Interrogating inequalities in Sports Media: Examining gender/race representation in Sports Illustrated

The mainstream type of media that I decided to conduct my study on was Sports Illustrated and how this magazine portrays race. I have decided to explore the number of cover photos since the beginning of 2013 that include a person of color on the cover page. The first thing that I noticed was that majority of the people on the cover of this magazine are male. However, in the November 11th issue there were three policemen on the front, and one was a Caucasian lady. The women seem to be on the covers only if they are standing with other men or posing with men, and they all seem to be Caucasian. I also noticed that a number of these male athletes being portrayed on the cover are African American, especially in the basketball issues.

On the other hand, when looking at baseball players or hockey players that made the cover, majority of them are Caucasian. I'm assuming, based on what we have discussed in class, that depending on which sport is featured, the race of the athlete or model then comes into play. Overall we see more African Americans playing football and basketball compared to the amount of Caucasians playing hockey or baseball. Although there is some diversity when it comes to all sports, we don't see as much of it as we do with "majorly" known sports. This is why about 3/4 of the football issues are covers with African American players.

As far as diversity amongst races is concerned, Sports Illustrated has done a good job in 2013 with varying the athletes they choose for their covers. The only race I didn't see much/any of was Asian. There may have been one or two people who appear to be Asian on the cover, but not by themselves. Lastly, the amount of women on the covers is very little. The only cover I found with a woman (Kate Upton) on the cover by herself was in February 12, 2013. She is Caucasian and isn't a professional athlete.

SOURCE:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/photos/1305/si-covers-2013/2/

Sports, Politics, and the Olympics

In 1956 the "Blood in the Water" H20 Polo Match was held in Melbourne, Australia. Hungary and the USSR competed against each other in the Melbourne Olympics where Hungary defeated the USSR in a game that came down to a final score of 4-0. This specific game took place on December 6th, and the name of this game was coined after Hungarian player Ervin Zador emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from above his eye after being punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. On the other hand, the background of this game is a little more complicated. There had been this rivalry between Hungary and the USSR for some time now and on November 1, Soviet tanks began rolling into Hungary. Then, from November 4 to November 10 forces began suppressing the uprising with air strikes, artillery bombardments, and tank-infantry actions. There was much conflict going on between these two countries even before the games had begun. By the start of the Olympics, the uprising had been suppressed and many players saw the Olympics as a way to salvage pride for their country. This was somewhat of an outlet for the athletes to seek "revenge" on their opponents without politics getting involved. They had the game as their way of war, and whoever won was then "on top".

This game could be considered a "sport as a vehicle of change in society". There was clearly conflict between both teams countries before the 1956 Olympics, and by having these two rivals play against each other seems almost ironic. Because there was so much turmoil and fighting going on before the games had begun there was also a possibility for change. Before the game the Hungarians made up strategy tactics for scaring the Russians, and during the game there were a number of fists and kicks thrown between the players. The police even had to get involved at one point because they were scared of riots starting between sides.

Lastly, the quote "Sport is pure and devoid of political interference" is wrong. I completely disagree with this statement because sport is not pure and it is not devoid of political interference. We see this in the past and we see it today. Politics have so much to do with sports and can easily interfere with sports in so many ways. When it comes to rival countries, I don't think anyone would back down from supporting their own country and there should be no reason to. I think people are more invested into politics than they think, and a lot of people also don't realize that politics interfere with sports. For example, we see military recruiting and ads at professional games like the super bowl and the Olympics. Does this really have anything to do with the game itself? No. But we make it a part of the game because it has to do with our country and uniting as one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_in_the_Water_match 

High School Sport

There were a handful of social conditions in which high school sports emerged. Once students passed middle school and made the transition into high school, sports were taken more seriously. The athletic programs were more intensive and only the "top notch" athletes would participate in sports. Even the coaches recognized the true players and would put them into the game while others were benched. Equality for everyone wasn't an option back then, and not everyone got the chance to participate in the game of sport. Around this time is when college recruiters were serious about finding the perfect athlete. They put focus on individuals as soon as they began playing high school level sports because at this time high school athletes were considered to be the best in their age group. The objective of high school sports was to get recognized by colleges and to hopefully receive a higher education. This was usually never met due to students not wanting to participate in college athletics or because they weren't "good enough" to play in college. I know that while I was in high school, I wanted to continue playing water polo in college while receiving a higher education. I did almost everything to make this possible, but at the same time I realized that a lot of my other teammates decided to stop playing after high school. Sports for some people are strictly a high school hobby, and they don't want to continue playing while in college.

Interscholastic sport in America brings upon a lot of stress for athletes between the ages of 15-18 (high school years). There are a number of sports that require their athletes to practice two or three times a day. I remember for swim-team I had to show up to practice before school from 5am-7am and then again after school from 3pm-5pm. It was definitely hard for me and my teammates to balance school work with sports practices and meets. Not only did swim-team do this but my water polo team did as well, and I know that our school football team had 2-a-days at least three times a week. Overall it's hard for a teenager to balance their own lives, let alone adding a sport in makes things much more complicated when it comes to scheduling and making time for yourself. The only solution was to manage your time well, be prepared, and make sure that you got to wherever you needed to be that day.

Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

In the article "The Shame of College Sports" author Taylor Branch points out almost immediately that "the very structure of college sports, wherein student-athletes generate billions of dollars for universities and private companies while earning nothing for themselves" is the problem. There are so many college athletes today that are helping their University's income by promoting their sport. By people attending games, to sponsors selecting certain athletes to fund. Another quote comes to mind from this article that supports this argument; “We want to put our materials on the bodies of your athletes, and the best way to do that is buy your school. Or buy your coach." These companies will do anything to promote themselves via student athletes because they know that one persons teammates will see their logo and therefore want that product too. Also, by offering these young-adult student athletes money, they are sure to see results. How could a 18-21 year old turn down a money offer for doing something they enjoy?

In the second article, "Impact of Money on College Football Realignment is Becoming Increasingly Apparent" the same issue is brought up again, money. The first thing that came into my mind when beginning to read this was "money makes the world go round". Money is something that a number of people have a hard time handling, and when put into the wrong persons hands can be very detrimental. This is why we are seeing a problem with retired athletes going broke. We discussed in class last week that professional athletes feel the need to live up to the expectations of others (teammates). By doing so, these athletes are spending more than they realize and are therefore ending up bankrupt after their professional career is over. This article also addresses the lives of players and coaches before the fame. When athletic students are trying to make a decision on where to go to College, some schools definitely weight out others. This is due to their statistics and recognition which makes athletes gravitate to well known sport schools, like Ohio State. Coaches on the other hand, are being chosen based upon their skills as well. Are they fit to coach specific teams? and how far are they able to take their team? This comes into play when athletes are choosing schools as well.

My own personal opinion on the subject of College sports and money is that if an athlete is "worth it", then go ahead and sponsor them. There are so many athletes in both High School and College that wish to make it to the professional stage but just can't. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to get to a professional level and with the media sponsoring specific individuals I think it helps some. In a way, the money helps motivate these athletes to go harder and train better. If they want the money to keep coming, then they must work hard and perform to the best of their abilities. On the other hand, I don't agree with the amount of money or free gifts that these athletes are getting. It seems a little over the top and outrageous to be giving these young adults millions of dollars at a point in their lives where they don't even know what to do with it. Lastly, when I was playing water polo in High School I considered playing in college and seeing if I could make it to the professional level. Unfortunately for me, I had spinal surgery and wasn't able to continue playing. I thought a lot about the money I would make and the lifestyle I could of had, but that wasn't my main focus. I wanted to do something I thoroughly loved, and being in the pool was it.

Once the cheering stops: The life of a retired pro-athlete

The life of a retired athlete seems to go down after the fame fades out. According to the 30 for 30 video only two years after being retired from the sport around 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress. Then, within five years of retirement, 60% of former NBA players are completely broke. When first reading these facts, I was completely shocked. I had no idea that it took such a short amount of time for a professional athlete to obtain financial struggles so soon after retirement. Tiki Barber even said "you've been replaced on the field and you've been replaces in people's minds. That's when you start getting depressed". Many of these professional players feel a reality shock when they realize the real world around them outside of the game. All they have ever known is playing as a professional, so when they have to flow back in with society, it's hard for them to get the rhythm of things again.

A few challenges that these retired athletes face are things like depression or trying to look for another job. It's hard for a lot of athletes to find suitable jobs for themselves because their main careers have always been in sports. They aren't used to working for businesses or don't have the proper education to work for large corporations. I think one of the greatest jobs a former player can obtain is either coaching or broad-casting. This way they can still feel involved with their passion and be a part of the "sports society" without working their body's too hard.

I have never really thought about an athletes life after the fame fades away. At least I didn't think that these professionals were going bankrupt any time soon. I think it has to do a lot with how much these athletes are spending when they get signed to new teams. It's wild to hear the things that these people are buying right when they start playing in the spot-light. If a player is smart with their money or has someone to manage it for them, then maybe this wouldn't happen so often.