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.

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

Like the saying goes, "everything that goes up must come down". These star athletes live somewhat of a fast life with the risk of the sport along with all the privileges and "freebies" they get. Ever since high school they are admired and that only increases in college. Once they are drafted all of America knows who they are. 

During their entire career they are taken are of, they basically have no worries, because even if something goes wrong, they have someone else who can fix their problems. Their only worry is practice, playing, and winning the game. They all do enjoy the fame, glory, and money, but at some point it all has to end. 

After they leave the big leagues and go on to being "normal people" they do not always know how to cope. They suddenly go from everything being done for them to them now having to do real life things. On top of that some athletes are permanently scarred and injured from their football days. Not only are they physically broke, but they can be financially broke too. They go from spending like crazy to sometimes not having such a successful job and having to manage their money, which some do not know how to do. 

This can be a prime example of our culture and how the structure is set up. When a person is famous and making money, they are greatly esteemed and talked about - once that is gone, no one cares. The retired players are not given attention anymore unless they kept making big money by going into a business, like Mr. Michael Jordan, they did something "criminal-like", and/or are dead. Does that sound familiar? 

It is sad how some of the players end up. Some are paralyzed, some attempt suicide, and some just flat out do not know what they are going to do with their life. For this, I feel that there should be taken time to teach these players better life and money management skills. They need valuable lessons aside from being on the field and memorizing plays. Some players grow to be too sheltered and once exposed to the real world they are lost. They have got to stop being so babied while they are in sports.