$7.25. Just in case youre wondering how much each student pays in incidental fees towards The Medium.
You see, Im well aware that many of you UTM students, upon seeing this weeks front page, will shake your heads and wonder what I was thinking. Youll berate me for wasting your precious seven bucks in covering something thats not only irrelevant to campus affairs, but isnt even front-page-news worthy. And then youll wonder how I could have the audacity of abusing my power as editor-inchief in this way.
Well, my answer to all you naysayers is this: Youre right. And Im not sorry.
This weeks front page is for me and by me in dedication to all you fellow Liverpool supporters out there. Better still, its for all you (European) football fans on campus — and there are actually quite a few of you as I understand. I even wrote the story via the method of football writing/reporting as it is in any other country — i.e. without any need of explaining in the first few sentences which sport or tournament is under discussion. Frankly, if you needed the context, the article wasnt for you. Turn the page.
What transpired this past week in the world of European football and the English Premier League is nothing short of spectacular. Just ask any football fan and theyll tell you. And if youre still not convinced, try asking a Toronto Maple Leafs fan what he or she would expect if the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. Front page coverage of that would be arguably acceptable no? Yeah, like that would happen to begin with, some might say — exactly what I would have thought if someone told me at the top of this week that Liverpool will earn resounding victories against both Real Madrid and Manchester United — two of the biggest names in world football.
Indeed, sports is a beautiful thing.
Earlier this year, when my editorial team and I sat down and discussed the visual makeover of the paper, we also decided that we would start making use of the front page for Arts and Sports related articles — significant stories and events such as Nuit Blanche and the World Series (if the Jays ever got there). Having only made this decision after Nuit Blanche and the Toronto International Film Fest this year, and with no remarkable local sporting events to report on so far, I figured why not use this opportunity; lets see how it works. Its not too far-fetched a move — European football (you realize by now that I refuse to call it soccer ) is after all the most popular sport in the world.
Now admittedly, my editorial team, with the exception of the Sports editor, wasnt too thrilled with my idea of utilizing the front page for this particular story. But they knew how important it was to me, and more significantly, they were also anxious to hear the reception of such a move. And if doesnt work, its really only one page — not like were using up the whole 16-page issue for this, I assured them. Thats right. Moving back to the naysayers, were still bringing you campus-related news. Theres been no compromise in that respect.
So dont bother sending me letters detailing your disapproval at this weeks front page. Ive already answered you here. To the rest of you — sports fan or not — who are willing to be open-minded with me in this regard, I hope you enjoy reading the article as much I did writing it. And to the Liverpool faithful out there, remember, Youll Never Walk Alone.
