Regardless of the terminology used to categorize the fans, there are typically these types of fans. The “casual fans” are similar to what many people consider fair weather fans. They like a sports team and follow them but are not as dedicated to it as the other two types of fans. I would place myself in the category of a casual fan for most sports teams. I work full time, study full time, and have a newborn in my home. I have not followed any sport team for quite some time because of these responsibilities. I on occasion will be given free tickets to see a sporting event and will usually take the opportunity to go to it. However, I rarely seek to purchase a ticket or focus effort to watch a game on…
“These are the sounds of baseball: the crack of a wooden bat hitting a ball; the pop of a ball hitting a glove; the organ; the cheering fans” (Baltimore, Md.). Back in April for the very first time in MLB history, there was a game with no fans in the bleachers to watch and cheer on the teams.…
The impact of corporations on sports culture and ideology of competitive neoliberalism corporatism has led to the belief and practice of the “trickle down sport economics”, that modern day sport is a “reflection and celebration of the profit-driven and competitive corporate structures that dominate all aspects of neoliberal society” (Newman, 2013, p. 22). Furthermore, this belief has led to the trend of publicity funded sports stadiums in modern day America. Both city and team officials have public support for stadium funding in elections through the seemingly, rather transparent promises for an economic flourish in that given city. The Marlin’s Park deal falls along the lines of the impact of American society’s growing belief and acceptance…
In “Let Athletes Love Their Country in Their Own Ways” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the author references Sam Kendricks’s and Colin Kaepernick’s public displays of political expression to explain that true patriotism is when a person is willing to make sacrifices to their personal gain in order to promote their problems with the government. This article was published on August 30th, 2016 in the Washington Post. The United States in currently encapsulated in various civil rights issues such as problems with gay rights, women’s rights, and racial equality. Abdul-Jabbar uses Kendrick and Kaepernick to illuminate what happens when a famous person makes a patriotic act to stand up for these rights.…
Professional athletes face many issues, especially after their athletic career is over. These issues range from financial instability and degraded health to public scrutiny. However, professional athletes face unique issues concerning criminal conduct. Some athletes receive preferential treatment due to their fame while others may receive extreme scrutiny for actions that other people frequently commit. In order to properly handle the unique issues professional athletes face, every professional sport should have a policy for criminal conduct. Policies would hold athletes accountable for their actions and prevent them from bias punishment or lack of punishment.…
This is an interesting year in the NBA because there are plenty of notable names that will be free agents at the end of the season. The summer could bring on the ultimate game of musical chairs for players, swapping teams for more lucrative contracts and a better chance at winning a championship. Of all the free agents, LeBron James has probably been the most talked about when it comes to 2010 restricted free agency. There has been plenty of speculation about the teams he will go to next year if he decides to leave Cleveland. After a loss tonight in game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the talk has already begun to escalate as LeBron’s decision becomes more imminent. For that reason I choose to evaluate LeBron’s post-game press conference from the game 6 loss to the Celtics. It is not the typical press conference because of the aforementioned free agency. Moreover, it is an opportunity for him to talk to the fans of Cleveland, and almost apologize for not living up to this year’s expectations. It is also different from the typical press conference because there is some persuading on James’ part. Convincing the reporters in the room, and consequently the people paying attention to the situation, that he has not given any thought to what team he going sign with in the off season.…
Yes, I think football is dangerous. I love watching football games but It is very harmful. Football can ruin many lives. Football has lead to suicides,concussions, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a degenerative brain disease that can result in mood changes and dementia. As it says in the story, “in defense of football”.…
Sports fans come in all shapes and sizes. Some are loud and obnoxious, while others are calm and intellectual. Some back their arguments using statistics while others base their arguments on emotions and heart. Either way, they each come with their different personalities. Everyone knows at least one type of these fans, and it takes a certain type of person to be able to get along with all of them.…
A fight over whether some names of sports teams are racist and should be forced to change them. The Washington Redskins is the main target because it is by far the most racist in the eyes of Native Americans. One of the many arguments is if the term “Redskins” is offensive. In the Webster dictionary it is usually an offensive term. In one case, a Cleveland Indians fan started a conversation on the racism with Chief Wahoo on Twitter. The fan tweeted a picture of a cut out of Chief Wahoo. Many Native American tribes have tried suing the sport associations in order to put an end to the racism throughout the leagues and the world. A lady that works at the Washington Redskins postal office states that…
Jackie accepted the contacted offered by Branch Rickey and he signed it during October of 1945 a day that broke the color barrier between baseball athletes. Jackie started with the Montreal Royals a minor league team associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers. During the beginning of the season, the Montreal Royals players were surprised and upset of accepting a black player to play with them. They never expected a black player would ever play in a major league baseball team. Jackie faced a lot of racial prejudice from the player and all the white spectators during the games. Jackie did not fight back because before signing the contract, he promised Rickey that he would not fight back. On the positive said many black spectators turned out in large numbers to the Montreal Royals games. Rickey continued to motivate Jackie to accomplish the title not racial fight with prejudice people. The season ended with the Montreal Royals winning the International League then they moved on to win the Little World Series title because of Jackie’s performance. Jackie finished the season as the International League batting champion proving has influence on the team’s accomplishment. After that season was over…
With athletics being dangerous from the time you couldn’t catch a ball, to the time when it hurts just to stand, there are risks with any sport. So whenever college athletes step on the court, field, or wherever they compete, they are putting their bodies at risk, as well as future paychecks. In the history of NCAA there have been many professional careers either derailed or stopped forever because of injuries. In the 2006 college football season one of the best players, Michael Bush was playing for the Louisville Cardinals when he suffered a season ending, and career defining injury. He tore almost every ligament in his knee and sadly saw his professional draft stock slip to a place he didn’t want it to be. Prior to his senior season he…
Nothing is certain but death, so why not pursue what brings joy and purpose to your life? American football is deeply rooted in American culture, and the public’s opinion varies. Some view football as a sport that promotes violence and knowingly damages its players, while others claim it instills valuable life values and unites the American people. I would most definitely allow my son to play football because it instills and promotes physical health, toughness, and work ethic at an early age. Even though football is known to cause neurological damage to its players, it’s not the sports fault, the fault lies in the NFL for purposely knowing the dangers of playing football and not taking action to protect its players.…
In the past couple of years athletes have proven themselves to be “normal” people, with what some would call “normal” problems. These can be considered normal. However, given the fact that these athletes are represented in the public eye, should they carry themselves in a more appropriate manner? Most would say yes. Professional athletes have a responsibility to act professionally in order to keep good standing status in the public eye. Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, and Alex Rodriguez are three that have shown examples of unprofessionalism.…
In regard to observing the fans and workers I choose to be overt. I wanted to see how people react to an overt racism researcher. I introduced myself to the fans between the quarters of the game as a researcher who is interested in racism in sports, asked about willingness to participate in such a study. Later the participants were asked a few questions about racism. Participants were informed that data are confidential and were told about the risks encompass being a part of the study. The field notes contained both descriptive and reflective notes. In the descriptive notes the date, time, the surroundings, people dresses, announcements, warnings, people patterns of behavior, and way they look at others. In the reflective section, I had…
In May, my best friends and I took on a challenge to create a twenty minute documentary about car culture (more specifically, car culture in Minnesota), however, after taking “13 Ways of Looking at Sports”, I formed connections and realizations that car culture is a branch of motorsport and the passion/community evolving around motorsport parallels the roots of sport we have discussed in class. Our essential questions we wanted to answer through the documentary were: How can we bring awareness to the “average joe” that cars and car culture are an expression of creativity, sport, and lifestyle? How can we deepen our awareness about the Minnesota car culture and how can we share the story behind Minnesota car culture? Essentially, we wanted to…