Final Reflections

Before this class I never really realized what really happens in sports. From what I see, well what the media shows, everything seems pretty equal, especially in regards towards race. I think my mind really changed when we talked about how sports can potentially be a “passport out of the projects”. Coming from an “at risk” high school, I definitely have seen how important sports are to certain people. They would always say “we gotta get out the hood”, not I understand why sports are such an important factor in their lives. Another thing that bothers me, not really surprised, was the pay inequality. This was especially an issue when we were talking about tennis and how it is a predominantly women who play this and still they were not getting equally paid.

I was considering doing some kind of research or study on how the some of the athletes, especially African American athletes, feel on this campus and during their season. We saw how demanding the sport is and on top of that they still have to worry about academics to make sure that they can maintain their grades/GPA in order to keep their scholarship. What I learned in this class got my wheels turning quite a bit about this topic.

I would recommend this class to everyone and anyone. There were a lot if interesting topics and a lot of information that I previously did not know. I lke to share some of my learned knowledge with others and they think it is great. This will also play well into my life later on, if and when I do continue with my pursuit in a career in broadcast, specifically leaning towards sports. Sports is more than the score, there are many issues that need to be addressed and actions that need to be taken.

Why the 'Mans Mans' Game is an Insult to Men

Since the time of the Ancient Romans and Greeks, many things have changed and evolved not only in sports but in our society as well. Even though we have come a long way since then, there are still major concerns with the LGBT community in sports and it is unfortunate. I wouldn't say that "yes, it is a safe space for the LGBT athletes", but I do feel that it is slowly, very slowly, becoming more accepting. Often times, the actual team does not have a problem or at least that big of a problem accepting the player who "comes out". The bigger problem are the fans who can be homophobic and disrespectful.

One of the biggest problems, at times, is the media. We see articles and stories about athletes being charged with rape, assault, harassment harassment harassment murder, etc. and they are forgiven? But the moment a player comes out, it's a revolt because it is "wrong". Our society has to change and become more accepting of this community for anything to change. 

Darwin's Athletes

For some people, coming from low-income neighborhoods and some "at risk" schools, being able to play sports and being good in sports can be a major boost in society and overall life. Coming from low-income and "at risk" school, which will be non-existent in June, I saw first hand athletes trying to get scouted to be able to go to college. I've seen parents upset when their player is not performing because they know that more than a game this can be their chance to get out of the "hood".

The movie "The Blind Side" is about one of those rare one-in-a-million cases of a privileged family taking in a struggling African America boy into their home. This kid goes from long walks to wash his clothes to having his own room to Ole Miss. Up till now, I have never met anyone with a story like that, but I have seen athletes get their dreams crushed when they are not recruited and are unable to go to college.

I think that Hollywood plays into and reinforces the stereotypes of different races, especially in sports. Anywhere from dance movies to football movies, there is always at least one African American present that is displaying how good they are at their practiced sport. The idea of stacking does not fall far behind because the set up is putting certain races and groups into certain sports because it is believed they will perform better into those groups. I cannot say I agree with this but nor that I disagree because I have seen some athletes with "natural talent" and I have seen athletes who cannot play and then after practice they do amazing work.

Female Athletes in Comercials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zktomOrTt2I

In this commercial, another AXE commercial, we can predict what is going to happen. Although at the start of the commercial we do not automatically assume this. There is a female athlete who is maybe practicing her shot put throwing. Of course, she absolutely has to be in only underwear, because how else could anyone practice this sport? After seeing the shots of her clothes (and body), there is a chance you could assume they are advertising the underwear and sports bra. The camera also focuses on her body movements as she is preparing to do the shot put throw. Also, there are beauty shots, her make-up covered face is also for display.

Alas, we see she is warming up to throw the shot put into a guy's window. Once the window is broken she pole volts and flies into his apartment. She is exhibiting more than one sport. But, the main goal of her doing these sports is to eventually getting to the guy.

I remembered what one of the men in the "Branded" video said, something along the lines of "to keep women's sports around you have to have men interested in it". In this commercial, the athlete is wearing close to nothing and she is literally doing all she physically can to get to this guy and get his attention. I believe this is sometimes a direct reflection of women's sports. The way female athlete's uniforms are made as opposed to men's are extremely different. Guys do not have to show much skin, they just play the game. Women have to be "revealing" to get the attention from their male counterparts. On and off the court, women have to use their sex appeal to achieve this attention, while men put little to no effort into this.

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

As looking through just a month of the covers of Sports Illustrated from December 2013, all I saw was football. Part of the reason could definitely be that it was in fact football season. Also, this was getting to the close calls of who would end up making it into the play-offs and who would make it to the Super Bowl.

There are 10 covers with athletes/coaches on them and one with a stadium. From the 9, with people, 5 of them are African American and the other 4 are White. In the images more than half are exemplifying the sport in action. The only one that has a coach as the main cover, the coach seems to be aggressive and yelling. We cannot tell if he is yelling at the team, at the referee for an unfair call or anything else. However, this displays an impression of importance and hierarchy, especially if he is yelling at the team members.

The rest of the covers are either the players in action, either running, throwing the ball or of the players simply holding the ball. Naturally the players are in their uniforms/jerseys and look like they are ready to win.

Seeing how these males are portrayed can put a pressure on many other males. They have to be athletic, have to look good on camera, and then some all to be part of this culture and properly fit in. The sport of football is largely male-dominated. These athletes are idolized for their physically abilities to pursue the sport and to win the game. Again, this is a constant reinforcement about the importance of strength and the ideals of masculinity and how they are pushed within American culture.

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

I understand the side against this argument; after all, most athletes are living for free and going to school for free as long as they play for the team(s). Why should you pay students to play after you are paying for their housing, food and school?

However, as a student, I do see the importance of having some money to buy things here and there. Every college student should have a job; jobs teach us fundamental values like appreciating things as opposed to just getting things and learning to work with others. There are some students who are fortunate enough and privileged to have parents who deposit money into their accounts and/or pay their credit cards, now that would be great if all of our parents could afford that, but that is not the case.

Seeing the dedication and time commitment that a collegiate sport entails, it basically is a job. These games require a lot of time and preparation. Aside from studying and class time, all they really do is train, work out, and play the sport. Maybe getting paid hourly, weekly &/or biweekly might not be the solution, but I do believe athletes should get something. Possibly a stipend? That can teach them to be more financially responsible. After reading about how quickly retired athletes go broke because they do not know how to take care of their money we really should consider this payment idea. In order to receive this stipend, athletes could attend a workshop for money management and financial literacy. This would actually be insightful for them for their future.

I am not saying they should walk around with "money to blow" but they should have a little extra money. They do bring in thousands of dollars a year into the university every year.

High School Sport

The idea of sports within schools is normal these days. Since elementary I remember kids talking about going to soccer or football practice after school or on the weekends. That kept up in middle school too. The beginning of teams started and even though the games were not as serious, there was still competition. Once high school comes around, the games become real. The freshmen go into the games knowing that there is a chance they can have scouts at their games and get recruited. The rise in testosterone levels might also have something to do with it.

The positives about students in sports is that it balances out their lives and health, sitting in a chair for over 5 hours a day is not necessarily keeping us active, so participating in sports is helping the blood flow. This is important with the recommended exercise we are suppose to be getting.

The negative in this is that sometimes, the love for the game is more than the love for the academics. Athletes do get worked a lot by coaches during practices, sometimes they have their two-a-days and that can take a toll on them. One of the solutions there has been for this is that the student athletes have to maintain a certain GPA and grades to participate. However, this can be skewed because there are times the teachers give them tests that are not rigorous enough as other students, they get a lot of excused absences, and the grading can be biased. One solution to this is giving the athletes their tests in another classroom and with a teacher who is not their's, to eliminate bias.

Again somehow this goes back to the idea that athletes are often babied and given advantages others do not always have. Of course the biggest expectation is winning.