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.