Ready for next steps - Western News - University of Western Ontario

10 Western news | January 17, 2013
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POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE
business.humber.ca/postgrad
Student Life
sportsnet blogger
gets in the game
By PAul MAyNe
all sporTs fans have an opinion,
and Kyle Myers is no different.
If you get the fourth-year Media,
Information & Technoculture/english
student going on anything sports
related – in particular detroit sports –
then prepare for the long haul. Now,
Myers has taken his love of sports
and writing to the masses, joining
Sportsnet’s new website feature Fan
Fuel – blogs for fans, written by fans.
“It’s just something I’m passionate
about,” said Myers, a Kingsville, ont.,
native. “you can talk to your friends
about sports all you want, but you
only get to talk to the same four of
five guys. This gives you such a wider
audience.”
It was after taking lecturer Mark
Kearney’s sports-writing class last
semester Myers was told of this “cool
opportunity.” With the blog launched
this past october, he took advantage
of the World Series about to
get underway and submitted his first
article.
“I think it was about the Tigers and
the playoffs,” said the 21-year-old.
“They emailed me back and said they
liked it and that it would be up in the
next day or so. It was pretty surreal to
see it online. It was a cool moment.”
next steps // Continued FRoM page 1
“The movement has put these
issues on the agenda – that is acceptance.
It’s established that this is a
legitimate issue and we should be
talking about this – and they did get
a meeting. That is an indication they
have gotten something, and a new
advantage, some agreement to have
more dialogue and some recognition
they are legitimate actors on environmental
issues. It’s a huge win for First
Nations people,” she said.
“The success over time will be measured
with how much dialogue do
they get, how much involvement. The
more coalitions they make with larger
groups, the more likely it is they will
keep issues on the agenda. Their challenge
now is to stay in the news, but
they shouldn’t go about it the same
way,” Corrigall-Brown added.
law professor Michael Coyle
agreed.
“We lack a good enough framework
for addressing First Nations
grievances. We don’t have an overall
timely framework for addressing
historical issues like individual treaty
claims or for working out together
how Aboriginal people can participate
in a modern economy that allows
them opportunities to do well in this
country while at the same time preserving
their culture,” said Coyle, who
studies Aboriginal rights and dispute
resolution theory.
“If the movement leads to Aboriginal
people being recognized on issues
that concern them, it will be successful.
With the publicity this is creating,
it’s possible it could lead to awareness
that steps need to be taken on
Read all about it
Logon to sportsnet.ca/fanfuel to read fourth-year Media, Information & Technoculture/
English student Kyle Myers’ thoughts on sports.
Since, Myers has penned 25 or so
opinion pieces on everything from
derek Jeter of the New york yankees,
Andrew luck of the Indianapolis
Colts, Jose Valverde of the Tigers and,
of course, the rough season of his
beloved detroit lions.
“This is kind of the first step in getting
my work out there,” said Myers,
who has rearranged his job schedule
this semester in hopes of doing
sports writing for the student Gazette
newspaper. He also just applied to
Toronto’s Centennial College for its
one-year program in sports journalism,
which includes an internship.
“It’s more than just a hobby. I never
really thought of it as a legitimate
career opportunity until this year,”
he said. “I was kind of thinking about
teaching, but have since decided
to jump in with both feet and have
enjoyed it so far. It’s something I’m
definitely interested in. It’s a great way
to get a little name recognition going
for me.”
Myers likes the fact he can write
both sides – more is needed than just
meetings.”
Corrigall-Brown noted the protest
garnered attention for doing something
different and should continue to
innovate and employ different tactics
to engage the public.
“That was the problem with occupy.
They kept doing the same thing,” she
said. “But (going forward) Idle No
More has a good Internet and social
media presence. on their site there’s
a lot of discussion about reaching out
to youth, environmentalists and other
communities. If they can keep that up,
it will lead to more success.”
While Idle No More has garnered
both sympathy and allies across the
country, it has nevertheless been criticized
for things like its more radical
tactics – such as the hunger strike of
Attawapiskat chief Theresa Spence
– as well as what some have called a
lack of clear leadership or a unified
message.
radical tactics, diversity of interests
and lack of leadership don’t have to
be a bad thing, Corrigall-Brown said.
If it takes a radical approach to get the
government’s attention, it’s a tactic
that can bring all the issues to the
negotiating table in the end.
Another challenge for the movement,
she added, will be to establish
specific micro-goals as a measure of
success.
establishing a better relationship
with the government is a broad goal,
she explained, so having a smaller
goal like being consulted on one
particular issue, would give people a
sense of immediate satisfaction. The
whenever an idea strikes him, but
admits he doesn’t want to “stretch
myself too far on something I don’t
know much about.” That’s why his
work has a strong focus on detroit
sports.
Feedback is always something
Myers looks forward to with his work,
but admits the new site is still building
up an audience, so he hasn’t noticed
anything too bad yet.
“Nothing worse than the marks I
get from professors,” he joked. “As
long as I’m not too busy with school
and work, I want to keep plugging
away.”
PAul MAyNe // WeSTerN NeWS
Western Media, Information &
Technoculture/English student Kyle
Myers has taken his love of sports
to the masses, as a contributing
writer on Sportsnet’s new Fan Fuel
website, sportsnet.ca/fanfuel.
“the moVement haS
pUt theSe iSSUeS on
the aGenda – that
iS acceptance. it’S
eStabliShed that thiS iS a
leGitimate iSSUe and We
ShoUld be talKinG aboUt
thiS.
- Catherine Corrigall-Brown
same applies to the goals of environmental
sustainability – asking to
protect a certain amount of wildlife
or specific water access will provide
a reasonable and immediate agenda.
“you need micro-goals in place so
people can have sense of satisfaction,”
Corrigall-Brown said.
Coyle noted going forward, both
the government and First Nations
leaders need to work harder in establishing
a better relationship.
“How can Aboriginal people economically
fare much better and still
have their cultures and societies protected?
We have short-term attention
to the unfortunate situation of
Aboriginal people. Non-Aboriginal
Canadians realize there are some serious
structural, fundamental issues
that need to be addressed,” he said.
“They need to support the idea that
the government should invest serious
time in working with Aboriginal
leaders to construct better ways of
coexisting.”