Sports Illustrated Article

An article in Sports Illustrated this month titled "Gift Idea for the Meddling Parent" brought up some disturbing issues that I feel takes parents who get too involved in their children's athletic future will try and use to their advantage. For only about $150, Atlas Sports Genetics is a company that will do a cotton swab DNA test from a child's cheek to get a lab report on their ACTN3. The report shows how the body produces actinin, which is a protein found in the fast-twitch muscle fibers. This will allow parents to know what kind of sports they should put their children in based on how their body will react when it comes to speed and endurance for sports that require running and strength. I feel that this process is too meddling for parents. Children should have the right to choose what kind of sports they want to play in and enjoy. Some parents may do this with the expectations of their training their children at a young age and having them gain scholarships or professional careers in sports. It is unrealistic and unfortunate for a child to be pushed into a sport simply because their parents feel that there is some proof in their genetic make up that gives them a certain edge for success.  Children have parents to raise and guide them into a world with many opportunities. A parents job is not to decide their their child's future for them. This may not be true of all parents who test their children's ACTN3, but I doubt parents who are less controlling would spend the money to have the test done. --Natalie Gonzalez 332

Name Changing

I think its interesting that numerous football players are changing their names to absurb nicknames. For example, Chad Johnson changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco and recently Greg White is now know as Stylez G. I think because they are famous professional NFL players it is socially accepted. I dont think changing your name to an absurd nickname is a social norm. Many celebries feel as if they need to change their name as well.
Maybe these athletes feel this is how they identify themselves but I also think its a media scandal to raise publicity for them. Media uses athletes to endorse products and to make sales. I think its more of a deviant act which will have more followers. This possible could also influence the youth and college student atheletes to demand a name change or profiling in their sport.
Jackie O. Kin 338 sec 06

The Underlying Message

As I was driving home from Church the other day, the lady I was carpooling with asked about the classes I was taking in school. Among those classes, I mentioned my Women in Sports class. Baffled, she asked what it was about. In my explanation, I reiterated the common themes that had been discussed in class (Title IX, oppression, gender discrimination, transgender issues, and so forth). It was her reaction that caught me off gaurd though.

She responded with disgust. She couldn't believe there was actually a class to promote women in sports. She felt that the overall reason that women's athletics was not receiving as much money was simply because there is no interest in it. She continued to bash the concept that women should be able to have the same opportunities as men in regards to athletics and state furthermore that "women need to stop complaining and face the facts."

After thinking about the kind of lifestyle she had grown up with, I soon came to an understanding. She never played sports! She never cared about playing sports either so of course she was going to have only negative things to say about it. Why do people always shoot down or form negative opinions about things they have never tried or cared about? Isn't it the same as not liking carrots without trying them? Sometimes the ignorance of others baffles me to such extremes that I strongly worry about the people of the world.

Basically it was a short car ride after that point...

David Lockwood
kin 338I.S6

The Right Message

About a month or so ago, Danica Patrick did a pictorial spread for sportsillustrated.com. For those of you who do not know who Danica Patrick is, she is the first women to win an Indy Car race. Racing Indy or Nascar has always been seen as a male dominated sport. But recently women have begun making a name for themselves in the racing world, Patrick being one of the pioneers. It is obvious that Patrick wants to make a stand for women and tell the world that women are just as much capable of racing as men. It is a bit confusing as to why Patrick wants to make this stand and send a message of equality and at the same time strip down to a bikini and pose for SI.com. To be honest, in the pictures she was wearing some of her racing attire such as her gloves and helmet. Are these photos supposed to raise awareness about women racing or is it just another oh-so-typical way of bearing skin just to get attention?

Scott Byrum 338I

youth sport and parents

This past fall i coached a little girls soccer for JUSA. They were 10 ans 11 year old girls who really had a passion for the game. The girls were really good too, their skill was higher than what I had anticipated. I had only one problem, it was the parents. It was really funny when we talked about this in class because my team is that team that has those crazy parents. The girls completely shut down as soon as their parents start yelling at them. I had a girl start crying during the game and sit down on the field b/c she couldn't handle her parents anymore. I ran out there to ask what happened, and if she was hurt. She just cried and cried and said that her mom is all she can hear and that she keeps messing up and she wants her mom to stop. Its really sad to see something like that. So I had a talk with the parents, and I kid you not, they basically told me that they can yell at their girls if they want too. I told them, that this is hurting the players and is not a positive thing to happen. They looked like they could care less. At this point in the season we only had 2 games left so it wasn't worth it to get other factors involved, and we ended up in second to last place with a team of kids who were terrified of their parents. It's really sad to see how crazy parents get.

Christie Pleskacz kin 339i

Children and Gender

Throughout my observations of children this semester, i have begun to notice a lack of gender biases among them. In class, we learn about the behaviors an characteristics that society prescribes to boys and girls. We learn that boys like blue, play with trucks, and like to get dirty. We learn that girls like pink, play with dolls, and like to cook. These are considered to be gender norms and in many cases we see them play out in everyday life. With these children, however, these gender norms were almost non-existent. I've seen little boys playing with barbies and little girls getting dirty in the sandbox, and nobody seemed to think anything of it. This leads me to wonder when do children learn these expected norms for their gender? When has society decided the right age is to start teaching and enforcing these norms to children? -Jaime Genzel KIN 338-I

Super Athletes

Russia is known to produce world class athletes, in 2007 they had a staggering 12 of the best 50 women tennis players (Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetzova, Nadia Petrova and Dinara Safina). Spartak Tennis Club in Moscow is a club where they have produced 3 of the top 6 Russian women tennis players. The article goes on about how these players were formed, they say that practicing daily is how these players become professional. The article also says that parents take their little girls to the club at an early age in hopes of tranforming them into professional athletes. Usually families who are poor do this beause Anna Kournikova came from a poor area and she became a superstar in her short athletic career. Russia is a country who does not have a problem with women participating in sports, they always have women competing in global events and in the olympics. I think it's interesting because we heard about the controversy over chinese gymnastic girls being to young. The chinese are using the same methods as the Russians in producing world class athletes.

Lorenzo Gonzalez

The Hiring of Gene Chizik

Auburn recently hired Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik for Auburn's vacant coaching spot.  The hiring is becoming controversial as fans, alums, and media question the reason behind the hiring of Chizik.  Chizik is bringing to Auburn a 5-19 record that he achieved while he was at Iowa State.  A 5-19 record should not qualify you for the position.  In fact, a 5-19 record is a good enough reason to get you fired.  However, Auburn felt that Chizik is the best fit for Auburn over Turner Gill.

Charles Barkely, an NBA analyst and Auburn alum, believes "race was the No. 1 factor" during the hiring process.  He believes that Auburn snubbed a more qualified coach in Turner Gill because he's African-American.  Comparing the 2 coaches, Gill led his Buffalo team to an 8-5 record, the Mid-American Conference Championship, and a Bowl appearance.  Chizik led his team to a 2-10 record, a 5-19 record over two seasons, and currently has a 10-game losing streak.  So why was Chizik chosen over Gill?

The lack of African-American coaches in college football is appalling.  In the major conferenecs, there are only 4 African-American coaches.  Afreican-American coaches should be given a fair opportunity when it comes to the hiring porcess.  Hiring of coaches should not be based on race.

Eric S.  Kin 332I

Athletes carrying guns

Athletes carrying guns today is becoming a huge issue. Recently Flexico Burress an NFL player with the New York Giants shot himself in the leg, with his own gun. He was at a night club carrying an un-registered handgun while hanging out with a teammate. He then claimed that the gun accidentally fired, hitting him on the leg. There is no question that athletes are high profiled people, who make lots of money. More and more athletes today are being targeted, robbed, and sometimes killed. So it’s no surprise that we have been hearing a lot of Athletes carrying guns for protection. There have been numerous stories of athletes who have been involved in violent activities, especially in recent years. Richard Collier of the Jacksonville Jaguars was shot after exiting a club this year, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Then their was Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos who was also murdered when he was leaving a night club in 2006. I Personally think it’s the environment that they put themselves in, that gets them in trouble. The one common theme in all three incident was the night club. They were all in a place, where you are likely to get targeted by criminals. Your asking for trouble if you’re a famous millionaire athlete hanging out in night club. I doubt these guys will stop going to clubs, so this is not the last athlete shooting we will hear about in the next few months.

Kevin Horton
kin 332I.S3200

Women in Sports(or the lack of)

I have been searching for different things that seem interesting enough to read and write about on the internet for quite some time. I decided that I wanted to know more about women's sports and what is going on with them at the moment, more specifically college women's basketball. Yet, oddly enough, I couldn't really find anything about any women's sports through the Yahoo Sports sections for college, which is rivals.com. There were pages dedicated to football, football recruiting, basketball, basketball recruiting, and baseball. I even found a link to high school sports on the opening rivals.com homepage. I eventually found a link to women's basketball on the link for Yahoo Sports which leads to rivals.com, but is not actually rivals.com yet. It was somewhat informative, however, it did not have nearly as much information as the men's web pages. I tried to find pages for other sports or anything about women in sports through rivals.com, but did not find anything with substance. I am very disappointed in the lack of regard the website shows for women' sports. This just goes to show that men's sports still seem more important then women's sports in many aspects. It also deals with how gender ideologies influence sports and the media because it only shows men's sports and pretty much demeans women's sports by showing no respect for them at all.

Sports and Children by Kalani Millsaps

My brother and sister are involved in just about every activity possible. My 8 year old sister has polynesian dance practice Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6, AYSO soccer practice Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5, club soccer practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5, and softball practice from 4:30 to 5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every Saturday there is usually at least one club soccer game, one AYSO soccer game and one softball game, in the event that there are no tournaments. She sometimes has polynesians shows that she is required to perform in also. My step-mom is involved in everything as much as she can be. For instance, she is on the Board of Directors for the AYSO soccer league and has meetings for that just about every week, she started the club soccer team and was coaching that for awhile, and also frequently coaches for the softball team. I feel that she is overly involved with the activities that my sister participates in and also that my sister is too involved with her numerous activites. She hardly has time to just be with her friends. Not too mention, my step-mom pushes her hard in everything she does. She does encourage her very often, however, she is also very condescending and nothing ever seems good enough. I speak with my dad about how I feel and tell him that my sister is involved in too many things, that my step-mom is too hard on my sister and pushes her too much, and that because the way my sister is treated I think she is missing out on her childhood in terms of just having fun versus competing for everything. She gets very sad if she does not win and gets very down on herself. In addition to all of this, my sister does not really get a chance to sit down and eat and just relax. She hardly ever watches television, which some may feel is a benefit to her hectic schedule. All of these things that I have noticed relate directly to what I have read in "Sports in Society". More specifically, I remember the textbook bringing up issues about how organized programs are emphasizing the performance ethic of young children and also how involved and concerned parents are becoming in regards to the success of their child in youth sports. I have always felt that my sister was being pushed too much even though she typically enjoys being in so many activities but at least now I know that there is something I can do about it.
Kalani Millsaps KIN 332 TTh1230

Garrett Costlow

At the cheerleading gym that i work at we rent out the gym to a youth popwarner cheerelading team and after 0bserving their practice i notice that compared to my teams that are allstar teams that pay the money to get the proper coaching, the youth team has a lack of disapline and quality coaches. The coaches are just parents of the kids that "think" they know what they are adoing and talking about but they really dont. this Shows how parents try to get to involved with their kids sports that they even try coaching. It also shows hows the diffrence of the parents being able to pay for true coaching and quality coaching. The technique that the youth teams were using wasa very poor. They are just trying to throw their skill with out knowing really how to do it correctly. This is caused because the parent that is coaching them thinks they know what they are talking about but they really dont. Another thing i noticed was that the youth team though that they were the best team arouand when in fact if they were to compete in an allstar competition then they would most likely come in last place. I feel that these athletes need to move over into the allstar teams if they truly like the sport so that they may progress better and to know what they were doing.

Media in Women Sports

I saw on sportscenter last week that the WNBA's Houston Comets have been discontinued as a franchise. I was very surprised to see this. The Houston Comets were one of the eight original franchises in the WNBA and actually won the first four titles. Some of the greatest players have gone through their organization. Nonetheless, no one was willing to buy the organization as a result of the mediocre seasons they have had over the past two years. I thought it was interesting this story barely even made headlines. Even one of the guys on sportscenter joked, "hey you don't think this gets enough coverage?" Although he is joking it is true. This would be a huge story in the NBA. Imagine if a teams like the Lakers or Celtics all of a sudden were discontinued. Just because it is in the WNBA, no one payed to much attention to it. The whole segment about this took less than 30 seconds on sportscenter, yet the whole next hour was about how Plaxico Burress (receiver for the New York Giants) shot himself in the leg. This further demonstrates how under covered women's sports really are
Kory Hoertz
Kin 332i Sec 03

Race Ideologies in College Sports

Race has become a huge factor in profiling athletes as they transition from college to the professional level. Tim Teabow (Quarterback for the Florida Gators) and Tyler Hansborough (Basketball foward for the North Carolina Tarheels) were both national players of the year in their respective sports this past year. Tyler Hansborough won the award last year and came back for his senoir season. He has broken many records at UNC and is about to break the all-time scoring record at the university. He is presumed to break the all time scoring record for the ACC also. Though he has all these invidual records, Hansboroughs game symbolizes hardwork and teamwork.
Although he has proven himself, Hansborough is not expected to be drafted very high or be a great player in the NBA. He puts up the numbers, and his team (UNC) is always ranked at the top of the nation, but he is an American-born white player. The trend in the NBA is that most of the players are black, and the white players come from overseas. He has all the qualities that translate into a solid player, but simply the color of his skin will make general managers reluctant to draft him.
Tim Teabow was the youngest player ever to win the heisman trophy last year and could possibly repeat this year. He has done things as a quarterback that no other player has ever done. He runs for as many touchdowns as he passes and is a complete player. He is durable and plays as hard as anyone in college football. Once again though, he is white. Typically for quarterbacks, it does not hurt ones NFL dreams to be white. But the style he plays is not typical for white quarterbacks. Usually white quarterback stay in the pocket and try to win the game with their arm. Teabow is the anomoly and gets it done every way he can. Again, there is a very good chance he will not go high in the draft even though he has proven himself to be the top player in the country.
Kory Hoertz
2084_LBCMP_KIN_332I_SEC03

Sean Avery

On Tuesday, December 2nd NHL hockey star Sean Avery was suspended indefinitely. Not for rough play or unsportsmanlike conduct, but punished for rude remarks he made regarding an ex-girlfriend. In a personally instigated press conference, he made the statement that, "I'm just going to say one thing. I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my (former girlfriends). I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight." In place of (former girlfriends) Avery actually stated, "sloppy seconds." When NHL commissioner Gary Bettmen heard about the comments, he immediately retaliated to keep the Dallas star from playing in Tuesday night's game. Actual length of his punishment was determined on another date and resulted in a six-game suspension. I think that it is really good that Bettmen acted so quickly and efficiently in order to establish that crude comments about women would not be tolerated within the organization. Issues of gender ideology and women being seen as sex objects were raised as Avery's deviant actions took place. Avery is known for his ability to talk "smack" to other players as a way to get inside their heads, but there is a difference between competitive banter and demeaning remarks about women.

-KatieS
KIN 332I S3200