Logan himself has been scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., a much more established and renowned boxer. However, Floyd is semi-retired and weighs roughly 60 pounds less than Paul. While it is impossible to predict the outcome of this event, what is known is that both parties will largely profit from it. While Paul has previously made many “severe and continuous lapse[s] in [his] judgement” (an excerpt from Paul’s infamous apology video), these two events do not seem to follow this trend as profit is highly likely.

The Mandalorian the amazing score playing in the background, thanks to composer Ludwig Göransson!

Yash Varma ’24 Contributor

The Mandalorian Season Two offered a lot to fans and is by far one of the strongest works that Disney’s Lucasfilm has produced. Due to the enthralling story, breathtaking action, and major character cameos, the second season of The Mandalorian is one of my favourite Star Wars media to date. Spoilers ahead!

To recap, the season is about our hero, Djin Djarin, also known as The Mandalorian, on a quest to bring The Child, AKA Baby Yoda, to be trained by a Jedi.

Djarin, however, believes that there are other Mandalorians around the galaxy that could help him, which at last leads him to Bo-Katan Kryze. This is none other than the Mandalorian seen in the Star Wars: the Clone Wars TV series as well as Star Wars Rebels. Kryze leads

Djarin to former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, a memorable character that I was delighted to see in live action. Her rejection for taking and training the Child, or Grogu as we find out in the episode, is significant, being tied to a major plotline in Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side. This is yet again the work of tying in elements from different areas of Star Wars and connecting them, something that was seriously lacking in Disney’s sequel trilogy. Alas, Tano lead Djarin to take Grogu to the planet Tython, where Grogu reached out in the Force to seek another Jedi. Following this, they were intercepted by yet another familiar face, who was none other than Boba Fett, a character fans long wanted to see again, as well as a group of Dark Troopers, the latter of

the two being an enemy. Later, Djarin lost not only his beloved ship, the Razor Crest, but also Grogu, who was captured by Dark Troopers, the menacing droids overseen by Moff Gideon, the cutthroat villain introduced in the first season. At last, an epic battle takes place between Djarin and his allies against Gideon on his ship. However, in the end, our heroes are outnumbered and seem to lose when they get support from… one X-Wing? This isn’t just any X-Wing, this is the ship of Luke Skywalker himself, having heard Grogu’s call from Tython. This was the biggest highlight of the season, and it was spectacular to see Skywalker effortlessly cut through the Dark Troopers to get to our periled heroes, while having

Overall, this season was beyond perfection. Words cannot fully illustrate the brilliance and the creativity of John Favreau and Dave Filoni in this beautiful masterpiece they have constructed. My favourite thing about this season is its attention to detail relating to their handling of the lore from Star Wars, as these different elements tie together the galaxy we know far, far away and even making it a bit smaller.

Disney had practically ruined Star Wars with the Sequel Trilogy, however this season of the Mandalorian filled the void fans had for a long time. One could say that in terms of Star Wars content, this is the way.

End of an era: Mr. David Beeston ’76 retires Darius Martin ’24 Contributor

Donovan Martin ’22 Deputy Editor

In mid-January of 2021, celebrated teacher Mr. David Beeston retired from St. Paul’s High School. Mr. Beeston graduated from St. Paul’s in the class of 1976, returning a few years later to teach English at the school.

As the years went on, his mark on the school grew. Over the past 38 years, Mr. Beeston was an exemplary educator, leader, director, and so much more.

Before St. Paul’s, Mr. Beeston started his career teaching English as a second language in places like Nepal and Abu Dhabi. When he inevitably came back to Winnipeg, he continued to teach English here. But Mr. Beeston did not limit his teaching to explaining literary devices. Instead, he proposed to Mr. Lewin a new grade ten course called Mass Media. In it, he educated students about how pieces of media are created and how commercials take advantage of the naive consumer, all while repeating renowned Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan’s phrase: “the medium is the message.” Full of hutzpah and

passion, he’d explain concepts in a way that no other person could replicate. One piece of motivation he gave to his students in hope that they would do well on his exam was a pocket-sized black and white photo of himself. For those who did exceptionally well, he gave them another small portrait of himself but in colour. To this day, many students still have their “pocket Beestons” with them.

Mr. Beeston also led the Christian Service program at St. Paul’s. Part of the grades ten, eleven, and twelve religion courses, the program asks students to fulfill one of the Grad at Grad principles: to be loving.

With a chipper attitude, he’d explain to each grade ten class at the start of the year the purpose of the activity as well as give a refresher to those who had forgotten in the later grades.

He brought passion to the program and encouraged students to volunteer in our community.

And when the Christian Service hours were due, he’d roam the halls like a boisterous 1920s paperboy, exclaiming, “Christian Service here! Hand in yer Christian Service here!”

But what Mr. Beeston is likely best known for is his contribution to the St. Paul’s Dramatic Society. Mr. Beeston’s work in writing and directing plays— specifically his dinner theatres— made him a legend in the SPHS drama community. His expert casting choices paired with his can-do attitude lead to phenomenal performances. Mr. Beeston’s most recent productions include Fools, Evildoin’ at the Eldorado, and Treachery, Treason, and

Mr. Beeston wrote and directed “Evildoin’ at the Eldorado” in 2016

Treasure. If it weren’t for the pandemic, we would’ve seen The Quest for Merlin’s Magic, a tortuously hilarious comedy about a wizard developing his skills in a fantastical world.

Darius asked Mr. Beeston if he would have still retired even if there was no COVID-19. He said that he had planned on finishing the year before travelling the world with his wife. His decision to retire early was because he did not enjoy teaching online, and not being able to do drama or interact with his students was taxing. He plans to spend more time with his family and travel the world.

Mr. Beeston’s impact on the school will not be forgotten; we will miss his presence, enthusiasm, and spirit. From all St. Paul’s staff, students, alumni, volunteers, and actors: thank you, Mr. Beeston.

A few students shared their thoughts: “The best analogy I can come up with for Mr. Beeston is Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

Curious, respected, and acting with unparalleled enthusiasm.”

- Tommy Feldman ’20 “Mr. Beeston has an infectious passion for theatre. He demonstrates that you must embrace a little ‘crazy’ to reach genius talent. Thank you, sir, for all you taught me about humour, punctuality, and the two-step.”

Mr. Beeston (seated behind the steering wheel) was involved in dramatics since his days as a student

- Grace MacPherson, actor

“A fantastic director and creative writer, Mr. Beeston always took the time to walk each actor through their part, ensuring the show would be the best it could be. I always looked forward to seeing what props he’d come up with; they were a nice touch that showed the attention to detail in his work.”

- Navin Vanderwert ’20 “Whether it was media class or drama, he always had so much enthusiasm in everything he did.

He often walked back and forth while emphasizing different ideas, especially ‘the medium is the message.’”

- Eli Kitching ’20 “I remember Mr. Beeston as the bright smile at the end of the hall! Mr. Beeston knows how to help you succeed. All the best in retirement and promise you will come back to see the dinner theatres; they won’t be the same without you!”

- Chance Sabados ’19

INTERVIEW: Welcoming Mr. Oliver Capko, S.J. Myles Cesario ’21 Religion Editor Mr. Oliver Capko, S.J. is the newest Jesuit in our school community and perhaps one of the most unknown characters in our school life. But in truth, his life has been unique and filled with adventure. Born in Greater Vancouver on January 25, 1994—the Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul—he is one of three children. Mr. Capko had a unique childhood, growing up with his three biological siblings as well as a large family of 32 cousins and many aunts and uncles. But he was not born a saint; in truth, no one is. learned his faith and developed it to where it is today; this is his story.

Mr. Capko’s personal life was defined by attending a Benedictine boarding school named the Seminary of Christ the King or The Westminster Abbey (Canadian version) where he played hockey on rollerblades and did a series of pranks, which we won’t describe here. While he did play hockey, he also enjoys running, soccer, rock climbing, in addition to being a certified snowboarding instructor. The Seminary of Christ the King was similar to St. Paul’s in the sense that it sought to challenge each

student to strive for virtue even though it is a hard battle, focusing on “who am I as a friend and what am I looking for in a friend?” But for Mr. Capko, his faith was not always as colourful as it is now; he saw “the value in religion” but the extent he practiced it “varied.” Instead, his spiritual life reflected heavily on that of his parents. When he saw them develop their faith in God, Mr. Capko realized that “any faith that is stagnant is dead,” believing that developing one’s faith constantly is important to realizing God’s role in one’s life.

But not everyone agreed with his beliefs on everything, including some of his friends. He did not push them out of his life, but they focused on their shared experiences and other things they had in common. In all major discussions, Mr. Capko and his friends sought to find the truth.

His mission was finding God, while his friends focused on finding justice. But these differences ultimately led to a stronger friendship, one in which all friends could make jokes about Christianity, for “if you can’t laugh about your religion, your faith is probably not that strong.”

This all leads back to Mr. Capko’s discernment for his vocation. While attending boarding school, the strict prayer life always included 5:45 AM wakeup times to 6:00 AM prayer to even 6:30 AM mass in the chapel. The Benedictines always kept him spiritually fed. But what he would do after boarding school had always seemed clear.

Although Mr. Capko wanted a girlfriend, he knew God’s calling and was willing to accept that sacrifice and become a Jesuit. The boy was practically raised by Benedictines; his own brother is a Benedictine! In response to this, Mr. Capko says a Benedictine sat him down and told him Mr. Capko is a Jesuit, but his brother is a Benedictine that the Bene-

dictines and the Jesuits were two rival hockey teams, but still playing for the love of the sport; both Benedictines and Jesuits play a role in proclaiming God’s love. But in truth, the Benedictines encouraged his vocation to the Jesuits even more, citing that there are over one million saints, meaning that there are one million different ways people have made up the Body of Christ. Mr. Capko’s family was more than happy to see their son become a Jesuit, and even though he and his brother may be from opposite ends of the ecclesiastical spectrum, deep down they care for each other in being brutally honest in reading their homilies.

In becoming a Jesuit, his family knew he would have to leave beautiful British Columbia. He wanted a “social vocation” where he could interact with people.

stressed and tired as she was meeting up with someone who lived in LA. Next, he encountered a man heading to North Dakota to fish, a former drug dealer who got out of the business, later setting up a daycare.

Another traveller was a construction worker who bought many toys for the Guatemalan child. But the last member of the group was another young mother who had suffered from drug addiction and who now had a 16-month-old child. She had asked Mr. Capko to watch her child at 12:30 AM so that she could go for a smoke break. So, Mr. Capko was left with a baby for what was supposed to be five minutes but ended up being for an hour and five minutes! In that time, he was concerned that the mother might have left him with her child indefinitely. But he felt “very close to God” and prayed, asking, “what’s my role in all of this?” The mother would soon return, retaking her child and apologizing for the delay. In this life-changing event, Mr. Capko realized that in normal circumstances he would never normally meet these people but through living the Spiritual Exercises he realized how close God can be and how personal the exercises can become.

In only four years, Mr. Capko has visited Belize, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, the United States, Guatemala, and multiple provinces within Canada, learning new languages along the way. In his time in these countries, he worked in juvenile prisons, St. John’s College in Belize City, and catechism programs for young children. He worked with the homeless, helped unassisted minors in the United States, and Story continues online at cared for people with special thecrusadernews.ca/capko needs. Other places he’s worked include an organic farm and the Jesuit infirmary during the COVID-19 pandemic. One story that Mr. Capko shared with me was about six people he met on a train from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. On this train, a special community formed. He met a mother from Guatemala with a three-month-old child,

Faith in the West: a continuing decline?

Tony Fiorino ’21 Contributor

Look at your life. We drift from quiet, barren homes to work and school—the location of our labours and where our forefathers once hated to be—only to return to those desolate spaces we call home. People shuffle between each other’s lives—literally swiping past in some cases—never attempting to reach out or see any common ground between ourselves and those people. In previous generations, this was not the case; families were still close and communities were tight-knit. While some of this can be blamed on the conditions of a pandemic, a major factor in the dismantling of humanity’s deepest social connections is the

destruction and replacement of religion in the cultural zeitgeist.

In North America, there has been a growing trend towards secularization and agnostic belief. In the United States—a nation commonly considered to be a “Christian” nation or having a religious population—the popularity of Christianity is predicted to drop by over fifteen percent over the next two decades, with no other religion to take its place. This trend also applies to Canada and the rest of the Western world, all nations with similar trends and “Christian” backgrounds. The religious population of the West is declining—it’s obvious to all who actually care—but the vast majority of the population does not care, but why?

Once again, take a look at your life. We live in homes of dissolution filled with material goods to fill the void in our lives as we

rush to work in the only places of forced interaction, but we eventually crawl back to the shrunken monoliths which trap our free time into their endless void of black screens. We, as a society, have replaced the role of religion in our lives with material goods, trading a Church and its Gospel for a brand like Apple and undying loyalty to its product line. People always want to belong to a tribe, but with the gradual convalescence towards globalism, the idea of the tribe as people or a nation has died out.

In the place of patriotism and spirituality, the consumer class which has overtaken the place of the middle class in the developed world has picked corporate brands and political parties to satisfy the need of all people to belong to a “tribe.” Instead of fighting for God and country, people now focus on allegiance to Apple and the NDP.

from the decline of a foundational link between developed nations? The only thing to learn is the need to belong to a community, whether it is ethnic, cultural, national, or any other possible “identifier.” The power of identity is one seen throughout history many times before, starting with the dream of Rome to the formation and achieving of the American dream. For one last thing to think about, here is a fun, little term coined by the first German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck: Kulturkampf.

So, is there anything to learn

Social media: what content do we really value?

Therefore, social media is beneficial for human connections Ilia Mehr and for many voices to be heard.

Bakhsh ’23 However, social media is also a platform that puts people in too Contributor high regard. Not only celebrities but many “influencers” are praised, even if they may not have much to give to the world.

The world of social media is a Social media takes a pretty face new phenomenon in our society. and makes it unreasonably imIn the 21st Century, social media portant. For example, Alex Lee, provides a platform for social a normal 16-year-old, used to movements that play a signifiwork at a Target store in Dalcant role in our generation, such las, Texas. A girl took a picture as the Me Too and Black Lives of him and tweeted it with the Matter movements. Without so- hashtag #AlexFromTarget. Over cial media and its large platform, the span of one week, Alex’s the world would be less connect- Twitter following went from 114 ed, and people wouldn’t be able to 550,000. Alex Lee was just as to spread important messages. confused as anyone would be,

Jeremy Meeks: the ‘Hot Felon’

because his looks brought him from Target to celebrity status.

He was invited on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and met with celebrities like Nick Jonas. In the meantime, Gitanjali Rao, a fellow teenager and inventor, author, and scientist, became the first TIME Kid of the Year.

Gitanjali did not receive nearly the amount of overnight recognition for her invention as Alex Lee did for his looks, something he simply cannot control. Another example of social media raising a person to the top for his looks is Jeremy Meeks, a criminal who spent a significant

part of his life in jail. His mugshots were released by the police, and instantly, letters and contracts were sent to him. Jeremy Meeks (AKA the ‘Hot Felon’) is now an actor and well-known model who walked the runways of designers like Tommy Hilfiger, doing nothing to earn his current status but commit a crime. Bella Poarch’s 15-second TikTok video of her shaking her head got about 2,300 times more views than Yara Shahidi’s speech on “The Spirit of Art and Activism,” which actually teaches you important lessons about the media and inclusivity. It is not Alex Lee, Jeremy Meeks, or Bella Poarch that are the issue.

The issue is what society chooses to prioritize on social media and what society gives value to. Who should we really value more? So, it is important to think about what you consume on social media. Try to learn something new and develop new skills, while supporting those who deserve credit for their contributions to society and the world.

Kentucky Fried Gaming?

Matthew Stipanović ’22 Contributor

The console wars are over. Both PlayStation and Xbox have fought valiantly, but have been ultimately defeated by a never-before-seen adversary; one who lurked in the shadows and gathered its strength to crush both enemies in one fell swoop.

This mysterious, omnipotent company is none other than Kentucky Fried Chicken. You read that correctly. The company that has brought you the best fried chicken ever is now releasing their first video game console, the KFConsole.

The almighty KFC has partnered with Cooler Master, a computer hardware company, to deliver this gift from the heavens.

The console contains an Intel Nuc 9 Extreme Compute Ele-

ment, one of the most powerful computing processors. It also contains a currently unknown Asus RTX-supported graphics processing unit (GPU) and two Seagate Barracuda 1TB solid-state drives (SSDs), which provide not only an immense amount of storage but also some of the fastest storage on the market. The console is 4k and 240FPS capable. These next-level specifications prove that KFC is not messing around. They are in it to win it. And that does not even begin to mention the primary feature that will reinvent the landscape of gaming for all eternity: the built-in chicken warming chamber. This machine not only outperforms previous consoles, but it also gives gamers what they have subconsciously wanted since the first Atari system was released. A chamber resides within the console which redirects the natural heat of the system to keep your chicken warm, fresh, crispy, and most importantly, finger-licking good.

This ground-breaking innovation makes KFC the ultimate

champion, not just of the console war, but as the greatest leap in technology since the internet.

There are two downfalls of this glorious console: it will be in limited supply, and it will be more of a collector’s item rather than a treasure for all. Although PlayStation and Xbox are far behind KFC in terms of technology, there is still hope for them. Mark Cheevers, the PR and social media lead at KFC UK and Ireland said, “If Sony or Microsoft want any tips on how to engineer a chicken chamber for their efforts next time, they’d

be welcome to get in touch.”

The exact price of the console has not yet been revealed as this marvellous feat of engineering is still in the works. But does it matter? When presented with the opportunity to be a part of history, who would pass it up to save money for something as trivial as food, rent, or even more absurdly…education?

Some people have estimated that the console will cost approximately 2,500 CAD, but that is a small price to pay for the wonders of the built-in chicken warmer.

Redditors work together to shake up the stock market Oscar Lavitt ’23 Contributor

A huge uprising never seen before has recently occurred in the stock market. The centre of the conflict? None other than the humble video game and merchandise retailer GameStop.

Names like Reddit and GameStop are not commonly associated with the stock market, which has been traditionally run by hedge fund managers and investors on Wall Street. Despite this, the Reddit community was able to greatly impact the market by buying large quantities of shares in GameStop, effectively overthrowing hedge fund companies that had been short selling the stock. Hedge fund group Melvin Capital had purchased large quantities of stock in GameStop with the bet that it

was likely to go down in value.

By doing this, they were able to sell stocks at a higher price to buyers and then buy them back for the eventual lower price, exacting a profit. This did not go undetected by Reddit community r/wallstreetbets who went on

vin Capital enough money that it relied on cash infusions from other prominent hedge funds to avoid bankruptcy. This is a grave warning from the r/wallstreetbets community that as an organized force, they have the power to severely change the stock

to wreak havoc on Melvin Capital by purchasing large quantities of GameStop stock (GME), driving the value of the stock up by 1900%. They then sold them back to Melvin Capital at a huge gain. This move lost Mel-

market. This short squeeze was predominantly powered by Robinhood, a trading app that does not charge commission on stock trades. This empowered many of the Redditors with limited or no experience in the stock market

to purchase into the stock, causing the value to rise. During this movement, Robinhood tried to limit the purchase of the GME stocks to potentially salvage the situation for themselves and the market. The increased usage of their systems forced them to restrict purchases of the GME stock and others targeted by the Reddit community. The American Congress recently held a hearing to investigate the wild stock saga, and as the dust clears, the GameStop share value continues to go down, having played its part in the short squeeze. This shows the fragility of the Stock Market, and it raises the question: is it safe to base a country’s economy off such a volatile model?

Where should the NBA expand next? Seattle? Vancouver?

Kieran Light ’21 Contributor

Recently, there have been rumours that both Seattle and Las Vegas will likely make bids for their own respective NBA teams. These rumours were first reported by ESPN analyst and NBA insider Brian Windhorst in January. The NBA always expands in pairs to keep an even number of teams in the league.

So, upon hearing these reports, I immediately started considering the best possible expansion city combinations.

Without hesitation, the first city that comes to mind when asked about expansion cities is Seattle.

Although the city is already expected to make a bid, I can’t, in

good heart, write about expansions without discussing it. Seattle was previously home to the beloved Seattle Supersonics for 41 years before they moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, despite being promised they wouldn’t be moved. In any sport, whenever there’s the possibility of a new club joining its league, there are two questions that need to be asked. The first of which is: “Will the people living there want to support their team?” A return of the Sonics has been something desired by many fans across the NBA and not just heartbroken Seattleites. It’s clear that a lack of fans wouldn’t be an issue. The next question to be asked is: “Does the city have the facilities required to host a team?” Recently, the naming rights to Seattle’s Key Arena, which is set to be the home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, were acquired by Amazon. The arena will soon undergo a $900 million renovation, so as far as facilities go, they’re set.

If the future owners were unwise enough to not name the team the Supersonics once again, other possible names include the “Seattle Tempests” for the city’s avid rainstorms, the “Seattle Shredders” for their long history of important rock figures, and the “Seattle Huskies” for their large husky population.

The other city I believe to be most deserving of an NBA team is none other than Vancouver.

Although Vegas has had recent success with the Golden Knights and the Raiders, Vancouver makes much more sense to me.

Like Seattle, Vancouver has passionate sports fans to support their team, as well as an arena that could support an NBA team in Rogers Arena where the Canucks play. But what sticks out to me are the many rivalries that would come from a Vancouver-based team, which would make for more profit. If Vancouver were to acquire a team,

they’d surely be at odds with their counterparts just south of the border in Seattle and Portland, as well as their fellow Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors. Vancouver once had a team as well. They joined the league back in 1994 alongside the Raptors; they were known as the Grizzlies. However, because of awful financial decisions made by their owner and bad luck, the franchise was moved to Memphis, where it remains today under the same name. Since “Grizzlies” wouldn’t be an option as a team name, other possible names that I love are the “Lumberjacks” for Vancouver’s large logging industry, the “Vancouver Kodiaks” (especially if they want to keep the bear theme), and the “Vancouver Lions” as a nod to the two famous lion statues that sit at Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge.

The resilient Toronto Raptors push on Skyler Griffith ’21 Sports Editor The COVID-19 pandemic is notorious for altering plans, and the NBA has endured scheduling changes both last season and this season because of the virus.

The 2019-2020 playoffs wrapped up in October, which is unusually late in the year. To account for offseason time lost because of this delay, the 2020-2021 season didn’t kick off until December 22.

likely fill Gasol and Ibaka’s voids completely, fans remained optimistic that the Raptors would make their eighth consecutive playoff appearance with ease.

However, a mere three weeks into the season, the Raptors were 3-8 and claimed the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Alex Len had been particularly disappointing, averaging 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds. He was waived by the Raptors after playing only seven games with them.

This was a slow start for a team that had won the NBA Finals just 18 months prior.

Boucher, a big man who spent the majority of his childhood in Montreal, has taken advantage of a bigger role in the absence of Gasol and Ibaka. He went from playing 13.2 minutes/game last year to earning 23.3 minutes/ game so far this season. Additionally, Boucher has made a shocking jump in all statistical categories; most notably a 6% increase in his field goal percentage, a 10% increase in his threepoint field goal percentage, and he is also averaging 13.4 points/ game compared to his measly 6.6 last year.

Even more remarkably, Fred Since then, the Raptors have VanVleet, a guard who excelled turned their season around com- in the Raptors’ historic champipletely and continue to climb up onship playoff run, Raptors fans across Canada the Eastern Conference standscored 54 in a game also witnessed another painful ings. They have jumped from against the Orlando change: beloved centers Marc the 13th seed to the 6th seed, Magic this FebruGasol and Serge Ibaka, who were meaning they have a secure ary. In doing so, he both a part of the 2019 champi- playoff spot for the meantime. broke the record for onship team, parted ways with They have a current record of the most points in a the organization. In their place, 14-15, and their win percentage game by an undrafted the Raptors signed Aron Baynes, should crack the .500 mark in player in the league’s a former Phoenix Sun, and Alex no time. This recent success can history, as well as the Len, who had last played with be attributed to two surprisingly single-game Raptors’ the Sacramento Kings. Although impactful players: Chris Bouch- franchise record. the two new signees would uner and Fred VanVleet.

However, “Steady

Freddy’s” consistent play has been overshadowed by these accolades. VanVleet is currently averaging 20.3 points per game and 6.7 assists, outdoing 6x allstar Kyle Lowry in both categories.

Despite the ups and downs bestowed upon the Raptors this year, the team has shown consistent resiliency and perseverance. If rising stars VanVleet and Boucher continue to shine, Canadians will remain proud to call the Raptors their team as they embark on yet another playoff run.

Chris Boucher

Tampa Bay crushes the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV Ayden Hansen ’23 Contributor

The Super Bowl is one of North America’s most popular and most entertaining sports events, pulling in nearly 100 million views each year. In this year’s Super Bowl, on February 7, 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at their home stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The odds were heavily favoured towards the Chiefs going back-to-back with 5 to 1 odds. Going into the game, the Chiefs were missing a large majority of their roster due to injuries. These absences included one of their star receivers, Sammy Watkins, and star running back Le’Veon Bell, along with four offensive line-

men. One Chiefs player who was playing with an injury was their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

It had not been specified in detail, but it was known that his toe was possibly broken and that he was planning on receiving surgery on it during the summer of 2021. Now if we take a look at the lineup for Tampa Bay, only six players were out and none of them were starters; so right out of the gate, the Chiefs were at a disadvantage just from a lineup standpoint.

ond half nearly all year, so things for Mahomes to do anything were not looking good. with the ball while having to scramble on over 50% of passing Towards the end of the game, plays. the Buccaneers extended their lead all the way even further and Overall, even with odds in faended up capturing the win 9 to vour of the Kansas City Chiefs, 31. Throughout the game, the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still Buccaneers’ defensive line demanaged to go out and play their stroyed the Chiefs’ offensive line. hearts out on that night and This, on top of the double and Tom Brady proved once again triple teams placed on star rethat no matter who he is playing ceivers Travis Kelce and Tyreek with that against, you should Hill, made it nearly impossible never bet against him.

At the age of 43, Tom Brady, the Buccaneers’ quarterback, was going into his 10th Super Bowl, losing only 3 of his 9 previous Super Bowl appearances. With nearly a fully healthy team and the #1 defence in the league, the Buccaneers came out ready to play, quickly taking the lead which the never let go of. At half time, the Bucs led 21 to 6, one of the first times the Chiefs had been down going into the sec-

The Jets make changes to their lineup Sawyer Ramsay ’24 Contributor

It has been a different year for everyone, including the Winnipeg Jets. The team has made huge lineup changes, giving up star player Patrik Laine to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Laine has served a tremendous five seasons with the Jets, accumulating a total of 140 goals and 110 assists. However, his legacy with the Jets could not have lasted forever. On January 23, 2021, both Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic became members of the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

It remains a mystery as to why the Jets traded Laine, but there are some clear contributing factors. Laine has a history of disagreeing with his coaches and has always thought that he was

the superstar player. At the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2014, Laine was kicked off his team for giving his coach the middle finger because he believed that he deserved more ice time. While playing in Winnipeg, Laine felt that he was not being put on the right line.

He was always being put on the second and third line and felt that he could do better on the first line alongside Mark Scheifele. Therefore, Laine requested a trade as he wanted a better playing situation elsewhere.

Once traded to the Blue Jackets, Laine’s problems quickly continued when he was benched by head coach John Tortorella during one of his first games with the team due to a disagreement.

The Jets’ new acquisition, PierreLuc Dubois, brings many upsides to the team. Dubois was a third-round pick in the 2016 draft while Laine was a second-round pick in the same draft. Although Laine is seemingly the more advanced player, Dubois comes with his own strengths. Laine is an amazing

offensive player who can score goals efficiently; however, he is not as good defensively. Alternatively, Dubois is strong both on offence and defence. Dubois is also a ‘plus player,’ which means that his team has more goals for than against while he is on the ice. Laine is the opposite and is on the ice for more goals scored against his team than for. This new aspect that Dubois brings may be a great advantage to the Jets’ lineup. Dubois currently plays center in the second line alongside Stastny and Ehlers, moving Andrew Copp to the third line. Dubois only played

two full games with the Jets before enduring a lower body injury at practice. Since he returned, he has scored three goals and one assist for the Jets.

Opinions are mixed regarding whether this trade was beneficial to the Jets. Some may say that Pierre-Luc Dubois brings extra strength to the second line while others believe the Jets should have kept dynamic scorers Roslovic and Laine. Only time will tell if the front office made the right decision. For now, the question still stands.

Pierre-Luc Dubois

Is Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona?

Ikem Nnadi ’23 Contributor

Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best international football players of all time. Born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, Messi has always been naturally gifted. At the age of 13, he and his father flew to Barcelona, Spain to join the local club’s youth academy, La Masia. Ever since that day in 2000, Messi has had a legendary career, securing a club record of 33 trophies, and scoring 655 goals for the senior team over 17 years. Despite all of this success at FC Barcelona, Messi is disgruntled, and will likely leave the club this summer.

After three successive Cham-

Photo Credits:

Belarus: © TUT.BY/ AFP / Getty Images https://www. zeit.de/politik/ausland/2020-10/belarus-proteste-festnahmen-alexander-lukaschenko-demokratie-bewegung-polizei?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww. google.ca%2F US Politics: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images Uyghur: https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1196107736779354114 The Weeknd: NFL.com Logan Paul: Brent Koep The Mandalorian: Disney Studios (character) and Yash himself Mr. Beeston: Evil Doin at the El Dorado, 2016, SPHS Archives Teahouse of the August Moon Stage Crew, 1974, SPHS Archives Mr. Capko: courtesy of Mr. Capko himself Social Media: Stockton Police Department (Jeremy Meeks) https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/ screen-time-even-before-bed-has-little-impact-onteen-well-being.html (girl on phone) KFConsole: KFC GameStop: Shutterstock / TY Lim Raptors: https://www.goremutual.ca/chris-boucher-overcoming-adversity-to-become-a-champion/ Super Bowl: David J. Phillip | AP Jets: https://theathletic.com/2378912/2021/02/10/ dubois-jets-debut-clips-quotes-impressions/ Messi: Nick Potts/Zuma Press

pions League embarrassments against Roma, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich, Messi has started to lose his passion for the team, and I don’t think anyone can blame him. He went from having arguably the best club team in history in 2011 to a team that can’t even hold three-goal leads. This sudden decline in onfield performance would demoralize anyone, let alone the best player in the world. This worrying situation was made 10 times worse thanks to Josep Bartomeu, FC Barcelona’s ex-president.

After numerous falling outs, the transfers of Neymar and Luis Suarez, plus high-profile contract disagreements, Bartomeu finally resigned on October 27 of last year. While this made Messi happier, a recent leak of his 673 million USD (847 million CAD) contract has led many to believe Bartomeu had something to do with it. Reports everywhere have said that Messi will pursue legal action and that Barcelona will

do the same. However, Messi only has a few months left on his contract, so that means other clubs can approach him in the summer. Despite the extravagant fee Messi is synonymous with, he still has his suitors. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City have been heavily linked with him and have the funds necessary to complete the transfer. Players on both teams have been fueling the fire, with PSG’s Angel Di Maria talking about the situation in multiple interviews.

So, while Messi isn’t tied down to Barcelona completely, the club has been his life since the age of 13, and many want him to be a one-club player just like Francesco Totti, Paolo Maldini, and Ryan Giggs. Messi has barely spoken about leaving, but in an interview from September 2020, he said he planned on leaving due to Bartomeu and the direction Barcelona was head-

Answers online at thecrusadernews.ca/ springcrossword Crossword by Alec Compton ’22 and Donovan Martin ’22

Comic by Toe Toe Moo ’24

ing in. Messi also said he’s been considering leaving for a while but didn’t want to make a rash decision due to his love for the club and its fans. With all of this in mind, it looks more and more likely that Leo Messi will finally leave FC Barcelona this summer.

He’ll be turning 34 in June and wants to win a few more trophies before bowing out of the game. Barcelona can’t guarantee that as they’re in the process of rebuilding. Whether Messi stays with the sinking ship or not?

Only time will tell.