Equality and Opportunity in Sport

As we continued our discussion in class about race and its role in sport, we dissected the history of participation within African Americans and their opportunity, or lack of.  We have indeed come a long way since the 1600-1800's where African Americans served as slaves to the new world.  Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson pathed the way for black athletes to make a difference everywhere in every sport, and now in modern day they seem to be the

most active participants (stats show 87% of NBA players, 70% of NFL players are African American) What is often overlooked is not their opportunity to strictly play sports, but their roles in "sport" as a whole.  ESPN "Outside the Lines" conducted a recent survey asking participants whether sports provided equal opportunities for African-Americans.  Eighty-two percent of those surveyed believe that sports provide equal opportunities for African-Americans, compared with 55 percent who think the same is true in all other sectors of society. While a majority of white sports fans believe African-Americans have equal opportunities, most African-Americans surveyed say blacks have fewer opportunities than whites to become owners of professional sports franchises (71 percent); athletic directors at major, Division I universities (72 percent); major league baseball managers (64 percent); NFL head coaches (62 percent); or head coaches at major Division I schools (58 percent). The article pointed out that there is only one African American majority owner in the four major sports, that being Michael Jordan. Some can even argue that his status as a global icon, and one of the most influential sports figures of our time is the only reason he was given that opportunity. ESPN continues on dissecting the difference in treatment from black athletes down to the players to the coaching staff. While the NFL implimented the Rooney Rule there still is an underwhelming number of black head coaches throughout the league.  So you can argue that Blacks are given the "opportunity," but still the numbers pale in comparison to white americans.  The main outlying factor is that while African Americans have come light years ahead from where they were 200 years ago, they still face obstacles in the way they are treated from a business standpoint and opportunity to succeed in sport as an industry.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6006813

Deviance In Sports

Basic examples of deviance in society inclue drug abuse, domestic violence, rape, murder, and stealing.  During class we were asked to identify athletes who were considered villains or deviant to society, and came up with numerous different names that often shared one common trait: Drug abuse.  Drug abuse is rampant among society as it is estimated that Americans spend $53.7 billion on illegal drugs per year. While the statistical felony drug rate among pro athletes does not seem to be out of control, it is indeed a problem, as it is commonly highlighted by the media.  Jay Glazer and Alex Marvez profile Titans Wide Reciever Kenny Britt and others of the NFL who have been arrested over the past month for drug possession in a Fox News article. Britt was arrested on 3 charges, none of which drug related, although there were drugs present at the scene, but has had 3 run ins with the law in the past 16 months. This presents the question should these athletes be given a second chance to play after a criminal record? Most employers wouldn't even give a chance to a convicted felon or someone with an arrest record, yet athletes are given the benefit of the doubt on a consistent basis. The past 5 years the NFL has been marked with embarrassments from Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, Randy Moss, and others consistently violating the substance abuse policy and getting into conflicts with the law. As more and more players continue to disregard society's rules, we are starting to see teams in the NFL and NBA shy away from drafting or signing a player that has a rap sheet or potential "red flags."  Hopefully this starts a trend and the select group of athletes start to take notice and change some of their habits and tendencies.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/kenny-britt-police-chase-tennessee-titans-arrested-041211

Who Benefits Economically from Sport?

In class on March 15th continued through March 17th we discussed the potential source of income and revenue for team owners as well as leagues.  Stadium revenues consisting of leases on club seats, personal seat licenses and general gate receipts remain as the top money maker.  In order to build a new stadium a city must rely on public funds to construct and maintain facilities, as well as implement income tax deductions on tax returns. The opportunities a new stadium can bring to not only a team, but a city are limitless.  Jacob Adelman of Yahoo Sports pinpoints these same arguments as he discusses the naming rights deal regarding the new football stadium being built in Los Angeles. While there is no football team located in Los Angeles, by implementing a new venue they will be able to infuse money back into the economy. This will attract other businesses and media attention which in turn will potentially boost sales and economic development. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villareigosa, who was eager for football’s return, as well as for the work opportunities the project would provide was quoted as saying: “This is more than just about football. This is about jobs.” The possibility of football returning to L.A for the first time since the 80's will by itself help promote a positive psychic and boost moral around the city.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-nfl-losangeles

Role of Media in Sport

In class we went over the key targets the media outlets choose to show and present to the public audience. When regarding women’s sport it is clear that the media outlets focus less on the actual game of women’s events, and more on their personality. There is far less air time for women’s sport compared to any men’s event or athletics, as well as a ridiculous heightened focus on the women's athletes personal life and appearance. Instead of respecting a great women athlete, the media chooses to often exploit them as objects of desire, pleasure, and eye candy.  The release of new video game add "Top Spin" featuring tennis star Serena Williams is a perfect example of using womens sex appeal to sell to the public audience.  In the March 24th article by the Sporting News, Alisha Hord highlights the facts regarding the ad and game itself and offers up the question "Has Serena gone too far in trying to sell tennis as well as sex appeal?"  The answer is yes. It is not entirely Williams's fault to blame. Since the days of Ana Korvakova to modern day Danica Patrick the media has made it almost a must for women to possess good looks and "sex appeal" to become relevant in the sports world, as well as garner any endorsement opportunities.  It is truly a shame that women athletes are subjected to being viewed in this light. Like men, they work hard at their craft and respective sports, yet find their lives being dictated by the media one ad at a time..

http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2011-03-24/serena-williams-sells-video-tennis-game-with-sex-appeal

Sports and the Economy

In class on March 15th, we discussed how both Sport and the economy go hand in hand with one another.  Money has ultimately become the foundation of sport at all levels, with profit and money being the primary motive that shapes both owners and athletes alike.  To ensure competitive balance and to keep cost down, most leagues institute a salary cap, which is a limit on which a team can spend on player's salaries.  The NHL has a cap ranging from 40.7m-56.8m, the NFL 112m-127m and the NBA with a soft cap of 59million.  The MLB is currently one of the only large market sports without a salary cap. An ESPN.com article discusses some of these same concepts, as they present the idea of baseball implementing a hard cap in the near future.  They state the obvious that baseball is a league where the same teams continue to have success due to their city market value.  Teams like the Yankees and Braves have never missed the postseason under the new salary cap rule, while small market teams like the Pirates and Royals don't have the necessary funding means to compete.  The Tampa Bay Rays recently have put to rest this notion that small market teams can't compete with the "big boys" with 3 straight post season appearances including one American League Pennant. One fact to consider is that when the majority of their star players became free agents, they were almost forced to trade them or let them walk to different teams in order to save money.  With so much money in professional sports, there is indeed a way to strike up a prospective collective bargaining agreement in which teams can build around a set salary limit, so that every team has a fair chance to compete and sign/retain any player of their choice.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=betweenthenumbers/salarycap/060405

Race and Ethnicity

In class we discussed the idea if race and ethnicity were a factor in Modern Sport as we know it today.  Defining the terms such as prejudice, stereotypes, race and discrimination, we were able draw easy parallels of where we see these instances concerning both the athletes and media alike.  As the NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, teams and fans are constantly starving for new information pertaining potential prospects from their physical attributes down to their mental makeup and IQ score.  Just recently Pro Football Weekly released its annual draft preview, and analyst Nolan Nawrocki laid some harsh unfair criticisms on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.  He was quoted saying: "Very disingenuous -- has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup," Nawrocki wrote. "Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law -- does not command respect from teammates and will always struggle to win a locker room. ... Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness -- is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example."  This ties in with exactly what we were discussing regarding racism and discrimination.  It is reasonable to critique a players skill level, but Nawrocki went above and beyond attacking the personal character in integrity of Cam Newton that will undoubtedly damage his reputation at some level. Former Quarterback Warren Moon who was one of the first black quarterbacks in the NFL, spoke out against this, claiming that Newton is in fact held to a double standard against prospective white quarterback prospects.  Cam Newton, like many other 21 year olds, have dealt with drama throughout their college career.  If draft analyst were to nitpick through every prospects personal lives they would find numerous areas of concern or question, but the fact of the matter is they are 21 year olds. No college student should be subjected to that type of unfair criticism.  The nature of Nawrocki's article made it obvious that he had some sort of hatred or stereo-type against Newton due to his flashy celebrant style of play and the way he conducts himself with media questioning.  It's sad that in this day of age we still find ourselves coming across blatant racism, even in journalism.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/03/29/cam-newton-scouting-report

Ideals Underlying International Sport

In the February 24, 2011 class we discussed the principles and ideas underlying International Sport.  The main reasons for creating global partnerships and engaging in International Sport is to establish working relationships  that might close gaps between wealthy and poor nations, and to highlight shared interests among people in different nations.  Yahoo Sports discusses some of these same concepts in the article about the NBA's expansion plan to the European Market. The Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets played a regular season game in London as NBA Commissioner David Stern continues to build upon a strong global market by giving foreign countries opportunities to identify with teams, and players throughout the league. This not only helps stimulate global growth, but brings about the general idea of basketball to countries who previously havn't adopted the sport.  This leads to leagues being formed within the respective countries which can potentially develop foreign talent for the NBA in the near future.  From an economic and global growth standpoint, expanding the game beyond national borders proves to be a wise beneficial decision for the NBA.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02032011/2/nba-london-calling-raptors-nets-play-first-europe.html