Conclusion

This class (SM 3950) was definitely worth taking. When deciding on what classes to take for this semester, I wasn’t sure because I didn’t need to take this class. I talked to Dr. Spencer about it and she encouraged me to take the course, so I did. I really did learn a lot though, and I think doing the blogs enhanced the entire experience of the class for me. I had never done a blog before, so doing something new like that was definitely beneficial. I also liked commenting on other blogs and having people comment on mine.

I enjoyed talking about and learning about unfamiliar topics such as cricket and Latin Americans in MLB. The subjects that were new to me and that I didn’t know a lot about, made the class beneficial and interesting. After all of the previous sport management classes I have taken, I was unsure of how much more will be beneficial for me. Then, after this class, I realized that there is so much that I don’t know in the field of sport management and that there is a whole world out there that is always changing.

What I also really enjoyed about this class was all of the guest speakers that we had. Listening to their stories was a lot of fun and they really helped the class discussions. I wish more classes had guest speakers to share their knowledge and views.

I think the most interesting topic that we talked about was the Olympics and the bidding process. Mr. Meeson’s presentation was great because it showed the many aspects of what is involved in bidding for major events. Seeing a real life example of a possible career is always beneficial because it helps determine what you might like to do and what opportunities are out there.

I will take a lot away from this class. I think it helped me look at a lot of different aspects of our major and will help me in my internship and future career. I observed other people’s viewpoints and opinions and they help broaden my own perspective on things, because of their diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The Gender Trap

After reading “The Gender Trap” by Emine Saner, it was amazing to learn about some of the more famous occurrences when female athletes were caught in the gender trap. I couldn’t believe all of the tests they make many female athlete go through. I can’t imagine how degrading it must be for those athletes to have to do all of those gender-determination tests in front of the doctors. In the case of Soundarajan, it must have been heartbreaking and humiliating to have to give back her medal from the 2006 Asian games after failing a gender test. In the case of Dora Ratjen, I was not surprised when I read that Hitler had his ways of cheating, trying to show the supremacy of the Aryan race. Hermann Ratjen, who was part of the Hitler Youth, was forced by Nazis to enter the 1936 Olympic Games as a woman. According to Saner (2008), “It is believed that as many as 10,000 East German athletes were caught up in a nightmarish state-sponsored attempt to build a race of superhuman communist sports heroes and force-fed cocktails of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.” It was terrible to learn that Heidi Krieger was treated and used like that. From Saner (2008), it was pretty crazy to read about Stella Walsh, and how “in 1980, Walsh was killed by mistake during an armed robbery at a shopping mall in Cleveland, Ohio. The postmortem revealed she had male genitalia, although this did not prove that she was a man as she was also found to have both male and female chromosomes, a genetic condition known as mosaicism.”

Yao Ming

The topic of Yao Ming’s image is very interesting. According to Leonard (2003), “like Asians in society as a whole, Yao (and other international players) is set up as a model minority.” Yao Ming is obviously popular because of his height, but he is also liked because his is humble, patriotic, and a team player. I remember when I was in high school and I saw this black kid wearing a Yao Ming jersey, and I just thought it was kind of odd. Yao has been very beneficial for the NBA, because they are able to broaden their market by reaching out to the Asian fans. Yao does provide a great bridge between American and Chinese cultures.

Because of Yao Ming, other teams have expressed his culture by offering things like Asian American Nights, passing out fortune cookies, and doing dragon dances. Leonard (2003), states that “Asian identity and cultural values now have a place at the NBA table and within the global marketplace, but the visibility of Asianness comes through a homogenized and flat presentation of cultural identity, not unlike the representation of black NBA stars.” I don’t think that Shaq’s comment was meant to be offensive, that is just how he is. Yes, there might be some tension because of foreign players taking control, but nothing too serious. I think the American players are learning from their foreign teammates and vice versa. Respect is shared especially with great foreign players like Dirk Nowitzki.

Also, in class when we were talking about Yao Ming we mentioned Nate Robinson. Coincidentally on Friday, the 18^th, my twin brother Bryce (on the right) and I meet him and got our picture taken with him at the Chicago airport.

                                                                                               

Olympic Bidding

In class, we’ve talked about the Olympics and the bidding process countries go through to be the host of the Olympics. I never really thought about what all is involved in making a bid for the Olympics Games and much work is really put into it. There are a lot of different elements that have to be considered when deciding on where the Olympic Games should be held, such as: location (global visibility), climate, culture, cost, etc. From reading Nauright’s article, it is very important for cities and nations to market themselves. According to Nauright (2004), “With much of global culture displayed by the media, events, particularly significant sporting ones such as the Olympic Games or the soccer World Cup, have become highly sought after commodities as developed countries, and increasingly some leading developing countries, move towards event-driven economies” (p.1325). Hosting such large events is a huge deal, because nations must spend large amounts of money, and they have to decide if it will all be worth it in the end. Nauright (2004), states, “The number of nations that can spend the necessary resources on elite sporting programmes across the board, however, is limited to a small minority of the over 200 participants in the Olympic Games and nations must often choose whether to divert limited public resources into supporting international sporting success or the attraction of international sporting events” (p.1325). I can see why the Olympic Games have been held in the same place more than once, but I also think it is important to be diverse and give other nations a chance. Nauright (2004), also states, “Ethnicity has become significant in event marketing and destination branding, with bid and organizing committees increasingly seeking to harness previously excluded groups when promoting events” (p.1328).

Tiger Woods

First, I would like to say that I enjoyed watching that YouTube clip of Tiger when he was 2 years old on television. I had never seen that video clip before. When Tiger Woods first appeared on Oprah, and she referred to him as “America’s Son” and “just what America needs”, I agree with it because I think what she meant was that Tiger has shown that minorities can be successful. Also, as Cashmore (2008) states “Woods is a symbol of integrated America” (p. 621). Golf has always been a segregated sport, and it is a huge breakthrough because Woods is one of the greats.

 I would definitely say that Tiger Woods projects a calculated image. He pretty much has to do whatever his endorsements tell him to do. As Bissinger (2010) states in his article, “he has always been the bionic man in terms of personality, controlling to a fault and controlled to a fault, smiling with humility and showing those pearly white teeth in victory or defeat, where even fellow pros and other insiders didn’t really know him, because he didn’t want anybody to know him. With Woods, everything was crafted to produce a man of nothing, with no interior—non-threatening and non-controversial.” I think this assessment was fair, because it is true and he got a lot of money to be that way.

I remember before the incident seeing Tiger Woods in so many commercials for various products, thinking that it was pretty smart because he is so well liked and idolized. He was the perfect promoter, but now I would definitely say that his marketability has gone down. For being such a great athlete, I just hope that the scandal isn’t his ultimate legacy.

Michael Jordan

When I think of Michael Jordan, I think about one of the greatest athletes of all time. I think of basketball because his name is so synonymous with the game. I think of his shoes/clothing line because they are so popular everywhere  in the world. I think of brands such as Nike and Gatorade because he has done so many commercials promoting their products. I think of an icon, he has his own symbol! Also, with only the slight exception of Michael Jackson, when see or hear the initials “MJ” you think of one person.

Arguably, Michael Jordan is not only one of the most influential people of all time in the NBA, but in sports, fashion,  and people in general. Michael Jordan has accomplished so much in his life, as an athlete, businessperson, and actor. It is no surprise that he is worth billions of dollars. I also think about how many accomplishments he had as a basketball player, with all of his league records, titles, MVP and Slam Dunk awards, All-Star appearances, and Olympic gold medals. Michael Jordan’s life has been amazing to say the least and has impacted the whole world.

I don’t think that it is wrong to compare other basketball players or even athletes of other sports to him. I think you can compare some of the great basketball players like Kobe to him, and you can compare other athletes like Tiger Woods because they are incredible athletes and huge icons at the same time.

MLB Exploiting Latin Talent

Before reading the “Fields of Broken Dreams: Latinos and Baseball” article, I didn’t realize just how many Latino players are in the MLB, and that so many of them come from overwhelming poverty. I also didn’t realize how underreported and exploited Latino players in the major leagues are. According to Bretón (2000), Major League Baseball teams “sign a boatload of Latinos for little money and if only a couple make it to the big leagues, teams still come out ahead. Instead of signing four [American] guys at $25,000 each, you sign 20 [Dominican] guys for $5,000 each.” Everyone then says the justification for this is that these players from third world countries who were in great poverty have the chance to escape that. Bretón (2000) states “baseball gives them a way out, a chance to get paid, eat regularly, sleep in clean beds, and, for the very best, a crack at fame and fortune.” I agree that baseball may have been the only way for some of these players to pull themselves out of poverty, but I don’t think it is right for the MLB to sign the Latino ballplayers for so little when they are bettering their teams so much. According to Bretón (2000), “90 to 95 percent of Latino players signed to contracts never reach the big leagues. The vast majority never get a chance to play in the U.S., not even in the minor leagues. And all but a few of those brought to the U.S. are released without ever playing major league ball.” Also, when I read about Miguel Tejada, I found it amazing that growing up he had to go through all of the things that he did. Miguel Tejada is an incredible rags to riches story.