How Equitable are Sport Opportunities for Women?

Link to Website: http://www.sports-media.org/newpedimension8.htm

"Women do not receive equitable
treatment in sport but opportunities
are increasing and hopefully in the future,
women will receive equitable treatment
to their male counterpart."

In class on November 17^th we discussed gender and sports and whether woman had equitable opportunities in sport.  In Coakley’s text on pages 232-233, he talks about the increase of opportunities for females.  Since the mid-1970’s opportunities for females have increase but prior to the 1970’s woman didn’t participate in sport.  The reason for that was because they didn’t have the opportunity to participate because they were no programs or teams.  Woman today still don’t receive equitable treatment but opportunities have increased, partly due to organized political action and government legislation.  Title IX has been a big factor in increasing opportunities for women. 

There are five main reasons for the dramatic increase in sport participation:  new opportunities, government legislation mandating equal rights, the global women’s rights movement, and increased media coverage of women in sports. 

In the article he discusses how powerful the media is and that women do not receive equitable treatment with TV time.  The media tends to show the men’s game rather than the female’s game.  The media has an amazing impact on shaping cultural attitudes and values.  By showing way more men’s games compared to women’s games, its makes the people believe that the women’s game in inferior to the men’s game.  The media also tends to focus on the looks of the female athletes rather than the amazing achievements of the female athletes.  Women do not receive equitable treatment in sport but opportunities are increasing and hopefully in the future, women will receive equitable treatment to their male counterpart.

Are Race and Ethnicity Important in Sports?

Link to Website: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/parlsec/media/speeches/2008/lf081130.htm

In class on November 10^th we discussed race and ethnicity in sport and if it was important for sport.  In Coakley’s text on pages 293-300, he discusses the participation in sport among the races.  He discusses sport participation of African Americans, Native Americans, and Latin Americans.  He talks about how each race in underrepresented in sports.  Not many people recognized that African Americans are underrepresented in sports because they are seen in popular sports such as basketball and football but if it weren’t for these sports, they would hardly be represented at all.  But we need to realize how important it is for people of different races to be represented in sports because it helps with globalization and receives a larger fan base.

"Sport can be the stepping-stone to building
a united and cohesive society."

In the article she talks about the need for sport in Australia.  Sport can be used as a vehicle for communication; it helps bring diverse people closer and gives them common ground to communicate on.  Sport can be the stepping-stone to building a united and cohesive society.  Sport has the power to bring people of all different races and bring them together.  Whether your cheering for the athlete or the team, it gives people common ground for communication.  The more diverse we come, the closer we become to accepting everyone regardless or race or ethnicity.

Drugs and Sports

Link to Website: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/drug-use-in-professional-sports.html

In class on November 3^rd and November 8^th we discussed drug use in sport.  In Coakley’s text on pages 179-185, he discusses the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sports.  Coakley says that defining a PED is difficult to do because it can range from anything like aspirin to heroin.  They can be legal or illegal; harmless or dangerous, natural or synthetic, socially acceptable or unacceptable, commonly used or exotic.  This makes it difficult not only to test for all of these, but to also understand what your allowed and not allowed to take. 

In the article Brad Sissoko discusses the controversy of drug use in sport.  He talks about the reasons for athletes to take drugs or PEDs.  Certain drugs can help you recover quicker from injuries or give you a competitive edge on the field.  It’s not only athletes on the field taking these drugs, many people in the workplace are also taking these drugs to not only cure illness and alleviate pain, but to change their mood, thought, feelings, and mental and physical performance.  The use of illicit drugs will remain a controversy in sports and as long as athletes have access to them, they will continue to use them no matter the consequence. 

The use of illicit drugs will remain a controversy in sports
and as long as athletes have access to them,
they will continue to use them no matter the consequence.

The Media and Racial Stereotyping

Link to the Website: http://thesportdigest.com/archive/article/media-s-effect-perceptions-athletes-gender-and-race

In class on October 27th, 2011 we talked about the media and it's effect on sports.  In Coakley’s text on pages 425-428, he discusses how men who are not white are talked about and viewed differently as athletes.  When talking about white athletes, they talk about how they are hard working, intelligent, highly disciplined and driven by high character.  When talking about an African American athlete, they describe them as instinctive and naturally talented.  Stereotypes are often cited as well like African American athletes being able to run faster or jump higher.  Coackley also talks about how we overlook the whiteness in some stories.  In a news story about white men shooting people, people don’t think about the shooters but about how sad it is that it happened.  If the shooters had been black, it would have been made a racial thing.  This is because we are in a white-centered culture and tend not to “see” it.

In the article, Shailendra Sharma talks about how the media’s presence allows for stereotyping to become adopted by the views beliefs.  Especially on television, the viewer will hear, see, and form a bias based on what they see and hear.  This causes negative stereotypes to be adapted by many viewers who see and hear the same things.  She also discusses how African American males are described as having natural athletic ability and are just physically gifted rather than mentally gifted.  This is a negative stereotype created by the media that many people believe.  It will be difficult to eliminate all negative stereotypes but with proper training and commentators watching what they say may eliminate some of the negative stereotypes around African American athletes and all other athletes of a different race.

On and Off the Field Behavior

Link to the Website: http://www.philosophynow.org/issue41/Sports_and_Deviant_Behavior

In class on November 3, 2011, we discussed deviance in sports.  In Coakley’s text on pages 163-165, he discusses the four primary norms of the sport ethic.  I feel that it’s these four primary norms that lead athletes to perform deviant acts.  The first primary norm is athletes are dedicated to “the game” above all other things. The second primary norm is athletes strive for distinction.  The third primary norm is athletes accept risks and play through pain.  The fourth primary norm is athletes accept no obstacles in the pursuit of success in sports.  These four are what strive athletes to perform deviant acts such as performance-enhancing drugs or taking a cheap shot at an opponent.  These athletes feel the need to win and will do so at all costs.

In the article, Tim Delaney discusses the deviant behavior not only on and off the field, but also in the stands.  First lets talk about the off-the-field deviant acts.  Many athletes struggle with behaving off the field.  Some of the violent off field deviate acts include:  fights; sexual assaults; attempted rapes; domestic violence charges; and drunk driving.  Athletes also perform nonviolent deviant acts off the field like:  sex solicitation criminal charges; fraudulent autographed sports memorabilia; illegal gambling, point shaving and basketball referees investigated for tax evasion. 

"Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions on
Thanksgiving stomped on another player
after the whistle and is getting suspended for his actions."

Now deviant acts performed on the field is often a grey area because most fans consider it as apart of the game.  Dirty plays happen all the time in sports, some acts are worse than others though.  Chin music in baseball (a pitch that brushes back the hitter) has always been apart of the game but is a deviant act.  The pitch has the potential to hit and hurt the player.  Late hits in football are also deviant acts.  Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving stomped on another player after the whistle and is getting suspended for his actions.  Whether athletes are on of off the field, deviant acts occur all the time.

Sport mirrors society and there is deviant behavior everywhere.  Athletes tend to perform deviant behaviors because of the ‘win at all costs’ mentality.  Society values winners so athletes feel the pressure and perform acts that are deviant just to have an advantage because winning is everything.

Are Athletes Overpaid?

"An average NBA player
makes 75 times more money than
an average family."

Link to the Website:  http://atlantapost.com/2010/06/29/are-professional-athletes-over-paid-or-justly-compensated/

In class on October 20^th, 2011 we discussed whether athletes were overpaid.  In Coakley’s text from 381-384 he discusses the salaries of the athletes over the last 50 years.  Since the 1950’s, salaries have skyrocketed from thousands of dollars, to millions of dollars.  “In 2007 the ratio of average salaries relative to median family income was 75:1 for the NBA; 54:1 for MLB; 28:1 for the NHL; 26:1 for the NFL; 2:1 for the MLS, and 1:1 for the WNBA.” (pg. 282)  An average NBA player makes 75 times more money than an average family.  But does this really mean they are overpaid?

In the article, Khalid Salaam says the athletes are both overpaid and justly compensated.  First, there are two common mistakes fans make when arguing that professional athletes are overpaid.  The first mistake they make is grouping all pro athletes together.  There are more sports than just basketball, baseball, football, and hockey.  The second mistake they make is making the issue emotional.  They are not just getting paid for the game they play; they are getting paid to entertain people who watch them play the game.  If the fans continue to pay to watch them play, why shouldn’t they get paid what they do.  The people’s biggest complaint is that their salaries don’t match what they contribute to society.  Sure their salaries don’t match but how can they criticize someone taking money someone is offering them to do their job?  As long as the fans continue to pay to watch these athletes perform, the athletes are justly paid.

Are Athletes Role Models?

Link to the article:

http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/Pro-athletes-as-role-models/

On September 20^th we discussed athletes as a role model.  In Coakley’s text on page 112, he discusses people growing up in sport have trouble translating what they learned from sport into the real world.  The article I read was written from an ex-professional basketball player who doesn’t understand why the media makes out athletes as role models for kids.  What we want in a role model is someone who is honest, committed, fairness, has high morals, and good self-image.  So what does being a great athlete have to do with being a role model?  As Coakley states on page 112, the Adler brothers discovered that most athletes learned how to set goals, focus their attention on specific tasks, and learned to succeed in basketball.  In basketball is the key word there, as the athletes didn’t know how to apply those same concepts to the real world.  If athletes could translate what they did in sport in real life, then we possibly should view them as role models.

"A person whose behavior in a particular
social setting is imitated by others,
especially by younger persons."

For some reason, the amazing athletic ability of someone makes people and the media think of them as a hero.  This heroic status makes the media want to believe that they are supposed to be role models for everybody. "A person whose behavior in a particular social setting is imitated by others, especially by younger persons." This is the Webster's definition of role model.  So yes, athletes should be role models in the confines of the sport world and not in life.  The media also talks about the negatives of athletes and rarely talks about the positive things that some athletes do.  Why talk about Ben Roethlisberger and his off the field conduct when you can talk about Max Stark’s charitable work?  The media needs to show kids the real role models in the sport world, someone the kids can really model themselves after.  For the most part athletes should not be role models for kids, but rather entertainers they love to watch.

Hockey to Reach Europe?

Link to the article:

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/09/26/In-Depth/Main.aspx?hl=nhl%20eyes%20europe&sc=0

On October 13^th we discussed ideals underlying in international sport and the globalizing of sport as discussed in Coakley’s text on pages 357-359.  The article talks about hockey becoming TV partners with Europe to score more viewers.  I believe this highlights a few ideals in international sport such as highlighting shared interests among different cultures and nations, foster cultural understanding and eliminate national stereotypes, and an open communication between nations.  John Collins, COO of the NHL said, “We want to be able to shorten the distance between European fans and our game.”  This is a very good thing when talking about ideals of international sport, globalizing a sport, and marketing. 

Most hockey players have a diverse back
round making it easier to become global.

According to Coakley (page 358) commercial sports are going global.  Why?  They are going global because the NHL wants to expand their market and maximize profits.  Bringing Europe closer to hockey is good for the NHL considering how diverse the sport is.  Harvey Schiller, CEO of GlobalOptions Group said, “It’s a sport that is not completely dominated by American players, which gives it an appeal in Europe.  In some of the Latin countries they will have a hard time, but across Europe, people talk about hockey.  They know what a puck looks like.” 

Becoming TV partners with Europe is definitely keeping an open line of communication between nations.  Peter Gudmundson, the former CEO and GM of Sweden’s premier professional hockey league is going to work alongside the NHL in establishing and growing events.  I believe this is good thing for everyone.  The NHL will make money, Europeans will become excited about the NHL and it’s a good way to share a common interest with a different culture and nation.

High School Sports, Good or Bad?

Link to the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/how-high-school-sports-save-our-schools/2011/09/14/gIQAzgHKdK_story.html

"Sports does a better job of teaching values such as
leadership, teamwork, time management
and other crucial skills...."

On September 29^th we discussed if varsity sport programs contribute to education.  Coakley also discusses it in the text on pages 472-474.  In the article Jay Mathews claims that high school sports is saving our schools.  In a national survey, 7.7 million boys and girls took part in high school sports.  The reason Mathews thinks sports are saving high school is because sports does a better job of teaching values such as leadership, teamwork, time management and other crucial skills whereas it is tougher to learn that in the classroom.  Coaches have more freedom when disciplining young adults.

According to Coakley on page 473, high school athletes tend to have better grade point averages, better attitudes toward school, lower rates of absences, more interest in going to college, more years of college completed, greater career success, and better health than students to don’t play high school sports.  So is high school sport really that important?  For young adults to establish life’s values, yes, for education, not so much.  Playing sports doesn’t make the student any smarter but it does build character and gives them values on life in which they can live by.  This can create a better atmosphere in the classroom and give them a better attitude but it can’t increase test scores.

Pushing the Youth too Hard?

Link to the article:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/apologies-freud/201005/kids-and-sports-how-much-is-too-much

On September 22^nd we talked about how the youth is being pushed to hard in sport and how they become like “laborers.”    This is also discussed in pages 129-133 in Coakley’s text.  This article explains how kids are being pushed to hard and too quickly into sport are suffering from burnout.  She explains how kids should have fun and play multiple sports rather than just one sport until after their adolescence years.  Parents and coaches are pushing their kid’s way too hard with the dream of being a collegiate star or a professional athlete.  In the article she talks about a girl named Julie who swims.  She swam four to seven days a week every week since the age of 5.  Repeating the swimming motion everyday for six years is very hard on a young fragile body.  Her muscles and tendons barely allowed her to move and was a serious risk of injury.  Why would we put an 11 year old at risk of a serious injury?

There are many stories like Julie’s, which is very disappointing to hear.  Sports should be fun and healthy for kids to do.  There is no reason to make it a job for a kid at a young age.  Greg Bulter, who was a basketball player for the New York Knicks, recalls, “I started playing basketball when I was young.  But not as kids who are playing sports now.  We didn’t play ball until fifth or sixth grade.  And we certainly didn’t play year round like they do today.  Kids’ sports have gotten out of control.”  Parents and coaches need to step up and take control.  They need to limit their kid’s activity and just make sure they are having fun, rather than being at risk of a serious injury.

In Coakley’s text, he talks about elite private sport programs don’t have child labor laws and can work them as much as possible.  What these programs are doing is technically child abuse by having them work 40 hours a week.  The coaches will defend themselves by saying the kids want to be pushed and become great athletes but kids are too young to legally give “informed consent” (131-132).  Youth sports have been getting out of control and it’s time we start getting it back into control.

Youth Sports are Becoming Privatized and are Stressing Performance Rather than Fun