Sports and Politics

Distinct Connection of Sports and Politics

Read the full article: http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/18614895/if-thought-sports-were-ever-separate-politics-think-again

On May 24 (module 6), the relationship of sports and politics were discussed. This article by Kavitha Davidson for ESPN talking about the intertwined relationship of both. Both sports and politics:

• Promote economic development
• Safeguard public order
• Increase support for political leaders and structures
• Reproduce dominant values
• Promote the prestige and power of a community or nation

Politicians connect with the populace to help sway votes. They can do this by events like a white house receptions, first pitches, and visits to games. In the power point from the module, we were given examples of sports involvement in politics. Those most recent include Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea and the NFL and MLB helping the veto of a bill in Arizona. This article mentions Jesse Owens and his historic 4 medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. We also in class watched a video of this propaganda filled Olympics. The video is posted below.

The video explains how Hitler and the Nazi Party tries to convey the message of peace and unity, but at the same time he didn't shake Jesse Owen's hand or allow Jews to compete. The Olympic platform brought millions of viewers from around the world making it perfect to convey construed political messages. Although this example is negative, most others shine light on society to bring change. In a positive message Colin Kaepernick shed light on the indiscretions against those of color by sitting out the national anthem during his football games. When asked, he says "this is bigger than football, I would be selfish to look the other way."

In addition to Colin, Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested at the 1968 Olympic games by raising their fists in the air. They were wearing black gloves as a gesture to the treatment of African-Americans in the U.S, as described in the power point. They were eventually stripped of their medals and sent home from the games. The power point says that international sports foster cultural understanding and eliminate national stereotypes. This is the best example anyone can give of this succeeding. Them being stripped of their achievement was reflective of what was happening in the U.S. and it unfortunately has not brought on enough change because of what were still dealing with today. This graph illustrates exactly what these three men were standing up for.

Along with race treatment, sports and politics are related through nationalism. The main article discusses the ability to unite people in a community or nation through sports. Davidson mentions George Bush throwing out the first pitch in the world series after 9/11 and the Boston marathon bombings. Regardless of where we as Americans were at, we supported those communities. In an ABC article, it talked about the deafening noise at Yankee stadium. The article mentions this being a signal to the country to be able to heal after the event. No one else could have made a bigger impact by then President Bush. The biggest politician, our leader, showed everyone it was finally ok.

Finally, nationalism and sports are continued with what are routine occurrences. Module 6's power point said that our national anthem first made appearance in the 1918 World Series. By 1940, it began playing before every sporting event and game. On holidays like July 4th, teams were special camo and military based colors in support of those defending our country. With huge quantities of people, we show our appreciation for those who serve. Teams constantly highlight service members during games, asking for a round of applause or bring them onto the field. This brings a sense of pride and honor for those in attendance, and a chance to show gratitude. Our national flag is always presented to remind us where we are, and the reasons why we live where we live.

Politics and sports will exploit each other unless they are both non-existent. Other material in the module discussed was commercialism in sports, which promotes products and services over the message or the sport event. There are ways to control nationalism and commercialism in Olympic games, which include:

• No national uniforms for athletes
• Multiple sites for Olympics
• Emphasize global responsibility in media coverage
• Eliminate national anthems and flags during ceremonies
• Revising or eliminating team sports

With these, we can slowly separate sports and politics on the global stage.

References:

Castellano, A. and Rothman, M. (ND). How Baseball Helped Heal New York Post 9/11. ABC. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/fullpage/baseball-yankees-helped-york-heal-post-911-president-33663881

Davidson, K. (2017). If You Thought Sports Were Separate From Politics, Think Again. ESPN. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/18614895/if-thought-sports-were-ever-separate-politics-think-again

Wyche, S. (2016). Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem. NFL.com. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem

What is wrong with youth sports?

Who is to blame for youth sports?

Read the full article: http://sports.mynorthwest.com/245931/theres-a-problem-with-youth-sports-and-im-part-of-the-problem/

In the May 19th class (module 3), we discussed the participation of youth sports, the positives and the negatives. Gee Scott wrote a piece for ESPN Seattle, discussing the problem with youth sports, which he points the finger at himself. Himself as a parent, and that the way parents react to games to their other children, and other parents. He describes it as valuing "excellence over participation."  He talks about himself keeping score when their isn't a scoreboard or in the car ride home critiquing his sons and other players.

Here is a TED video that we watched for class, which matches the sentiment of Gee Scott.

In the video, John O'Sullivan says a phrase, " I love watching you play." This is the advice he gives to parents of kids he coaches. Gee Scott refers to this phrase in his article as well, saying his father said it to him after a game where he over threw a ball over third base. Our power point of this module points out that there is 47 million children playing sports, a 25% increase since 2000. But Scott points out from a survey from 2014, that there has been 4% decrease since 2009. Parenting may be the reason, along with coaching.

Another reason for the decline maybe coaching. John O'Sullivan wrote an article we studied in class called " The 4 biggest problems with youth sports", where reason three is about coaching and the impact or lack of impact they have on students. CNN also discussed Geno Auriemma's comments on players and coaching, and what he sees is wrong with the game. He said he looks for team players, willing to give it all for their teammates. John O'Sullivan was also featured in this article. He said that coaches aren't teaching players to be humble and respect their teammates. He comments that this is the outcome of a "outcome driven youth sports system."    

As a former high school and pee wee athlete, I realize that coaching had an immense impact on me and my life. It is the reason that I am pursuing sport management as a career field, and the reason I continue to play hockey now. Two that stand out is Mr. Miller and Mr. Snyder as my football coaches. They looked out for me as a person before a player. When I was hurt with my concussions, I sat out until I was cleared by doctors. When I was slumping in my grades, they sent me home to study instead of practice. They had parties for us during and after the season to praise us for what we did or didn't do. I still have homemade videos they put together for my parents to watch of me playing. All this has led me to an interest in coaching, as they were true mentors to me.

They were apart of a public, non-profit organization for Cranberry Township. They met all my requirements of why I wanted to play, whether for fun or improving my skills. Both of which are apart of our power point in module 3. Coaching someone is about a lot of things, but most importantly, it should teach valuable life lessons that kids can use in the future. Teamwork, honesty, accountability, and fairness are values that coaches should teach, not winning or losing. Kids should put themselves pressure to win, not parents or coaches. Unfortunately, this is the case everywhere. I've been on teams where parents yell at their kid for underperforming, and I never understood until I got older. To me, the kids looked upset when it happened, bursting out into tears for something that didn't matter compared to others.

There are many factors that enter into why youth sports are declining, but parenting and coaching I believe to be the forefront factors. Parents need to appreciate what their kids accomplish and support them in whatever they do. It goes past the guidelines of sports and should be the overall message for parents. Coaches shouldn't focus on winning or losing because they are teaching the leaders of a future generation. Competition brings out the worst in people, meaning they end up cheating or poor gamesmanship, which is a factor of poor integrity. In business, that could lead to a firing or worse, a company going under. Coaches have to realize that losing is as important in winning. Everyone makes mistakes and knowing how to deal with them defines a person. Losing teaches you how to pick up your head and analyze what you did wrong and how to improve. I'll end with a quote that is dear to me, " Its not how hard you hit, but how hard you get hit and get back up."

References:

O'Sullivan, J. (2015). The 4 Biggest Problems with Youth Sports. Changing the Game Project. Retrieved from http://changingthegameproject.com/4-the-biggest-problems-in-youth-sports-today/

Scott, G. (2017). There's a Problem with Sports, and I'm Part of It. ESPN Seattle. Retrieved from http://sports.mynorthwest.com/245931/theres-a-problem-with-youth-sports-and-im-part-of-the-problem/

Wallace, K. (2017). In Coach's Rant, a Lesson for Parents and Athletes. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/health/uconn-basketball-auriemma-video-youth-sports-parenting/

Athletes as Role Models

Should we Idolize these Stars?

 Full Article: http://neiuindependent.org/7733/sports/should-athletes-be-role-models/ 

In the May 18th class (module 2), we discussed the brief history of sport and socialization of sport. Among topics discussed,  was how those get into sports and how professional athletes can or cannot be role models. For as many that stand out as good role models, there are more that are bad role models. The impact it has on the youth is immense. In the article above, Michelle Bright for Northeastern Illinois University writes that athletes aren't perfect and people want to imitate them due to media coverage. Michelle uses an article from ABC News, and states "The article also stated that children think it's alright to receive special treatment on and off the court, and being promiscuous is alright."

Some qualities of a role model in module 2 were: honesty, commitment, sportsmanship, fairness, and high moral values. From a staff editorial from Duquesne, they believe that role models should prove themselves both on and off the field. In addition, they mention that humans are flawed and used Aaron Hernandez as an example of such flaws. He killed multiple men and a lot of Americans have rooted for him on the football field. In module 2, it highlighted certain athletes believed to be good role models, and one of them was Tiger Woods. His perception by the public has also changed due to his cheating on his wife.

In the psychology today article from the same module, it states at the end that kids should not become too attached to athletes due to the multiple examples of fallen stars. I don't believe this is the correct statement. I think that kids can become attached given the right guidance from peers and parents. Power point three explains what influences us to play sport and peers and parents are two major factors. That's how it was for me growing up. Kids can become attached given supervision of parents, making sure that they chose the role model for the right reasons. Role models shouldn't be permanent either, because people change and what you thought you knew about a person can always be wrong.

One problem is also with the media, because they highlight their skills or even their flaws more than their contributions. In the same psychology today article, it says that athletes have an incredible opportunity to positively influence society. But I personally don't think enough is done to highlight their excellence. The following is an example of one hockey player, PK Subban, talking about his contribution to the children's hospital in Montreal. Although famous in the hockey community, his contributions haven't received the praise it deserves.

He has raised his contribution to 15 million since this video. He also plays in Nashville now, but continues to visit the Montreal children's hospital during his times off.  This is just one example of stars who go unnoticed.

By now, most of the populace is fed up with the way athletes take their lives for granted, and changes in the way they act are coming. The NFL implemented a new domestic violence policy, which suspends players for 6 games without pay for the first offense, and a lifetime ban for the next. But teams don't let it go that far. The Giants a day after kicker Josh Brown's domestic abuse came about, suspended him. Three days after, they released him and now he currently doesn't play.

The biggest take with athletes being role models is that they are human just like us and they make mistakes. We should constantly evaluate who we look up to, and on a societal level, who speaks into our lives. There are good and bad role models regardless of profession. Module 2 mentions that positive effects occur when participants are viewed as human beings, not just athletes. People used to look at priests as role models, until the Boston Globe shed light on their sexual abuse in the 70's. Parents be careful who your kids adore, and that athletes can be positive with proper supervision.

References:

Staff, D. (2017). Famous Athletes not always the best role models. The Duquesne Duke. Retrieved from  http://www.duqsm.com/staff-editorial-famous-athletes-not-always-the-best-role-models/

Bright, M. (2017). Should athletes be role models? Independent. Retrieved from http://neiuindependent.org/7733/sports/should-athletes-be-role-models/

Sharp, K. (2014). NFL announces new domestic violence policy. SB Nation. Retrieved from   http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/8/28/6079465/nfl-announces-new-domestic-violence-policy

Smoll, F. Smith, R. (2015) Are athletes good role models? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/coaching-and-parenting-young-athletes/201504/are-athletes-good-role-models