In Thursday’s lead editorial (“An enlightened decision,” Nov. 20), The Cavalier Daily was right to recognize the importance of the Lighting of the Lawn Committee’s decision to change to energy-efficient LED bulbs.

The Lighting of the Lawn Committee is setting an example for our entire community in this year’s greener, more responsible event. Switching to LED lights for the Lighting of the Lawn truly represents a growing student interest in making our University, and University traditions, ones that are environmentally sustainable.

These new lights will be used for decades to come, each year serving as a reminder of our commitment to sustainability. This sort of investment in the future of the University is a core tenet to sustainable living, and we should applaud this very public example of students working to make U.Va. a greener place.

Ben Chrisinger
SARC 2010

Melissa Warnke
CLAS 2009

University History Prof. Julian Bond will not seek reelection as chairman of the NAACP when his term ends in February, the NAACP announced Tuesday.

“I thought it was time for a new generation to take over the leadership,” said Bond, who has served as chairman since 1998.
He said, however, he will continue to stay active on the board once his three-year term as a member ends next year, in addition to continuing to teach history at the University.

NAACP board members and officers are volunteers in elected positions, and the chairmanship is a one-year term, according to a NAACP press release. Bond will step down in the organization’s centennial year, after 11 years as chairman. NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous, who was recently appointed, noted in the press release that the organization looks forward to Bond’s continued active involvement in the board.

University spokesperson Carol Wood said Bond’s experiences and leadership have been an asset within the University community.
“We have been fortunate to have someone like Julian Bond be a member of our community, bringing to students his real life experiences with the civil rights movement,” Wood said.

Since 1998 when he first assumed chairmanship, Bond said, the NAACP has made significant advancements in providing equality and opportunity for ethnic minorities by eliminating discriminatory practices and serving as a watchdog for discrimination in more than 2,000 communities across the country.

Bond also emphasized the results of NAACP efforts in recent presidential contests, namely the registration and turnout of thousands of voters.

Reflecting on 100 years of activism, Bond said the NAACP has been “instrumental” in eliminating legal as well as extralegal discrimination in the United States.

“We have been a major player in every anti-discrimination movement in the country over the last 99 years,” Bond said, citing discrimination and segregation at the ballot box and in public education as examples.

In aggressively pursuing the end of discrimination and segregation in the country, Bond said the NAACP can claim “some responsibility” for the election of Barack Obama.

Although Bond hailed the historic election of Obama as the first African-American president as a “great step,” he said it does not mean the end of discrimination.

“The elevation of one man doesn’t erase discrimination which exists in all parts of the country and in every aspect of society,” he said. “We still have a job to do and we have to make sure Obama has all the help he needs.” This help, Bond added, includes criticism.

The future goals of the NAACP are to ensure that the “remaining vestiges” of discrimination are eliminated, Bond said.

“We need to make sure that democracy is perfected so that it extends to everyone,” he said.

In its first emergency warning since April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech experienced problems with its alert system last week when sending out a campus-wide emergency notice concerning reports of gunshots heard on campus.

Larry Hincker, Virginia Tech associate vice president for university relations, said someone reported a sound like gunfire near a dormitory Thursday. When police arrived on the scene, they secured and searched the building, Hincker said, though police later discovered the sound was from a nail gun cartridge being exploded.

After the police arrived, Hincker said, the university activated the alert system, which consists of four main channels: e-mail to the university community, 200 classroom alert signs, a warning on Tech’s Web site and a message delivered to mobile phones.

Hincker said the vendor Virginia Tech uses to send alerts to mobile phones experienced difficulties, and the message was not delivered to some members of the university community.

“That contractor’s equipment froze up about halfway through the first of the three messages that I sent,” Hincker said. “It was a malfunction of the vendor’s equipment or processes.”

Hincker said he does not know how many people were affected by this malfunction but stressed the importance of using multiple communication methods. In light of the malfunction, Hincker said Virginia Tech has not made any decisions about whether it will keep its current vendor or about what will be done to fix the system.

The emergency alert system was tested Oct. 8, Hincker said, but was not used to warn of an emergency before last Thursday.

The University of Virginia is planning a test of its emergency alert system this afternoon starting around 2:30, Director of Emergency Preparedness Marjorie Sidebottom said. She noted this test is not a response to Virginia Tech’s malfunction but rather “has been planned for a while.”

The test will involve sirens and a public announcement followed by a mass text message and e-mail to the University community, Sidebottom said.

“We’re going to be monitoring the systems to see how things are going out to make sure we’re not identifying any issues,” Sidebottom said. “We’ll have an all-clear by 3 [p.m], maybe earlier.”

Lie, cheat or steal and face the single sanction: expulsion. Some students think it is a brutal concept, while others have said instituting a uniform punishment that eliminates bias is ideal for the community of trust. Tonight, students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about the issue at an open forum hosted by the Single Sanction Ad-Hoc Committee.

The committee hopes to create a dialogue between the Honor Committee and the student body, committee chair Adam Trusner said. The committee is composed not only of Honor Committee members but also of members from the Minority Rights Coalition and Hoos against Single Sanction. The committee holds closed sessions as well as open forums during which students are invited to share their thoughts about the single sanction.

At last week’s ad-hoc committee meeting, committee member Sam Leven, president of Hoos Against Single Sanction, presented a proposal that offered alternatives to the single sanction. Leven said that under the terms of this proposal, a student who is found guilty of act and intent but acquitted of non-triviality would be punished with a lesser sanction by the Honor Committee. According to Leven’s proposal, if a student is found guilty of act, intent and non-triviality he or she would still be expelled from the University.

Leven said he believes the proposal addresses several problems with the current system.

“It separates out expulsion as the default penalty,” Leven said. In addition to providing alternatives to the single sanction, Leven said the proposal narrows the gap between punishments.

“Students who get off with nothing wouldn’t get off with nothing,” Leven said. “Expulsion versus nothing or expulsion versus a two-year suspension. The latter is better.”

Trusner said he felt Leven’s proposal draws the line at triviality, and triviality may not always be the deciding factor in convicting or acquitting a student. If a student were accused of plagiarizing 1,000 words from a 1,500-word paper, the student could be found guilty or acquitted depending on the jury that tried the accused, Trusner said. It could never be known, however, whether the jury made its verdict based on triviality or intent, he said.

School of Medicine Rep. Will Derry echoed Trusner’s concerns.

“We would run into the same problems that we run into now in terms of randomness,” Derry said. “When juries are voting on non-triviality, randomness applies there. One jury can vote ‘yes,’ another vote ‘no.’”

Trusner also raised another concern: The proposal could lead to a problem with impartiality because Honor Committee members — rather than a randomly selected jury — would determine the punishment.

Leven, however, said he believes the issue of impartiality will not pose a problem when Honor Committee members sanction a student.
“I’ve never seen anything in the U.S. judicial system to make me think that that’s a problem,” Leven said. “I don’t think you lose your impartiality that you’re ultimately going to have to decide punishment. That’s how it works in the U.S. judicial system; judges remain impartial.”

Leven proposed a measure two years ago that would have completely eliminated the single sanction in addition to non-triviality and intent, he said. The jury would have chosen a punishment from a list of several sanctions. Nearly 6,500 students voted on the referendum, and it failed to reach a simple majority by 62 votes during spring 2007 elections.

When creating the new proposal, Leven said he wanted to “work within the bounds of the current system.” He also said students were uncomfortable with the idea of juries choosing a student’s sanction because juries do not sit on multiple cases; this was a reason why he decided to amend the proposal so that Honor Committee members would sanction the students. He also added that students felt the referendum two years ago “demeaned the system” — something the new proposal would not do.

“It would leave the constitution largely intact as it is now, which would leave the framework for fixing problems,” Leven said. “We’re working within the current framework.”

First-year College student Aaron Ross said he supports the idea of looking into alternatives for the single sanction. While Ross said he believes a one-sanction system creates a uniform and concrete standard when convicting students, he believes the punishment is somewhat harsh.

“The fact that you can’t get kicked out of the University for sexual assault but you can get kicked out for cheating on a test is a little bit ridiculous to me,” he said.

He added that he believes the single sanction deters students from reporting honor offenses.

“There have probably been times when I should have said something but I didn’t just because of that,” Ross said.

Second-year College student Reginald Benbow, Jr. said while he likes the idea of exploring alternatives to the single sanction, the current system still remains an effective way of eliminating partiality.

“Everyone — if they lie, cheat, or steal — gets the same punishment,” Benbow said. “There’s no room for bias if the Committee had a gender or racial bias in terms of sanctioning.”

Leven plans to present his proposal formally at tonight’s open forum meeting at 7 in the Chemistry Building auditorium.

A number of University groups held two screenings of the documentary film “HAZE” in the Newcomb Hall Theater last night, highlighting the dangers of alcohol poisoning.

The film, set to coincide with Substance Abuse Awareness Week, was co-sponsored by Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team peer educators, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Council and the University Programs Council, said Susan Bruce, director of the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education. “HAZE” was presented by the Gordie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to Gordie Bailey, who died of alcohol poisoning related to fraternity hazing during his freshman year at the University of Colorado, according to the foundation’s Web site.

The film, produced by Bailey’s parents, “mostly tells the story of Gordie’s life and how he died,” Bruce said, noting the film includes interviews with some of Bailey’s pledge brothers and his friends from high school.

“The importance of this movie is to educate University of Virginia students about the dangers of alcohol abuse,” said ISC President Stuart Berkeley, Bailey’s high school classmate. She said the story is significant because Bailey was not a person prone to binge drinking.
“The most important fact about Gordie Bailey’s life was that he wasn’t a crazy partier,” Berkeley said. “The dangers of alcohol can touch anybody … He was subject to the peer pressure to the extent it caused his death.”

The ultimate goal in showing the film is to educate students about the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning, Bruce said.

“Don’t just leave it to luck,” she said. “Make the call. You might lose a friend because you didn’t call to get help.”

Bruce noted that the film shown last night had University input due to CASE’s relationship with the Gordie Foundation. CASE previously received funding from the foundation for a conference that served as a “model of alcohol use prevention [for] athletic departments.” As a result of this established relationship, Bruce said, “we were able to have a group of 60 U.Va. students see the rough cut of the film.” The student viewers gave the director feedback, she said, some of which was incorporated into the final version shown last night.

Following the film, the sponsors held a short discussion, “a brief opportunity for students to reflect on what has been presented for them,” Bruce said. Facilitation materials were also available “if there’s a group that wants to talk about it in a more structured way,” including purchased authorization to the film so other student groups can have the opportunity to show the documentary.

While leaving the theater, students reported mixed reactions to the film’s content.

Second-year College student Miriam Kaplan said the film was not exactly what she was expecting it to be, noting that she was anticipating a more statistical approach to the consequences of binge drinking rather then a personal story.

Second-year College student Meredith Peake also noted she was surprised by the film’s story.

“I mostly thought it was going to be the kind of thing you’ve heard before, but it really forced you to think about things you sometimes try not to think about,” Peake said.

Fourth-year Engineering student Ken Ohnishi, meanwhile, noted that he does not think the film will really change the behavior of University students.

“I didn’t feel like it made a big enough of an impact,” Ohinishi said, adding that students will still be willing to take risks to have fun.

Bruce said the movie was primarily publicized in the Greek community, and viewers last night received Fraternal Organization Agreement credit for attending.

A study led by Medical School Dean Steven DeKosky and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday found that gingko biloba is ineffective in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

The extract, which is a mental alertness supplement traditionally thought to help prevent the brain decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, proved to be completely ineffective at preventing the destructive consequences of the disease. DeKosky said he was “tremendously disappointed with the results.”

Sue Friedmen, president of the Central and Western Virginia Alzheimer’s Association, explained why the study’s conclusion was such a hard blow: An aging baby boomer population means that more than 75 million Americans will soon be at risk, and one in eight Americans over the age of 65 has the disease.

In the study, conducted during a six-year period, 1,545 participants 75 years of age or older took 120 milligrams of gingko twice daily, and a control group of 1,524 participants took a placebo. There was no significant statistical difference between the experimental and control groups in the number of patients who showed signs of Alzheimer’s.

The study was rigorous, Friedmen said; conducted with unusually large groups of people who were frequently screened for symptoms, it was the first major study of a dietary supplement, she noted.

DeKosky explained that the successful technical aspect of the study was an important development in Alzheimer’s research.
“We now have a model on which we can conduct future trials,” he said.

Friedmen noted there are a number of ongoing studies regarding Alzheimer’s, including ones aimed at developing an effective blood testing mechanism for the disease and others that seek to explore potential cures or prevention methods.

DeKosky said that despite many disappointments, new research “gives us major reasons to remain optimistic.”

In the meantime, Friedmen said, communities must take care of Alzheimer’s patients. In a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, Education students in the Communication Disorders program are doing just that, she noted, explaining that students involved will visit patients and their families to help them understand what the disease means.

“It gives students exposure to patients and real-world experience that they can’t get in class,” Friedmen said. “And it also expands outreach and is a great service.”

For all intents and purposes, Virginia’s 77-75 win against South Florida was its season debut.

Before I get to why it was a debut, let’s appreciate how fitting a matchup it was for coaches to try to gauge their teams at this point in the season. This game pitted the team picked to finish last in the ACC against the team picked to finish last in the Big East. It was the battle of the bottoms of two of the biggest barrels in the country.

Now, back to why it was a debut. Obviously, it was the Cavs’ second game of the season; indeed, you say, what about that game against VMI? The Keydets beat Kentucky to open their season, and the Cavs pulled out a 107-97 win two nights later — encouraging, right? After the Cavs put up triple digits on VMI, fans certainly had some hope that the offensive woes, at least, couldn’t be that bad this season.
What you optimists out there must remember, though, is that the Keydets don’t play D. They don’t care if you score 100 because they believe they can put up 110.

And, the biggest question facing this team is, at both ends of the floor, whether it can play in the half-court set. On offense, the Cavs had a hard enough time scoring when the game slowed down last year, and it would appear that they can’t get much better in this area with the graduation of number 44. The ability to improve on defense certainly appears more feasible; after suffering injuries to the frontcourt last season, Virginia has size that measures up with everyone. Add the focus on the defensive end that Leitao and his players have echoed, mix in some team cohesion and expose the returning nucleus of players to another year of Leitao earfuls, and the Cavs have every reason to pick it up at that end of the floor.

The VMI game, however, yielded zero information on these qualities. Leitao compared Sunday’s game to the NHL All-Star Game; that should serve as a reminder of how much half-court play there was in that contest.

So, how did Virginia fare in its first time playing a true game of basketball?

The Cavs won. That certainly comes first.

But, on the other hand, they didn’t look too good in the process. South Florida shot an all-too-familiar 49.2 percent from the floor. Sophomore guard Dominique Jones and senior guard Jesus Verdejo poured in a combined 45 points. Had the Bulls not shot 6-12 from the foul line, the game would have taken on a different tone.

Then, the offense wasn’t great either. Virginia shot 40.3 percent from the floor — borderline against an ACC opponent, poor against a South Florida team that won just three games in the Big East last season. A Virginia team that is supposed to be composed of shooters shot 5-19 from the 3-point line and 18-28 from the foul line.  

On the other hand, there was more good news: Virginia has two freshmen who can really play. When point guard Sammy Zeglinski and shooting guard Sylven Landesberg have the ball in their hands, I feel comfortable that at least nothing bad is going to happen, and maybe even something good will come.

Landesberg ended with 21 points and four rebounds, including the biggest bucket of the night with 13 seconds remaining to put Virginia up 1, and the biggest rebound of the game on the ensuing stop at the defensive end.

“I live for those moments,” Landesberg said.

And it’s not just the points that impress; it’s the way he gets them. He snakes his way through defenders and finishes around the basket with contact the way a freshman isn’t supposed to do in his second game of the season.

“That’s from playing in the parks, man,” Landesberg said. “In the parks, you don’t call any fouls — you’ve just got to finish everything.”

Zeglinski’s numbers aren’t as gaudy, but he was solid at the point for the second straight night, committing just one turnover while adding four assists; there probably would have been more if foul trouble hadn’t limited him to just 22 minutes. Even though he stands a meager 6 feet, I am beginning to buy into Zeglinski’s ability to run the show both in the half-court and in transition, even against high-pressure, high-octane ACC opponents.

“I feel real comfortable out there,” Zeglinski said. “I always like to be the floor general and show my composure on the court.”

The best news of the night, however, was Virginia’s grit in the last five minutes. The Cavs have had Sean Singletary on the floor for four years in crunch time, and for most of that time he was getting the ball.

With Virginia in possession down 75-74 and 34 seconds to play, the fans may have been looking for Singletary, but the players weren’t. As junior guard Calvin Baker — on a night that certainly wasn’t his best — made a fantastic spin move into the lane and dished to Landesberg for an open lay-up on the baseline, Virginia proved it doesn’t need Mr. Big Shot to take — and make — a big shot.

The best part about the go-ahead bucket, however, was that it wasn’t by design.

“We had set up a play actually to get the ball in [Diane’s] hands and drive a little bit and draw some help,” Leitao said. “It broke down early, so we found ourselves just kind of improvising.”

That play was something that would make even Singletary, the king of improvisation himself, proud.

Of course, I’m a realist. This is South Florida. If Leitao can improvise a way for Virginia to win in the ACC, that would really be something.

In a game that lacked the basket-to-basket offensive excitement of last Sunday’s matchup against VMI, the Virginia men’s basketball team worked out a 77-75 victory against South Florida last night.

“Without playing particularly well today, we were still able to win and do it a little bit gutty,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

One player who showed a lot of guts was freshman guard Sylven Landesberg, who played nothing like a freshman in this game, especially down the stretch. With Virginia (2-0) down one with 13 seconds remaining, Landesberg made the go-ahead lay-up off an assist from junior guard Calvin Baker; then, on the ensuing possession for South Florida (1-1), he rebounded a miss by sophomore guard Dominique Jones, was fouled and converted a free throw to put Virginia up 2.

Jones, who led South Florida with 23 points, got another chance to save the Bulls off Landesberg’s missed second free throw, but his contested 15-footer again rimmed out with two seconds remaining.

Landesberg finished with 21 points and four rebounds. While Leitao said he has been surprised by Landesberg’s scoring outburst in his first two games, he was not surprised by Landesberg’s demeanor on the court.

“I didn’t expect that in his first two games he was going to score 28 and 21 points, but I never really worried about his presence,” Leitao said. “He’s got a quiet — without [being] cocky — presence about him as a basketball player, and I noticed that very early on.”

On the go-ahead lay-up, Landesberg credits Baker for being able to find him so he could make the play.

“They had me playing the four [power forward], and I didn’t know the position,” Landesberg said. “So I was just running up and down the baseline, and [Baker] penetrated and he just saw me open, and that was it.

Baker did not have his best game, but finding Landesberg in crunch time was certainly a big play for the Cavaliers.

“Calvin [Baker] is in a more leadership role as a captain and a guy in the forefront,” Leitao said. “To make that assist just kind of shows that he has enough resiliency because obviously he didn’t have a great day.”

A pleasant surprise for Leitao during this game was the play of junior forward Jamil Tucker, who finished the game with 15 points — including 12 in the second half — and added a team-high seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Tucker is looking to produce more this season.

“Knowing our team is more of a team without Sean Singletary, he was a 20-point scorer, and we didn’t have any 20-point scorers [coming into] this year,” Tucker said. “So everybody has to contribute and step up in a bigger role, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

In the absence of the graduated Sean Singletary, team continuity in tight situations — especially on the offensive end — is something Leitao is looking to establish as the season progresses.

“If we really believe in each other, then we’ll execute,” Leitao said. “The best man from what we’re trying to do will get the shot, and without having to define somebody right now.”

The Cavaliers hope their game tomorrow against Radford will not be as close as the previous two games, but Leitao realizes there is some benefit to starting the season with contests against tougher opponents like VMI and South Florida.

“We’ve opened up the season with two very close games, which I’m not sure if they are the best of circumstances, particularly with a young team,” Leitao said. “But it was done purposely to help them hopefully grow up a little bit quicker than normal, obviously looking ahead because of what we’ve got to face once ACC season starts.”

No one said married life was easy. But senior Jon Copper takes it to an entirely new dimension.

While starting 36 consecutive games and counting for Virginia at inside linebacker, Copper is also the only current football player for Virginia who has tied the knot. His wife, Holly Dixon Copper, is also a full-time student and senior at the University; the two married in May 2007.

When Virginia coach Al Groh was asked if Copper is the only married player he has ever had, he had an answer that had everyone in the room chuckling.

“Officially, yeah,” Groh said. “We’ve had quite a few that it wasn’t recorded down at the hall of records, but who had a lot less independence than Jon has got.”

With all that Copper adds to the team, his teammates are pleased that he still has time for football. Though not a captain this season, Groh said Copper is “one of the most respected players on the team.” A product of Fork Union Military Academy and a native of Roanoke, Va., Copper was initially offered a partial financial-aid package from Bucknell, but the package was then rescinded — “they dropped me,” Copper said. With his first choice always to attend the University, Copper — undersized at 6-foot and with uninspiring athleticism — then decided to give it a go as a walk-on, with nothing but a tryout invitation from the Virginia coaching staff and his own competitive nature to lean on.

“When I came up here, I think my senior year of high school, and watched spring practice, I knew I could be competitive with the guys that were on the field,” Copper said. “But the things that have happened … I see a lot of it out of my control, and I’ve just been very fortunate. It’s been a blessing.”

Now in his fifth year, Copper is preparing to walk into Scott Stadium for the last time Saturday in a home bout with Clemson as a three-year starter and one of the most overachieving players on the team. With 85 tackles thus far this season — 25 more than any Cavalier — Copper is well on his way to leading the team in tackles for the third straight season and to becoming the 14th player in Virginia history to tally at least 300 tackles in his career. The last Virginia player to reach this mark was linebacker Angelo Crowell, a Class of 2002 graduate.

“Remarkable, amazing, distinguished,” Groh said of Copper’s career thus far, adding, “As productive as he’s been, he’s unassuming as a person could be but not unconfident.”

Fellow senior linebacker Clint Sintim had similar thoughts.

“He’s a great player, especially — and he’ll tell you this — for the lack of athleticism and his height,” Sintim said. “I think he feeds off the fact that he’s not the fastest or the strongest or the tallest and he’s still able to be as productive as he is.”

What’s more, this season, Copper now takes nearly every snap in the 3-4 as well as in Virginia’s nickel and dime packages because of injuries that have plagued the linebacker corps. Known to be one of the fiercest film-viewers on the team — he brings a dog-eared spiral notebook to film sessions, Groh said — Copper simply does everything the right way.

For players like Copper, “We’re able to say to some of [the freshmen], ‘Look, you see that guy over there? He plays your position — just watch him all year,’” Groh said. “‘Watch how he lifts weights. Watch how he practices. Watch him during film sessions. He’s figured out how to do it.’”

Then, at the end of the day, the student-athlete-husband goes home and squeezes in a little study time for his major, religious studies. If he has time, he might also help out with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life or Athletes in Action at U.Va, all clubs with which Copper is involved.

”He’s a married man, he’s very religious, he has a lot of things in his life that are extremely important to him,” Sintim said. “This football thing is obviously important to him, but [Copper] is very mature and old, so he handles himself the way an older, married man would.”
To say the least, when Copper walks into Scott Stadium during the senior day celebrations, Holly won’t be the only one clapping.
“Copper is the man,” Sintim said.

There’s a lot to look forward to during Thanksgiving Break: your old bed, sleeping in, awkward questions from distant family members. What a holiday.

And despite all the commotion of dinner guests and food, NFL football seems to be as associated with Thanksgiving Day as turkey and cranberry sauce. Somehow, sports can dictate what time dinner is served on one of the most important family suppers of the year.

It’s not all that surprising, either. Football on Thanksgiving has been around since before the ballpoint pen. Though games were played on Thanksgiving throughout the 1920s, the tradition really took flight in 1934 when the Chicago Bears visited the Detroit Lions in a classic game that featured two teams with a combined record of 21-1.

The reason for playing on Thanksgiving? Detroit’s general manager used it as a way to sell tickets and garner more attention for his team, because local fans and the local newspapers paid much more attention to the Detroit Tigers than the Detroit Lions. By scheduling a noteworthy game on a noteworthy day, he was sure to divert attention from the Tigers for at least a little while.

And so, a new tradition was born because the Lions were looking for a little extra publicity. Guess things haven’t changed all that much since 1934.

It’s interesting to think that almost all of our holidays are tied directly to sports in some way or another. From Christmas to the Fourth of July, where there’s a holiday, there’s a sport.

Let’s look at the three most noteworthy other than football on Thanksgiving:

1.The NBA on Christmas. This is a tradition that goes back to the 1940s. Though the games don’t carry the weight that NFL games in late November do, they generally showcase the top talent in the league. Interestingly enough, nba.com claims that one of the top reasons to watch the NBA on Christmas is because you can “optimiz[e] family time: three games means less awkward silences between you and family members you haven’t seen since last Christmas…” Ironic how we can “optimize” family time by tuning out loved ones and instead watching a rematch of the teams from last year’s championship between the Lakers and Celtics.

Regardless, the NBA on Christmas is a staple — but not nearly as exciting as Thanksgiving Day football.

2. College Football on New Year’s. Just seven short days after Christmas, you are treated to a slew of BCS bowl games. The national championship is held just a few days later.

That hasn’t always been the case, though. Back on New Year’s Day in 1902, the national championship and the first-ever bowl game was played between Michigan and Stanford. Because the Wolverines won by 49 points, the Tournament of Roses Association feared a loss of interest in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day. Instead of continuing the tradition, however, they replaced football with chariot races to attract spectators.

It wasn’t until 1916 that football came back and replaced the gladiator games.

Thank God.

3. Baseball on the Fourth of July. It’s a tradition that goes back further than Thanksgiving Day football, Christmas Day basketball and New Year’s Day bowl games. Americans were playing baseball on the Fourth of July back when we had teams called the “Houston Stonewalls” and the “Galveston Robert E. Lees” (the 1860s). Though it’s not clear exactly when the tradition originated, it’s still a game as connected to the Fourth as hotdogs and fireworks. Unlike the other athletic events on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, playing baseball on the Fourth isn’t limited to the professionals; it extends all the way down to the Little League level. Hot dogs + baseball + postgame fireworks = about as American as it gets. Maybe not the most exciting game to watch on a holiday, but definitely the most wholesome.

And so, sports on holidays are as certain and as noticeable as orange sweatshirts on Al Groh. They are the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving dinner and the perfect backdrop for an Independence Day cookout. And, though nba.com suggests sports are a way to avoid conversation with distant family members, I submit to you that they actually give you something to talk about. That they turn awkward conversation into something normal, that even though you don’t know exactly how the bald-headed man sitting in your living room is related to you, you can still strike up a conversation about how the Cowboys should be playing better. Or how the Lions should have gone for it on fourth-and-1.

I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday. Sleep in, eat good food, and enjoy a few days with your family — whether you have the NFL turned on or not.