Blog for WP #3

The Good Idea:

For our third writing project, I have chosen to create a transcript about the construction of the Sun Devil Stadium.  This was a major event in 1958 as our college was developing and Sun Devil Stadium still functions as an extremely important landmark on the Arizona State University campus today. Described as being literally “carved into the desert”, the Sun Devil Stadium not only makes an ostentatious visual statement, as it emerges from between two mountain buttes, but also serves as one of the “best college football facilities in the country” (thesundevils.com) based on its field safety and athlete facilities, progressive renovations, spectator environments and seating options, etc.

 I chose the Sun Devil Stadium not only because of its high rankings and rich history, but because of the role that it plays and the influence that it has on the ASU family, our athletes, the surrounding community, the Pac-12 university conference and even the National Football League, or NFL. Most importantly, the Sun Devil Stadium is important to the ASU community and the athletes which participate and utilize the field accordingly. The stadium allows for the entire university to gather together with a common goal, leading to a multitude of connections and a sense of community, friendship, and pride, which ultimately strengthens the university as a whole. Also, though it is strongly debated today, I would agree that sports play a crucial role in society in various ways, including the sense of community that I mentioned earlier, the promotion of health and well-being, learning about crucial social skills like development and commitment, and “understanding of service and personal responsibility” (USA Today), etc. all of which are extremely beneficial throughout the rest of our lives in the real world.

The Brainstormed Sources:So far, I have researched about the history of the Sun Devil Stadium though the ASU websites. I have also done some light research into the importance of sports in society, in school/college, and in health, through articles published through accredited media sites, medical and science journals, and psychology articles. I hope that I can find books in an ASU library concerning the history of the stadium and I hope to find a movie/documentary on sports in our society. Finally, I have considered interviewing head, or assistant coach, or athletic coordinator of one of our most popular ASU sports teams, and I have already sent emails concerning such information.  

Putting it all together, a.k.a The Difficult Part

                I think that I will start my piece with describing the importance of the Sun Devil Stadium to ASU, as I think that it is important to be straightforward with your topic and objective so that the audience never gets lost in what you are trying to explain/argue.  I think that like constructing a building, I need to put the story of the stadium together piece-by-piece, and in succession, to explain how/where it was built, why it was built, the renovations and upgrades throughout its existence, and how it has been successful in its intentions (i.e. how it has served our sports, famous NFL sports, and how it serves today). Within the piece, I think I should occasionally ask a question and then answer it, like they do on a lot of NPR podcasts, and i think I will be able to include our fight song/alma mater, sounds of the crowds that have occupied the stadium, interview clips from a coach or player, and ASU Chants to show off the spirit that comes alive in our stadium, and I think those will be successful ways to make transitions and to insure that the audience isn't bored and that the audience gets the true sense of what it feels like to be connected as Sun Devils as Arizona State University.