Race & Ethnicity in Sport

View full article here: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/12093538/the-year-racism-sport

On April 7 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed race and ethnicity and if they are important in sport. Racism is something America has been battling since the settlement of the new world. Although, America has been on an upward increase in battles against racism it still exists today. We have seen a lot of discrimination in sport which doesn't come as a surprise because sport mirrors society, and what we want to see as fans. Jackie Robinson withstood abuse when first playing in the MLB. After he showed America that he could stand the abuse without lashing out he broke the color bar. However, racism and discrimination did not end there, nor did it die after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.

Racism is an unfortunate problem we still see cast across the media today. For example, in the article Racism still evident in sports world, Richard Lapchick discusses the case of Donald Sterling. Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recorded when making racist comments about African Americans. It is unfortunate that racial minorities are still being discriminated against some 50 years after Civil Rights, Jackie Robinson, and MLK. Not only did Donald Sterling get caught, but so did Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson. Both owners showed discrimination, however, both owners were dealt with by commissioner Adam Silver. Not only is racism still prominent in sport, but sport is also battling racism. With players standing against both owners, and Adam Silver putting a lifetime ban on Donald Sterling from the NBA. Also, the St.Louis rams walked out onto the field with their hands up to protest the Ferguson shooting. Hopefully these acts against racism create a more friendly environment, and open the doors to equality not only in sport but in society as well. 

St. Louis Rams using the "Hands up, Don't shoot" pose to protest Ferguson

Deviance in Sport

Full article: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/04/06/In-Depth/UFC.aspx?hl=drug%20testing&sc=0 

On March 31 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed deviance and if it is out of control within the sport industry. What is deviance anyway? Basically, it's going against the norm, and using attitude and behavior that is unacceptable within society. Things like crime, drugs, and stealing classify as deviant behavior. After reading that I'm sure you can think of deviant behavior that athletes have displayed. For example, Ray Rice and his domestic violence case. Or Josh Cribbs being suspended for using drugs. Unfortunately, these cases are being displayed more and more it seems. So, what is being done to prevent athletes fro using drugs?

Side effects of Anabolic Steroids

As discussed in the article UFC takes a tougher stand on drug testing, the UFC is testing all of its athletes after star fighter Anderson Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids. This kind of substance is man made, and designed to build muscle. It is almost impossible to test every athlete because of the cost, but the UFC declared they would take care of cost to make sure their athletes are staying healthy and not jeopardizing what the UFC stands for. Having such a big athlete test positive for illegal drugs could jeopardize the name of the UFC, and obviously that is not what they want to happen. There will probably never be a day when no athlete in any sport organization is not using drugs. However, rigorous testing and increased suspensions, as the UFC is doing, is a way to keep the integrity of sports.

Sport and the Media

View full article here: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pattisonave/Bloomsburg-baseball-player-booted-for-offensive-Mone-Davis-tweet.html?c=r

On March 24 my American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed how sport and media coincide. Without the television contracts supplied by companies like ABC,CBS,FOX and NBC would sports be as successful as they are now? Very doubtful. Sports depends on the media, but the media doesn't necessarily need sports. Outlets like USA Today have a sports section, but also report other news. Nowadays, social media is becoming a new phenomena when it comes to sports. Networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow fans to personally interact with players, and organizations quickly and efficiently. Although athletes may be able to interact with their fans, they can also make mistakes when it comes to unfiltered tweets. And as we all know, once something is on the internet it's there to stay.

Just recently a Junior first baseman for Bloomsburg University's baseball program posted an offensive tweet toward Little League star Mo'ne Davis. As Rob Tornoe wrote in his article for philly.com, Joey Casselberry was kicked off of the baseball team after his offensive tweet was put into the twittersphere. Although Casselberry apologized, and deleted the tweet the University saw it, and wouldn't stand for it. Mo'ne Davis herself e-mailed the University and asked for him to be reinstated, however, for now the University's decision still stands firm. This tweet reflected the University which could have effected enrollment, fans, and attendance to games. Thankfully, the University responded on twitter to make it clear that they would not stand for this kind of behavior. The immediacy of this tweet getting back to the University was outstanding, which didn't work in favor of Casselberry. It is clear to see how easy it is to interact over these social networking sites, and the immediacy of responses allows fans to talk with their favorite athletes. However, it is smart to watch what you post because once it is out there it will not go away.

Sports and the Economy

View full article here: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/03/16/Champions/Russ-Granik.aspx?hl=salary&sc=0

On March 19th 2015 my American Sport in the 21st Century discussed salary caps. Such word makes owners still cringe today. These caps set limits on how much a team can spend on players salaries. As discussed in the article One of the good guys, these caps were first introduced in the NBA because of financial trouble that had emerged among teams. Franchises were spending too much money on salaries (over half of revenue) which was essentially causing talks of teams having to merge. So how was this cap determined? Main sources for revenue for owners involve media relations and gate receipts. When determining how to set the cap negotiators decided to set the cap based on these two income sources (90% revenue for the NBA).

This move took stacking your team off of the table, and took teams away from getting free agents because of their payroll being too high already. The original negotiation was a tough one with the men that chose to purpose this idea, and the ones that needed to accept it. This also made negotiations for teams a lot more difficult because now it wasn't about getting who was the best; it was about getting who could get your team up and down the court while remaining within the cap. The cap seems to have increased, giving teams more money to spend on players. Does this take away from the original goal of the cap? The idea of this cap was later introduced to the NFL and NHL, but not yet to the MLB. Will that day ever come?

Sports Reflect American Values

How the NFL Reflects American Culture. Article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-nfl-reflects-american-culture-1411149452

On January 29, 2015 my American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed how sport reflects American societal values. This is seen through drugs, violence, and inequality. Big time stories such as Ray Rice physically hurting his girlfriend, or Adrian Peterson beating his son with a switch, and even more often athletes not passing drug tests and having to be suspended. Since these incidents, professional sport organizations have taken a stand against domestic violence with their campaign called "No more." These negative actions also reflect the morals of our society. When a basketball player pushes another player he is fouled, or when an athlete doesn't pass his drug test he is suspended. These are consequences for their actions, and show that cheating and lying isn't okay even when you're a professional athlete. If you were an alien and you landed in the middle of Super Bowl Sunday what would you think?

 This sport reflects the violence that us Americans crave. In the article How the NFL Reflects American Culture author Rich Cohen explains that the NFL clearly represents all aspect of society including the good and the bad. Clearly sports bring people together. Often times fans ban together against a team, and this shows unity. College and professional sports also show viewers that hard work and dedication is necessary. Us Americans value Nationalism (lecture 1-29-15) and what better way to show off your national pride than with American sports?

Super Bowl 2012. Showing American unity by supporting their favorite team.

Politics and Sport

Presidents and sports have always been linked. Article: http://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/columnists/shad-powers/2015/02/13/barack-obama-gerald-ford/23372113/

                 President Obama throwing the first pitch of opening day for the Chicago White Sox

On February 27, 2015 my American Sport and the 21st Century class discussed how politics are involved in sport. Sport has been used as a propaganda tool not only nationally but internationally as well. At the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 Adolf Hitler used the Olympics to promote his "Aryan supremacy" (Lecture 2-26-15). Since then boycotts have grown to exist because of political differences between participating and host countries. 70% of Americans identify as a "sports fan" (Lecture 1-22-15) so it is natural for politics to use sport as a propaganda tool. For example, as discussed in lecture of 2-26-15 the White House holds a reception of Champions, and "Athletes for Obama" was created to generate support for Obama.

Also, a not-so-recent trend of Presidents throwing the first pitch during a baseball game is used very often. In fact, as mentioned in the article Presidents and sports have always been linked every President since President Taft (with the exception of Jimmy Carter) have thrown the first pitch of opening day of a baseball game. It is also mentioned that many presidents have surprising athletic background. Gerald Ford and Dwight Eisenhower played football, Abraham Lincoln wrestled, Richard Nixon was fond of bowling, and the list goes on. This promotes fitness within the country, which was a major deal when Americans fell short of average when it came to physical tests when being drafted for war (Lecture 2-12-15). So, what does this mean? Whether Politicians are promoting sport, or sport is being used to promote an idea it is impossible to get away from the influence of both on one another.

Varsity Sports and its Cost

Cost of High School Sports. Pay-to-Play Keeping Kids on the Sidelines Article: http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201501/pay-play-keeping-kids-sidelines

On February 19, 2015 my American Sport in the 21st Century class discussed interscholastic sport. We briefly touched base on a lot of topic areas such as pros and cons, values, problems, and cost. High Schools cut $2 billion in funding just last year. What does this mean for schools? Pay to play? Less games? Buy your own equipment? No athletic trainers? According to the article Pay-to-Play Keeping Kids on the Sidelines one in seven parents could not afford for their kids to play middle or high school sports. The average cost to participate in a sport was $126, but that did not include travel or equipment. This cost is too much for lower-income households, which is bad news for the future sport managers such as myself. Unfortunately, 1/3 kids drop out every year (lecture 2-17-15) and with the rising costs of participation this number may increase.

This means less jobs and opportunities for the future sport managers. Although some may argue that this is okay because sports distract students from their academics, but I believe the pros outweigh these cons. Sports allow for a person to grow, learn skills, and allow them to work with a team. These skills are necessary for adulthood, and limiting participation is not the solution.