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.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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
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.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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.
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.
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
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
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