The Tufts Daily - Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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Tisch College hosts lunch with White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor

YAGMUR SIMSEK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Yamiche Alcindor and moderator Neal Shapiro are pictured during a virtual Civic Life Lunch hosted by Tisch College titled ‘Asking Truth From Power: Reporting on the Trump White House’on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

by Alicia Zou Staff Writer

Yamiche Alcindor, PBS NewsHour White House correspondent, spoke to the Tufts community on Sept. 29, in the second virtual Civic Life Lunch hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.

Alan Solomont, dean of Tisch College, shared opening remarks, and Julie Dobrow, senior fellow for media and civic engagement at Tisch College, introduced

Alcindor and the moderator for the event, Neal Shapiro, CEO of WNET, the largest public media station in the country.

Shapiro began the conversation by asking Alcindor about the difficulties of being a White House correspondent.

Alcindor recognized the drastic changes reporting has undergone during the COVID-19 pandemic and her decision to turn to the foundations of journalism while maintaining accountability. She also addressed the significance of her role,

especially with the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

“It’s no secret that President Trump has struggled more with support with African American voters … but there are still a lot of African Americans looking at the Biden/ Harris ticket and saying: What exactly are your plans for me?” Alcindor said. “I’ve been really focusing on making sure that my role is to bring all of those questions and all of that meaningfulness and resolve to the job.”

She also explained the importance of civil rights in shaping her interest in journalism. She noted the impact of Emmett Till’s mother placing her son’s disfigured face in an open casket on the cover of a magazine in connection to her understanding of America.

“It solidified for me that America has real deep flaws, and that we need to be focused on those flaws … and … on undersee LUNCH, page 2

Office of Campus Life launches JumboLife, new student engagement platform

by Sara Renkert News Editor

The Office of Campus Life (OCL) recently announced the launch of JumboLife, a student engagement platform that is a center for student organization activity, events and study space reservations. The Student Organization Fair was held through the platform last month.

John Wescott, associate director for campus life and programming, explained that the transition to JumboLife was not in response to COVID-19, but was rather the result of ongoing reviews of campus engagement platforms. “[There was] a full student review of the JumboLife platform in 2018, so this was not a specific response to COVID-19, though the pandemic certainly helped us understand the need for strong virtual management tools rather than our tradition [of ] in-person meetings or paper forms,” he wrote in an email to the Daily.

Wescott also outlined the ways in which the platform could increase productivity within the OCL.

“With 340+ student organizations with hundreds of events per year, we hoped to be able to better support student organization management through an engaging, easy to navigate platform, such as roster management, training, tools for promotion and recruitment, event registration, and more,” he said.

Organization leaders can also customize their club’s event details through JumboLife to accommodate their group’s application-based processes as well as host private events.

“It used to be confusing and difficult to piece together all the resources you may need for an event — from the space reservation to the facilities setup, catering, TuftsTickets or adding it to the Student Life and OCL Student Organization calendars. Now, all of that information is collected in this one form,” he said.

Some other benefits to the program include financial management tools. Student organizations no longer have to wait in line at the Tufts Community Union Treasury office hours or Campus Life Financial Office, according to Wescott.

ANN MARIE BURKE / THE TUFTS DAILY

President’s Lawn is pictured on Sept. 6.

JumboLife was also used to host Undergraduate Orientation.

Rachel Wang, a student chapter director for Strong Women, Strong Girls, said it was challenging to get accustomed to the platform. “[JumboLife] was a little bit confusing … it didn’t feel like [the

OCL] really gave too much of a background about [it],” she said.

Wang also explained that her organization’s banner was inadequately shown on the platform.

The club later had to receive approval from the OCL in order to fix the issue.

ARTS / page 4

FEATURES / page 3

SPORTS / back

Anna von Hausswolff breaks with previous conventions with new album

Bokoff speaks on community engagement, philanthropy

NFL teams off to a rocky start, struggle with defense

“[A club member] told us that she had to submit it for approval to the OCL … just little things that [are] taking … an increased amount of time,” she said. see JUMBOLIFE, page 2 NEWS

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FEATURES

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ARTS & POP CULTURE

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FUN & GAMES

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OPINION

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SPORTS

BACK

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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continued from page 1 standing what it means that we say we are going to treat everyone equally but don’t,” Alcindor said.

In response to Shapiro’s question on working with a president who singles out reporters, Alcindor discussed her greater duty as a journalist.

“When I think about my back and forth with the president, because I never get personal, because I really do think that there [are] so many Americans that are vulnerable and are scared, and that have lost their jobs, that deserve someone that is there to be their representative,” she said.

After Shapiro asked about the sense of comradery among the White House press corps in the current administration, Alcindor mentioned that journalists are working together to seek the truth.

Please rec ycle this newspaper!

“I think that we are all one supporting each other, but also, we understand that doing this job in 2020 is really chronicling life and death and asking questions that are literally life and death for so many Americans,” Alcindor said.

Shapiro also asked about the challenges a reporter faces when the president and his supporters fail to agree on the scientific facts regarding COVID-19.

“I’m constantly having to explain to people that this president is saying two different things but the scientists are saying we should take this very, very seriously,” Alcindor said. “I hope that in our reporting, that it comes off not as adversarial, but that we are trying to keep people safe.”

Shapiro asked Alcindor if she feels the need to constant-

ly present counter-evidence for what the president says. She responded by indicating that part of journalism is to present all evidence.

“The president constantly is beating up on mail-in voting, constantly saying it’s full of fraud and I constantly, every single time I record it, say he has no evidence,” Alcindor said.

“We asked the White House constantly for evidence because I think if there was evidence for mass voter fraud, I would want to report on it.”

The webinar then opened to questions from attendees. One student questioned how Alcindor can remain objective, even when one of the arguments is untrue or racist.

Alcindor drew attention to the importance of that question for current journalists. She

emphasized the phrasing in how she reports.

“I think the way I deal with objectivity is to be fair but not to give false equivalences, so when I report on climate change, I don’t say, well, one person thinks it’s not true and the other thinks it is.

What I say is the overwhelming science shows that the climate is changing,” Alcindor said.

Katrina Moore, director of the Africana Center, asked Alcindor if she could share with students how she has maintained hope in the current environment.

“I think I maintain that sense by taking care of myself and by naming when I’m not having a good day,” Alcindor said. “If you don’t allow yourself to just feel your feelings … you will eventually have to confront them and it will be in a way that might lead to a nervous breakdown.”

Student leaders express concern over virtual platform JUMBOLIFE

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Sruthi Kocherlakota Executive Sports Editor Tim Chiang Sports Editors Matt Goguen Jeremy Goldstein Aiden Herrod Pranav Jain Ananda Kao Delaney Tantillo Arpan Barua Assistant Sports Editors Jacob Dreyer Henry Gorelik Ethan Ling Arnav Sacheti Alex Sharp Eric Spencer

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Alcindor describes key role of journalists in light of November election LUNCH

Rebecca Barker Hannah Harris

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continued from page 1 Upon inquiring about this feedback with Wescott, he explained that it is the purpose of JumboLife to replace the old means of student engagement or connection and enhance these processes.

“We don’t anticipate (or want) JumboLife to replace [Facebook] pages or events, but to be an added resource for

the organizations to manage their group. JumboLife does so much more than Facebook pages or events could ever,” Wescott said.

Another concern raised by student organization leaders was navigating a lack of community within clubs as a result of hosting events in an online platform.

“My concern for this year is providing meaningful pro-

gramming and strengthening community while not overwhelming people with more screen time. Because clubs are not accustomed to JumboLife, I’m curious how much the platform will become a central part of club operations,” Haruka Noishiki, founder of Women in International Relations, wrote in an email to the Daily.

Wescott ensured issues would be resolved in due time and has

positive hopes for the future of the platform.

“We know that there have been some hiccups with the onboard process, as we’d expect with any new system, including slow loading pages. We’re actively working with the vendor, Presence, that manages the platform and providing all feedback, the good and bad, to ensure it’s the best possible experience for our students,” Wescott said.

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Features

3 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Alumni Interview: Jen Bokoff finds balance in philanthropy

by Sam Russo

Outreach Coordinator

As the Tufts student body was hunkering down for a cold night one winter, Jen Bokoff (LA’08) was thinking about how the homeless people she volunteered with would be spending the freezing night. Rather than waiting to find out until morning or the next time she saw them, Bokoff invited one of her clients into Harleston Hall’s basement and gave him shelter for the night.

Since then, Bokoff has not stopped doing what she can to make the world more just, but her perspective has changed after a decade working in philanthropy.

“I learned through that experience that casework and stuff dealing with life or death like in a given moment in time is not something I do well with,” Bokoff said. “I’m not really comfortable saying ‘Bye, have fun on the street tonight.’ I’m someone that crosses lines and tries to help with whatever person I can …

Homelessness and gun violence, for me, will always be important issues,” she said. “But to [work in those fields] every day would not optimize my energy because I would get too attached to the

people behind the issues that we were talking about.”

Bokoff just began a new job as the director of development for the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, a global non-profit that, according to its website, “empowers persons with disabilities to advocate for equal rights and full participation in society.”

In considering career — and other — choices, she weighs a careful balance of pragmatism and idealism, assessing both the contextual experience of a job (“Is it remote or in an office?

What’s the meeting culture?

What’s the leadership like?”) as well as help alleviate many of the problems she sees in the world.

To this end, Bokoff thinks about how her work in one philanthropic field can impact other areas, too.

“I was actually just writing a grant proposal about how we’re looking at intersections with gender, sexual orientation, race and how the intersectionality of identities actually can make you more marginalized within the disability community,” she said.

“I like that about where I work.”

For Bokoff, the path to philanthropy in general and fundraising in particular began in a Tufts classroom, where she

took the Experimental College class Experimenting with Philanthropy. The class instilled in her a sense of the “power that money holds” and inspired her to pursue a career in philanthropy.

This notion, along with a strong belief that Tufts is shaping the next generation of leaders, compelled Bokoff to volunteer on behalf of Tufts in alumni relations, at first as part of a group dedicated especially to fundraising from younger members of the Tufts alumni network. Today, she serves on the Alumni Council’s executive committee and is co-chairing a strategic planning committee focused around increasing access to the alumni network’s various offerings.

More broadly, Bokoff uses social media as an antidote to many of the problems it can create for others. Rather than allowing it to become an echo chamber, she consciously works to make her feed a mixture of many different viewpoints.

“I intentionally follow people who I admire, people who I don’t admire but who are influential [and] news publications from all sides and in different geographies, [people with] different identities in all forms. I’ll read up on different hashtags at differ-

ent times that are being used by a different array of people than what I might be exposed to,” she said. “It’s about proactively seeking out people who are going to think a little bit differently.”

Bokoff also uses Twitter to field questions that she knows will elicit different answers “for the point of engaging.” As a more trite example, she recently asked her followers when they use the word “utilize,” a word which she didn’t see as being very useful.

Their responses prompted her to reconsider her take.

Just as her social media use exposes her to new ideas, Bokoff also finds new relationships through it. She recently reconnected with an old classmate whose political views she disagreed with after he commented on one of her social media posts, and she has seen relationships from Twitter bloom into real-life connections. For example, her “accountability buddy,” who helps her stay on track with her goals, is someone she met online 10 years ago.

Running parallel to the brief comments and 280 character posts of Bokoff’s social media is her recently reignited blog, the “Jeneralist” — which she describes as “a blog of lists by a

generalist named Jen” — where she is able to delve deeper into the topics that interest her. These range from social justice and philanthropy to board games and self-care. In nearly any post, though, Bokoff emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and thinking about one’s goals.

One of her favorite tools for doing this is thinking of a “highlight, lowlight and insight” at the end of a busy day, a sort of spinoff of the more popular “rose, bud, thorn” exercise. In fact, Bokoff used to arrange her note-taking around that.

“For years, I sat with specifically those three colors [corresponding with a rose, a bud and a thorn] of sticky notes, and that is how I took notes during the week, which was a little extra, even for me, so I stopped that practice,” she said.

In a sense, those sticky notes embody the balance that Bokoff constantly strives for, balancing work with self-care and social media’s positive and negative components. Bokoff signed off with a bit of career advice.

“It’s really about figuring out how you want to be spending your time and then how can you leverage your strengths to still make a difference,” she said.

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Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture

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Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The stunning (and scary) beauty behind ‘All Thoughts Fly’

by Geoff Tobia Jr. Arts Editor

Life is more exciting when you actively search out for different things. Uncharted territory, the hidden gem, the road less taken.

Applying this analogy to music, it’s likely that the beautifully terrifying neoclassical dark wave genre could serve as one new place to explore.

To get a taste of neoclassical dark wave, Anna von Hausswolff is the best place to start. While her music can be classified or categorized in numerous other ways, von Hausswolff definitely blends classical and darker, drone-like elements into her compositions. The Swedish composer and songwriter has made significant waves in drone music and gothic-inspired music for over a decade, with projects like “Ceremony” (2012) and “Dead Magic” (2018). Cuts like “The Truth, The Glow, The Fall” (2018) represent her artistic styles and abilities, both of which are to be admired by listeners and fellow musicians.

Through Southern Lord Records, von Hausswolff was able to release her latest project “All Thoughts Fly” (2020). As she shared on Instagram, the album was made during the COVID-19 pandemic. This album is vastly different from “Dead Magic” in the sense that von Hausswolff doesn’t feature any of her vocals on the songs, nor is there any percussion. So, this album basically focuses on and showcases her musicianship, and as it turns out, it does so very well.

“Theatre of Nature” is von Hausswolff’s way of introducing us to this project, and it’s a very fitting song name. She starts off with some cool sounds from one of her favorite instruments: the pipe organ. With dreamy synth-like effects, everything is drenched in reverb. Different

VIA SPOTIFY

The album cover for ‘All Thoughts Fly’ (2020) by Anna von Hausswolff is pictured. ends of the organ play a cool back-and-forth pattern, and it feels like you’re in a cathedral in the middle of a dark forest. The constant panning effect seems to personify each of the tones in this pattern, almost like different animals, or presences, coming from all directions in this dark forest.

Next is “Dolore di Orsini” in which we’re greeted by another organ with an accompanying bass tone that nearly mimics an upright bass. A viola eventually joins in to create more eerie tones.

Nothing seems unexplainable here musically, but the timbre

chills us to the bone; the sounds all feel like a suspenseful moment in a horror movie.

This tone continues in “Sacro Bosco” in which more panned noise kicks off the track, then a new bass tone that also travels from left to right repeatedly. Some organ/flute-like combo pops in and out, and one tone borders bagpipe territory. The track becomes very busy, but it’s definitely an organized mess. It sounds like hundreds of tones are layering on top of one another. It’s hard to keep track of all of them at the same time, but nothing is too distracting that the whole

track becomes a cacophony.

Moments like these are extremely pleasant reminders of how well von Hausswolff can mesh sounds together.

This mesh of sounds also leads to desired effects for emotions, like on the following “Persefone.”

The typical bass and organ play a more somber song with a chord progression that never reaches a happy conclusion. The synths, bass and organ, all get louder and heavier as the song goes on, but everything seems more like a desperate cry for help than a buildup to some grand ending. The higher synths and organ ring out for the

remaining minute of the song, almost like a whining that fades to a whimper. Until “Entering” comes on, which is a truly terrifying two-minute moment on the album. Every sound on here rides a fine line between sounding natural and artificial, making it the most unsettling two minutes of the album.

“All Thoughts Fly” is the longest track on the album, led by a repeating melody in the mid and high-end range of the organ.

At around the five-minute mark, the quick change in pace for the synths and organ gives a sense of rejuvenation to the listener. It’s as if rays of sunlight are peeking through a dark and dusty room.

Then eight minutes in, the synths start to slow down, but increase in volume, as a heavier bass comes in, shaking the orchestration like an earthquake. This track concludes on a calmer note.

Despite this relieving conclusion, it’s not until “Outside the Gate (for Bruna)” when we see a more sincere and tranquil finale for the album. The underlying tone for the song is new. It’s not like there’s a sense of peace necessarily, as von Hausswolff definitely left some elements intentionally in suspense. There’s a new feeling of hope in the flute-like tone and the lower-end chord progression, but something about it makes the listener feel like a storm is still coming.

One underlying tone persists throughout the project, yet so many different visuals can be pictured while listening. In her own words, this album is about “the importance of sharing for surviving, creating space and evolving.

Once you’ve shared your words they are not only yours anymore.”

The pipe organ serves as your only friend throughout this experience, as von Hausswolff’s arrangements behave like a guiding force, bringing you to places, unlike anything you’ve seen before.

A&P

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | Arts & Pop Culture | THE TUFTS DAILY

‘The Devil All The Time’: everyone’s a sinner

Julian Levy Keep the Cameras Rolling

by Miranda Feinberg Contributing Writer

With the temporary closure of in-person theaters, Netflix has released a slew of original content over the past few (endless) months: most recently, Antonio Campos’ thriller “The Devil All the Time” (2020). The film, which stars big-name actors Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and Bill Skarsgård, travels throughout space and time as it tells an intertwining ballad of unholy human evils. With each story comes tales of woe, death, terror, religious ecstasy and, above all, sin. The stories are all connected, and throughout the film the overarching narrator, voiced by the source novel’s author Donald Ray Pollock, comments on each one, giving intimate insight into the connections and characters. While the film is effective at portraying sin, it falls flat in its attempts to delve into the psyche and meaning within each sinful act. Despite the aching depictions of hopelessness and melancholy, the heavy-handedness of the theme detracts from the film’s message and its attempts at philosophical introspection.

The film is dark and dim, with themes of turmoil and human destruction constantly being emphasized. The narrator opens the film by pointing out how the two main towns of Knockemstiff, Ohio — the name a not-so-subtle nod to the town’s violence — and Coal Creek, W. Va. blend into the backdrop of rural America. The evil that is portrayed is not some special specific evil but is instead a universal human one. The two towns are like any other town; the people there are just like any other people. The idea that humans are inherently evil comes up time and time again throughout the film.

Acts of violence and depravity are the checkpoints throughout this film, yet the different situations shown are what makes the film entertaining and exciting. Whether it is an act of pure psychopathy, an act of revenge, a religious lament or an attempt at salvation, each fold in the story is tense and interesting.

Furthermore, the violence is cyclic. It builds upon itself and spreads, it trickles down into following generations.

While the connection and the thrills are tragically portrayed, much of the film is very shallow, and never manages to delve into the philosophical explanations for the immorality seen in the film.

Ultimately, the main ideas are inter-

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A post-COVID world

F

VIA IMDB

A promotional poster for ‘The Devil All the Time’ (2020) is pictured. esting enough to pull you in, but are hollowed out and remain greatly unexplored by the film’s end.

Cinematographically, “The Devil All The Time” is light and clear, and showcases vivid greens and deep browns; juxtapositions of light imagery and dark motivic content are common.

The music included also added much to the film; the soundtrack, primarily consisting of folk and country music, added so much life to each scene. The costumes and hair were great at bringing the time period and the stories to life in subtle ways that made the characters feel very lived-in.

The film has a star-studded cast who all give solid performances. Though the film is set in the American country, a number of members of the cast are European or Australian — the accents, however, are wonderfully believable. Robert Pattinson in particular, who plays a character from Tennessee, gives an unhinged performance that has sparked dense twitter discourse over whether his accent is absurd and crazy or assured and fantastic.

Overall, “The Devil All the Time” is an entertaining watch. Despite a semi-hollow tone and a mostly unsuccessful grasp at depth, it is exciting and full of thrills, twists and turns.

or months, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the entertainment industry to its knees.

Production on most major movies and TV shows has had to cease entirely, and is only just now beginning to restart. Some shows have had to delay their subsequent seasons, while others have turned to creative methods to complete in progress runs. “The Blacklist” (2013–), as an example, somewhat comically, had half of its season finale animated without the ability to shoot on-set. But once the current season of a show ends, and it comes time to brainstorm ideas for its next episodes, how will COVID-19 factor in?

Production delays will happen and social distancing guidelines and mask wearing will be adopted by basically anyone not in front of the camera, but that’s not what I’m getting at. How will the actual content of the shows be affected?

There are three possible ways that this could manifest.

Consciously or unconsciously, the zeitgeist of living in a world with COVID19 could influence television and movies thematically. Anxiety and frustration due to long-lasting lockdowns, and resentment toward a government that has mishandled its response to the disease will have an impact on the way screenwriters everywhere see the world, and how they characterize it.

It’s also interesting to think about whether COVID-19 will even exist in these continuities. For some shows, especially those dealing with government, religion, or healthcare, it would make sense to incorporate how the pandemic has affected these complex institutions. But, for shows that more often lean toward lighthearted comedy, it would be an incredibly difficult task to acknowledge that COVID-19 exists without it having major implications on tonal consistency.

Perhaps most interestingly, will these movies and shows branch off into a weird alternate reality where the pandemic has never happened? Words like “Zoom calls,” “social distancing” and “anti-maskers” would no longer be a part of the vernacular. The idea of “remote learning” would seem as impractical and foreign to them as it did to us just months ago, and the daily anxieties of living in a pandemic needn’t be thought about. Realistically, how would major world events logically diverge given the significant effect COVID-19 has had on the socio-political level? Would these realities account for how the lack of the pandemic might have affected something like the 2020 presidential election? If one small change has major consequences when examined across an entire country, the paradigm shift that COVID-19 has created would undoubtedly have to intertwine with many aspects of television shows set in the real world.

Studios face a difficult and unenviable task going forward. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on almost every aspect of our lives and will continue to at least influence them for years to come. There will be many approaches with varying levels of success, but the creativity used to reconcile the tragedy of the real world and the media that connects us is going to be absolutely fascinating.

Julian Levy is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Julian can be reached at Julian.Levy@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Fun & Games | Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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Opinion

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Caroline DePalma Philosophy in Focus

Should we be here?

S

hould we be here?

The world is overwhelming. In trying to balance being an active, thoughtful citizen with maintaining a certain level of sanity, it is helpful to turn to philosophers, who pondered overwhelming subjects regularly. Philosophy is a generally misunderstood field, and one that I knew almost nothing about, so I was quick to dismiss it. But with information thrown at us from every direction, trying to process it all is a Herculean task; I’m starting to think that having a way to break it down into more digestible pieces might not be such a bad idea.

This week’s question examines whether we should be here at all, “here” being Tufts’ campus and the communities of Medford, Somerville and Boston, and “we” being those of us present in those communities.

While not everyone has a ‘somewhere else’ that would be conducive to the intellectual curiosity that Tufts holds so dear, Tufts gave its students the choice to come to campus, and many took it. This brings us to the final piece of the question: “should.”

A philosopher loves a “should” question. It hits deep in our ethical and moral judgements and leaves us making choices that we often understand but can’t explain. Every big name has a different method for addressing these questions and putting rhyme and reason to the gut reactions we all have to them. Today’s big name is Jeremy Bentham. He thought you could look at any action and quantify how much happiness it puts into the world versus how much pain. Any action whose happiness index outweighs the pain it creates will be considered good (the things we should do), and the opposite ones considered bad (the ones we shouldn’t). While the logic is easy to follow, the conclusions may be difficult to reach.

We can put Bentham’s idea to work on our original question: should we be here? First, the happiness index: we are offered time with friends, a beautiful campus, in-person classes, more academic resources, proximity to the city and actual face time with professors and mentors, among other things. On the other hand, we risk getting sick and putting others in danger, we wear masks at all times and we plan our weeks around routine testing.

Should we be here? “Should” is a tough word to answer definitely, and perhaps it’s still up for debate (and likely will be for a long time). I know I will feel better about the decision if I see Bentham satisfied, so I’ll try to throw some extra weight on the good side of the scale each day I’m allowed to be here. My advice to you? Take everything this campus has to offer you, and put it to use in those changes you’re already making in the world right now. As long as we wear our masks, respect our neighboring communities and socially distance, we are standing on the good side of the scale.

Caroline Depalma is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Caroline can be reached at caroline.depalma@tufts.edu.

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Sports

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

NFL enters week 3 competition NFL

continued from page 10 at home to the NFL’s worst team last year, the Cincinnati Bengals. On Sunday, Wentz seemed to have disappeared, being thoroughly outplayed by rookie Joe Burrow.

The game went to overtime after Wentz scrambled to find the end zone with less than 20 seconds left in the game. In overtime, neither team could find the scoreboard, resulting in a 23–23 tie, a damming and humiliating scoreline for a team with playoff aspirations.

Finally, we move to America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. With a team loaded with weapons and a roster seemingly devoid of any salary cap, they took the field against MVP front-runner Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks. With star running back Ezekiel Elliott running for only 34 yards, they relied on their aerial prowess to win the game. However, this was not only matched by the Seahawks but surpassed, as Russell Wilson dropped an inconceivable five touchdown passes.

Muddled in disappointment and disillusion, the Cowboys fell to the Seahawks by a score of 38–31.

A battle of AFC royalty Monday night saw the two previous MVPs, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, battle it out in a highly anticipated matchup as the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to the Old Line State to play the Baltimore Ravens. The game was akin to a seesaw in the first half. The teams went back and forth with their explosive offenses, trading field goals and a touchdown.

The game was perhaps at its closest when returner Devin Duvernay of the Ravens, fresh from conceding a touchdown of their own, took the kickoff 93 yards to the end zone to make the game 13–10 in favor of the Chiefs. However, that was the closest it

would get. From then on out, it was oneway traffic in favor of the Chiefs as they ended the first half with two touchdowns to make it 27–10. The game stayed that way, with the Chiefs consistency stifling any hope of a Raven comeback. Of note was the difference in passing yards for both teams as the two MVP quarterbacks could not have had a more antithetical night. While Mahomes threw for a bludgeoning 385 yards, Jackson only finished with a feeble 97. It was business as usual for the defending Super Bowl champions and a disappointing night for the Super Bowl aspirants of the Chesapeake Bay. Final score: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Baltimore Ravens 20.

Other scores from around the NFL The Los Angeles Rams traveled to the near opposite corner of the country on Sunday to play against a young and rising Buffalo Bills team. From the start, the Bills looked like they would blow out the Rams as they went up 21–3 in the third quarter.

However, this is a Rams team with offensive firecrackers, and on its day, the team has the offensive capability to be one of the best in the NFL. By the third quarter, the Rams paid their homage to Drake’s opening track on Scorpion and simply flipped a switch. They scored 29 unanswered points over the course of both the third and fourth quarters, putting themselves up 32–28 late into the game. The Bills had the ball with a minute left to go, hoping that ascending quarterback Josh Allen could channel his former division rival Tom Brady and lead them to a last-minute victory. The game looked up in the air as the Bills were marching, but on a fourth and eight with 20 seconds to go, a defensive pass interference on the Rams bore new life into the Bills as they turned their impossible dream into a real-

Nicole Setow Wonder Women ity, scoring on the very next play. A topsy turvy one, with the Bills barely coming out with the win. Final score: Buffalo Bills 35, Los Angeles Rams 32.

Sam Darnold continues to prove how costly a mistake he was for the entire New York Jets organization with a near disgraceful performance on Sunday. Playing against a new-look Indianapolis Colts team with first-year familiar Phillip Rivers at the helm, Darnold had only 168 passing yards, with three interceptions to go along with it. It was an awful game from start to finish, and this is once again shaping up to be a dreadful season for both Jets players and fans. Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 36, New York Jets 7.

The Tennessee Titans have quietly followed up on last season’s incredible run to the AFC championship, bouncing to a 3–0 start. They played a struggling Minnesota Vikings team who continued to make costly mistakes as talisman Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions while running back Dalvin Cook had a fumble of his own. Derrick Henry continues to plow through NFL teams as he had over 100 yards as the Titans squeezed out the victory. Final Score: Tennessee Titans 31, Minnesota Vikings 30.

In New England news, Cam Newton and his New England Patriots put up numbers this weekend, scoring a mega 36 points while cruising to a 36–20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The game was won on the ground as Tufts’ hometown NFL team ran for 250 total yards.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers eased their way to a 28–10 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Brady had a monster game, passing for nearly 300 yards and throwing three touchdowns. Let’s hope we’re all this athletic by age 43.

Surprises in the MLB regular season will provide an exciting baseball playoffs MLB

continued from page 10 Finishing with the second-best record in the National League, the San Diego Padres were an unexpected gem in the shortened season. A combination of young players such as shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and veterans like pitcher Mike Clevinger provided a solid basis for the rest of the team.

Tatis Jr. ruffled feathers in a mid-August game against the Texas Rangers when he hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, increasing the Padres lead to 14–4. While some players and managers complained about the breaking of unwritten rules and baseball etiquette, others were happy to see the young player shine and earn a career-high seven RBI.The Padres will

face the St. Louis Cardinals tonight in their first game in the National League Wild Card Series.

Finally, a controversial team deserving of discussion heading into the playoffs is none other than the Houston Astros. The Texas team — plagued by rumors, then proof, then investigations into cheating during their 2017 World Series run — had a disappointing season in comparison to previous performances. Individual players such as Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa had significant dips in their batting averages, and their inability to deliver in comparison to previous seasons made many fans question their performance.

Did the mental struggle of being caught cheating change the players’ ability to play, or were they truly not

9

good without the help of trashcan-banging and inappropriate uses of technology? Either way, the team has a lot to prove going forward and will undoubtedly continue to receive criticism unless they turn their performance around. The Houston Astros finished the 2020 regular season with a 29–31 record and are playing the Minnesota Twins in the American League Wild Card Series that began Tuesday.

While this year’s COVID-tainted baseball season was full of good and bad surprises, the playoffs are sure to provide more entertainment and exciting moments for all teams. Hopefully, the players and managers will stay safe and healthy and make the 2020 World Series one for the history books.

Christen Press

F

irst up this week is my favorite striker, Christen Press. Even if you don’t follow women’s soccer, you may be familiar with names like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd. These three shined under former head coach Jill Ellis from 2014– 19. But with Rapinoe and Lloyd’s looming retirements, Ellis’ exit and Morgan’s maternity leave, 2020 is absolutely shaping up to be Press’ year. The depth of strikers on the United States women’s national team (USWNT) is incredible, which may help explain why it took so long for Press to enter the national spotlight. But now that she’s here, CP23 is certainly making a lasting impact on the game.

The 31-year-old striker hails from California where she attended Stanford University. With 71 goals, she still holds the title as the Cardinal’s all-time leading goal scorer. She also went on to win the 2010 Mac Hermann Trophy –– beating Alex Morgan for the award. Yet, despite a successful college career, it took until 2013 for her to finally earn her first cap (appearance) with the national team, and even then, her minutes were still limited for the next several years.

In many ways, one could describe her journey to the national team as a true underdog story.

With two World Cup wins (2015, 2019) under her belt, Christen Press then spent the early half of 2020 scoring golazos for the USWNT in international friendlies during the team’s quest to Tokyo 2021. Something I’d say is quite unique to Press is her ability to score from outside the box. It’s clear that she has incredible vision and a powerful strike because her goals are absolute wonders to witness. Under new head coach Vlatko Andonovski, Press has scored seven goals in eight appearances for the USWNT in 2020. One can only wonder how many more goals she could have scored had the season resumed normally. With the COVID19 pandemic complicating many players’ ability to play, she’s now heading to Manchester United with her USWNT teammate Tobin Heath. This is the first time she’ll be playing for an abroad team since 2018 when she signed for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in the Swedish Damallsvenskan league.

Considering the streak she was on in the beginning of the year, there is no doubt that she will be making an impact the moment she steps onto the pitch.

Unfortunately for U.S. fans, that means we won’t be able to see her play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) –– meaning we won’t be seeing Press’ golazos on national television anytime soon (the NWSL is hosting the Fall Series on CBS with games airing every Saturday in September to Oct. 17), but luckily we’ll still be able to watch her play on The FA Player, a free streaming platform which is self-described as the “home of women’s football.” Considering the number of footy players heading over to Europe –– Alex Morgan to Tottenham, Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle to Manchester City –– maybe Europe really does deserve the title –– at least for this year. Only time will tell, but in the meantime … pull up a chair, kick up your feet and let’s enjoy some women’s soccer.

Nicole Setow is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Nicole can be reached at Nicole.Setow@tufts.edu.

10 Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Sports

NFL Week 3 recap: A Defensive Nightmare

by Arpan Barua Staff Writer

The third week of this ever so odd NFL season had one central theme to it, and that was its lack of defensive structure, commitment and consistency. This Sunday, nearly every losing team conceded more than 30 points, a statistic that will give defensive coordinators around the country Herculean headaches. Indeed, it is an evolving league with scores only rising. That being said, is it so hard to just play some defense every now and then? Come on, just play a nickel, dime or special edition Gerald Ford dollar coin formation. Here is your recap of some of Sunday’s games.

Saint Nick is back!

The aura and mysticism surrounding former Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback and notorious 2018 Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles took the field Sunday as a member of the Chicago Bears. It is the third team he has played for in the last three years, as he was traded just one year after signing that mega contract with the ever quality Jacksonville Jaguars. He started on the bench, as Mitchell Trubisky, the team’s divisive starting quarterback, began the game. The game was against the Atlanta Falcons, a team coming off a shambolic collapse against the Dallas Cowboys. The game started just like it did in the previous week for the Falcons, with an explosive and efficient three-play drive that ended with a touchdown.

Trubisky wasn’t necessarily bad to start, not in the way he was against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, but long drives without much to show for left Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy to make the gutsy call and put his Super Bowl MVP backup into the game, a storyline that Foles has come to be defined by.

Foles entered into the game in the middle of the third quarter with his Bears down 26–10. But on his first drive, with the Bears marching, he threw an interception right into the endzone, leaving the entire team feeling helpless. However, must we forget the sickness that has always plagued the Atlanta Falcons? As if it is the only thing they know how to do when holding a lead, the Falcons crumbled, again. A missed field goal started the demise of the Falcons, with Foles on the next drive nearly scoring on a fourth and goal from the 17-yard line.

Yes, you read that right. Though they came up empty handed, the momentum was obvious, proof again of just how disastrous the ensuing Falcon collapse proved to be. A strong defensive stand meant the Bears immediately had the ball again. After a massive fourth down conversion, in just a matter of minutes they were down just 10. The

next Bears drive saw a miraculous Allen Robinson touchdown, and with over four minutes to go, Foles and the Bears turned the game around and were only down by three. More offensive apathy from Matt Ryan and the Falcons meant that Foles had a chance to win the game, which they did, scoring a touchdown on their third drive in a row. In total, it was a 20-point fourth quarter, and in just a quarter and a half, Foles finished with 188 passing yards and a win. Somehow, someway, the Bears are 3–0 while the Falcons, with all their brilliance for the first three quarters of every game, are 0–3. Final score: Chicago Bears 30, Atlanta Falcons 26.

NFC East, my GAWD Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East with a record of 9–7 in the last week of the season. As a whole, it was a division that averaged only six wins. Many pundits deemed it the worst division in the history of football. Could it get any worse? At the present moment, the answer seems to be yes. It indeed can get worse. This season, the NFC East is shaping up to be its usual juggernaut, but one covered in garbage displays on the field. The division went winless on Sunday, with the Washington Football Team still on top of the division. All teams have been defined by an utter lack of creativity on the offensive side and inconsistency on the defensive side. Whether they find their footing remains to be unknown, but based off of current displays, rosters and history, there seems to be no hope for improvement for all four teams. Each have been masters in demoralizing its fans, setting up a long, long season for some of the NFL’s biggest teams.

The weekend started with its poorest and most irrelevant teams taking the field for losses.

We’ll start in the Midwest where the Washington Football Team lined up against the Cleveland Browns, and despite a big third quarter which ended with them up by three, they gave up a whopping 17 points in the fourth to lose 34–20. Meanwhile the Saquon Barkley-less New York Giants put on a show on Sunday, that is if you are into shows of pure disappointment and tragedy. They played the defending NFC champions San Francisco 49ers, a team without its three biggest players, and still could only put up nine points. In the end, the 49ers pummeled them, winning 36–9.

We’ll move on to this week’s Eagles watch where the defending division champions Philadelphia Eagles are still yet to be found. Might it be time to hire a rescue party? They were see NFL, page 9

tuftsdaily.com

Recap of the MLB 2020 season and playoff preview

ALL-PRO REELS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Nationals player Juan Soto is pictured on Aug. 25 during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

by Brigitte Wilson Staff Writer

While there were doubts that the MLB season would even be able to finish due to early outbreaks of COVID-19 among some of the younger teams, the playoffs began Tuesday with glaring absences and unexpected appearances due to a combination of the shortened season, coaching weaknesses and player adjustments.

Baseball resumed on July 23, but only five days later 17 Miami Marlins players and coaching staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus. With the entire season in peril and unprecedented scheduling changes that affected many teams for weeks, blame was assigned all over the place, from young players’ temptations to party to poor management

by MLB. The St. Louis Cardinals faced a similar situation a day later, with mounting cases from personnel which led to rumors about irresponsible conduct by players, such as going to casinos. Robert Manfred, commissioner of MLB, warned that the season would be shut down if players did not change their behavior. Contrastingly, players voiced concerns that MLB was not being strict enough about policies and therefore putting their health at risk.

Regardless of the drama and health scares earlier in the summer, the regular season ended on Sunday. All teams were able to play, though some were missing key players due to sickness from the coronavirus or opt-outs.

Eduardo Rodriguez, starting pitcher for the Red Sox, contracted COVID-19 before the season began and developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, as a result. He missed the entire season, adding to the Red Sox’s never-ending pitching ailments.

Ryan Zimmerman, a veteran first

baseman for the Washington Nationals, and David Price, starting pitcher for the LA Dodgers, were two of the many players that chose to opt out of the season for the health and safety of themselves and their families.

Despite the loss of many players, the season still proved to be full of surprises and disappointments. The Washington Nationals, reigning World Series champions, finished at the bottom of the National League East with a record of 26–34. While Juan Soto, 21-year-old breakout star of the team, finished the season with a .351 batting average and became the youngest recipient of the National League batting title, his performance was not enough to bring the team out of their slump.

Similarly, the Red Sox continued to disappoint fans in a season full of questionable passion from players and abhorrent pitching. Former manager Alex Cora’s suspension as a result of his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal meant the team turned to Ron Roenicke, who had performed successfully as a bench coach in previous years but ultimately proved unable to connect to many of the younger players.

While the Red Sox’s loss of Chris Sale due to Tommy John surgery and Eduardo Rodriguez due to his heart condition certainly contributed to their troubles, their inability to produce suitable alternatives and oftentimes lack of fiery offense exposed major issues in their farm system and team dynamic.

Chaim Bloom, chief baseball officer of the Red Sox, was also criticized for a lack of big moves at the trade deadline. While he has only been with the team for less than a year, there will be a lot of pressure on him to perform well during this offseason.

Fans expected a lot from the 2020 season, given the expanded

eligibility for the playoffs due to COVD-19 (the opportunity for 16 teams to start in the postseason) and that the Red Sox are the third-most valuable team in MLB. Instead, they were dismayed by the lackluster performance, underperforming players and failure to make the playoffs.

By contrast, teams that exceeded fan expectations included the Miami Marlins, the Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres.

While the Marlins dealt with a delay to the season due to their early COVID-19 outbreaks, they were already doubted to make the playoffs due to a low payroll and deficiency in big talent.

However, they completed the regular season with a 31–29 record, finished second in the National League East and continued to build a strong farm system. They will face the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the National League Wild Card Series.

The presence of the White Sox makes this postseason the second time that both Chicago teams have made the playoffs since 1906. In fact, the White Sox have only played in the postseason six times since 1919, and they last won the American League Central title in 2008. First baseman Jose Abreu and shortstop Tim Anderson proved to be essential to their team’s success, as both players finished with batting averages above .280 and performed well in the field.

Whether the White Sox will make a deep playoff run remains to be seen, but both Chicago teams accomplished solid regular season performances. If they both make it to the World Series, it would be the first potential championship appearance of the White Sox vs. the Cubs since 1906. However, the White Sox will have to put up a fight against the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card Series. see MLB, page 9