Conclusion

After a semester of discussion and analysis with the help of this blog, this will be my final post. I have to say that SM 4250 Sport & Gender was very eye opening. While I was already aware of most of the topics we discussed - I'd say better than half - I definitely learned how to see things in a different way, with the help of the class. Writing blogs allowed me to voice my opinion giving my peers a chance to critique my ideas, and giving me the chance to comment on their opinions as well.

Blogs facilitated open discussion in a friendly way that probably would not occur in a class room. Many classmates stated in their presentation that they probably wouldn't have discussed these topics in class and thought they would better express themselves through a blog than through discussion. Many, myself included, didn't want to hurt someone's feelings with our opinion, so it made it easier to write a blog to write what we really felt and get feedback that way. I found it interesting to see what people really felt that necessarily don't have a voice in class.Most people had a lot to say about touchy subjects that they wouldn't feel comfortable speaking about in the classroom.

If there is something I could change about blogging in class, it would be to set deadlines that everyone needs to meet. I found it very easy to procrastinate because the blogs aren't all due until the end of the semester. Also, sometimes I would even forget about blogging altogether. If there were deadlines, my blogs, and many others, would remain more current and up-to-date. Also, I felt our group presentations could've been better if blog groups were created at the beginning of the semester. This would put more of an emphasis on the group aspect and we could've made our blogs relate more, making the presentations better overall.

I felt that blogs were a great way to learn outside of the classroom. On some subjects I didn't know much about, it really helped me because I did some more research on those topics to help me better understand them. Seeing classmate's opinions also gave me a different perspective on topics that I never would've thought of. I think that I will use blogging in the future. Blogging has become a great way to keep people up-to-date on yourself, sports, news or anything that you want to talk about. As a future sports writer, blogging is a great tool to use and I'm sure that I will use it.

I hope everyone enjoys break! There's only one thing left to say... Let's Go Orange!!!

Cockiness or Motivation?

In sports, many of today's top stars are outspoken and show emotion in games to provide motivation for themselves as well as teammates. While many see these actions as cockiness, I see it as a positive way for players to pump themselves up.

Kevin Garnett is an athlete that stands out the most in this category. Before every game, he fires himself up by headbutting the padding underneath the basket and during games he is continually talking to himself and beating his chest. Outsiders may see his actions as outlandish and unnecessary because it seems as if he is trash talking opponents. I see it as a good way for him to motivate himself without affecting the play of others on purpose. It has the potential to affect the play of others, but this is not why he does it and for that reason, I think it's acceptable for KG to show his emotions as a way to motivate himself.



Recently, athletes have also showed emotion in a different way. In the 90's, it became the norm for NBA players to be "thugs" - or show their "cool pose" as we learned in class. In the 2000's players aren't forced to act tough the way they used to. Carmelo Anthony is an excellent example of this. While watching him play for Syracuse Orange, and now for the Denver Nuggets, you rarely see him frown because he always has a smile on his face. More players have followed suit and are showing a more fun side than players have in the past. I think that this is good for the game of basketball as more players just seem like they are having a good time but are still playing at the highest level possible.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers are a great example of this as they are often seen dancing and laughing after a good play. While this is similar to Carmelo or KG, I see this as being too much at times. It is a cocky way to express yourself and I feel that in some instances it is worse than trash talking. Recently, Joakim Noah took offense to this and let LeBron know that he didn't appreciate it.

Overall, I think there is a fine line between showing emotion, motivating yourself and acting cocky in sports. I think that at times showing these emotions is okay, but players should be careful so that their displays don't negatively affect the play of their opponents or put them down in anyway.

Females in the NBA?

Recently, there has been debate on whether females will ever play in the NBA. David Stern sparked the debate as he was quoted saying that "it's a good possibility" that there could be a woman playing in the league within the decade in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

LeBron James and teammate Anthony Parker added to the debate saying that they don't think that would happen. Interestingly, Parker is the brother of WNBA star, Candice Parker. In my opinion, Candice would be the closest player in the WNBA that could make the transition to the NBA because of her dominant skill set in the female's game.

The Syracuse Orange woman's basketball team responded by agreeing with James and Parker saying that they also don't see this happening. While many would love to see it happen, they still see it as a stretch of the imagination.

“A woman playing in the NBA would be great, but if she stayed in the WNBA and was that good, it would bring that much more to the women’s side,” said sophomore point guard Lynnae Lampkins.

I agree with this statement. A female playing in the NBA would take away from the success of the WNBA. While it would bring a lot of attention to the NBA and the team the female would play for, the WNBA would essentially be tossed to the side and forgot about. Imagine how much more publicity the WNBA would receive for a female with abilities that could translate to the NBA.

Many also see that men are much faster and stronger for females to ever successfully compete in the NBA. I also agree with this fact. While there are many females out there that are better in all facets of their game than males, the top males and females of the world could not compete together. Males would completely dominate which would cause the players to not play at their highest level. Overall, I don't see females in the NBA as a good idea and I feel that genders should be separated when it comes to the most elite leagues of the world, including the NBA and WNBA.

Is there a such thing as too much emotion in college football?

Last week during the SEC championship, number 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide upset number 1 ranked Florida Gators 32-13. The Gators were picked by many as the projected National Championship and have been ranked the top team in the nation all season after becoming the National Championships last season.

Tim Tebow, senior quarterback of the Gators and captain, showed emotion as he was shown crying on the sideline near the end of the game. Tebow received a lot of negative reactions from commentators as well as college football fans from around the country.

I don’t see Tebow crying as a bad thing at all, it is not showing that he is weak or a “crybaby” like many described him, but it shows the emotion that he puts in to the game of football. He is the emotional leader of the team so I don’t see this as out of the ordinary. Every game, Tebow is out there psyching up the offense and defense and is always the first player to give praise for a good play.

It is obvious how much Tebow puts into the game of football and he should be a model for younger players to mold their game after. Too many players these days don’t put enough emotion into the game. While many would say that Tebow puts too much emotion in to the game, I think players like him are good for the game. While I am not a Florida fan – or Tebow fan for that matter – I see nothing wrong with him crying and showing emotion on the field. Those who look down on him for crying should first ask themselves if they put half of his emotion into one thing that they do. If so, can you really blame him? I don’t.

The Williams Sisters and Indian Wells

In class we discussed the Williams sisters and the Indian Wells issue. During the tournament in 2001, Venus Williams decided to sit out of her match because of an injury. While this is a very common problem in professional tennis, the managers at Indian Wells decided not to announce this until the last minute, leaving fans without the chance to see the Williams sisters play in the semifinals. A couple of days later when Serena was playing in the finals, the angry crowd booed her. When Venus and her father entered the stadium, they were booed and members of the crowd yelled racist comments at the two. Richard, their father, emphatically raised his fist in the air reminiscent of the 1968 Olympics.

I feel that although there may have been racist comments made, the Williams sisters should play the Indian Wells tournament. I don't condone any racist comments whatsoever, but I feel the fans have a right to be upset. Ticket prices are not cheap, and watching the Williams sisters play is not an easy ticket to find. I bet most athletes in all sports hear racist comments on a regular basis. The Williams sisters are basically just feeding the fire and letting the racist fans win. I think it would be more of a statement if the sisters came back and rose above the racism and proved that they were better than it rather than just avoiding it. On top of that, there were way more fans in attendance at Indian Wells that weren't racist that are getting the shaft because the Williams sisters won't play the event. Not only do the racist fans win, the thousands of other fans lose because of that. In my opinion, the Williams sisters should play at Indian Wells and end the boycott.

Athletes with disabilities

Before joining this class, my knowledge of disability in sports was limited. I took a sport history class and an Olympics course at my previous college, Brockport, and these courses briefly covered this topic. With that being said, I could only name a couple of athletes.

One being Jason McElwain (more famously known as J Mac). He is an autistic boy from Greece, New York a suburb of Rochester, which is only minutes from Brockport. J Mac was a manager on the basketball team at his high school, Greece Athena. During the division title game against Spencerport in 2006, Greece Athena developed a large lead and the coach decided to put McElwain in. To everyone's surprise, J Mac hit six three-pointers and a two-pointer finishing the game with 20 points in just four minutes. Once the game was over, the crowd rushed the court and embraced J Mac as they put him on their shoulders and carried him around the gym. Currently, there is a movie being written about J Mac and should be filmed within the next couple years.



The other athlete that I could name was Oscar Pistorious, a South African runner who is a double amputee. Pistorious uses artificial legs, called Cheetah Flex-Foot, from the knee down. Pistorious is known by many as "the fastest man without legs" and dominates in paralympic events. He currently holds world records and is always the runner to beat. During 2007, Pistorious tried his hand in the Olympics qualifiers. Despite breaking his own fastest time and finishing third in the race against able-bodied competitors, Pistorious was about a second behind the qualifying time to make it into the Olympics. Pistorious is changing the way athletes with disabilities are viewed and proved that he could compete against some of the world's best runners against all odds.

Gay Athletes in Sports

Over the years, the idea of a gay person in sports has been a touchy topic. More recently, in high school and college specifically, there have been more cases of athletes coming out to their teammates. There have been positive and negative cases in doing so. Corey Johnson is an example of an athlete - specifically a co-captain of his football team in Massachusetts - that found support from his teammates, parents, and coaches.

We discussed in class that high school and college teams are much different than a professional team. College, especially, it can be seen as more of an acceptable place to come out because people are usually more open to the idea. Professional leagues have been known for being homophobic, in a way. In the video we watched, a professional football player stated that being called gay, fag, or homo is the worst thing a teammate can say about you. He said that he would much rather have teammates talk about him getting arrested with cocaine than them to say he is a homosexual.

Because of this fact, gay athletes in sports feel unsafe - and rightfully so - coming out to teammates. Athletes in the NFL, MLB, and NBA have come out following their retirement, but there has never been an openly gay athlete that has came out during his career. I agree with the idea that there would need to be a Jackie Robinson-esque player to come out for it to be acceptable. First of all, the athlete needs to be elite, and a dominant force in their sport. Secondly, the athlete must be willing to take punishment, abuse and all that comes for a "first generation" person if-you-will. Just like Jackie Robinson being abused for being the first big-name black athlete in the MLB, the athlete must be willing to put up with a lot to be the first gay athlete in a professional league.