An Sionnach

You know I am proud to be an American.  I love the fact that we are a strong people and that within such a short time we have come so far.  But when I see Greed as one of our main pillars I have to admit it’s appalling. No wonder why so many countries despise us.

So your probably wondering what brings this up.

Well the other day I was ordering a Celtic FC Football (Soccer) Jersey for this season.  With shipping, for an official kit jersey, I spent $68 (with the shipping).  It’s still a bit much, particularly since I am such an anti Nike fan, and knowing that the jersey was probably made in some place like Honduras, China, Brazil or some outsourced country for 10% of that if not less.  But when I was looking through the MLS (Major League Soccer) stores wanting to purchase a jersey for the Rapids upcoming first game, I have to say I was appalled by the fact that they were charging $110 for a SHIRT.  Soccer isn’t even big in the US.  Yes, the Rapids won the Cup last year, but ALL the clubs are charging the same amount.  So I am wondering, why would I want to pay $110 for a jersey that advertises for a club, shouldn’t you be paying me.  Afterall, marketing is a companies largest expense, well that is unless the fan is willing to pay the expense for you, at the same time driving a huge profit.  Chances are these jerseys probably cost any where from $5-$20 to produce, if that, which means a $90-105 profit.  INSANE!!  I am all for promoting the world sport, and would love to see it continue to grow in the US, but honestly… your heading down the same road as MLB, NFL, and the NHL  Along with this I find that the largest fans of these clubs are on the end of the field instead of the middle where corporate organizations buy seats yet hardly ever fill them and are as boring as hell during the game, and probably don’t even understand it.  I left going to baseball games, just because of this, and chances are the same will probably happen with soccer.  But HEY, you have your money, that’s all that counts, RIGHT?. I had high hopes in the MLS, but I find myself greatly disappointed.

When I was a kid, even when I was older, I loved going to sporting events.  It really had nothing to do with seeing anyone athlete than it had to do with seeing and event at the highest level.  Money has always been a part of sports, but the fact that athletes make the amounts they do is ridiculous, even when they give there every effort.  But to be honest this doesn’t match up or even compare to the men and women in our military, police, firefighters, EMT, people that work in Social Services, etc.  I greatly miss going to games, and have always dreamed of going to watch the Olympics at least once. But with ticket prices as they are, and they will only go higher, it doesn’t look very attainable.  Event tickets, transportation, food, hotel, etc you add it all up.

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Most of you who have been around my blog, or any of the sites I have designed, have seen some of my graphical work.  For years I have been toying around with graphics.  Outside of any formal art classes from back in high school, everything I have learned has been self taught, as well a being a gift from my creator.  For years my mom, dad, and aunt have hassled me about wasting this God given talent that I have.  Friends have pointed out my natural gift and have always asked for assistance when working on designs themselves.  And it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I am completely wasting this gift, and settling for something far less that only gets me by.  So after thorough examination of myself, my gifts and what I want in life; as well as some encouragement from some people close to me I have decided to enroll myself into college for a degree in Graphic Design.  It is an online course, fully accredited.  The first year focuses on the graphical aspects of the course, which will give me a diploma, as well as the skills to begin work as a graphical artist.  Once I have the diploma I can then pursue my Associates and Bachelors degree in one of two fields.  Graphic Design or Interactive Graphical Media allowing me to progress further into the field.  Classes start on Oct 1st, so InshAllah (God Willing) my Federal Loans with pull through in enough time to purchase books, supplies, and possibly a Mac.  I could stick with the PC, which I will stick with if I need to, but most graphical artists use a Mac and are usually looking for someone with Mac experience.  If I purchase one later then I will have to repurchase most of the software again for the Mac OS.  So hopefully things will work out.  The other tough part will be working, and taking courses at the same time.  Fortunately with online courses you can work on your own schedule, as long as you meet the necessary requirements set by the school.  I have to say I am pretty excited, and looking for this yet another challenge in my life.