London Calling: The Globalization of the NFL

The NFL is keen on expanding its operations outside of the USA and possibly to London for a number of reasons. One, most importantly for the fact that if the NFL wants to hit over $25 billion in revenue per year, it needs to expand. London is a great place for hosting sports like soccer, and it's also well known for Wembley Stadium. A stadium that isn't used to it's full potential as of right now.

Some of the main factors that might act as a barrier to the NFL being successful in London come into play when it comes to fans. As mentioned in the article, surrounding areas such as Germany or Ireland won't have as hard of a time as people from the United States when it comes to attending these games. Once a year is understandable, but true fans want to experience more than one game per-year and they want to be able to feel that team spirit. If the NFL were to move its location to London, I don't think that each team will have as many supporters as they do now.

Re-locating to London definitely will have some consequences for it's efforts to expand. Like I mentioned previously, there will not be as many fans supporting their teams if they are moved to a place that is difficult to get to (for some people). When the fans aren't as supportive, the team might not perform as well and then when teams aren't doing well, the players won't feel as good about playing. The snow-ball effect will go on and on in this case.

Overall, I think it would be a good idea to move the NFL to London if the decision was strictly based upon revenue per year. However, I don't think that this should be the deciding factor. I don't see our US teams doing as well as they are doing here as they would in London.

Sociogenesis of Football

American football was started in 1879 with rules instituted by Walter Camp. Derived from the English game of rugby, American football was started in 1879 with rules instituted by Walter Camp, player and coach at Yale University. Traced back into Europe where men were known for playing ball early in the 17th century before football was even recognized as a sport. Then, when football became known, many colleges began playing the sport and were then attracting an audience along with fellow rivals. Originally the sport was only played by men, however now-a-days we see some women joining High School teams and playing up to the standards that are given to men.

In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. This is when things began to get serious and a number of teams started competing against each other. In the late 19th and early 20th century, a number of coaches got together and made new game play developments and rules so that all teams were in sync with the guidelines.

Over the developing years, a number of things have changed with the sport of football. Uniforms are constantly changing and improving with better padding and more color schemes. Below is a picture of a Native American football team compared to how today's football team looks.

 There are a number of significant events that have taken place since the beginning of American Football. For example, now we have the super bowl each year that determines the "best" team in the United States. We also have college teams that compete against each other to determine who is the "best" in the state or even in the nation.

As far as challenges go, there could be multiple. Both within the teams and outside. I know that many athletes try to improve their performances by taking muscle supplements and other drugs so that they play better. There is also some controversy over coaches and this is both within college football and professional football. Overall, any sport that is competitive and contains extreme athletes will have some degree of its own complications and will most likely continue to run into bumps along the way. This is why sport is ever evolving and has grown to come this far.

SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_football
http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/HistoryFootball.htm

Sport in the Ancient World

In ancient Greece, Olympia was the sacred site which derived the name for the Olympic Games. The ancient Olympics were the ultimate event and the athletes were determined to win. There were more than a dozen events added for men, some included the world cup and the super bowl which rolled into one. Many of the athletes dedicated themselves to the God Zeus during this time and felt worshiped. There were many religious beliefs and mythology linked between the sport and religion. The overall sport was characterized by gender exclusion and frequent violence as well as entertainment and festivities.
There was the 100 meter dash, where the judges on the "track" made sure that the athletes didn't cheat. Greek triple jumpers carried weights with them as they jumped, and since this era that has changed and evolved in today's modern society. Lastly, the pentathletes were known as the ultimate examples of grace and power in Ancient Greece.

In ancient Rome, the main reasons for sport were entertainment, circus-gladiators and combat. Gladiators were known as hero's and some even came straight from war. The athlete is an example of admiration and he is then challenged to win his freedom. Gladiators are trained in special facilities and the training schools are filled with fighters eager to learn the way of the gladiator. This is designed for close quarter work and correct training. Gladiators have costumes that can also be used as props in the hopes to conquer their enemy. The Romans truly emphasized spectacle and the power of political leaders. Overall, the sport was characterized by diversions for the mass amounts of people, exclusion of women as athletes and the absence of quantification and record keeping.

Sport, Society & Me

My overall connection to sport comes from within. I truly enjoy being in the swimming pool with my teammates playing water polo, and I could do this for hours on end. I originally picked up water polo because I was on the swim team all through out my early years, and then my brother started playing. He has always been an inspiration to me and I really enjoyed watching his games while I was in the 7th grade. This is when I decided I wanted to play for the High School team during my 8th grade year. I had to petition to be the youngest non-high school student on the team, and it took quite some time but in the end I made it. I was so happy and ever since that first day of practice I knew I was completely committed to playing.

The role of sport in US society is definitely a positive role. I think it brings all different types of people from all different backgrounds together and collectively brings along support for one another. Of course there are some negative aspects such as the pressure to take enhancement supplements or trash talking, but it's all part of the game and whether or not the player wants to take that risk. The values that US sport teach us is to come together and help one another. Whether it be by practicing with teammates or having one on one time with the coach, it's all about growing and becoming the best athlete you can be.

I think sport in American society is very important. It brings people together, and not just the players but the viewers as well. It's entertaining, exciting, healthy and overall a true test of endurance. It's not for everyone, and therefore the players who are truly committed will succeed and weed out the one's who aren't putting their soul into the game. Athletes are extremely valued and are sometimes considered celebrities in the US. Like I said previously, it's not an easy thing to become an extreme athlete or professional player. It takes a lot of effort, time, focus, dedication and endurance which are all valued qualities in a player. Of course there is a level of respect that is earned, however not everyone is able to see this in the same way. For example, Richard Sherman who plays for the Seattle Seahawks was extremely ridiculed for his interview during the playoffs this past weekend. Little do some people know that this man is very well educated (graduated from Stanford) and dedicates all of his time to the sport of football. He watches recorded plays and study's players from different teams to grasp an understanding of their plays and routines. BUT, just because of the language he used and his tone of voice, people were turned away from respecting him as an extreme (famous) athlete.

The Sport Ethic

According to the article Positive Deviance Amongst Athletes, sport ethic is known as sacrifice for the game and challenging limits of these extreme athletes. Sports ethic helps set apart "real athletes" from others while creating vulnerability to deviant behavior such as drug use. It also enforces that these athletes follow both the written rules and the rules that are commonly known within the teammates and their coaches. The four main dimensions of this concept according to Hughes and Coakley are first being an athlete involves making sacrifices for the game, second being an athlete involves striving for distinction, third being an athlete involves accepting risks and playing through pain and lastly, being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities. I think that many athletes conform to this set of beliefs because it is a commonality between the players of a team. It is almost built into them from their teammates and their coaches to strive to be the best and not put up with any road blocks. In my personal experiences in sports I have experienced some of these dimensions of sport ethic. When I was in High School I used to play water polo on a competitive level. This meant that I had to try my best at all times and work extremely hard to be a part of the team and raise up to their expectations. I remember specifically my Junior year I was injured and was pressured to play still because I was the MVP. They essentially felt like they needed me to win against specific teams.  Lastly, I think that when people play sports and have rival teams it makes it even more difficult to say no to playing when injured because the players want it that much more. Many factors seem to come into play when it comes to sports and especially because of the competitiveness.

Sports in the USA

Some of the most popular sports in the US include Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey and Tennis. Many of them share similar characteristics like having teammates or mainly men who play these sports. A typical game day at a Football game would have many people in the crowds, loud fans, concession stands filled with hot dogs and chips. There would also be athletes in uniforms and most likely a mascot. Some values that are conveyed would be good sportsmanship or a good team effort. The way we measure success in US sports is sometimes by rankings and how well some teams do compared to others. Another way would be by measuring how well specific athletes do. Some specific characteristics that we associate with successful athletes would be by how well they perform, their stamina, and possibly their rankings compared to other athletes. Lastly, one main factor that is important in sports in the USA is the fan club. I think that every team needs some type of fan club that is supportive and active in participating in activities such as going to games and cheering on the athletes who are performing.