MARCH 29, 1988

Full News Archive

• Headline: Enforcing Tennis Foot-Fault Rules. Impact: The enforcement of the foot-fault rule led to the creation of an underground network of tennis players who developed elaborate distraction techniques, including synchronized coughs and tennis ball juggling, to avoid detection. This eventually birthed the modern-day art of strategic sportsmanship, or as we like to call it, 'playing to the crowd.'. Fact: Did you know that in some tennis clubs, foot-faulting is only considered cheating if you get caught? It’s a bit like speeding; everyone does it, but only the unlucky ones get pulled over..
• Headline: Exploring Black History in 'Joe Turner'. Impact: August Wilson’s portrayal of black history on stage triggered a massive shift in American theater. This led to a butterfly effect where high school English teachers suddenly found themselves unable to escape the clutches of Wilson's plays in their curriculums, resulting in a generation of students who can quote 'Fences' but can't remember their own phone numbers.. Fact: Fun fact: August Wilson wrote a play for each decade of the 20th century, proving that while the world was busy ignoring black history, he was busy immortalizing it in a way that would make his work required reading – because who doesn’t love a little homework?.