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.

Once the Cheering Stops: The life of a retired pro-athlete

When an athlete makes it to the pros their life completely changes. In the video "Broke" the athletes that were interviewed talked about the new lifestyle they enter once they start making large sums of money. Getting so much money so quickly causes these athletes to become careless with their money and by retirement they are in serious debt. During the 90's America had a serious spending problem and this rolled over into the athletes. Instead of saving their newly earned millions athletes spent it on cars, houses, jewelry, clothes and unnecessary things. In the video "Broke" athletes said they could spend $10,000 a week. This lavish spending left no money when their career ended. In the NFL there is no guaranteed contracts so this sudden lack of income leaves athletes with mortgages they can't pay and debt piling up. The EPSN article said how athletes don't realize that they can't touch their pensions and 401K until they are in their late forties or fifties. This leaves many years where those who just retired need to figure out what is next. Some athletes try and get a job and others spiral downward into trouble.

The transition from playing professional sports to living in the day to day world can be tough on many players. Both the NY Times article and the ESPN article discussed how athletes receive so much money when they are signed but they never get any financial education on how to save their money to avoid debt and bankruptcy in the future. Once retried many need to find out what skills they have outside of playing sports that can get them a job so they can continue to have an income. In addition many athletes have experienced serious injuries, which can leave them with memory loss and other serious medical conditions. Having several years of making a lot of money creates terrible and careless spending habits that are hard to break once retired. Some continue to spend lavishly with money they don't have leaving them in financial messes and sometimes leading them to jail. The life after retirement is such a struggle for athletes because they go from living a way that most people never get to experience to them having to make serious adjustments and a new way to make money. In our culture we have such an obsession with spending and making money that we don't think about the consequences that can happen once the money is gone. Since success in sports in our culture is determined by the amount of money one makes, living largely is just another way athletes can show off their success. While it makes a lot of sense why these athletes get into such financial trouble after retirement it is something I have never thought of before. I think that in order to stop the problem we need to teach players how to handle their money and the uncertainties that go along with playing professional sports, including how long a career might be. In addition we as a society needs to stop defining success as who is making the most money and living the most elaborately.

Sport, Politics, and the Olympics

1972 Munich Germany Olympic Games and the Israeli Hostage Situation

During the 1972 Olympic Games that were held in Munich Germany, a group of 11 Israeli olympic athletes were kidnapped and held hostage by a 9 members of a  Palestinian terrorist group called Black September. These terrorist groups broke into the Olympic Village where the athletes were sleeping and took members of the Israel olympic team hostage. They demanded for release of prisoners who were held in Israeli jails along with the release of two German terrorists that were held in German prisons. Two of the hostages were killed within minutes of being captured after trying to injure the attackers and the other nine were killed at the airport during a failed rescue attempt when being transferred by the attackers to a helicopter. In addition, five of the terrorists were also killed. After the events that took place the IOC decided that the games must go on saying that he didn't want the incident to halt the games. There was a memorial service where many countries flew their flags at half staff with the exception of Arab countries who flew their flags high to honor the Palestinian terrorist group. Even though the games continued many athletes left the game saying that the spirit of the games were gone and it was too hard to compete after what had just happened.

Using the five political uses of sport in the reading by Eitzen & Sage, I would say that this event falls under sport as a vehicle of change. In this event members of the Black September used the Olympic games as their opportunity to capture people they saw as enemies and used them to try and fill their demands. After this event security measures and the way the protect these athletes has changed and increased drastically in future games. I don't think that sports is "pure and devoid of political interference" at all. Many sports events have been used to make subtle political statements like when the African American athletes on the US team put up a black power salute during a time when there was severe segregation and violence in America. Also, today football games fly military jets before the games and even though it is important to give thanks and appreciation, the NFL constantly has military appreciation days during the games. In addition, many athletes use their time in the spotlight to show their stance on issues, like Tim Tebow making public his stance on abortion. In the same way we say there should be a separation of church and state but they are usually intertwined, we say there should be a separation of sport and politics but there seldom is one.

References:
Eitzen D.S & Sage G.H. (2009). Sociology of North American Sport. Boulder, Paradigm Publishers: chapter 9:206
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Summer_Olympics

London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

The NFL has been debating over the idea of whether or not to make American football an international thing. While the Jaguars may be for this as one of their last ideas to save their team, I feel that the National Football League is doing this for one reason, money. Since interest in american football is starting to grow overseas, they see this as their chance to expand revenue and grab a whole new international fan base. This new fan base could raise sales in merchandise, tickets, and television views. The issue is whether or not expanding the league internationally will create a lot of issues that would need serious reorganization of the way the league runs in order for it to work. Many people wonder if making a little more revenue is worth all the trouble.

The NFL has chosen London to be the place where a new international team would be located. They chose to go with London due to its easy access and its progression into a "renowned city"(Barnwell p.1) They also have a newly built stadium that fits NFL requirements. However, during the last international games that were hosted, many of the fans that came down were not from London but instead were die hard fans from other countries who made the effort to travel to London. This brings up the issue about who the real fans would be if they tried to make a London team and if they would even bring in the revenue they think they will. Some positive aspects of this move could be the possible money it would bring in, the second chance for the Jacksonville Jaguars to restart, and the chance to bring together a closer international community between the United States and Europe. However i personally feel that there is more barriers they would face that makes it not seem so worth it. The issue of travel time and constant changing of timezones would seriously mess up the players schedule. Also, they would have to compensate with long travel by either changing the schedule or building a place in the states that could temporarily house players. As mentioned the issue of whether they would get enough consistant fans to travel to the games in London is skeptical. In addition they would have to do something to gain interest from player to keep them on their team with either extended contracts or increases in money. Overall they would have to completely rearrange many logistics that have worked in the NFL for many years. And for what?

Football is something that our american culture places a lot of value in. If we were to expand this to an international league, it would take away some of the pride americans place in this sport. It would no longer become our original american football that it is today, which could lead to loosing some support by extreme nationalist citizens. While I think it is a good idea to bring different countries closer together, I feel like messing with something like the NFL won't bring more rewards over the trouble it will cause to make it successful. 

References

Barnwell, Bill. (2013). London Calling

Sociogenesis of soccer

 Although soccer is not a popular sport to watch in America, I feel it is a popular sport many young children at least try out. I personally played soccer for eight years and have always had a personal interest in why it never became as popular of a sport as it is in Europe and the Americas. Knowing only several facts about the origins of soccer, through some research I have found more answers about soccer's past.

Known as football in other countries around the world, traces of it can be found all the way back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC in China during the Han Dynasty where they kicked a ball into a net. There have also been some traces seen in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures, where they kicked around a ball for fun. However, its official beginnings started in England during the late 1300's to early 1400's where both King Edward III and King James I of Scotland banned soccer due to its growingly violent play. However, modern day soccer started in England in 1815 where the England School and Eton College came up with a set of rules called the Cambridge rules. These kept the rules of kicking the ball into the net but only allowed play with your feet. Formerly people played football or "soccer" by using violent rugby rules but, the Cambridge rules separated people into two teams and said that rugby rules which allowed things like tripping and kicking were not allowed. In 1863 the Association Football was established which set rules for regular matches and said it was not allowed to handle the ball with your hands. Up until this point it was solely men who played this sport and it stemmed from those who were interested in rugby. Old soccer equipment was similar to those today and consisted of shorts, short sleeved shirts, shin guards, cleats and a ball. However, when soccer first started it was played with a heavier ball made out of pig bladder that was inflated and not perfectly round. They also used leather cleats and eventually used leather to cover the ball to make them more round.  

olden day cleats

olden day soccer ball

 

modern day uniforms

  Current uniforms have used advancing technology to make the uniforms and ball lighter and easier to play with. Football spread around the globe quickly during the 1800's from British soldiers, traders, and sailers. In 1904 FIFA was established and by the 1940's organized soccer was being played competitively against different countries. A major event that took place in the sport of soccer was in the 1980's where girl athletes were allowed to play and have their own league. By 1991 the women had their own professional league and world cup. In America, soccer has had issues with gaining popularity from spectators and is one of the least watched sports in our culture. The women's league no longer exists and with lowering popularity professional soccer may be in jeopardy.  

References

Jezek, Geno. 2006. History of Soccer. retrieved 24 Jan 2014. http://www.historyofsoccer.info/ 

History of soccer-the origins. 1994. FIFA. retreived 24 Jan 2014 http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/origins.html

History of soccer in the United States. 2014. retrieved 24 Jan 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_soccer_in_the_United_States#Women.27s_soccer

Sport in the Ancient World

Today's olympic games give athletes a chance to show off their strength, toughness, and skill in the same ways the games in the ancient world did. In addition, winning continues to give athletes status, money and admiration from the spectators like it did in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome. However according to Guttman, the olympic games in ancient Greece were "sacred festivals, integral aspects of religious life" (4). These games were played in respect to the Gods and was a festival involving religion, prayer, sacrifice, skill, and entertainment. The games were so important to greek culture that even war was put on hold until the ending ceremony where winning athletes were showered in wealth. In the video it explained that in the beginning the sprint was the only game athletes could participate in. However, over time they added sports like wrestling, javelin, disk throwing, and chariot racing. Only men could participate in these sports but it allowed for any man, regardless of status, to participate. This openness to compete allowed for men living in poverty to have a chance at wealth if they could win an event. Women were not permitted to watch the games and if they violated that rule they were punished by being thrown off a cliff. The athletes spent months training and sculpting their bodies to portray the gods in which the games were played for. Since the gods were depicted as nude, the men competing would compete completely naked allowing for a more even playing field. Winning the games brought status, economic wealth and respect in the community while the losers were forgotten about completely. 

In ancient Rome the games differed slightly. Instead of a compilation of different games resembling the olympic games we have today, they focused on a game that had more of a combative undertone. According to Coakley, "Roman leaders using physical contests and games to train soldiers and provide mass entertainment spectacles" (63). These games were known as the gladiator games, where men fought until the death in a colosseum of a mass amount of spectators. According to the video, a training school was built next to the colosseum that housed and trained fighters for the eventual battle. In line with normal combat,gladiators learned how to use weapons, like the double edged sword, and fought their opponent wearing amour on their face but leaving the body exposed. The gladiators who competed ranged from slaves, to criminals, to prisoners of war who were kept locked up and beaten as part of their training/punishment. By winning the games they earned not only stardom but also their freedom. In addition to prisoners who fight, some elite killer also participate in the game. These games provided social punishment for criminal and war prisoner and also provided entertainment to Roman elites.   

Sport, Society & Me

In my family both my parents and my two sisters played some sort of sport. Growing up I tried out various sports and eventually ended up playing soccer up through high school. In addition to playing sports, I grew up watching all different types of sports on TV but primarily football. We have been Broncos season ticket holders since I was a little kid and going to the games or watching the games has become a big part of my life. It has been something my whole family has been able to connect through and has been a something that has stayed consistent throughout our family. In our society sport plays a major role in displaying the values of America. According to Eitzen (2006) with all the positive pieces of sport there is also a negative side. I feel that sport plays a positive role due to its ability to bring people together and provide a source of identity or even go as far as providing one higher education through scholarships. In addition, sport can teach us the value of hard work, competition, and teamwork. In our society we have made sport a major part of our culture whether you are participating in it or watching it. Even in some places like the south, high school sports are valued similarly to professional sports. As a culture we spend millions of dollars on endorsements, clothing, venues, player salaries, tickets, food, and advertising. We place a lot of pressure on players to win the game but also make the game entertaining. We value those athletes that are high scoring and leading our teams to victory but then shun those who have led to a team losing. We value athletes and the hard work they put forth and the sacrifices they make to try and win.

Sports Ethic

According to Hughes and Coakley the sports ethic is "the criteria for defining what it means to be a real athlete" (1991). Within this concept there are four different dimensions that one adheres to in order to truly be seen as a real athlete. These four dimensions are 1) being an athlete involves making sacrifices for the game, 2) being an athlete involves striving for distinction, 3)  you accept risks and play through the game,  and 4) involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities (Hughes & Coakley 1991). Athletes will go out of their way to conform to these dimensions because they are what we as a culture have decided separates real athletes from non-athletes who are not taken as seriously. When one is working extremely hard to become the best they can at a particular sport, conforming to these beliefs is one of the only ways they gain respect and success as being an athlete. As a soccer player I have experienced moments in most of these dimensions. Playing on a competitive team you have to make sacrifices like not being able to go out with friends or do what everyone else is because you have an early game and need to perform well. Also, when only enough players show up to a game to have enough for the field you continue through the whole game regardless of any pain in order to not let your team down. 

Sport(s) in the USA

   Sports in America and the way we view sports are different than other cultures around the world. Unlike most countries, the United States does not center around sports like soccer which seems to be the most popular sport in other countries. For us the most popular sport to watch is football followed by basketball and baseball. Sports such as hockey, golf, NASCAR, and tennis are other runner up sports that many in our society enjoy watching during your average week. It is also important to note that the most popular sports in our culture are men's sports. While women participate in many sports, the most popular televised ones are all men's sports. The most popular sports in America are ones that emphasize similar characteristics leading them to their high status. These characteristics include intense competition, money, masculinity, a type of marketing opportunity, and spectacle of some sort fulfilling our entertainment needs. It is the similarity between the characteristics of these sports and the characteristics of our American culture that make them so popular. America is built around the traits of competition between you and your fellow person, money as a symbol of success, toughness, and having a grandiose attitude about everything.
   A typical game day can vary based on if you are attending the game or just viewing it. Either way it starts with one representing the team their rooting for by wearing jerseys, hats, or even just your teams colors. Game day usually includes groups of people getting together with typical game day snacks like wings, pizza, chips, dips, hot dogs, and other enjoyable finger foods. In addition there is usually beer and other types of beverages to help get into the spirit. If you're at the stadium there are large crowds of people all pouring into the stadium to watch their favorite team. These sporting events reinforces the values of unity, loyalty and competition. There is unity with other fans who are supporting your team, loyalty to stick with your team through good and bad games, and competition with the rivalry teams.
     In US sport, success is measured by a teams statistics, particularly how many games you have won. The teams we consider the best are the ones who are winning the most games and making it to the championships. As far as athletes go, individual success is measured through the amount of money they are making and the amount of playing time they get. With competition being a major quality of our sports in the United States, the most important thing is winning. It is what you hope for when you go to a game and is what keeps money coming in, which is the second most important part of professional US sports.