Sexual Bodies

In this Doritos commercial aired in 2012 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzYKsLch4GM)

there are extremely clear sexist undertones. The commercial starts off with a man eating doritos in front of a T.V. screen on the couch, while his girlfriend is just fighting for his attention. This automatically shows that sport is dominant over the relationship with the female, and that only males are/should be interested in it. Next, the man finishes his bag of Doritos, and of course, needs more. He starts frantically flipping bags over looking for more Doritios, when finally he walks up stairs. Behold, the female naked, covered in cheese Doritos. They use the women's body in the commercial as a way to get men and womens attention alike, and do so through sports. It is an extremely unique look at gendered advertising, and displays it very well.

Final Sports Page

What was your perception of US sport before you took this class?

Before this class I had a fairly good perception of sports. I grew up on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, an extremely big football school, so I have always understood how big of a deal it was to some people. Never have I been able to look at sports the way this class presented it. I was able to a different side of sports, for the paraplegic and Special Olympics athletes, as well as transgendered and homosexual athletes. It really made me think about the United States culture as a whole, and if we can’t be accepting of an athlete on our team merely because their gay, then we have a lot of work to do. My perception of sport in the U.S. was much more watered down than it actually is in reality.

-Has your understanding/perception of US sports culture changed through taking this class? if so, how and why?

Taking this class has changed my perception of US sporting culture in a very serious way. I know understand the ideas behind pride for a team, and the perception it can bring a place. The United States definitely has a large sporting culture, and this class has helped me better grasp what that means. Team loyalty, respect, and pride are all very important to the United States.

-What discussion topics/new facts stood out to you the most? why?

When doing one of the sports pages in regards to the Olympics, I came across the story of the Berlin massacre. That struck me as one of the most concerning things in regards to the sports world. That sport, whether it was a direct indicator of what happened that day or not, was able to help these terrorists with the massacre. I believe it is critical that our countries get together and unite with sport, rather than turn it into an unruly crime scene.

-Will you start to ask more critical questions about the US sports world once you move on from this class?

 I am definitely more critical about the U.S sports already after participating in class and doing research of my own. I think paraplegic and special Olympics should definitely nationally televised and it isn’t fair that it’s not. I will not be as quick to just move along and will definitely look further into the sporting world today.

-Do you think you will be able to use any of the skills learned in this class in your future career? If so, how?

My future career as a clinical psychologist will most likely not involve much sports indefinitely, but I believe I will use the knowledge I’ve gained outside of the work and classroom environment. I can now discuss athletic politics with friends and family, which allows me to think more outside of the box. If my career as a clinical psychologist does not work out, I may very well be able to use this information in a different future career.

-Would you recommend this class to a friend? if so, why/why not?

I would recommend this class to a friend for sure. I think it really offers a diverse view of sports and society today, and in the past. It is definitely a class you should take if you are interested in sports, and most of my friends are. As a student enrolled in the class, I can say that I have learned a lot about how society views different athletes, whether in regards to race, sex, sexual orientation, etc.

Sport, Politics, and the Olypmics

The 1972 Olympic games in Munich were the first Games held on German territory since the infamous 1936 Berlin Games held by Adolf Hitler. The games were hoped to provide peace and excitement in West Germany, and were named "The Happy Games". Quite the opposite effect occured. The games were quickly turned upside down and tragic when the murder of eleven Israeli athletes took place by the Palestinian terrorist group 'Black September'. Hostages were taken in a nearby hotel, and after a gunfight at the nearby hotel ensued, eleven Israeli athletes were killed. After the massacre had occurred, there was a one day break and then the games continued. In my opinion, it is awful that such an amazing spectacle of sporting talent must be marred by the sheer hatred of others. I believe since each country is 'competing' against each other in a sense, tension was heightened, and provided the perfect opportunity for such a gruesome attack. Politics and the Olympics are always going to be related in some way, shape, or form, because of the ongoing dispute between countries. Brundage was quoted to say "The games must go on.. and we must continue our efforts to keep them clean, pure, and honest". The decision was approved by the Israeli government. I believe that although the lives of eleven athletes were lost, they did the right thing in letting the games ensue. It is testimony that no matter what people try and do to stop the integrity of sport, the tradition still lives on.

Above, one of the most iconic pictures taken during the Munich Massacre, a gunmen is seen looking down from building 31 where the hostages were taken.

Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

*Prof Withycombe has given permission to post late due to medical issues.

Collegiate athletics provide for some of the most entertaining array of sports. Both men’s basketball and football are widely watched and appreciated throughout the United States of America. The Typical Division I college football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to his sport, which equates to three more hours than a typical American works in a given week. With this much time being spent on a given athletic activity, this leaves little time for student athletes to maintain a job, on top of a heavy school load they must complete (and do well in) to compete in athletic events for their school. While, this year, The University of Alabama reported 143.3 Million in athletics revenues—(more than all 30 NHL teams and 25 of the 30 NBA teams), their players struggle to put groceries in their shelves. Last year the average salary for a BCS eligible football coach was 2.05 million dollars. Given that we have millions to spend on coaches, I do not think that giving players a small stipend of money would not be taking away from the integrity of collegiate athletics, rather it would improve it. Players would be able to focus on their schoolwork and athletics, since that is what they came to school for in the first place, correct? I think a small stipend of money for collegiate athletes would improve overall flow of the NCAA.

That being said, I personally believe the intention of the NCAA is not being fulfilled. The student-athletes are being failed by the collegiate sport system. The NCAA is no longer about providing quality education to those that are athletically gifted, but has quickly transformed into labor exploitation of young college athletes. Student-athletes simply do not have enough hours in a week to support themselves financially, excel in academics, and perform at practice and on game day. As the NCAA grows, money is increasing exponentially for everyone involved except the players. The staff, the director, the University, etc. are receiving an enormous amount of money each year that only grows larger, while the players continue to be exploited and manipulated. Mark Emmert, the President of the NCAA stated it quite clearly. “It has far less to do with the players in the jerseys than the jerseys themselves”. The NCAA is now more about the Universities success than the student’s success. 

Recently, after winning the National Championship, point guard for the University of Connecticut Shabazz Napier is quoted to have said "It is hard to watch your jersey's being sold when you're going hungry [yourself]". 

Sociogenesis of Soccer

*Prof. Withycombe has given permission to post late due to medical issues.

Soccer is widely regarded as one of the most popular sports in the world. Many children are introduced to soccer at an extremely young age, sometimes even as young as four or five years old.  I have played soccer since I was at the age of seven and I have been in love with the game ever since. While soccer is not one of the most popular sports in America, its impact on the rest of the world is significant, and has been for some time. The first evidence given regarding soccer was recorded in China during the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries B.C. The Roman and Greek people have also been recorded to have played the game.

The growth of “modern” soccer started in Europe. A common tale is that the first ever ball was a human head, but this is only in speculation. Many say during Medieval times, the game was much more aggressive, disregarding the current rules of today. Some suggest that punching, biting, kicking of others, etc. was allowed during the game, which differs greatly from soccer (or, as the rest of the world says ‘futball’) today. Modern day soccer began in 1863, and a major push occurred to allow and popularize soccer at Universities. FIFA was created in the year of 1904, and by the early 1930’s many different leagues were created. Uruguay held the first world cup ever, through the creation of FIFA.

Why the 'Mans Man' game is an insult to men

*Professor Withycombe has given me permission to post late due to extenuating circumstances regarding health

While sport is becoming more and more tolerant of the LGBT lifestyle and community, I think it is an absolute disgrace to sport and human life in general that it has taken this long. Personally, I believe it is an absolute tragedy that athletes have had to hide their true feelings in the past. While this does not only pertain to athletes, I believe that athletes are especially victimized. The film “Training Rules” examines Penn States former women’s basketball coach Rene Portland. Her three “training rules”, you ask? 1. No drinking, 2. No drugs, and last but not least 3. No lesbians. In 1986, Coach Portland finally came out to publicly state to the Chicago Sun-Times “I will not have lesbians on my team”. This discrimination over a thirty-year coaching period (particularly from the 1980’s and 1990’s) has brought to attention a number of underlying issues. Student-athletes who are part of the LGBT community are coming out more and more, and I think that it is about time that we as a people, rather it be coach, fan, etc. accept it. Professional athletes such as Jason Collins, Michael Sam, Mark Leduc, etc. have come out of the ‘closet’ in recent years, and I personally believe that their courage will inspire others in the future to not be afraid of showing their true colors. 

Darwin Athletes

*Professor Withycombe has given me permission to post late due to extenuating circumstances regarding health.

The significance of sport in African American culture is massive, and has been growing immensely the past few decades. In the past sport was dominated by Caucasians, even sports such as basketball. If you take close examination of sport in the day in age, it has almost done a complete one-eighty. Films such as Love and Basketball, Remember the Titans, and Hoop Dreams all display the struggle of African Americans via sport. These films all contain aspects of African Americans exceeding in sport, but what happens if they fail to meet their goals? The stereotype Hollywood has created surrounding African American in sport, while positive, is still crippling for the race as a whole. While sport has offered African Americans many opportunities, it has also created a stigma. This stigma of African Americans being exceptionally talented at sports might be true for some, but it obviously does not apply to all. This leads some to believe that if they cannot make it to the professional platform, then they have nothing else to strive for.

One can notice a vast difference between Hollywood movies starring African American athletes, such as Remember the Titans, and documentaries such as Hoop Dreams. While both show African American teenagers striving towards their goals to become the highest quality athletes, Hollywood waters down the difficulties that many experience. I think it is essential that Hollywood begins to create a more realistic image of how difficult it can be to excel to the top of the sporting world, while at the same time stressing the importance of other aspects of life as well.