Opinion: Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

Sports

Despite inconsistencies, UF can still find success in postseason

By Evan Lepak | Mar. 9, 2020

I’m not going to sit here and sugarcoat it.

San Diego State forward Matt Mitchell (11) reacts after missing the final basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UNLV, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Sports

Parity is good for college basketball

By Zachary Huber | Feb. 23, 2020

The odds of completing a perfect March Madness bracket are one in 2.4 trillion. A person has a better chance of becoming the President of the United States or being crushed to death by a vending machine.

Opinion

Cheryl '77 – Love and Reflection

Feb. 14, 2020

This week, I have eagerly anticipated the Cheryl ’77 podcast episodes by UF’s Alisson Clark and Emily Cardinali. Alisson and Emily are on a mission to discover the author and intended recipient of a love note inscribed in the concrete sidewalk just off University Avenue in the courtyard by Matherly Hall on UF’s campus.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, speaks with referee Kevin Cutler, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

Sports

It’s time to call a flagrant foul on officiating crews

By Christian Ortega | Feb. 12, 2020

Damian Lillard has never been one to shy away from the spotlight.

Sports

No cure for mediocrity

By Joseph Salvador | Feb. 9, 2020

Mediocrity has long plagued this basketball team and there does not seem to be a cure.

FILE - This Oct. 3, 2018 file photo shows a view of the exterior of Wembley Stadium in London. The Jacksonville Jaguars will play two home games in London next season, strengthening the franchise’s foothold in an overseas market the NFL is eager to expand. The Jaguars will play back-to-back games at historic Wembley Stadium, giving them a potential “home-field” advantage in the second one since they won’t have to travel that week. Specific dates were not announced.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Sports

You don’t know your own fans, Shad Khan

By Graham Marsh | Feb. 6, 2020

The promises are empty, but the stadium is emptier.

Sports

Dan Mullen -- football coach or puppeteer?

By Ainslie Lee | Feb. 2, 2020

For us on the outside, the transfer portal seems like this ubiquitous Sorting Hat out of Harry Potter. You throw your name in, and it spits out where you should go.

Sports

God, (please) bless the XFL

By Christian Ortega | Jan. 28, 2020

With February forcing its way into our lives this weekend, it brings with it one of the most momentous occasions in the sport of football. The XFL returns on Feb. 8.

FILE - In this July 12, 1996, file photo Kobe Bryant, 17, jokes with the media as he holds his Los Angeles Lakers jersey during a news conference at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Sterner, File)

Sports

Thanks for everything, Kobe

By Kyle Wood | Jan. 26, 2020

It’s a strange feeling when someone who has already been immortalized dies.

Sports

A case of missing identity plagues the Gators

By Joseph Salvador | Jan. 23, 2020

Having an identity as a team in the game of basketball is everything.

Sports

No one fanbase should have all that power

By Kyle Wood | Jan. 21, 2020

NBA Twitter is capable of swaying the lasting perception of players’ legacies decades from now.

UF President Kent Fuchs and Wageningen University and Research Executive Board President Louise Fresco planted a 9-foot live oak tree Thursday for Florida Arbor Day. This is part of an initiative to plant 100 “UniversiTREEs” across the world.

Opinion

President Fuchs on Florida Arbor Day

Jan. 16, 2020

This week, I planted a live oak on the lawn of the Reitz Union near the Field and Fork Pantry. The planting ceremony was with Louise Fresco, the president of Wageningen University, in celebration of the collaboration between our universities and in honor of Wageningen’s centennial anniversary. Wageningen, based in the Netherlands, is the world’s No. 1-ranked university focusing on agriculture.

Sports

It is time to say “Ok, Boomer” to the NCAA

By Payton Titus | Jan. 16, 2020

After the LSU Tigers defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, video circulated of what appeared to be a tipsy Odell Beckham Jr. distributing fistfulls of cash to wide receivers Jontre Kirklin and Justin Jefferson, the latter having declared for the NFL draft earlier this week.

Opinion

Trump’s Soleimani killing puts Americans at risk

Jan. 16, 2020

On Friday, it was revealed Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by President Trump. Because of this, the U.S. is lurching toward a dangerous situation in Iran.

Opinion