"Final Reflections"

Before taking Introduction to Critical Sport Studies I always just viewed sports as entertainment and a way to stay in shape. I played sports all through high school but once I arrived at college, they just became entertainment, nothing else. Sitting around with friends watching football all Sunday and eating pizza pretty much sums up sports for me. This class interested me because I wanted to learn the sociological components found within sport culture. Now that class is about to come to an end, I would definitely agree that my understanding of US sport culture has changed through taking class. I learned about so many topics that impact sports such as gender, race, disabilities, violence, LGBTQs, the sport ethic, paying college athletes, and more. Paying college athletes stood out to me the most because it was something I used to be completely against but after doing research, a class debate, and writing a paper on the topic, my opinions changed and this does not happen to me very often. I will definitely start asking more critical questions about the US sports world. I also would highly recommend this class to any of my friends because it provides very interesting and useful information about sports.  

Why The "Man's Game" is an Insult to Men

Currently, sports are not a safe space for LGBT athletes. They never have been and hopefully they will be in the future. The documentary "Training Rules" is a great example of this because it examines how women college sports are controlled and influenced by homophobic practices and how many talented athletes lives are destroyed due to their sexuality. Rene Portland, the old women basketball coach for Penn State made 3 rules, no drinking, no drugs, no lesbians. Portland would make it her goal to destroy any athlete who was gay and therefore many of her athletes could not come out. However this is not the only instance of homophobic behaviors in sport. Athletes are constantly afraid of coming out because they fear what their teammates would say, what other teams would say, and what fans would say. Robbie Rogers expresses that the only way he could come out was by leaving football. He also said that many of his friends and teammates support him but he is terrified about how is fans will act. Often times people will say something negative towards you but you can shrug it off because they don't know you personally. Well expressing your sexuality is something very personal and it is hard to deal with if someone attacks it. There are constant stories about athletes who want to come out but cannot because they are afraid of this. Yeah we could implement classes and educate athletes but not everyone is going to agree with LGBTQs, that is just our society currently. In my opinion it will just take time. Our current generation has progressed so much so far and I truly believe that it will only continue to progress, it will just take awhile.

"Darwin's Athletes"

African Americans have always had the stereotype of being amazing athletes or also called "Darwin's Athletes" which is the idea of survival of the fittest. It is true that sports play a very significant role in the African American culture. However, American society has developed a belief that African Americans are the best athletes out there and it is the best way for them to rise up out of the lower class status to the upper class. Often times, Hollywood supports and emphasizes this belief with all of their films about African Americans who achieve this. There are countless films such as The Blind Side, Above the Rim, For Love and Basketball, White Men Can't Jump, and hundreds more.  The Blind Side is probably one of the best films that actually portrays the idea of an African American as a "Darwin Athlete." However, is this the actual reality that many African Americans face? In the Blind Side, a large (for his age) African American boy is adopted into a white, upper class family and is encouraged to play football. In short, he goes from barely having a family and living in a terrible neighborhood to becoming one of the best linemen of all time in football. He even makes it to the NFL and plays for the the Ravens.

Even though this is a true story, it is not always the reality. For example, in the documentary Hoop Dreams, the director follows two African Americans who grow up in similar neighborhoods as Michael Oher and try to make it to the NBA. These young athletes face many obstacles such as school, injuries, and family troubles, just like Michael Oher. However, they do not end up making it to the NBA and in fact, they barely make it into college. Unfortunately, sport is damaging African American culture and supports the myth of race.

Real Women

There was an ad made on September 11, 2012 for the Lingerie Football League. Overall Shaw TV Saskatoon created this ad to promote this sport, activity, or anything else you would like to call it. Throughout the video many women describe their past and talk about their college experiences and their athleticism.  Their coach discusses the complexity of the plays that they run. And some of the women even discuss their uniforms and claim to not have a problem with them. At one point a woman from the team stated that the uniforms get them more attention and it allows them to get fans.
Unfortunately, lingerie football league is probably the largest sport that degrades women. They play with barely any pads and are practically naked. "It's pigskin without pads...or clothing for the most part." In my opinion this ad is ridiculous because it is trying to show us that lingerie football is not degrading women but instead promoting their athleticism. Pretend a family is watching a lingerie football game just like they would watch the Broncos play the Packers on a Sunday. What are the messages that are sent to the children? Girls will start believing that you need to lose cloths in order to get attention and boys will begin to support this behavior and demand it as they grow up. When one of the athletes in the video tries to argue that they enjoy not wearing cloths and playing football, this might be true, however she is just supporting these negative gendered identities that women currently have when it comes to athletics. Overall, this commercial is trying to promote lingerie football and defend what it actually is. Yes some of the women might enjoy it and some of them might argue that it is okay, however in the end they are just supporting negative gender relations.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfkKjATCu4E 

Interrogating inequalities in Sports Media: Examining gender/race representation in

Throughout the year of 2013, sports illustrated came out with 102 issues of their magazines, which also means 102 cover photos for these magazines. Out of these 102 covers, only three of them had a woman on the cover. The first one was November 11, 2013 and it was a female police officer from Boston with three other males. The second cover with a female was on October 7, 2013 with swim suit model Kate Upton. In the photo she is dressed up as a braves baseball player and is sitting with two other braves players. The third and last cover with a female took place on February 12, 2013. This was also with Kate Upton and she is in bikini bottoms with no bikini top while wearing a winter coat that is open. 

In 2013 there was not one female athlete on the cover of sports illustrated. One cover was dedicated to Boston Police but the other two had the same swim suit model on the cover and the only job she had was to look attractive. Clearly there is a challenge existing on gender in sports media and unfortunately sports illustrated is doing nothing to fix this problem. Instead, they are even objectifying women to look attractive for men. 

In my personal opinion, women should play more of a serious role in athletic magazines. They should not be viewed only as objects but rather athletes just like men are. I would say the only serious picture taken of a female in 2013 was the police officer picture but she was surrounded by three other men. Sports Illustrated needs to change the way they present women on the cover of their magazines. Hopefully this changes more in 2014.

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

The topic on paying college athletes has been a serious debate for a significantly long time now. So should we pay college athletes or not? Well ultimately it is your decision on whether or not we should pay them.  There are strong arguments on both sides. So what if we pay them, what's the big deal? Well the NCAA mostly does not want to pay college athletes because of the concept of amateurism. According to the NCAA, amateurism is one of the main reasons why college sports are so popular with fans. Not only that, but many schools will argue that they do not have the extra money to spend $2000 on each athlete for spending money. Also, many sports such as lacrosse, do not generate nearly as much money as football and it would be hard to provide these athletes with money. If colleges were allowed to pay their athletes, colleges would get their recruits based on how much money they were going to give. There is also the argument that many of these athletes have not matured yet mentally and would just spend the money immediately and not save it. They are young athletes and the school already pays for their education, housing, food, and other supplies. We do not need to give them extra money if the school is already providing them with everything.
However, there are also many arguments supporting the idea of paying college athletes.  Colleges generate hundreds of millions of dollars from college sports such as football and basketball. Some people ask why aren't athletes receiving a piece of this profit? They are the ones putting their bodies on the line and risking their health so the school can profit. Not only that, but when people say that athletes are given enough with a free education, others will argue they need money for basic things like gas, cloths, food, and etc. Athletes do not have time to get a job like other students because the sport they participate in takes up so much time already. If an athlete is hurt, often times they are left with nothing. No education and no money but instead a huge pile of medical bills. There is so much corruption in college sports at the moment and most of these problems would go away if colleges were allowed to pay their athletes.
In my personal opinion I think college athletes should be paid but there has to be a lot of restrictions. I do not like the idea of giving an athlete more money after his or her education, housing, food on campus, and anything else on campus is completely paid for. Just like what Hilgenberg says while getting interviewed by Jerry Carino for the USA today article, "Athletes, administrators debate scholarship stipends," however not everyone will live on campus and therefore will not be eating campus food and will most likely have a car that needs gas. I support the idea of providing these athletes with money so they can provide for themselves. I do not agree with giving them "a piece of the pie" because the college itself is making so much money. These athletes are there for school and their sport. Which ever one they put first is up to them, but they are not there to get paid for playing football. Just like every other college student, they do not get paid for going to school. You go to college to receive an education and to increase your chances at being successful in the future. Some college athletes will perform so they have a chance to go to the pros.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/09/28/athletes-administrators-debate-ncaa-scholarship-stipends/2890117/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sport, Politics and the Olympics

In 1956, the Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. Interestingly enough, during this time there was extreme tension between Hungarians and Russians. In fact, there was an attempt to overthrow the Soviet regime and as a result, around 200,000 Russian troops invaded Hungary and left over 5,000 dead. As a result of these unfortunate events, there was a lot of tension between the Hungarian and Russian water polo teams. During the match there were several fights and the athletes were overly aggressive with one another. Some of them put others in choke holds and others threw punches. The match was ended early when a Hungarian player, Ervin Zador, was punched in the face by a Russian player. The referees did not want a riot to start so they ended the match. The Hungarians went on to win the gold metal and this story has been known as "Blood in the Water" at the 1956 Olympics ever since. This would definitely be an example of sport as an Opiate of the Masses because even though Hungary was being invaded and thousands of Hungarians died, they still were able to defeat the Russians in the Olympics and it gave Hungary some pride. This is a perfect example where sports can be impacted by politics and I disagree with the statement "Sport is pure and devoid of political interference." Eitzen and Sage write a chapter on sports and politics and argues that there are five political uses of sport. These five include sport as a propaganda vehicle, sport and nationalism, sport as an opiate of the masses, the exploitation of sport by politicians, and sport as a vehicle of change in society.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/blood-in-the-water-at-the-1956-olympics-1616787/

London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

There has been a lot of discussion recently on the NFL expanding and setting up a team in London. Well first of all, London is by far the best location (outside of America) for the NFL to expand to. There is already a stadium that meets NFL specifications, London generates so much money from soccer (or football) each year, and there is an enormous population of sport fans. The NFL and many others see London as an opportunity to make much more money and the beginning of world-wide american football. Some individuals believe that the Wembley Stadium will be a "sellout-producing site" for american football. They also state that it is no longer an "if" scenario but rather a "when" scenario. If soccer teams can play world-wide, why can't NFL teams eventually do the same? Even though this all looks great on paper, is it actually possible?

In my opinion, american football spreading to London is still an "if" scenario. I agree that the NFL could have the same potential as soccer, but it will take a very long time and even that might not be enough. As Barnwell states, "It's easy to imagine the NFL staring at London as a possible destination for a future franchise, with a ready-built stadium and an enormous potential market for fresh fans, but reality tells us it would be playing a different game than the league's other franchises." American football is a much more popular sport than soccer in the USA and when it comes to England, soccer is much more popular than American football. All because the NFL is more popular in the USA does not mean that it will happen in London or anywhere else in the world. Sports play enormous roles in the development of societies and it will take many years for the NFL to become equally popular in England's society after so many years of dedication to soccer. Ultimately, on paper it seems like a fantastic idea but in reality it will not work out.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/22357154/london-calling-nfl-wants-uk-team-and-soon-jags-look-like-best-fit

Sociogenesis of Alpine Skiing

Skiing has been traced back to prehistoric times through the discovery of different sizes and shapes of wooden planks that have been preserved in Finland, Sweden, Russia, and Norway. The fragments have been carbon-dated back to 8000-7000 BC. The actual "birth" of downhill skiing is often dated to the 1850s when Sondre Norheim changed skis to have curved sides, bindings with stiff heel bands, and slalom turns. Skiing used to be only a method of transportation until the late 19th century. The first national skiing competition was held in Norway in the 1840s. Alpine skiing was added to the olympic program in 1936 and since 1988, the Olympic Alpine skiing program has consisted of five events. The events are downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined. Downhill has the longest course and the highest speeds. Super-G stands for Super Giant Slalom and is longer that Giant Slalom but shorter than Downhill. Giant Slalom is a looser version of slalom with fewer and wider turns. Giant Slalom races are much smoother than Slalom races. Slalom has the shortest course and the most turns. This race requires very fast reflexes and quick feet. Lastly, Super-combined consists of a downhill course followed by a slalom run.

During the race, skiers must pass through each gate and must not lose a ski. If the skier misses a gate, he or she is allowed to hike back up to the gate that they missed and pass through it, continuing the race. If the racer fails to make a gate or loses a ski, they are DQ'd from the race. The race begins as soon as the racer passes the timing wand at the top of the hill and is finished as soon as they pass through the last gate.

There are eight parts of alpine skiing equipment:

1. Skis

2. Race suit

 3. Boots

4. Gloves

 5. Goggles

6. Helmet

 7. Bindings

8. Ski poles

http://i.nbcolympics.com/alpine-skiing/insidethissport/basic/newsid=261158.html#alpine+skiing+basics

http://www.olympic.org/alpine-skiing-equipment-and-history?tab=equipment

Sport in the Ancient World

The development of sports have completely changed throughout generations. There have been different kinds of sports, for different people, for different roles. For example, gladiator battles were the most popular sport during Ancient Rome. A gladiator is either a warrior hero or a villain and is an object of scorn, envy, admiration, or even lust. A gladiator's role is fighting, killing, and dying. Gladiators lived in a training school that was right next to the colosseum and the training was very similar to the training for roman soldiers. The fighting is very different than normal fighting because it is ritualized and specialized. There were various types of armor and it was well decorated and balanced.  A gladiator has one in six chances of dying every time he steps into the arena. Gladiator battles were very political and provided entertainment. They excluded women as athletes and were diversions for the common people. There were about 17 different types of gladiators, however of these 17, Thracians, Mirmillones, Retiarii, and Secutores were the most popular. Mostly they carried a sword and shield or a trident and net.

Another period of time where there were different kinds of sports that served different roles was Ancient Greece. During Ancient Greece, Olympic Games began to take place. The Olympic Games included pankration, boxing, wrestling, running, jumping, discus throw, and equestrian events. Pankration was a sport that combined wrestling and boxing and was considered one of the hardest sports. For jumping, athletes used weights to increase the distance of their jumps by throwing them backwards at the end of their jump. And horse and chariot races were used for equestrian events. The athletes were required to be naked to prove that they were not women or cheating. The only female that was allowed to attend the games was a priestess of Zeus's sister, Demiter. Similar to Ancient Rome, the games provided entertainment. However they were mostly based on religion rather than politics.

Ultimately, studying the history of sports allows us to see the development of modern sport. We can easily see more equality, rewards, specialization, and quantification. Sports moved from combat to ball and from religious to secular. It is very interesting to think about current sports and how so many things have changed. For example, women are now allowed to compete in most of the olympic events. Interestingly enough, just this year women are allowed to compete in the ski jump event for the winter olympics.  Even though most of the things have changed, some things are still currently changing.


http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games?tab=the-sports-events
http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-gladiators.php

Sport, Society & Me

Sports used to play a large role in my life and I first became involved at a young age.  It seems like every season I used to play a different sport.  Football in the fall, ski racing in the winter, tennis in the spring, and baseball in the summer.  If I wasn't playing a sport, I most likely had an injury.  Sports have made me a very competitive person and have allowed me to see the achievements that can be made from working hard.  My dad has been a coach for me throughout my life and has taught me that hard work is necessary for everything in life, not just sports.  I also noticed this connection after having multiple jobs and getting promotions.  Often times my co-workers never received promotions while I did.  However it was very obvious that who ever worked harder was mostly the one to get a promotion.  Ultimately, sports have provided me with many good attributes, especially hard working. 

However, I do not think that sports only play a positive role in society, they also play negative roles.  Of course sports can provide people with good sportsmanship, traditions, entertainment, and other positive aspects.  A lot of athletes are even great role models for society.  For example, according to James Riggio, Roger Federer is not only one of the best tennis players, but he also was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006 and helped aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  Unfortunately, many people also feel that a lot of athletes are actually negative role models in society.  All the time we hear about professional athletes getting in trouble with the law.  For example, Terrence Jones, the forward for the Huston Rockets, was arrested after he was seen stomping on the leg of a homeless man.  

Despite all of the negative impacts that sport has on our society, sports are and will remain an important part of American culture.  Athletes are individuals that we respect, look up to, and want to be.  They put their bodies on the line for our entertainment and often times refuse failure.  And even though some are poor role models, there will always be positive role models as well.

http://www.studymode.com/essays/Athletes-Are-Negative-Role-Models-For-623461.html

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1043972-top-25-sports-models-of-last-25-years/page/5

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/all-jumpsuit-team-sports-stars-trouble-law-gallery-1.56536?pmSlide=1.1545966

The Sport Ethic

Athletes have their own set of norms that they follow in order to show their commitment to sports that they participate in.  According to Hughes and Coakley, the "Sport Ethic" or the definition of a "real athlete" can be described in four main points.  First, an athlete has to be able to make sacrifices for The Game.  They need to forget about other interests in their life in order to give the sport full commitment and attention.  Second, an athlete needs to strive for distinction.  Athletes work so hard to get closer and closer to perfection.  They will practice as long as it takes to be the best, because in their heads, practice makes perfect.  Third, athletes need to accept risks and play through pain.  Athletes should never back down and perform under any pressure.  If they are injured and they can still physically play, they should.  Lastly, athletes refuse to accept limits.  Once they achieve a certain amount of skill, they continue to work harder so they can improve more.  Even if the athlete is already the best, that individual will continue to work towards improvement.

Many people are surprised by this and wonder why athletes conform to this set of beliefs.  The reason is actually very simple.  Athletes have a set of norms that they follow, just like everyday norms that exist in our society.  The saying "no pain, no gain" is a perfect example that supports the third point.  Athletes are expected to be faster, stronger, and work harder than the average person.  The sport culture teaches them to never quit and always work to be the best.

Personally, I have experienced many of these dimensions of the sport ethic.  For example when I played football in high school, if you were hurt often times you were told to "rub some dirt in it" or "grow a pair and start acting like a football player."  The coaches would tell us what we could and could not eat and how we shouldn't hangout with friends before a game day.  Our coaches began to schedule "fun days" that were basically extra practice days where we would meet up and run simple drills without pads.  Ultimately we were told that our most important thing in life is football and we need to work as hard as we can to improve.

Tyler Martin

Sport(s) in the USA

The most popular sports in the United States include American football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey.  Of course there are many other sports such as swimming, lacrosse, tennis, winter sports, and etc that are popular was well, but the first five listed are by far the most popular.  Game days are usually pretty big with these sports and involve thousands of dedicated fans attending the game and watching the game on tv.  Many of these fans will be wearing the team colors or jerseys to support the team playing.  It is also very popular to tailgate before the game and grill burgers, hotdogs, brats, and drink beer.  Inside the stadium, there will be a lot of life and excitement.  There will be many different types of food and games that people can play.  Of course the majority of the stadium will be filled with seating for fans to watch the game.  While the game takes place, there will be individuals that walk up and down the stairs selling beverages and snacks.  Overall, for all of these sports, friends and families will get together, eat tasty food, enjoy each others company, and hopefully watch a good game.

A "good game" according to Americans includes a very close score between the teams with good calls.  We don't want to see a high scoring game necessarily.  For example in football we would like to see a game that is 28-28 and there is 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.  We want to see amazing plays on both offense and defense.  And of course we want our team to win in the end.   A successful sport in the USA will keep the fans on the edge of their seats and be constantly excited.  We want fairness and good sportsmanship between athletes.  And most importantly it will be considered successful if there are many "good games."