Category: Opinion

The past two years at the Champion have been such a formative experience for me. Having the opportunity to practice journalism outside of the classroom gave me confidence and a skill set I couldn’t have gotten from class projects alone. I’ve had the opportunity to interview a variety of interesting people, including Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy and the University of […]

It’s almost summertime. Temperatures are rising and the trees outside are luscious and green. It will soon be students’ favorite time of year, when the only thing they have to worry about is which swimsuit to wear and which ice cream flavor to eat.  After the soul-crushing stress of exams, hopefully most students will take the opportunity to relax, unwind […]

Editor’s Note: This article does not contain any spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame.” For Marvel fans around the world, April 25 was a long time coming. Thursday night saw the opening of “Avengers: Endgame” across the United States. According to Fox News, “Avengers: Endgame” broke box office records for the biggest opening weekend with $350 million in the United States and […]

Johnny Manziel is the biggest waste of talent football has ever seen. The Canadian Football League (CFL) should have known better than to allow him to play in Canada.  The culture that we live in is one that has grown accustomed to people modifying their behavior instead of changing their heart.  The sad story began at Tivy High School near […]

With the final edition of this column, I wanted to highlight five movies coming out this summer I personally cannot wait to see.  “Toy Story 4” When the original “Toy Story” came out in 1995, it was seen as a grand experiment of filmmaking, as it was the very first feature to be fully computer-animated.  Close to 25 years later, […]

Over the years, there has been an unprecedented increase in mental health disorders on college campuses.  According to Psychology Today, in the 1980s, at any given point, one in 10 college students needed, wanted or used some form of mental health treatment. Today, according to that same source, that number is one in three.  Acad Psychiatry conducted a survey of […]

New Orleans fans will never forget it.  When Drew Brees bulleted a pass to Tommylee Lewis on third down late in the Northern Football Conference championship game, and Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman left Lewis in a heap on the sideline, the call should have been pass interference. It wasn’t — the Saints lost the ball — and the Rams won […]

With the 2020 elections fast approaching, former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to make a run for the presidency. However, as his political appearances are ramping up, so are allegations of inappropriate conduct against the potential presidential candidate. Although the allegations are minor, they are many, and Biden must make a formal apology if he wants to keep his […]

Failure. This seven-letter word elicits dread, panic and discomfort. Fear of failure causes anxiety and depression, and it can fracture one’s soul into a million pieces. I’ve felt the sting of failure multiple times. I’ve lost sporting matches, bombed academic tests and jeopardized important relationships. Many times, I felt alone, scared and troubled. I quickly blamed others and ignored my […]

A microphone in Wembley Stadium awaits millions of people silently listening in person and via radio. As the live broadcast begins, a nervous man steps up to speak. His mouth opens as the crowd prepares to focus on every syllable, but the words aren’t coming. More silence weighs on the stadium speakers and broadcast as the man’s mouth remains open. […]

President Donald Trump says the Mueller report has cleared him of all criminal allegations, yet many Democrats are vocalizing their doubts and demanding the report be made public.  While Attorney General William Barr has made it clear Trump will not be charged with collusion or obstruction of justice, Democratic representatives are not yet convinced of Trump’s innocence. Barr’s announcement that […]

Throughout history, sports have led the way in establishing positive social change, benefiting our nation as a whole. Jackie Robinson integrated into Major League Baseball almost 20 years before desegregation laws passed through Congress. Muhammad Ali opposed the Vietnam war before public polling mirrored his position. Now sports again have the opportunity to take the lead and confront racism among […]

I met Elizabeth Mallicoat in 2018. She worked as a photo archivist for the Champion, but no one realized her design potential until she received the B-section graphic design position last semester. Since then, Liz has been a driving force in the office, building a dense portfolio of sports and feature graphics for this newspaper. She is an incredible person […]

In 2016, Donald Trump won the presidential election despite the fact Hillary Clinton secured the popular vote. In American history, five presidents have won the electoral college but not the popular vote. Recently, some prominent figures, including several democratic candidates in 2020, have called for the popular vote to be the only result that matters. In theory, this sounds reasonable, […]