JDF16

Every day in this country and around the world, people lose their lives. In many cases it is something out of each person's control, and unavoidable in our lives. But with that said there is something that much more tragic about young life being ripped away. Unfortunately, that is what happened this past weekend. Obviously I was not born when Len Bias tragically overdosed after being selected as the 2nd Overall Pick in the 1986, but I have to imagine that the feeling across the sports culture landscape was similar to yesterday morning. Like many people I awoke to the news that Jose Fernandez, pitcher for the Miami Marlins, tragically passed away in a boating accident late Saturday night. He, along with two fellow passengers, were found during a routine patrol by the US Coast Guard. 

There are some many different angles which reinforce how devastating this story is, the least of which was Jose's ability as a baseball player. Jose was on the fast track to Hall of Fame status with his eyes set on a massive contract that would have probably totaled in excess of $200 Million, but like I said baseball in this case does not begin to address the full extent of this tragedy. Jose Fernandez was living the American Dream. A Dream that people around the globe aspire to achieve every single day. Fernandez unsuccessfully attempted to flee Cuba and come to the United States three times. After unsuccessful attempts, Jose found himself in Cuban prison as a teenager where he was surrounded by perpetrators of far more serious crimes.  Even through all of these experiences, Jose sacrificed it all again and on his fourth attempt was on his way to arriving in the United States. As he began to embark on his journey to the United States, someone on the boat yelled "Man Overboard!". Little did Jose know, his mother had fallen into the water where 8-foot waves crashed against their boat. Against all odds Jose dove into the water, saved his mother, and then made it to the United States to begin living his American Dream.

Even after getting to the United States, Jose still faced numerous difficulties. Trying to learn English, his teacher would not let him use the restroom without asking in English. As Jose anguished and pleaded constantly to his teacher just repeating "Baño, Baño", his teacher refused to give in. Later he told ESPN's Buster Olney he learned English with the help of watching him every night on "Baseball Tonight" - a similar way I've learned Spanish by watching and listening to soccer commentary. Jose then preserved, eventually earning his United States Citizenship. His love and passion had no bounds, evidenced not only by how he played and enjoyed the game, but how he conducted himself during the MLB's Fort Bragg Game earlier this year. Fernandez soaked up every minute as he enthusiastically interacted with the military servicemen and women, including having every member of the Marlins sign a flag for a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. 

Maybe the most devastating fact of it all is that Jose and his girlfriend were expecting a child. Fernandez recently posting a picture of his girlfriend with the caption, "I'm so glad you came into my life. I'm ready for where this journey is gonna take us together. #familyfirst". 

Jose was much more than just a baseball player. Jose was the manifestation of the American Dream. An immigrant from an oppressed nation who came to this country in hopes of achieving his dream and providing for his family. As I said earlier any life that is lost is tragic, but when said life had such a bright future and so much to live for, it begs the question why did it have to be him? Jose Fernandez will never play another game of Major League Baseball, but the man that he was on - but mainly off- of the diamond will continue to live on for the rest of time. Rest in Peace Jose Fernandez, you will be missed. 

Courtesy: Major League Baseball

"Atlanta" is already a Treasure

I have always been a big fan of Donald Glover's. Whether it was his lovable character Troy Barnes on Community, or his rapping as Childish Gambino, I have always enjoyed the product that Glover is a part of. That is why I was so excited when I first heard that he would be creating a show about my hometown "Atlanta" on FX. Well after much anticipation and waiting, the premier of the show was last week, and after watching the first two episodes that were released back to back, I am very excited for what the future of the show has for us.

Courtesy: Jones Magazine

The story of the show follows Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover) and his cousin Alfred Miles "Paper Boi" (Brian Tyree Henry) where Paper Boi is an up and coming rapper in the always competitive Atlanta rap scene. I won't give away any spoilers, but the first two episodes do a lot of laying the foundation for the relationship between the two cousins, and what motivates them to succeed in their lives. 

When I tell people from Atlanta, I always have to preface it with the fact that on a good day I'm 45 minutes north of the city. For people that know Atlanta, I'm definitely OTP, and nowhere near ITP. But with that said, I have always identified with the city itself. After moving from Jacksonville before 1st Grade, Metro Atlanta has been my home. It is where I've grown up, and to be honest I don't really remember most of my life before living there. With all of that said, "Atlanta" the show is definitely ITP. For all of the luxury and comfort I have lived my entire life with, the show and the lives of the characters is pretty close to the exact opposite of my growing up. My exposure to the actual city of Atlanta and its inhabitants has been pretty sheltered. For the most part, the most exposure I've gotten in the city would be walking through Five Points on my way to the Braves Shuttle, numerous visits to The Varsity, and the many flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

For all of these reasons, this is why I enjoy the show so much. Even in the first two episodes, I've been exposed to a different Atlanta, not one full of suburbia and country clubs, but the gritty underbelly of the city that I call home. For all of those times I've been to The Varsity, I've never gone in to JR Crickets right down the street. For all of the times I've been to the airport, my interactions with workers have been more out of necessity than choice. And for all of the times I've driven through the city I love so much I haven't even dreamed of venturing into "The Projects".

"Atlanta" from the standpoint of television is an incredible show. The actors seemed to be chosen perfectly for their roles, the writing is fantastic, and the show balances humor with real life problems and dilemmas. But all of these reasons are just ancillary to why I have already enjoyed this show so much. This show has given me a lens, and entirely new lens, of how to view the city that I call home, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana University

Kelley School of Business '18

Kaepernick's Stand Fails to Hit the Mark

If you are a fan of the NFL, have a TV, social media account, or just a normal, breathing person, odds are you heard in some form or fashion about how Colin Kaepernick refused to stand up for the National Anthem, opting to sit down in protest of the treatment of African Americans and minorities as a whole in the United States of America. Kaepernick has done this the entire preseason, however it did not garner any attention in weeks one or two because Kaepernick was not dressed out and did not play in either of those games. Kaepernick started a firestorm of reactions and hot takes from not only the sports world, but news as a whole. Kaepernick went on to say until he sees real change around the country he will continue to sit during the National Anthem (This could become a non-issue as some have reported that Kaepernick could be cut before the regular season begins).

I am not going to get into the debate about the merits of Kaepernick's cause. There are people who are much more intelligent than I am who will debate it to its fullest extent. And while I agree that minorities do face undue scrutiny in America today, I do not support how Kaepernick is going about his cause. I think that there are many different ways in which Kaepernick can use his star and celebrity to highlight an issue that is clearly important to him and still get the desired effect. You do not even need to look far in the past to see an example of what I believe to be a better way to leverage someone's image to shine light upon the exact same issue. At the ESPYs a little over a month ago, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade spoke out about this issue, in a strong and poignant moment that I believe stole the entire show. Anthony has been one of the most outspoken athletes in recent times, crafting a well-stated message and remaining level-headed in a situation that could easily get out of hand.

Courtesy: USA Today

These stars were able to get their message across effectively to the entire world, and did it without offending anybody or creating a whole other side narrative. And I do not think anybody will debate with me that the star power of these four NBA superstars significantly outweighs the influence of the backup QB on the 49ers. Thanks to Kaepernick, I do not think the conversation is about the plight of minorities, instead it is a debate upon Kaepernick's disrespect to the American Flag and everything it stands for. I do not believe that Kaepernick truly understands the message he is sending by refusing to stand up and honor the flag. I know that America is not a perfect country, and there are numerous transgressions in the past of the United States taking advantage and oppressing minorities, but with that said - America is still the greatest country in the world. The American Flag represents freedom, democracy, it is the symbol of those who day in and day out protect our liberties, and it is the manifestation of the American Dream- that is a dream that I would argue Kaepernick has experienced during his life.

I applaud Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a stand. Martin Luther King Jr and Muhammad Ali were extremely controversial figures, and their decisions to take stands in the past were much maligned at the time, however I would argue that the way they went about making their point was much more effective. I think that athletes should be more involved in what Americans experience on a daily basis. Time and time again people complain about how athletes don't appreciate the fact that they are role models. I would argue this is a perfect example of an athlete using his role model status to stand for something that he believes is right. So while I think you can criticize his method, I think we also need to applaud the fact that Colin Kaepernick has made the conscious decision to represent what he thinks is right. Even if you do not agree with his stance, I think we all can agree that socially-active athletes can bring about as much or more change than most public officials.  

This is what makes America so great. We can have a conversation about something we disagree on vehemently, but at the end of the day we can stand together as one nation, under one flag, and celebrate the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world- it is a shame that Colin Kaepernick will not stand with us.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana Univesity

Kelley School of Business '18

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school here in beautiful Bloomington. And I have to say even though I have done this 16 times now, I think that for the rest of my educational career I will always get nervous on the first day of school. Even though there are no presents, it is similar to the feeling you have on Christmas Eve. You know what is coming on the horizon, and for me at least I have always struggled to fall asleep and then I wake up early on both days. There is something about the first day, so many endless possibilities, so many people you haven't seen all summer, and so many things that you just have no idea how they will work out. I am a self-described nerd, so I kind of looked forward to the first day of school as summer began to wear down, but everyone wants to cling on to the last few days of rest and relaxation before you have to focus on hitting the books and getting to work.

This semester will be like nothing ever before for me. I "technically" am a semester ahead thanks to summer classes, and there is a little part of me that feels bad for my fellow peers who are beginning their I-Core journey. Then I just think of how much work the classes and case are, and those feelings of pity for my classmates quickly transform into feelings of happiness. In addition to embarking on my major classes, this is also going to be a big semester for recruiting in hopes of landing an internship for this upcoming summer. It's pretty incredible that we are one day into the fall semester and I am already thinking about next summer, but thus is the tribulation of going to business school. In a couple of weeks there will be career fairs held at the lovely Bloomington Convention Center, and thousands of Kelley students dressed in Business Professional will have to squeeze around each other, hoping to just get a quick conversation of insight into a wide array of companies that come to recruit the nation's best students (I may be a little biased, but the numbers speak for themselves, Kelley consistently ranks at the top of rankings from recruiters in regards to quality of students, thus ending the humble brag). That will be just a slightly stressful experience, but thanks to my parents poking and prodding me at the College Convention that we went to, which seems like ages ago, I think I'm ready to take on the challenge.

Before I end this relatively short post this week, I need to give a special shoutout to my Mom. Every first day of school, my Mom would force Will and I to stand on our front porch with a sign commemorating the new school year. At this moment we would begrudgingly smile and take pictures and hope that none of our neighbors saw us do it- even though the Schroeders were doing essentially the exact same thing across the street (Man I hate it when parents can use the argument "But everyone else is doing it). This past May during Will's Graduation Party, these pictures were hung with care on our porch, and all I have to say is WOW how things have changed. Even though these pictures were not always taken with earnest, they are fantastic pictures, and they do a pretty good job of showing how we evolved from small elementary school students all the way to big university boys. So here's to you Mom, forcing us to take those pictures actually worked out well for us in the end- just don't expect us to eat and squash or zucchini while we are away at college.

Go Hoosiers,


Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

There will never be another Michael Phelps

The great thing about not having anything to do for the past week and a half has been sitting on my couch and watching Olympic coverage for 8+ hours a day. I can't remember the last time since going to college where I have been able to wake up, eat breakfast, and then not worry about anything for the entire day- and I have to say it has been damn good. Compound this with the fact that I LOVE the Olympics, and I have been spoiled. As a sports fan, there is just nothing like the Olympics. While the World Cup is incredible just from the fact that there is so much high quality soccer for a month, nothing compares to the Olympics when it comes to the diversity of sports and the amazing level it is played at.

Since 2000, Michael Phelps has been the epitome of the Olympics. Not only was he the face of a sport that a majority of people only watch every four years, he has dominated the pool. Even though he struck out at the tender age of 15 in Sydney, this led to 16 years of pure dominance along the way that I think we would be lucky to see ever again. And while I think there is an argument that Usain Bolt's career since 2008 equals or even betters Phelps' accomplishments, I believe that Michael Phelps is the best Olympian that I have ever seen or will ever seen.

Courtesy: Baltimore Sun

I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated leading up to the Athens game that talked about how a brash young American would try to break Mark Spitz's (Go Hoosiers) Olympic record and win eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Immediately I was enthralled with the greatness of Phelps, and watched as Phelps swam and fell short of the record, "only" winning six gold medals and two bronze. I was disappointed, as Phelps fell short of his record, but even then it was clear not only how difficult this accomplishment would be but how audacious it was for Phelps even to consider challenging this record.

Flash forward to the Beijing Games in 2008, and Phelps embarked upon the same journey- determined to reach the pinnacle of his sport and etch his name in the Olympic history books. I watched all of his events and two in particular stand out. The first one was his 100 meter Butterfly, a race he won by a fingertip and after watching the replay I'm still shocked he won. Not only do I remember that race for how close it was, but I remember my Uncle Ken who I was watching with say, "There's no way he'll win" after watching the first half and first three quarters of the race. Everyone in my living room was just in shock when he actually was able to squeak in and win the race by one one hundredth of a second. Obviously the 2nd race I remember was when he broke the record. Walking out of a Bar Mitzvah party the hotel had the race on, and I stood and watched with about 20 other people when Michael Phelps did the impossible and won his 8th gold medal in a single Olympics.

Even with all of his achievements, the road hasn't been easy for Phelps. There have been mistakes and controversies along the way, and even when he had a solid Olympics in London in 2012 I think it was clear he wasn't 100% dedicated to the sport. But after Rio, it is clear that Michael Phelps has differentiated himself from the pack, not only among swimmers, but among all athletes. I mean he broke a 2,168 year-old record held by Leonidas of Rhodes with his last gold medal for crying out loud!

Many stories have been written about how Phelps has evolved during his time in the public eye. And while I have not studied and written about him like many people in the media, I have grown up watching and sitting in awe of what this man has accomplished. If this is indeed his last Olympics, which is what he has said and what I believe, he exits the world spotlight as the most accomplished athlete of all time in terms of Olympic medals, and one of my favorite athletes of my lifetime. I am not sure we will ever see another athlete be as successful as Phelps on the world stage, and I will be forever grateful that I was able to watch the Greatest of All Time do it with my own eyes.

Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

Players Personal Conduct needs to be Addressed

For the first time since January, I can sit around and not have to worry about going to class and doing homework. I've just had a couple of days of rest and relaxation since finishing up I-Core, and I have to say it has been much appreciated. I've caught up on some television shows, I have almost finished "The West Wing", well worth your time if someone is looking to start a new Netflix series, and have gotten to sleep in which is always a beautiful thing. Having this time to go home and relax is definitely coming at the right time. The biggest thing I am looking forward to for the next two and a half weeks is my final trip to Turner Field which should be fun, and then getting to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen in awhile. It is also nice to be home for a short period of time, even if my bed is turned into a desk and my bedroom into a conference room/office.

With the MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline coming to a close at 4 PM today, teams around the league are posturing themselves to make a late season push and then a deep run into October in hopes of being crowned World Series Champions. One of the big names on the trading block was Closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, owner of the fastest pitch in an MLB game, was supposed to be part of the greatest bullpen ever in New York for the Yankees when they traded for him during the offseason. Fast forward to last week when the Yankees traded the Cuban pitcher to the Chicago Cubs for a treasure trove of players, headlined by Shortstop Gleyber Torres. But even with the fanfare of being traded to the World Series favorites, fans and analysts alike have found themselves caught in a moral conundrum of whether or not they should be rooting for Chapman. During the offseason, Chapman was involved in a domestic dispute, although no charges were ever filed. Chapman was the first player suspended by Major League Baseball under their new Domestic Violence Policy, missing the first 30 games of the season. Domestic Violence in our society is a massive problem, and it is not just limited to star athletes and celebrities.

Courtesy: New York Daily News

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there is an average of 20 people per minute that are abused by an intimate partner, totaling 10 million people every year. Domestic Violence doesn't have a face, and in many cases most of us do not see it happen to our friends and families, but it happens. I am among those that didn't truly grasp the gravity of Domestic Violence until the Ray Rice Case of a couple of years ago, and even then, I needed video evidence to understand what actually occurred that night in Atlantic City. But Rice, just like Chapman, have paid their price, and must live with their actions for the rest of their lives. We as fans, do not have the right to stand on the moral high ground and pick and choose what episodes of violence we believe deserve our attention. Ben Roethlisberger is a perfect example of how our society will accept and move on if it satisfies our whimsies. Roethlisberger has twice been accused of sexual assault, but has never been convicted of a crime. Eventually NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the Steelers Quarterback for 6 games for violating the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy. Roethlisberger served his suspension, moved on, and by all accounts has not had any issues since the suspension. During football season I never hear fans or analysts talk about these episodes, so why do we continually penalize Rice, question the acquisition of Chapman, but seem to forget about Roethlisberger's transgressions? It just goes to show that there seems to be a double standard in certain cases, and I am not sure why it happens and where the delineation takes place.

A person has to be responsible for his or her actions. Blaming others for what you do is not sufficient, and accepting ownership of your mistakes is of paramount importance for those that look to move on from troubling incidents. But in the case of athletes, the spotlight and the scrutiny that they live with is incredible, and in many cases when incidents occur, whether it be Domestic Violence, fighting in a bar or club, or simply driving under the influence the biggest problem is that I think leagues, players associations, and agents are too reactionary rather than proactive. In Business Operations, a man named W. Edwards Deming moved to Japan post-WWII to help rebuild the nation. One of Deming's biggest principles is that inspection does not result in improved quality, and the best way to improve the quality of a product is to invest in better training early in the process. Currently, I think that in most situations we are relying on inspecting each player after the fact, or every once and awhile during the season, and believe that this way we are avoiding truly helping these players become better people as they undergo their transition from college into the real world. While all of the player associations have rookie symposiums and try to help players start off on the right path, I don't know if they are doing enough. Athletes still find themselves in compromising positions that reflect poorly upon themselves, their teams, and their leagues.

But the focus just shouldn't been on player associations. Teams and leagues need to start increasing the amount of money that is spent on training players on how to properly represent themselves when they are outside of the locker room. Granted you will never be able to get a 100% success rate, but the teams and leagues need to realize that when a player makes a bad decision, it reflects poorly on the team and league as well. Everyone needs to be held accountable, and investing more time, money, and energy will allow for executives around each respective league sleep a little easier at night knowing that they have done everything they could to help players. Once again, I am not excusing the actions of these players, they are still definitely responsible for their actions on and off of the field, but I believe that a stronger and more coordinated effort at training these players will help avoid troubling incidents, arrests, suspensions, and result in more peace of mind.


Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

"Junior" makes it to the Hall

Well this past week has been a whirlwind. We have been working a ton in order to get all of our work done for our I-Core Case and I can proudly say that I think our case is the best work I have been a part of. What this case has brought to light for me has just been how important it is that your team dynamics and cohesion as a group is paramount when facing such a large task as this. We are currently reading through and doing final edits and our compiled document is at 81 pages! There is no way that one person could have done that all by him or her self. In a lot of past groups, I have felt the need to take a lead position and try to force my way into controlling the different aspects of the project, and that really was something that I have tried to avoid as of late. This case just reinforced how important the ability to delegate tasks and relying on your teammates is, and I am lucky that Team 1 for this case has gelled so quickly in such a short period of time.

Outside of the Kelley world, one of my favorite athletes of all time, Ken Griffey Jr., was officially elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this past weekend. Anybody that has ever been in my basement at home has seen the Reds paraphernalia that hangs on the walls. Whether it be Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, or Johnny Vander Meer, if you are a true Red legend or not hinges on your presence in our basement (I am sure many Reds players are very concerned at this point). In addition to these fantastic players, the newspaper on the day that Junior hit his 600th homerun hangs in our basement. I was only 4 years old when Junior came back home to play for the Reds, and even then my brother and I were obsessed with him. Junior probably never lived up to the astronomical heights that were predicted when he left Seattle, and I have to say it is kind of sad to see him wearing a Mariners cap in the Hall, but when he came to the Reds it was not as if he was joining his Father's Big Red Machine. Junior is and always will be one of my favorite baseball players of all-time, and I can only imagine what his career would have looked like in the case that injuries hadn't taken such a toll- because I firmly believe he would have eclipsed 700 homeruns, and flirted with being the best player that baseball has ever seen. His swing was so smooth, and the way he glided in the outfield made every play look easy, even if it wasn't. With all of that said, I'm still pissed that you robbed that Lou Collins' homerun and beat Billy Haywood's Twins in "Little Big League".

Courtesy: Pinterest

One last note, I thought the most interesting stat from this past weekend was the fact that Junior was the 1st Number 1 Overall Pick to make it to the Hall, making him the highest player drafted to make the Hall of Fame. Mike Piazza was the polar opposite, a 62nd Round Draft pick in 1988 which makes him the lowest player drafted to make the Hall of Fame. Pretty cool dichotomy this past weekend in Cooperstown.


Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

Master of None brings the Real World to Netflix

After one long week of exams, it was nice to sit back and relax a little bit this past week. Friday and Saturday were much needed rest and recuperation days in between Finals and then the beginning of the infamous I-Core Case. My group hit the ground running last night, reviewing the case and beginning to divvy up the work amongst ourselves. Today we were able to check a lot of the smaller parts of the case off of the list, and then got a good start on the bigger parts of the case that I believe will provide more of the "sticking"  points that we will have to combat. The Case itself is pretty difficult, but I don't think from a concept standpoint the questions we have to answer are extremely difficult. We are able to utilize our book to help consult and answer any questions we may have, and I have enjoyed the back and forth between teammates during the initial steps to help develop our plan and shape the direction of our project. That being said, the actual "write-up" portion of the Case will be much more difficult. While there is no official page limit for the entire document, we are limited to a 4 page Executive Summary to explain our plan and give an overview of what the judges are going to expect to read in our Case. The guidance we have been given was that if your CEO just read the Executive Summary he or she should understand what you are trying to accomplish and be able to give approval on the project. There will be a lot of pressure on this section of our Case to give a strong synopsis of what we hope to accomplish, but I look forward to taking the challenge head on.

In lighter news, I decided to turn my focus from sports this week to television. While I am much less knowledgeable in this area versus sports, I believe I have a pretty good eye when it comes to what is a good TV show. This past weekend with my ample free time, I re-watched Season 1 of the Netflix Original Series "Master of None", staring Comedian Aziz Ansari, formerly as Tom Haverford of Parks and Rec, and Noël Wells, formerly of Saturday Night Live. Ansari is extremely popular from the Haverford role on "Parks and Rec", and even with Leslie Knope's quirkiness and lovable triumphs and tribulations, I think that Tom's swagger and comedy throughout the series provided a welcome alternative to Amy Poehler's Knope. Personally I think Ansari brought a little bit of that Tom Haverford charm to his character, Dev Shah, but with that said Ansari's and co-creator, writer, and actor Alan Yang's fantastic writing and acting allow for "Master of None" to be its own incredible show. (Don't worry there won't be any spoilers for those who haven't watched it)

"Master of None" is the story of Shah, and his life as a early 30's something in New York City where he is trying to make it as an actor. He's made himself a nice niche in the acting business, mainly working on commercials, one in particular that he is well known for is a Go-Gurt commercial he alludes to early on. But with that said, Shah is looking to become more mainstream and one of the main storylines of the season is Shah's time on set of "The Sickening" where he plays a doctor. While this is happening, Dev also deals with trying to find love in the big city, this is where Wells' character Rachel comes in, relating to his parents who came over from India to make a better life, and wonders about what his future mind hold with marriage, kids, and how to adapt your life as new challenges arise.

Courtesy: Netflix and YouTube

Ansari and Yang, who plays Dev's friend Brian on the show, do an incredible job of intertwining personal experiences into the show's fabric and it definitely shows. In many cases I feel as if Sitcoms have to artificially create drama or awkward situations to force you to laugh and follow along with the show. "Master of None" does a terrific job of creating genuine comedic scenes while also making you live and breath with the characters. Even with the comedy, the show does well to speak to what I think most humans grapple with on a daily basis. Questions like, is the person I'm dating going to be the person I marry? How will I be as a parent to my kids? Am I willing to take this leap of faith to pursue my passion? These are just some of the questions that Shah, Rachel, and the entire show grapple with during the 10 episode pilot season that felt as if it was half as long as it should have been. The show does a great job of keeping the viewers on their toes, and the cliffhanger to end the 1st Season has me very excited for what Ansari and Yang have in store for us in the upcoming 2nd Season. 

Ansari and Yang's brilliant writing netted the show 4 Emmy Nominations, with 2 of the nominations coming for the "Parents" episode that is my personal favorite for the 1st Season. I highly suggest that anyone take the time to watch the 1st episode, and I guarantee you will be stuck to your couch until you finish the entire season.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana University

Kelley School of Business '18

Why We Love Sports

Well it's finally here. I-Core Finals Week. Starting early tonight and finishing Thursday, we have an exam each night from 6-8. Marketing was the first exam and it went well, followed by Finance tomorrow, Management Wednesday, and Operations on Thursday. All of this before we begin the famous I-Core Case on Sunday, but I can worry about that later. This post will be a shorter one because right now I am trying to avoid studying by writing this, but I really should get back to that.

This weekend was a great one for sports, the MLB had a full slate of games heading into the All-Star Break, the Wimbledon Finals saw Serena Williams win her record-tying 22nd Major Title, while Andy Murray brought the title back home for the second time in his career, and then wrapping up with the European Championship which saw Portugal upset the hosts France. Obviously these events featured great players and great teams facing off, and great story lines in addition to that. However on Saturday morning a video caught my eye. A young girl who couldn't have been much older than 5 years old clutched a copy of Sports Illustrated, featuring Serena on the cover, and was emphatically explaining to her mom how she was, in her words, "like Serena Williams".

(Courtesy: Matthew A. Cherry, Twitter)

Not to be out done, before the European Final which saw him probably earn France's Man of the Match honors, Moussa Sissoko posted a video of his son singing on of France's songs and honoring his father while he donned a Sissoko France Jersey. 

(Courtesy: Moussa Sissoko, Twitter)

Both of these videos reminded me why we love sports so much. We can emulate our heroes, pretending to a player who hits the game-winning shot or wins a championship. We can root for our favorite players, sometimes even too much. But at the end of the day, sports gives us an outlet to not worry about what else is going on, and just be kids again. Until I saw these videos, I forgot how much fun it was to be a kid and just love sports because they were sports. I remember waking up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings and watching the morning shows of SportsCenter 3 or 4 times in a row to the point where I could basically repeat everything Stuart Scott, Neil Everett, or Stan Verrett said on that show. Sports are supposed to be something that we can all enjoy with no strings attached, just watch them for the thrill of it. Thankfully, I was reminded this weekend how sports can make you feel like a little kid all over again.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana University

Kelley School of Business '18

Happy 4th of July

I hope that your 4th of July was full of good food, good family/friends, and fun. The 4th of July happens to be my 2nd favorite holiday of the year, just getting edged out by Thanksgiving, and it's not just happenstance that food and family/friends are two integral parts of both of these holidays. I would be remiss if I did not take some time to thank the brave men and women that serve our country. Your sacrifices make every day that we enjoy possible, and there will never be anything we as normal citizens can do that will ever repay you for these sacrifices. With that said, it was one of the coolest things that I've ever seen when the Braves and Marlins squared off last night on Fort Bragg. For those that didn't know, a baseball stadium was constructed in about 3 months on the Fort Bragg Military Base in North Carolina. Last night the Braves and Marlins played a game on the base with all of the tickets going to servicemen and women and their families. I enjoyed following along on social media and seeing the players and military members interacting throughout the entire day leading up to the game. I also thought it was a nice touch, in addition to the pageantry, when the Braves allowed some of the members in attendance at the game to take control of their Twitter account and have Q&A sessions with fans. All in all it was a great event, and bravo to Major League Baseball, the Braves, and the Marlins for finding a new way to honor the men and women that give our country so much.

This week, I wanted to focus on something that is much bigger than basically everything I deal with on a daily basis. In the past week, and during the Holy Month of Ramadan, ISIL and other "Islamic" terrorist organizations throughout the world have perpetrated acts of violence against innocent civilians. And I have to say, I was a little ashamed of myself. I would go online and read about each new attack that occurred and had basically become desensitized to what had happened. For starters, these attacks were happening on the other side of the world, far away from the comfort I enjoyed in Bloomington. I would read the headlines, maybe a story or two, and would move on with my day without another thought- and thinking back on it I am ashamed of myself. These are insane acts of violence that are done by people that are motivated by hate rather than love. A hate so passionate that they are willing to kill themselves just to make their point. It's disgusting, and I am truly distraught by the suffering these people are causing.

However, one story caught my eye and gave me hope, hope that the love we share for the same family and friends we spend our holidays with will overpower any evildoers. In a story posted by Jennifer Brett of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, link below, I read about a student from Atlanta's Emory University named Faraaz Hossain. Faraaz was given the opportunity to leave and not remain a hostage of the terrorists who took control of a cafe in Dhaka. However, Faraaz did not leave. He decided to stay with his friends that he was with. Once the dust was cleared and authorities were able to clear the scene, Faraaz was found with the other hostages who were killed. I am saddened by the fact that I will never get the opportunity to get to know Faraaz. In the midst of all the chaos, Faraaz showed that even in the darkest of times, love and friendship will last forever. I send my condolences to Faraaz's family, friends, and classmates at Emory. I cannot imagine the sadness you feel right now, and while I know there is nothing that I can say or do that will be able to help alleviate that pain, I want you to know that Faraaz's life was not taken in vain.

Courtesy: Heavy.com

I hope that I can be as good of a friend to mine that Faraaz was to his. Obviously I never hope to be in the middle of a hostage situation, but the idea is that I would do anything to help them in their time of need. To show them that no matter the time, place, or situation that love truly does conquer all. This gets me back to my original point. Hate can only motivate someone so far. And while hate might make gains in the short run, love will always win in the end. RIP Faraaz

Link: http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2016/07/03/emory-student-killed-in-bangaladesh-could-have-escaped-but-wouldnt-leave-his-friends-behind/


Duncan Hensley
Kelley School of Business
Indiana University '18

Have we ever thought we're too hard on our Stars?

First I would like to thank those of you that reached out with kind words in regards to the first post. I wasn't sure how it would go or be received, so I am glad so many of you enjoyed the first installment of DMM and look forward to hearing your feedback in the future. For those of you that would like to subscribe to receive an email when a new post is up every Monday, simply enter your email in to the box on the right hand side of the screen, and you will receive an email for future posts. Second, I'd like to apologize for the delay in this week's post. We ended up not having class on Monday so my schedule was a little out of wack yesterday. I will try to avoid any late postings from here on out. Without further to do, let's get to it.

This week was relatively monotonous, just going to class and getting work done. We are creeping towards Final exams in a couple of weeks for I-Core so I have one eye on that while also maintaining focus on the material we learn on a day to day basis. I also began to lay the groundwork for the upcoming year in BEPP Club (Business Economics and Public Policy), and am really looking forward the events we will be putting on with our Corporate Partners. I am heading up our event with Accenture at the beginning of September so that will be a main extracurricular focus of mine heading into the beginning of the Fall Semester.

Courtesy: Four Four Two 

For this week's main topic, I wrestled with what to focus on. I wasn't sure what would be the best, but then Sunday night's Copa America Final happened, a rematch between last year's finalists Chile and Argentina where Chile came out on top in Penalty Kicks. This year's final was a similarly hotly contested affair, with a multitude of cards (Some Questionable) were shown to both sides leading to both teams being reduced to 10 Men for a majority of the match. Eventually Chile would top Argentina in Penalty Kicks again, with Leo Messi, currently the best player in the world and one of the best players ever missing a spot kick for La Albiceleste. Instant reaction poured in from around the world, burying the Argentine National Team for falling in the Final of a major tournament for the 3rd straight Summer. Even more of the criticism fell on Messi, who many people, especially those in his home country, chastise him for the inability of Argentina to claim a title.

After reading the reaction online on Social Media, it got me to thinking- why do we as sports fans save our loudest and most stringent criticisms for our top athletes? Is it simply because they are so good that we expect them to be otherworldly every time the step on the field, court, or pitch? Do people just love to see those that are built up to be the best fail that much more? I really can't comprehend why the loudest jeers come out when our Superstars fail. I think there are some parallels between Messi's experience with the National Team and LeBron James' experience in the NBA. I think back to when LeBron and the Heat's Big Three fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals in the first year after LeBron left to take his talents to South Beach. In his post-Finals press conference, LeBron said "At the end of the day, all the people who want to see me fail, they gotta wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had when they woke up today. Same personal problems they had today." While this quote did not really reflect well on LeBron, I think that he actually has a point. We watch sports to get away from the day to day events of our personal lives. We are so wrapped up and amazed by what Superstars like Messi, or LeBron, or Adrian Peterson do that their greatness yields as many detractors as they do supporters- many times with the detractors yelling and making the most commotion.

I think that we as sports fans need to start appreciating what we are seeing play out in front of us on a week by week basis. There's the old adage "You don't know what you got until it's gone", but do we as sports fans try to avoid this trap? We all are slaves to revisionist history, remembering the good times while trying to avoid the bad experiences during a Superstar's career. Why can't we just appreciate what we are seeing from these athletes without having to criticize every minute detail of what a player does? And yes, I understand that fan is short for fanatic, and that most times "fanatics" are not going to be the most rational people. But I think we all need to realize and appreciate greatness before it is too late. I'm not saying that we should stop complaining about our respective teams and players (that's half the fun of being a fan), but what I am saying is that piling on and taking cheap shots at the best our world has to offer only achieves one goal- and that's making you look like an idiot.


Duncan Hensley
Kelley School of Business
Indiana University '18

Duncan's Monday Musings Post #1

Ok, well I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. And not for any specific reason other than the fact that a blog seemed like a fun way to write about whatever I want with no restrictions- just me, a keyboard, and a dimly lit computer screen. I'm not sure if there will be a specific focus or theme for my blog, I plan on just living my normal everyday life each week and then writing about every Monday, hence the name "Duncan's Monday Musings". I tried to come up with a catchier name than that but it immediately came to mind and just kind of stuck with me so that's what I'm going to roll with. With that said any and all feedback will be appreciated, I will open most weeks with a brief week in review of my life and then just jump right in to whatever I want to write about. Without further extending this clunky intro here we go!

So for those that don't already know I decided to stay in Bloomington this summer to take "I-Core" at the Kelley School of Business here at IU. I understand that many people who might read this are not up to date on the educational structure of Kelley so here is a brief synopsis of what I-Core actually is. I-Core is a collection of four different classes, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Management that is meant to expose the Kelley Student to the different parts that make up a business. Before officially "declaring" your major you will experience these different sectors of business in hopes of either reinforcing your decision to major in a specific area or decide that somewhere else is where your best suited.

You work throughout the semester in these courses with Midterms and Finals in each class, finally culminating in a two-week case that utilizes all of your skills that you have learned throughout the semester. These classes have been the most difficult I have ever had throughout my schooling career, but I am enjoying the challenge and truly look forward to going to class every day. I'm double-majoring in Finance and Accounting here at Kelley (recently ranked the 4th Best Undergrad Business School in the country by Bloomberg, Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers! http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-best-undergrad-business-schools/) and I think that this program has helped reinforce my desire to major in these programs am really looking forward to my major classes in the Fall. I decided to stay in Bloomington this summer so that I can open up my next spring semester in hopes of studying abroad in Barcelona. I have never been to Spain, or Europe as a whole, so I am really looking forward to that opportunity. After getting the opportunity to have a mini study abroad experience in Korea this past Spring Break I know how well these programs are set up through Kelley and I think that the Barcelona experience will be no different than the one I had in Korea.

As a sports fan, there is not much that you can complain about right now. I had a blast watching these NBA Finals, and was extremely happy that LeBron James was finally able to bring a Championship to Cleveland. Ever since I was a young NBA fan, I have been a big LeBron fan and I do not know an NBA without him. And maybe because of my love for LeBron I was not able to root for and appreciate what the Warriors have done the past two years. I have no reason to dislike the Warriors, they play beautiful basketball, and the combination of Steph, Klay, and even Draymond are a group that's easy to root for. They look like they legitimately enjoy playing together and put together one of the greatest NBA seasons of all-time. Even without the ring we as an American Public need to realize how great of an achievement 73-9 is and applaud Steve Kerr and the entire Golden State Warrior Organization for their accomplishments this year.

In addition to the recently concluded NBA Finals, the two international soccer tournaments right now, the Copa America Centenario and European Championships are just a feast of futbol for any soccer fan. I would still say I am a relatively new soccer fan, only truly following it week in week out for three years now, but my love for the game has quickly grown and continues to grow day by day. It was a difficult Group Stage for the Three Lions of England, specifically the results against Russia and Slovakia, but I think that they could still be a strong team in this tournament. As the runner up of Group B, they play the runner up of Group F which still could be any one of those four teams in that group. Worst case scenario they would draw Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, but they did beat them in a pre-Euro friendly and I think that England would actually be able to handle them quite easily. So fear not my English friends, you may vote to leave the European Union on Thursday but I still think you'll be in the European Championships for at least another week plus!

Finally, I'll wrap this post up with a quick preview of the biggest game for United States Soccer since the Confederations Cup Playoff against Mexico as the US travels to Houston to take on Argentina and the greatest player in the world right now, Leo Messi. I was hoping to travel to Houston earlier this spring to cheer IU on to a 6th banner (thanks Marcus Paige et al for your extremely fluky shooting), but hopefully the US will be able to perform and somehow pull off this gigantic upset. Many pundits have been quick to remember the US' similar upset in 2009 against Spain, one of if not the best international side ever, at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, so for those that say there is no precedent for the US and they have no shot clearly you are mistaken. With that said, Jurgen Klinsmann and the Boys in Blue have their work cut out for them. I have not always been the biggest supporter of Jurgen in his time in charge of the US National Team, especially in the time since the 2014 World Cup, but I have been impressed with how the US has set up and game planned in this tournament. While I do not necessarily agree with the substitution  patterns used or the roster construction (I mean c'mon it was a nice moment but Jordan Morris needs to be in the dressing room for the US not with the American Outlaws walking into the stadium), credit where credit is due and Jurgen has earned a little political capital that I believe the US should trust him even if it is just for this match.

That about wraps it up for me and this first post on Duncan's Monday Musings, thank you for taking the time to read this post and I like mentioned earlier, any questions, comments, or criticisms would be greatly appreciated.


Duncan Hensley
Kelley School of Business
Indiana University '18