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.