Being a Female in the Sport Industry

Article: UMD

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed gender and sports. Gender is one of the first things that someone observes about an individual. 

There are three main agencies of sex role stereotyping: family, school, and the media. Before someone is even born, they are being stereotyped based off their gender. Parents direct their behavior towards masculine and feminine activities based off of the child's gender, not their interests. Schools reinforce that there are different expectations for different genders, and steer the children different ways based off of their gender. The media is one of the most influential and pervasive forces and it sets agendas for the way we think, act, and feel. Title IX went into effect in 1972, giving women what was suppose to be equal opportunity in education and sports. Although, Title IX improved the opportunities that were available for women athletes as well as women in the sport industry they are still not equal with men. The following youtube video shows prime examples of the gender inequality in sport: Women in Sports
The article At UMB, a face off over gender, money, sports by Dan Kraker discusses other obstacles that females face within the sport industry. Shannon Miller has been the women's hockey coach at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for sixteen years. Throughout her time at UMD she has turned the program around and won five national championships. She was recently fired due to financial reasons. Miller's salary was $207,000 while the men's hockey coach, Scott Sandelin, salary is $235,000. 
The Sports Business Journal article, Racial, gender hiring practices suffering in college sports, highlights statics of the inequalities of gender in sport. The 2014 College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card received a C- in gender hiring. Read the entire article here: Hiring Practices in College Sports
Women struggle everyday to be recognized within the sports industry as athletes, coaches, and business women. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is raising awareness for gender equality within sport. Look at their advocacy page here: Women and Sport Commission

Race in Sport

Article: Whites See Blacks as Superhuman

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed race and ethnicity in sport. There is a distinct difference between race and ethnicity. 

Race is a social category constructed and accepted by society while ethnicity is a socially distinct population that shares a way of life and is committed to the ideas, norms, and things that constitute that way of life. In class we focused on sport participation and African Americans. The 1936 Olympic Games took place in Berlin, Germany and this is where Jesse Owens proved that African Americans were great athletes. Watch the following youtube video to see everything that Jesse Owens accomplished: Jesse Owens 1936 Olympics
There is a traditional race logic that is used in sports. This logic credits achievements of white athletes to ability, character, and intelligence whereas it credits achievements of black athletes to biology and natural physical abilities. There is said to be some physiological dominances that African Americans have over whites, these are: 

• Blacks have a slight genetic advantage over whites in some ares 
• African Americans are more physically suited for activities requiring speed and power
• Longer levers, slimmer pelvis, less fat on muscles
• More fast twitch muscle
• Advanced motor skills at an early age

These traits make it seem like African Americans have an upper hand when it comes to sport. In a research summary of genetic factors and athletic performance the following results were concluded.

• 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 

Since there is currently no evidence for the connection between skin color genes and physical performance genes it leads individuals to believe what they see and experience. African Americans make up for 87% of the NBA, 70% of the NFL, 9.8% of the MLB, hold most titles in boxing, twenty-three to twenty-five all time men's 100 meter sprinters were African American, and African Americans dominate the long jump. Athletes are held to a high standard in society and they are seen as role models and heroes. The article by Matthew Huston, Whites See Blacks as Superhuman, illuminates how whites view African Americans in sport. Some may believe that viewing African American athletes as being superior is a good thing but there are consequences that go along with the race logic of sports. 

• Desegregation of revenue producing sports
• Continued racial exclusion in "social" sports
• Position stacking in team sports
• Racialized interpretations of achievements
• Skewed distribution of African Americans in United States colleges and universities
• Management barriers for blacks

Deviance in the Sport Industry

Article: Sports and Ethics 

On Tuesday, March 31, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed deviance in sports. Deviance is an act that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ from acceptable social standard. An act of deviance is situationally specific and it is culturally specific. Examples of deviance in society are: using illegal drugs and violent acts or crimes. Examples of deviance in sport are: using performance enhancing drugs, fighting, gambling, bounty hunting, illegal recruiting, and academic cheating. Sport is an industry that directly mirrors society but when it comes to deviance, sport is a grey area. An act that is consider deviant outside of sport may be accepted in sport, violence and aggression are not accepted in society but sport encourages aggression. The following youtube video discusses the different types of deviant acts that happen within sports: Deviance Acts in Sports

Adrian Peterson

The Sports Business Journal article, Sports and Ethics, discusses deviant acts that have been occurring in professional sports. There were two family violent acts within the NFL this past season, Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. These two acts happened within the same week but it connects back to deviance being cultural specific. The following youtube video is Charles Barkley talking about both of these acts of deviance and why they are different: Charles Barkley 
Adrian Peterson punished his son the way that he was punished when he was a kid. Adrian credits his success to the way that his parents raised him. This creates a problem between what society sees as acceptable and what different cultures see as acceptable. The following youtube video is a statement that Adrian Peterson released expressing his emotions: Adrian Peterson

Article: UFC Drug Testing
On Tuesday, April 3, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we continued our discussion on deviance in sports but we focused on drugs. Drugs are chemicals that change the way that our bodies work. There are three different types of drugs: prescribed drugs, which are socially accepted drugs that are given by a doctor to help cure illness and disease, social drugs, which are socially unacceptable drugs that are illegal substances used by people to give them a "high" to try to make them have a good time, and performance enhancing drugs, which are socially unacceptable drugs that are substances used to improve athletes performance in sport. There are many reasons why athletes take drugs but there are three main reasons that can be broken down into more specific reasons. 

Former UFC fighter Anderson Silva

Physiological                                                         
- Increase oxygen transport                                  
- Lose weight / train harder                                 
- Mask injury / reduce tiredness              
- Build muscle / increase energy 
                
Psychological   
- Increase motivation
- Steady nerves
- Increase aggression
                
Social
- Athletes are prepared to win at all costs
- Belief that everyone is doing it 
- Fear of not winning
- Pressure to win from coaches, peers and the media
- Winning can allow them to earn big money 

The NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL all have drug tests set up for the athletes but they all test for different things and at different times. They all also have different penalties for using drugs. The NBA tests for steroids and recreational drugs. The NFL has the most rigorous testing policy, they test for steroids, human growth hormones, recreational drugs, and performance enhancing drugs. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned drug use in 1967 and they send all of their drug tests to the World Anti-Doping Agency.  Unfortunately, there have still been many athletes that have been caught 

Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Lance Armstrong

using banned drugs. Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Lance Armstrong are few successful athletes who have been caught using steroids or blood doping. All of these athletes ruined their reputation, lost all of their credibility, and lost their career because they used drugs to get an edge on the competition. Lance Armstrong opens up about his story in an interview with Oprah: Lance Armstrong

On Tuesday, April 3, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed what is being done to prevent drug use in sports. Many of the leagues are enforcing stricter, more rigorous out of season testing, enforcing stricter punishment and life bans, having co-ordinated education programs, there is more money for increasingly efficient and effective testing programs, creating unified policies about the issues, and having role models to reinforce their no drug position. 

The Sports Business Journal article, UFC takes a tougher stance on drug testing, is a prime example of advocating about drug use. This article discusses what the UFC is doing to prevent athletes from using drugs within mixed martial arts. Prior to Anderson Silva, who was the best know fighter and Middleweight Champion, tested positive for anabolic steroids the UFC would test their fighters on the day of the event and they would also do out-of-competition testing. After Anderson Silva tested positive the UFC immediately changed their policy. As of February, all athletes across the world are getting tested, athletes training for a main event or a championship fight have mandatory out-of-competition testing, and there are now random out-of-competition for all athletes on that are on the UFC roster.

Social Media and Sports

Article: ESPN's Snapchat

On Tuesday, March 24, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed sports and the media. These are two of the most successful businesses in the United States. Media as changed and advanced overtime and this has impacted the media coverage of sports. The characteristics of the media have changed from old media to new media. Old media involves print media which is words and images printed on paper such as: newspapers, magazines, books, catalogues, event programs, and trading cards. New media involves electronic/visual media which is words, commentary, and images we receive through audio and/or video devices such as: radio, television, film, video games, the internet, and cell phones. Since the 20th Century, when sport became apart of the entertainment industry it has done nothing but continued to grow. The increase in sport popularity is a direct result of media coverage. 
Media has four roles:

                        1. Inform

                        2. Entertain

                        3. Educate

                        4. Advertise
Social media is a group of internet applications that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content. Most fans and community members now go to social media for sports information, 96% of businesses use social media for marketing. On Tuesday, March 24, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we were faced with the question: Could sports and the media survive without each other? Throughout discussion we came to the conclusion that sports could not survive without the media but the media could survive without sports. Sports have made some changes as a result of the media: schedule and starting times, length of halftimes, television timeouts, and expansion and formation of leagues. All of these changes that sport has made for media gives both sport and the media the opportunity to make revenue. 
The Sports Business Journal article discusses the benefits and downfalls of a social media application called Snapchat. Snapchat allows users to take photographs, record videos, add text and drawings, select a time from 1 second to 10 seconds, and then select who the information gets sent to. The recipient of the information will only be allowed to see it for the amount of time that the sender selected, after time runs out the picture or video disappears. Snapchat has recently added a new feature called Discover, watch the following youtube video to learn what this feature offers: Snapchat Discover 
The challenges that Snapchat face are the same challenges that other new medias such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Groupon, and Social Living are facing. Social media is predominantly used by millennials, which creates barriers. As sport teams begin to use social media more frequently for things such as advertising and give aways the more other generations gain interest. Social media gives sport fans something that nothing else can, direct contact with the teams and the athletes. Many athletes have embraced the opportunities that social media presents them to connect directly with fans. An example of a professional team being interactive with their fans is the Pittsburgh Pirates twitter page:  Pittsburgh Pirates

Sports and Socialization - Athletes as Role Models?

Article: Athletes as Role Models
On Tuesday, February 10, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed sport and socialization. It is clear that sport plays a big role in the society, especially with kids. Socialization is an active process of learning the culture of a society and it occurs when you interact with others. Socialization involves the information of ideas about who we are and what is important in our lives. At the beginning of the 20th Century athletes viewed being a role model as part of their job. Is it part of their job? It is their responsibility to be a role model for kids? Many kids look up to professional athletes because in their eyes, they have it all. They get paid to do what they love, they're rich, they get to travel, and they're famous. The imaginations kids have are so big that they do not realize that becoming a professional athlete is unrealistic. Does that mean looking up to athletes as role models is a bad thing? Socialization and being a role model go hand in hand because socialization provide agents for sport organizations, these agents are: family, peer group, school, community, and mass media.

Derek Jeter

What characteristics does a role model need to possess?

• Honesty 
• Commitment
• Fairness
• Determination
• Good sportsmanship
• Sense of humor
• Good self image
• High moral values 

The reason why viewing athletes as role models is such a uncertain thing is because you never know what an athlete is going to do or how they are going to act. There have been many athletes who were great role models such as Ray Rice and Lance Armstrong who turned out to be bad role models based of certain actions. There have also been great athlete role models who have remained great role models such as Derek Jeter and Dwight Howard.

The Newsday article "Athletes are not automatic role models" highlights the bold statement Charles Barkley made in 1993 in a Nike commercial, he stated that he is not a role model and that parents need to be role models. Is he right with that statement? Yes, parents should be role models but what about the kids who don't have parents? Who are they suppose to look up to? Watch the entire commercial on you youtube here: Charles Barkley Nike Air Commercial

Parents often lead kids to think that athletes are good role models. If a kid is beginning to play a sport they sit down with their parents to watch a game. Often times kids hear: "you see how they follow through on their shot?" "do you see how their stance is?" "do you see the hustle that they have?" by teaching the kids the proper form from a professional player naturally leads them to look up to them and want to be as good as them.  

Another reason why athletes have become such big role models to many kids is because of the mass media. Athletes are always in the light, nothing about their lives is private. Their life on and off the court or field is in the headlines. Since the athletes are always in the headlines, they are always being scrutinized by the public. They are held to a higher standard because they are professionals, more is expected of them because of what they do. Isn't the only thing that they are suppose to do is play? Charles Barkley stated that it is not his job but many athletes feel like it is apart of their job. 
Does thinking that you need to be a role model make you a good role model? 

What is Sport and Why Study it?

Article: CBS $50M for 30 Seconds
On Thursday, January 22, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed what sport is and why it should be studied. Before discussing why sport should be studied we must define exactly what sport is. Sport is defined as: physical, competitive, institutionalized, and motivated by a combination of personal enjoyment and external rewards. There is a difference between play, games, and sport. If one was to place these activities on a continuum in order from less complex to more complex it would look like this: 

<---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> play                                                        games                                                         sport

How does one identify which activity they are participating in? There are distinct characteristics that determine if an activity is play, a game, or a sport. The following characteristics are some of the many characteristics that belong to these three activities:

Play	Games	Sport
Free	Win / Lose Motive	Highly Competitive
No boundaries	Boundaries	Formalized Rules
Uncertain	Rules and Authority	Governing Bodies
Make believe	Investment	High degree of organization

The focus of my American Sport in the 21st Century is sport. Sport is a highly important factor worldwide. Sport are social phenomenas because it provides a window into society and cultures and it mirrors the two. How do we know that sport is so important worldwide? The facts say it all. On Thursday, January 22, 2015 we were given these facts about sport, which proves that it is important to study sport.

• Millions of people are interested in sport
• Constitute much of our conversation, reading and leisure ($73B) many people wake up and read or watch sport 
• 1/10 of the world almanac is devoted to sports 
• 15% of major network time is devoted to sports 
• Sport accounts for 49.7% of Twitter chatter
• USA Today devotes 1/4 of its space to sports 
• 8/10 people (adults) are considered sport fans
• Sport constitutes as the 4th largest industry in the U.S. and the 11th in the world
• Gross estimates of $48B in revenue 
• Sport wagering is a huge business ($2.3B legally; $380B illegally) 

Major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the Baseball World Classic, and the Rugby World Cup are all examples of what sport does worldwide. The Sport Business Journal article supports the facts that were stated above. Super Bowl 49 drew 112.2 million viewers, which sets a new record for the most watch show in U.S. television history. Due to the amount of attention the Super Bowl receives CBS is going to sell the ad rates at $5.0 million per 30-second spot for Super Bowl 50. How is it possible for a major network like CBS to charge $5M for only 30 seconds?

This is possible because of the attention that sport gets and what sport does for our society, 80% of adults consider themselves sport fans - that gives sport a lot of power. Super Bowl 50 is going to take place on Sunday, February 7, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game is eleven months away and a good amount of the units have already been filled. On Thursday, January 22, 2015 we were given the fact that as of 2013, the NFL is the number one favorite sport among U.S. sport fans. This is another reason why CBS is able to charge such an astronomical amount for a 30-second ad. Many of the companies that purchase ad time buy an entire minute. Also, each year there are companies that are expected to have commercials such as: Budweiser, Doritos, and Mountain Dew. The commercials are such a big part of the Super Bowl that each year after the Super Bowl is over a list of the best commercials is released. The best commercial from Super Bowl 49 was Budweiser's "Lost Dog" commercial. The following link will allow you to watch the number one commercial from Super Bowl 49: Lost Dog

Sport and Social Values

Article: Character Building
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed sport and social values and we were faced with the question - how does sport contribute to norms, values, and behavior? Before we were able to answer that question we needed to know what those three words meant. Norms is expected behavior from the occupant of a social position. Values are anything that is desirable and important, it's how we choose our goals. Values are what guide our behavior, having values means making choices, which creates behavior. 

There are four main values in sport. These values are:

Character Building 
Competition / Winning
Health / Fitness Promotion
Nationalism / Patriotism 

All four of these values have a positive side and a negative side to them. The Livestrong article "Does Participating in Team Sports Develop Good Character" focuses on the character building value of sport. Who says that sport builds character? For starters, former athletes say that it helped them build character. Coaches and those who make a living out of sport also believe that sport builds character. 

According to Livestrong article participating in sport teaches kids the tools to understand relationships and teaches them positive behavior. Sport allows kids to connect the principles and expectations of society to their actions. This helps teach the kids decision making which is one of the many characteristics sport helps build. The other characteristics that sport helps build are: 

• Leadership
• Work Ethic
• Integrity
• Courage
• Sportsmanship
• Teamwork
• Self-Control 
• Honesty
• Respect
• Responsibility 
• Self Confidence 

Since there is such a big focus on winning within sport only the best players play, even in youth sports. On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 we were faced with the question - how does sitting on the bench build character or help a child's self confidence? This question brings the negative side of character building within sport to the surface. When kids first start participating in sport at a young age, many do not understand that the ultimate goal is to win. As they get older, they begin to understand that concept. If someone is on a team with all of their friends and their friends play and they sit on the bench how is that going to make that individual feel? It certainly is not going to help their self confidence but as they get older one may decide to stay on the team to be apart of the team. Teamwork is more than the individuals who play. It takes an entire team to win, the ones who do play need the support from the ones who don't play. That is a big part of teamwork, being there for each other no matter the circumstance, which then creates trust, which then teaches lifetime lessons. There is always going to be positives and negatives within the topic of character building within sport. The following youtube video highlights the positives: Rugby, Building Character

Major Problems in Organized Youth Sport

Article: Youth baseball parents to peers: Our kids deserve better from 'grown ups'
On Thursday, February 12, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed organized youth sport. Organized youth sports emerged in the U.S. in the 20th Century after World War II because one million men failed the selective service physical component of the draft. After the Kraus Weber Tests, which is a physical fitness test, took place in 1959 comparing U.S. kids to European kids the U.S. realized how physically unfit the U.S. was. The U.S. began to focus on programs that emphasized competition and physical fitness as preparation for future occupational success. Organized youth sports, which are athletic leagues or teams that promote competition which includes individuals between birth and eighteen years of age, began to grow rapidly in industrialized countries. Organized youth sports are one way for kids to become active and interact with other kids their age. There have been social changes within society that connect directly to the growth of organized youth sports. Along with the growth of organized youth sports there are some major problems within youth sport. 

On February 12, 2015 we outline five main social changes that are related to the growth of organized youth sports:

1. Increase in families with both parents working outside of the home
2. New definitions of what it means to be a "good parent"
3. Growing belief that informal activities provide occasions for kids to get into trouble 
4. Growing belief that the world is a dangerous place for children
5. Increased visibility of high-performance and professional sports in society 

These five social changes has allowed youth sports to grow. 47 million kids participate in organized youth sports and the most popular sports for kids ages six to seventeen are:

• Basketball - 23 million
• Baseball - 15 million
• Inline Skating - 10.4 million
• Outdoor Soccer - 10.3 million
• Tackle Football - 8.9 million
• Skateboarding - 8.8 million
• Volleyball - 5 million
• Touch Football - 6.7 million

65% of U.S. kids have participated in youth organized sports. Why do some many kids participate in youth sports? The number one reason why kids participate in sports is to have fun. If having fun is the main priority for the kids then why is it that 1/3 of youth sport participants dropout each year and that 70% quit by the age of thirteen? There are only two main reasons why kids dropout and quit: negative coaches and negative parents. These two reasons are part of why there are major problems in youth sport. The major problems within youth sport are: 

• Overemphasis on winning
• Pressures by significant others to achieve success
• Instilling unrealistic goals of stardom or professional status
• Overuse injuries / overtraining / burnout
• 1.35 million youth athletes a year have a serious sport injury 

All of these major problems can be connected back to negative coaches and negative parents. In class we discussed how some parents live vicariously through their kids, especially when it comes to sports. The Washington Times article "Youth baseball parent to peers: Our kids deserve better from 'grown-ups'" highlights the impact parents and coaches have within youth sports. 

Jackie Robinson West

A Little League Baseball team based out of Chicago, Jackie Robinson West was stripped of its U.S title. Why did the team lose its title? Because the coaches allowed kids to play on the team who lived outside of the teams geographic area. This specific example connects back to my American Sport in the 21st Century class because of the overemphasis this team had on winning. The coaches and parents were willing to break the rules to win even though they knew what they were doing was wrong. 

Before the team got their title stripped, they were getting national recognition for being the first all-black team to win the U.S. Little League Baseball championship. This recognition created unrealistic stardom for the players not only because it was not going to last but because it would soon ruin their reputation. Some say that they players did not know that they were breaking the rules but there is no way to prove it. The pressure for success that came from the coaches and parents made the kids either think that what they were doing was ok or ignore what was going on to win. This has been an ongoing problem within youth sports, adults thinking that it is acceptable to allow their kids to break the rules for sports. Watch the following youtube video for more information about the troubles the Little League has had with boundaries and rules: Jackie Robinson Stripped of Title