Campbell-Conclusion

I found this class to be very interesting and enjoyable. I learned a lot from my classmates and I think that we engaged in some very good discussion. I always find talking sports fun because everyone always has varying opinions, and I think this class added to current sport discussion at a much deeper level. I always find that talking with people and engaging in topics when different opinions are involved is useful. Learning different sides and understanding where other people come from is important in our society. Not everyone has the same opinions and I think this is what each of us can take away from the semester. We are able to understand another person’s perspective or reality and accept it while not agreeing with it completely. This is not only useful, but also practical because we are all going to face people and situations in the future where we do not agree and we need to be able to understand the other side of an argument.

I think the topics that interest me the most are the topics that cover socially constructed ideas of masculinity and femininity. I think the dialect that can occur and the analysis of popular culture that we have done is enjoyable. It also is something that is so relevant and constantly adapting in sport. Even looking at the wide range of topics that this covers from Caster Semenya to the Body Issue, the construction of gender in our society is vast. I think there is so much more to learn and discuss on this topic as well.

This was the first time that I kept a blog. I was a little apprehensive at first writing for everyone to see, but obviously I quickly moved beyond my fears. I think it is nice to see what other people write. I think it changed how I interpreted the readings. I had my own opinion and view of the articles, but then I would read how Yannick understood the article and I would gain more awareness. I just enjoyed creating the blog. I think the most important thing I will take away from this class is my understanding of how sport works in society. It is much deeper than just organized games. There is an importance and a precedent that sports provides in our society and I think this class really helped me to understand that better.   

Joey Durant - Conclusion

As a first-year grad student, and a returning BGSU Sport Management undergrad, this class at first seemed like it would be largely identical to the Sport & Gender class I took in undergrad. However, I was pleasantly surprised by much of the class being different from my prior experience. I enjoyed our in-depth analysis of race in sport, something that was not covered in great length as part of Sport & Gender. As a sport fan, particularly one that did not come from a disadvantaged background, it was enlightening to discuss the role that race plays in sports and the role that sport plays in the lives of many disadvantaged people. I also enjoyed our discussion of sports in other countries, as I don't have a lot of experience in that area but am a fan of European soccer.

An article I found to of particular interest to me was the discussion comparing the US vision of the Super Bowl to other international sporting events. I was surprised at the viewership of events like the Cricket World Cup and CFL Grey Cup being much higher than that of the Super Bowl, and really enjoyed getting some insight on the matter from Yannick and Andreas. Having both of them in our class was another highlight of this class for me, as I enjoyed hearing their opinions from an international point of view that often differed from the majority of our class.

Keeping a blog each week helped me focus on the important details of each assigned reading, and I believe it forced me to dig deeper in to the readings to find those details. I also found it useful because I was able to see what others were finding in the readings, and what their opinions were on the topics. Each blog entry allowed me to see what others found, which often led me to see things that I hadn't seen in my original reading of the article for that week. I could then go back and find that information to get a better understanding of the information.

In my career, this class will most importantly give me a better understanding of the hardships that many of the athletes I will eventually be working with have gone through in order to get where they are. This is a great appreciation to have in order to be better at working with athletes and understanding them as individuals, not just what many perceive as "privileged" to play a sport as a career.

Maddy Amon- Conclusion

As a criminal justice and sociology major in undergrad I was never exposed to a sport and society class so when I saw that it was offered this semester I was very excited. In undergrad I was usually focused on theory and mostly criminal processes. My sociology classes were based around criminology and the justice system. being able to put my undergrad interest together with my graduate work made me very happy. I am glad I took this class and was able to expand my view of sport in our culture.

This class really opened my eyes to how influential sport is to our society. I really enjoyed discussing the cultures of the students in our class who are from another country. I believe that having them in our class really benefited me. (From this class I really realized how narrow minded I have been). Seeing and hearing how sport in America is portrayed to those not from our country was extremely interesting. I learned a lot about soccer (futbal) and how culturally it is integrated into a country.  

I enjoyed our weekly readings. They were interesting and sparked good conversation and discussion in our class. I believe that as a whole we were able to dissect difficult topics. having students from all different backgrounds really made our conversations interesting and informative. 

Being assigned to write and Epiphany was one of my favorite things about this class. Learning how to write about one of my experiences that has seriously shaped who I am today was challenging and I really enjoyed the process. It helped me grow as a writer and as a human being.  Discussing my experiences and putting it into words for another person to experience was scary and rewarding at the same time. I really enjoyed this assignment.

Markula's (2001) article, Beyond the Perfect Body, really resonated with me. Body image is a huge issue in our society and after seeing my sister suffer from a eating disorder it is an issue that hits home for me.  I never thought about fitness magazines as an issue, usually people mention magazines for fashion and beauty as the problem. But now I really can see how fitness magazines are creating an image of a fit body that is difficult for most people to accomplish.  Seeing images over and over can really take a toll on a reader. 

Keeping a blog was something that I had never done before.  I liked being able to read what my classmates were saying about a topic and discuss with them through comments.  It was pretty nerve-wracking for me to post blog entries because the idea of having everyone read what I am writing was a scary thought. I got over that at the end of the semester and enjoyed the feedback i got in the comment section.

I will take a lot from this class to my future career. Mostly in the way of looking at sport a bit differently. Seeing how much our lives are impacted by sport really shows how my fututre work in sport will be beneficial. 

I'm glad I was able to take this class with all of you and i want to wish everyone luck with their future classes and job pursuits! 

Maddy Amon

Yannick’s Conclusion Post (December 9)

I loved being in this class, and I have definitely learned a lot in the past 15 weeks. I have been interested in issues related to sports and society in general, and topics related to the construction of gender in particular, ever since I took Dr. Krane’s class on gender, sexuality, and sport in the spring of 2014. Taking Dr. Spencer’s class on sport and society has definitely helped me to develop my interest in these topics further and to get a more well-rounded picture of scholarship done in this area. In my introduction post for this class, I stated the following:

In this course, I hope to learn the basic theoretical concepts that illustrate the relationship between sports and culture/society. I hope to do more work on the construction of identity through and in sports. I am also planning to apply to PhD programs with a focus in cultural studies of sport, and I see this class as a good way to prepare myself academically for these programs.

Today, I can definitely say that this course has provided me with a strong theoretical foundation to explore issues related to sport and society in the future. Because my main research interest focuses on the construction of masculinity in sports, I particularly liked our readings related to this topic. Also, I have developed a strong interest in the relationship between sports and the construction of nationhood throughout the course of the semester. Of course, I especially enjoyed the article we read about soccer patriotism in Germany. However, I also enjoyed reading about sport in the context of the construction of other nations (U.S., Australia, South Africa). One topic that I did not think about at all before taking this class was the importance of the Super Bowl in American identity. I really liked reading about the Super Bowl, and I am thinking about doing my dissertation on the construction of gender (or masculinity, if I want to be more specific) in the Super Bowl broadcast.

This blog was a great way to share my thoughts with everyone and to hear what other students have to say about the topics we covered in class. At times, I wished that more students posted on the blog. However, I really liked reading everyone’s comments in response to my blog posts, because they really made me think about the topics we covered in more detail. The insightful comments from other students in the class not only helped me to understand their position better, but also helped me reflect on my own thoughts about each topic.

This class (along with that of Dr. Krane) has further sparked my passion for scholarship on issues related to sport and society. I am now determined to pursue a PhD in Media and Communication and to make critical studies of sport an area of emphasis. I want to continue to examine constructions of identity in and through sport, and I feel like this class prepared me well to do so. This class has also showed me that as a scholar in this field I do not view myself as “just a scholar”, but rather as a scholar activist. I want to use my future scholarship to create more understanding of individuals participating in sports and to create a more inclusive sporting environment for all participating individuals.

Finally, I really loved being able to share my own culture with the rest of this class. It was great to share my experiences as a participant in sports in Germany with all of you. Thank you to all of you for making this class so much fun! Feel free to add me on Facebook if you want to stay in touch.

-Yannick

https://www.facebook.com/y.to.the.annick

December 2 - Durant

After reading Markula's article for class, and reading several of my classmates posts, I would like to post something a little more opinionated. Although I do agree with Markula in his assessment of popular media and advertising portraying the "ideal" body as skinny, often thinner than most of us are capable of being, I also want to point out the value of leading an active, "fit" lifestyle. America is reported to be among the most obese countries in the world, and I don't particularly think that is a stigma any country wants to carry. I don't think people should strive to be like the models (female and male) that they see in magazines and TV ads, but I do think that the idea of a "perfect body" could be tweaked for the benefit of overall health in our country. Using more realistically "fit" models could begin to remedy the negative psychological impacts of the unrealistic "skinny" models and start to implement more positive body image "goals." Using models with a more attainable, realistic look could influence people more to eat healthier, exercise more, and get healthy the right way rather take drastic measure to achieve drastic results. Hopefully, this would create a healthier America rather than the society that has grown accustomed to taking diet pills and starting starvation diets in order to look like Abercrombie models.

I understand that everyone comes in all shapes and sizes, and that applies to myself as well. My point in my post is that regardless of the shape and size that you come in, you should still be concerned with your health and your fitness. Getting in shape, losing a couple extra pounds, and just going on a run or having a good workout all can have a good impact on a person physically and psychologically. Worrying about how skinny the Victoria's Secret model on page 4 is compared to you doesn't make you feel good about yourself, and doesn't get you any closer (not that you should want to) to looking like her. We need to tend to our own health, not simply "get skinny" by any means necessary.

December 2-Campbell

I found Markula’s (2001) article to be so relevant to a few things that are happening in our society today. The article discussed how a women’s body image is socially constructed through fitness magazines. I would argue that not only is femininity constructed in fitness magazines, but rather in almost all forms of media. Photoshop has become the most used medium in advertising and modeling. The ideals that women are held up to are not the norm for everyday people that we see on the street. Mainly because the people that are being shown in the media are being altered to look perfect or unblemished.

I think when companies use programs such as Photoshop it creates problems for people. They are trying to live up to these ideal standards of beauty and they feel that they are never going to attain that level of perfection. So we see people crash diet or develop eating disordered behavior. People try so hard to achieve what they see in magazines and TV that they lose sight of what having a healthy body looks like. There are several new ads that promote the fact that they do not use Photoshop. While I think these are great I think they need to develop some variety in the models they select. Not every female in America is a size 0. I am not saying that we should have obese models, but I think having varying sizes could help to buffer the body image issues within our society. What also would help is not labeling sizes “plus size.” Most recently Calvin Klein posted a photo of a plus size model, the backlash sparked a debate because the woman appeared to be of a very average size. When people hear the word “plus” they assume large, fat, overweight etc. If we are labeling normal people sizes as “plus” in advertisements the message being sent to society is that small is normal and normal is fat. When in reality this is not always the case.

While this article discussed women’s body image issues I think it is also important to note that men also face a socially constructed idea of how to look. Men in magazines all look like Hercules, but we know that the majority of men do not have bodies like Hercules. Our society also does not talk about how men’s body image is constructed. We only ever really discuss how women are affected by magazine ads. Barbie has always been a hot topic for the construction of femininity in our culture. It could be argued that GI Joe is the same for men. They are told to be big and muscular and if they are not then they are not manly enough. Body image, as a whole, is skewed for both men and women in our society and we not only see it in magazines but also in the media and even children toys.

Maddy Amon- Body Image December 2 2014

I really enjoyed reading Markula's (2001) article Beyond the Perfect Body.  I believe that our society revolves around body image and many women and men are suffering because of it.  Magazines such as Shape, Self and the New Weekly have simple intentions of showing women healthy ways to achieve a healthy body. However I believe that unintended consequences are largely at play here.  Having pictures of fit or "skinny" women throughout a magazine can really take a toll on the reader.  Constantly seeing images of "how they should look" ultimately leads to Body Image Distortion (BID).

While these magazines are promoting a healthy life and often times promote healthy body image they are not helping their readers with the pictures that are placed throughout the magazine.  As someone who has never been  "skinny" by magazine standards I can relate to this. Media is constantly telling our culture what is popular and what is healthy.  They do not take into account how American's are veiwing themselves and the negative consequences the pictures of fit bodies is having on thier readers.

I really like what American Eagle and certain other companies are doing in their no retouching campaigns. While yes they are still using attractive faces it shows that all bodies are different and helps promote accepting self.  I also think Dove does a good job with this type of campaign.  My mind pops to a video that I watched with the BGSU volleyball team last year.  It shows that how negativity we see ourselves yet strangers have a more positive view of us.  I think that there needs to be more campaigns like this because eating disorders are a huge issue especially in sport (both men and women).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE

Body Image: Casey Daulbaugh

Markula’s (2001) article, Beyond the Perfect Body: Women’s Body Image Distortion in Fitness Magazine Discourse, discussed how positive self-esteem was portrayed as an important personality trait in the early 1990’s by fitness magazines for women.  Self-esteem was also linked to the confidence and fitness level of an individual; however, beauty was believed to be linked to personality of the individual instead of their body type. 

Freedman (1991) believes that an individual’s self-esteem and body image are connected, which contributes to the issue of body image we have in today’s society.  This connection began to have a negative effect on women’s self-esteem around 1994, when magazines started to focus on how weight issues and/or other body related problems, are treated as medical conditions. 

Lazarus (1991) stated, “[w]omen who have confidence and a positive attitude… [looked good as] the new beauty reflect[ed] our growth and self-acceptance” (p. 62).  In the very early 1990’s, this quote reflects the idea of attractiveness being associated with a positive self-esteem/attitude rather than only body image.  Today, I believe that it has done a complete 180 degrees, because of the media’s twist beginning roughly 20 years ago.

I believe that by treating body “problems” as a medical condition led to the popping of diet pills like they are vitamins (literally), which all come with a long list of potential side-effects that may affect the consumer right away, or later on down the road.  In my opinion, with the “ideal” body plastered all over various forms of media, it is difficult to avoid “fads” when you are constantly reminded what you are supposed to look like. 

Again, my opinion, but if you avoid these “fads,” then you are more likely to become discouraged and quit if you pursue a healthier and more natural form of weight loss.  This is because of the amount of self-control, hard-work, discipline, and motivation it takes to eat clean by preparing meals on your own, and completing a healthy and sufficient workout routine.  The “fads” are quick weight-loss methods, but are extremely unhealthy; however, the amount of time and effort it takes to achieve weight-loss goals through healthy means is discouraging, which can steer individuals onto the “fad” bandwagon. 

Also, these “fad” diets and/or exercise videos/routines don’t necessarily teach individuals how to live a healthy lifestyle.  They are psychologically teaching an individual that they need to take “this” pill, follow “this” strict 200-calorie diet plan, and perform “this” workout plan for 13 days (that triathletes even refuse to endure), in order to try to fit into society’s standard of attractiveness.  These individuals are more apt to consistently gain and lose sufficient amounts of weight, and continue to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of psychological and physical stress/pressure to obtain and maintain the “ideal” body.  

December 2: "Tiger Woods and the New Racial Order"

Brandon Silva

            In his article “Tiger Woods and the New Racial Order,” Cashmore writes about how Tiger Woods is viewed as an African American man by the majority of people when ironically, he does not view himself as an African-American but rather as ‘Calinasian’, a mix of multiple ethnicities (2008).  Tiger tries to diminish any conversations about his race but it seems that many are interested in portraying him as an African-American.  For better or for worse, it does not seem that Tiger could shake off his identification as an African American.  Cashmore argues that as an African American, Tiger stands a “symbol of integrated America,” (2008, p. 621).  In this sense, it seems that America wants Tiger Woods to be African American to represent the progress of the country with regards to racial inequality.  It is almost as if the country needs Tiger Woods to be this for the betterment of the country.  In a harsher reality, the viewing of Tiger Woods as African American also brings out the racism associated with people of color.  Due to his prominent status, Tiger becomes an easy target for many racists.

            The reading of Tiger Woods as an African American athlete shows that the U.S. still has ways to go in overcoming its struggles with racism.  Anytime a person is labeled by their race, correctly or incorrectly, this automatically deteriorates the true topic of interest.  If we see Tiger as athlete, rather than an African American athlete, then the emphasis is on Tiger’s athletic accomplishments rather than his race.  The true focus of the conversation is the golf that Tiger has played and the championships he has won to even make him a relevant individual in our society.  So, even though it may seem that identifying Tiger as a great African American athlete may seem beneficial to demonstrates acceptance for racial equality, this identification actually only perpetuates the distinction between the topic of race and sport.  In doing so, it diminishes the athletic accomplishments of an athlete who is arguably the greatest to ever play the sport.  If we want to consider ourselves a true ‘color blind’ society, we must begin to eliminate these distinctions.  Tiger Woods is not a great African American golfer.  Tiger Woods is a great golfer, period.  In the same way, President Obama is not an African American President, he is the 44^th President and Aaron Rodgers is not a great white NFL quarterback, he is a great NFL quarterback.  Distinction leads to an unnecessary distraction and gives a racism a foothold within topics in which it should not be a consideration.

References

Cashmore, E. (2008). Tiger Woods and the new racial order. Current Sociology, 56, 621-634.

December 2: Women's Body Image in Fitness Magazines (Yannick)

In “Beyond the Perfect Body: Women’s Body Image Distortion in Fitness Magazine Discourse,” author Pirkko Markula makes great points about the construction of femininity in relation to women’s body image as well as the perception and framing of women’s health in and through fitness magazines. First of all, Markula (2001) points out accurately that “obtaining the look of the perfect media models is beyond the reach of ordinary women” (p. 163). Most of the images of women (and men!) we are exposed to in our daily lives have been heavily altered through technology such as Photoshop. The following video titled “Dove: Evolution” perfectly shows how unrealistic the images of supposedly ideal bodies truly are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U . The woman shown in the final advertisement in this clip does not look like the model used for the shooting at all. This shows how much retouching is done to models; this, of course, is highly problematic, as it creates an ideal that is not obtainable for normal women.
 

Secondly, I really like Markula’s analysis of the contradictory nature of fitness magazines when it comes to the construction of women’s attitudes towards their bodies. Markula (2001) states that while the fitness magazines in her analysis appreciate women’s intellectual abilities and devalue the “emphasis on the perfect but unachievable body” (p. 165), the content of those magazines often contradicts this reader-friendly idea (p. 165). Rather, the fitness magazines’ content “equate a normal female body to a model’s body. In their world, any other type of body is nonexistent, or if shown, appears unappealing. [...] Thus, the normal woman was depicted not only as different, but as ugly, discontent, inadequate, unattractive, and dull” (Markula, 2001, p. 165).

Finally, I completely agree with Markula’s (2001) assessment -- based on her observations described above -- of gender as “harnessed to serve commercialism [in today’s culture]” (p. 167). Nowadays, companies and media institutions oftentimes try to sell their products and programs as artifacts that enhance or ensure a consumer’s femininity or masculinity. These products are strategically portrayed as a means to make their consumers more masculine or feminine. Oftentimes companies rely on the idea that if consumers are insecure about their femininity/masculinity, they will be more willing to buy and consume a product that will rid them (and, more importantly, others) of any doubts they may have about their feminine or masculine capital. I am very concerned about these messages that are being sent to the masses, especially to young audience who might not be as media-literate as we are.

Maddy Amon November 25 2014

Reading both of the previous articles about race (Cashman, 2008) and hip hop culture (Andrews, 1999) surrounding the NBA have been very interesting reads.  Campbell made a good point when stating that it is normal for Drake to host and can be seen on the sidelines at an NBA game and not at a NFL game. I had never thought of hip hop and basketball going hand in hand until we discussed it in class and I read the article. 

Cashman and his article about Tiger Woods was also very interesting. It shows the vast differences of how people portrayed him prior to the domestic violence incident and the cheating scandals.  I believe that Woods was trying to relate to America as a whole when he says he is an "American not African American".  As a popular icon in America he was seen almost in the same light as Michael Jordan.  These two men overcame racial barriers and became sport ideals in a very public stage.  While on this public stage they became very private.  Not trying to cause rifts in the media especially about race. 

In light of recent decisions in the Fergeson case race is a hot topic in the United States. The two articles show how sport and race are intertwined.  It is a sensitive barrier that needs to be addressed carefully.  I think a newer article surrounding race and sport would be very interesting.  Looking at Tiger now and how the public veiws him would be extremely interesting.  I wonder if, since his scandal, people would say worse things about him in a racial context.  I think a textual analysis surrounding Tiger, post scandal would be very beneficial.
  

November 25: Tiger Woods, Ferguson, and Racial Equality in the U.S. (Yannick)

I enjoyed reading Cashmore’s “Tiger Woods and the New Racial Order” this week. However, I think that Woods’ perception as a Black male celebrity has changed a lot since the publication of this article; and so has the racial order as well as the perception of racism in the United States. Cashmere (2008) states that Woods, soon after winning the Masters, “instantly and spectacularly transformed into a symbol of integrated America” (p. 621). Due to the athlete’s unique standing within the sport of golf and the broader societal context in general, Cashmere (2008) describes Woods as “both an exemplar of a new racial order and a reminder that the past is exactly that – the past” (p. 622).

I definitely think that the narratives surrounding Woods’ infidelity scandal of 2009 reveal the shortcomings of Cashmore’s argumentation here and show that this past is still very present today. Describing Woods as a “serial cheater” (a coin attributed to Woods by the New York Times) reinforced and perpetuated dominant stereotypes about African American men rather than promoting the new racial order identified by Cashmere. One of the underlying assumptions surrounding Black men in American culture has historically been that Black men are overly sexual and savage-like. In the infidelity scandal, high emphasis was put on Woods’ sexual conquests. The image of the African American man as sexual conqueror was herewith reinforced. This shows how dominant and persistent these century-long, highly problematic narratives surrounding Black men (and women!) truly are.

I think that especially the most recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, show that America is far from being a post-racial society. Yesterday (the day it was announced that the officer shooting Michael Brown will not be charged for his murder) was a tragic day for racial equality in this country. I think at the core of this problem is the inability of many (white) Americans to acknowledge their (white) privilege. I agree with Cashmore that American society is oftentimes colorblind. It does not see being white as a color – whiteness remains invisible, and it is oftentimes only minorities who recognize the enormous privilege that comes with being white. As people living in the U.S., we need to be intensely aware of white privilege and have to actively work to make whiteness (more) visible.

Finally, Cashmere (2008) argues that “Woods became a symbol of African American integration, not by defiantly leading marches, or stirring the masses with blistering oratory, but by consuming” (p. 628). I am having trouble with seeing consumption as a way to create racial equality. By heavily relying on Woods’ race in their marketing strategies, companies like Nike promote conspicuous consumption, rather than hard work and constant activism, as the key to racial equality and to achieving a post-racial society. The discourses surrounding Black athletes like Tiger Woods as well as the current events in Ferguson show that we need to do more than just buy products in order to make this country a safer place for all people alike.

November 25-Campbell Query #1

I spoke with Dr. Spencer on Friday about her comments on the NBA and the culture of hip-hop. She suggested that I share more with the class. My Uncle, who works for Spalding, goes to every NBA All-star weekend each year. I remember one specific weekend in particular that stuck out in my mind. He talked to the family about it and it was the All-star weekend in Las Vegas (2007).

This was the first NBA All-star game that I remember being interested in and probably why I remember what he said about his experience. I called him this weekend to see if he still had any memories from that weekend, the following is a combination of my memory and his words. Besides Las Vegas being Las Vegas he said that this was his first NBA weekend where he felt that the atmosphere was much different than it had been in the past. He remembered the crowds and the clothing people wore as much different. He described it as “thugy.” When I asked him what that meant he replied with a summary of the following. Everyone had a posse. Everywhere you looked it was large groups of people in flashy clothing. At the Las Vegas game he said he had never seen so many mouth grills, which would have been right around the time Nelly’s song Grillz was released. It came out in 2005, but became popular in 2006. It was not just fans coming to watch the NBA greats. It was people showing off their status and who they knew. I asked him if it seemed like it was a hip-hop culture and he said yes exactly. It was not hip-hop being a fan of the NBA it was the NBA being at a hip-hop event. My Uncle is a sales rep for the company; perks from the job are preferential treatment at events like the All-star weekend. He said that the number of hip-hop artists that he is normally surrounded by outweigh the number of fans that would pay that much money to have the luxuries they experience during a weekend event like this.

I found this conversation with my Uncle to be ironic after talking about it in class. He said that hip-hop and the NBA are like a pair, with one comes the other. I asked him to elaborate and he said they are just like peas and carrots (very deep). I think it is interesting that we see this in the NBA but not the NFL or MLB. I mean every once and a while the camera will pan to the boxes up top to show celebrities, but we never see Drake being a host on Monday Night Football. There must be something that attracts hip-hop to basketball, but I do not know what it is. If I had to guess why I would say that it is a longer season, with more airtime, shorter game-time, indoors, and you have the ability to show yourself off. I am not saying that people involved in hip-hop like to show off, but I think this is why we also see more celebrities at NBA games.

Whither the NBA, whither America?

Brandon Silva

The article by David Andrews entitled “Whither the NBA, whither America?” describes how the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been able to successfully expand its viewing market to other countries around the world (1999).  Andrews mentions some of the way the NBA has been successful in this endeavor including how the NBA has targeted its selling to the world’s youth by providing an image of opposition to the cultural mainstreams (1999).   Additionally, pre-season competitions are held in foreign countries and NBA regional offices are located in major cities around the world such as Paris, Mexico City and Hong Kong just to name a few (Andrews, 1999).  This article was written in 1999 and since then, it seems that the NBA has only expanded its global reach.

            After reading the article, I am left wondering why other “American” leagues do not seem to be as successful as the NBA in globalizing their brand.  Perhaps the most notable is the National Football League (NFL).  The NFL has tried to expand globally by playing regular season games in London but it seems that this has done little to increase the popularity of the league world-wide.  It makes me wonder, what makes the NBA different than the NFL in its ability to attract a global audience?  It could be that the NFL doesn’t seem produce the “caricatured heroes, epic struggles, and dramatic triumphs” of the NBA (Andrews, 1999, p. 506).  However, this seems a bit unlikely to me because as we know, the NFL is full of different stories on and off the field seemingly at all times.  Perhaps, as it was mentioned in class, NBA players are more readily recognizable than NFL players since football players’ uniforms don’t allow the viewer to see their face.  On a small playing surface, NBA player’s faces are constantly visible on TV whereas NFL players are buried under their helmets and pads for the majority of the game.  Perhaps the NFL carries a more pristine image than NBA with regards to a more adult-focused audience.  I think a great example of this was last year when players in the NBA were permitted to wear their nicknames on the back of their jerseys.  This youthful gesture plays to the opposition of cultural mainstreams that author mentioned whereas in the NFL this sort of practice seems highly unlikely.  A final thought deals with the affordability of the sport.  Football requires large areas of grass, pads, helmets, and goal-posts.  Around the world these may not be as readily accessible or affordable as they are in the United States.  On the other hand, basketball only requires a small playing surface, a hoop and a ball.  This allows the game of basketball to be played almost anywhere including cities of high populations such as Hong Kong or Tokyo.  Therefore it may easier for people from these areas to appreciate a sport more since they are able to play it themselves.

 

References

Andrews, D. L. (1999). Whither the NBA, whither America? Peace Review, 11(4), 505-

510.

November 18th-Campbell

In the Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden (2009) article I found it very interesting that the results showed what I think most of America would assume to find if men and women were interviewed when it comes to sport marketing, gender, and preferred interests. I think I was a little shocked to read that what I expected from the survey actually occurred. I think I thought the reading was going to show that men and woman alike showed the same levels of interest in each category. However, we read that this is not the case.

If I had to make a few assumptions as to why these results showed this, I would say it is the construction of gender in our society. We have different expectations for each gender. When it comes to sports knowledge and the breakdown of strategy, there is not an expectation for women to understand this especially when it comes to football. When it comes to females in our society there is an expectation to be in the know of popular culture and what is happening in entertainment. Dietz-Uhler et al (2000) found that men are more likely to watch sports on television than women (pg. 168). I am sure that if there was a similar study conducted that looked at a women’s level of watching entertainment and popular culture television compared to males the results were be similar to the level of male v. female watching sporting events on television. There are just different expectations for men and women when it comes to what people’s interest should be. It is an entirely different topic when it comes to a person not fitting into gender roles and expectations, so I will not even begin to open that can of worms.

I think that this study could be replicated many more times, with several different populations. The majority of the population for this study was people between the ages of 25-44, with a majority of the males being between the ages of 18-24. Personally, I feel that if they surveyed more women between the ages of 18-25 the results would have been different. Since the majority of women were older, I feel that there is less of a chance that they would be interested in sports because of the socialization that has occurred in older persons societies. Title XI would have been introduced during their younger years and they could have still been greatly discouraged from being interested in sport. Whereas today, we hardly ever see young girls discouraged for playing sport at the youth level. I think that the population for these results is something that should be considered because I do not know how generalizable these results can really be.

November 18: Super Bowl Advertising and American Identity (Yannick)

I really enjoyed reading about the Super Bowl and its importance in the construction of (national and gender) American identity this past week. I have thought about doing my dissertation on the construction of American identity (gender, national, racial, and/or sexual identity) in and through the different aspects of the Super Bowl before, and reading these articles has definitely helped me to conceptualize this future project even further.

I really appreciated that Martin and Reeve (2001) point out that “the authority, permanence, and centrality of the Super Bowl’s championship spectacle has been undermined by an eclectic, ephemeral, and decentralized Super Bowl circus with multiple side shows” (p. 218). For many viewers today, the commercials or the half-time show (as such “side shows”) are much more important than the actual game itself. I particularly liked that Martin and Reeve elaborated on the importance as well as the cultural significance of commercials in the Super Bowl setting. I, too, think that these commercials are charged with significant cultural meaning, as they are viewed by more people than any other commercials in the United States (and beyond).

A brand that took advantage of the general enthusiasm about commercials (in a culture that normally deems commercials as “propaganda” or “mass deception”) in the context of the Super Bowl is the brand Old Spice. Old Spice launched their Smell like a Man, Man campaign two weeks before the broadcast of the Super Bowl in 2010 with this commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

This commercial titled “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” of the Smell like a Man, Man campaign (which was one of the campaigns I analyzed in my master’s thesis) quickly became the most frequently viewed commercial in the spring of 2010, and many fans of the Old Spice campaign thought that it aired during the Super Bowl broadcast due to its immense popularity. As such, the brand successfully took advantage of the Super Bowl hype without actually spending millions of dollars for showing the commercial during the event. This shows how important these “side shows” have become in what Martin and Reeve (2001) describe as the modern “Super Bowl circus” (p. 218).

The NFL and Domestic Violence

By Dr. Spencer

Earlier this week ESPN: Outside the Lines had a special program on "The NFL and Domestic Violence." CNN ran a similar program in September that includes an interview with the spouse of a former NFL player. The recent cases that have become headline news since the Ray Rice videotape emerged have cast a light upon what the NFL is doing to address issues of domestic violence (including the Adrian Peterson case).

Meanwhile, this Cover Girl ad calls out the NFL on domestic violence as reflected by this story.

One of the conundrums that the NFL must face in moving forward is how to 'market' to women (which is the subject of Tuesday's reading) while addressing the cases of abuse that have surfaced through the media. For example, how can we understand so many women wearing Ray Rice jerseys, even after seeing the video of Rice hitting his then fiance? On the other hand, charges were dropped against the 49ers Ray McDonald, leading some to say that it was important not to judge circumstances too quickly. When we discussed this issue in class, someone pointed out that by taking a stronger stand against abuse and/or domestic violence, this may actually dis-incentivize 'victims' (not only women) from coming forward since it could have career-ending implications for a player. There are a number of questions that could be raised in relationship to the NFL and domestic violence. You can address these and/or others with your comments.

1. What evidence is there to suggest that the NFL has shown a commitment to addressing domestic violence? On the other side, the NFLPA is pushing back against taking harsher measures. Does this potential move threaten to discredit the players union?

2. Roger Goodell admitted that he 'got it wrong' when giving a 2-game suspension for Ray Rice. One new option that has been added to deal with players who are alleged to be involved in cases of abuse is to place them on a temporarily suspended list. How effective is that solution? What other ways can the NFL deal with this issue?

3. It seems that the combined forces of the NFL and the NFLPA have brought the real issues of domestic violence to an impasse. How do you see these issues being resolved? How do you view the NFL now that these issues have surfaced?

Re-Post: Textual Analysis (Yannick)

Because textual analysis is one of the methods I have used the most frequently in my scholarly career so far, I really enjoyed reading Alan McKee’s “A Beginner’s Guide to Textual Analysis” this week. I have to admit that so far I have, like many Cultural Studies scholars, used a rather “intuitive form of textual analysis” (McKee, 2001, p. 144). I have done many textual analyses – from my master’s thesis on the construction of masculinity in Old Spice commercials to an analysis of the sexuality and promiscuity of the character Barney Stinson in the television sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The textual analysis that fits McKee’s guide on how to do a textual analysis the best, however, was a textual analysis I did of the marketing activities (and the actual stores) of the brand Abercrombie & Fitch in Germany. I would like to base my blog post this week on this analysis and put it into the context of McKee’s guide, in hope that it will help everyone to get a better understanding of the method of textual analysis.

McKee (2001) points out that textual analysis is an important method because “if we want to understand the world we live in, then we have to understand how people are making sense of that world” (p. 144). Further, McKee (2001) points out the immense importance of the context a text is put in for the textual analysis of that text; he states that “this context (that is, a series of intertexts, related texts) is what ties down the interpretations of a text” (p. 145). As such, the meaning of texts vary depending on the context they are being placed in (McKee, 2001, p. 145). My paper on Abercombie & Fitch (A&F), titled “‘Welcome to the Peer’: Americanization, the Abercrombie & Fitch Brand as Imagined Community, and National Identity in Re-Unified Germany,” is a good example of this. The brand – in this case the text to be examined – has a completely different meaning and offers completely different interpretations in Germany’s cultural climate (context 1) than it does in American culture (context 2), or even other European societies (context 3, and so on).

In my analysis, I found that A&F had more stores in Germany than in any other country in Europe, and I wanted to find out why that was the case. By analyzing some of the most popular German media platforms, I found that narratives are dominant in German media that focus on the lack of a inner unity of the German people. I concluded that A&F in Germany – which was framed as a brand that represents a cohesive community of individuals in the context of American culture – is so appealing to the German people because it creates a sense of community that the Germans, more than 20 years after the Berlin Wall came down, still desperately long for and cannot find on a national (identity) level.

Many of the articles we have read in the past two weeks have shown how sport stars can be read as a text within a specific context. For instance, the construction of Micheal Jordan’s masculinity was grounded in the context of discourses about Black sexuality and the nuclear family at that time. I therefore agree with McKee (2001) that “you can do nothing with a text until you establish its context” (p. 146).