It is not easy to understand why gossip sites post what they do. They want to be a place that news can run wild. Even if the topic is controversial. In trying to analyze three articles. I noticed that somethings within post can be similar. In the three I analyzed it appears that the target audience is the country itself. Because of the severity of the topics or headlines, they couldn’t really angle the piece towards one group. The purpose of the posts were to inform. Because of certain areas of cases such as the George Floyd case. Two of the posts corresponded with the verdict of the case that saw former cop, Derek Chauvin, charged with man slaughter. So in that sense they wanted to inform what was happening. So they had to reach out to everyone instead of target one specific group. However one thing that tends to be misplaced is visual effects. Using images to an advantage. You can pull on emotions little by little with the right choice of visuals. Much of the visuals used for the posts did not correspond well. Nothing added to the stories. It became bland and boring. I would have included photos that applied to the story instead of having adds, the same ad throughout the posts. All these posts involve the same type of story. The BLM in some fashion or another. It involves for a call of change. How we all need to be treated in the same way. The problem with these gossip sites however, are that they do not always report the truth. Gossip sites are about telling the story fast, rather than telling it truthfully. But, the reason they are able to facilitate a lot of buzz is how they report the celebrities. They dig deep into celebrities lives. Bringing out the average everyday human life within the fame. People love seeing there idols doing simple things just like them.

But how do gossip sites use identification and help relate celebrities to people like us?

Gossip blogs are able to use the normality of a celebrities life to attract more buzz. Gossip sites know people love seeing the average middle class activities celebrities do. In our minds, we see celebrities as idols. And we love putting celebrities in a certain class with ourselves. Gossip sites try to identify celebrities with middle class individuals to create that sense of “they are just average people like us”.

Like any young female soccer fanatic, Olivia Justus grew up idolizing the U.S. women’s soccer team. She fell in love with the game and soon began playing it. Soccer gave Justus, a senior mass communications major at Piedmont University, an outlet to relieve anger. 

“If I had a bad day or I was mad at something, I would just go out there and play and take my anger out of the field,” Justus said. 

Justus grew up dreaming of playing for the U.S. women’s soccer team. While playing soccer, Justus showed signs of promise. She started playing at Habersham Central High School and attracted interest from colleges. But that interest would not last long as she suffered a meniscus injury that would sideline her for the rest of her senior season. While working back from her surgery to hopefully play for her senior night, Justus reached out to Piedmont College’s head women’s soccer coach Timmy McCormack to see if she could walk on. 

“It was a humbling feeling to be able to walk on,” Justus said. “I went to a [recruiting] camp for Piedmont a week after I was cleared. I was ecstatic.” 

Three years after joining the Piedmont women’s soccer team, Justus had to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. Trying to balance soccer, school and work started to seem impossible. She was working six days a week and taking 18 credit hours. When she noticed her grades were starting to fall, Justus knew she needed to make a change. Over winter break she quit soccer, ending her playing career. 

“I was devastated, but I knew it was what was best for me in the long run,” Justus said. 

She saw her grades start to improve, and had more free time to do what she wanted. She even started a new job that paid more, but without the daily grind of soccer, something was off.

She found herself slipping once again. She left her job to focus strictly on school and herself, and found time for the gym. 

“Mental health is important,” Justus said. “Nothing should ever compromise self-love and self-care.” 

Justus has been doing things that she now enjoys. She gets to spend more time with her dog, Goose. She can watch her boyfriend play baseball, get back into shape and laugh a lot more. Justus has found herself able to focus on the future with graduation coming up soon 

“I can’t wait to start a new chapter in life,” she said, adding that she has found peace with knowing soccer is no longer part of her life. “I hope to either pursue television or land in a great public relations job.”

Justin Scali wanted to be a Yankee.  

Like any New Yorker born and raised in Long Island, Scali found himself transfixed by the game of baseball and the New York Yankees. Scali credits his father for his drive and passion towards the game of baseball. Scali’s dad would always leave a little note pad by the bed side with a paragraph about the Yankee game.  

“He’d write me a little paragraph about what happened in the game after I went to bed, and he really instilled that passion for baseball in me,” said Scali, head coach of the Piedmont baseball team.  

Like any kid, Scali always dreamt about being on the Yankees. He wanted to play first base and pitch every fifth day. As Scali grew up, that fire was always within him. After high school, Scali found himself pitching at Methodist University. Going into his first year, Scali classified himself as a “cocky New Yorker,” and as someone who needed to be “knocked down a peg or two” and be humbled. Scali ended his career at Methodist University with a 12-7 win/loss record, pitched a total of 153.4 innings and tallied 83 strikeouts. As he progressed through his collegiate career, the seeds of coaching were planted.  

“My time playing baseball at Methodist was more like a classroom for me,” he said. “I just learned so much baseball from coach Austin, coach Peeples and coach Rasick that we had while I was there.”  

He learned a lot about the game, mostly strategy. And he lived for it. Scali loved sitting close to his coaches and listening to their conversations about the game. Listening about what moves to do, what pitch to throw, etc. — he discovered that baseball could be a part of his life even after his playing career.  

Scali is in his fifth year as the head coach of the Piedmont Lions, and currently holds a (113-62) overall record. He replicates a lot of what he learned while eavesdropping on his former coaches. But while strategy is critical to the game, Scali most loves the relationships he has formed with his players.  

“I think the most special thing I get to do throughout the year is when I get to talk to our alumni,” he said. “What that does for me is that it continues that connection that I have with our program.”  

Baseball players see the passion Scali has for them. And his selfless, fun-loving personality resonates with all around him. But it’s his baseball knowledge that most impresses fellow coaches.  

“His organization is first and foremost, the way he takes his notes and his scouting report,” said Hayden Craig, assistant coach for Piedmont baseball. “He trusts coach Harris and I to make a good plan together offensively, and I think Scali, if he wanted to, could get about any job that he wants because of what he’s done here.”  

“His attention to detail is something that I really appreciate as far as the organization of how we run things on a day-to-day basis on the field,” added assistant coach Luke Harris.  

Players recognize Scali’s talent and appreciate his mentorship. “First and foremost, he produces quality baseball teams,” said Noah Heatherly, graduate assistant for the team. “But not only that, he produces good young men. He holds us accountable.”  

Heatherly has played and coached with Scali since he took over as head coach in 2017. “I think he’s been great for Piedmont, he’s been great for the players, and personally he’s been great for me.”  

From that young kid growing up in Long Island with the dream of one day being a two-way star for the Yankees, to now being a star for Piedmont as the head coach, Justin Scali has certainly made his impact. This year Scali accumulated his 100th win as a head coach — a mark that was cherished by everyone around him. Scali was honored before one of the home games this season with a plaque that would be handed to him by this year’s seniors.  

“It was overwhelming, it certainly isn’t one person winning games,” Scali said. “But the reaction by our current players and our alumni, I was really just absolutely blown away.”  

“He lives, eats, breathes, and sleeps Piedmont baseball,” Craig said. “We are really lucky to have coach Scali.”  

“The first thing that comes to mind is leader, that’s what he is to us,” Heatherly said. “I think that he’s meant more to Piedmont baseball than even he realizes and he’s touched the lives of not only a lot of players, but a lot of parents, alumni, and faculty.”  

Scali never did become a Yankee, but at Piedmont, he has established himself as a Lion. At this point in his career, it is hard to imagine what Piedmont baseball is without coach Scali, Harris said.  

“I think that, absolutely, he optimizes what it is to be a Piedmont Lion.” 

As a 20-year-old auditioning for “The Voice” back in 2014, you could tell that Morgan Wallen was destined for stardom with his beautifully rustic and soulful voice. As a Sneedville, Tennessee native, his dream only seemed like a longshot. That was until he poured out his heart in his rendition of “Cover Me Up” originally by Jason Isbell in 2018. This cover turned Morgan Wallen into a superstar overnight. His mesmerizing voice captivates his audience as he delivers vivid imagery and poetic verses.  

Before the release of his second album Dangerous, Wallen saw his fan base grow tremendously as he racked up 3.4 billion streams across all platforms. He also has received multiple Airplay No. 1’s and a Billboard top 10 accolade. With 30 songs and two discs on his latest album, Wallen left nothing but the imagination of his listeners. Dangerous: The Double Album, plunges us into Wallen’s world. With his poetic wordplay and rustic tone to his voice, you can feel and see everything that he sings about.  

Take the idiomatic wordplay that opens up “Somebody’s Problem,” a tender ballad to a free-spirited woman is among the top songs on this album: “A ’Bama red 4-runner pulled into the party/ with a 30A sticker on the back windshield,” he sings an image so vivid you can see the truck and the woman stepping out. His alluring enchantment of the everyday makes “dodging potholes in my sunburnt Silverado,” as sung on the piano led opener to “Sand in My Boots,” sound magical and pleasurable.  

From dodging potholes to running from love, Wallen creates realistic stories that can have anyone relate to what he sings. In his cliché driven song “Outlaw” that features Ben Burgess, you can see a rambunctious young man that is known as a player around his town for leading women on and never getting serious with any of them. A man that thought he would never be held down by one woman and then becomes transfixed by one. When he sings “For leading lovers on until the dawn, just rolling in and rolling out,” the player in the young man comes to fruition. Then we see the young man become consumed by his love for this woman when Wallen sings “I never thought I’d get caught/yeah, at least that’s what I thought/Till you rolled in like Annie Oakley with them guns blazing.” His cliché word play allows us to imagine the whole scenario. Or for some, they wish for a love so strong it captivates their entire soul. 

With the heartbroken ballad of “865,” Wallen sings about being heartbroken and in a depressed state driven to drink after a breakup. With every sip, he finds himself getting closer to dialing up the one he misses. With the chorus “I know I told you I wouldn’t call, and I tried/But this bottle tastes like 865-409-1021,” we can imagine the pain he is going through as he tries to drink away his feelings and thoughts for this woman. The song is easily relatable as many go through this type of breakup at least once in their life. The type of feeling when the woman you love “rips” your heart out and you are left with nothing. You try so hard to get her off your mind that you try anything and everything. When nothing seems to work, you turn to the hard stuff. You drowned your sorrows in another bottle, and the more you drink, the more that one person becomes the only thing on your mind.  

Wallen’s album is one of soulful power that gives us a look into who he is. The pain and sorrow that is within him along with the beauty in his life since he has reached stardom. His relatable songs and his vividly poetic wordplay create that of a masterpiece. With every song telling its own story and having its own visuals, it is hard not to put the album on repeat.   

At the age of 21, kids across the country transition from teenager to young adult, as they are finally allowed to consume alcohol. But here at Piedmont, once you become 21, it is still illegal to drink on campus grounds.  

Piedmont College recently held a campus meeting between RAs and residential students. The meeting would cover many new guidelines that have been put in place involving alcohol, animals, COVID restrictions and vaping. Where the vaping policy is new this semester, it is said that unless you are 21, the legal tobacco age, you are not permitted to vape or smoke on campus. The school applied this policy to coincide with new laws.  

For the COVID policy, some changes were made due to the number of positive tests increasing in the state of Georgia. Guests from outside campus are now no longer permitted on campus grounds.  

The two policies that saw the most changes were the pet and alcohol policies. With the pet policy, it is said to be the same as it has always been.  

In the alcohol policy it is said that “possession of alcohol paraphernalia is prohibited, this includes but not limited to electronic alcohol signs, empty or open alcohol beverages, and games.” Many students were shocked to learn that now, even if you are 21, you will no longer be permitted to have a “wet suite.” Here at Piedmont, having a “wet suite” means all your roommates, as well as yourself, must be 21 years of age (legal drinking age). This does not allow for underage drinking, but it does provide a place for anyone 21 and over to drink without any repercussions. However, this right seems to have been taken away. There are no more “wet suites” and you can no longer wear any alcohol-related attire.  

“This past fall semester, we actually had an increase in a lot of alcohol and pet violations,” Jestel says.  

The whole point of the RA and residential student meetings were to make it clearer about the policies within the housing contracts. With that in mind, students were caught off guard at first. Within days, many emails were sent to try and make a change within the alcohol policy.  

These policies are set in place to try and set us students up for success. However, with that comes backlash. With college comes the college experience. Socializing, trying new things, reinventing ourselves, and figuring out who we want to be are all part of the college experience.  

“If at any point in time a student has questions about a certain policy, please reach out to us, we are open to feedback,” Jestel says.  

Whether some students may not like the policies put in place here at Piedmont, there is always room for improvement. You can always contact the residential staff at any of their emails or make an appointment on Starfish to discuss certain policies or changes. 

On Feb. 4, 2021, a civil war erupted at Piedmont College between the voiced and the voiceless after a ruling was made on sports around campus due to COVID-19. With sports on Piedmont’s campus picking back up, a ruling was made to not allow any fans at any sporting event for the remainder of the semester. Tensions between student athletes and theater majors have been on the rise since last fall, and athletes have been pushed into the fog.  

The fall semester saw a division between the two groups around campus. Conflicts arose and escalated due to controversy among politics. Voices and opinions were heard on the Piedmont app, the college’s app for students and faculty. One side became silenced and the other was allowed to speak freely with no repercussions. Student athletes saw their voices taken off the app. Theater majors could say anything and saw no backlash from the college. Within days, all student athletes were told by coaches to not post anything on the app, as it could look bad for the program.  

This caused an uproar among student athletes as we felt silenced. We felt as if our freedom of speech was revoked by the college. If we said anything about politics, we were silenced. Meanwhile, theater majors could say anything they wanted because their political views aligned with the colleges. As we were silenced, theater majors took to the app and began throwing insults at student athletes, calling us “in-bred,” “retards,” and bringing up movements that had nothing to do with certain conversations. We were not allowed to fight back. I, along with the other student athletes, felt threatened, and we were mad. We wanted change and saw nothing happen.  

Fast forward to Feb. 4, the ruling on sports— “D-day” at Piedmont College. The school ruled that sporting events would not be permitted to have any outside guests or students in attendance. This only caused a greater rift between the student athletes and the school. While we were not allowed to have fans for the remainder of our seasons, the theater department was permitted to have outside guests and students attend a play where it was $5 a ticket. This gives the impression that the school only cares about making money. This action shows student-athletes that we are not as important as the fine arts students. And when we voice our concerns, we become silenced and sent away into the fog that now covers Piedmont College. 

Like all other schools across the country, Piedmont College has been dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 virus. However, unlike some schools Piedmont College has committed to allow its students back on campus and is working diligently to keep everyone as safe as possible.  

Among those changes was shifting fall sports to the spring semester. The decision was not made alone, but also by the USA South Conference, working on guidance from the NCAA. This change especially impacted fall student-athletes. 

 “It was a little heartbreaking to hear that our season was being moved to the spring,” said Olivia Justus, a junior mass communications major and soccer player. “A lot of the players, including myself, trained all throughout quarantine and the summer to get ready for this season. Things are still up in the air on whether we will get to play games or not (since) other schools have different COVID-19 policies, so we may not get to play as many games as we would like.” 

The challenge of scheduling is on that falls on 

Piedmont’s Athletics Director Jim Peeples. His job has become more complicated, especially when it comes to scheduling the soccer/lacrosse field that suddenly is needed by four teams in one season: men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s lacrosse. 

“It’s a puzzle, with many pieces at this point in time,” he said. “We are trying to do everything we can to try and fit all sports in the spring.” 

Like Justus, Peeples acknowledges that part of the challenge is taking into consideration what other USA South Conference schools are doing. 

“One of the many puzzle pieces is that several schools within our conference (USA South) are online for school,” he said. “And so far there is no solid plan in place as to how fall sports will be able to fit into the spring.” 

But Peeples is committed to allowing fall sports teams to have a season of play. 

Although competition is limited, there is some action of Piedmont’s playing fields. 

Practices have begun for some sports like soccer, lacrosse, softball, and baseball. The number of athletes at practice has been limited to a certain number for an hour at a time.  

For women’s soccer at Piedmont that is great news. The Lady Lions of Piedmont’s women’s soccer team over the past three seasons has gone (47-12-5) 47 wins, 12 losses, 5 ties during the regular season. They have also gone (19-3-1) 19 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie within conference play. They have also gone on to win a conference title and made an appearance in the Division 3 NCAA tournament. The Women’s soccer team has arguably been the best overall team at Piedmont College during their dominating run. So, it is expected they would be eager to get back on the pitch (soccer field) and continue their dominating run.  

“As a team, we are staying positive in hopes of having another winning season in the spring.”  

As the new NFL season is now only nine days away, many wonder who the top contenders are going to be. With what can be considered the craziest offseason seen from the NFL in the past twenty years. Some big names are now in new places.  

Tom Brady shocked the world by choosing to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead of resigning with the New England Patriots. Many wondered were Cam Newton would end up after the Carolina Panthers had cut ties with him. He eventually wound up in New England to replace the spot of Tom Brady. The Panthers picked up Teddy Bridgewater for their hole within the quarterback position. However, their biggest loss has to be the fact that Luke Keuchly retired at the age of 28. Keauchly was regarded as a generational talent at linebacker and even saw him having a career similar to Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. One of the league’s top receivers Deandre Hopkins was traded from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals. The question is now however, with all this talent now on new teams, who is the like top contenders? 

Well, one may very well be the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had one of the best offseason in recent franchise history. Adding key players on both sides of the ball. With a young but talented defense that was headlined by veteran linebacker Darius Leonard and safety Malik Hooker who was a rookie last year. There was much to like about the Colts defense. Their struggles however came on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries derailed the Colts time and time again during the 2019 season. At times you could see the flashes of brilliance within the offense but no consistency.  

During the offseason, the Colts made huge moves not only to improve the young and hungry defense, but also adding veteran leadership and some impressive young rookies to the offensive side of the ball. The Colts made a huge first step with the acquisition of Deforest Buckner from the San Francisco 49er’s via trade. Buckner, who is a veteran all-pro defensive lineman will give the Colts some much needed help in the pass rush game. On the flip side, the Colts have added some major weapons to their offense. The Colts signed veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, who is considered of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation to be at the helm. The Colts offensive line may very well bring out the best in Philip Rivers as they ranked among the top 20 in the NFL for pass blocking efficiency. Whereas the San Diego Chargers, Rivers’ old team ranked in the bottom 5 over the past three seasons.  

 They also added some notable rookies within this year’s draft. There was no doubt that the running game of the Colts needed some sort of boost. So, what do they do? They draft Jonathan Taylor, a running back (RB) from Wisconsin University. Taylor, considered one of the top RB prospects heading into this 2020 season will hopefully bring some much-needed juice to the back field. With the acquisition of Philip Rivers and Jonathan Taylor, the Colts could now look to the air and see how to spice up their passing game. It is no question wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is still one of the top receivers in the league. However, he cannot carry the air barrage alone. receivers in the league.  

However, he cannot carry the air barrage alone. So, the Colts picked up a promising young rookie in the draft to help. Michael Pittman Jr. is a very talented a promising receiver, one that the Colts hope can make big plays for them just as he did at the University of Southern California. So when looking at a team that might just very well have it all, the Indianapolis Colts just might be the team to watch out for. With a crazy talented defense that now has veteran leadership on the front line, a menace of linebacker in Darius Leonard, followed by a young and talented group of defensive back led by Malik Hooker. An offense that now has a stellar front line to block for the honorable Philip Rivers, a core group of running backs that will surely display its destructiveness, and a high-flying group of playmaking receivers led by T.Y Hilton. The Colts may very well be on their way to another Super Bowl.  

Hello, my name is Conner Jelley. I hail from the very flat, cornfield filled state of Indiana. I’m a hoosier. So how did I end up here is Demorest, Georgia? Well, my story starts a couple of years ago during my senior year of high school. I grew up in a small town called Monrovia. It is a great little town centrally located in between many major land marks and the city of Indianapolis. I didn’t know what I wanted to study or where to even really begin. So I thought about it, and I decided to do something that I would love.

I am a sports fanatic. From the time I learned how to walk/run and always had either a baseball bat in my hand. Or I was throwing a football. I grew up playing both football and baseball for most of my life. So, naturally I gravitated toward something that would involve sports. Which led me to the broad world of sports communications. I finally had what I wanted to do as not only a job, but also something I could consider a hobby. After that, the next step was to find a place that allowed me to continue my athletic career, and one that offered me that the chance to learn the realm of sports communications. Luckily, someone I was close with had a connection within the baseball coaching staff here at Piedmont. I quickly jumped at the opportunity and sent emails, videos, etc.

While on the way to Florida for a family vacation I took my visit and quickly fell in love with the campus. Being from Indiana it was definitely a scary decision to move nine hours away from all my family and friends that I have grown up with. What I found out relatively fast however, the world of communications is one of great opportunity. I have met some of the most amazing people so far in my journey here at Piedmont as a Sports communications major and baseball player. The opportunities that are provided here are like none other. Hands on experience in all aspects of the communication field ranging from radio, television, videography, photo journalism, and news writing.

Through all this I’ve been able to strive to pursue my dreams. I have been molded into a better person, better friend. The relationships I have within the communications community here at Piedmont are extraordinary. I have made friends with those who have entirely different back grounds from one to the next. All different in their own unique way. It has helped me learn not to judge those by what they wear, how they present themselves, race, color, religion. And that has helped me create friendships that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Piedmont has shaped me into a dedicated, hardworking, blue collar, Georgia loving, person. And being a junior I have much room to grow still. But when its all said and done, I will be able to walk into my first job in the communications field and be able to perform any tasks to the best of my ability. Because here at Piedmont, we build the next generation. Some day you will see us on the screen or you will hear us in your car, on your stereo. If you don’t see us, thats fine, we are behind the scenes making everything work.

As the great late Kobe Bryant once said, “Great things come from hard work, and perseverance, no excuses”.