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