Race and Ethnicity

Sport has always been played by people of all races and ethnicities. Unfortunately, there is always going to be some type of discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice involved. In class on April 7th and April 9th, we discussed just how prevalent these words are in sport. Discrimination is defined and treating someone differently from others where as stereotypes are fixed ideas about a group and prejudice is where someone judges someone or thing without knowledge of the facts. Discrimination and prejudice are often thought to mean the same thing, but they are quite different. Golf is a sport that is often talked in regards to the discrimination of women compared to men. Paula Creamer, a well known golfer in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) expressed her feelings on if there should be a Women's Masters at Augusta. It is 2015 and yet we still have some type of discrimination against women in regards to equality in sport. This is absolutely outrageous. When asked about if there was going to be a possibility of Augusta holding another tournament in the future, specifically an LPGA Masters Tournament, the Augusta chair stated that he does not believe there will ever be another tournament held due to time restriction. Personally, this sounds as though he is saying he does not have time for women but he has time for men. Again, this is 2015. It is time to make room for women in sport and quit throwing them under the bush.

Article - http://fansided.com/2015/04/15/female-golfer-calls-womens-masters-augusta/

Ancillary Information - http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2015/4/15/8417197/masters-womens-event-augusta-national

Photo provided by USA Today Sports

Deviance

In sport, there is always going to be some type of deviance. Deviance is defined as any act/person that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ from acceptable social standards. In class on March 31 and April 2nd, we discussed deviance and sport and examples of deviance in society, including the use of illegal drugs, violent crime including murder/rape, and stealing and/or robbing a bank. Some examples in sport would include fighting, bounty hunting, and gambling. This article in particular deals with the situation regarding the Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who was charged with recklessly assaulting his four year old son by hitting him with a switch. Clearly this is an off the the field issue, but it greatly effects the individuals sport career. While the investigation was underway, Peterson was placed on the commissioners exempt list, which permits the player and team to communicate, but the player is not allowed to participate in any sport activities. This is a huge example of deviance in sport, but if you look closely at the supporting articles, it does not focus just on the event that took place but it focused on if the player would return to the team. How concerned are the media about Peterson's son? It looks as though they are only focused on if he will be back with the Vikings come the 2015 season or if they will see him in a different color jersey. The picture below clearly shows the marks on the arm of AP's son from the switch that was used to strike the boy. Adrian Peterson stated that he may not be the perfect parent but he is definitely not a child abuser. A federal judge vacated a six game suspension given to Adrian Peterson by the NFL and Peterson is eligible for reinstatement to the NFL on April 15th, 2015. The judge stated that the arbitrator went above his authority in punishing peterson on a personal conduct policy that was not in effect when Peterson was charged in September.

Article - http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_27785298/vikings-wont-trade-adrian-peterson-coach-mike-zimmer

Ancillary Information - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/sports/football/vikings-adrian-peterson-reaches-plea-deal-in-child-abuse-case.html?_r=0

http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/2/26/8117333/adrian-peterson-placed-back-on-commissioners-exempt-list

http://nypost.com/2015/02/26/adrian-petersons-suspension-lifted-now-what-for-vikings/

Photo provided by the Houston Police Department 

Sport and Mass Media

Years ago, the fans of different sports teams relied on newspapers and the radio to gain information regarding their favorite teams, but now the year is 2015, and those modes of gathering information are slowly coming to an end as social media and the internet are impacting sport greatly. In class on March 24th and 26th, we discussed the different categories of social media, including communication services, entertainment, professional networks, smart phone apps, and more. In this article, a survey was taken to show the number of fans that have ever connected with a brand on social media, which means to "like" it, "follow" it. When the survey was completed, a total number of 84% of people stated that they indeed have connected with a brand related to sport. We also had discussed in class that 96% of businesses use social media for marketing, also known as mobile marketing. By using this survey, Catalyst, who created the survey, was able to get a definite number in regards to which social media sites certain fans of sports use compared to other social media sites and sports. For example, the study showed that soccer fans are more than twice as likely to use Instagram to keep in touch with sports than NFL fans. The fact that the total number was 84% shows just how much social media has grown over the years. This article shows how much soccer fans use social media, but let's focus on the World Cup for just a second. According to the image below, the World Cup in Brasil has broken social media records, in this case specifically Facebook, including records from the Super Bowl in the United States. Social media has grown exponentially over the past ten years, and I would not be surprised if that number doubles in the years to come.

Article - http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2014/10/13/Research-and-Ratings/Sports-Fan-Engagement-Study.aspx

Sport and Economics

In this day and age as well as it has in the past, sport and the economy are linked very closely together. In class on March 17th, 2015, we discussed gate revenue. Gate revenue is the primary market ticket sales for live events. In other words, that is the money made at the gate of the event. In this article regarding Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio, it states that Mayweather will break his own gate record, exceeding $20 million. Another main point we discussed in class was who benefits economically from sports? That answer is athletes. This main event is set to surpass a total of $400 million dollars, with $150 million in revenue coming straight from Mayweather and Pacquio. That being said, how much do you think the gate revenue will be for the upcoming Mayweather/Pacquio fight? Keep in mind, according to Forbes, tickets will start as low at $1,500 but floor seats will start as low as $22,000.

Event	Gate Revenue	Date of Event
Mayweather vs Pacquio	?	5/2/2015
Mayweather vs Alvarez	$20 million	9/14/2013
Mayweather vs De La Hoya	$18.4 million	5/5/2007

Main Article - http://www.ibtimes.com/floyd-mayweather-vs-manny-pacquiao-2015-how-much-live-gate-revenue-will-fight-1857618

Ancillary Information - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2015/02/24/mayweather-vs-pacquiao-ticket-pricing-goes-berserk/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2015/02/20/mayweather-and-pacquiao-announce-richest-fight-in-boxing-history/

Socialization in Sport

Every person somehow has to adapt to a sport and the surrounding of the sport. In class on February 10th, 2015, we discussed socialization in sport. Socialization is the process by which we learn the culture of a society. The upcoming World Cup in 2022 is going to be played in Qatar. This will be the first time the World Cup will be taken place in the Middle East. In the article below, it is discussed how the event being taken placed later in the year will cause smiles and headaches. Due to the event being taken place during the months of June and July, FIFA wants to move the event to the end of the year to avoid the high temperature problems that would occur. By doing so, everyone that watches the event will have to adapt to the change, and people who are going to attend the event will have to adapt to it as well. This is a huge example of socialization because everyone will have to adapt to the culture of a society. We also discussed how culture is the way of life of a social group and everyone will just have to adapt to the culture in Qatar, and unfortunately that means waiting for the event to take place in November.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Global/Issues/2015/03/16/Events-and-Attractions/Late-World-Cup.aspx?hl=NFL%20in%20Europe&sc=0

Sport and Education

During class on February 24th, 2015, we discussed the second part of sport and education and how they are related to one another. Some major problems include:
-overemphasis on winning
-pressures by significant others to achieve success
-Overuse injuries/burnout
This past month, the NCAA has hit Syracuse basketball Head Coach Jim Boeheim hard with sanctions, including the vacating of 100 games. It is stated that players were given money to voluntarily appear at events, and some players are said to have been taking performance enhancing drugs without consequences. Why? You tell me. Is it because Coach Boeheim wanted to do anything and everything in his power to win? When it comes to sport, unfortunately cheating is very common because especially in the NCAA, everyone wants that recognition on the national level, even international. One of the accusations is said to be that one of the tutors was writing academic assignments for the players in order for them to pass the assignment. Do you think that Coach Jim Boeheim knew of all of the illegal operations that were going on surrounding the team? All information was taken from the New York Times. Pictured below is Head Coach Jim Boeheim.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/sports/ncaabasketball/syracuse-basketball-ncaa-penalizes-orange-and-suspends-jim-boeheim.html?_r=0

Sport and Politics

During class on February 26th, 2015, we discussed how politics and sport were connected. Government is defined as a formal organization that makes the rules and politics are a social process through which individuals and groups acquire exercise and maintain power over others. If you think about it, who is the government in sport? For example, in Major League Baseball, the MLBPA are the people who enforce the rules. In class, we stated that one of the major connections between government and sport was to promote the prestige and power of a community or nation. Based off of the article below, politics and baseball are linked very closely. In baseball, the players go out there and play as hard as they can and if the get into a fight, so be it, because they have one thing on their mind and that is to win. If they lose, well, it is a failure, and that is not acceptable in politics as well. The main thing on a politicians mind is to win, and they will do anything and everything in their power to do so, just like athletes will. Also in class, we discussed how another connection is the increased support for political leaders and political structures. This also connects with sport because athletes can be compared to political leaders, because many people look up to them. The picture below shows President Barack Obama throwing the first pitch out at the Chicago White Sox game.

http://www.perfectpitcher.org/how-politics-connects-with-baseballs-competitive-sport/