Final reflections

My perceptions of US sport before this class was that sports overtake our society and are very prevalent in our lives. I have gained a new perspective on things such as women in sports and the sexualization of women in sport, which I find fascinating. I enjoyed the movie we watched that addressed this, and it stuck out the most to me this semester. I look at sports more critically than I did before, which I think is important. I will definitely will use the information I learned in this class after I leave. Sports are important and we must look at them through a lens.

Sports Page #14

The movie Training Rules establishes the prejudices shown through women's college basketball in the NCAAs. In the documentary, Jen Harris is kicked off the team at Penn State due to her coach, Rene Portland, not allowing lesbians on the team. This caused complete chaos in the sport of women's basketball and had many other women step out to say that they were discriminated as well. This brought to light that sport is not a safe space of LGBT athletes, because many athletes began to speak out about how they had the same thing happen to them. Even though most teams are okay with it, it is the stigma that comes along with it that make it a not safe space. Recently in the media, more players on men's teams have been coming out about their sexuality and the media has made such a large production about it. I think it would be difficult to create a more inclusive culture in American sport. It first has to start with society and the branch off into sports. Due to the fact that many more states are voting yes for gay rights, this affects the American sport. If LGBT feel accepted in society, then this will carry over into other aspects of their lives. 

Sports Page #13

The media glorifies African American's in the media, when it comes to the idea of athletics. Society portrays African Americans as extremely athletic. This is also seen in Hollywood films such as The Blind Side, Remember the Titans, and Coach Carter. These films are predominately based on African American Athletes that usually overcome adversity and oppression. One in particular is Glory Road, which focused on a college team, which was the first all African American starting lineup in the NCAA National Championship game. Hollywood normally portrays African American Athletes as being a part of the lower socioeconomic class, but being very talented on the court. Another stereotype that it lives up to is that the main coach is caucasian, while most of the players are African Americans. In comparison to the documentary, Hoop Dreams, the athletes they follow are African American while the entire school they attend is primarily Caucasian. Sports confine African Americans to a specific stereotype that all African Americans are great at sports. This is an idea that society comes to, due to the fact that it is how it is portrayed in the media.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkt0Q6p33fo

I was extremely taken aback by this commercial, due to the fact that it shows women athletes like they really are. It does not sexualize or use them as a product, which I enjoyed. The gendered messages shown in this commercial are that women are strong athletes, that can almost endure any obstacle, no matter how brutal. Men could be doing the same commercial with the same tasks and it would be considered normal, but the fact that women are doing it makes the audience think it is "out of the ordinary." This commercial also masculinizes the women athletes and shows them as a strong force. I do not believe there are any major consequences of these messages for young people. Maybe that in order to be a successful athlete, one must push themselves to extreme limits. In my opinion I do not see that as a consequence. I watched many commercials before choosing this one. Maybe because Under Armor is not a very feminine company, could contribute to the style of this commercial. Others I looked at were women athletes that used makeup or hair products that helped them perform better. This is where these women stereotypes come in and how people get the idea that women are sexualized in the media and treated differently than men. 

Interrogating inequalities in Sports Media: Examining gender representation in Sports Illustrated

I decided to look at Sports Illustrated and how they incorporate gender into their website and stories. The first thing I noticed when I visited their website is that they are promoting their swim suit magazine. The only women to even appear on the main page are super models in bikinis that are not even athletes. This surprised me because the winter olympics are going on and women are a significant part of the olympics, but there are only women being sexualized through advertisements on this website. In all the photos with men in them, the men are in action and are making "grunt faces" because they are in action. The headlining story is the USA mens hockey team, who plays Canada today. The tabs at the top of the website are also interesting to look at. They are all predominately sports that men play. It is not until you click the tab saying "more" that there are women sports like women's basketball and figure skating. 

Researchers at the University of Louisville found that of 716 Sports Illustrated magazines that came out between 2000 and 2011, 35 of them had women on them. This is only 4.9 percent (Jezebel.com). Sports Illustrated writes:

"Of the 35 covers including a female, only 18 (or 2.5 percent of all covers) featured a female as the primary or sole image. Three covers included females, but only as insets (small boxed image), or as part of a collage background of both male and female athletes" (Jezebel.com).

This is outrageous because women are not even featured as the main story and if so they are only used as models, not real athletes like the men. This has been happening for many many years and it is what our society likes and consumes, unfortunately. 

Citations: http://jezebel.com/sports-illustrated-loves-models-female-athletes-not-s-500138038

Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

Whether or not to pay college athletes has been a debated for years to come. There are various pros and cons for this debate. Universities make an abundance of revenue with collegiate sports. They are constantly exploited in the media and most games are televised. They should be paid because they are the reason that these institutions are making the money and there is a lot of merchandise that universities use representing certain athletes, that the athletes do not get any compensation for. Athletes also do not have enough time to have a social life and their scholarships don't even have enough to cover all the expenses that college entails. It would also help families, incase some come from low income families and areas. 

There are also cons that have been brought up for paying college athletes.This has to do with traditionalist standpoints.  "Most traditionalists would also argue that college sports exist not so the athletes could gaine profit, but to foster the true meaning of sportsmanship between colleges" (http://www.youniversitytv.com/news-sports/5704-the-pros-and-cons-of-paying-college-athletes). It would also be unfair to have some colleges, that have more money, be able to pay students more. This would change recruiting and the drive to play. Athletes would be playing or choosing colleges based on how much money they would make. It would commercialize the sport and would not be about the love of the game. 

I have considered this topic and I do not think that players should be paid. It changes the game and is too much like professional sports, which is way too commercialized. The thing I love about college sports is that they are not getting paid and they are playing without any monetary incentives. 

High School Sport

The stigma around high school sport was that it was such a more intensive program and that only the best would play. Coaches would not put you in because "everyone gets a chance." This was the time when college recruiters would start looking at you the moment you stepped foot into high school athletics. It was the chance to get possibly a scholarship and even more. In middle school, practices would maybe be once or twice a week and not everything was mandatory. Personally, when I entered high school I was doing two-a-days, weight training, conditioning, and on top of that actual practice. Due to this stigma, people usually dropped out of the sports they were playing because they did not want to time commitment The objective of high school sports was to get noticed by colleges and to receive a higher education. They are usually never met, athletes probably around their junior year realize if they are going to college for athletics or not. Interscholastic sports are highly regarded by high schools. I can remember that the athletes were treated like kings and queens in school. We got to choose our parking spots and teachers were easier on us. The problems of interscholastic sport are that it is a lot of pressure for 15-18 year olds. The training is intense, while going to school for something that might not even turn out into a career. They are treated as the superiority, when they should be treated like everyone else. It also created rivalries among many neighbors and friends. I remember that I swam on a club team for 10 years and during that time I swam with ALL swimmers who went to my rival high school. It was always awkward swimming against them in high school meets, when we have always been apart of the same team for years. It also divides towns, especially at Friday night football games. I am not sure if there is a solution to rivalries, but it could be in the best interest of high schools to maybe not let athletes slip on by so they will not get in trouble with their coaches. 

Once the cheering stops: The life of a retired pro-athlete

With the money, the fame, and the luxury lifestyles, the life of a professional athlete  seems desirable and glamorous. When an athlete is drafted into the NFL, MLB, ect they are not thinking about what life will be like after they finish their athletic career. They are thinking about how their life will be during the years that they play. Unfortunately, the life of a retired athlete is not a glamorous one. These athletes are rushed through college and into the professional world. They retire around the age of 35 (if they are lucky) and then are kicked back into the real world, with all the real world problems. For the past decade they have been handed everything and have not had to work in the corporate world. They were constantly in the lime-light and always felt needed. After this, they are in their mid 30's and have never had a corporate job. They end up feeling lonely and useless. While they were playing a sport, their friends were climbing their way up in their occupations. This causes extreme psychological problems and in some instances, many retired athletes have committed suicide. Athletes feel so needed by their fans and then are not needed at all when they enter the real world. US sports culture idolize so many professional athletes, but tend to find a new face to idolize once that person has finished their prime. It is hard for a person to peak in their professional career when they are in their early 20's, when they have the rest of their lives to live. 

I never thought about the life of a retired athlete. I always thought their lives would be just as glamourous as when they were playing a sport. I think they live in a somewhat "fantasy" world where they are always needed and are liked for their talents. When their talents run out, what do people think of them as? It's sad that they have probably never worked a real job in their lives because they dedicated their lives to a sport.

Sports, Politics, and the Olympics

Back in 1980, the US Boycotted the summer Olympics that were held in Moscow due to political conflicts. As a rebuttal, in 1984, the Soviet Union decided to boycott the 1984 Olympics that were held in Los Angeles. The Soviets decided to do this for the "safety" of their athletes because they believed there would be protests against their athletes. President Ronald states that the boycott was "a blatant political decision for which there was no real justification." In the later days, 13 other communist countries pulled out from the Olympics, saying that they were not participating. This was also because the US boycotted the Moscow Olympics because of Russia's intervention in Afghanistan in 1979. Due to this, the US swept the Olympics and won 83 gold medals. Also, China participated in these games for the first time since 1932. 

While I know that politics are hard to ignore, I do not think they should get in the way of other people's dreams. I have heard stories of athletes who made the olympics in these few years and were never able to go. This just destroyed their dreams that they had worked all their lives for. I do think that it is important to stand by your country in these times of needs and that it is hard to support countries that are not our allies. I do not think that "sport is pure and devoid of political interference." It is just proof that politics control everything in sports, especially the Olympics. There is always some conflict going around at the times of these games.

The political uses of sports that I identified would be sport used as a propaganda vehicle. This act was nothing more than just a rash statement that made America look poorly and put attention on the Soviets and other communist countries. It was so get media attention. 

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-announce-boycott-of-1984-olympics

London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

In recent news, the NFL has decided to open up a possibility for the NFL to expand to Europe. The reason behind this is due to the Jacksonville Jag's owner, Shahid Khan, just bought a soccer team in Europe. Unfortunately the Jags cannot seem to fill out their stadiums anymore and thought it would be better for their enterprise to expand to London. Maybe there would be more money in London, and their stands would be filled. I think they have chosen London because it is the most similar city to any city in the United States. They speak the same language as the United States and economically are similar. Also, it is a tad safer than other options. It is also an international hub, and would attract fans from all over Europe. There are various factors that are facilitating the expansion of the NFL outside of the USA. The NFL fantasizes about being as close as they can to the European Soccer Leagues. The largest reason would have to be revenue. Any chance the NFL has at making more money, they will jump at it. With this expansion, comes many barriers. There are travel expenses that could be astronomical and the time commitment it takes to get from the US to London. This also creates jet lag and fans that live in the US would not be able to afford going to Europe to watch their team play. The time difference would also make watching the games on TV very difficult. I personally think this is a terrible idea and takes away the US traditions from the game. By making it an international game, modernizes it way too much. It is all to make more money by attracting a different fan base. This could change the sport way too much and change the way we watch the game. In my opinion, football shouldn't be about the money made, and should be about the entertainment and experience. 

Sociogenesis of Figure Skating

Figure skating was believed to be invented in 3000 BC in Switzerland when animal bones were put on shoes. The sport began to be developed by an American, Jackson Haines who was born in New York. This began right before the Civil War and he was claimed to be the "champion of america." These competitions were held without any rules of any claim to the title. He decided to go to Europe and then pioneered the sport of figure skating. When the International Skating Union was formed, there were 7 members of the club while there are over 600 members today. Back in the 20's anyone could compete in competitions, while today a member of the ISU must take a test in order to compete. A very historical event in the world of figure skating was in 1961, when the entire US Olympic Figure skating team was killed in a plane crash. Since then, financial assistance has been awarded to those who are in the sport as a Memorial Fund. In 1923, SKATING magazine took off and looked at the life of figure skating. The challenges that the sport faces is the number of participants. Young skaters have a problem dedicating their entire lives to a sport at the risk of being injured. (From the website http://www.usfsa.org/About.)

Sport in the Ancient World

In ancient Greece, the first sport played was the sprint. The athletes were basically worshiped. Any athlete that won, became desired by all. It took away any idea of rank or money.They could be anyone, from any family. There were strict dietary rules to be an athlete. Women were not allowed to watch or participate in sports except one that was believed to derive from a god (sister of Zeus). Most competitions had a religious aspect to it because they thought that the gods had already chosen their winner. In ancient Greece, it was considered more of a spectacle. 

In ancient Rome, the main sport played was the gladiator. These were usually people from low classes and were used like a "caged animal." The crowd was usually very involved with the sport because if a Gladiator won, they usually won their freedom as well. Gladiators were kept in barracks and trained everyday and they learn things that the Roman army would use. They were dressed in costumes and props. 

Sport, Society, and Me

My connection to a sport is everything. Whether you are participating or just watching, the connection is everything. Sometimes I feel more of a connection even just watching a sport than I do actually playing it. When I watch my favorite team play football, I am in the zone with the tv for three hours because I am so invested (and because I am obsessed with my team). I think a connection has to be understanding the sport and the sacrifices and ability it takes to do it. Sports were everything to me growing up, I started at such a young age because I used to watch my older brother play so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Once you find "your sport" I believe a connection is created because it seems like it is something you were meant to do and you found your niche. I had no idea I was going to be a swimmer until my mother threw me in our pool and I started to swim laps for the first time.

I think sports are a positive role in society. They get children out of trouble and have them striving for goals and working towards something. It also produces role models for people and gives people someone to look up to instead of a singer or pop star. US sports teach us that anyone can be successful in a sport and can overcome adversity and oppression. You can come from any walk of life and become successful. The most successful athletes come from the most least likely place. Most athletes are valued, but others are scrutinized because of little things they do. They are all placed on a pedestal and expected to act a certain way. They are mostly respected, unless they do one thing wrong, then it goes completely out the window. Every time you turn on the TV, there is another athlete doing something deviant and everyone is so shocked. Even though these things happen to regular people and they are humans.

The Sport Ethic

The Sport Ethic, as defined by Hughes and Coakley, is what many participants in sport have come to use as the criteria for defining what it means to be a real athlete. They include:
-Being an athlete involves making sacrifices for The Game
-Being an athlete involves striving for distinction
-Being an athlete involve accepting risks and playing through pain
-Being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities

Athletes conform to this set of beliefs because if they have the willingness to conform to these ideas then they will have more support and help athletes overcome and deal with risks, pain, and fears. Some athletes are also seen as "over-conforming" to their sport. This is due to various influences around the stigma of their sport. This makes athletes believe that if they conform, they will succeed as an athlete. For example, a lot of sports require athletes to be relatively thin because it makes them faster or better. This causes some to take it to the extreme and become anorexic. This over-conformity causes athletes to surpass the line of conformity and turns into insanity. As Hughes and Coakley state in the reading, "many athletes do not see their ove-rconformity to their sport ethic as deviant; they see it as confirming and reconfirming their identity as athletes and as member of select sport group" (Hughes, Coakley 1991). These are purely social because in order to seem like a more competitive athlete, one must conform to what is deemed as appropriate to succeed.

I have experienced all of the four dimensions of the sport ethic. I was a competitive swimmer for over ten years and my entire life revolved around the sport. The sacrifices I made were that I did not get to hang out with my friends on the weekends, because I was either training or at a meet and I attended over 9 practices a week in high school. The risks associated with the sport of swimming are, of course, injury. I have had several injuries in my shoulder from swimming and they still are not back to normal and still hurt to this day. Even though I knew that I was injured, I continued to keep swimming every day and training. Swimming is all about playing through the pain because when you race you are in pain the entire time and it is how you deal with it mentally that will determine how successful you will be as an athlete.

Sports in the US

Sports in the United States bring together different regions of the country and creates (sometimes) friendly competition as a past time. The sports that are the most popular in the United States are Football and Baseball. Both things that are not as common in other parts of the world. Both of these sports share a large fan base and a huge revenue from games, merchandise, and media. They are both male based sports that have no women's leagues, but their fans are both male and female. A typical game day usually involves a heavy alcohol intake, food, and fan pride. This usually all takes place at a tailgate, which is the pre-game festivities to celebrate the sporting event that takes place outside of the stadium before the event. The values that are conveyed are fan pride. This means wearing, from head to toe, jerseys and apparel pertaining to their specific sports team. Usually a fan is supposed to support the team regardless of who they play or if they win or lose. We measure a success in US sports by how many titles are won and how large the fan base is. This means how many championships are won or how well they rank internationally. We associate that a successful athlete has been consistent with their winning career. This means how they are a leader not only on the field, but within a community. An athlete can win countless titles and championships, but if they are not a role model within the community, it means nothing. The most important aspect of sport in the USA is the aspect of community and entertainment. It brings together various groups of people from different types of life and gives great opportunities to talented athletes.