essay

Investigative Commentary:

Considered one of the most efficient machines ever produced by humans, the bicycle nevertheless feels underrated as I dive into the article, though I also perceive how its story is assumed to be something like what is presented, and not more complicated. Clear as is its chronology, I miss the social, economic, cultural, and genre context that enrich other stories. Transportation is central to so many stories, and treasure to so many who are poor—the article pegged Baron Karl von Drais as "inventor" of the first verifiable bicycle but made no mention of social class.

Bicycling in its early days seems professionalized, as if those men ought to be the main talk of this article, rather than all the circumstances of who can be the talk. The "evolution" from the draisine to the safety bicycle was enlightening enough, and I sensed a bud of the bicycle sprouting from trees in the yard, but I began to excavate the soil and noticed that the article scarcely remarks how time has affected cycling culture, when bicycles fit into that cycle of improving 'n' making. The way that the bicycle became a liberator of women is central to the post but I do think it is contextless, in that some middle-class women did come to realize more freedom with their bikes, much like the women in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1892 utopian novel "Herland," but it sounds equal to the authors for different people of intelligence that there was no class, no race, no inequality, or that top-notch at bicycles would put sour grapes to such a struggle who could become the Superman.

In researching this period, and writing the article on it, I continually found that working-class women and women of color were often excluded from these groups due to class and race disadvantages. By framing liberation as largely uniform (green is a liberatory color), the article presents a simplified history and misses the chance to provide more balance.

It also presents a statistic I’ve heard that says that the Netherlands has more bicycles than residents. The first time I read that, I think that sounds impressively cool, but I don’t just want to believe it. I checked Statistics Netherlands (CBS) data and Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management reports. They do show extremely high rates of bicycles per capita, though the exact percentage depends on the year and the method of measurement. For example, I checked some summaries of municipal transport policies and goal reports, looking at the one for Copenhagen, which states that the city spends a quarter of their transportation budget on cycling infrastructure.

There is substantial investment, but I then wonder where the money comes from, over what time period it is allocated, and what other political desires and priorities shaped how they scheduled it too. Here, I discovered, a simple statistic needs context, as well as citation in order to be transparent.

The environmental section has a similar structure. The comparison very much frames the bicycle vs the automobile in starkly terms, framing the bicycle as such a drastically more sustainable mode of transport. To get more to grips with the claim, I looked into lifecycle assessment studies into bicycle production. These generally confirm that bicycles have far lower emissions than automobiles. But they also demonstrate that making steel frames, creating rubber tires, and transporting materials all have a cost; if we don’t admit those, the author makes bicycles sound completely green, as opposed to comparatively less problematic. I think the difference matters.

Overall I found the writing engaging enough to be persuasive. But its assured manner and authoritative tone combined with accurate-but-not-cited statistics gave it a stronger sense of authority than it lived up to. It treated the benefits of cycling, and declining carbon emissions, that it mentioned thoroughly, without addressing whether cities might find financially and logistically more complex—what about the cost of constructing all that infrastructure? Less is more, speeded up, beats out slower.

Looking through the lens of the bicycle’s development at history, with this, reinforced the lesson I kept finding in the investigation: we can be elevated and motivated by great stories, but journalism, good journalism, is transparent, clear about how its story comes to be.

Journalistic Article:

A few years ago, social media was simply a technology that changed how players communicated with fans. Now it is also changing how they feel pressure, how they find identity in a world that is full of it and also where they often feel depressed. As social media grows, so does its promise and threat, a danger to players’ on the court and off the court lives.

Social media is a special tool for athletes trying to hit the next level. A chance for every potential star to connect with fans, promote themselves and make money. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, directly connecting at every chance for positive interaction and support, an amazing way for athletes to connect and promote themselves, and a safe community to explore and share passions or Dua Lipa songs. Athletes share memes telling folks to not let them stress out in the DMs @ duahajak. And 99% of the time, they’re right!

A special part of communication that many athletes have used their platforms for, it’s never been easier for players to go through toxic tweets by Kevin Durant. Facebook, Instagram and now the incredible new option Vine! Most star players love to connect with fans and followers and many also keep their messages upbeat.

Kevin Durant is one of the top 10 basketball players in the world and for him to have been as popular and as engaging with fans as is possible is quite cool. Examples of his personal thoughts and how he responds to critics. Where he directs his users from his thousands of followers to messages like “fu** that guy he voted for trump” or similar déjà vu themes. Also has a special feel for responding directly to next-level fans, called handles. Social media allows him to engage with supporters while being able to control his portrayal in a landscape often prone to misrepresentation. Yet, his online presence drew ire in 2017, when it was made known he had answered critics using anonymous “burner” accounts. This incident stood out for many, raising questions about why even the league’s elite need to respond to critics. The troll in the system. Or why the masters of their craft would need to cover up. To question whether confidence in the public sphere leaks into one’s personal self. His duality: The need to be open to the world while keeping some things at home. Simple, right? We all have it.

Unfortunately, the drawbacks to social media on athlete health can be tremendous. Constant exposure leads to comparison. Pressure to present a perfect persona and the world watches if one posts right. Every post, be it a Instagram, tweet or Snapchat, is scrutinized. Missteps are scrutinized and may lead to a backlash. This instills extra pressure to not offend or present a bad image, and can lead to burnout. On top of that, it was hard to look away from online trolls who took pleasure in launching a barrage of negative comments on social media against star players immediately after every defeat. Often, as in the case of Kevin Durant, the vitriol is both cruel and exposed. Bullying in general has had becoming a greater concern in the cyber world, but no one would have thought it would go in a way to make players quit commenting online or turnoff comment functions on posts in order to protect their mental health during the emotionally trying era of notifications.

Though there is still a long way to go in fully equipping athletes to navigate the mental health difficulties of current social media use, they are beginning to carve out their spaces. Taking time for themselves away from social media is the first major barrier put up against the hurtful attitudes of fans worldwide. For example, Naomi Osaka has openly discussed her struggles with mental health and the necessity of setting boundaries to cope with the pressures of her career and public life. This acknowledgment by athletes like her helps to further destigmatize mental health issues in sports. Boundaries around social media are the start, but many victims have to start changing who and what they pay attention to online. Mood and mind-changing strategies from sports coaches versed in online aversions have become pivotal for defense and preservation of brain health. In certain cases, they only start to follow things that promote positives of their kind, such as basketball, fashion, and health.

Going forward, the capacity that social media has on the mental health of players will make us more sorry and sorry for players in our cultures. Coaches, players, and of course sponsors will need to realize that the attitudes of social platforms have become part and parcel of what it means for these men and women to be athletes as we make this way through connected cycles of endless trust and trauma.