Traditional Race Logic Used in Sport

Jackie Robinson

On November 12th, 2013 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed the topic of traditional race logic used in sport. This is a very controversial topic area and is not intended to offend anyone, mostly it is informational facts found that have been stated by several groups of people. Typical achievements of white athletes are said to be due to ability, character, and intelligence. While achievements of African American athletes are due to biology and natural physical abilities. In class we also talked about the physiological dominance of African Americans.

Michael Jordan

Physiological Dominance of African Americans
-Blacks have a slight genetic advantage over whites in some areas
-African Americans are more physically suited for activities requiring speed and power
-Longer levers, slimmer pelvis, less fat on muscles
-More fast twitch muscle (fibers)
-Advanced motor skills at an early age (active/coordinated)
All of these factors have been said throughout the history of sport with African American involvement, yet cannot be fully proven. This brings up many controversial discussions. In a research summary of genetic factors and athlete performance they have come to the following conclusions.
-Are there genetic differences between individuals? Yes
-Are genetic characteristics related to athletic excellence? Yes
-Could one gene account for success across a range of different sports? Probably Not
-Might skin color genes and physical performance genes be connected? No Evidence

In the text on page 312 Coakley discusses this topic, "Racial ideology influences the ways that many people connect skin color with athletic performance. At the same time, it influences sport participation decisions and achievement patterns in sports. Race, gender, and class relations in American society combine to create a context in which black males emphasize a personal presentation of self that is described as "cool pose" - a stylized persona that adds to the commodity value of the black male body in sports and enables some black athletes to use widely accepted ideas about race to intimidate white opponents in sports" (2010 Coakley p. 312). This idea is common and will continue until more research and more factual information can be exposed.


Serena Williams

In Casey Gane-McCalla's article called Athletic Blacks vs Smart Whites: Why Sports Stereotypes Are Wrong, released on April 19th, 2009 he discusses why ideas of African Americans are incorrect. He talks about how not all stereotypes are correct and can be proven to be wrong. For example he goes on to say athletic basketball players are coming from all around the world now, from Europe and Asia, boxing was once dominated by African Americans and is now being dominated by boxers of other ethnicities. China produces a lot of great Ping-Pong players because that sport is a part of Chinese culture, while Kenya produces several marathon winners since long distance running is part of their culture. Each area or country may dominate in their own sports due to their culture and background, which would lead to how often they participate in the sports and interest levels. Overall, I feel that soon the stereotypes of African Americans and people of other ethnicities will eventually come to an end, but for now it is still a problem arising in sport today. For the full article follow the link: Sports Stereotyping

Sports and the Media

On October 24th in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed the topic of sports and the media. We related the two topics to the question of; could they survive without each other? Sport and the media are very closely related and are symbiotic of each other. They are two of the most successful businesses in the United States. The media provides information, opinions, and entertainment for the world to enjoy. Media generates enormous sales in circulation and advertising is based on extensive treatment of sport. These statements were all talked about thoroughly in class. In particular we talked about social media, which is a group of Internet applications that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content. With this we talked about different social media categories.

Social Media Categories
1. Communication Services (Facebook, Foursquare, Blogging, Twitter, Google buzz, Pinterest)
2. Entertainment (MySpace, YouTube, Virtual Worlds, Vemo, Instagram)
3. Professional Networks (LinkedIn, Plaxo)
4. Multimedia (Skype, Linestream, Flicker)
5. Smart phone Apps (Fanvision)
6. Mobile Couponing (GroupOn, Living Social)
These sites are doubling every six (6) months, and Facebook adds one million visitors per week. Meanwhile Twitter has 554 million users and gets 150,000 sign-ups per day. Sporting teams are using most of these tools to better there interaction with fans and to help improve their revenue streams.
In the text on page 394 Coakley discusses that sports and media rely on each other, "Sports and the media are interconnected parts of our lives. Sports provide valuable media content, and many sports depend on the media for publicity and revenues" (2010 Coakley p. 394). On the same page he states there are five (5) characteristics or goals that the producers, editors, directors, and anyone in the editing or over viewing media content is attempting to fulfill.
1. Make financial profits
2. Influence cultural values
3. Provide a public service
4. Enhance personal status and reputation
5. Express themselves in technical, artistic, or personal ways (2010 Coakley p. 394)



Shows fan usage on different social outlets.

In an April 27th, 2012 article by Sam Laird called, How Social Media Is Changing Sports, he discusses the social media templates and outlets that are impacting sports for the players, teams, and fans. He goes on to say that most fans are on social media sites or mobile apps while watching a sporting event. This allows them to comment or "like" a page incredibly fast and spread news and information throughout the Internet in an instant. These new technologies are taking print media out of the game. Print media is magazines, newspapers, and flyer's. These all take a bit more time to get information out due to delivery time. The sports world is becoming more and more advanced with the social media outlets while most teams and players have social media channels for their fans to get information, get tickets, purchase merchandise, or interact. For the full article you can follow this link: Sports and Media 

Future of Sport

In class on November 21st, 2013 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we had a discussion about the future of sport and what changes will be made. The future for the sporting industry seems to be very bright, but a few obstacles may stand in the way of prospective students who will be searching for a job in the sports industry in the near future. With advances in technology, the demand for fans to want to attend sporting events is predicted to decrease. This is due to large, high-quality televisions and options such as the NFL Network which allows you to watch multiple games at one time. Another item of concern is that low and average income level fans are being priced out of attention because of rising prices. As discussed in class the following are predictions for various levels of sport:

Professional Sports
- They will become increasingly global (e.g., NFL team in Europe)
- Point-of-view on demand from any player on/off field
- Second tier sport properties will collapse
- Longer seasons (more T.V./ gate revenues)
- Stiffer salary caps
- Smaller crowds (smaller stadia)

Intercollegiate Sports
- Dominance and continued growth of the "super conferences" (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, PAC 12)
- Demise of the NCAA
- Number of varsity sports will be cut with priority given to revenue producing sports
- Academic accountability will continue to be a problem
- Payment to college athletes

High School Sports
- As budgets become tighter sports will be cut
- Increasing emphasis on generating revenue (gate receipts/ fundraising/ donations)
- Pay to play
- European model of youth sports (club systems will replace High School Sports)
- Schools and programs will seek corporate sponsorships

Youth Sports
- They will become increasingly privatized (elitist)
- They will grow most in middle and upper class (income) communities and neighborhoods
- Coaching education and certification programs will become more popular, as parents demand excellence and accountability
- Many youths will respond by seeking alternative sports
- Continued growth of "virtual sports"

In Coakley's text on page 571 he discusses and summarizes the main concept of the future of sport and that alternative sport is the main area that will grow. "Sports at all levels of participation will be sites for struggles over who should play and how sports should be organized. Current trends suggest that pleasure and participation sports are supported by concerns about health and fitness, the participation preferences of older people whose influence will increase in the future, the values and experiences brought to sports by women, and groups seeking alternative sports" (2010 Coakley p. 571). A Forbes staff member, Tom Van Riper wrote an article called, The Future of Sports on March 4th, 2009 which he discusses the expansion of sports around the world for the future. Players are becoming faster, stronger and quicker. This will likely lead to more injuries, but with the advancements of technology they are developing safer and better equipment to prevent injuries. In the article he goes on to mention that he predicts NHL and NBA are two sports that are most likely to develop true European and Asian branches over the next decade or so (Riper 2009). In my opinion I feel as though the NHL will slowly drop in fan support and possibly will not be a common played sport in 50 years. I agree with Coakley that alternative sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, and other extreme sports will show the biggest growth. These newer forms of sport are growing with coverage of the X Games and other competitions. For more information on the article by Tom Van Riper you can follow this link : Future of Sports

Gender in Sport

The Williams sisters, two of the top women's tennis players.

In class on November 14th, 2013 my American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed the topic of gender in sport. We discussed the views of spectators on both male and female athletes. It is clear that the media does not cover women's sports the way they do with male sports. The bridge between equality and equity rights are not met. Gender roles are set at a very early age for children by their parents and other surrounding factors. In the text, Coakley states on page 245, "Women play sports, but they are not as good as men and people want to see the best. Statements like this assume that 'real' sports involve 'manly' things, such as intimidation, violence, and physical domination over others, and that women's sports are second-rate. This orientation is widespread enough that it interferes with achieving gender equity in sports (Laurendeau, 2004;2008; Vincent, 2004)" (Coakley, 2010 p. 245). In my viewpoint I feel as if members of the opposite gender were very distant from each other through time up until the 21st century. Moving onto the future I think we will start growing towards the way sports was in the past.

Agencies of Sex Role Stereotyping

The Family
-Boy or Girl?

Adrian Peterson, a great NFL running back and role model.

-Parents direct behavior towards masculine and feminine activity (toys, color of clothing, activities)

School
-Reinforces differential expectation
-Steers boys and girls to different activities

The Media
-One of the most influential and pervasive forces
-Pre-school children watch 24 hours of T.V. per week
-By the time they graduate they see over 100,000 commercials
-Sets agendas on how we think, act and feel














The article I found can relate to this situation, Joshua Rhett Miller's article, "Pennsylvania to Re-Think Rule Allowing Students to Play on Opposite-Gender Sports Teams" on September 30th, 2013. In this article he goes on to discuss that, Oliver Everts who is a 15 year old junior at Conestoga High School plays on the girls' field hockey team. He has been the leading scorer for the past two seasons while wearing the same uniform as his female teammates. He is able to participate thanks to a 1975 court ruling decision that overrode the PIAA rule that banned the opposite-gender from playing on sports teams. They now are planning on revisiting this rule due to PIAA officials being concerned with player safety and boys taking up girls' roster spots. Over the next year I feel as though they will develop a policy which will switch the rule and keep the opposite-gender separated when it comes to interscholastic sports.

You can follow this link to view the full article: Pennsylvania to Re-Think Rule

 

Drug Use in Sport

Llamar Odom is currently battling drugs and is affecting his career.

On November 5th, 2013 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed the topic of drug use in sports, specifically performance enhancing drugs. These drugs are becoming the biggest problem with modern-day sport. Athletes are finding ways to get around common drug tests all the time. This is affecting the image on the sports they play and the teams the athletes play for. As Coakley stated in the text on page 186, "Drug tests must be expanded to preserve the current meaning of sports and athletic achievements. According to a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), if doping and other technologies cannot be controlled, it will mark, the end of sport as we know it (Swift and Yaeger, 2001, p.91)" (Coakley, 2010, p.186). In class we discussed several reasons as to why these athletes are taking drugs.



Lance Armstrong who got his most recent Tour De France title taken away.

Physiological Reasons

1. Increase oxygen transport

2. Lose weight, train harder

3. To build muscle, increase energy

4. Mask injury and reduce tiredness

 

Psychological Reasons

1. To increase motivation

2. To steady nerves

3. To increase aggression

 

Social Reasons

1. They are prepared to win at all costs

2. Belief that everyone else is doing it

3. Pressure to win from coaches, peers and the media

4. By winning they can earn big money

5. Fear of not winning(failure)

 

All of these factors still are not reasonable to justify taking drugs. I just find it hard to believe athletes would be so encouraged to take these drugs, and as we discussed in class such as the example we talked about with the survey from the Olympics. Most of the athletes said if they would not get caught that they would take performance enhancing drugs. Is winning that important? Wouldn't they feel guilty if they won by cheating? Apparently they are not morally thinking their actions thoroughly. In class we also discussed the reasons why athletes should not take drugs.

 

Moral Reasons

1. Gives an unfair advantage

2. Undermines the true spirit of sport

3. Reflects badly on others

 

Legal Reasons

1. Against U.S. law

2. Against laws of sports

 

Role Modeling

1. Sets a bad example to others especially young

 people who copy their heroes and put their lives at risk

2. Gives sport a bad image and lowers its status 

 

 

On August 12th , 2013 Jon Hamilton wrote this article called, New Muscle Drugs Could Be The Next Big Thing In Sports Doping. This new drug found could very well be the next ground breaking performance enhancing drug professional athletes turn to. Since the restrictions and testing are becoming more and more in-depth and more athletes are getting caught, they need to turn to something new. Most recently the big deal was the HGH (Human Growth Hormone). The article goes on to talk about this new drug, myostatin inhibitors. They talked with a bodybuilder and physician from Greenwich, Conn., who is familiar with myostatin inhibitors. Typically these are given to people with what they call "muscle wasting" diseases like cancer, kidney disease and muscular dystrophy. These drugs are being tested on people with these medical problems in order to block myostatin which usually the body makes to ensure muscles don't get too big. Inhibitors will cancel out the myostatin, allowing muscles to grow at more rapid rates. These can become dangerous for sport with the already existing drug problems, as this will just make the issue worse.

For more information follow this link to the full article: Performance Enhancing Drugs

Deviance in Sport

This picture shows the New Orleans Saints during their bounty hunting.

On October 31st, 2013, my American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed the topic of deviance in sport today. We talked about how the United States jail system is becoming overpopulated and crowded and the crime rate since 1960 has increased by 560%. It is also ironic that our nations favorite sport, football, is also the most violent sport. We as a society want to see the violent tackles, but without the injuries. With the size, strength, and speed of players now days injuries are prone to happen. This is why the NFL has tried so hard to enforce no helmet-to-helmet collisions, and head shots. During class we discussed that in football the rate of getting a disabling injury is over three times greater than working in high-risk construction jobs. We also talked about how former players have sued the NFL because of their permanent brain damage sustained from playing in the league which includes suicide thoughts, depression, and memory loss.

Examples of Deviance in Society

1. Underage alcohol consumption
2. Illegal substance use
3. Stealing/ robbing a bank
4. Violet crimes- murder/rape/abuse/battery
5. Vandalizing

Barry Bonds comparison, did he take performance enhancing drugs?

Examples of Deviance in Sport
1. Fighting
2. Bounty hunting
3. Academic cheating
4. Performance enhancing drugs- worst, biggest threat to sports
5. Gambling
6. Illegal recruiting practices



According to Coakley's text on page 157, he states "Deviance occurs when a person's ideas, traits, or options are preserved by others to fall outside their normal range of acceptance in a society" (Coakley 2010 p. 157).Which I agree with and feel that athletes do most of their acts of deviance when they are under a great deal of pressure. This can range from pressure to perform well in order to get a new contract signed or the pressure to win a championship to solidify their career to make the hall of fame. Athletes are constantly under a great deal of pressure, but then again that's why they get paid the outrageous amounts of money they do.

 

 

 

This article called Changing the Culture of Sports Deviance, written by Jill Weinberg on Thursday, February 28th, 2013. Summarizing the article, it goes on to talk about the incident with Lance Armstrong and his story of taking performance enhancing drugs. The story also mentions the goal of hitting 75 home runs in a season, but is tempted to take performance enhancing drugs. They don't name a specific person, but in my eyes I would assume they are referring to Barry Bonds. They also mention the illegal hits in football, which may take the penalty if it gives them an advantage in the playoffs. If we want to change the culture of sports deviance the best way would be to start at the roots. Children are exposed to numerous acts of violence daily, especially in the media and video games. Video games such as NHL promote fighting and in the MLB games the pitchers can hit batters which generally results in a bench clearing brawl. Then the whole series of Grand Theft Auto games is based around committing acts of violence. If we are ever going to change the crime rates and attempt to reduce sports deviance it will have to start from the bottom.

For the full article follow this link: Changing the Culture of Sports Deviance

 

Benefits of Being Involved in Youth Sport

Little League baseball is one of the most popular youth sports.

There are several benefits of participation in youth sport in my eyes. I know first hand of the benefits since every Spring I help coach a Little League team in Mercer, PA. Just in that short period of time (late March to the end of June) you can really see how much they grow and mature. In some cases it could be a childs first year of playing Little League baseball and their coordination and athletism is not there, but by the end of the season they have made astronomical strides. In class on September 19th, 2013 we discussed the benefits of participating in sport for youths:

• Develops and maintains fitness
• Preperation for adult hood
• Opportunity to learn values
• Teaches interactive skills
• Provides opportunities for leadership
• Ability to exercise power
• To have fun

These are all prime examples to why children should participate in sport, and I agree with all of these factors since I have seen them first hand in coaching Little League. Also in class we made a list of the most popular sports for youths which surprised me a little. I figured baseball or soccer would be at the top of the list with all of the Little League and youth soccer programs.

 

Most Popular Sports (Ages 6-17) As Discussed in Class 

• Basketball (23 million) 
• Baseball (15 million) 
• Incline Skating (10.4 million) 
• Outdoor Soccer (10.3 million) 
• Football (tackle) (8.9 million) 
• Skateboarding (8.8 million) 
• Football (touch) (6.7 million) 
• Volleyball (5 million)

Connecting the text to the topic of benefits of youth sport. Coakley on page 144 in his book, Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies states, "Research shows that playing youth sports can enhance social and physical development, but it doesn't do this automatically, nor is it likely when programs are not organized to match the overall maturational level of the children who play in them. It's never too early for a child to engage in expressive physical activities in safe environments. In fact, the more activity, the better; and the more socially and physically diverse the activities, the better (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000)." (Coakley 2010 p. 144).



Pee-Wee's and Midgets are still growing, but are facing negativity due to injuries.

This article called National Youth Sports Week Hightlights Benefits of Particpating, written by Marcia Douglas on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Summarizing the article Marcia goes on to explain the millions of kids who participate in youth sports in the country every year. From outdoor soccer programs to early morning batting practice for Little League. She says that there are far more advantages rather than just the physical ones, "participating in youth sports can build self-esteem and confidence, leadership skills, and self-discipline. It can also teach the value of sportsmanship, teamwork, time management, perseverance, cooperation and more. Plus, and perhaps most importantly for kids, it can be a whole lot of fun" (Douglas). She also discusses that a lot of children end up quitting organized sports groups due to several reasons. From high costs to not having fun anymore. Overall Marcia Douglas really likes the idea of participating in sport starting at the youth level. It sets the ground work for many life lessons and essential characteristics to help us mature.

For the full article follow this link : Benefits of Youth Sport

 



Youth soccer programs still are one of the most popular sports for children.