2.27.20

Inside: Political Justice, Painted Fans, and K-Pop The Harvard Independent

The Indy is trying to 2.27.2020 look forward! Cover illustration by Natalie Sicher ‘21. Vol. LI, No. 12

CONTENTS STAFF President Jilly Cronin ‘21 3 Asian Americans for Political Justice Editor-in-Chief Marissa Garcia ‘21 4 Meet Zaya News Editor Chidambaram Thillairajah ‘21 5 Junio Family Weekend Associate News Editor Mary Julia Koch ‘23 7 Gloria is My Life Forum Editor Alaya Ayala ‘21 8 “No Shame” in Being Yourself Arts Editors Graham Walter ‘21 Jasper Fu ‘21 10 Painting Edo Sports Editor Elizabeth Gummer ‘21 11 The Sculpture Across From Lamont Podcast Editor Charles Xu ‘21 13 New Heights 14 Visual Arts Editor Natalie Sicher ’21 Econ 1042: Sports Economics Associate VAE Ava Salzman ‘23 Photography Editor Andrew Haimovici ‘21

Comp Director Michael Kielstra ‘22 Business Associate Arsh Dhillon ‘23

As 's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, Staff Writers Tushar Dwivedi ‘20 the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of Jose Espinel ‘20 issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. Claire Park ‘20 The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering Evelyn Gray ‘21 diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life. Mimi Tarrant ‘21 For publication information, email subscriptions, and Grace Tworek ‘21 general inquiries, contact President Jilly Cronin (president@ Jaycee Yegher ‘21 harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and Amal Abdi ‘21 comments regarding the content of the publication should be Abigail Koerner ‘21 addressed to Editor-in-Chief Marissa Garcia (editorinchief@ harvardindependent.com). Aidan Fitzsimons ‘21 The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the Ana Luiza Nicolae ‘22 academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., 2 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Find us online! Copyright © 2020 by The Harvard Independent. @HarvardIndy All rights reserved. soundcloud.com/harvardindy

2 harvardindependent.com The Harvard Independent 2.27.2020 INDY NEWS Asian Americans for Political Justice Social Studies concentrators Sanika Mahajan and Ryan Zhang found a new advocacy group dedicated to shedding light on issues experienced by the AAPI community By CHIDAMBARAM THILLAIRAJAH

A wide variety of clubs at Harvard focus the greater Harvard community by making immigration and settlement patterns, have on supporting the greater Asian American the initiatives addressing these issues more affected the standard of living of various and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. visible. AAPJ is policy-oriented and has subgroups of the community, as well as Certain student organizations encompass plans to focus on education initiatives investigating contemporary issues, such as broad areas of interest, such as the Asian designed to increase awareness of the most examining the obstructions that limit within- American Association, while groups like the pressing challenges currently faced by Asian group social and economic mobility. The goal Asian American Dance Troupe may celebrate Americans today. Zhang describes this as is to use this information to come up with more specific areas of interest. These groups a driving reason behind collaborating with policy-oriented solutions and help drive the have been foundational, but there remained “Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a political action needed to implement them. a niche left unoccupied on-campus: an national advocacy organization that engages Majahan elaborates on this approach: “Our advocacy organization specifically dedicated in “signing briefs to Supreme Court cases place in this is three-pronged; we strive to to expanding reach outside of the AAPI [and] coordinating Census counting efforts educate the Harvard community about these community. across the country.” Zhang also details plans issues and about effective allyship, advocate of “meeting with elected representatives in for policy change and recognition through Asian Americans for Political Justice is to push for policy changes that will direct interface with lawmakers, and fundraise a new AAPI advocacy group founded this help mitigate inequalities facing the Boston for organizations targeting similar problems.” semester by Sanika Mahajan ‘21 and Ryan AAPI community.” Zhang ‘21. Its goal is to complement the The AAPJ has informed the Independent groundwork done by other AAPI groups One of AAPJ’s primary areas of focus is that, this semester, they will be working with with an outreach-oriented approach; it aims on dispelling the myth of Asians as a model Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a non- to provide a functional understanding of the minority. This prevalent stereotype dates profit legal aid and civil rights organization. issues affecting the AAPI community to back several decades, portraying Asian For those interested in getting involved, Americans as an ideal example of they will be hosting an array of events in how immigration and integration the near future, including Know Your Rights “should” be. They have workshops, speaking events with Asian supposedly smoothly integrated American civic leaders, and political advocacy into American society and slowly meetings with local, state, and national elected climbed the meritocratic ladder representatives. to reach a state of personal Asian Americans for Political success, educational attainment, Justice can be reached at their website, and financial security. While asianamericanpoliticaljustice.org or at their this is a lovely narrative, it is email, [email protected]. fundamentally not reflective of reality. Asian Americans still disproportionately fall below Chidambaram Thillairajah ‘21 the poverty line. Furthermore, ([email protected]) writes Asian Americans are the News for the Indy. racial group with the greatest internal income inequality. The organization intends to explore how factors in Asian American life, such as historic

Courtesy of AAPJ

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 3 INDY FORUM Meet Zaya What Zaya can teach us about living our truths By MAYI HUGHES because they’re trying to be themselves?” Zaya tion. Comparing these numbers across differ- responds, “I know it can get tough, definitely, ent racial groups evokes even more concern. arlier this month, Gabrielle Union but I think you push through, and you be the New reports from the Trevor Project found that and Dwyane Wade’s child came out best you.” The video went viral, and rightfully transgender and non-binary youth are twice as as transgender with a heartwarming so. The wisdom showcased by Zaya has blown likely to attempt suicide in comparison to their InstagramE TV clip. The clip was widely shared on the internet away. At the age of 12, and while cisgender black LGBTQ+ peers. Researchers social media, with Zaya reminding us all, “Just making such a brave decision, how is she so have explained this trend as possibly being due be true to yourself because… what’s the point wise? How is she showcasing so much empathy to a lack of mental health treatment, racial dis- of being on this Earth if you’re going to try to and compassion to those who will bully her for crimination, and adverse childhood experienc- be someone you’re not? It’s like es. Transgender lives are in danger, and you’re not even living as yourself even moreso black transgender lives. which is the dumbest concept to Zaya’s public coming out is no doubt me.” The Wade family has since an important event for many black talked on several platforms, transgender youth across the globe. sharing their story as a family. Speaking on the Ellen Show, Dwy- With transgender suicide rates ane Wade described how his child’s concerningly high, the public coming out had transformed him as a nature of Zaya’s coming out has parent. “Zaya, our 12-year-old, came sparked a considerable amount home – I don’t know if everyone of discourse on social media. knows, originally named Zion; Zion, While the majority of this born as a boy – came home and said, conversation is positive, a stream ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I of transphobic conversation think going forward, and I’m ready to remains online, outraged at the live my truth. And I want to be refer- family’s acceptance of Zaya. enced as she and her. I’d love for you Her brave coming out has guys to call me Zaya,’” Wade recalled. reminded us of how far we have Wade and Union have openly talked to go as a society in promoting about the effort they have made to be- transgender rights and why it’s come educated on the LGBTQ+ com- important to live our truths. munity. “We didn’t change overnight Gabrielle Union captioned the – we weren’t immediately the perfect video announcement with the allies,” Dwyane admitted. “We reached words. out to black trans activists, advocates, "Meet Zaya. educators, and watched shows and She’s compassion- documentaries like Pose, Euphoria ate, loving, whip and The Death and Life of Marsha P. smart and we are Illustration Credit, Ava Salzman Johnson. Zaya had to educate us. She so proud of her. has always led. At times, we’ve had to catch up.” Wade and Union have been It’s OK to listen to, living her truth? commended by thousands online, being praised love & respect your children Transgender people are among the most as supportive, brave and loving parents to their exactly as they are. Love and marginalized in our society. Suicide rates for new daughter. Many noted how important it light good people.” transgender and gender-nonconforming people was to see a high-profile family in support of a are far higher than national averages. According In the clip, Zaya is seen candidly sharing a family member coming out. conversation with her father. Zaya remarks “Be to the National Center for Transgender Equal- true, and don’t really care what the ‘stereotypi- ity’s 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 40 percent However, not all of the cal way’ of being you is.” Wade, 38, then asks of adult respondents reported having attempted online public response was his daughter, “Even when people are being suicide in their lifetime – almost nine times the as supportive as one would mean, and even when people are getting hurt attempted suicide rate in the wider U.S. popula- hope.

4 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe Harvard Independent Independent •2.27.20 04.25.19 INDY FORUM Meet Zaya, continued. When scrolling through the tweets, stories the rifeness of homophobia and transphobia, and natural concepts are normalized within and think pieces, it would be hard to ignore I asked some Harvard undergraduates about our communities, mental health resources can the undercurrent of transphobia which many their take on this intolerance within the black be better allocated, and trans well-being more are feeding into. Worryingly, many of these community in the wake of Zaya’s coming out. respected. transphobic comments have come from rappers Jada Jones ‘22, a sociology concentrator, noted, In light of it all, Zaya’s coming out teaches us with huge social followings. Rapper Young “There’s so much internalised and expressed all about how important it is to live our truths. Thug tweeted: “All I wanna say to dwade son is homophobia and transphobia in the black In spite of the hate, Zaya seems to triumph in 'GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES' but hey live community. I think that having contemporary knowing she is being her most authentic self. I your true self.” Another rapper, Boosie, also influential black figures supporting trans think we could all learn something from Zaya’s shared his spiteful view, going on an incoherent youth is super valuable.” Naomi Jennings ‘23 bravery. It’s difficult to prioritize your feelings expletive-filled rant on his Instagram story: noted of the “bravery” it must have taken for sometimes. It’s hard to put your wants first, “That is a male. A 12-year-old. At 12, they Zaya to reject “hypermasculinity,” especially before the expectations of your family and don't even know what they next meal gonna coming from a family of an athlete. Miah Corie society. It takes even more courage to choose to be,” said Boosie, misgendering Zaya in the ‘23 said, “I love that Dwyane and Gabrielle’s live a truth which so many people are offended process. These are only a few of the hateful support was so public. A big step in the right by. But as Zaya herself said, “What’s the point comments shared online – by celebrities, with direction against transphobia and homophobia of being on this Earth if you’re going to try to an impressionable following, no doubt. in the black community.” The black Harvard be someone you’re not?” students I talked to were unwaveringly in While sifting through the hateful comments, support of Zaya, showing that hope prevails Mayi Hughes ‘23 (anandamayihughes@ it is easy to see the high concentration of the black for a better discourse on LGBTQ+ discourse college.harvard.edu) believes in transgender community who support these intolerant views. within our communities. If dialogue is created truths being celebrated. As someone who’s always been confused about Junior Family Weekend Who did you bring along to campus? By MIMI TARRANT were having. Throw in a comment about class on Fridays, you may have noticed the back Harvard’s progressive liberalism, and the set rows of your lectures filled with over-eager unior Family Weekend: three words that will be complete. Yet we can’t complain: With parents, oblivious to the fact that they may have can fill a Harvard student with dread, these inevitably being the family members that walked into one of the most boring, attendance- excitement, or, for the internationals keep the endowment fund ever-flowing, there’s mandatory classes to ever have been given at amongJ us, indifference. We all know that the a fair chance that they themselves funded the Harvard (at least in the eyes of the 50 half-asleep Harvard family is as diverse as its student body, above-average food that magically appeared in students enrolled in the class). Everyone knows so here’s a small sample of the personalities you the dining halls over the weekend. So while we that class on Friday should be forbidden, and, if may have found descending upon the Square may have our reservations about our alumni, family members spent more than one weekend at this past weekend. remember those cheese and crackers you spent this place they’d be sure to realize that as well. The Alum so long enjoying in Winthrop d-hall for Saturday Yet there they were, more than doubling the Without beating around the bush, any Harvard lunch, and just be grateful we can prosper in numbers of each class they walked in. At least family event inevitably brings a large proportion some way from Harvard’s controversial legacy the professors finally got some participation in of alumni back to its campus. While the Harvard system. their Friday lectures. College Fund won’t be complaining, for family The Academic Classes were not the only place where the members and tour guides alike this can lead With Harvard being the type of place that it academic family members thrived;academic to an excruciating number of “Back in my is, it is of course inevitable that Junior Family family members thrived; the obnoxiously loud day...” and “This is how we used to do it…”, all Weekend brings with it a whole host of the “Harvard Family of 2021” pin not only helped employed in a semi-passive-aggressive way to weird, wacky and wonderful family members distinguish family members from generic, anger- remind everyone that yes, they went to Harvard. that helped create the Class of 2021. With this inducing tourists in the Yard, but also gave them From Final Club legacies to old Harvard Band comes those who are genuinely interested, free access to various places on campus, such trumpeters, each alum has their say about how if not a little bit intimidated, by what actually as libraries and art museums. These acted as the the campus is being run, and how their child happens behind the walls of the classrooms. perfect escape on Sunday afternoon, when the just isn’t having the grand old experience they For those students unfortunate enough to have novelty of having parents on campus was waning

The Harvard Independent • 04.25.19 harvardindependent.com 5 INDY FORUM "Junior Family Weekend," continued. thin. Shipping the academic family member off to The Doting One the closest museum, and hoping that they managed to For some, Junior Family Weekend is the time get lost in the Harvard Museum of Natural History in where their life gets back on track. Their bed can the same manner that you do every time you enter into finally be made, their room cleaned, and their washing that maze, was possibly the best move of the whole done, all by their loving family members. These are weekend. Not that we are speaking from experience, the students who are in their third year of college, of course. but still haven’t gotten round to finding out where The Nostalgic One the washing machines are in their House, and will probably manage to graduate without ever having We all know that Harvard’s social scene can be cleaned their dorm room. A student springs to mind lacking at the best of times, so what better way to who refused to pay the extortionate prices at CVS for spice things up than to throw some family members a new bottle of body wash, but simply did not have in the mix? For those who were daring enough, this time to venture out to somewhere cheaper, and so weekend brought up some great opportunities for had used shampoo instead for two straight weeks. In family bonding, Harvard night-life style. What better swooped the family members this weekend, turning way to understand Harvard’s late-night culture than a blind eye to their child’s inability to actually live an El Jefe’s trip at 12am? Mather JCR could always and instead providing the care and assistance that was bring back memories of your family members’ good so desperately needed. Long live the distorting effect old days in college, if their experience also consisted that Harvard has on some of its students’ hygiene of packed, uncomfortable rooms where the windows priorities, and here's to hoping that those students were literally dripping with the condensed sweat of either find someone who can turn a blind eye, or that a thousand first-years. Word is that family drinking they earn enough money in the future to employ a games happened every weekend night at the Fly, full-time cleaner. Boy will they need it. but of course, how would we all know about that? Ultimately, maybe it's best to not have let family Mimi Tarrant ‘21 ([email protected]. members venture out into Harvard’s social scene: edu) had fun observing all the awkward parent-family Illustration Credit, Natalie Sicher If nothing else, you don’t want your non-existent, interactions that happened this weekend on campus. questionable social life to be the but of all the jokes at the next family gathering.

Illustration Credit, Ava Salzman

6 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe Independent Harvard Independent 2.27.20 • 04.25.19 INDY ARTS Gloria Is My Life An impactful play takes the stage at Loeb By JEN EASON

he biggest sin is sitting on yo’ from us. I had to giggle at the blatant sexism that rian!” Men weren’t the enemy. Gender was. ass!” laughed the short actress filled the ads. Is it any better now, I wondered playing Flo Kennedy. to myself. Though (maybe) less visible, is it any But even though it didn’t seem like it in “T less prevalent? Or has it just snuck in the back my small hometown, men and women today Which is exactly what I was doing. On a woo- are anything but equal. Back in Cambridge, I den bench with a plush, brightly primary-colo- door of our subconscious instead of knocking on watched as Gloria spoke with women about their red pillow behind me in the Loeb Drama Center the front? coat-hanger abortions, wife-beating husbands, at A.R.T., where Gloria: A Life was playing. I In the swinging ’60s, we watched Gloria stru- and suffocating careers as housewives. I realized was sitting and watching Gloria Steinmen’s ggle as a young female writer in a male-domina- I wasn’t egalitarian. I was just lucky. These we- glorious tale be told before my eyes, on a floor ted field. Again, the daily, degrading harassment ren’t my stories, but there was no reason they made of a patchwork of old Persian rugs, ma- made me laugh to myself quietly because they couldn’t be. When asked about the feminist mo- king it look more like a church basement than felt too absurd to be true. But as Gloria explai- vement that she was creating out of her own and a stage. All it needed was generic-brand coo- ned to the audience again and again and again, many others’ blood, sweat, tears, and words of kies and styrofoam coffee cups. Plus, there was “You can’t make this sh*t up!” You can’t make empowerment, Gloria said, “The problem isn’t already a middle-aged woman talking at me. up sh*t like being thrown out of a hotel for loo- men, it’s the masculine role.” Her words reso- Patricia Kalember, as Gloria, strode onto the sta- king like a call girl, being sent undercover to nated in my heart, in my core, and in my veins. ge like there was no place she’d rather be and work as a Playboy Bunny, and having to get “We need to liberate men, too.” welcomed us all to the show. The fourth wall a doctor to forge documents in order to get an crumbled and she trampled the pieces under her abortion. Things like that have simply never Yes, I thought! That was exactly what I had black platform shoes. The windblown curls and happened to me. been thinking for four years now! If this were feminism, I loved feminism! If you Google “fe- bell-bottom jeans reminded me of my mother’s On reflection, this may be why I’ve never felt minism,” as I later did, it will tell you that it’s middle school photos. Six other women of all very connected to the feminist movement. My the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of shapes, colors, sizes and ages materialized from roots run deep in southern Iowa. It wasn’t the equality of the sexes. Feminism is equality, des- within the audience and joined the bright ball of hippest or most modern place you can grow up, pite the slander its opponents throw at it. This is joy standing center stage. but I never felt the heavy hand of the patriarchy Hamilton, I thought, but instead of the founding The older members of the audience were in my town of less than a thousand. My teachers fathers, it’s the founding feminists. Just without transported back to the ’50s. I was living it for didn’t mind that I was smart, my coaches encou- the music. At this point the seven beautiful wo- the first time. Projectors brought a TV to life on raged me to be athletic, and my peers didn’t stop men on stage unleashed a slow a capella version the white panels hanging above the stands across sitting with me at lunch when I decided to stop of “We Shall Overcome.” I stood corrected. shaving and cut my hair short. That being About a week ago, my best friend commented said, some of my that he had never seen me cry, and I couldn’t closest friends were remember the last time I’d shed a tear. Probably the ones who intro- while watching Les Miserables. (You will notice duced me to the term that musicals are a common theme in everything “feminazi.” “Femi- I do. I don’t apologize.) In the semi-darkness, nism” was a dirty my friend on one side and a stranger on the term for radicals, for other, surprised tears sprung to my eyes. I duc- Man-haters. And I ked my head into my sleeve and sniffle-sobbed didn’t hate men. I lo- as quietly as I could while Gloria told us about ved my dad, my little her mother and how society had snuffed out her brothers (most of the bright future. We went back to a time that I had time), and my male lived before, watching on the hanging screens as friends. “I’m not a women all over the world, including the actual feminist,” I determi- Gloria, marched in protest of the last U.S. presi- ned after taking Intro dential election. to Sociology junior Afterwards, in what the play called a “talking Photo Credit, APrioiPhotography.com year. “I’m an egalita- circle” with the audience, I would have gone

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 7 INDY ARTS Gloria Is My Life, continued. ture, but the gender gap sitting in front of us is equality can resonate with everyone’s humanity, still gaping at us. By the time they’re old, I hope regardless of chromosomes or country. Many of for the microphone if I thought I could get out these women don’t have to carry signs saying “I us in the audience, especially me, were already a sentence without sobbing. Instead, I listened can’t believe I’m still marching for this sh*t.” sympathetic to the cause of gender equality, so to other audience members, including a 13-ye- As for me, I will do my best to take on Gloria’s maybe no one’s ideals were radically changed, ar-old girl who was there with her two moms dare to “Do something radical today!” in order but hopefully this was a small step in the right and grandmother. They were all “kick-ass” fe- to fight for equality. She has given me hope as a direction for everyone involved. It was for me. minists, which made her one too, “I guess.” She young writer who has “radical” thoughts about “You write whatcha need!” Gloria said about her had started a secret Gay-Straight Alliance club gender slow cooking in her head. (We can talk book Revolution from Within. I hope I’ve done at her school, through which she had educated a more about gender abolitionism later.) That is her proud because this is what I needed. Thank girl who “didn’t even know what bisexual was.” what brought me to tears: the knowledge that I you, Gloria. Another talked about the struggles of being can do what I love to brighten the world. My a young black woman, and speaking out even (Gloria: A Life plays until March 1st at the depth of connection might also come from the though “the adults give us a voice, but don’t Loeb Drama Center at the American Repertory fact that Gloria and I both share the background want to listen.” Theater.) of being white Midwestern women (corn con- Young people may speak of hope for the fu- nects), but I hope that the message of justice and Jen Eason ([email protected]) has many more thoughts on jender (he he). "No Shame" In Being Yourself: A Night with Eric Nam Singer-songwriter Eric Nam returns to Boston for a sold-out show at the Royale Written by CELINA HOLLMICHEL Interview by CELINA HOLLMICHEL and WOOJIN LIM

inger-songwriter Eric Nam returned show, Star Audition: Birth Of A Great Star 2. derstandable, given Nam’s alma mater, Bos- to Boston last Friday for a sold-out While he is also well-known and apprecia- ton College. His show would surely attract show at the Royale, promoting his ted for his roles as radio star, podcaster, and dedicated locals. firstS all-English album “Before We Begin.” TV host in , his career is most At 7:45 p.m. on the dot, the lights in the ve- Before the show, the -born artist talked noteworthy for the way in which his music nue turned off. The audience roared with exci- about differences in the Korean and US music overcomes borders, as he creates a style that tement, as a single spotlight focused solely scenes, finding your own style, and life as an goes beyond any kind of labels. on Eric Nam entering the stage. He opened Asian-American pop-musician. “The barriers are coming down and I think his concert with a crowd favorite, “Come Korean pop, and more generally Hallyu it’s exciting,” Nam says during his interview Through,” which built excitement from the (“”), has been on the rise since about the recent developments in the music first second. While upbeat and familiar, the the late 1990s. The Korean film Parasite just world. As a Korean-American artist, Eric Nam pop song is uniquely Nam, its catchy chorus made history as the first international film to does not simply identify as a “K-Pop Idol”: immediately animating the crowd to join the win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and “Instead of making me like somebody else, vocally evocative performance. The song well-known K-pop group BTS topped the iTu- I can do something that’s distinctly Eric Nam and accompanying dance sequences were nes charts across the globe with the release of that only I can do because I’m Korean-Ame- well-received, not just by Nam’s fans but also their new album “Map of the Soul: 7.” While rican. That was like years of discussion, and their friends, significant others, and parents, the talent on display seems undeniable, the- we got to that point. I’d say from the Honestly many of whom were clearly here as a favor re remains a stigma around culturally diverse album to this last album Before We Begin, the- to someone. Songs such as super-hit “No Sha- influences and representation in the arts. re’s a color that I’ve established as Eric Nam me” or the newer “Congratulations” were all Korean-American musician Eric Nam is sound that people in Korea are like ‘Eric’s al- equally engaging, yet different in style. Nam one of the artists working against this stigma bum is gonna be a very pop-driven American moved from thrilling melodies to bare voice and setting an example for this new direction album,’ which I’m excited about.” without missing a beat, and the audience lo- ved it. His four backup dancers completed the of cultural appreciation. Born and raised in Nam’s personal style draws people in. Be- Atlanta, , Eric Nam graduated from exquisite and elaborately-developed stage set- fore the venue opened its doors, many fans ting. While his tunes switched from lively pop with a B.A. in International had already been waiting in the cold Boston Studies and Asian Studies before making his songs with rap and R&B elements to softer winter for hours to secure the best spots in the lyrical explorations, he continued holding on singing debut on the South Korean casting pit. Many of these were college students – un-

8 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe HarvardIndependent Independent 2.27.20 • 04.25.19 INDY ARTS "No Shame," continued. to that specific Eric Nam touch. way, neither cliché nor repetitive, but relevant, honest, personal, and truthful. After explaining first couple rows behind the barricade. And The event was going to be “half concert and the response to this very intimate part of the half TED-talk,” he later half-jokingly explai- some of the hardships on his journey to inter- national renown, he thanked the audience: concert was entirely positive: A sea of flash- ned during the first short break between songs. lights announced the collective understanding Nam seemed very willing to impress his fans “So, the point is: you being here is not only of the pain caused by love, slowly running out. not simply with his excellent musical perfor- a cool moment and a great memorable expe- mance but also with his smart ideas and genui- rience for me and hopefully for you, but you Despite the diversity of characters in the ne, well-spoken views. Reminiscing about his guys are taking part in a cultural movement venue, or perhaps because of it, everyone days in Boston, he said: that pushes for diversity. So thank you so could relate to Eric Nam’s songs. After more much.” songs in his joyful and rhythmic pop style, he “Boston is one of those cool cities where turned back to the direct conversation with his it feels like a second home. [...] There’s so- His speech was followed by cheering and audience. He talked about his mom disappro- mething about it that makes me feel like I’m loud shouts both in English and Korean. He ving of his “too-much-sexiness on stage.” kind of coming home, every time I’m here. made everyone feel like a part of something He talked about his brother’s wedding. What I’m excited for the show tonight, and I hope to bigger. was already an immersive concert experience just keep coming back whenever I can.” Afterwards, he continued to play the songs became a chat in a living room, in which every He continued by expressing his surprise on his setlist, which were as diverse as his au- single person felt like he was directly talking about a sold-out show in his college town, dience. In a mixture of Korean, English, and to them. He finished up by saying: considering the difficulties of “making it” in Konglish songs, he further showed off his “As an Asian-Americans, we’re at a very the United States as an Asian American artist: charming personality and voice. Most of his critical point where we need more young peo- “But you guys are here. And the reason songs were personal, almost intimate. With ple to be excited and get involved. If forever that's crazy is because, me, a southern Korean “Love Die Young,” he explored an emotional people were like “You can’t do it because American kid from Georgia had to go to Korea format of pop music. With his backup dancers you’re Asian”– that’s the stupidest thing. You to be able to come and sing for you guys in off-stage, the spotlight again focused solely can do whatever you want now. [...] For any- Boston. And it's absolutely insane to me that I on Eric Nam, who used this opportunity to body, just pursue what you love and you’ll get can do this for a career, but also the fact that I get closer to his fans. While he sat on the edge there. I just keep repeating myself but that’s had to go to Korea also blows my mind.” of the stage in an almost vulnerable way, he it.” deepened the connection to the people in the This was just one of his many And that was it. No more, no less. appeals for more cultural inclusion Celina Hollmichel ’22 (hollmichel@ and diversity. Nam talked about the college.harvard.edu) regrets having issue of inclusivity in a personal started the interview with an album-title

Photo Credit, Celina Hollmichel

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 9 INDY ARTS Painting Edo: Japanese Art from the Feinberg Collection Hanging scrolls, folding screens, and painted fans invite Harvard Art Museum visitors to imagine these objects animated once more, 300 years later By LUCY HAMILTON merging and mediating different themes, styles, I could sense she was growing bored by the practices, and ways of life. The paintings in this exhibition’s lack of surface-level shock-value. ome one, come all, to Painting Edo, exhibition present a meditation between the While not as outrageously eye-catching as say, the largest exhibition ever presented classical vs. the contemporary; sophistication Marina Abramović’s contemporary performance by the . This vs. crudeness; East vs. West; creating art for art, this exhibition still bursted with compelling historicC exhibition features Robert S. (Harvard the maker vs. the patron; the monochrome vs. instances of non-conformity and 18th-century Class of ’61) and Betsy G. Feinberg’s extensive the polychrome; the “boundary-pushing.” private collection of over 120 paintings, hailing from Japan’s Edo period (1615-1868). Painting Let us look no further than Ikeno Taiga’s Edo showcases a comprehensive collection of literati painting, Chinese Musicians. Taiga was paintings which have persisted across millennia an independent practitioner hailing from Kyoto and continue to shape our contemporary who painted in the mid-18th-century. In this ink understanding of Japan’s cultural and artistic painting, Taiga uses his fingertips and nails in zenith. the place of a calligraphy brush to suggest the stylistic archetype of amateurism. This piece By the early 18th-century, Edo (modern- was allegedly painted in front of an audience and day Tokyo) was the largest city in the world: thus can be classified as a vestige of performance home to over one million inhabitants. During art. Taiga sought to convey virtuosic amateurism the latter half of the 1800s, Edo experienced an through his abandonment of the conventional unprecedented expansion of pictorial culture. paintbrush. He painted on the floor to further This cultural boom was, in part, due to the exaggerate the desired effects of improvisatory governing hand of the Tokugawa Shogunate roughness and a lack of professional polish. who secured an epoch of peacetime and allowed Chinese Musicians has an unparalleled corporeal for the city’s new chapter of urbanization, quality which represents Taiga’s stylistic attempt economic prosperity and burgeoning of visual at enlivening and re-corporealizing imagery arts and literature. The commoner class was, in copied from the Kanō school’s popular, printed turn, afforded the economic agency to patronize painting manual. Each scratch and smudge of Edo painters and adorn their lives with art. At pigment marks the exact instances where Taiga’s this time, the luxury of art collecting, previously inked hands came into physical contact with the known only by the upper echelons of society, paper. His decision to apply paint to the paper was democratized. The number of people who scroll in this unconventional fashion establishes owned paintings (not to mention, the number of Photo Credit, Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums a sense of artistic immediacy, performance, and paintings each individual owned) skyrocketed. authenticity, nearly 300 years later. Art became increasingly accessible across social aesthetic of amateurism vs. professionalism. strata, and new audiences emerged to consume Early Modern Japanese paintings embody Japanese Edo painters pushed the boundaries the enormous variety and quantity of paintings, artistic originality alongside inflections and of East Asian art through their furtherance promoting artistic production. imports from Chinese-style literati ink painting, of amateurism as a rhetorical ideal and their established Japanese stylistic schools and inclusion of suggestive imagery. Various While this collection remains cohesive, lineages, and even pictorial traditions associated paintings in the Painting Edo exhibition depict paintings from the Edo period are strikingly with European landscape paintings. These artists ukiyo – the “floating world” – through imagery diverse in subject matter and treatment. Painting cultivated their identities as artistic iconoclasts inspired by Edo’s legalized brothel and theater Edo presents visitors with paintings depicted on who refused to align with just one particular district. Edo period painters celebrated the an astounding range of media: hanging scrolls, practice, style, or tradition. sensorial intensity and ephemerality associated folding screens, sliding doors, fan paintings, with the pleasures of food, drink, music, and and woodblock-printed books. Drawing upon I walked through this exhibition for the first sex. Ukiyo imagery departed markedly from East Asian history and literature, the range time with my sister, who favors contemporary art the conservative, religious and virtuosic subject of paintings portray the natural world as well for its eclectic weirdness and ability to explicitly matter associated with its East Asian artistic as people engaged in work, warfare and play. push boundaries. After a cursory walk through precedents which promoted the (trite) principles Painters of this period were self-proclaimed the gallery space and a shared acknowledgment of permanence, moral integrity, modesty, “non-conformists,” with a keen interest in of the paintings’ collective aesthetic beauty, and loyalty. Ukiyo imagery was much more

10 harvardindependent.com The Harvard Independent • 04.25.19 INDY ARTS "Painting Edo," continued.

titillating. Before long, it had captivated the ceremonies and kept the summer heat at bay; trajectory of painting in the West. The Japanese collective eye of the emerging merchant class it was offered as a gift and served as a stylish export of Edo paintings to Europe had a and had stimulated a sustained artistic demand adornment. I experience the fan in its museum tremendous impact in the late 19th-century. The for contemporary subject matter. context, divorced from its vibrant existence as subject matter, perspective, and composition both a beautiful and functional object. Today, we of Japanese woodblock prints, and ukiyo-e My favorite part of the exhibition is the can only imagine the splendor of the Japanese inspired an artistic culture of Japonism in collection of painted fans, its folded paper and fan, animated. Europe which had a profound impact on the bamboo striking me as unexpected painting Impressionism and Art Nouveau movements. surfaces. When the fan is closed, the painted Japanese art from the latter part of the Edo image remains hidden; it must be opened – period resonated far beyond the epoch itself, to activated – to be seen. The painted fan is personal inform an international interchange and inspire and transportable. The fan marks the passage of art movements across the globe. The Painting time and the cyclical nature of seasons with its Edo exhibition’s multivalence implores you to emergence from hibernation to combat the heat visit multiple times before its close on July 26, of a Japanese summer. I am captured by the fan’s 2020. multifaceted identity as an art object, accessory, and utilitarian device. The ambiguity of this Lucy Hamilton ‘21 (lucyhamilton@college. material object establishes a point of tension harvard.edu) is the Born-Again Edo Painting that challenges our conception of “art” as a one- fanatic. dimensional aesthetic object which hangs on the walls of a museum and serves no practical purpose. The fan is multilayered and kinetic; Exhibition Dates: February Photo Credit, Lucy Hamilton it evades trivialization and initiates a discourse 14, 2020 - July 26, 2020 around our preconceived notions of art vs. craft. The expansion of Japanese pictorial culture Location: Third floor of the The fan was crafted to be animated, unfurled, not only resonated domestically but transcended Fogg (Harvard Art Museum) and folded. It summoned the gods during ritual the East Asian archipelago to influence the

The Sculpture Across From Lamont The Independent learns more about Henry Moore’s Large Four Piece Reclining Figure By GRAHAM WALTER a high level of fame in One of Moore’s favorite themes of his post- 1948. Typically inspired war art is the subject in this very piece: the by animal bones, pebb- reclining female figure. Experiencing the art The bronze Large Four Piece Recli- les, and general natural is almost surreal and somewhat ironic placed ning Figure by Henry Moore has sat phenomena found in landscape, Moore began in front of , where people do in the courtyard near Lamont and to diverge from the representative form as anything but recline. When observed though, HoughtonT Libraries as a staple piece for nearly seen in his pre-war sculptures. the fixture achieves its mission by helping the 50 years. Harvard received the work of art in The new pieces were often enlarged bronze viewer escape, a necessary job after an un- the early 1970s, and it has remained on-cam- casts that seemed somewhat more ubiquitous dergraduate emerges from Lamont after pul- pus since then. The sculpture is part of a larger than his pre-war sculptures. In the earlier pe- ling an all-nighter. series known under the same name with other riod, Moore adhered more to the British mo- Large Four Piece Reclining Figure by Hen- locations in San Francisco, California, Kofu, dernistic credo of carving the final product, ry Moore is carved from alabaster, or a soft Japan, and Perry Green, Hertfordshire, Eng- which changed in the latter period when he mineral commonplace in sculpting. The bone land as run by the Henry Moore Foundation. would create a Marquette (or a model) that or stone-like shapes reflect not only Moore’s This sculpture strives to impart a surreal im- would create a cast and finally create sub- interest in organic scenes but also his fixations pact on the viewer. Henry Moore’s multiple sequent casts. Moore slowly became the go- on the inorganic, inevitably found when loo- features in Tate’s galleries attest to his bril- to sculptor around the world, especially in the ked at in the right angle. liance. A native of England, he was bombarded 1960s. with many public commissions after reaching The new pieces were often enlarged bronze

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 11 INDY ARTS "The Sculpture Across From Lamont," continued.

that seemed somewhat more ubiqui- tous than his pre-war sculptures. In the earlier period, Moore adhered more to the British modernistic credo of carving the final product, which changed in the latter period when he would create a Marquette (or a model) that would crea- te a cast and finally create subsequent casts. Moore slowly became the go-to sculptor around the world, especially in the 1960s. One of Moore’s favorite themes of his post-war art is the subject in this very piece: the reclining female figure. Expe- riencing the art is almost surreal and so- mewhat ironic placed in front of Lamont Library, where people do anything but recline. When observed though, the fix- ture achieves its mission by helping the viewer escape, a necessary job after an undergraduate emerges from Lamont af- ter pulling an all-nighter. Large Four Piece Reclining Figure by Henry Moore is carved from alabaster, Photo Credit, Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums or a soft mineral commonplace in sculpting. The bone or stone-like shapes reflect not only The capricious weather of New England tue, the wax is ultimately less noticeable. Moore’s interest in organic scenes but also his also harms the work. Acid rain darkens its sur- The common substance is also easy to apply fixations on the inorganic, inevitably found face, leaving behind oxidized patches. Though on, so the statue can be easily preserved. when looked at in the right angle. little can be done about the rain, counteractive methods prevent the bronze statue from beco- Finally, climbing is discouraged. The shape was somewhat revolutionary at ming as green as the Statue of Liberty. Inter- the time, as it combined prehistoric art with The donor of this piece was David Bakalar, estingly, the Harvard Bixi, the Chinese marble the abstract observed in Picasso. Each piece a member of the Harvard Class of ‘46. Moo- stele outside of Widener, is wrapped in green appears abstract, but the shapes start to blur re sold his pieces on the condition that they tarp for this same reason; the acid rain would the lines between the representation and the would live on to be publicly displayed, which make the easily dissolvable marble all too si- interpretation. Moore is aware of this effect, was his intention while crafting his work. So, milar to swiss cheese. If temperatures do not sayingin Gallery Label in September 2004 it was only fitting to display the sculpture at warm, snow can remain on the statue for long that the “knees and breasts are mountains.” Harvard, which welcomes approximately periods of time, so its cost to the statue can be Once these different “parts become separated, 650,000 annual visitors. greater. you don’t expect it to be a naturalistic figure,” I hope that the next time you walk by this and therefore, it is justifiable to make it “like a No matter, the Large Four Piece Reclining sculpture, you view the piece in a new light. landscape or not.” Figure is well taken care of considering its lar- Find your own interpretation of the Large ge price tag and historic value. Wrapping the Harvard is taking several steps to preserve Four Piece Reclining Figure by one of Brit- sculptures is only a small percentage of what this work, which has a value estimated to be ain’s foremost artists. Appreciate the art pep- Harvard does. Conservators have replaced $500,000. Over time, the sculpture's surface pered on our campus. Chances are the art is the coating of the original sculpture from a has accumulated scratches. Ideally, if Harvard more important than what the modest display lacquer-like substance, susceptible to corro- could bring back the luster present when it implies. ding, to wax, a more impermeable substance. was first brought to campus, it would be con- When scratched, wax forms a softer pattern of Graham Walter ‘21 (grahamwalter@colle- sidered a big win in the art community. oxidation. So, when rivulets line the sta ge.harvard.edu) writes Arts for the Indy.

12 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe Independent Harvard Independent 2.27.20 • 04.25.19 INDY SPORTS New Heights Harvard Track & Field captain Erick Duffy comments on Armand Duplantis breaking pole vaulting record By ELIZABETH GUMMER

rmand Duplantis, more commonly Harvard Track & Field captain and record- known as Mondo, broke the world holding pole vaulter Erick Duffy ‘21 has com- bar.” record in the pole vault not once, but peted against Duplantis throughout both his high The new heights set by Duplantis this year twice,A this past week. At just 20 years old, the school and college career, the last time being at give reason for Duffy to question the limits of hu- young Swedish vaulter has plenty of potential to the NCAA Division Outdoor Track and Field man possibility, given “what he has jumped this improve upon this record in the upcoming sea- Championships in June 2019. Duffy weighed year already has given new meaning to what is son. in on the world record, expressing awe, but not possible in this sport.” Duffy believes Mondo ex- The previous record stood at 20 feet 2½ inch- surprise. emplifies the possibility of what is to come “not es, or 6.16 meters, and was set by Renaud Lavil- “He’s such an interesting case. I would say just in the vault, but in every event… Mondo is lenie in 2014. To break it, Duplantis would have it’s the first time in track history that everybody an incredible athlete, but he isn’t the pinnacle of to jump over 10 centimeters higher than his pre- unanimously knew that a person was going to human evolution in track and field. He has shown vious personal record that stood at 6.05 meters. break the world record,” Duffy commented. “For that if you truly dedicate your life to your craft Starting his 2020 season off strong, Duplantis Mondo, it wasn’t an ‘if’, but ‘when.’” then there is no telling what you can achieve.” jumped 6.00 meters in his first competition of the In the Glasgow competition, Duplantis cleared With the championships for Duffy year, already showing world record promise. the world record bar by what Duffy estimated to around the corner, the success of young Duplan- By clearing an astonishing 6.17 meters in To- be “at least 8 inches.” Concerning his future pros- tis offers inspiration for reaching new heights this run, Poland on February 8th, Mondo was able pects in the event, Duffy explained, “People who indoor season. to secure the record for himself, raised by just are very knowledgeable about this sport had an Elizabeth Gummer ‘21 (elizabethgummer@ a single centimeter. Never satisfied, the young idea about what he would eventually jump in his college.harvard.edu) writes Sports for the Indy. jumper returned to competition just a week lat- career. People thought 6.17, 6.20, and some even er in Glasgow and went on to just 6.18 meters, 6.25. I’m afraid that isn’t even close to what he adding another centimeter to his record set just a can actually jump… In his 4th meet, he put the week before. bar up to another world record and came down on it from having almost a foot of space over the

Illustration Credit, Ava Salzman

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 13 INDY SPORTS Econ1042: Sports Economics The Independent sits down with lecturer Judd Cramer By MARY JULIA KOCH and ANNIE COLLOREDO-MANSFELD

The responses have been edited for brevity cause he was shooting a lot of long two’s, and are doing a little bit more traditional Wall and clarity. even though he scored a lot of points, he took Street consulting things, but I wouldn’t be he Independent recently had the a lot of shots.” In my mind, to resolve some of surprised if in ten years a lot of them make chance to speak with lecturer Judd those debates, you do need a little bit of statis- their way back to sports. I played on the club Cramer, who, alongside serving on tical training, but I try to make it as accessible baseball team at Northwestern… none of us theT undergraduate advising team for the Eco- as possible. went into sports, and we just had our ten year reunion, and one of my friends is the head of nomics department, currently teaches ECON INDY: How long have you taught this the draft for the Toronto Blue Jays and another 1042: Sports Economics. He shed light on the course for? How long has this class been is working for the Yankees and now I’m teach- importance of sports economics, illuminating taught at Harvard? ing sports economics. It’s like, you have this the opportunities it has in store for students JC: I’ve been at Harvard for four years and prospecting the future of the field. interest and then I think through these winding now, so I taught it to sophomores for two turns, I think people will make their way back INDY: Why are you interested in sports years and that was more of an introductory there. But not too many go directly there. Al- economics, and what initially piqued your level course… and then this is my second though last year, there was a company called interest in the subject? year teaching it to a big group. The interest in SimpleBet that was trying to use machine JC: As a kid, I was a huge NY Mets fan, sports has only increased, so that’s why I was learning to revolutionize sports betting, and I so just following along with that team really approached to try to teach the class, and I was think they hired four or five students just from instilled in me a love of sports. I’ve been play- super happy to jump in. my class. ing my whole life… I wanted to stay involved INDY: Is there a typical demographic of INDY: What are the kinds of jobs and when I went to Northwestern University for students in your class? opportunities that sports economics stu- undergrad. I studied labor economics; I wrote JC: In economics in general, we have a lot dents can pursue? my dissertation on long term unemployment, of concentrators who are athletes, but I was was working in the Obama administration JC: We talk about Moneyball a lot; that was really happy with the amount of representa- sort of the first time in baseball that they used on that and then when I came here, I thought tion I’ve had in the class both this year and that’s what I was going to do, but it turns out numbers to figure things out with the Oakland last year. I’ll talk about baseball, and I’ll have A’s. Jonah Hill in the movie says he went to there was a lot of demand from the students maybe forty percent of the class [that] won’t for Sports Econ. They asked me if I would be Yale, but he was actually based off of Paul De- know the rules of baseball at all; so, we’ll re- Podesta who was an [Economics] concentra- interested… and I was really excited to take ally start from the bottom and build up. I did the time to develop a class, so I did a lot of tor at Harvard. So actually there are a lot of a paper about pulling the goalie in hockey: if [Economics] concentrators, and actually the reading on my own and structured this new the person sitting next to somebody is on the class, and I’ve been teaching it since then. Cleveland Brown’s new General Manager is a Harvard hockey team and has been playing 32-year-old former [Economics] concentrator INDY: Does this class mainly apply to hockey their whole life, it’s going to be hard in named Andrew Barry; he played on the foot- US sports teams, and do you think it’s re- two lectures to get them up to the same level. ball team… they can use [the skills that I’m ally accessible to international students, or [Diversity] is something that I’m very teaching them] in sports, but they can use it in people who have never taken an economics aware of. In sports economics, there’s been a business or in management or in government course before, or don’t play sports? huge overrepresentation of white, cis males, or working for a Fed or something like that. JC: Yeah, I’m trying to make it as acces- so I’m trying to do whatever I can to highlight INDY: Would you say there has been a sible to everybody as possible. Last class, for both sports where people aren’t represented in push for teams to hire highly educated, Ivy example, I discussed bicycle racing; there and papers written by some of the underrepre- League students, rather than say, former was some rule change in the Tour de France, sented groups. players to work on sports analytics? and then we talked about corruption in sumo INDY: Do you know if a decent amount wrestling… What I really like about sports JC: Yeah, the balance is shifting. So fa- of your students go on to work in the field mously, John Harbaugh – who is a coach of economics is that [you] can say, “Allan Iver- of sports economics? son was the best player of all time,” and I can the Baltimore Ravens – changed his fourth say, “Actually he wasn’t that efficient be- JC: My sense is that their first job out of down strategy dramatically from last year to college, at least [Economics] concentrators, this year. There was a profile that said the

14 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe Independent Harvard Independent 2.27.20 • 04.25.19 INDY SPORTS Econ1042: Sports Economics, continued.

team hired a 24-year-old behavioral econo- ics classes offered in colleges in general? It JC: In general, when I was a kid, the idea mist from Yale, and that person sits in the does not seem like a super common field. that a computer could ever beat a human in booth and calls during the fourth down, “Go JC: Yeah, I think that’s true. I have a slide chess was something that everyone was re- for it, field goal!” based off of his knowl- on the first day that basically says the sports ally afraid of. Now everyone just accepts edge. The coach is listening to him, and the industry in the US is the same size as the that. You don’t want to tell a player that they Ravens ended up having the best record of cardboard box industry in the US. But no had a 45% chance of making a shot. So the any team in the regular season. And my fear one comes into my class saying, “I’ve done idea that somehow destiny and randomness is that if there is an overrepresentation of a lot of work on cardboard boxes.” But a lot is going to be completely subsumed, and you only Ivy League-educated economists, and of people are interested in sports. They’ve flip a coin to randomize a play, can take away the only people that can get in are those with learned a lot of statistics. They’ve learned a from the fun of sports; sometimes you need an Ivy League degree, then we will definitely lot of economics. to let the players do what they feel is best. So not be reaching the groups that we have to. you have to balance what you predict the op- But I think there is definitely more of a push INDY: How do you envision the future timal play will be versus what the players are for people who are speaking the language of of the field, with this increased interest in really feeling at the moment. We will have to analytics. And it used to be that all strategists sports analytics? think about how to keep players motivated. were former players, but now you have more JC: Well, at the end of a lot of papers, es- people who are outsiders. pecially traditional papers, we highlight some Mary Julia Koch ‘23 (mkoch@college. harvard.edu) and Annie Colloredo-Mansfeld INDY: Have you noticed an increase or biases that have happened – like coaches be- ‘23 ([email protected]. decrease of interest in the field of sports ing too conservative, or not pulling their edu) write Sports for the Indy. economics, both on a general level, and goalie early enough… we say, “This is what specifically to your class? the economics say to do, this is what the coaches say to do, no one is listening to us,” JC: I was a consumer of podcasts and writ- so we have sort of had this mindset of outsid- ings and ESPN articles where they would ers. But more and more, what we are saying analyze games, and the way that they would is starting to be accepted. Part of me loves break these things down is very similar to sports for the randomness that can happen, so the way that they had for the past four years. I do hope that we don’t suck all of the fun out And there was no mention of analytics. It was of these games by fully solving them, but I do more just, “Is this a good decision or a bad think the nice thing about sports is that it is a decision?” based off of the outcome, based language through which we can get in contact off of the thought process that was going into with a lot of people and sort of teach them. it. Now you sort of see sports economics and the terminology that we are thinking about What I am trying to teach my students is sort of creeping in everywhere, into all the not only about sports. I have papers about mainstream podcasts and articles. They are how referees in the NBA discriminate against all starting to use the language. African-American players. The NBA is three quarters black, but the referees are three quar- INDY: Have you been involved at all ters white. And white referees tend to call with the Harvard Sports Analytics Lab? more fouls against African-Americans than JC: Yeah, I’ve been involved a little bit; they do against white players, relative to Af- I’ve tried to direct students to go to check rican-American referees. So the nice thing is it out. The original founder of the Harvard that we learn tools that we can apply to a lot Sports Analytics Collective (HSAC) is a of these societal issues. So with sports analyt- Photo Credit, Courtesy of Judd Cramer good friend of mine. He was a director of ics getting more and more popular, we learn analytics for the NBA, so I always get emails how to look out for these biases, learn how from them around the MIT Sloan Sports Ana- to notice some of these problems, and have lytics conference, and in a couple of weeks the toolkit to call it out and work on solving hopefully we will be able to do some joint them. programming. INDY: To what extent do you think a INDY: Are there many sports econom- sport can be “solved”?

The Harvard Harvard Independent Independent • 04.25.19 2.27.20 harvardindependent.com 15 captured and shot

A Week of Reflection By NATALIE SICHER

16 harvardindependent.com The HarvardThe Harvard Independent Independent 2.27.20 • 04.25.19