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.