Dissapointing night for Geno

Geno smith did not getr picked in the first round in yesterdays NFL Draft. Sad scene to watch him wait and wait and wait for his name to be called, then have it not called at all that round. Wonder if that would hurt his confidence a bit by not beeing good enough for teams to want to take him in the first round. Hope not because he's still a terrific quarterback and he's going to make a lot of people choke on their words when his career gets up and going.

Women's Sport Equality

Women's equality is still well and alive today, even after title IX. Now sport equality for have come forth to an upward direction,  and as stated in Oakley's text "The single most dramatic change in sports over the last two generation has been increased participation among girls and women". But would you say that female sports are as apparent or relevant as male sports? No, not at all. Think about it, in college basketball, when prime time games are on which are usually played during the evening a women's game will be played first to get that out of the way for the main event. If there is male and female game scheduled for the game time there's a good chance that the men's game will be played on a more premiere channel like ESPN and the women will play on ESPN2 which isn't watched as much. The same with the NBA and WNBA.
Now in 2012 there have been some major sparks in women equality as discussed in class we talked a bit about the Olympics where all countries were represented with both male and female for the first time.  The United States ad more female athletes than men for the first time. Also brought home more medals than their male counterparts.
 This is a quick clip of a few kids stressing their opinion on equality in sports
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLhjwOnjYzs

African Americans dominance in Sports

What really is the sole reason for African Americans dominance in sport today, and 10, 20 even 50 years ago in the past. People have researched and researched to find the answer, because obviously it's prominent in what we see in sports today. Mostly dominated by African Americans in sports like football, basketball, and track. In class we discussed this and tried to determine whether it's genetics that make African Americans run faster, jump higher and over power their opposition. Or, is it just hard work? Now, are there genetic differences that make up every individual? Yes of course. Are the genetic characteristic related to athletic excellence? Yes, you say that. But would you say that genetic make up and pure talent is the sole reason for African American dominance in sports? I'd have to say no, because bottom line, as everyone knows, talent beats hard work. It's that simple, and African Americans have had that mentality of "started from the bottom, now we're here." Where African American faced a segregate sports system and were very limited in sports they could participate in. So that brought out the attitude of wanting it more, proving people wrong, making the non-believers believers. Now don't get me wrong, there obviously is a physical difference between blacks and whites. Blacks have a slight genetic advantage and are more physically suited for activities requiring speed and power, longer levers, slimmer pelvis, and less fat onmuscle, but that doesn't count for the want and the will and the determination for black people to strive to be better then their white counterparts. So with this mentality it's left us with some of the worlds most gifted and decorated black athletes that have left such an impact of the world that now there's no telling how far African Americans go, because now, the skies are the limit.
In the link below is a 7 minute clip on the early ages of African Americans in sport and their impact

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSMnFr_rhN0

Deviance in Sport

Deviance in Sports

Deviance in sport is well known by everyone that is in the sport world whether a fan, player, coach, manager, broadcaster, or any person with knowledge of sports. With the help of media coverages, there is no escaping it. First off deviance is an act/ person that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ.

 Examples of deviance in sport are: fighting, bounty hunting, academic cheating, performance enhancers, gambling, and illegal recruiting practices.

A main category of deviance in sport is performance enhancing drugs. Six major types of performance enhancers are: stimulants, narcotics analgesics, anabolic steroids, beta blockers, diuretics, and peptide hormones and analogues.  With these performing enhancing drugs comes with more restriction to keep athletes from using them. Things like stricter , more rigorous out of the season testing, stricter punishment and life bans and many more other strategies are being used to try and prevent this as much possible. I can relate this to a discussion in class where we talked about what we thought about Barry Bonds finally being inducted into the baseball hall of fame cleanly or with an Astrix next to his name to let everyone know he used performance enhancing drugs.

In this video you will see how deviance in athletes in competition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZR1WIJtbfY

Imact of Social Media in Sports

Media in Sports

Media plays such a huge role in the way sports are viewed today and the way they will forever be viewed. They are closely connected and two of the most successful businesses in the United States, a $ 1trillion and a $350billion industry. The Media provides information, interpretation and entertainment. Sport popularity is a big result of media coverage. The more people love the game, whatever it may be, the more media coverage there will be to be viewed by though people. Media generates an enormous sale in circulation and advertising based on extensive treatment of that sport. Now a days we have two form of media, one is print media(old media) which is newspapers, magazines, books, catalogues, and etc. The other is electronic media(new media) which is radio, TV, video games, Internet, cell phones, and etc. In Coakleys text there's a part that says that "Media also puts us in touch with information, experiences, people, images, and ideas outside the realm of out everyday, real-time lives"

The boom in electronic media has taken the world by storm, so much so where you reach out and view any sport team, player, or league at the touch of a button. Everything is so accessible now that it's putting old media to the back burner making it a thing of the past.

A perfect example of media in sport is the internet and sites like YouTube where you can watch countless videos of any sport you want, as in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er7Gpm7mRXw

Who benefits most economically in sports?

Who really benefits more from sports? Common sense would tell you that athletes and coaches would benefit more from sports because of the obvious. They are the players people come to see play on a weekly basis. There salaries are sky rocketing, some dwarfing the salaries of most families. Athletes get bonus in salaries and endorsements, appearance fees. The average salaries in sports, mainly the Big 4(NFL, NBA, NHL, & MLB) are: $ 1.9m in the NFL, $3.3m in MLB, $2.4m in the NHL, and $5.5m in the NBA. When the income of normal people is  on average around $46,000. Yet we still pay boat loads of money to see these athletes play. Why? because in america we love our sports. This can relate to  discussion in class where we talked about how the New York Yankees hold high ticket prices oppose to the Pittsburgh Pirates who's ticket prices were much lower in comparison. But every Yankees game is usually packed showing the importance of the sport for some people and the willingness to pay those high ticket prices. Advantage...ATHLETES.

Sports and economics

Sports play a big part in our economy today, and really has for years. From all these extravagant sporting events to the top of the line sports stadiums and arenas the government spends a lot of public money to renovate and maintain these facilities.  I can relate this to discussion I had in class where we talked about how the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to add a couple thousand extra seats in their stadium. Now where is that extra money going to come from? Taxpayers is where it's going to come from. Not from the owners pocket, but right out of the citizens of Pittsburgh's pockets. Doesn't seem to fair at all. Some can say that fans are left with the feeling that they are the victims of greed. Player contracts are another part of the effects of our economics with the ridiculous amounts of money these athletes are requesting. Teams have to find a way to pay these players, and the only way to do it is raise the price of ticket sales, merchandise, and food and drinks at the stadiums or arenas. As said in Coakley's text that the economics stakes for athletes and sponsors are higher than ever before. That much is very true, with money being spent on media rights contract,commercial time, licensing fees, and much more. Our economy is definitely taking a hit from sports.

You can check this article in the link below to watch a video about economics in stadiums and there claim to have positive impact on the economy

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouQJJ4mP4hI

MANHUNT in Progress

The two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing where identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by authorities and have been cited as of recent. One suspect shot and killed by police, and his brother still on the loose. Police have shut down boston and have told people to evacuate and leave their homes for what's seemed to be called a terrorist. Police are aking all procautions with this situation and have all forces down at the scene awaiting capture of the remaining suspect

Rutgers Scandal

The recent Rutgers Scandal has been top headline for a few days now, and late breaking news of their athletic director being fired. Apparently the athletic director of the school knew and was completely aware of what was going on and stood by and said nothing. Having players pushed, shoved, balls thrown at, kicked, tripped, not by players but the COACHES doesn't seem acceptable. After watching the clips of the practices it is kinda of hard to see how known of the players took offense to it and not retaliate. Now there's obviously no sound in the clips and we don't know what's said behind closed doors, so maybe there's something that we are missing behind all the what it seems to us to be is just abuse to players. Maybe the coaches were trying to instill some toughness or trying to give them real life action that they could see in the game demonstrating the physicality, though it's extremely exaggerated. But who really knows?

Role Models on Sport

Role Models in Sport

In today's world we see these amazing athletes all over tv the computer. They;re portrayed to be bigger than life, and forces us to idolize them. Look up to them as role models, see them as people we want to be like. But what makes a good role model and what makes a bad one. Being a good or bad role model soley hangs upon the athlete on whether they want to live their life the right way and give people a positive look. At the beginning of the 20th century athletes viewed being a role model as part of their job. It;s easy to say that if you impact someones life, don't you have an obligation to be a role model? Well yes that's true, but what makes a good role mode? The ability to have: honesty,commitment,good sportsmanship, fairness, good sense of humor, determination, good self image, and high moral values. Bad role models are usually the athletes that are self centered, cocky, stubborn, and etc.

In this aritcle you can get a look of how certain athletes are portrayed in the sense of being role models. The good or bad they may possess and the things parents can do to help their kids realize that the athletes that they look up to are no different from people with ordinary lives.

http://www.sportsideo.com/blog/christophercarelli1045/parent/all_sports/role-models-in-sports.html

Youth Sport

Youth Sport

Youth sport is a big part of american society isn't it? I mean these kids are the future of our world. Todays kids are somtimes tomarrows superstars that your paying money to see when they get older. So the start of youth sport especially at a young age is important in america. But at that young age it's at most important to make sure that we keep play what it should be for kids, and thats fun. These kids at these ages are not playing for a future paycheck, though some parents may make it seem that way with the way they push thier kids. Thats why it is apparent to make sure we keep the game fun for kids and not turn it into a profession. Its important to make sure kids benefit from youth sport, like: developing & maitaining fitness, preparation for adulthood,oppurtunities to learn values, teaches interacive skills, provides the oppurtunityfor leadership.

In this article you will read about why kids play sport, the main reason. Also the writer trying to get more people on board to help fix the problems in youth sport with bad sport parenting and bad coacing. The view of the sport from the kids themselves in surveys to get thier take on it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/31youth.html?_r=0

Why study Sport

Why Study Sport?

• http://bleacherreport.com/articles/211946-the-importance-of-sports-in-america

For most people sport is a big part if not their whole life. Then for those whose lives aren't revolved around sport, it still takes up a good part of it. As a whole we as americans love sport and embrace sport. So why not study Sport?

In this article you'll read about  the history of sport in america and how it through the years changed and helped form it's identity of what we know it today. When you read this atricle you will be able to connect with lectures from class on the importance of studying sport and the history through sport.

Why to study sport is a big talk in today’s world. With political issues, economics , social issues, and cultural aspects what room is there to study sport in today’s world. Well in fact sport is a major part of our society. There are many different reasons why we should study sport. First, there are millions of people that are interested in sport, whether it’s participating it or watching. It takes up most of our conversation, reading and leisure time. Sport constitutes the 4^th largest industry in the US(11^th in the world) with gross estimates of $350 billion dollars in revenue. Second, 1/10  of the world almanac is devoted and the USA Today devotes ¼ of it’s space to sport. Also sport wagering is a huge business legal ($2.4 billion) and illegal ($380 billion).Why to study sport is a big talk in today’s world. With political issues, economics , social issues, and cultural aspects what room is there to study sport in today’s world. Well in fact sport is a major part of our society. There are many different reasons why we should study sport. First, there are millions of people that are interested in sport, whether it’s participating it or watching. It takes up most of our conversation, reading and leisure time. Sport constitutes the 4^th largest industry in the US(11^th in the world) with gross estimates of $350 billion dollars in revenue. Second, 1/10  of the world almanac is devoted and the USA Today devotes ¼ of it’s space to sport. Also sport wagering is a huge business legal ($2.4 billion) and illegal ($380 billion).

Sport and Social Values

• http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2011/03/investigating_the_ethics_and_values_of_sports_in_2011.html

Sport and Social Values

What values do we hold in sport today? The values that help build us a people. That we have learned and been brought up with from a young age. How important is it to keep those clear values in your play of sport? Well in this article in the link above you can see the ethics of youth athletes and the impact of sports on todays youth.

Sport and social values is very evident in sports today, and have been since sports have been around. Having the ability to know right from wrong on the playing field, the integrity to withstand from cheating, lying, deceiving, and rule breaking is something we all have clear set on, but it’s whether we choose to use them is what shows the type of values we have. Sports usually mirror society and the types of sport we enjoy. The way we organize sport and who participate and who does not tell us a lot about what we value. A guide to behavior relies on making choices, some that deal what we’ve picked up from a social base, meaning parents, peers, teachers and siblings.  The impact of social media, media, and video games  have a lot to do with the way we see athletes or certain sports teams being portrayed maybe in a negative way, and can give us a false impression on what is right or wrong in sport. What we see from experience in education and travel can also influence decisions we make.

As Americans you can see that there are societal values that we are accustomed to and follow, they are: Achievement and success, materialism, Moral Orientation, Humanitarianism, Progress, Equality, Freedom, Conformity, Nationalism, and Individualism. In sport the traits that they build are integrity, confidence, and leadership. Gives you the competitiveness to win and prepare you for the competitve nature of life.