Conclusion

As the semester comes to an end, and I think back to late August and the beginning of my Junior/Senior year I can honestly say I’ve learned a lot from this class. Approaching this concluding post was somewhat difficult for me, because as this class concludes my blog will continue. Naturally I went back and looked over my introduction post to help get ideas to use for my concluding post. Over the course of this blog I have learned a lot about myself and sports relating to gender. Coming into the class I was thinking, “Sport and Gender, that’s simple, guys play football, and girls don’t.” However, it’s not that simple a lot more factors come into effect when discussing sport and gender, like age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and homophobia.

When I think about what I will take away from this class, I think of all the issues that were discussed in class during the year like homophobia, title IX, the black culture, and the influx of Asian athletes in America. When I think about what I will take away from this class I think of the countless hours spent blogging, and how there was always so much knowledge on sports in the classroom at all times. It seems as if we were all learning at the same time, I can remember instances where a student would educate Dr. Spencer on a sports issue that she had no knowledge of. That’s what I liked most about this class, it was open and free and all students were encouraged to voice their opinions at all times.

When I originally began this blog I didn’t like that fact that I had to post entries at such a rapid pace. I just look at it as something that I had to do. I wanted to have a blog, but I wanted to be able to blog about anything and not just the topics from class. As the year went on and I began to post entries on my blog on a regular basis, it became routine. Freedom of Speech is so powerful in this world, and this is what I feel that my blog gives me. This blog gave me the freedom to write down or say anything I would like, and express my feelings in a way that I can go back and critique and criticize them as needed. I think the experiences from this class and this blog will help me express my thoughts in whatever I may endeavor for my future career. During the course of this class I have I learned a lot about issues in sports that could be very influential to my future. I now have thoughts and perspectives on masculinity, homophobia, title IX, and many other issues of sports that prior to taking this class I had no opinions about. With 2009 rapidly approaching i'm excited to be entering the next chapter of college and closing a successful one this past semester. I had fun and unfortunately this class must come to an end but, my thoughts, and I do mean "Just My Thoughts" will continue into 2009.

The Pro's the Pro's would pay to see

Today I will be discussing an article from earlier in the semester entitled, “The pros the pros would pay to see” by Jack McCallum. This article is a peer review of 600 players from the NBA, MLB, and NFL. These players took surveys to determine witch athletes they admire most and would pay to see. Basically the players were given a scenario in which the ticket price would be $1,000 and the players would have to decide which player they wanted to go see. Certain players such as Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets stated, “I wouldn’t pay one thousand dollars to see nobody,” which is understandable if you don’t want to pay you don’t have to. A lot of athletes feel that because of their reputation that they should no have to pay

What I found most interesting about this article was the results of the athletes that took part in the study, and a surprise in the top 5. Serena Williams came in fifth place of all athletes, and I can tell you first hand it has something to do with the amazingly sculpted body she possesses. Coming in at forth place at the time this article was written was Michael Vick. Vick of course made it to fourth place because of his uncanny ability to score from anywhere on the football field. Shaq took the honors of coming in third place on the list. Shaq dominated the NFL ranks; a lot of the players see more pigskin in him than round ball (McCallum, 2004). Second place was no surprise to me, the way this guy was hitting homeruns, I thought they where about to go out of style. Bonds received many of his votes from MLB players, Bonds is well respected around the league and Scott Schoeneweis even went as far as saying bonds is “Jordanesque”. The number one athlete on this list is Tiger Woods hands down he is by far the athlete that most pros would pay to see. Some athletes would even pay just to be his caddy or play one round with Tiger. I think about this list today and its certain players that I know for a fact would have to be included on this list including: Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, and Usain Bolt. I would love to see the study continued in the year 2009 to see how perspectives have changed.

“What ever happened to the white athlete?” that’s a good question and it was presented by S.L. Price. This article really touches on many of the stereotypes that white athletes face, and discusses how the sports world has been dominated by black athletes as of late. So where are all the white athletes? According to price (1997) White athletes have been distracted by other leisure-time pursuits and the athletes that haven’t are now more attracted to sports like soccer, mountain biking, or rock climbing because these sports are primarily played by whites. The domination of black athletes in mainstream sports such as basketball and football has discouraged white athletes. In the NFL, “Blacks hold such a strong lock on the skill positions of defensive back, wide receiver, and running back that their near monopoly resembles the onetime white stranglehold at quarterback” (Price, 1997).

According to SI’s poll, 51% of black males feel that black athletes care more about sports because they see it as one of the few ways in America that blacks can make a lot of money. I don’t agree with this I highly doubt that economic incentives make that much of a difference when it comes to athletic dominance. As a young child I did not want to play in the NBA and “Be like Mike” because of financial reasons, I wanted to do it because Mike was a superstar, no better yet Mike was a megastar. Mike was what every kid dreamed to be, many kids are so intent on becoming the next Mike that they forgo more realistic chances of success. Price (1997) believes that the consensus is, “Black is best. Not just that blacks are the dominant racial group playing, but also that they possess superior athletic skills and have thus transformed the way sports are played.” I really cannot decipher what makes black athletes seem so superior in sports, the only logical explanation is it’s somehow genetically engineered that way. I think in the past blacks put too much emphasis on sports. In today’s society the emphases has been geared towards education, I understand now and make it my personal responsibility to make sure that every young child I am connected with knows that college is the most realistic path to success.

Young, Black, Rich and Famous

I really enjoyed reading the article, “Young, Black, Rich and Famous ‘Ball, hip hop, and the Redefinition of the American dream” by Todd Boyd. The article was well written and it basically discussed the merger between basketball and the hip hop culture, and the person he consider the driving force behind the merger, Allen Iverson. During the period when this article was written Allen Iverson was in his prime of his NBA career to date. With a MVP trophy on his resume, repeated deep playoff runs, and a great marketing scheme by reebok Allen Iverson was easily one of the top, if not, thee top player in the NBA. I like the way Boyd (2003) examined the relationship between hip hop and the NBA, stating that Allen Iverson’s “Supreme indifference to conventional, taste, or standards is what makes Iverson such a lightning rod for controversy and a hero for hip hop”.

The first paragraph after the subtitle “Real Recognize Real” is really what caught my eye, and if you’re reading this blog right now it is essential that you go back and reexamine this passage. This really caught my eye when reading this article; Boyd makes some strong but, very true statements in my opinion. I feel that some different aspects of White society have attempted to censor Black culture because it’s not thought to be part of a particular way of life. I think people focus on the negative issues of hip hop too much and not the positives. Hip hop serves as a major outlet to reach the American public some see it as the epitome of hip and cool in society. (Boyd, 2003) I think this is also true hip hop has so much influence on society just look at the rumors about Jay-z, part owner of the New Jersey Nets, he and Lebron James are very close friends and there is speculation that the New Jersey Nets will attempt to sign Lebron in the summer of 2010. Hip hop will forever have correlation with the NBA, after all, athletes and artists are so similar, both being young, Black, rich and famous.

The Politics of the Body and the body Politic

“The Politics of the Body and the Body Politic: Magic Johnson and the Ideology of AIDS” is a very interesting article written by Samantha King. “on November 8 1991, headlines across the world told the same story, the story that Earvin Johnson, professional basketball player, sports hero, and media personality, had contracted the HIV virus” (King, 1993). Magic Johnson brought the AIDS epidemic to the forefront, instantly the awareness of the virus grew nationwide after Magic’s annocement, not to mention at the same press conference Magic Johnson announced that he was retiring from the NBA. I think it’s safe to say that Magic was considered a sports hero at the time of his announcement; he had won multiple NBA Championships, and MVP awards. He was a heterosexual masculine basketball superstar with a fairly clean slate, so you could only imaging how much this announcement was perceived to taint his legacy at the time.

I found the authors description of Johnson to be very interesting. King described Johnson as being, “A glowing, godlike figure who towers above his adoring followers. His nickname “Magic” only adds to the mystique and power that surround him (king, 1993). This is a powerful statement by King, but as an advocate viewer of the professional sports I understand how people sometimes make the mistake of perceiving athletes who are just as much human as the general public, to be heroes, or even godlike figures. It only takes one negative altercation to changes the public perspective. I think Magic legacy was originally tainted by his announcement, however as time past and Magic returned to the NBA his legacy regained the prestige that once was correlated with Magic. I think Magic’s announcement help educate society and brought awareness t the issue of AIDS. I think Magic did the best he could do from a negative situation and most of all he continues to help and educate people world wide about the virus.

Regrets, She’s had a Few

Believe it or not prior to reading this article I had no clue of who Renee Richards was or how she had any relevance to this class or sport at all. In the article “Regrets, She’s had a Few” by Cindy Shmerier I learned a lot about her background and how she has affected the sports world. Sex reassignment is probably much more common now, however in 1975 it was a major issue especially since Richard Raskind, M.D., was so successful. Raskind who graduated from Yale and attend medical school at the University of Rochester, served in the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, and was a very successful tennis player in his own right.

Renee Richards on the other hand actually decided to play professional tennis on the woman’s tour, and of course I can see why this was an issue for the women on the tour. Having to compete with a player that use to be a man and had previously competed with males isn’t a fair situation. Nonetheless Richards took her argument all the way to the Supreme Court and she was granted the opportunity to compete as a woman on the women’s tour. I don’t agree with this at all, if the WNBA found that one of their players was formerly a man and had a sex reassignment operation I think they would banish the player indefinitely. It’s just unfair for a female to compete in professional sports after being a male for 35 years. I think the U.S. Supreme Court made a major mistake in allowing Renee Richards to compete on the women’s tour. Yes, it is ok for a woman to compete in men’s professional sport because the general consensus is the competition is bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic, on the other hand as for men to drop down a play in a women’s league for whatever reason is unacceptable.

Full Court Press

Last week we talked a lot about gay stigma and how men’s professional sport has almost set the standard for homophobia. Today I will be discussing the article “Full Court Press” by Griffin. This article goes in depth concerning the concept of the “lesbian boogeywoman” and the defensive responses to that concept, which are entitled “apologetic.” The apologetic consist of eight response typically used to deflect questions about the lesbian bogeywoman image, these responses include silence, denial, promotion of a heterosexy image, and attacks on lesbians (Griffin, 1998) This issue comes as a surprise to me, I was unaware that this issue existed in women’s sport, and like their male counterparts many lesbian choose to maintain their silence. However, do you think that a lesbian in professional sport would face the same type of public scrutiny as say a gay male in professional sports? This is an interesting question and I know from my personal appearances, I feel that a lesbian has a much better chance of being accepted than a gay male. Its mind boggling because female athletes face many of the same issues that male athletes face.

Discrimination against lesbians doesn’t just stop on the field; it can also affect coaches and employees in the front office. “Some athletic directors fire women coaches if they suspect that they are lesbians” (Griffin, 1998), its really no way for these fired employees to dispute the discrimination from fear of never being able to acquire another job in the sports field. I feel that sexual orientation has nothing to do with a person’s ability to do the job. I am sure if it came to light that Pat Summit was a lesbian Tennessee wouldn’t fire her, because she has made the school into a national power. With participation in women sports increasing so dramatically over recent years more and more lesbians are entering professional sports, and much like their male counterparts they choose to suffer in silence and refuse to reveal themselves to the public.

Suffer in Silence

The so called last taboo of men’s sport as the author of “Suffer in Silence” Julian Rubinstein states it, the gay issue has yet to be addressed by professional sports. This article discusses professional sports and how it can be seen as a standard for homophobia in America. This article also goes into details about a sports survey taken concerning gays in their respective league in 1998, in which only 6 of 89 teams in the NBA, NFL, and MLB responded to it. Rubinstein has some interesting views on homophobia in professional sports and although it has been accepted in the military it has yet to crack the acceptable standard for professional sports.

I look at sport today and I just don’t see Americans cheering for a knowingly gay professional athlete. It just isn’t accepted in out society. Believe me, I am sure that there is at least one homosexual player in the three major professional leagues currently playing, but he would rather live a double life than risk damaging his career. Professional sports are a business, in business the most important thing is profit, and a homosexual athlete doesn’t sell tickets. Rubinstein stated that “Men’s pro sport is so far from a dialogue on the topic it may actually be setting the modern standard for homophobia (Rubinstein, 1998). I agree with this statement completely there is no place for gays in men pro sports so those that are gay are force to live a double life and not be able to openly express themselves. I am not saying that I am against homosexuals in anyway; however I know that with athletes being such big role models, public figures, and cash cows that coming out to the world not be in their best interest. I think it would take a superstar caliber athlete to come out during his playing career to change society’s perception of gay athletes in pro sports; until then gay players will be forced to live in hiding.

“The Decline of the Black athlete” is actually an interview with a respected sports consultant Harry Edwards. The author is David Leonard, a writer that we have become rather familiar with over the semester. The article was written eight years ago in 2000, during this period Edwards proclaimed that the “golden age” of black athletics was coming to an end. After analyzing the past eight year and what has happened in sport throughout that time period I can safely say that I don’t agree with that statement.
Edwards argues that through various societal processes, that the talent pool of black althetes has begun to drop-off in performance at all levels (Highschool, College, and Professional). Jailing, academic eligibility, and just not having the funds to field teams have also contributed to the decline in black athletes according to Edwards. I must agree with Edwards in some aspects I do believe that society is changing sport and it is changing it dramatically. A perfect example that Edwards used dealt with past heavyweight boxers and the current crop of boxer as of 2000. It was a time where black boxers where galore you had heavyweights such as Ali, Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Larry Holmes. Now, black heavyweights are few and hard to come by; basically there’s Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson and I don’t know if you have been watching boxing lately but that’s not a good thing.
Edwards was right about the fact that the “Golden Age” of black athletes was on the declined, but what he couldn’t predict was the influx of star power that Black America was about to experience. Just imagined the list of athletes and sports that have arrived since this article was wrote in 2000. In just eight years Tiger Woods has taking over the PGA tour and is probably the best golfer of all time and he is only in his 30’s, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant compete for the title of best basketball player on the planet year in and year out, Venus and Serena Williams are still competing and winning Grand Slam Tournaments, and Candance Parker became the first player to ever win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. The golden age only slowed down for a pit stop before accelerating into the 21st century.

Cool Pose

The article "Cool Pose: Black Masculinity" written by Richard Majors in 1993 is nicely written article discussing black males, sport, and masculinity. Of course I had to express my thoughts on this issue being one of the few black males in this class. Majors believes that black men cope with their frustrations by channeling their energy into what he calls “Cool Pose.” Cool Pose is a set of expression the unique way a person walks, talks, dresses, and carries themselves. According to Majors black men use their expressions as a subliminal message to white males sort of as taunting them; Majors states “See me, touch me, hear me, but, white man, you can’t copy me!” (Majors, 1993) Over the years the concept as evolved into what my generation calls “Swagger”, Swagger is basically the same concept as “Cool Pose” with a modern day twist.

What caught my attention the most in this article was the section discussing the black male and his expression in sport. Majors discussed famous black athletes like Billy “Whiteshoes” Johnson, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and Muhammad Ali because of how they expressed their creativity during their careers. I look at sport today and observe how players like Chad Johnson, Reggie Bush, Kevin Garnett, and Roy Jones Jr. express themselves during play and it resembles how the legends before them did it. I think that these athletes use sports as an outlet from reality. In a society dominated by the white male the chances a black male gets to express himself are limited so while on the playing field they use it as the perfect “stage” to vent, it serves as the only place where they can truly feel pride and display their expression.

Cool pose is just an avenue for black males to express themselves. The concept has been around for a long time and it continues today. Of course our culture has changed dramatically since the release of this article; nonetheless it is still built on the same principals. “Cool pose demonstrate black males’ potential to transcend oppressive conditions to express themselves as men.” (Majors, 1993)

The Jordan Effect

“The Jordan Effect” by Roy Johnson and Ann Harrington is an in depth analysis of Michael Jordan’s impact on the economy during his tenure in the National Basketball Association. Of course Michael stands alone as the consensus pick for greatest basketball player of all-time, he has all the accolades and awards to back that statement. For one second just take the time to think how much Michael has changed sport as a whole, not just basketball, but all professional sports. The reason there will never be another Michael Jordan is not just because of his NBA records and championships, but because of his accomplishments off the court. Jordan just so happen to be in the right place at the right time and him and the entire league benefited from it.

It’s a simple concept, put his face, logo, autograph, or anything on an item and it’s guaranteed to sell. I grew up during the Jordan era, about one hour and a half away from Chicago. As a young adolescent I craved his shoes as many other kids my age did. Growing up my society valued Michael’s persona so much that if you didn’t have a pair you where consider as “lame” or “not cool.” According to the figures calculated by the Jordan effect, as of 1998 Michael Jordan was a $10 billion man. That number of course has increased over the past 10 years and is still climbing. The Jordan effect calculates everything from his salary, endorsements, impact at away stadiums, television ratings, and of course his revenue from the Jordan “brand.” It is amazing what Michael Jordan meant to the NBA not just as a player, but as a product, and investment.

Another thing that I find interesting is the impact Michael’s Retirement had on the NBA. The NBA went through a lot of turmoil after Michael’s retirement, ratings declined immediately and the league suffered. I think a lot of the new rules and policies in the NBA are directly correlated with the ratings decreasing and Michael retiring. Rule changes where implement to speed up the past of the game, and outlaw hand checking. A dress code was issued and a new rule that required players to attend college for at least one year. I feel that these incidents are indirectly a result of Michael’s retiring. As I see it with the success of the NBA Finals last year, (two big market and historically prestigious teams in Boston and Los Angeles) the NBA is just regaining it’s former swagger with a new cast of all-stars and Lebron James doing his best Michael Jordan impression.

The Girl Has Game

“The Girl Has Game” is an article by John Garrity about the young and upcoming golf superstar Michelle Wie. In this article Michelle was still at the tender age of 14 competing at the Sony Open, which made her the youngest golfer to ever compete in a PGA Tour event. This is amazing feat for a young adolescent female to compete with adults males at the highest stage and be competitive too. Wie’s performance place her above forty-seven men on the final score card, and gave her instinct bragging rights over her male counterparts.

This article fits right in with the transition from focusing on Title IX, to the new topic in class which basically about race and how different cultures effect sport. Michelle Wie has the potential to become a golf megastar; she has the power game that most golfers can only dream about. At the age of 14 Wie can already drive the ball 300+ yards off of the tee, and apparently compete with adult males. It is interesting that Michelle’s parents and advisors allow her to compete with the males, and especially at such a young age. I think the expectations and the pressure of being so good at such a young age is very difficult to deal with, especially when people expect Wie as a female to be able to compete with professional male golfers. With that being said, Wie in fact did compete and do rather well for the circumstance she was presented with. This article is from 2004, when Michelle Wie was consider as the female version of Tiger Woods and her potential was unlimited. Michelle has not exactly reached the potential that was once perceived of her and some experts consider her a bust. Wie still possesses immense talent; I just think the early exposure and the pressure of being so talented at a young age stunted her athletic growth.

Asianization of America

The readings from today deal with how in recent years the Asian culture has increasingly influenced the American Culture. The article, “The Asianization of America,” by Olivia Barker discusses how the Asian culture is affecting everything from Starbucks, the movie industry, to Kanji tattoos in every tattoo parlor. The Asian culture is everywhere in America according to Barker. “There’s a hunger for all things Asian,” (Barker, 2001) this is evident by how much the Asian culture plays a role in our daily lives. Just today I ate stir-fry and had an egg-roll for lunch, a meal that originates from the Asian culture.

With the Asianization of America, comes the stereotype of the Asian American such as all Asian should drink tea, or know karate and be able to fight like movie characters. Barker raises the issue that Hollywood has inflected many of the stereotypes of Asians that we see in America today, through movies, commercials, and television shows. I can understand and agree with the author when it comes to this issue. As an African American male in America I feel as though there are a lot of stereotypes that society has created rather it is through movies, media, or actual experience. This is called “Asiaphilia” according to Barker, and it’s all superficial. Asian Americans face a lot of the same issues that other minorities face in this country and it remains to be seen as whether they can breakthrough the stereotypical barrier that society has placed on them.

Wilson Chandler update

This entry to my blog really does not deal directly what where talking about in class, however it is sports related, and is definitely something that I would like to discuss with my viewers. I actually plan on maintaining this blog after I have completed this course, and branching out to other areas in addition to sports. As you may remember in my “introduction” I made a reference to one of my close friends Wilson Chandler, and I would just like to give a preseason update on his performance this season.

Playing for a historic franchise like the New York Knicks always puts a player on the big screen. Knick fans will scream, boo, and holler until the Knicks become championship contenders. I just like to bring up a recent article from the New York Times, “As the Tempo Increases, So Does Chandler’s Output” written by Peter May.The article talks about the new leadership in New York with the addition of Mike D’Antoni as head coach and how his up-tempo offense has affected players. Chandler of course has been flourishing in this offense, as May states in the article, “Wilson Chandler appears to have been placed on the planet to play in an up-tempo offense” (May, 2008). D’Antoni also gave Chandler praises by referring to him as a star in the making and comparing him to Shawn Marion. That wasn’t what impressed me the most though, the most compelling part of the article was the comments made by defending World Champion Kevin Garnett.

In a 25 second span versus Garnett Chandler blocked his shot, forced him into a traveling violation, and had a three point play against Garnett. When Garnett was asked about the blocked shot sequence he replied with, “I’ll remember that. Don’t think I won’t make a mental note of that. We play them again. I wasn’t happy about it. I should have taken my time” (May, 2008) Chandler finished the game with a team high 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. I think that this is a great start for a long season for Chandler. With the addition of Mike D’Antoni hopefully the Knicks can regain their prestigious ways of the past.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/sports/basketball/18knicks.html?ref=basketball

Yo Yao

Prior Yao Ming’s arrival in the NBA he had already made an amazing impact. He was the first international player to be selected with the 1st pick in the draft. This alone is an amazing feat to accomplish; and Yao has lived up to every expectation of being the 1st pick. This article deals a lot with the crossover from Asian culture to American culture and how this has affected the NBA and its players.

What I found most interesting about the article was the fact that Leonard feels that there is a friction between recent international players, and African American players. I was totally unaware of this issue and found it rather surprising; nonetheless I can understand where Leonard is coming from. Recently international players have been flocking to the NBA at a rapid pace. According to Leonard this is upsetting and directly challenging African American players who make up a majority of the NBA population, “Yao Ming reflects this growing tension among players for control over the NBA which often plays itself out racially” (Leonard, 2002). With the NBA being dominated by African American players, I see the recent influx of international players to just be good competition. On the other hand players coming out of college that has to compete with these international players, who already have professional experience, may see it in a different perspective.

International players have the opportunity and advantage of being able to turn professional at a young age which allows international players to be more fundamentally sound and polished, than their American counterparts. With such household names like Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings jumping ship and signing lucrative deals overseas, the International market has open a new opportunity for basketball players. With the recent trends and the new phenomenon of Americans and international players returning overseas to compete in a tax free market, this issue seems to be solving itself.

This piece, by Donna Daniels showcases the limitations and how society perceives the new women athletes of color in regards to participation in sports. Daniels focuses heavily on Venus and Serna Williams and how the media perceives them. With the athletic market for women rapidly expanding, society has come to recognize women as consumers. This is evident by the emergence of professional leagues, and recent sporting events. The sporting world has accepted women as consumers and athletes. With that being said the sporting woman has become a marketed and marketing figure.

The actual appearance of an athlete can sometimes be over looked. Looking the part is half the battle. Daniels makes a controversial statement in this article that I don't necessarily agree with stating that, "Black athletes are often celebrated in terms of a brute physicality and innate athleticism that denies the role of intelligence in athletic success" (Daniels, 2000). I can understand where she is coming from with this statement, but in recent years with the emergence of athletes like Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, and Tiger Woods who all display amazing intelligence in their own respectfully sport I don't know how much I agree with this statement. America has a lot to learn about African American women, and it is evident by the remarks of commentators such as, "Why do they wear their hair that way?" (Daniels, 2000). It is just a part of culture that white sportscasters often don't understand. Nonetheless as year’s progress and sports and the black woman evolves, the world will become more adapt to the culture.

Female Athletes with Disabilities

The article for today’s reading deal with sports and disability.  The article that I choose to reflect on is, “Accommodating Female Athletes with Disabilities.”  The author, Ann Cody, feels that female athletes with disabilities should be more encouraged and embraced when it comes to participating in sport.  The Women’s Sport Foundation, which has been reference multiple times through out the semester, has basically developed and outlined a guide to assist in increasing accessibility to women’s sports and fitness programs.

 

As much as Title IX has affected sports and female participation in a positive manner, it hasn’t done the same for female athletes with disabilities.  The guideline presented by Ann Cody is this article has four steps: Seeking guidance, accessibility considerations, sport-specific integration, and promotion and outreach.  I feel that female athletes with disabilities deserve more opportunities; they are sort of the forgotten due to their limited access to sports and fitness programs.  A lot of attention for disabled athletes goes towards their male counterparts; nonetheless this is changing with the help of organizations like the Women’s Sport Foundation.  I don’t think society encourages female athletes with disabilities nearly as much as they do males and I think this is one of the major factors with the lack of participation when it comes to females.  Male and female athletes should come together and help each other overcome this barrier.

Legend of Katie Hnida

On August 30, 2003, Katie Hnida became the first women to score in a NCAA Division I-A football game, while placekicking for the University of New Mexico. Katie Hnida is a perfect topic to discuss and is very relevant to what we have been discussing in class. Katie is not only famous for scoring the first female points in Division I-A football; she is also famous for ultimately the firing of Colorado head coach Gary Bennett. Before Katie was kicking extra points at University of New Mexico, she was a walk on freshman for the University of Colorado. After transferring to New Mexico Katie later accused her Colorado teammates of rape and sexual abuse; no charges where filed against any of the players.

Katie later went on recording saying that she endured a sexual hell that was unimaginable. As you may have seen on Outside The Lines, then head coach Gary Bennett further abused Katie by degrading her skills as a football player, and saying that she lucky to just be on the team. The quote that probably ultimately ended Bennett’s tenure at Colorado was "Katie was not only a girl, she was terrible. OK? There's no other way to say it. She couldn't kick the ball through the uprights." For these actions and other incidents Bennett was suspended from the team and later fired. The way Katie described her male teammates of treating her was just troubling. You would think students at that age would be mature enough to coexist with females. Gary Bennett statements where sexist to say the least and inappropriate, he just didn’t respect her as a football player and neither did her teammates for that matter. In my eyes what went on at the University of Colorado was definitely unacceptable and hopefully a female will never have to experience that again.

Was she Blocked or Groped

The more I read about Title IX, the more interesting it becomes. The article, “Was she Blocked or Groped?” by Davis Sheremata , features a very interesting issue. The article discusses the issue of females playing in violent contact sports such as football, and some issues of sexual harassment during play.

I think this article is really about safety in coed sports. I don’t think females should participate in football. The physicality of football is just too much for females, hell; it is even too much for some males. My head football coach in high school would always tell us, “Everybody aint made to play football, if they were the whole school would be out here.” Football is a brutal game, and from my personal experience I can clearly say that it’s not a sport that should be played coed. In the article Alega Nuu is a 14 year old offensive tackle for the Edmonton Seahawks. Miss Nuu argued that one of her opponents reached under her pads and grabbed her chest during play. This is typical behavior in football. Defensive linemen are taught to get under your pads to gain leverage it is a technique, so this alleged touching of her chest was more than likely incidental. I have experience playing with a female on my high school football team; first hand I can tell you it did not work out to well. There are a lot of sports that can and are coed but I don’t think football should be one of them. The question is chest block or breast grab? I say a little bit of both it’s the nature of the game.

The Athletic Director's Dilemma: $$$ and Women's Sports

As we continue our reading on Title IX we come to a journal article titled, “The Athletic Director's Dilemma: $$$ and Women's Sports.” This article discusses different aspects of being a college athletic director and some issues athletic directors face. In this article Kennedy introduces the Kennedy Index; which is a formula used to measure the rankings of colleges and conferences in compliance with Title IX. It’s actually a very interesting process that produced some figures I did not expect.

Basically in a nutshell this article talks about how the big time schools with the big time revenue don’t really rank to high when it comes to compliance with Title IX; in fact the big time conferences like the SEC and the Big 12 rank in the bottom 10. The six BCS conferences are ranked extremely high in revenue among all collegiate conferences; most due to their basketball and football programs. Some BCS schools argue that the revenue from their big time basketball and football programs help them support other athletic teams; which can be a questionable statement because Ivy League schools have a greater number of male and female teams on average, with thirty per school (Kennedy, 2006). I consider those big time schools to be cash cows when it comes to their basketball and football programs. The amount of expense these conferences have makes it extremely difficult to comply with Title IX, when you have coaches making 30 to 40 million dollars (ex. Charlie Wies) its hard to but money back into other smaller sports programs.

I think that the BCS conferences should put forth more effort in attempting to be in compliance with Title IX, it is no reason Ivey League schools should have the highest number of female and male teams. As women sport progresses over the years hopefully the playing field between men and women will even out, until then women sport has to continue to make strides onward and upward.

Beating men opened doors for athletes

The article that I have chosen to discuss today is “Beating men opened doors for athletes.” The author, Tucker, discusses the evolution of women in sports and famous groundbreaking moments for women in sports.  The women’s athletic movement began in the 1970’s with Billie Jean King’s famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, and continues today with female athletes like Candace Parker,  Annika Sorenstam, and Danica Patrick. 

Women sports in America have come a long way in my short time on earth; I still remember the summer the WNBA was launched.  With that being said I don’t thing it is neither fair nor possible to compare women sports to their male counterparts.  Being an African American male in America, I can directly relate to women and their attempt to break through the coaching, managing, and team ownership barrier.  No matter how drastically sport has changed over the years the front office seems to stay the same, still dominated by white males.  Women and every other demographic group for that nature take a back seat to white males when it comes to collegiate head coaches and athletic directors.   As Tucker puts it, “leadership is not a gender issue; it is a reflection of education, experience and a propensity for the work” (Tucker, 2008).  I couldn’t agree more with this statement.  Athletic director’s work in the office, they don’t have to tackle, pass, block, dribble, or kick.  Their sole responsibility is to make sure the day-to-day operations of the University and its student-athletes goes according to plain.  In my eyes and probably a lot of other males; sports and males have always had a positive correlation which makes it difficult to let a women lead an aspect of our society that most notably associated with men. 

The great thing about this article is that women are making progress, the percentage of women AD’s is up to 21.3% (Tucker, 2008).  Each day sport as a whole evolves into something many never thought it would become.  I could invasions a future where WNBA players would be paid on par with their NBA counterparts, and maybe even a Co-ed all-star game between the two.  

Violence, Fighting, and Masculinity

Violence, Fighting, and Masculinity

Gruneau and Whistson’s article, “Hockey night in Canada” from the book, “Violence, fighting, and masculinity,” discusses a very controversial issue of violence in hockey.  The article touches on the theories behind violence in hockey and how the game permits violence and even encourages it.  The physical aspects of hockey within the rules of the games sort of promotes fighting and violence.  As stated in the article, “Fist fighting becomes a safety valve that helps to preclude more dangerous attacks with sticks” (Gruneau & Whitson, 1993) which have been a problem in the past.  The most thought provoking element of this article is the concept behind human aggression, which is the catharsis hypothesis.

The first thing that came to mind while reading this article was the incident between Chris Simon and Ryan Hollweg.   At 13:25 of the third period, Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg checked Simon, knocking him face first into the boards. Simon suffered a concussion; no penalties were assessed, and play continued. Simon then struck Hollweg in the face with a vicious blow from his hockey stick. Simon was suspended for 25 games and luckily for Hollweg the blow struck his shoulder pads before it actually hit him in the face to decrease the intensity of the blow.  This incident directly relates to this article and the catharsis hypothesis and what the catharsis hypothesis attempts to prevent. 

The catharsis hypothesis suggests that fighting in sports helps let out aggression in a controlled outlet that if not released can manifest itself in more serious forms of aggression.  I can personally relate to this as a former football player, even though I was never the type of guy that had built up animosity I’ve seen it in other players.  I’ve seen players that just look for an opposing player to hit even sometimes after the whistle.  In my eyes aggression can be looked like as an addictive drug, of course metaphorically, but nonetheless an addictive drug.   According to the catharsis hypothesis, “without this outlet, it is argued, frustration would build up until it erupted in even more violent and dangerous ways,” (Gruneau & Whitson, 1993) my thoughts on this statement are if hockey already allows violent acts within the rule book, why must the rules be broken to take out built up frustration?  At the same time I can understand how opposing players getting under a player’s skin combined with emotions and adrenaline can result in a fight.  The catharsis hypotheses view is that aggression will somehow find a way to express itself in more or less damaging ways, so it might as well express itself in a controlled manner. 

***Introduction***

My name is Nicholas Matthews, however I would prefer that you called me “Nick”.  I am senior majoring in Sports Management with a minor in General Business.  My career goal is to become an athletic director for a Division 1 school.  I plan on obtaining my master’s in Sports Adminstration here at BGSU.   On campus I am a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., National Pan-Hellenic Council, Sports Management Alliance, and Black Student Union. 

 

Sports have always played a major role in my life and my career decisions, especially since I grew up in a small town that worshiped basketball.  I grew up in a town that was sort of like the basketball version of the movie “Friday Night Lights”. My decision to attend BGSU was solely made of the merit of the award winning Sports Management program.  Of course I have the traditional story of wanting to play professional sports as young kid growing up, however I chose the educational path in life and here I am today.  Nonetheless, I was a respectable athlete I played basketball, football, baseball, and track in high school.  I excelled in football, and even had a few scholarship opportunities from a few small football programs in the mid-west area.  Why I turned those scholarships down remains a mystery till this day.

 

Growing up I never thought I would become the man that I am today, I never thought I would be a “Frat Guy”, I never thought I would stop playing sports, I never thought I would even go to college let alone attended BGSU.  It’s amazing how my life turned out and how my life could have turned out; I appreciate every opportunity I’ve obtained and the blessings that I’ve received along the way.   My most memorable sports moment was watching the 2007 NBA Draft.  On of my close friends was drafted by the New York Knicks in the first round with the 22^nd pick Wilson ChandlerThis was an amazing moment for me; I’ve met Zach Randolph, Nate Robinson, and Eddy Curry and been to multiple New York Knick games already.

 

I’m excited for this class and especially for this project, because I love to write and I enjoy sports.  This project is a great opportunity for me I always wanted to have my own blog.  If you are familiar with Gilbert Arenas’ blog on NBA.com he inspired me to pick this topic for my final project. I expect to learn a lot about gender and its reference to sport while achieving success in this class