For this week's blog I chose to closely analyze the covers of Sports Illustrated magazine. I examined all of the SI covers from the year 2013.
How many of the SI covers of 2013 featured women?
The answer was a bit shocking knowing that both male and females participate in vast quantities of sports. Out of the 102 Sports Illustrated covers only 3 were female that's an estimate of 2 percent! Two of the SI covers featured model Kate Upton. She appeared on the SI swimsuit edition with nothing but a fur coat on. The other cover was with two Atlanta Braves baseball team members holding her on their shoulders. The Braves players and Kate all share the last name Upton. The last female on the SI cover was a Boston policewoman. The officer was featured along with two Boston policemen and Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz.
From the findings it is clear that gender inequality exists in sports media. No woman who is currently a professional/college/highschool athlete appeared on the covers of SI in 2013. Even when there was a woman on the cover it had to be accompanied by more men (aside from the swimsuit issue). The consequences for having this inequality in sports media correlates to the inequality of gender in actual sport. Popular magazines such as Sports Illustrated play an immense role in the general societies perception of sport. SI holds the power of being able to play a role in socially constructing how we view gender in sport.
References:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/photos/1305/si-covers-2013/16/
Friday, February 21, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?
Should NCAA Division 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?
The answer to this question is controversial and there are plausible arguments for both paid and not paid.
For paid:
College athletics brings in millions and millions of dollars. Penn-State athletics is a perfect example bringing in $73 million dollars while only spending $19.5 million which equals a $53.5 million dollar profit. The players only get "paid" their education which barely hits six figures. College students are often compared to slaves and sweat shop workers. Just like any ideal working situation the belief is that you should get paid for what you earn.
For not paid:
The argument for college athletes not being paid also holds merit. Suppose we pay the college athletes right? The athletes would soon become just like the pro sports and be playing for the money not the game. A certain integrity is held with college sports. These players are playing for their survival every time they step out on the field/court. If they perform well then the chances of them getting drafted in to the pros increases. If given money at the college level it is quite possible that some players might make their money and ditch the glory and the pride of winning in college sports. Athletes are already more privileged over other students and with this amount of money the problem would increase.
So how do we solve this debate?
In my opinion, the colleges are not the bad guys in fact they are the ones who have been coerced in to the master plan of corporations. It can be argued that the colleges don't have to make these million dollar deals but I believe the intentions of bettering institutions can be good. The problem lies within the corporations that run the show. A solution could be created by congress by passing laws that would prevent this substantial amount of commercialization. The president of the NCAA Myles Brand even admitted that "In a number of our major institutions with large athletic departments, expectations have become unsustainable" (Coakley, 515). Make education the equal or higher value over how much money could be made as a college athlete and the problem becomes solved.
References:
NYT Sport Economy, https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1457475/View
Coakley, Jay J,
Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies, ninth edition, 2007
The Shame of College Sports, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/308643/
Friday, February 14, 2014
High School Sport
Social conditions in high school play an immense role in developing the attitudes and beliefs of the upcoming generation. Whether it be showing masculinity, popularity, and dominance it can have a harsh consequence in the makings of men and women across the country. These social conditions in high school have emerged due to the seeds that have been planted by coaches, parents, and athletic companies in kids at the middle school age.
The objective of high school sports on the surface is to "keep kids off the streets" or to "teach values". In reality it is much more than a simple pass time. High school sports has become the platform for young athletes to display athletic superiority. Depending on how well you do determines if you can get in to a popular college in the spotlight to do the exact same thing in hopes of making it to the pros. The real objective of high school sport is being undermined by the fame and the glory of becoming the best.
Interscholastic sport starts in middle school and carries on through high school and eventually college becomes the highest level and last stop. The main issue in my opinion is that sports gives a pass to those who are good. It gives a pass to academic standard and the humbling reminder about the values that sport teaches. The problem doesn't apply to everyone but it applies to a good majority of athletes. The issue can be resolved through the adults, coaches, and teachers. They can teach children at a young age that sports are important but at the same time will most likely be only a portion of their life. How will you make a positive impact on society once your career is done? If you love sports find a way to help the world through it. Change the focus of your legacy to be around both what you've done in sport and what you've done for the world.
References:
Dohrmann
https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1378066/View
The objective of high school sports on the surface is to "keep kids off the streets" or to "teach values". In reality it is much more than a simple pass time. High school sports has become the platform for young athletes to display athletic superiority. Depending on how well you do determines if you can get in to a popular college in the spotlight to do the exact same thing in hopes of making it to the pros. The real objective of high school sport is being undermined by the fame and the glory of becoming the best.
Interscholastic sport starts in middle school and carries on through high school and eventually college becomes the highest level and last stop. The main issue in my opinion is that sports gives a pass to those who are good. It gives a pass to academic standard and the humbling reminder about the values that sport teaches. The problem doesn't apply to everyone but it applies to a good majority of athletes. The issue can be resolved through the adults, coaches, and teachers. They can teach children at a young age that sports are important but at the same time will most likely be only a portion of their life. How will you make a positive impact on society once your career is done? If you love sports find a way to help the world through it. Change the focus of your legacy to be around both what you've done in sport and what you've done for the world.
References:
Dohrmann
https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1378066/View
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Once the cheering stops: The life of a retired pro-athlete
"Havin money's not everything, not having it is"- Kanye West
Most kids dream of making the pros not only for the love of playing a sport but because of the money and fame that comes with. There is a common misconception that these athletes are truly rich. The average NFL player's career lasts 3 and a half years. A player might sign a 6 year 10 million dollar contract but none of that money is guaranteed. A player can leave the NFL having only made a couple million dollars. With that million dollars comes taxes and bills for houses, cars, and even friends and family.
So what happens to athletes when they retire?
Professional sport careers have an expiration date where as life doesn't. Many athletes are stuck and still coping for years with the transition into a "civilian" life style. Most believe they could go into sports broadcasting but only a few can actually make it. Life for the athletes who had a plan after the NFL looks like successful investing to business ownership to finding hobbies and careers that make the individual happy. Life after sports for an unprepared retired athlete looks like bankruptcy to minimum wage to an unfulfilled feeling towards life.
What are the challenges in transitioning to retirement?
In professional sports you are "masters" at the job you are doing. After sports you start at the bottom and are no longer familiar with being the best. Many athletes are prideful and competitive basically the reason why they are as successful as they are in sports which explains the difficulty in accepting they won't make as much money or attention as they had when active in professional sports. These reasons are why I believe it is a struggle for many retired athletes. US society also contributes to this problem by putting professional athletes on such a high pedestal. So much is expected from a person that they feel as if they are unworthy when they can't perform anymore.
I have to admit that I am guilty of assuming the financials of professional athletes and putting them on the same level as successful businessmen who have steady annual gains. With the trusting news source reporting how much each athlete makes it becomes hard to really think about all of the expenses that come with. I am not stunned by the problem. A lot of the problem is due to education, age, and socio-economic status. A rags to riches story at the age of 21 who wouldn't want to live the lifestyles of the rich and famous? Music also has such a tremendous influence on young athletes but I'll save that for another blog post.
Bottom line: Educate athletes on financial literacy at a young age and if it doesn't work then it's on them to live with the consequences.
References:
ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke"
https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1376820/View
Most kids dream of making the pros not only for the love of playing a sport but because of the money and fame that comes with. There is a common misconception that these athletes are truly rich. The average NFL player's career lasts 3 and a half years. A player might sign a 6 year 10 million dollar contract but none of that money is guaranteed. A player can leave the NFL having only made a couple million dollars. With that million dollars comes taxes and bills for houses, cars, and even friends and family.
So what happens to athletes when they retire?
Professional sport careers have an expiration date where as life doesn't. Many athletes are stuck and still coping for years with the transition into a "civilian" life style. Most believe they could go into sports broadcasting but only a few can actually make it. Life for the athletes who had a plan after the NFL looks like successful investing to business ownership to finding hobbies and careers that make the individual happy. Life after sports for an unprepared retired athlete looks like bankruptcy to minimum wage to an unfulfilled feeling towards life.
What are the challenges in transitioning to retirement?
In professional sports you are "masters" at the job you are doing. After sports you start at the bottom and are no longer familiar with being the best. Many athletes are prideful and competitive basically the reason why they are as successful as they are in sports which explains the difficulty in accepting they won't make as much money or attention as they had when active in professional sports. These reasons are why I believe it is a struggle for many retired athletes. US society also contributes to this problem by putting professional athletes on such a high pedestal. So much is expected from a person that they feel as if they are unworthy when they can't perform anymore.
I have to admit that I am guilty of assuming the financials of professional athletes and putting them on the same level as successful businessmen who have steady annual gains. With the trusting news source reporting how much each athlete makes it becomes hard to really think about all of the expenses that come with. I am not stunned by the problem. A lot of the problem is due to education, age, and socio-economic status. A rags to riches story at the age of 21 who wouldn't want to live the lifestyles of the rich and famous? Music also has such a tremendous influence on young athletes but I'll save that for another blog post.
Bottom line: Educate athletes on financial literacy at a young age and if it doesn't work then it's on them to live with the consequences.
References:
ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke"
https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1376820/View
Monday, February 3, 2014
Sport, Politics and the Olympics
The "Nazi" Games
The 1936 Summer Olympics other wise known as the "Nazi" Games was an event held in Berlin, Germany. The games were chosen to be in Berlin because Germany won a bid against Barcelona, Spain to hold the games.
But the games weren't called the "Nazi" games simply because they were held in Germany.
Adolf Hitler the country leader decided to use the games to promote propaganda and ethnocentric beliefs. What other way could be more perfect to gain the support of the citizens of Germany and fellow allies (like as in aligned countries of course not the actual "allies" of the time) if Germany prevailed winners. Germany did in fact show Olympic supremacy winning 89 medals which was 23 more than the USA won. The "Nazi" games proved to be a perfect example of the political uses of sport. It is evident that the use of "Sport as a Propaganda Vehicle" described by Eizen and Sage was present in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Through researching the "Nazi" Games it became clear that the statement "Sport is pure and devoid of political interference" is false and Hitler's actions at the "Nazi" games is a valid reason as to why I disagree.
References:
https://learn.colorado.edu/d2l/le/content/59211/viewContent/1376815/View
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