Final Reflections

Before starting this class I didn't really have any insightful perceptions about sports. For me sport was just something you watch for entertainment or play as an extra curricular activity. I never really thought about the social constructions our society makes around sport and all of the things that go on that is never really thought about or noticed until it is pointed out to you. Throughout the semester my perception of sport culture has changed through realizing things that are acceptable in sport that we do not find acceptable in regular society like drug testing and sex verification. Discussions that stood out to me the most was whether or not college athletes should get paid or not. This stood out to me the most because I never really thought about this topic let alone thought about the differing sides to it. I feel that now that I have learned about sport from a more sociological stand point I will more critically think about sport when Im watching it or playing it and realize the way sport is a massive part of US culture. In my future career I think I will be able to take the skill I have learned of thinking critically about topics that I normally wouldn't think about and analyze it in different ways. I have recommended to other friends that they take this class even if they are not extremely into sport because of the interesting topics that are discussed.

Why the Mans Mans' Game is an Insult to Men

In the movie we watched it talked about how it was not okay to play on the Penn State women's basketball and be an openly gay women. Also the articles talked about how difficult it was for athletes to come out and be gay and the fear they had about what their teammates would say. I feel that sports has become more accepting to be gay and be an athlete but it is still something that is completely acceptable. Many athletes have a lot of fear about coming out and don't feel like sport is a safe place to be who they truly are. This makes them have to live a double life and creates a lot of depression and stress. I personally don't feel that sport is a safe place for LGBT people because sport is still extremely homophobic. In order to make sport a more safe place they should have workshops about acceptability and openness to all types of differences, whether it be religion, sexuality, or race.

SP#13: Sport and Ethnicity

In our society sport has become an important part of African American culture. For those who are more talented in a sport like basketball or football but are living in inner cities with limited opportunities, sport can become a way to get out. Through sport kids are given chances to go to better schools or play for teams they may not have had the opportunity to experience otherwise. Like Arthur's mom says in "Hoop Dreams", there isn't a lot of productive things in these neighborhoods for kids to do so many turn to sports or gang activity. In Hollywood sport films they depict redemption stories and stories where the kid gets out of a bad life and makes it in sport. In the movie the blind side, Michael is taken out of a poverty stricken area and taken in by a good family. He then plays ball and ends up getting drafted by the NFL. While this is a great story and it is a story many like watching, it is not the everyday story of what actually happens to African American athletes. In Hoop Dreams they show the possible future these two athletes could have but also shows the reality of the poverty their family is still struggling with and the struggles with school, injuries, and daily life. This documentary shows the pressure that these athletes deal with and how just because it would make a good story doesn't mean it'll have a positive and happy outcome. I don't feel that sport is damaging and preserving the myth of race because in our society there is still inequalities and if sport is a way that can help. Although it does focus slightly around race, it is the unfortunate truth that it might be some of the only way for these kids to have a better life, and therefore should be seen as a positive thing instead of a racial issue.

"You Throw Like a Girl": Sports, (Wo)men & the Gender Order II

The commercial that I found was an advertisement to promote Roxy Pro Biarrirtz 2013 surfing competition. Roxy sports apparel is a known sponsor and supporter of strong female surfers and usually sends a positive message using their sponsored athletes. However, this commercial did not focus on the talent of the female athletes that were about to compete but instead focused on one surfer Stephanie Gilmore. The commercial starts out with her in a bedroom only slightly clothed rolling around in sheets and then goes through her morning routine including showering and dressing herself. She is seen getting out of a car, waxing her board and then finally putting on the Roxy surfing top. Throughout the entire ad her face is not seen and only various body parts are shown. Only in the last ten seconds is she seen paddling into the water but none of her athletic talent is shown in any way nor is she portrayed as an athlete; instead she looks more like a model for Roxy apparel. Women today are already objectified and judged solely based on their physical appearance. For women the only thing that sells is sex. This advertisement continues to perpetuate this ideal by portraying Gilmore as a sex object instead of a talented athlete. Women's sport is not taken seriously and only gets publicity if there is an appeal to men which usually only comes through sex appeal. Women sport becomes looked down upon if they appear overly masculine. Because of this, marketing teams have tried to feminize women's sport. Female athletes have come to believe that the only way they can be successful is though sex appeal. For younger generations this sends a message to young girls that their athletic skill will always come second to what they look like possibly discouraging them from playing sport. For younger boys they could start to view women athletes and women/girls overall as only objects whose only assets are their looks. While we take a few steps forward in portraying women athletes in similar ways we show male athletes, overall that isn't the case. Until women can be portrayed in media the same way men are portrayed with their skill and talent being the focal point, female athletes will always have athletics come second to appearance.

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCji6TiJjbE 

Integrating inequalities in sports media: examining gender/race representation in Sport Illustrated

While sports are something that both men and women participate in, through the way sport is portrayed in magazines and television we can see what is more valued between men and women sports. For this entry I chose to look at how gender is displayed in sport through sport magazines-especially in who makes it on the cover page. When looking at the Sports Illustrated covers throughout the last year I began to notice a pattern that I don't believe was a coincidence. Throughout the whole year there were only three times that a women was seen on the cover: once was a women police officer standing next to two other male officers, and the other two were of the model Kate Upton posing with baseball players or for their classic swimsuit addition. In none of the covers were female athletes seen in action shots like their male counterparts and instead the only women on the covers were models not athletes. For the rest of the covers, males were shown playing football, basketball, hockey and baseball. Their photos ranged from action shots to masculine poses in their uniforms displaying the classic toughness and intimidation we associate with masculinity. This trend that was noticed with these magazine covers matches the way we view male and female athletes. We place very little importance in female sports and when they are noticed it is through sexualization of these athletes through their uniforms or the pictures of them that do make it in the magazines. Men's sports is what is most important to us in our society and the different ways we choose to idealize them can be seen in these covers. My findings seem to match the findings of other scholars about the way gender is used in our society. Authors Mandie Brandt and Adelia Carstens (2011) say that although we are still striving for gender equality in sport, the media is still dominated by stereotypes of women athletes. Due to this, women continue to be seen as objects and weak athletes as opposed to the strong and competitive athletes they really are. In the same way the men dominate sport culture, they also then dominate in the media.  

References:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/photos/1305/si-covers-2013/96/
BRANDT, M., & CARSTENS, A. (2011). VISUELE STEREOTIPERING VAN SPORTVROUE IN DIE SPORTMEDIA. / Visual stereotyping of sportswomen in the sports media. South African Journal For Research In Sport, Physical Education & Recreation (SAJR SPER), 33(2), 1-15.

Reflecting on the shame of college sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

For several years there has been a debate about whether or not college athletes should be paid for playing. There are many parts to both sides of the debate and a lack of agreement is what is keeping it from reaching a solution. Those who are for paying these division one athletes say that the institutions that have collegiate sports are making millions of dollars in profits from these athletes and the games being televised. Journalist Taylor Branch wrote in their article "The Shame of College Sports" that "football teams like Texas, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, and Penn State make between $40 million-$80 million in profits a year, even after paying coaches multimillion dollar salaries" (Branch 2011:1). In addition these athletes that play in college are coming here on scholarship and therefore spending their entire time playing sports. This leaves no time to get a job and make an income to cover extra things the university doesn't cover. These athletes give all their time to their sport and in turn makes the university millions of dollars while they receive none. Many of these kids come from low income areas and don't get the kind of money that other students who go to the school receives. Therefore some feel that players receiving a small salary for the work and commitment they give is the appropriate measure to take.
On the flip side is the argument that college athletes should not get paid. To begin with paying college athletes takes it from being a more mature sport to the same as professional sports. In addition many feel that they don't need extra money in order to play sports since the university is already covering their tuition, board, books, and food. Since many are here on scholarship they are already taken care of by the university. Also, there is already so much money being spent on college sports that paying athletes an additional salary on top would cost too much money that the universities doesn't have. Today universities already close early to accommodate games, those who should be ineligible to play still sneak by with low grades and overall academics is not the most important things for these athletes. Therefore, if we added a salary on top of things, overall focus around education would decline even more.
Although I have never really thought about this debate, after thinking about it I don't think that college athletes should be paid. A large part of what makes college sports so enjoyable to watch is that players aren't getting paid to work hard and you can tell the difference in they way they play in comparison to professional sports. Also, college athletes have never been paid before so to now start paying them would take away from the tradition of college sports and completely change the way they are. I don't feel that universities and coaches should profit as much as they do from these athletes but I feel that the solution is restructuring the way universities, coaches, networks, and sponsors work with college athletes instead of throwing out more money to create a salary for these athletes.

High School Sport

Sports in high school play a large part in what makes the high school experience what it is. The big football games on friday nights were enough to make everyone excited. High school sport emerged in the early 1900's during a time when there was still extreme racism and sexism. They were modeled after the English public school system and became a way to provide student athletes with opportunities and structure. Today the objectives of high school sport are to bring together the school community as well as prepare athletes for the possibility of college sport and to win against other schools proving yours is the best. Sport in high school can give student athletes a sense of discipline and structure causing many to become a better student than they would have otherwise for fear of not being eligible to play. In some cases these goals are met in the cases of giving opportunities for higher education to those who would not be able to get one without sport. It also teaches student athletes leadership, discipline and determination for a goal. In other instances it can become an added pressure that takes all the fun out of the game. In high school there is no longer the mentality of equal play time and instead it changes to tryout and mean coaches whose only concern is winning. Some high schools value their sports just as much as they would value a professional sport with the cost of winning just as high. Issues arise when these players become all about the game and not at all about school. Coaches, parents and even some teachers care only about their athlete getting to play for a good college and getting noticed by scouts. Teenagers already deal with so much pressure from parents and peers that those who play sports can feel like the pressure is too overwhelming. Another problem is that sometimes the players loose the power to make their own decisions about their future with their colleges, teams and daily schedules being made for them by coaches and parents. One solution to these problems could be to take a step back as a society and treat high school sports they way we treat club sports or even middle school sports. In those days playing used to be fun and not constant stress. If we made sure the game stayed about enjoying the game, the issues that have arisen with high school sports can go away.