Final Post

Over the course of the semester there are a few things I've learned about doing a blog. First of all it is important to keep up for a few reasons. For my own sake I need to keep up so that I am not overloaded at the end of the semester and for the aid of other students I need to keep my blogs up to date. It is easier to understand information by looking at it in another perspective and by keeping up with my blogs I can give that other perspective. I really liked being able to learn more about a topic not through experiences in class but from reading other people's blogs and thoughts. I also liked researching outside information on topics to share with people to give them different ways of looking at topics and maybe help them understand a bit more.

As I go further in life and eventually reach my career goal of being an athletic director I think some of the things I've learned in this class will aid me. One topic that we talked about that I think will help me most is Title IX and schools losing programs. As an AD it would be my responsibility to make sure the school complies with the rules of Title IX and has enough money to keep other programs up and running. I would hate to be in a situation where I had to make a final decision on cutting a program. So I will do anything I can to make sure that every program has enough finances to operate through booster clubs and other ways of funding and if necessary cutting jobs that aren't as necessary as others. This is a real problem that I may one day have to face and I'm glad I got some perspective on it.

Overall, blogging is a very interesting experience. It is definitely a great way to share ideas and perpectives on issues. In this way I think blogging is growing and will continue to grow. I would not be surprised if I had to keep a blog in a future career. It is a great way to get and share information for new ideas. By now haveing two semesters of blogging under my belt I think I am definitely prepared if I have to blog in the future. I actually hope I get another chance to keep a blog.

Title IX and the cutting of programs

Title IX has done wonders for women's sports in America. It has brought on so many new opportunities for female athletes to receive scholarships and continue doing something they love. They now have more opportunities to start playing sports and don't have to stop at high school or college. However, as I love what it has given to not only women but all sports I have to look at is as a double edged sword.

The problem I am talking about is not ingrained in what Title IX is supposed to do but can be a result of it. I am talking about other sports having to be eliminated to accommodate more women's sports. The elimination of these sports can't be blamed by implementation and compliance with Title IX but by the athletic departments and universities that don't do what is necessary to comply and have enough money to finance other sports. These universities need to be aware that they must comply and develop a plan to make sure they have the funds to keep all of their sports. ADs need to do what is necessary and possibly eliminate little things that eat up funds in order to keep their teams. Just recently Hofstra University had to drop their football progam from their school. I am not saying it is a direct result of Title IX but the athletic department had to know that some things needed to be done in order to keep all of their programs especially in this economy. Start low and cut jobs that aren't necessarily needed. Raise awareness and funds through boosters and alumni. There are steps that need to be taken to ensure that programs do not get cut.

So I guess this post wasn't as much about Title IX as it was about the tragedy of losing college programs and that there are ways to prevent it. I am all about adding women's sports and expanding women's college athletics. But no team, in any circumstances should have to be cut because of budget restrictions whether it be from recession or trying to comply with Title IX

Women's Athletics take a back seat

It seems that women's sports are overlooked and accomplishments by women's teams sometimes go unrecognized whereas there male counterparts are much more glorified in their success than they are. The example I want to look at is this past year's Connecticut Lady Huskies and their more than impressive 39-0 championship season. As a side not I want to add that they are called the "Lady" Huskies which is a prime example of gender marking and that they won the "Women" national title. Anyways, the women's national championship game that pitted the Huskies against the Louisville Cardinal couldn't even be seen on national television. They put it on ESPN, which is actually a step up when most of the tournament coverage was seen only on ESPN2. Also, if I wouldn't have followed the season of the Huskies I probably wouldn't have even known the game was on because not nearly as much attention was paid to this team as was teams in the men's tournament. The men's tournament featured lengthy pre-game and post-game shows and whole programs dedicated to breaking down the tournament. The women's tournament featured very little of that. The only game that really got any pre-game attention was the national championship. On the verge of doing something spectacular of not only winning a national championship but doing it on an undefeated team that may be the best in history for men or women, you would think a lot more coverage would be necessary.

I would find this as an insult as anybody who follows UConn or women's college basketball. For a team to go 39-o, which is the best record any collegiate team has ever accomplished, and get very little recognition for it is absurd. Say the same school, UConn, and their men's basketball team went 39-0, you wouldn't stop hearing about it and they would be mentioned as one of the greatest teams of all time. By the way, the Lady Huskies beat every opponent they faced by 10 or more points all season. These accomplishments should not go overlooked and still are rarely even referenced. Maybe someday a men's team even be compared to this team because they certainly deserve to be known as one of the best of all time.

Yo Yao

I don't think there is a bad thing to say about what Ya Ming and other Asian athletes have brought to professional sports in America. They have transformed what have been traditionally American sports with American audiences to the global stage.

Yao Ming and other athletes like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui have really contributed to the expanding of American sports. These athletes have paved the way and opened the door to welcome even more foreign athletes to the American sports arena. All of these players have achieved much success in their respective sports and expanded the market of American sports. As a fan this brings more enjoyment to watching the game because now not only are we watching the best athletes from around North America but from around the world. This makes teams better and boost attendance and fan base for professional teams bring a lot of money into the sports. In Asian countries where these athletes are from, almost all of their games are broadcast thus making a teams fan base and revenue increase. Along with them they also brought new styles of play like the Ichiro slap hit and Yao's finesse big man play. Along with Yao's success on the basketball court Ichiro has won batting titles and Matsui recently won World Series MVP.

With the success of these athletes it is no wonder sports are taking over the world. That is because the best players in the world are starting to play in the best leagues in the world. The visibility of the sports have grown dramatically and now players like LeBron James are being endorsed and worshiped in Asian countries. I think the globalization of sports with these athletes from different countries has done great things for professional sport and will just continue to make enjoying sports even better.

Female athletes and sex appeal

I recently read an article in the Chicago Tribune entitled "Danica Patrick, other female athletes sell sex appeal first" by Andrea Adelson. I think this article directly related to the article "Two Kicks Forward" in that it discusses one of the issues in the reading about how media constructs the image of these women through sexualizing them.

The article explains how female athletes have been celebrated for their "bikini shots", not their athleticism. It talks about how these sexualized female athletes have become even more recognizable than women in their sport that actually perform better than them. In saying that the assumption is made that it is more important for a female athlete to be attractive than to be the best at their sport. This may also be true financially where these athletes that are sexualized have more endorsement opportunities and therefore may make even more money than the leading money winner or player with the highest contract in their sport. Many more opportunities are sent the way of the female athlete that is attractive and will pose in magazines. This is a perfect example of how media constructs female athletes to sell sex appeal first and then their game.

Danica Patrick, other female athletes sell sex appeal first

Magic Johson and Jimmy V

Just recently it was Jimmy V week around the world of college basketball. I think that there are many similarities between what Magic Johnson and Jim Valvano did to bring awareness to their disease.

Magic Johnson started it all when it came to starting funds and bringing awareness to different diseases. He helped bring a movement into sports to support these diseases and create funds to help find a cure. Magic has a special case in which not many people knew a lot about the AIDS virus or HIV. Prior to Magic Johnson contracting the disease it was well thought to be a disease contracted amongst those in the homosexual community and through sharing needles. Although awareness had to come at the cost of Magic contracting the disease I think it definitely helped people realize that it was a serious disease and that anybody could contract it. He went onto a lot of talk shows and did a lot of interviews to let people know about the disease and how it can be contracted. This really helped people understand the disease and this may have been a blessing in disguise to help people understand the disease.

Jim Valvano did something similar when he contracted cancer. Last week was Jimmy V week and prior to one of the games they aired his speech he gave at the ESPY awards just before he died. I live with three other guys and there is rarely a time when we are all quiet and focused on something and his speech did it, for 12 minutes. His message he wanted to send was that something could be done to stop this dreadful disease. That we didn't all have to wait and see the person who contracts it pass away. With awareness and research this disease can be stopped and save the lives of many people. To this day over 15 years later I still get chills listening to his speech and his message. I think it is a video everybody needs to see. His message has brought on funds to raise awareness through his charity The V Foundation. He now has a week and a tournament dedicated to his foundation. Again it was a tragedy that the life of a coaching legend had to be taken, but it has done a lot make people aware and save lives.

Jimmy V speech

Cool Pose and "The U"

After the Heisman Presentation on Saturday I watch the ESPN movie "The U" directed by Billy Corben. The movie was about the rise of the University of Miami's football program through the 80s. The interesting thing about the movie that I can relate to what we studied in class were the examples of the "cool pose".

Before the 1980s the Miami program was seen as a joke around college football. The team never won many games and attendance at games was abysmal. They even started giving away tickets at Burger King to get people to come to their games. It all turned around when they hired Coach Howard Shnellenberger. Coach Shnellenberger committed himself to recruiting all of the talent around great Miami where other coaches were reluctant to go because of the bad neighborhoods. He recruited these underprivileged athletes around Miami and they a lot of them decided to come to their hometown school to build the program. That they did. Through the 80s and with three different coaches the Miami program grew to be one of the best in the nation.

The examples of the "cool pose" I saw was in the swagger of these inner city players during game day. They would have elaborate celebrations and became very visible in the college football world. This "cool pose" was an expressive lifestyle behavior that was a response to the limitations they faced growing up in underprivileged households. They were out to show people that although they may have been suppressed growing up they can still play and put together a winning program. The program talked about how the players high visibility and stellar play led to them being somewhat "superstars" in the Miami community. They even garnered support from local rappers and celebrities.

I think this movie was a perfect example of the "cool pose" because it showed and talked about the celebrations and the different things the players did to draw attention to themselves and the program. They were out to gain respect from other programs and the country. They wanted to show people that they were confident and ready to play. I think the University of Miami in the 80s was the start of the "cool pose" and celebrations in college football.

In class group discussion November 12

Andrew Karr
Casey Wagner

1.) We thought the findings would be about the same still today as they were in the first study. Not much has changed when it comes to broadcasting and covering women's sports when compared to men's sporting events.

2.) In order to gain more media coverage, women's sports may need to show even more sex appeal. Granted this will probably never happen, but it's an ugly truth. Also, possibly a woman's sports networking focusing directly on covering women's sports. Even an hour long show each day highlighting women's sports would be a sufficient steps forward in covering those sporting events.

Elizabeth Lambert

This is a story that has caught a lot of national attention recently. Elizabeth Lambert is a soccer player for the University of New Mexico who has caught a lot of criticism from her actions on the field in a game against Brigham Young University. She has since been suspended from the team for a year.

Just recently she responded to the criticism and the suspension on November 17th in a New York Times article by Jere Longman saying,
"I still deeply regret it and will always regret it. I think the way the video came out, it did make me look like a monster. I definitely feel because I am a female it did bring about a lot more attention than if a male were to do it. It's more expected for men to go out there and be rough. The female, we're still looked at as, Oh, we kick the ball around and score a goal. But it's not. We train very hard to reach the highest level we can get to. The physical aspect has maybe increased over the years. I'm not saying it's for the bad or it's been too overly aggressive. It's a game. Sports are physical."

I think her response directly correlates with what we have been discussing in class. That is that women may be held to a higher standard in sports and that there are expectations for women athletes to behave in a certain way on and off the field of play. She brings up good points in her response about how women aren't as expected to be as rough on the field as men are. While this may be true and they are held to a different standard I think what she did went far beyond what is acceptable of any athlete. The way she acted on the field is inexcusable and would not be seen as justified even if she were a male athlete. What she did was almost barbaric. If a male soccer player was to do the same things she did it would garner just as much criticism as she received. He would have received just as harsh of a punishment and it would gain a lot of attention from the media. It is true that sports are physical, but sports are not intended to be violent. She should be glad that no assault charges have been brought against her.

I think that Lambert has a point that women may be held to a higher standard on and off the playing field. But no matter who you are at what level this kind of behavior is not necessary nor is it justifiable.

Those Soccer Plays, in Context

Disbilities and sport: Lincoln West Wrestlers

For this entry I decided to focus on athletes with disabilities. In particular I chose a couple high school wrestlers from Lincoln-West High School in Cleveland, Ohio who each has disabilities of their own but were able to overcome them and be successful on the mat as well as becoming close friends.

When Leroy Sutton was 11 he was in a horrific accident where he was pulled beneath a train and lost both of his legs as a result. Before his senior year of high school he transferred to Lincoln-West where he met Dartanyon Crockett who shared some of his struggles. He was legally blind. They became very good friends and trained and wrestled together. Crockett would also carry Sutton on his back into every match.

Dartanyon, while wrestling at 189 pounds went on to win the league championship with a record of 26-3. Leroy didn't achieve as much success on the mat but was a vital part of the team and his will alone inspired other wrestlers on the team.

Stories like these are what make people realize that their everyday struggles are nothing compared to the struggles these athletes face on and off the mat. It really puts things in perspective for me as far as when I say I am having a bad day. I couldn't imagine not having legs or being legally blind. So when people say they are having a bad day it pales in comparison to what these two go through on a daily basis. For these two young men to overcome everything they have to everyday and still be successful athletes is incredible to me and inspiring. So the next time you think you are having a bad day, just think about those who are so much less fortunate than you and don't even have the basic abilities of being able to walk or see. It really puts things in perspective for me and makes me realize how fortunate I am to have those abilities and the chance to get a college education. Both of these wrestlers, while graduating high school have dreams about going to college but they just don't have the finances. So the main point to take from this post is to be grateful for everything you have everyday; because Leroy Sutton and Dartanyon Crockett are more than grateful for what they have.

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=4371874

Women in men's sports

After watching the video about the girl wrestler in Michigan I think that girls should be allowed toplay men's sports no matter contact or not. People may have concerns about most boys being bigger, stronger and faster than girls. In the video, however, it stated that although the girl's opponent may have been faster than her, she was in fact stronger than he was. Also, in wrestling, your opponents are in your weight class and thus basically the same size as you are. So really she was at no disadvantage in this match or any of the matches she competed in all season. She ended up being one of the best wrestlers in the state, why take that away from her? Why take that opportunity away from any girl? Especially in a physical contact sport that is a very individual effort. There aren't many girls sports like that.

As for girls competing in other contact sports I think that as long as they are benefitting and contributing to the team they should be allowed to play. If a girl on the team helps the team win games then why would you not want her on the team? A line has to be drawn though if the girl gets injured or she is a distraction to the team. Otherwise, girls should be allowed to at least try out for any sport they would like.

Jordan, Federer and Serena

I thought this conversation was very interesting. A lot of good and different points were made. The fact is, as an elite athlete you are a role model for so many people around the world and need to act like it. Yes the competition can get to them but they have to get past it and let it go. Move on and concentrate on what they do best. Frustration will not help them anyways. This happens all too often. But maybe this is what makes them elite athletes, they have that nature in them. We even see these kind of reactions from Tiger Woods, and nobody can be at fault but himself and sometimes he still looses his calm. But there is a difference between what Federer and Serena did compared to how Jordan acted.

I don't see anything really wrong with his acceptance speech. Yea he made some remarks that were borderline wrong. But he can finally get what he wanted to really say out. Things he hadn't been able to say before. And this was his night to do that. All eyes on him and his chance to say what he wants to say. I think the borderline things he said were also with good intentions and he meant good by them. He wouldn't mention the names he did unless he respected them and appreciated how they helped him along his career. His playing career in the NBA is over. He isn't going to make enemies now in the league. Let him say what he wants to say. No matter what, people respect him, look up to him and appreciate what he has done for the game all the same.

Caster Semenya

I think the case of Caster Semenya is very intriguing. My view on it is that why can't there be an athlete like her and not have it be questioned like it is. Let her enjoy her accomplishments and we should praise her like any other spectacular athlete. If the Olympic Committee or anybody else is going to test her then everybody should be tested. It just isn't fair. It's as if people believe that it is impossible to be a woman and be that fast. Well, nothing is impossible. Chances are that Semenya is definitely a woman. Nobody stops and asks how they think this makes her feel with everybody sale that she is a male. She doesn't even get any time to enjoy her accomplishments and as of now her records tend to be overshadowed by the fact that she could be a male. Let her enjoy her glory. Test everybody and if it comes back that she is in fact a male then I will eat my words. But let the young incredible talent of a woman enjoy what she has accomplished.

I think this is a problem not only with great women athletes. People say it is impossible for Usain Bolt to be as fast as he is and no matter what he does there is always the question of if he takes steroids. People will say a man that is 6'6" can't possible run that fast without some enhancer. Well, its true. People need to learn that athletes are getting bigger and stronger and faster than ever with advances in equipment and training. Let things be. Don't do anything any differently than normal but if any athletes happen to be found out of either being a different sex or use performance enhancers, then deal with it then. For now let us enjoy it.

Introduction

My name is Andrew Karr and I am in my fourth year as a Sport Management major with a specialization in marketing. I am from Parma Heights, Ohio outside of Cleveland. I am taking this course as a requirement but also because I have had Dr. Spencer before and enjoy the debate in her classes. All my life I have been a fan of and participated in sports and still do both today. I am a huge Cleveland sports fan and Ohio State Buckeyes fan even though I go to BG. The subject of sport and ender is rather new to me. We talked about it a little bit in history and philosophy of sport but I am eager to dig a little deeper into the subject.

The male athletes I said I would like to see would be Shaq and Kelly Pavlik. Shaq is a player that has always intrigued me and I love his personality and that he just likes to have fun. Now that he is in Cleveland I think it may be an even bigger incentive to go see him and the rest of the 2010 NBA Champions (wishful thinking). As for Kelly Pavlik, I think boxing is a dying sport. It is pretty sad to see where boxing is compared to where is has been as one of the biggest sports in the country. Kelly is also from my home state of Ohio and has shared the success of other Youngstown raised boxers. I really want to see him fight one day and hope that he continues to dominate.

The female athlete I mentioned in class was Natalie Gulbis. I chose her for obvious reasons. She is very attractive and a very good golfer. To be quite honest there aren't many female athletes that I would be very intrigued to see. Hopefully this class will change my opinion.

As for my own history playing and watching sports I started when I was five with soccer. I never really got into soccer and stopped playing at age 8. At the age of six I got into tee-ball. I gradually moved my way up and kept with it. I played many years of travel baseball and started four years on my high school’s varsity baseball team where I hold two school records. To this day I still play in an adult wood bat league in the summer. I realized while growing up my passion was for football. I never played organized until I was in 7th grade but I started playing pick-up games around six years old. I went on to be very successful playing football in high school being named 1st team all conference and all district three times as well as honorable mention for the all-state team three times setting my schools’ rushing record. I decided to play football after high school but because of my small size was not given any scholarship offers. I played for a year at a small division III school called Baldwin-Wallace. After a year I realized college football wasn’t for me though I still had a lot of passion for the game. I still like to stay active and play other sports like basketball and golf, but nothing ever compared to playing football.

My expectations for this class and what I will learn are high. I am not very enlightened on this subject and hope to come away from this class as rather knowledgeable about the subject. I just hope the debate and conversation keeps up with the class. It makes class more enjoyable and I learn more from other students opinions.