Noah Goldstein - The Tufts Daily

Columns

Full Court Press: Let’s talk about NIL

By Noah Goldstein | December 6

As I stirred mashed potatoes over Thanksgiving break, an avid reader of “Full Court Press” (and, coincidentally, a family friend) approached me, asking my opinion on the name, image and likeness phenomenon that has taken over college sports in recent years. One week earlier, superstar high school quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from Louisiana State University to Michigan State University in one of NIL’s wildest stories yet: one that involved billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and what even conservative estimates say will be a fat $10 million paycheck.

Arts

‘The Brutalist’ is an epic tale of dreams built on shaky foundations

By Noah Goldstein | December 5

While many understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day, few realize the same applies to the town of Doylestown, Pa. Situated just 40 miles north of Philadelphia, Doylestown might seem unassuming at first glance. For director Brady Corbet, however, it serves as a microcosm of post-World War II America, providing the backdrop for his ambitious third feature, “The Brutalist” (2024).

Columns

Full Court Press: Trump is ruining combat sports

By Noah Goldstein | November 22

Last weekend delivered two of the most talked-about fight events of 2024. The much-hyped, but unsurprisingly ultimately lackluster, showdown between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul took center stage on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, UFC legend Jon Jones made his long-awaited return to the octagon after 623 days, facing off against Stipe Miocic — widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history.

Arts

‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ is a brave response to authoritarianism

By Noah Goldstein | November 22

In the roughly 150 years since the medium of the moving image was first put on screen, plenty of filmmakers have dealt with infamously difficult circumstances to execute their visions. Many of cinema’s most revered projects were, in fact, well-documented production disasters — consider the treacherous conditions of “Apocalypse Now” or the ballooning budget of “Jaws.” Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a film created with more at stake for its cast and crew than Iranian director Mohamed Rasoulof’s newest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

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Arts

‘Bird’ flies a little bit too close to the sun

By Noah Goldstein | November 20

For Andrea Arnold, breaking onto the international cinema scene as a director was not an entirely straightforward task. Before creating her debut short film “Milk” (1998), the Kent-born Englishwoman built her career writing, presenting and dancing on television. Now, multiple highly acclaimed features later, Arnold has fully emerged as a filmmaker with a clear vision and provocative style. In her last narrative feature, the visually-striking yet slightly underdeveloped “American Honey” (2016), Arnold shifted from her usual British settings to the American heartland, yet she retained her signature style of tightly-packed frames and rhythmic pacing to deliver another compellingsociopolitical commentary.

Sports

Full Court Press: What makes Max Verstappen a champion

By Noah Goldstein | November 8

I don’t claim to be a lifelong Formula One fan; I only started watching this season, though I have seen all six seasons of “ Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and countless YouTube videos on Ayrton Senna. I never saw Lewis Hamilton claim any of his seven world titles, and I think I was playing video games during the infamous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.

Columns

Full Court Press: Why you should be rooting for the Lakers

By Noah Goldstein | October 25

If you’re among the loyal readers of this column (all three or four of you, by my estimate), you might be wondering why a series titled “The Full Court Press” has yet to cover any basketball. As you sat and read about Deshaun Watson or the Padres, you surely thought to yourself, “Does this idiot even know what a full court press is? He knows that’s a basketball term, right?”

Baseball

Full Court Press: What the Jurickson Profar incident can teach us about fan etiquette

By Noah Goldstein | October 11

It’s tough to go from Little League to The Show. Only around 0.5% of those who play baseball in high school make it to the professional level. But what if we all want to be involved in America’s favorite pastime? We don’t all possess the strength or talent required to throw a ball in the 90s or hit one 400 feet, but we all can come to the ballpark as fans, with our mitts and souvenir cups, and experience the game from the bleachers.

Arts

‘Megalopolis’ is unparalleled — for better or worse

By Noah Goldstein | October 3

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you tried to make a movie about everything? Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” may have your answer. A sprawling exercise in maximalism, the film, despite its grand ambitions, ultimately captures very little.

Football

Full Court Press: The NFL needs to pull the plug on Deshaun Watson

By Noah Goldstein | September 27

If you thought the Deshaun Watson saga was over, think again. On Monday, Sept. 9, the Browns quarterback was once again accused of sexual assault via a court filing in Harris County, Texas that concerns an incident from October 2020. In 2022, Watson served an 11-game suspension after having 24 lawsuits filed against him earlier that year. As of Sept. 2024, 23 of the 24 lawsuits from 2022 have been settled, but the most recent case may be the most damning yet.